Blog Phase II: Lesson III

• Instructional Decisions/Teaching (InTask Standard # 9): Discuss the implementation process and describe
• What went well and what didn't go well during the implementation of your lesson?
• The students really enjoyed the writing portion of this activity. They loved being able to write creatively, and add on to their peers stories. They also were really engaged when it came time to share their stories. The downside of my lesson, was the word generator. The words were too difficult for 3rd graders, and most of the time students had to generate another word so they would be able to act it out in a game of charades.
• How well was the alignment to objectives and standards maintained?
• The objectives and standards were maintained all throughout the lesson. Every activity required students to use, identify, or come up with an action verb.
• Describe any modifications made during the implementation of the lesson
  
  One modification I had to make, was to allow students to skip words on the random word generator. Some of them were too difficult, so I allowed students to skip until they got to a verb they could use.
• Mechanics:
  • What technologies did I use (for the teacher and the learner)?
• I used google docs, and a random word generator.
• How were the technologies used (by whom and in what manner)?
• Google docs and a random word generator. Students typed stories using the google document, and identified verbs on the document. Students then used the word generator to play a game of charades, in which they had to act out the verbs that were generated. 
• My lesson was within the correct time frame
  • The lesson was within the time frame because I was well prepared with activities for students to partake in.
• Assessment of Learning (InTask Standard # 6): Refer to Assessing Student Learning
• Include at least 2 digital artifacts that demonstrate what you or your students (peers) have created as a result of your lesson
  
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• Describe your students' level of success in achieving the standards and objectives for your lesson based on your assessment
• Students successfully met the standards set, by identifying verbs in multiple ways. They also used creative thinking to come up with ways to act out action verbs. They reinforced the skill by using the cootie catcher to develop  new verbs to complete the fortunes.
• Describe the level of success you had in teaching the lesson 
• This lesson was very successful because every student was engaged, and everyone met the standard.
  
  • How do your individual reflections support this?
• • I predicted that this lesson would be engaging, and when carried out all students were interested and engaged throughout.
  • How do the comments from your classmates support this?
• • Students agree that the lesson was fun and exciting, and that they enjoyed taking part in this lesson.
• What did you learn from designing and teaching this lesson and how will you use this in the creation of future lessons/learning activities.
• I learned that an engaging lesson is very valuable, because those are the most memorable ones in which you reach students more successfully.

Blog Phase I: Lesson III

Lesson Plan: I. Rationale & II. Overview Reflections: Assessing Prior Knowledge and Planning Instructions:

 o What do the students need to know prior to the lesson? 

•  Students need to be familiar with google docs, and how to type, highlight, change font within google docs. They also need to be familiar with punctuation, and nouns, pronouns,  etc.

 o How will prior knowledge and experience be assessed?

• Prior knowledge will be assessed using the google doc that students have shared with me. I will individually look at each document to see if they completed the activity correctly. These will be graded using a a point system: 1 point for each verb used correctly, 1 point for each correctly formatted sentence.

 o How will you use this information in the planning process?

• I will use this information when determining what activities my students will complete, and what needs to be revised.

 o When will the lesson be taught in the course of the school year? Why? 

• This lesson would be taught toward 2nd quarter, so that I could determine the abilities of my students and whether they are responsible enough to handle the activities that this lesson requires. They will also have been introduced to different grammar strategies.

 Lesson Plan: III. Implementation Reflection: Designing Instructions:

 o How do the instructional methods align with what you know about best practices (think about your methods classes)? 

• My instructional methods model the activities at hand, and students are given an opportunity to practice the new skills in a hands on way. This incorporates movement into learning, which breaks the barrier and reinforces the skill being learned. 

o How are you engaging students in creative and higher order thinking?  

• I am engaging students by supplying them with fun activities that reinforce learning, rather than lecturing for the entirety of the lesson. This lesson promotes higher order thinking by using a quick write in which students get to write and share a story written using a sentence starter.

 Lesson Plan: IV. Assessment Reflection: Planning Assessment:

 o How does the assessment demonstrate that the students have been successful in learning the content?

• The assessment demonstrates that students have been successful in learning the content by showing that students can both accurately develop action verbs and recognize action verbs in a body of writing.

 o How does the assessment demonstrate that the individual student needs were met?  

• The assessments are individualized, meaning if one student is unsuccessful I will know because of both the exit ticket and the google docs. Each student will turn in a google doc and an exit ticket, which will determine if he/she learned the skill.

 Lesson Plan: V. Materials & Resources Reflection:

  o How does your lesson meet Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity?

• This lesson meets standard 1 by allowing students to be creative in their writing activity. This is an activity that would be fun for students, and allows them to write about whatever they like. It challenges them to be creative and unique, and gives them the opportunity to share their piece with their peers.

 o How does your lesson meet Standard 2: Provide Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessment?

• This lesson meets standard 2 by giving students an online resource that randomly provides them with action verbs to act out in a game of charades. This activity will also increase student vocabulary, and encourage creative thinking when trying to act out different verbs.

 o How does your lesson meet Standard 3: Model Digital Age Work & Learning?

• Digital Age work and learning will be modeled using a smart board, an online verb generator, and the projection of google docs. 

 o How does your lesson meet all four elements of Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Age Citizenship and Responsibility by:  
-advocating, modeling, and teaching safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.  

• Students are using technology to assist in a game of charades. The generator only supplies class appropriate words, which as a model of ethical use of information.

-addressing the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources. 

• The technology is used in a partner activity, so students can take turns using the technology. All students have access to the technology, and will have to take turns using it.

- promoting and modeling digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information. 

• Students are sharing technology, so will need to be civil in doing so. Upon student interaction becoming hostile, students will lose the privilege and the activity will be modified so they can still participate without the use of the technology.

- developing and modeling cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools.

• Students are partnered up, working with various peers of various culture. They will need to work together to successfully participate in the activity.  

To view my entire lesson, please click HERE.

Blog Phase II: Lesson II

• Instructional Decisions/Teaching (InTask Standard # 9): Discuss the implementation process and describe
• What went well and what didn't go well during the implementation of your lesson?
• This lesson was a good model of using a graphic organizer and venn diagram. It made for a good guided discussion with students. One thing that I would have changed is the closing activity, where students were asked to find their own organism and draw its life cycle. Students were quick to get off task.
• How well was the alignment to objectives and standards maintained?
• The final assessment did not really align with the set standard. If I were to teach this lesson again, I would adjust the questions in the assessment so they more accurately assessed whether students met the standard.
• Describe any modifications made during the implementation of the lesson
• One modification we made during the implementation of this lesson was supplying students with a specific website in which to complete their research. We did this in lou of letting them search google for an organism life cycle.
• Mechanics:
• What technologies did I use (for the teacher and the learner)?
• We utilized a document camera, dry erase board, an online simulation, and an online assessment.
• How were the technologies used (by whom and in what manner)?
• Teacher uses the document camera to fill out a graphic organizer along with the children. Dry erase board was used to display the standard and complete a venn diagram. Students used online simulation to practice completing the phases in a flower life cycle. Students used the internet to complete online assessment.
• My lesson was within the correct time frame
• The lesson was within the correct time frame because we adequately supplied students with activities that would reach the time frame. We gave students a time limit to complete certain tasks.
• Assessment of Learning (InTask Standard # 6): Refer to Assessing Student Learning
• Include at least 2 digital artifacts that demonstrate what you or your students (peers) have created as a result of your lesson

• Describe your students' level of success in achieving the standards and objectives for your lesson based on your assessment
• Based on formative assessment and in class discussion, students met the standard of comparing life cycles of different organisms. Students also accurately filled out the graphic organizers, and successfully found the cycles of different organisms.
• Describe the level of success you had in teaching the lesson
• We were successful in teaching this lesson because students were engaged, and all students successfully completed the assigned work. We were unsuccessful in adequately assessing them to determine their level of mastery.
• How do your individual reflections support this?
• When implementing this lesson I realized that the assessment was off topic, and could have been more detailed.
• How do the comments from your classmates support this?
• Peer comments suggested allowing students to work with the simulation prior to filling out the graphic organizer. None suggested altering the assessment.
• What did you learn from designing and teaching this lesson and how will you use this in the creation of future lessons/learning activities.
• I will use this lesson as an example for future lessons. Incorporating technology makes the lesson engaging for students and makes the information more memorable. I learned it is important to match the assessment to the standard, to ensure that you are meeting your set objectives. This lesson gave me insight on what to do and what not to do.