Lesson Plan Reflection

Description:

The big idea that I will be teaching is rhyming.  I will be teaching kindergarten students.  I will be making sure they know when words rhyme they sound the same at the end of the word.  One challenge that I will face is some students have a difficulty understand what the end of the word is.   I will use many of examples and repeat the end of the word to help these students understand. I will use the SmartBoard to play an interactive game on matching words that rhyme.

Implementation:

I implemented this lesson in a kindergarten classroom with 21 students.  The children were very engaged in the lesson and all wanted to play the game on the SmartBoard.  Students did a really great job of understanding how to use the SmartBoard and play the game.  Most students were successfully able to complete the game and understand what it means for words to rhyme. 

Question Set One

•               What was learned? What were the learning goals of this instructional experience? What were the underlying assumptions (explicit and implicit) about the nature of knowledge?

The concept that was learned was when words rhyme they have the same sound at the end of the word.  When teaching rhyming I had to make sure that the students understood what the “end of the word” meant.  If students were not sure where the end of the word is they would not be able to identify rhyming words.  Once students understand what it meant to rhyme students were able to identify when words rhymed. 

•               What are the affordances for how knowledge/information is being represented? What are the constraints?

The affordance for this lesson was the technology.  Using the SmartBoard was engaging and interactive.  The SmartBoard is a new piece of technology in our classroom so the children were very excited to be able to use it.  This also was a constraint in the lesson because students were not exactly sure how to use the SmartBoard.  Part of the lesson involved teaching how to use the technology.  

•               How does learning take place? What elements of constructivism did you observe? What elements of behaviorism did you observe? Were any other learning theories present?

This lesson was interactive.  All children had an opportunity to interact in the lesson.  The lesson built on previous knowledge about what the end of a word is.  Students needed to understand the ending of words in order to know if words rhyme.  The lesson depended on how well the students participated and interacted with the SmartBoard. 

•               Was your lesson intended to supplement or supplant existing curriculum? Or, was it intended to enhance the learning of something already central to the curriculum or some new set of understandings or competencies?

The lesson was used to reinforce and enhance existing curriculum.  Part of the curriculum is knowing parts of words and knowing words that rhyme.  This lesson reinforced the concept of rhyming.  

•               How are important differences among learners taken into account?

This lesson can be extended for learners who need a challenge.  The game has different levels beginning at easy and going to difficult.  If a student quickly picks up the concept they can be challenged by completing a different more challenging level.  I was able to reteach in a small group for students who did not understand the concept taught during whole group.  It is very important to think about the different learners

•               What do teachers and learners need to know in order for your lesson to be a success? What demands are placed on teachers and other "users"? What knowledge is assumed?

Teachers need to know how to work the game on the SmartBoard.  Teachers also need to know that students may have a difficult time with rhyming because students might not understand what it means by “the end of the word”. 

The learners need to know what the end of a word is.  They are need to be familiar with how to use a SmartBoard. 

•               How did you assess what students were doing and what they were learning from this activity? How did you hold them accountable for the work they did?

I wanted my students to know that when words rhyme they have the same sound at the end of the word.  I wanted my students to be able to identify if 2 words rhyme.  I assessed this by observing them playing the rhyming game on the SmartBoard.  If they were unable to complete the game, I know that they do not understand what it means to rhyme and need further teaching of the concept.  If students quickly understand rhyming words I challenged them to a higher level of the game on the SmartBoard.  . 

Question Set Two

•               What role does technology play in your lesson? What advantages or disadvantages does the technology hold for this role? What unique contribution does the technology make in facilitating learning?

The role of technology in this lesson was to allow the students to interact with the lesson.  Students were able to be active learners by playing the game on the SmartBoard. The disadvantage of the technology was only 2 students were able to participate at one time.  This made it difficult to allow everyone a chance to use the board.  This lesson would be great to use during a center time because it would be small groups working on the board at each center.  It would allow students something to do while they wait for their turn. 

•               What did you expect your students to make of their use of technology in your lesson? How did they react when using the technologies? What questions did students have, and how did you respond to them?

Since we just received the SmartBoard in the classroom it was one of the very first times the students had a chance to use the SmartBoard.  The students were eager and excited to have the opportunity to come up and use the SmartBoard by themselves.  They did a very nice job of listening to the directions of what to do and then following them to play the game.  Students did not have questions about the use of the SmartBoard.  I modeled how to use it so they were familiar with what they needed to do. 

•               How would you describe how students were making sense of the content with the technology?

Students were making sense of rhyming words by using the technology of the SmartBoard.  They were able to interact with the SmartBoard to show their understanding of rhyming words.  I think that allowing students to interact with the SmartBoard helped to keep the students attention during the lesson.  This helped them to understand the concept.  

Rhyming Lesson Plan

I will be teaching a lesson on rhyming to kindergarten students.  I will use a SmartBoard game found on here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/literacy/rhyming_words/play/ to have students practice identifying words that rhyme. 

1.     Content:

The big idea that I will be teaching is rhyming.  I will be teaching kindergarten students.  I will be making sure that when words rhyme they sound the same at the end of the word.  One challenge that I will face is some students have a difficulty understand what the end of the word is.   I will use many of examples and repeat the end of the word to help these students understand.  The GLCE that this lesson will focus on is R.WS.00.01 demonstrate phonemic awareness by the wide range of sound manipulation competencies including sound blending and deletion. 

2.    Pedagogy:

I will be scaffolding student learning.  I will start by modeling identifying words that rhyme by giving many examples and pointing out why the words rhyme.  I will then give the students the opportunity to identify words that rhyme.  To extend and stretch the students who have a strong understanding of the concept I will have them produce their own rhyming words. 

I will also activate the student’s prior knowledge by having them identify the end of a word.  Students will have to know what the end of the word is in order to see if it rhymes. 

The different learning types that this lesson will teach to is visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.  We will use the SmartBoard, which will show a visual of the words, and it will also say the words so the students can hear if they rhyme.  Students will also get up and move around in order to play the game on the touch screen of the SmartBoard. 

3.    Content & Pedagogy:

The strategies will work well for this lesson.  Modeling and scaffolding are very important for young learners.  They can learn a great deal from watching what you are doing and hearing what you are doing.  Teaching to the different learning types will help make sure that I reach all the learners in the classroom.  Having a lesson that teaches in many ways is very important. 

4.    Technology:

The technology that is being used to teach this lesson is a SmartBoard.  The SmartBoard will make the lesson interactive.  The students will be playing a rhyming game on the SmartBoard.  Students will practice identifying words during the game.  The SmartBoard is not absolutely necessary to achieve the objective.  Students can learn about rhyming words in a different way but by using a SmartBoard it makes the learning more interactive.  The SmartBoard will show if students are able to choose a word that rhymes with the given word. 

5.    Technology & Pedagogy:

The technology fits closely in with the strategies that I have chosen to use to teach this lesson.  I will first model using the SmartBoard before students are able to use it on their own.  Once they have an understanding of rhyming words and how to play the game they will be able to use the SmartBoard to practice the concept.  The technology will also help me teach to the different learning styles.  It will be useful to teach to auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners.  The technology adds an interactive aspect to the lesson about rhyming. 

6.    Technology & Content:

The technology will help me teach the students what rhyming words are and how to know if 2 words rhyme.  The SmartBoard will add an interactive aspect to the lesson where they will be able to practice the concept of rhyming.  The technology allows me to differentiate instruction because there are different levels to the game.  If a student is very successful in understanding the concept then I will be able to push them by having them work on a high level on the game. 

Assessment:

I want my students to know that when words rhyme they have the same sound at the end of the word.  I want my students to be able to identify if 2 words rhyme.  I will assess this by observing them playing the rhyming game on the SmartBoard.  If they are unable to complete the game, I will know that they do not understand what it m

Patterns

Audacity Project

Here is a my Audacity Project.

Final Wicked Problem Project

Text of your problem: 

The important educational need that I am seeking to address is parent involvement and communication. Parents are partners in education and it is fundamental that they are involved and aware of what is going on in the classroom with their child. It is a teacher's job to have constant communication with the parents to they are aware and involved in their child's education


 Text of your solution:

I teach in a district where almost all families have computers or cell phones with internet access. This year in my class all parents had internet access. Parents that that email would be the most effective way to communicate with them throughout the school year. After thinking about this I thought that a classroom website would be an effective form of communication. Parents would be able to check it often and refer back to it when needed. My plan was to create a website where I could give curriculum updates, list important dates, and also show parents what their child has been working on and doing at school. A classroom website would increase parent communication.

 Text of the TP, TC, & PC

TP Knowledge is “knowledge of the existence, components, and capabilities of various technologies as they are used in teaching and learning settings, and conversely, knowing how teaching might change as the result of using particular technologies.” The technology that I have chosen to support the methods of parent communication is a classroom website. A classroom website will help parents up to date on what is happening in the classroom. Parents will also be able to use it as a resource to help their students with their education. There will be links and information provided about ways for them to support their child.

 TP Knowledge is “knowledge of the existence, components, and capabilities of various technologies as they are used in teaching and learning settings, and conversely, knowing how teaching might change as the result of using particular technologies.” The technology that I have chosen to support the methods of parent communication is a classroom website. A classroom website will help parents up to date on what is happening in the classroom. Parents will also be able to use it as a resource to help their students with their education. There will be links and information provided about ways for them to support their child.

 PC is “concerned with the representation and formulation of concepts, pedagogical techniques, knowledge of what makes concepts difficult or easy to learn, knowledge of students’ prior knowledge. At curriculum night next year, I will model and explain how to use our classroom website. This will give parents an understanding of how the site will be used and will also guide them in how to use it. After modeling how to use the website to the parents, I will also show the students where they can find resources to use. Students will be able to find and use the resources on their own. After modeling how the website will be used, parents will be able to email or talk to me about any questions they have about how communication will take place in the classroom.

Professional Learning Plan

Here is a link to my Professional Learning Plan.

Group Leadership Project

1. What tool did your group use to deliver the PD tutorial?  Why?

We choose to deliver a tutorial on how to create a blog.  The tool that we used to deliver this tutorial is Camtasia.  We thought this would be a great program that we could use screen shots to teach how to use a blog.  It worked very well to compile all of the parts together. 

2.  What did you learn during the development process of the final product?

Before completing this project I was not very familiar with Camtasia.  This assignment helped me to learn how to use the tool and how it is pretty easy to use.  I have thought of ways I can use this to teach students.  

3.  What would you do differently if you had to develop a similar product again?

If I had to do develop a similar product again, I would explore more of the features that Camtasia has to offer.  I feel like I was just beginning to learn how to use it and am excited to try different things with it.