Lesson 5 reflection

 WHAT?

In our fifth lesson we started off by going over a review of last week's lesson. We had the students each go around and say one thing that they learned, this showed us that the students absorbed  the information given. In this lesson we focused on the culture, traditions, religions and beliefs of the country. We gave students a word wall with these 8 words so they could better understand them and define them. We had the students listen to TCs read a Ukrainian folktale  to understand more of the culture and vocabulary of Ukraine. While reading the sections we pointed out key facts that the students could comprehend. We taught the students about how life is like to be a citizen of Ukraine and how it is similar and different to the U.S. We introduced the students to an interactive activity, the students were partnered up and handed out worksheets about their culture compared to others. The students shared traditions they have and what their favorite holiday is. The students really exceeded expectations and really enjoyed this. What was a weakness was keeping the students attention when reading long passages. The objectives that were met was HP 5 (3-4) –1 Students demonstrate an understanding that a variety of factors affect cultural diversity within a society by. a. comparing cultural differences and similarities between individuals, groups, or communities (e.g., customs, beliefs, language, religious faiths).The students were able to accurately compare and contrast the U.S culture to the Ukrainian culture by comparing each tradition, religion, language and customs. All students understood the assignment very well with the instruction given to them. The students drew and wrote what Ukraines traditions and culture looks like and each student did different things with a lot of detail which showed that they exceeded objectives.

SO WHAT?

Within this lesson TC’s learned that allowing students to have a movement break helps students take a step back and take a fun break but also help get students to really pay attention. Students also really took away from using the word wall this week. As many of the words used with the folktale reading needed to be explained before threading began. This allowed students to see the word used within the reading and comprehend the definition of them. Using this type of scaffolding proved to be a great way of breaking up the comprehension of the words so that the students could really understand the reading. TC’s were also able to see the students successfully work in groups and use one another as tools to expand their knowledge. This was great to see students having higher quality conversation with one another. 

 

NOW WHAT?

I plan to use this strategy of allowing students to take a break within the lesson  in the future. It has shown that allowing students to take a step back from absorbing information can help them reach optimal learning once the teaching has begun again. Seeing how well this lesson went and how the students were fully immersed within our teaching pushes me to continue to create great lessons for these great students. I also would enjoy adding in an interactive game at the end of the lesson. I was able to talk to a peer and I'm in the process of creating a game for the students to play at the closing of the lesson. It will be a fun way to get students to have fun and show what they took away from the lesson. 

Lesson Plan 4 Reflection

 WHAT?

In our fourth lesson we started off by going over a review of last week's lesson. We had the students each go around and say one thing that they learned, this showed us that the students absorbed  the information given. In this lesson we focused on the economics of Ukraine, introducing currency, the economy, natural, human and capital resources in the history of the country. We had the students listen to TCs and read sections from the “Culture around the World Ukraine” to understand more of the economic situation in Ukraine. While reading the sections we pointed out key facts that the students could comprehend. We taught the students about how life is like to be a citizen of Ukraine and how it is similar and different to the U.S. We introduced the students to an interactive activity, the students were partnered up and handed out worksheets about the resources.. The students worked together to differentiate between capital. natural and human resources. The students really exceeded expectations and really enjoyed this. What was a weakness was keeping the students attention when reading long passages. The objectives that were met was E 1 (3-4) –1: Students demonstrate an understanding of basic economic concepts by differentiating between human, natural, and capital resources.The students were able to accurately categorize each resource using knowledge learned in the lesson while working in partners. All students understood the assignment very well with the instruction given to them. The students drew and wrote what Ukraines resources were and each student did different things with a lot of detail which showed that they exceeded objectives.

SO WHAT? 

Through this experience it was learned that having students use certain learning tools such as frayer models and anchor charts is a huge help. Students were able to break down and really retain information using the frayer models to break down words. It was a fun informational task that students did. We modeled this assignment through I do, We do, You do which really helped in teaching the students what was expected of them. The anchor chart was a huge help to see what the students retained through the lesson. It was a great way to get a more hands on and incorporated lesson. 

NOW WHAT?

This lesson was a turning point for me to finally get the right amount done and successfully write a good lesson plan. When I received the help and tools needed through the help of my Professor and classmates I realized we are one big community. Using the help of other educators and teachers will always be something I use as a tool. As an educator you truly are a forever student and being a sponge to all new helpful information. I plan to continue using these tools and assignments that help and improve the opportunity to learn. Using the word wall was a great tool as it helped break down hard words that were never seen before. Both TC’s had planned this lesson great and had to shorten certain areas due to high quality discussion. We had planned more for students that we had to skip but I always believe having more than less is always better. Overall it was a great lesson for the students and myself to learn and grow from.

Lesson Plan 3 Reflection

 

WHAT?

In our third lesson we started off by going over a review of last week's lesson. We had the students each go around and say one thing that they learned, this showed us that the students absorbed  the information given. In this lesson we focused on the civics of Ukraine, introducing laws, citizenship and leaders through the history of the country. We had the students listen to videos and sections from the “Culture around the World Ukraine '' to understand more of the civic situation in Ukraine. While reading the sections we pointed out key facts that the students could comprehend. We taught the students about how life is like to be a citizen of Ukraine and how it is similar and different to the U.S. We introduced the students to an interactive activity, the students were partnered up and handed a Venn diagram. The students worked together to put together what was the same and different civic wise with Ukraine and the U.S. The students really exceeded expectations and really enjoyed this. What was a weakness was keeping the students attention when reading long passages. The objectives that were met was RICs.ELA.Literacy.SL.4.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions ( one-on-one, in groups, and teacher, etc) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.The students were able to recognize facts that were in the text that was read, and they put it on their Venn diagram in the activity given while working in partners. All students understood the assignment very well with the instruction given to them. The students drew and wrote what Ukraine stood for and each student did different things with a lot of detail which showed that they exceeded objectives.

SO WHAT? 

From this Lesson as TC’s we learned that sometimes information is not all kid friendly in terms of the vocabulary used and certain context. Both TC’s have to break down the information to make it more student friendly and easier for the students to retain. This may be extra work but the students need this extra help to actually understand the information being taught to them. We used printouts that took the information we received as Tc’s and turned it into a scaffold piece of what we had retained. This was something that worked and will be used in the future lessons, this is a necessary tool when learning about harder topics.

NOW WHAT?

From this lesson I took away that there could be improvements in the lesson plan writing area of my teaching. This is an essential part of the teaching processes that is used to help layout and organize your lesson. It is the map of what you are teaching and ensures that all areas of a proper lesson are met. I plan to grow on the creation of lesson plans and take the measures to grow in this topic. With looking back at information from this course and guidance of my professor I plan to build on this opportunity to ensure that I am being the best teacher for the students possible. I want to make sure that every area of my professional development only continues to grow and get better.