Concept Development Lesson Reflection

Today I presented my lesson plan for the concept development lesson on fossil fuels. I believe my lesson went exactly as I had hoped for. I am new to lesson planning and presenting but this is the first time that I have had a lesson go exactly as planned and the results turned out even better than I expected. Usually I prepare for changes and expect the need to think on my feet and be flexible when lessons don’t go as planned. 

In this lesson I presented the group of seventh grade boys with a short text and an image about fossil fuels. I asked them to read it and think about it. After giving them a chance to do that I asked them what they thought about fossil fuels and if there was any connection to their comic book story about an oil spill. I asked them to look at the image and tell me what they saw. One of the students said that people using fossil fuels are “taking advantage of” the natural resource. I ask how this related to the story line and they told me that if people were not taking advantage of the fossil fuels then a ship would not need to be carrying them and there would not have been an oil spill in the first place. They also told me, when I asked what a solution to this problem could be, that using renewable resources such as wind, solar, water and nuclear power could solve the problem. 

Then together as a group I helped them make changes to their story to include the new concept they had developed. By including the new ideas they talked about it brought their storyline to a complete conclusion. No longer did the story just consist of an oil spill and clean up but instead included a connection to environmental sustainability and solutions to an environmental problem. I was very happy with the outcome of this lesson and excited by the engagement of the students. Even the one student who is consistently off task was engaged and brought in the ideas about nuclear power and when I shared what I knew about the concept he was curious which was very exciting! 

This was my first time presenting a lesson using the concept development method and I was a bit nervous about it, wondering if I would be able to present a concept well enough for my students to develop the ideas without direct instruction. Based on my results from this lesson I a looking forward to using this method again in the future and developing my own skills at using the method. 

Math Centers Observation

Today I observed my host classroom working in centers doing math work. I spent most of the time with one of the centers at a group of four students who were completing a worksheet. The assignment was to measure the lines drawn on the paper using a ruler and recording the length of the line to the nearest 1/4 inch.

What I observed was that the students I was working with did not know how to use the ruler. I had to show each of the four students repeatedly what a 1/4 inch looked like on the ruler and help them measure most of the lines.

In both sections of the reading courses I have taken we have talked a lot about using centers or stations as a strategy for reading instruction and there have a been a lot of ideas that I hope to include in my classroom from that. What I observed today was not, in my opinion, an effective use of stations. From what I saw the students were struggling to complete the assignments but rather than ask for help they were simply completing the worksheets with answers that didn't make sense.

As far as the group I worked with is concerned I think they could use a great deal more time with the teacher for explicit instruction. It did not appear to me that these students had been explicitly shown how to use a ruler to measure to the 1/4 inch mark. If they have it did not stick and they need more time practicing with individual attention. I did not think these four students were ready to be sent off to a station to do this work individually just yet.

I think that if I am going to use stations in my classroom I will use them for students to practice skills that I am sure they have a decent grasp on already and as a way to provide students time to get hands on experience as individuals applying what we have learned. I learned today that it will be important to monitor my students progress in order to make sure that their work in centers is an effective use of their classroom time.

Tell Me About Yourself Lesson Reflection

March 18, 2013

Tell Me Who You Are Lesson Reflection 

The objective of my lesson was for the students to have an opportunity to write with a specific audience in mind while providing me with the opportunity to get to know my students. I am very pleased with the results of my lesson. 

I began by talking with the whole class about what makes each of us unique. They brainstormed what makes each of us different from each other. We talked about our appearances our families and our interests and hobbies. After this short discussion We briefly talked about how to format a letter with the date, greeting and closing. I explained what I expected from the students and wrote on the board what they were writing about. 

I then gave the students 15 minutes to write their lessons before a few students shared what they wrote. I did have one student who was not engaged in the lesson. He chose to be distracting to his classmates and not do the work. I found that when I sat in a chair near his desk he stopped distracting his classmates although he did not complete the assignment. Based on my observations of his during the afternoon I spent in the classroom I think he was struggling overall throughout the day staying on task and that it was not just my lesson that he was struggling with. 

One of the things that I like about this lesson is the versatility of it and the possibility for future uses. By developing letter writing skills students have a wide door or opportunity open to them. In her book Black Ants & Buddhists Mary Cowhey writes about helping her students deal with tragedy. She writes about helping them understand and cope when something tragic happens that affects her students whether it happens right in their school or somewhere around the world. One of the things her students did to help them deal with tragic events was write letters to those affected or to survivors. The letter writing helped students express themselves and begin to wrap their minds about very difficult situations. Being able to write a letter can be a skill that is useful throughout a child’s life, it is also a skill that continues to develop over time and this lesson is a small part of that development. 

If I were to reteach my lesson I would lengthen it to include more discussion about letter writing format. I have revised the lesson plan to include this because after reflecting on the lesson I believe it is an important piece that should have played a more important role in my first presentation of this lesson. I would spend some more time on writing format and have a discussion about how writing letters is different than other kinds of writing students typically do in the classroom. I would also have the students do pre-writing planning before beginning to write their letters. 

Overall I am very pleased with my lesson. The standard I was planning for was about students having multiple opportunities to write and I provided one more opportunity for that while focusing their writing on one specific audience, me. I found that most of the students were engaged and seemed to enjoy the lesson as well which is a plus. I am pleased with my lesson outcomes. 

Tell Me About Yourself Letters Lesson

Below is the lesson plan I have written that I will deliver to a class of 4th graders Monday March 18th. This lesson will encompass my requirement to do a getting to know you activity with my host class while also providing me the chance to present a writing lesson to a whole class by myself. This will be the first lesson I will teach to a class independently. The lesson will being with a discussion to activate student's ideas and then provide them with time to put their ideas to paper writing with a specific audience in mind.

                                                                                                                                                                                              

Chelsey Hood 
March 18, 2013
Environmental Science Magnet School
Hartford, CT

Getting to Know You Lesson Plan

Tell me who you are letters

Overview:

This is a lesson designed to be presented to a large group or small group of students. The lesson is designed to be presented as a getting to know your students activity as well as a writing activity. This lesson could be a spring board for a unit on authors purpose. In this lesson students write letters. This provides the opportunity for students to learn about letter writing if it is a new skill for them. If letter writing is not a new skill then the focus of the lesson could be on authors purpose or even supporting details. This lesson provides a lot of possibilities and could even be repeated throughout the year to assess writing skill development. 

CT State Common Core Standard:

4.W.10 Range of Writing

Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of discipline- specific tasks, purposes and audiences.

Objective:

The students will introduce themselves through writing. The students will write descriptive narratives that describe themselves to a stranger or new acquaintance. The students will write with a specific audience in mind. The students will write using descriptive details as evidence to support claims. The students will learn how to use proper letter writing format. 

Assessment:

Students will be evaluated based on their use of descriptive details as supporting evidence. The students’ writing will be assessed for purpose. The teacher will be looking for the letter to be written with a specific audience in mind. The letter will be evaluated for proper letter writing format. 

Materials:

Notebook paper and writing implement

Initiation:

I will begin by asking the students what are some things that make each of use unique. I will ask the question to encourage the students to brainstorm ideas for things that you would include when telling someone about yourself. As a class we will talk about what makes each of us different and what are some of the important things in our lives. I will share some of the things that are important in my life like my friends, family, boyfriend and school. 

Lesson Development:

1. After the initiation I will ask the students to take out a piece of paper and a pencil. 
2. Next I will tell the students that they are going to write me a letter telling me all about themselves. 
3. I will tell the students they should include any information about their lives that they want to share with me. I will explain that I expect them provide a reason why something is important enough to them to include in the letter.  As a class we will discuss what details they could include in their letters. 
4. Next I will give the students 15 minutes spend writing their letters before I ask if anyone wants to share theirs out lout. I will collect the letters after this.
5. During the writing process I can use this time as a writer’s workshop period. I can individualize the writing instruction to students who need support in writing. Students will be at different places in their writing skill development and I will use this time to provide guidance to students who need support or skill reinforcement. 

Closure:

As a closure I will thank the students for writing letters to me and I will hand out a letter that I have written to them introducing myself to them. This lesson provides the framework for more letter writing in the future. Now that students have developed the skills to write a letter with a specific audience in mind they can use these skills to incorporate writing in their everyday lives. Using the skills developed in this lesson students can incorporate letter writing into any academic or personal aspect of their lives. If there is something the class or individual students feel passionate about they can use letter writing to make their claims. The students can write to fictional characters in books, historical figures, today’s politicians or futuristic audiences. The possibilities are endless with this valuable skill and it is a skill that will continue to develop with practice. 

Here is the letter I wrote to the students that I will give to them after they write their own lessons. I made the decision to give them the letter after they write their own because I want their letters to include their own ideas rather than copy the format of mine. I want to see their creativity in their letters. 

March 18, 2013

Dear Students,

I am writing this letter to tell you all about me and what is important in my life, just like the letters you just wrote to me about your lives. My full name is Chelsey Elizabeth Hood. I grew up in East Haddam, CT and still live there today. 

I am a student at Central Connecticut State University where I am learning to become an elementary school teacher. In addition to being a student I also have two part time jobs that I work. I work at a consignment shop in Middletown as well as at Starbucks in East Lyme. When I am not at school or work I enjoy spending time with my friends and family. 

My family is very important to me. I like to spend as much time with them as possible. My friends and family are important to me because they are the people who love me and know me best which is why I chose to spend as much time with them as possible. Also important to me is school. I love school and I am really excited to be a teacher when I finish at Central CT State University next spring. 

Another important part of who I am is my love for traveling. I have been to Canada, Mexico and Jamaica. I have also visited many of the states in the United States of America. I once drove all the way to California and back with my mom and plan to do that again this summer. I think traveling is a lot of fun and I enjoy seeing the country. It is my goal to visit every state in the United States of America.

I hope that my letter has helped you get to know me and I am looking forward to reading the letters you wrote to me.

Sincerely,

Miss Hood

Criteria for Evaluation:                     3 – Target:  Addresses and meets ALL expectations/standards for each component stated on the rubric    2 –Satisfactory:  Addresses and meets most expectations/standards for each component stated on the rubric    1 – Emerging:   Addresses and meets few expectations/standards for each component stated on the rubric  0 – Not suitable:  Does not address or meet standards stated on the rubric   Reflective Framework Overview ·       Addresses all components in detail. States key learner characteristics including prior knowledge from prior lesson(s). ·       Gives rationale for teaching this lesson content to these learners.	TC 2	Prof
Relationship to Standards ·       Clearly cites standard(s) with author, date and title of document. ·       Indicates Grade Level Expectation (GLE) if applicable.	3
Student Learning Objective(s) Includes ·       WHAT? Content learners will learn, i.e., knowledge/understanding, skills, dispositions; ·       HOW? Behavior learners will observably demonstrate to show what they learn (measurable verb); ·       HOW MUCH? What are the conditions/criteria learners have to meet to show success?	2
Assessment ·       States specific strategy used to collect data (evidence) for each learning objective. ·       Attaches assessment materials (worksheet, essay, project, rubric, etc.).	3
Initiation Clearly includes elements below: ·       Activates relevant prior knowledge ·       Sets purpose and expectations for learning and behavior ·       Motivates learners ·       Makes relevant real world connections (why learning is important)	3
Lesson Development ·       Describes in detailed & sequential order all learning experiences in which students are engaged. ·       Explains how the lesson is guided or modeled. ·       Labels key aspects of the instructional model. ·       Indicates instructional groupings and resources used.	3
Closure ·       Interacts with learners to elicit evidence of students’ understanding of purpose(s) for learning and mastery of SLO’s; This may include any of the following: 1)     Asking or encouraging questions that elicit clear understanding of key learning concepts/ideas/content. 2)     Asking learners to “apply, analyze, synthesize or evaluate” the ideas that show mastery/extensional thinking. 3)     Eliciting from learners the purposes (or “so what?”) for learning this lesson, or relevancy to the real world.	2
Differentiation ·       Uses data reflecting students’ unique strengths and needs to differentiate instruction. ·       Uses a variety of differentiated instructional strategies appropriate to the content, process (teaching), and product (assessment) of the lesson.	3
Accommodations/Modifications ·       Uses appropriate strategies to accommodate and/or modify the lesson for students with diverse learning needs. ·       Uses assistive technology when appropriate.	3
Mechanics ·       Lesson plan communicates ideas clearly and is free from errors in word choice and mechanics. ·       +/- Professor Discretion	3
Reflection on Practice Student Achievement:  ·       Specifically analyzes student learning for each SLO. ·       Notes differences in the performance of individual students.  Cites needs or opportunities for re-teaching or enrichment for specific learners. Reflection on Practice, continued: Teacher Efficacy: Examines/explains impact of personal teaching practice by responding to following: ·       What worked well and why?  ·       What did not work well and why?  ·       What actions will be taken now which are: a) immediate and b) long range?   ·       Describes ONE reasonable alternative approach that could be used to achieve these same SLOs?         Reflective Framework Overview: Reflects back on overview. ·       What do you know now that you will use to modify follow-up lessons? ·       What did you learn about your students, content, instructional methods/models and learning environment?	3

Cooperative Learning Lesson Reflection

Cooperative Learning Lesson ReflectionEnvironmental Superhero Lesson Introduction 

After presenting the lesson related to the environmental science superhero project to a group of 7th graders I am pleased with the results. The time that I spent with the students did not go like I had imagined in my lesson plan but I still think the results were positive.  

I had written the lesson plan with my group planning for the four of us to present it to a group of 5th graders. What actually happened was we split into two groups and presented our lesson to 7th graders instead.  

Another big difference in the presentation from what I had planned was that the group of students had already begun working on the environmental science project. When I arrived to present the lesson the students had already begun developing a story line and set of super hero characters. They were aware of the project and had begun working on it earlier in the week. This meant that instead of introducing the project to the students I was picking up in the middle of the project.  

Having a lesson plan written down helped me keep my goals and objectives in mind even though so much had changed. The changes showed me how important it is to be flexible because not everything will go as planned when I am teaching in my own classroom. I know that situations will arise and students needs will change and I will need to be able to quickly adapt and continue teaching so that my students do not lose any opportunities to learn and move forward during the day. 

Instead of making my time with the 7th graders about introducing the project Alexandra and I helped them develop the work they had already begun. The students had many ideas floating around about their projects but did not have anything cohesively decided. As a group, with guidance from Alexandra and I, the group was able to develop the story line and super hero characters they where thinking about. They discussed their ideas and wrote down parts of the story. One of the students began planning for his superhero mask that he will begin creating over the next few classes.  

We struggled to keep one of the students engaged in the project because he was more interested in reading a book he brought with him. He was not interested in planning the mask he would create but I noticed that he did become engaged when we discussed the storyline. Instead of having this student plan for the mask part of the project I encouraged him to help with the writing. He lacks confidence in his artistic abilities so instead of taking that role in the project we planned for him to take the role of the writer. He will begin next week by writing the storyline into the comic book that the group had begun to create. Hopefully after seeing some of the masks the other students are creating he will become motivated to create his own.  

Overall I am pleased with the time I spent with these students. I feel that my time was valuable and that the outcomes were positive. I believe we had productive conversations with the students we worked with and helped them develop their ideas into formal artifacts to use in their project presentations. If I were to rewrite my lesson plan I would allow for more flexibility in the plan for situations like the one we encountered.  

From the book Lost at School by Ross Greene I learned that it is important to be patient with students and guide them towards engagement. You cannot force a student or group of students to become engaged but rather you should take the time to find out what is causing any poor behavior they might be exhibiting and help them work through those issues. I learned form this text that it is important to find ways to motivate students to become engaged and that you may need different strategies of motivation with different students. 

Cooperative Learning Lesson Plan

Below is the lesson plan that my group and I have developed cooperatively. We will be presenting this lesson to a group of 5th graders, during their art class time, at ESM on March 8, 2013. We are looking forward to cooperatively teaching this lesson and getting the students involved in the Environmental Superhero project.

March 1, 2013

Environmental Science Magnet School

Hartford, CT

Cooperative Learning Lesson Plan

Environmental Super Hero Lesson Introduction

Overview:

This lesson was designed was get students engaged in the Environmental Superhero project. The lesson was written to be a springboard for student’s individual and small group work. The lesson was written with the goal in mind that students would be engaged in researching and talking about an environmental issue that is important to them that they could develop into an oral or visual presentation. 

CT State Common Core Standard:

1. SL. 4 Speaking and Listening- Presentation of Knowledge & Ideas

Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts & relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace

Objective:

The students will engage in a brainstorming process. The students will discuss in their groups and with their teacher about possible environmental issues. The students will chose an environmental issue that is important to them personally. The students will research their environmental issue using reliable sources. The students will draft a presentation of the knowledge they learned through research. 

Assessment:

The students will be assessed on their level of engagement in the process. The students will also be evaluated on their research skills. The teacher will look for evidence of the use of reliable sources of information. The teacher will look for the evidence of a presentation draft or outline. 

Materials:

Teacher Masks- to be used as models

Art supplies provided by art department to create visual representations

Computers & Library resources to research environmental issues

Initiation:

Kenisha Hope will introduce the environmental issue of alternative energy specifically wind energy and ask the students if they have any background knowledge on the subject. Chelsey Hood will then present her mask and describe the super hero she is playing and its role in the environmental issue. We will all have our masks available to show as models for the students. We will introduce the project to the students using our masks to show them what they will be creating. 

Lesson Development:

1. After the initiation we will ask the students to brainstorm environmental issues that are important to them.
2. We will discuss what it means to do research and what a reliable source looks like. 
3. Students will begin researching their environmental issues using computers and other resources available to them. Some students may need support during research with the reading of sources found online or in informational texts. Students may require support of reading comprehension skills for reading informational texts that often have technical vocabulary. 
4. This will be a time where the teacher can work individually with students or small groups to strengthen comprehension skills and research skills. 
5. Students will begin brainstorming ideas for super hero/story lines/mask
6. Alexandra Herbert will show the drawing she created to design her mask as a model for students
7. Students will create a rough draft for their masks or other visual artifact
8. Students will create their masks using materials available to them in the art room.
9. Students will organize their research and ideas to create a presentation, doing more research on the topic if necessary. 

Closure:

Students will each give a short informal presentation of their researched environmental issue using the visual (mask) and story line for the super hero they created. As a class we will then discuss how our super heroes and presentations could be further developed on future projects. These projects could develop into other presentations related to the environmental issues that the students chose. The issues the students chose may be related to problems in their own community. The stories they create and the research they compile could be a springboard for community action projects that they students could develop and put into action. 

Criteria for Evaluation:                     3 – Target:  Addresses and meets ALL expectations/standards for each component stated on the rubric    2 –Satisfactory:  Addresses and meets most expectations/standards for each component stated on the rubric    1 – Emerging:   Addresses and meets few expectations/standards for each component stated on the rubric  0 – Not suitable:  Does not address or meet standards stated on the rubric   Reflective Framework Overview ·       Addresses all components in detail. States key learner characteristics including prior knowledge from prior lesson(s). ·       Gives rationale for teaching this lesson content to these learners.	TC 3	Prof
Relationship to Standards ·       Clearly cites standard(s) with author, date and title of document. ·       Indicates Grade Level Expectation (GLE) if applicable.	3
Student Learning Objective(s) Includes ·       WHAT? Content learners will learn, i.e., knowledge/understanding, skills, dispositions; ·       HOW? Behavior learners will observably demonstrate to show what they learn (measurable verb); ·       HOW MUCH? What are the conditions/criteria learners have to meet to show success?	2
Assessment ·       States specific strategy used to collect data (evidence) for each learning objective. ·       Attaches assessment materials (worksheet, essay, project, rubric, etc.).	3
Initiation Clearly includes elements below: ·       Activates relevant prior knowledge ·       Sets purpose and expectations for learning and behavior ·       Motivates learners ·       Makes relevant real world connections (why learning is important)	2
Lesson Development ·       Describes in detailed & sequential order all learning experiences in which students are engaged. ·       Explains how the lesson is guided or modeled. ·       Labels key aspects of the instructional model. ·       Indicates instructional groupings and resources used.	3
Closure ·       Interacts with learners to elicit evidence of students’ understanding of purpose(s) for learning and mastery of SLO’s; This may include any of the following: 1)     Asking or encouraging questions that elicit clear understanding of key learning concepts/ideas/content. 2)     Asking learners to “apply, analyze, synthesize or evaluate” the ideas that show mastery/extensional thinking. 3)     Eliciting from learners the purposes (or “so what?”) for learning this lesson, or relevancy to the real world.	2
Differentiation ·       Uses data reflecting students’ unique strengths and needs to differentiate instruction. ·       Uses a variety of differentiated instructional strategies appropriate to the content, process (teaching), and product (assessment) of the lesson.	3
Accommodations/Modifications ·       Uses appropriate strategies to accommodate and/or modify the lesson for students with diverse learning needs. ·       Uses assistive technology when appropriate.	3
Mechanics ·       Lesson plan communicates ideas clearly and is free from errors in word choice and mechanics. ·       +/- Professor Discretion	3
Reflection on Practice Student Achievement:  ·       Specifically analyzes student learning for each SLO. ·       Notes differences in the performance of individual students.  Cites needs or opportunities for re-teaching or enrichment for specific learners. Reflection on Practice, continued: Teacher Efficacy: Examines/explains impact of personal teaching practice by responding to following: ·       What worked well and why?  ·       What did not work well and why?  ·       What actions will be taken now which are: a) immediate and b) long range?   ·       Describes ONE reasonable alternative approach that could be used to achieve these same SLOs?         Reflective Framework Overview: Reflects back on overview. ·       What do you know now that you will use to modify follow-up lessons? ·       What did you learn about your students, content, instructional methods/models and learning environment?	2