UTL 640E - Lesson Plan 5 - STAAR Expository Essay Practice

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob

Lesson Plan 5 for UTL 640E guides English I students in practicing STAAR expository writing using a Hurricane Katrina prompt. Students deconstruct the prompt to clarify the task, identify how to form a clear, precise thesis, and plan evidence-based development. The lesson begins with a natural-disaster jeopardy engagement and a word-search warm-up, then uses a video and Prezi/doc cam to model prompt deconstruction. Learners write an initial thesis, collaborate in a group “pass it” activity, and then independently draft the full expository essay.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Enduring Understandings & Essential Questions

Lesson Objective

Resource/Materials

TEKS/SEs Addressed in the Lesson

Steps in Lesson

Engagement

Introduce

Explain

UTL 640E Lesson Plan 5-‐ STAAR Expository Essay Practice UTL640E Jennifer Farar Marlo Rockhold, Hendrickson High School English I November 18, 2014 and November 19, 2014 Lesson 5 5th period 9:00 am -‐10:35 pm 1st period 9:00am-‐10:35 pm Teach 7 and 8 Enduring Understandings & Essential Questions Enduring Understandings • Effective academic essays include a clear, precise thesis that addresses the tasks assigned in the prompt, an organizational strategy the supports readers’ understanding, and thoughtful development of ideas that illustrates the writer’s anticipation of readers’ questions. • Deconstructing a prompt allows students to 1) better understand what the prompt is asking, and 2) respond more accurately to the question. • Through working together, groups of individuals can come up with ideas that are new and different from what we may have come up with on our own. Essential Questions • Factual: How do you deconstruct a prompt? • Factual: How do you write a clear thesis? • Conceptual: How can deconstructing a prompt help us better answer the question? • Conceptual: How can natural disasters affect people? • Conceptual: How can working together to generate ideas help our writing? • Conceptual: What ways do Americans work hard to help each other when disaster strikes? • Philosophical: Do citizens have an obligation to help each other when disaster strikes? Lesson Objective: After discussing natural disasters, watching a video documentary about Hurricane Katrina, and deconstructing a STAAR expository prompt as a class, students will a) independently write a thesis statement in response to the prompt; b) participate ina “pass it” writing activity in groups of 4-‐5, in which they will respond to eachother’s thesis statements by making written additions to the statement in order to give the student more ideas for their essay; and c) independently write the essay in response to the prompt in order top practice expository STAAR writing. Resource/Materials A.“TO DO” before the day of the lesson. • Print out copies of the natural disaster word searches. • Print out copies of the Hurricane Katrina STAAR prompt. • Prepare blank computer paper and index cards. • Prepare STAAR lined paper. • Prepare the Prezi. o [http://prezi.com/vlwtbvnph5ty/?utm_campaign=share&utm_mediu](http://prezi.com/vlwtbvnph5ty/?utm_campaign=share&utm_mediu)[m=copy](m=copy) B. For the lesson itself: • Have the Prezi cued up and ready to start. • Have the copies of the prompt, the word search, STAAR lined paper, index cards, computer paper, and the natural disaster word searches at the front desk ready to be passed out at the beginning of class. TEKS/SEs Addressed in the Lesson English 1 (9) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Expository Text. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about expository text and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to: (C) make subtle inferences and draw complex conclusions about the ideas in text and their organizational patterns; (15) Writing/Expository and Procedural Texts. Students write expository texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes. Steps in Lesson: Engagement-‐ 10 minutes • Before I begin my lesson, I will divide the class into two sides, and we will play natural disasters jeopardy. I will ask students trivia questions about natural disasters, and if one side answers wrong, the next side can steal. The first team to get to 5 points will win the game. Stated Objective-‐ • “Today we are going to start out by playing a game that will test your knowledge on natural disasters. After that, we will watch a short video about Hurricane Katrina, and then we will talk about how to make STAAR writing prompts easier for us. Then, we will do a “pass it” writing activity where we will all help each other write our essays. By the end o

FAQs

What is the main objective of this lesson plan?

Students write a thesis statement after deconstructing a STAAR expository prompt, participate in a group “pass it” revision activity, and then independently draft a practice STAAR expository essay.

How do students learn to deconstruct a prompt?

They analyze the prompt step-by-step: read quoted text, restate the main point, paraphrase the “Think Statement,” and identify what question the prompt requires them to answer.

Which lesson activities support thesis development?

Students receive a sample STAAR prompt, discuss what makes a strong thesis statement, create their own thesis, then add ideas to classmates’ theses during the group “pass it” writing activity before drafting the essay.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob