Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 1

I. Whole Class
A. My first lesson in my Clinical was a Social Studies based instructional activity on the Coastal Zone region of South Carolina. During my lesson, I engaged children in certain activities such as a read aloud, looking at different travel guides, a Mason jar experiment, and creating a Postcard from the region. I really enjoyed working with the students through the various activities I planned, because I believe my lesson kept the class engaged and overall allowed the children to remain moving and active. I think it also exposed the class to a wide variety of ways in which to think and learn about the characteristics of the region. My postassessment, the Postcard, was a unique way in which to acquire students knowledge of the region; instead of simply completing a handout, the children were asked to write a Postcard from the region, depicting two different characteristics about the Coastal Zone that they learned from my lesson. As a result of different learning domains, I implemented an assortment of modifications during my instruction in order to enhance my teaching and student performance overall. For my three IEP students and my one ESOL student, I personally read the directions for the Postcard activity to each one of them individually, in order to make sure they truly comprehended what I expected them to do or if they had any questions. The various activities I employed throughout my lesson (book read-aloud, flip chart characteristics, Mason jar experiment, Power Point, textbook reading, and Postcard activity) served as visual, auditory, or tactile confirmations for the spectrum of learners in my classroom. Pertaining mainly to my ESOL student, I clearly stated the objective and activities of the lesson at the beginning of my instruction to inform her of the topic we would be discussing and activities we would be doing. B. On the other hand, relating to my instructional objectives and decisions, there were several aspects I would change about this lesson if I were able to teach it again. First of all, I would have focused more on my time management. For my instruction, I was given an hour to teach the class and have them complete their assessment. However, once I finished with my instruction, the students did not have much time to work on their Postcards because it was time for them to leave and go home. If I were to do this lesson over again, I believe I would make my instruction consist of less components while still teaching the children the same amount of valuable information. Secondly, the way in which I transitioned the students from the carpet to their seats and from activity to activity, could be improved because it was somewhat hard to get their attention while the children were moving and active. In order to grasp the students attention, my cooperating teacher will say, Class, Class, and the children will respond with, Yes, Yes. However, I would like to develop my own attention-getter for me and the class to share. For

Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 1

my next instructional strategies, I will work to discover my own unique way of grasping the childrens attention and easily transitioning from activity to activity.

II. Three Individual Students

A. Regarding my high, medium, and low students, I have changed my overall decisions from the children that I first chose and included in my Contextual Factors. I chose a little girl, Madison, as my new high student. She is one of the three children who are members of the Gatas program at Merrywood, is a very bright, respectful student, and always strives to do her best on any assignment she is given. During this lesson, Madison seemed to be the most successful with her Postcard and describing the Coastal Zone region of South Carolina. She wrote her Postcard to her grandma and grandpa, informing them that they could catch crabs and shrimp in the marshes, and that there are beaches, sea islands, and barrier islands to be found. Considering my objective, instruction, and assessment guidelines for the lesson, Madison provided evidence that she was able to successfully identify two significant features of the Coastal Zone region, after exploring the area through different activities. B. I chose a different little boy, Tyler, as my new low student. Concerning my prior low student, Daviyon, my cooperating teacher informed me that he most likely would not be in the classroom during my lessons because of the extended amount of time he had to spend in the Resource classroom. My newly chosen student, Tyler, has an extremely difficult time with reading, so therefore he requires extra assistance from the teacher and me during other subjects as well, including writing, math, science, and social studies. He goes to the Resource teacher for a lesson every day, but it is only for a short amount of time. During this Social Studies lesson, Tyler seemed to be the least successful with his Postcard assessment, even though he included two different features of the region. On his Postcard, he wrote that it is very hot in the Coastal Zone and there are many big beaches. However, it was extremely difficult for me to read his writing, because he has a small vocabulary and can only spell a few words correctly on his own. To improve Tylers performance, in the future I will seek to work with him one-on-one on completing assignments. Through one-on-one instruction, I will do three things with him: 1) have him tell me what he would like to write, 2) write his thoughts on a separate sheet of paper for him, and 3) have him copy what I have written onto the assessment paper. By doing so, he will hopefully learn how to spell common, everyday words and how to appropriately structure sentences and grammar. C. Regarding my new medium student, Genesis, she is a very attentive and independent student, who always seems to work hard to complete her assignments in an efficient, timely manner. During this lesson, she appeared to be about average in her performance of the Postcard assessment and describing the Coastal Zone region. She wrote her Postcard to her friend, Maritza, informing her that the Coastal Zone is close to the Atlantic Ocean, hot, and

Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 1

known to have storms. Considering my objective, instruction, and assessment guidelines for the lesson, Genesis demonstrated improvement in her learning of the region by successfully identifying two significant features, after exploring the area through different activities.

III. Reflection on Lesson

1. What instructional decisions did I make before and during the lesson and why? My first lesson in my Clinical was a Social Studies based instructional activity on the Coastal Zone region of South Carolina. During my lesson, I engaged children in certain activities such as a read aloud, looking at different travel guides, a Mason jar experiment, and creating a Postcard from the region. I really enjoyed working with the students through the various activities I planned, because I believe my lesson kept the class engaged and overall allowed the children to remain moving and active. I think it also exposed the class to a wide variety of ways in which to think and learn about the characteristics of the region. My post-assessment, the Postcard, was a unique way in which to acquire students knowledge of the region; instead of simply completing a handout, the children were asked to write a Postcard from the region, depicting two different characteristics about the Coastal Zone that they learned from my lesson. As a result of different learning domains, I implemented an assortment of modifications during my instruction in order to enhance my teaching and student performance overall. For my three IEP students and my one ESOL student, I personally read the directions for the Postcard activity to each one of them individually, in order to make sure they truly comprehended what I expected them to do or if they had any questions. The various activities I employed throughout my lesson (book read-aloud, flip chart characteristics, Mason jar experiment, Power Point, textbook reading, and Postcard activity) served as visual, auditory, or tactile confirmations for the spectrum of learners in my classroom. Pertaining mainly to my ESOL student, I clearly stated the objective and activities of the lesson at the beginning of my instruction to inform her of the topic we would be discussing and activities we would be doing.

2. Based upon student performance, discuss the instructional decisions for the next or future lesson. On the other hand, relating to my instructional objectives and decisions, there were several aspects I would change about this lesson if I were able to teach it again. First of all, I would have focused more on my time management. For my instruction, I was given an hour to teach the class and have them complete their assessment. However, once I finished with my instruction, the students did not have much time to work on their Postcards because it was time for them to leave and go home. If I were to do this lesson

Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 1

over again, I believe I would make my instruction consist of less components while still teaching the children the same amount of valuable information. Secondly, the way in which I transitioned the students from the carpet to their seats and from activity to activity, could be improved because it was somewhat hard to get their attention while the children were moving and active. In order to grasp the students attention, my cooperating teacher will say, Class, Class, and the children will respond with, Yes, Yes. However, I would like to develop my own attention-getter for me and the class to share. For my next instructional strategies, I will work to discover my own unique way of grasping the childrens attention and easily transitioning from activity to activity. 3. How did you engage or motivate the students successfully? During my lesson, I engaged children in certain elements such as a read aloud, looking at different travel guides, a Mason jar experiment, and creating a Postcard from the region. I really enjoyed working with the students through the various activities I planned, because I believe my lesson kept the class engaged and overall allowed the children to remain moving and active. I think it also exposed the class to a wide variety of ways in which to think and learn about the characteristics of the region. My postassessment, the Postcard, was a unique way in which to acquire students knowledge of the region; instead of simply completing a handout, the children were asked to write a Postcard from the region, depicting two different characteristics about the Coastal Zone that they learned from my lesson.

4. What instructional mode(s) was employed? (lecture, small groups, demonstration, experiment, etc.) Through whole-group instruction on the carpet, I conducted the beginning part of my lesson which consisted of an interactive read aloud of, The Seashore Book, by Charlotte Zolotow, and a flip chart activity. In this activity, I had students turn and talk to their assigned partners and gather ideas together about what the pictures on the flip chart could be depicting about the Coastal Zone. For the exploration portion however, I dismissed the whole class back to their seats and distributed various travel guides from the region. The children were instructed to work with their partner, for about three minutes, by looking at the guides and discovering certain things that could be found in the region. Following the travel guides, I proceeded to do a Mason jar experiment for the whole class, in which I filled a Mason jar with different items that make up the Coastal Zone, such as sand, seashells, salt water, and seaweed. I also read the textbook pages and region poem I had created with the entire class as well. Following the recitations of the Region poem, I instructed the children to individually create their own Postcard from the region, depicting two different characteristics of the Coastal Zone.

Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 1

5. How effectively did you use instructional aides, i.e., whiteboard, video, calculators, manipulatives, computer, etc.? Together with the class, I created a flip chart with assorted pictures describing what can be found in the region. I believe it was effective for the children as I allowed them to turn and talk to their assigned partners and gather ideas together about what pictures on the chart could be depicting about the Coastal Zone. I wrote the childrens thoughts, after guiding them if needed, beside the appropriate pictures on the chart. Through this activity, students were able to gather their first ideas about the characteristics of the particular region. After explaining that there are distinct characteristics and features that make the Coastal Zone region unique from others, I quickly read the textbook pages to the students as they followed along in their books. Reading the textbook to the class is something my cooperating teacher always does in her lessons, so I thought it might be a comfort for some children to engage in a familiar activity throughout my instruction. At the conclusion of my lesson, I utilized the Smart Board to display the Coastal Zone region poem I had created and to also go through a short Power Point in alignment with the students notes. Before I started teaching, I made sure I had both ready to pull up on the computer, so therefore I think I used the Smart Board effectively as I did not have any problems and was able to use both of my items without any difficulty.

6. Were the students actively or passively involved? How so? Throughout my lesson, I engaged children in and met a variety of learning styles by using an assortment of activities such as a read aloud, looking at different travel guides, a Mason jar experiment, and creating a Postcard from the region. I believe my lesson kept the class engaged and overall allowed the children to remain moving and active. I think it also exposed the class to a wide variety of ways in which to think and learn about the characteristics of the region. My post-assessment, the Postcard, was a unique way in which to acquire students knowledge of the region; instead of simply completing a handout, the children were asked to write a Postcard from the region, depicting two different characteristics about the Coastal Zone that they learned from my lesson.

7. Did you present the information in a clear and logical manner? How so? I believe I presented the information of my instruction in a clear and logical manner, as my lesson plan was very detailed and thorough. My activities were well thought out and were based on discussions I had had with my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Landreth (added to and enhanced her plans). In order to make sure the information in my lesson was completely accurate, I studied the content and made personal connections to the students lives to enhance the information.

8. How effective were the materials and resources you selected for the lesson?

Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 1

The materials I selected for this lesson (The Seashore Book by Charlotte Zolotow, SC map, white portable map, flip chart with pictures, marker, mason jar with its different items (sand, seashells, salt water, seaweed), Scott Foresman textbook pages (62-65), short Power Point, student notebooks, Coastal Zone region poem, glue, examples of travel guides from the region, Coastal Zone postcards, pencils) seemed to be valuable resources for my students in learning about the region. I think my lesson kept the class engaged and overall allowed the children to remain moving and active. It also exposed the class to a wide variety of ways in which to think and learn about the characteristics of the Coastal Zone.

9. Were you able to or could you (in the future) relate the lesson content to the lives of the student? Working with a partner, I allowed the students to look at various travel guides from the region and explore certain things that can be found in the Coastal Zone. Following a discussion of the guides, I gave the children the opportunity to share experiences they may have had from the region. By doing so, the students were able to make personal connections to the lesson, which enhanced the content for them as well.

10. Describe any discipline or classroom management techniques used during the lesson. Were these techniques effective or would you employ a different technique the next time? The way in which I transitioned the students from the carpet to their seats and from activity to activity, could be improved because it was somewhat hard to get their attention while the children were moving and active. In order to grasp the students attention, my cooperating teacher will say, Class, Class, and the children will respond with, Yes, Yes. I used this technique to try to manage transition time, but the students did not respond as well to me saying it as they do to Mrs. Landreth. Therefore, I would like to develop my own attention-getter for me and the class to share. For my next instructional strategies, I will work to discover my own unique way of grasping the childrens attention and easily transitioning from activity to activity.

11. Reflect on your interaction with the students. Would you describe your treatment of the students as being fair, respectful, and ethical? How so? I think I would consider my treatment of the students as being fair, respectful, and ethical, as I succeeded to provide good questioning and feedback to all children, and called on a variety of students at all ability levels. I also engaged children in and met a variety of learning styles by using an assortment of activities such as a read aloud, Power Point, different travel guides, a Mason jar experiment, turn-and-talks, etc.

12. Were you able to summarize the lesson and relate it to the following lesson or homework assignment?

Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 1

In order to summarize my lesson, I had students create their own Postcard from the region, depicting two different characteristics of the Coastal Zone. After the children had written their postcards (if they finished early), I worked through a short Power Point with them pertaining to the region and in alignment with the student notes, in order to allow them to correctly fill out their notes (which contained information for the quiz the next day). However, if the children were not able to view the Power Point, the poem I created for and recited with the class contained a rhyming portion of the notes as well that they could study.

13. Was your estimated time allocation for this lesson as noted in your lesson plan accurate? If your time varied, what factors contributed to this variance? For my instruction, I was given an hour to teach the class and have them complete their assessment. However, once I finished with my instruction, the students did not have much time to work on their Postcards because it was time for them to leave and go home. If I were to do this lesson over again, I believe I would make my instruction consist of fewer components while still teaching the children the same amount of valuable information.