Running head: CULMINATION OF BRAIN-BASED INSTRUCTION 1

Culmination of Brain-Based Instruction and Lesson Plan Design

Kristina Ebner
The Master College

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The completion of brain based learning brought about a great deal of ideas and new
thinking to implement in my teaching practices. I was ready to hit the ground running with the
new school year. As my schedule took form I wasnt teaching any of the groups or classes I had
been working with this past year. This meant new lessons and strategies to use, but I was ready
to implement and try things we had discussed so I remained enthusiastic.
On our first day back as a staff I learned I would be teaching a small group of ten fourth
grade students for core reading each day. We have a 4
th
/5
th
blend this year and my principle
wanted to ensure the fourth grade students were still getting the necessary curriculum and
meeting the common core standards. They are a mixed group of on-level and advanced reading
students so I was excited to work with them.
This also meant I could begin creating units and lesson plans not only for a small group,
but a group I could work to challenge and easily aid in individual struggles. I began to examine
the reading curriculum and common core standards looking for ways to introduce multiple
intelligence theory, learning styles and brain storm how I would ensure students were working
consistently in their zone of proximal development.
I spent the first week of school getting to know the students and reviewing language arts
standards and best practices. During the second week we read the story Akiak in our reading
curriculum. I used this week to have students read aloud, share thoughts and struggles through
writing activities and also have student take a few short quizzes that would give better insight
into their preferred learning styles and strengths in intelligences. Creating a class profile will
help me understand my students needs, ways of learning and areas where they may need extra
support.
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I designed the unit on the text Finding the Titanic using as much of the multiple
intelligences theory as I could combine into the lessons. There were four targets for this two
week unit. The first was working on monitoring their reading as they read the story and filling in
the comprehension map. The second one for the first week is to reread and clarify if necessary to
gain better understanding of the text. The next week we completed the practice performance task
that will help them prepare for their actual performance task later this year. The target learning
goal for this week is to find details that support the main idea and also find evidence in reading
or media to support thoughts or claims in their writing.
I took careful consideration of crucial learning times during the lessons in order to help
students be successful in the comprehension and understanding of this text. Not wasting prime
time in my lessons was a crucial take away for me from this course. I planned each lesson with
an opening activity that was quick, but helped review the actions from the day before. This
linked new learning to past knowledge and deepened the learning path in their brain. We also
shared the learning target for the lesson right at the beginning and then referred to it throughout
the activities. I read the target first and then the students repeat it to their partner. I give them
time to think and ink it in their own words and then share again with a partner. After they have
time to share I call on a few to share theirs out loud. This is still in the works phase, but we are
practicing and my students have grown significantly in their ability to complete this. Elaborate
rehearsal will ensure theyre using their own thinking in order to re-word the target and therefore
using their working memory.
Students need to have a reinforced point as they are working and knowledge of why
theyre doing what youre asking them to do. By giving them the target learning in a visual place
and referring to it I created a reference point and clear expectations for their learning as well. We
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also used a KWL chart as a point of reference and asked questions in the W part that we
wanted to be able to answer when we were finished. This provided not only another visual, but
an additional point of reference as we continued through the lessons.
My lesson practices covered most of the multiple intelligences through different learning
task. They also had visual, auditory and kinesthetic aspects within each. I referred to the
intelligence area being referenced as much as possible during my teaching to reinforce the
importance of them knowing how they learn and what they themselves can do to help themselves
become better learners. We discussed their multiple intelligences quizzes and learning styles
before the unit began so they were aware of their own strengths when I referred to what we were
doing. I use a great deal of interactive dialog in my teaching because I want them to know their
thoughts and ideas are important and to help them remain engaged and interested in our learning
tasks.
The final part of the Finding the Titanic unit was the performance task practice. This
activity will prepare them for the performance assessment task they will do later in the year. It
aligns and culminates several common core standards within one assessment. We practiced
finding evidence both in a written artifact and through two video clips in order to support their
writing in response to the prompt they received. Students used graphic organizers to help gather
and organize their thinking.
I had students use three different colors of highlighting in their evidence both in the
article and their notes graphic organizers to create color connections and also help them find
information for each paragraph when writing. On color was about the actual ship design, the
second was information about the people on the ship and the final color was for anything that
happen after the ship sank. This was the first time I had tried this strategy and the students
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responded very well. I was encouraged by their ability to follow the directions and the reference
the colors while they were structuring their writing response.
Overall this was a very successful unit of study and I really enjoyed implementing so
many of the best practices we learned this summer. I feel more confident in my ability to use
many of the strategies now that Ive tried them and reflected on their success.