Samantha Parsons Scott Teays Elementary Mrs. Beth Pitzer Mrs.

Debbie McCoy Third Grade/Math- Probability April 19, 2012 Planning I think the procedures were the most helpful during this lesson. Following the steps I had laid out really helped me stay on task and focus on the ultimate goal of this lesson. I also seemed to have a better grasp of assessment with this lesson as well. I think the KWL chart really helped the students see what they needed to know about probability and reflecting on what they learned really allowed them to be accountable for the lesson they had to complete. The KWL chart, to me, placed focus on challenging higher order of thinking skills. They had to think about prior knowledge, be able to identify areas of an unknown topic they wanted to learn about and reflect on information they gathered after the lesson was completed. I personally do not think the CSOs fit exactly with my lesson so I had to be creative in my thinking and allow myself to use the CSOs as a basis on what I needed to get across to the students and expand possible meanings of the CSO. I think all in all, this lesson went rather smoothly and it seemed to be effective. The only thing that I would consider changing would be the worksheet. I developed it on my own based on a slideshow I found on Smart Exchange and some of the questions seemed to be confusing to some of the students. Also, I had mentioned in my lesson the similarities in the fractions we would be using to show probability and their percentage form and I think that threw the students off. They wanted to constantly give percentages as the answer instead of the answer I was seeking as a fraction. Implementation I think the part that the kids enjoyed the most was the SMARTBoard activity. This allowed the students to be actively engaged in the lesson and in turn they were more interested in the task at hand. The part that I found most beneficial and encouraging was the KWL chart. For the students, it gave them a sense of urgency to pay attention so they could have information to fill out on the L portion once the lesson was over. For me, it gave me a sense of gratification knowing that they went into this lesson knowing little to nothing on the subject of probability and left the lesson with an entire whiteboard filled with information they have learned. I appreciate that this strategy allows me to implement different forms of assessment without having to give the students a paper test. Going into the lesson, I thought we would have more than enough time to do everything, including the game. Once we started, the students were so intrigued by the activities on the SMARTBoard that we just expanded on that and didnt make it to the extended activity. I think the entire lesson had a smooth flow- from the KWL chart, to the SMARTBoard presentation to the worksheet. For the SMARTBoard presentation, I did stay pretty rooted in one main area, but I do feel that was necessary so that I could lead the class in the discussion with the SMARTBoard as a visual aid for the students. During the worksheet, I was very mobile throughout the class assisting students with their questions and making sure they were on task and following instruction.

Clarity of Presentation I always try my best not to sound too authoritative. I like to joke with the students and keep them intrigued. They seem to respond well to that and I think I will always try to keep that conversation, easy tone that I use now. However, I think sometimes they forget that I am the teacher and get carried away with conversation. So, I do find myself asking them to quiet down more than Debbie has to when she implements lessons. I do think I use correct grammar and pronunciation. I try on a daily basis to make sure I am using correct grammar as I do want to maintain a professional demeanor in and out of the classroom and I think, in turn, it makes it easier for me to speak correctly inside the classroom. I do think I speak clearly but there are times I could be a little clearer on directions or what I am expecting of the students. I am not sure if I am just not articulating myself enough because of nerves or what, but it is definitely something I would watch and correct for future lessons. Attention to Individual Differences I believe my lesson allowed for a wide variety of students to benefit. There were many different types of questioning and methods I used to allow students of different learning levels to benefit. The harder questions allowed the advanced students to stay involved and allowed the average student to work on their higher level of thinking. The SMARTBoard presentation allowed for an ample amount of visual learning as well as allowing for interaction with technology. Early finishers were to write items of information they learned on this lesson that they did not know before on the back of their paper. This kept students involved in the lesson while giving them an opportunity to reflect on what they learned in comparison to what they already knew. Students were required to discuss their findings as a whole when the lesson was completed. Focus on Relationships and Student Response I like to think that the students and I relate well to each other. I try me best to get on their level of thinking to make questioning appropriate for them, but at the same time, bring them up to my level in a sense so they are working on expanding their knowledge and way of thinking. During this lesson, the students really seemed to respond to me and my questioning. They really enjoyed the presentation and the fact that they got to interact with the SMARTBoard. I did not notice any students who seemed to be spacing out or not paying attention during this activity. The only time that I felt students were not 100% with me was the KWL chart in the introduction of the lesson. However, I think it was because they were not comfortable with the subject matter and needed a lesson to prompt them. When I was faced with lack of responses, I would rephrase my questioning or provide a real life example for them and that really seemed to give a positive outcome. The bulk of this lesson was a group activity and all the students really do work well together. They had a competitive spirit about them and thought the spinner landing on one item or color that they chose meant that they won that hand. So, it was really comical to watch them get so excited about a lesson that they were somewhat uncomfortable with at first. Planning and Implementing Higher Order Thinking Skills I think this lesson really touched on working to improve higher order thinking skills. I provided the students with groups of different objects and/or colors and they had to determine the probability of choosing one of the items. (Example: There are 3 blue marbles, 5 yellow marbles, 8 striped marbles, 18 orange marbles and 1 purple marble. What is the probability that, at

random, we choose an orange marble? Purple? Striped? Are we more or less likely to choose a blue marble or a yellow marble? With this problem, the students first need to know that no matter what the color or pattern of the marble, they are ALL included in the total possible. Next would just be identifying the odds of each color by simply seeing how many there are. The more or less likely question makes the students establish which of the marbles has a higher chance of getting picked based on the amount that are in the bag.) This activity touched on matching, classifying and determining relationships all in one. They had to look at many different levels of information to determine the likelihood of a certain outcome. They were forced to make a decision of a desired outcome and experiment with the spinner to see if they were correct in their decision. With each answer, I gave the entire class an opportunity to agree or disagree and if they disagreed, I allowed them the chance to explain why. Once they gave their explanation, the original student had to decide if they wanted to keep or change their answer. If the student was proved incorrect, we revisited the questions so that everyone was at an agreement and understood. I gave students every day objects to look at and gave them examples of times they may hear expressions referring to probability (theres a 50/50 chance, the odds are 1 in a million, etc.) Assessment I think this lesson was my best at using assessment. For diagnostic assessment, I used a KWL chart and class discussion to determine prior knowledge and their ability to indicate knowledge they wish to gain on the topic. They seemed reluctant when first faced with the KWL chart, but once they understood the idea of the strategy and given the lesson, they were excited to fill in the L portion of the chart- the summative portion of assessment. Once the lesson was completed, the students completed a worksheet that I created from a SMARTBoard slideshow I found on Smart Exchange and on the back of that worksheet were to write items that they learned during this lesson. After that, the class collaboratively completed the KWL chart but filling in the L portion. For formative assessment, I monitored their progress on the worksheet and answered questions as well as asked questions about answers they had given that were wrong. This allowed the students a chance to rethink their answer if need be. I gave ample opportunity for the students to ask questions (before, during and after lesson) to make sure they understood what they were learning. Given their responses, I was able to gauge the speed at which the students were processing the information and if I needed to revisit an area that they seemed unsure of. As of now, I feel like assessment is something that I can continue to improve on. This being my first year of teaching a class, I know that every single area can be improved on as I am no distinguished in any of them, but I feel like that continuing to improve is the backbone of teaching. Even after 30 years, I will be able to find areas that I can improve in and I know each year and experience is just going to help me do such. Areas of Improvement The last lesson I completed with this class left me feeling discouraged. It was a review lesson and I really didnt feel as if what I did had any bearings in the class. However, through reflection, I realized I could have done more with the lesson. Given the opportunity for one more lesson, I feel like I did improve in the areas I needed- assessment and planning. I did a much better job at touching on all three areas of assessment with this lesson and my planning time was definitely greater and allowed more opportunity for class interaction. Also, the SMARTBoard really added an extra aspect of interaction with technology.