Phew, after this post I'll be all caught up. And with this post I'm writing about a lesson I taught this morning, versus last week or two weeks ago.
Planning this morning's lesson on Jacques Cartier was incredibly frustrating. After researching information on Cartier and his voyages, I tried desperately to find some activity or lesson plan that would teach the material in a fun way for students. After 3 hours of googling different combinations of words, I had no more than when I started. I thought about it and decided to do a word search and then have the students write a letter home pretending to be Jacques Cartier. This was an activity I had originally thought of doing for the last lesson (at a station), but I found something I liked better for that, and was desperate for something to do with the Cartier lesson. I made the word search online, and decided that after students completed it we would discuss how each word they had to find related to Jacques Cartier.
As far as initially presenting the information, I did it in a "lecture" type mode, stopping to ask the students questions periodically. (I would say something like, "When he discovered Canada, Cartier found a new group of "Indians", does anyone know which "Indians" were in Canada?" - this way they could help to complete the lecture). I only talked to them about Cartier for 5-10 minutes, telling the story of each of his three voyages, and students participated by answering questions as I asked them. Still, Brooke said that some students seemed ansy during this. I was frustrated that I didn't know how to get the information across in any other way. (I talked to Ms. K. afterward and she said that she didn't know a better way either, they don't even have text books that can be used to help with this).
After teaching the material, the students completed the word search, which they loved. I didn't want this to be a meaningless activity, so as I said, we discussed why each word was significant, and the students were able to recall all the information. I put the icon on the timeline and traced Cartier's path, as well as the pathways of the other explorers for the students.
The final activity, where the students wrote letters home from Canada pretending to be Cartier, went really well. Students really engaged with the assignment. Many letters sounded something like, "Dear Mom, I'm stuck in Canada because of the hard winter. It would be too dangerous to travel home. I have been exploring and I met some Iroquois Indians. I like them and am going to bring two home with me. Some of my men have scury and are very sick. I miss you and can't wait to come back to France. Love, Student M." It was really encouraging to me to see them get put so much of what I had talked about into their writing. Still, there were some students who wrote very little. Overall though, I really liked that activity, and would definitely use it again if I were teaching explorers.
Once again my lesson was cut a little short by something the students had to do. I was not able to have the students complete the sheet in their detective books, but Ms. K was going to have them do it after specials. (TP and I had decided not to let them do this during the lesson, due to the previous distraction).
I still wish I could have come up with some other way to teach the information at the beginning of the lesson, but I was very well satisfied by how much the students seemed to gain (and demonstrate in their explanation of the word search words and in the letters). I will be excited to see how they did with the detective books.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Juan Ponce de Leon (Lesson 2)
(Taught 3/22)
Even though we're both pretty interested in Latin America, TP has a very strong passion for all things even remotely related to Spanish, so it was decided from the beginning that she would teach the lesson on Juan Ponce de Leon (solely based on the fact that his name was Spanish :) ). It was a little harder to find information and resources on Ponce de Leon, but she was able to find a poem and treasure hunt activity, and her lesson was well received by the students and Ms. K.
TP opened with a review of Christopher Columbus and then read a poem about Juan Ponce de Leon. That, and a supplemental teacher directed lesson served to give the students the information they needed about this explorer. As with the Columbus lesson that I taught, students worked on completing their "explorer detective books" as the lesson was being taught. From the perspective of an observer, I noticed that ths was really distracting for the students. As TP was teaching, students would raise hands and ask unrelated questions so that they could answer them in their book (for example, if TP was talking about what Ponce de Leon discovered, the students might be asking what country he travelled for). I hadn't noticed this when I taught, but it probably happened then too (sometimes its hard to notice these things when you are in front of the classroom). After that, the original plan was for the students to do a scavenger hunt where they looked for objects related to Juan Ponce de Leon. However, TP had noticed that the hunt she was planning on using required students to go in one direction simultaneously, and that it wouldn't work well in the classroom. She decided to alter it so that students had strips of things Ponce de Leon did that they had to match to a picture that represented that clue. It was kind of simple (they matched the picture to the clue that referenced or related to it) but it was helpful for getting the students to look at the material again. They glued these into their social studies notebooks, which is something that Ms. K has them do a lot.
TP then added a Juan Ponce de Leon icon to the timeline and showed the students the path taken in this exploreres travels. Again, the lesson seemed to go pretty well. I think that a scavenger hunt might have been more fun for the kids, but I understand how and why it didn't work, and the kids did seem to get a good understanding of the material, as was indicated by the next lesson.
Even though we're both pretty interested in Latin America, TP has a very strong passion for all things even remotely related to Spanish, so it was decided from the beginning that she would teach the lesson on Juan Ponce de Leon (solely based on the fact that his name was Spanish :) ). It was a little harder to find information and resources on Ponce de Leon, but she was able to find a poem and treasure hunt activity, and her lesson was well received by the students and Ms. K.
TP opened with a review of Christopher Columbus and then read a poem about Juan Ponce de Leon. That, and a supplemental teacher directed lesson served to give the students the information they needed about this explorer. As with the Columbus lesson that I taught, students worked on completing their "explorer detective books" as the lesson was being taught. From the perspective of an observer, I noticed that ths was really distracting for the students. As TP was teaching, students would raise hands and ask unrelated questions so that they could answer them in their book (for example, if TP was talking about what Ponce de Leon discovered, the students might be asking what country he travelled for). I hadn't noticed this when I taught, but it probably happened then too (sometimes its hard to notice these things when you are in front of the classroom). After that, the original plan was for the students to do a scavenger hunt where they looked for objects related to Juan Ponce de Leon. However, TP had noticed that the hunt she was planning on using required students to go in one direction simultaneously, and that it wouldn't work well in the classroom. She decided to alter it so that students had strips of things Ponce de Leon did that they had to match to a picture that represented that clue. It was kind of simple (they matched the picture to the clue that referenced or related to it) but it was helpful for getting the students to look at the material again. They glued these into their social studies notebooks, which is something that Ms. K has them do a lot.
TP then added a Juan Ponce de Leon icon to the timeline and showed the students the path taken in this exploreres travels. Again, the lesson seemed to go pretty well. I think that a scavenger hunt might have been more fun for the kids, but I understand how and why it didn't work, and the kids did seem to get a good understanding of the material, as was indicated by the next lesson.
Christopher Columbus (Lesson 1)
(Taught 3/15)
It seems as though the amount of work in the ed school has increased and intensified exponentially, and for some reason, things all seem to be due at the same time. Because of this, it has taken me a while to actually have time to sit down and reflect on this lesson.
TP (Teaching Partner) and I divided up our unit lessons so that we are each teaching on two explorers and then we are team teaching the final lesson, which will serve as a review lesson where students will make connections as well as distinquish between the explorers. My first lesson was this one, on Christopher Columbus.
We have had a great deal of trouble finding times to go in and teach. On this particular day, the students only had 25-30 minutes for content instruction due to a trip to see an art exhibit at a nearby high school. Ms. K. decided it would be best for us to just teach a short lesson that day (since it seemed impossible to find another day that would work for everyone). This was fine, since most students knew a great deal about Columbus already, but it made me nervous sincec I had never taught such a short lesson (our lesson are typically 45-50 minutes). I planned a few activities: I would facilitate a discussion to see what the students already knew, read a poem about Columbus and have the students participate in a reader's theater activity. At the close of the lesson they would fill in their "detective books" answering a number of questions about Columbus. Finally, they would (as a class), place and icon on a timeline that would be added to (with icons representing other explorers).
These activities, for the most part, went remarkably well. The students came into the lesson with a great deal of prior knowledge about Columbus (as TP and I had expected). They pretty much had all of the key facts from the start. The readers theater was great for the students because allowed them to take on the role of the explorer, instead of just hearing about it. The kids seemed to enjoy this a lot, and Ms. K also liked it. (She asked me if she could keep an extra copy to use in her explorers unit next year, which was incredibly exciting!). The students were excited about the detective books, which they filled out over the course of the lesson. The purpose of these books was to fill them out for each explorer, and then use the booklet to study for their unit tests (Ms. K also liked this and kept a copy of it as well!).
We were able to get through everything in the short time given, and from looking at their completed sheets (in their detective books) it seemed as though the kids not only enjoyed the lesson, but that they grasped the material as well!
It seems as though the amount of work in the ed school has increased and intensified exponentially, and for some reason, things all seem to be due at the same time. Because of this, it has taken me a while to actually have time to sit down and reflect on this lesson.
TP (Teaching Partner) and I divided up our unit lessons so that we are each teaching on two explorers and then we are team teaching the final lesson, which will serve as a review lesson where students will make connections as well as distinquish between the explorers. My first lesson was this one, on Christopher Columbus.
We have had a great deal of trouble finding times to go in and teach. On this particular day, the students only had 25-30 minutes for content instruction due to a trip to see an art exhibit at a nearby high school. Ms. K. decided it would be best for us to just teach a short lesson that day (since it seemed impossible to find another day that would work for everyone). This was fine, since most students knew a great deal about Columbus already, but it made me nervous sincec I had never taught such a short lesson (our lesson are typically 45-50 minutes). I planned a few activities: I would facilitate a discussion to see what the students already knew, read a poem about Columbus and have the students participate in a reader's theater activity. At the close of the lesson they would fill in their "detective books" answering a number of questions about Columbus. Finally, they would (as a class), place and icon on a timeline that would be added to (with icons representing other explorers).
These activities, for the most part, went remarkably well. The students came into the lesson with a great deal of prior knowledge about Columbus (as TP and I had expected). They pretty much had all of the key facts from the start. The readers theater was great for the students because allowed them to take on the role of the explorer, instead of just hearing about it. The kids seemed to enjoy this a lot, and Ms. K also liked it. (She asked me if she could keep an extra copy to use in her explorers unit next year, which was incredibly exciting!). The students were excited about the detective books, which they filled out over the course of the lesson. The purpose of these books was to fill them out for each explorer, and then use the booklet to study for their unit tests (Ms. K also liked this and kept a copy of it as well!).
We were able to get through everything in the short time given, and from looking at their completed sheets (in their detective books) it seemed as though the kids not only enjoyed the lesson, but that they grasped the material as well!
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Observation #3
(Observation 3/7)
Today, our classroom was back to normal (no fire drills or text book lessons!). The students came in and began their morning activities, including a morning work assignment. For this, they read a paper on Thurgood Marshall and were told to highlight the important parts. Personally, I was GREATLY pleased to see this type of assignment in a 3rd grade classroom. As a college student, I CONSTANTLY use highlighting as a tool for studying. I highlight as I read, and then review what I have highlighted vs. the whole chapter. I sort of learned this skill on my own upon entering college, but hopefully these students will aquire the tool sooner!
After the morning announcements, they reviewed the sheets, with Ms. K calling on students to share something they had highlighted. This was not only a way to teach a study skill, but they were also doing similar tasks each morning to review Famous Americans, a large subject on the 3rd grade SOL's. Once they finished this, they continued with their science unit on soil, by reviewing the life cycle of a bean plant (2nd grade SOL). First, the students sat on the floor as Ms. K read a literature book about seeds. Again, it was exciting to see methods discussed in our courses employed in her classroom (in basically every ed school class we are told to incorporate literature books). Afterwards, students wetted a paper towel and wrapped a bean inside it, and then placed the papertowel containing the bean in a ziplock bag. Students got to make a hypothesis regarding where to place their bags and what part of the plant would grow first. They were told that they would make observations over the coming weeks.
Finally, TP and I administered our preassessment. As we had suspected, most students knew that Columbus was the first Europpean to come to the Americas. However, the did not all know that he did this in 1492. Many said 1924 (a combination of the correct numbers). Only about half the students got the correct answer. However, more than expected knew that Jamestown was the first settlement, and that Christopher Newport had founded it. Questions about Jacques Cartier and Ponce de Leon were almost always answered incorrect. I feel like TP and I have a challenge set before us in teaching students a unit where they have very little prior knowledge, but I am very excited about this task!
Today, our classroom was back to normal (no fire drills or text book lessons!). The students came in and began their morning activities, including a morning work assignment. For this, they read a paper on Thurgood Marshall and were told to highlight the important parts. Personally, I was GREATLY pleased to see this type of assignment in a 3rd grade classroom. As a college student, I CONSTANTLY use highlighting as a tool for studying. I highlight as I read, and then review what I have highlighted vs. the whole chapter. I sort of learned this skill on my own upon entering college, but hopefully these students will aquire the tool sooner!
After the morning announcements, they reviewed the sheets, with Ms. K calling on students to share something they had highlighted. This was not only a way to teach a study skill, but they were also doing similar tasks each morning to review Famous Americans, a large subject on the 3rd grade SOL's. Once they finished this, they continued with their science unit on soil, by reviewing the life cycle of a bean plant (2nd grade SOL). First, the students sat on the floor as Ms. K read a literature book about seeds. Again, it was exciting to see methods discussed in our courses employed in her classroom (in basically every ed school class we are told to incorporate literature books). Afterwards, students wetted a paper towel and wrapped a bean inside it, and then placed the papertowel containing the bean in a ziplock bag. Students got to make a hypothesis regarding where to place their bags and what part of the plant would grow first. They were told that they would make observations over the coming weeks.
Finally, TP and I administered our preassessment. As we had suspected, most students knew that Columbus was the first Europpean to come to the Americas. However, the did not all know that he did this in 1492. Many said 1924 (a combination of the correct numbers). Only about half the students got the correct answer. However, more than expected knew that Jamestown was the first settlement, and that Christopher Newport had founded it. Questions about Jacques Cartier and Ponce de Leon were almost always answered incorrect. I feel like TP and I have a challenge set before us in teaching students a unit where they have very little prior knowledge, but I am very excited about this task!
Observation #2
Today was a bit more atypical, compared to our previous visits in Ms. K's classroom. The morning began with an announced fire drill, so TP and I left with the rest of the elementary school students and and walked outiside into the cold. It was a little unusual that the details of the firedrill were announced ahead of time, so that students were lined up at the door before the alarm went off. To me, this misses the point. In the event of a real fire, students would not be lined up neatly at the door, with coats on ready to exit in an organized fashion.
Once the fire drill was over and class began, the students worked on their "soil scrolls". They colored a picture of each layer of soil (top soil, subsoil, and bedrock) and then wrote a summary of each using their textbooks. They then cut the pictures and the summary out and glued them on four sheets of brown construction paper. They also had animals and objects to cut out and glue on the proper layer of soil. Finally, all the papers were stapled to form a scroll. This took the entire 45 minutes. It seemed as though the topic of soil had been covered extensively before hand (based on our previous observation and the children's knowledge), and this was almost a "filler" activity. Ms. K. actually apologized to TP and I for the lesson being so boring. However, even though it was the closest to "busy work" we had seen, the kids seemed to enjoy it and gain knowledge on the topic. And Ms. K explained, "It's impossible to plan a fun, interactive, novel lesson for everyday." It was probably my least favorite of the lessons we have observed, but I understood Ms. K's point.
After the kids went to specials, TP and I discussed our preassessment for our unit on Explorers with Ms. K. We had originially had a constructed response format, where students would have to write in the answer. However, she suggested that we change it to multiple choice, because if the kids had no clue they could guess and perhaps be less discouraged. While we certainly did not want the students to be discouraged by our pretest, TP and I did not feel that we would be able to make inferences that were as accurrate with a MC test, since guesses would tell us nothing of the students knowledge. However, because this is the typical format for all preassessments in her class, and Ms. K specifically requested that we change the format, we decided to go ahead and make the change.
Once the fire drill was over and class began, the students worked on their "soil scrolls". They colored a picture of each layer of soil (top soil, subsoil, and bedrock) and then wrote a summary of each using their textbooks. They then cut the pictures and the summary out and glued them on four sheets of brown construction paper. They also had animals and objects to cut out and glue on the proper layer of soil. Finally, all the papers were stapled to form a scroll. This took the entire 45 minutes. It seemed as though the topic of soil had been covered extensively before hand (based on our previous observation and the children's knowledge), and this was almost a "filler" activity. Ms. K. actually apologized to TP and I for the lesson being so boring. However, even though it was the closest to "busy work" we had seen, the kids seemed to enjoy it and gain knowledge on the topic. And Ms. K explained, "It's impossible to plan a fun, interactive, novel lesson for everyday." It was probably my least favorite of the lessons we have observed, but I understood Ms. K's point.
After the kids went to specials, TP and I discussed our preassessment for our unit on Explorers with Ms. K. We had originially had a constructed response format, where students would have to write in the answer. However, she suggested that we change it to multiple choice, because if the kids had no clue they could guess and perhaps be less discouraged. While we certainly did not want the students to be discouraged by our pretest, TP and I did not feel that we would be able to make inferences that were as accurrate with a MC test, since guesses would tell us nothing of the students knowledge. However, because this is the typical format for all preassessments in her class, and Ms. K specifically requested that we change the format, we decided to go ahead and make the change.
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