| Full lesson | Create for a teacher a set of content for giving a lesson, beginning with the lesson plan. Each new block of materials must begin with an H1 heading (other subheaders must be H2, H3, etc). When you describe required pictures, write those descriptions in curly brackets, for example: {A picture of a triangle} |
| Which subject | English |
| What topic | MCAS prep |
| What length (min) | 30 |
| What age group | Year or Grade 3 |
| Class size | 20 |
| What curriculum | |
| Include full script | |
| Check previous homework | |
| Ask some students to presents their homework | |
| Add a physical break | |
| Add group activities | |
| Include homework | |
| Show correct answers | |
| Prepare slide templates | |
| Number of slides | 5 |
| Create fill-in cards for students | |
| Create creative backup tasks for unexpected moments |
MCAS Preparation for Grade 3 English
Grade 3 (Ages 8-9)
English Language Arts
| Step Number | Step Title | Length (minutes) | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction & Objectives | 5 | Introduce the topic of MCAS prep, explaining the significance of the assessment and the focus areas for the lesson. Outline learning objectives. |
| 2 | Vocabulary Review | 5 | Quick review of key vocabulary terms that will likely appear on the MCAS. Engage students through discussion and examples. |
| 3 | Reading Comprehension Passages | 10 | Distribute a sample reading passage. Instruct students to read silently and underline key points. Introduce the multiple-choice question format. |
| 4 | Printable Card Activity | 5 | Hand out printable cards. Instruct students to fill out the cards based on the reading passage, focusing on key details and main ideas. |
| 5 | Collection and Checking | 3 | Collect or randomly check the cards filled out by students to ensure understanding of the reading and to provide immediate feedback. |
| 6 | Conclusion & Review | 2 | Summarize key points of the lesson. Encourage any questions and reinforce the importance of practicing for the MCAS. |
"Good morning, class! Today, we will be focusing on preparing for the MCAS English Language Arts assessment. This assessment is important because it helps you show what you know in reading and writing. Our lesson today will help you review some key strategies and practice answering questions you might find on the test. By the end of this lesson, you'll understand what to expect and how to do your best. Let's go over our objectives for today:
Are you all ready to get started?"
"Great! To kick things off, let's do a quick review of some vocabulary words that you might encounter on the MCAS. I’m going to say a word, and I want you to raise your hand if you know what it means.
The first word is 'comprehension.' Who can tell me what that means?
[Pause for student responses]
Excellent! Comprehension means understanding what you read.
Now, how about the word 'context'?
[Pause for student responses]
Perfect! Context means the words and sentences surrounding a particular word that help us understand its meaning.
Let's go through a few more words together. Can you tell me what 'main idea' means?"
[Continue with a few more vocabulary words, encouraging student participation.]
"Now that we've warmed up our brains with some vocabulary, let's move on to reading comprehension. I will hand out a sample passage for you to read.
Please take your time to read the passage silently and underline any key points or important details as you go along.
[Distribute reading passages]
Remember, as you're reading, think about who the characters are, what the main events are, and what the main idea of the passage is.
Once you've finished reading, we will discuss how to answer some multiple-choice questions that are similar to what you'll find on the MCAS."
[Give students around 10 minutes to read the passage.]
"Now that we've read the passage, it's time for an activity! I’m going to give each of you a printable card.
[Hand out printable cards]
On this card, I want you to write down the main idea of the passage, as well as three key details that support that idea. Remember to use your underlined notes from your reading to help you!
You will have about 5 minutes to complete this. Make sure you take your time and think carefully about what you wrote."
[Allow students 5 minutes to fill out the cards.]
"Time's up! Please pass your cards to the front of the row.
[Collect cards or check them randomly]
I'm going to take a quick look at your cards to see how well you understood the passage. As I check, I will give you some immediate feedback. If your main idea or key details are not quite right, I'll help you understand them better.
[Check cards and provide feedback as you go along, encouraging students who are struggling.]
Great job, everyone! It's important to understand what you read, and I can see that many of you did well."
"As we wrap up our lesson today, let's take a moment to summarize what we've learned.
We discussed the importance of reading comprehension and practiced identifying main ideas and key details from a text. We also went over some essential vocabulary that will help you during the MCAS.
Does anyone have any questions about what we covered today?
[Pause for questions]
Thank you for participating, and remember, practicing these skills will make you more confident for the MCAS. For your homework, you will receive a worksheet with additional reading comprehension questions to complete at home.
Make sure to bring it back to class next time!"
[End lesson on a positive note.]
| Question | Answer |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------|
| What does the term 'comprehension' mean? | |
| Can someone explain what 'context' refers to in reading? | |
| What is the 'main idea' of a reading passage? | |
| Why is it important to identify key details in a text? | |
| What strategies can you use to improve your reading comprehension? | |
| What types of questions will you encounter on the MCAS for English Language Arts? | |
| How can vocabulary knowledge help you succeed on the MCAS? | |
| What should you do while reading a passage to help understand it better? | |
| Why did we do the printable card activity, and what did you write on it? | |
| What feedback did you receive about your main idea and key details? | |