WHAT
During this lesson, my two teaching partners and I taught a third grade social studies lesson on the history of Massachusetts. Specifically, we focused on teaching students about the Wampanoag people and what their life was like. The objective of the lesson was for students to develop a deeper understanding of the history of Massachusetts and what life was like for the Wampanoag. Throughout the lesson, we incorporated communication, collaboration, social awareness, professionalism, and adaptability while planning and delivering instruction.
We began the lesson by greeting the students and asking them a question to get them thinking about history. The question asked students if they could live during any moment in history, which moment they would choose and why. However, the students seemed confused by this question, so we moved into reviewing vocabulary words related to the lesson.
During the lesson, students explored primary source images to help them grow their understanding of what the Wampanoag people looked like and what their daily lives may have been like. Using primary sources helped students visualize history and think more deeply about how people lived in the past. We also read the students a book about the Wampanoag and had them create a timeline that matched events from the story. In addition, students completed a writing activity where they shared their thoughts about how the Wampanoag lived.
Students also participated in a hands-on activity where they created their own Wetu using a paper lunch bag and string. A Wetu is a traditional home used by the Wampanoag people. At the end of the lesson, we used a Kahoot game as an assessment to see how much the students understood about the Wampanoag.
During the lesson, I demonstrated professionalism by dressing appropriately, being respectful to both my teaching partners and the students, and contributing to the lesson while also listening to my peers. I also made sure to speak loud enough for the students in my group to hear me while still keeping my voice quiet enough so that I did not disturb other groups. While students were working, I gave them time to think and write before asking them questions so that I would not interrupt their thinking process. I also showed flexibility during the lesson when I realized that I had cut the string for the Wetu craft too long. I adjusted by helping students cut the string to the correct length so they could successfully complete their project.
One part of the lesson that went very well was the arts and crafts activity where students created their own Wetu. The students really enjoyed making the Wetu using paper lunch bags and string, and all of the students shared that the craft activity was their favorite part of the lesson. I believe this worked well because students tend to be very engaged in hands-on activities. Creating the Wetu also helped students better understand what homes might have looked like for the Wampanoag people, which made the lesson more meaningful and connected to the content. This activity also helped students develop a greater appreciation for the culture and daily life of the Wampanoag people.
One weakness of the lesson was our time management. This was the second lesson where we struggled with managing our time, and as a result we were not able to get through everything the way we had planned. In the future, we will map out how long each step of the lesson should take and set timers so that we stay on track and ensure that we are able to complete all parts of the lesson.
Overall, the objectives of the lesson were mostly met. Evidence of this can be seen through the Kahoot assessment and the students’ writing responses. One student answered about 90% of the Kahoot questions correctly, while the other two students answered a little more than half of the questions correctly. All students were able to correctly answer questions such as where the Wampanoag live and what a tribe is. Students were also able to share their thoughts in writing about how the Wampanoag lived, which showed that they were able to reflect on the content we taught.
The student who scored around 90% on the Kahoot exceeded the objective of the lesson, while the other two students still met the objective but did not grasp the information as strongly. I believe that they all met the objective because they were able to discuss and write about how the Wampanoag lived, even if they did not answer every Kahoot question correctly.
SO WHAT
From this experience, I learned the importance of time management when teaching a lesson. This was the second lesson where we struggled with managing our time, which made it difficult to complete everything we had planned. This experience helped me realize how important it is to carefully plan how long each activity should take.
I also learned that students are often more engaged when they are participating in hands-o
n activities. The craft activity seemed to capture their attention and helped them connect with the lesson content in a meaningful way. This experience helped me grow professionally by recognizing areas where I can improve while also seeing strategies that worked well with students.
NOW WHAT
This experience will influence my professional identity by reminding me that teaching requires strong planning, flexibility, and reflection. While not every lesson will go exactly as planned, reflecting on what worked and what did not helps teachers grow and improve their practice.
In the future, I will focus more on time management when planning lessons. I plan to map out how long each part of the lesson should take and use a timer to ensure that we stay on track. Doing this will help make sure that all parts of the lesson can be completed and that students receive the full learning experience that was intended.
No comments:
Post a Comment