lesson plan template (teacher-directed/facilitated) · web viewthis lesson will be taught to...

Lesson Plan Template (Teacher-Directed/Facilitated)

HEADING:Student’s Name: Tiffany Agnello Date: November 11, 2013Subject Area: Social Studies/Literacy Grade Level: First GradeConcept/Topic: Individual Development and Identity Time: 60-80 minutes

CONTEXT:

Composition of Classroom:

This lesson will be taught to twenty-six students who are in first grade at F.S Edmonds in Philadelphia. F.S Edmonds is a Title 1 federally funded public school with students in grades pre-kindergarten to fifth grade. The class being taught this lesson consists of eleven African American students, three Asian students and twelve Caucasian students. Out of the twenty-six students, fifteen are female and eleven are male. Seven of the students wear glasses. Four of the students are mentally gifted, including two male students and two female students. One female student and one male student have formal IEPs for learning disabilities. The female student has a specific learning disability pertaining to reading and math and the male student has a specific learning disability pertaining to reading and speech. The female student leaves for corrective reading and math Monday to Friday from 9:15 am to 10:45 am. The male student leaves for corrective reading Monday to Friday from 9:15 am to 10:00 am. There are two students that are English Language Learners. One student has an emotional disturbance disability and one student has been diagnosed with ADHD but currently is not on any medication.

DESIRED RESULTS:

Big Ideas/Concepts:a. Big Ideas and Key Concepts

Through this lesson, students will come to build initial understandings of the specific factors that create physical similarities and differences. Students will need to use the knowledge they have about comparing and contrasting. Also, they will have to pull information from their prior experiences with how they have been treated in their everyday lives.

b. Teacher KnowledgeThe teacher needs to analyze his or her own feelings about race, culture, and

background to avoid his or her own bias becoming apparent in the lesson. The teacher must have a neutral stance. Also, the teacher needs to have knowledge about all the students and students’ families’ cultural backgrounds. This will allow the teacher to avoid making a student feel uncomfortable during the lesson.

Objectives:

Students will be able to compare differences and similarities among people. Students will be able to explore factors that contribute to one’s personal identity, such as

interests, capabilities, and perceptions.

Coherence and Continuity: The overall lesson is broken into five individual lessons that will build upon this first lesson.

Students will move through learning about prejudice and what it is, racial and ethnic prejudice reduction, ability differences, and appearance. By the end of the five lessons they will understand the different aspects of physical differences and similarities.

Prior to this lesson, students had opportunities to think about what makes them unique by participating in a “me box” assignment. At home, children constructed a “me box” diorama from a shoebox. Students included photographs, magazine pictures, and any other small object that could be secured on the sides of the boxes to represent them. The “me boxes” were returned to school and a “me museum” was created in the classroom. Students will have the opportunity to participate in more activities with the “me box” throughout the week.

This specific lesson will build their confidence to be proud of themselves and that they are the same as everyone else in many ways. They will learn they shouldn’t be treated differently because of differences between themselves and others. At the same time it will show the students that prejudice comes in many forms.

This lesson will extend into their math class relating to fractions. Students will use the list made from the “Different” poem and analyze the class based on these characteristics. They will then write fractions for each characteristic and make a graph to represent the data.

Curriculum Standards:

In this lesson the National Curriculum Standard for Social Studies that will be addressed will be number four: Individual Development and Identity.

The literacy standards that will be addressed in this lesson are:

R3.A.1.3.1 Make inferences and/or draw conclusions based on information from the text 1.5.3.A Write with a focus, with an understanding of topic, task, and audience 1.5.3.B Develop content appropriate for the topic 1.6.3.A Listen critically and respond to others in small and large group situations.

Respond with grade level appropriate questions, ideas, information, or opinions

EVIDENCE:

The teacher will monitor progress throughout the lesson by observing students when they are working in partners and independently. Using the jotting method (Walpole & McKenna, 2007), the teacher will take anecdotal notes to be used for assessment purposes. The notes will include how students approached the objectives and how the students work with partners (is one person doing all the work, and if any intervention was needed, etc.)

Monitoring Evidence:

If students answer questions appropriately and give examples that coincide with the topic from the book People by Peter Spier, the teacher will know the students understand how to pick out similarities and differences among people.

If students are able to pick out different characteristics from the “Different” poem, the teacher will know the students can identify what characteristics can make people different from one another.

Lesson Plan Template of 18

If students are able to make the appropriate matches with the Guess Who cards, the teacher will know the students can follow directions and match people based on their understanding of similarities.

Collecting Evidence:

If students are able to write examples of similarities and differences in the similarities and differences chart, the teacher will know the students can compare and contrast people.

If students are able to complete the writing assignment, the teacher will know the students know how to write.

LEARNING PLAN:

Rationale:

Bullying is an issue in every school and students need to understand that even though everyone is different in their own way we have many similarities and everyone should be treated fairly. Active learning is a huge part of this lesson. Students will get to interact with each other through group discussion. Coherence and continuity is demonstrated in the lesson by connecting the M&M’s to their own lives and talking about the relationships. Critical and Creative thinking is incorporated in the lesson through questioning sessions before, during, and after the reading of People by Peter Spier. The students will have multiple opportunities to connect the content with their own lives, making real world connections. Students will be able to show understanding of content through different types of learning opportunities.

Differentiation:

During the picture walk and reading of People by Peter Spier the teacher will allow the student with ADHD to turn the pages of the book and the student with the emotional disturbance disability to sit next to him or her. The book has a lot of pictures making it easily understood by the ELL students.

When students are working on the similarities and differences chart, lower level students will be allowed to either draw pictures to represent their thinking or work with a higher-level student who will write their responses.

For the writing prompt the lower level students will be allowed to draw a picture and/or write one sentence to represent their thinking, average level students will be required to write at least three sentences, and higher level students will write five or more sentences.

The whole lesson is conducive to the student with ADHD because it is broken up into small parts requiring the student to avoid sitting for long periods of time.

Materials and Technology:

Student Materials:

Paper Pencil Post-its for each student Journals Pre-made similarities and differences chart


Black construction paper Pictures of a person for each student

Teacher Materials:

People by Peter Spier 1 package of different color M&Ms Clear bowl or jar “Different” poem Youtube video Smart board Large piece of paper Marker Black piece of construction paper with picture of a person on it Guess Who cards for each group

Step-By-Step Procedure:

1. Introduction: a. Activate Prior Knowledge: (1 minute)

Hello boys and girls! Do you remember when we did our “me box” projects? (Yes). Great! Well, when we shared our projects, didn’t we notice some of our friends had some similarities, like having a pet or playing a sport? (Yes). Then, in math we made graphs to see how many of us had something in common. Even though some of our friends didn’t have a pet, had a different pet, played no sport, or a different sport than us it didn’t change that we are all friends, right? (Yes).

Well, today we are going to learn more about how people can be similar or different not just in our classroom but all around the world.

b. Hook/Lead-in: (6 minutes)I am really excited to show you a fun video about being different! Play video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az5cmg50hW0. This video is a song about being different by the Nick Jr. channel. It goes through different ways people can be different by using “shape” people as examples. Wasn’t that a fun video? Can someone tell me some of the things you noticed in the video? Call on 4 students to answer. Possible answers: the colors or patterns on the “shape” people or they had similar parts as us, such as eyes, noses, etc.

The teacher will show the students a bowl of different color M&Ms. What do you see? What can you tell me about these M&Ms when you look at them? (They are different colors). We are just like this bowl of M&Ms. Did you know that? (Yes or no). We may appear different on the outside, but we are very much alike on the inside. Are there any of these M&Ms that are better than the others? (Yes or no). We may like one color of M&M better than another. Some of us may like the red ones best or we may like the green ones best, but because we like the red best does not mean the yellow ones are not as good. This is just like us. There may be some people we like, but that does not mean other people are not just as good. The M&Ms are all made up of the same thing or ingredient, like chocolate, yet they are all different. Just like M&Ms, we are all made of the same things or


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az5cmg50hW0

ingredients. We all have eyes, a nose, a mouth, blood, a heart, feelings, and yet we are all different. What if you were all the same size, shape, or color? This class would not be as interesting or fun. We are all so different and that is exciting!

2. Explicit Instruction with Modeling and Guided Practice: a. Explicit Instruction: (10 minutes)

The teacher will introduce People by Peter Spier. The class will do a picture walk. The teacher will stop on two different pages and ask students to find something that is similar to their own lives and on the other page, something that is different than their own lives. Have one student share for each page. Then the teacher will read the story.While I read the story I want everyone to listen for examples of how the people in the story are similar and different. The teacher will hand out two different color post-its to each student. On one of your post-its, you will write down things that you notice in the story that are similar to yourself or other people in the book and the other post-it, things that you notice that are different between yourself or other people in the book. Use the general learning scale (Marzano, 2009) to assess understanding. Read story and ask questions while reading. Questions include:

Is there anything on this page that you and your family eat? Pg 3 Would you like it if you had to eat the same thing everyday? Why? What

if you didn’t get to choose what food it was? Would you still want to eat it everyday? Give example of a food you don’t like that you wouldn’t want to eat.

Do you like to wear your hair in different ways? Or do you wish you had a different type of hair? Pg 5

Is there a tradition you would want to know more about or wish you did with your family? Pg 7

What outfit would you want to wear? One that you think is fun, or comfortable, etc. Why? Pg 11

Are you surprised how many different people there are around the world? How do you think we should respond to someone who thinks, acts,

dresses, speaks, or looks very different from us? Talk to a partner.Now I want you to turn to your partner and share what you wrote on your post-its. Did anyone write down something that was the same as their partner? Does anyone want to share? Have students share what their partner wrote.

b. Guided Practice: (10 minutes)The teacher will show the “Different” poem on the smart board. I want to

share this poem with everyone. I am going to read it first and then we will read it together. The teacher will use cloze reading (Walpole & McKenna, 2007) by reading the poem straight through once, then reading line by line and the students will repeat it. Throughout this poem we see many examples of how people can be different. Lets go through and see what different things the poem talks about and we will make a list. On a large piece of paper the teacher will write “Differences” on the top. The poem says “taller than John – shorter than


Sue.” This is the first difference the poem talks about. It is talking about the height of John and Sue. This is one difference that people can have, their height. Lets put that on our list. The teacher will write “height” on the large piece of paper. The teacher will read the next line of the poem that has a difference and the students will tell the teacher what to write on the list. Then, the teacher will ask students to volunteer to read a line of the poem that has a difference and students will pick out the difference to put on the list. If students are having difficulty picking out the lines of the poems with differences, the teacher will read the line of the poem with the difference and then the students can say the difference. This anchor chart will be hung up so students can reference it throughout the lesson.

c. Modeling: (5 minutes)The teacher will have a piece of black construction paper with a picture

of a person on it and a similarities and differences chart (shown on smart board). Boys and girls, I have a picture here of a person I don’t know. I am going to look at the picture and try to think of things that I have in common with this person and things that are different about the person in the picture and myself. When I think of something, I am going to write it down under the correct label on my chart. I want everyone to pay close attention because you are going to be doing the same thing in a few minutes. When I look at the picture, the first thing I notice is that we have the same eye color. We both have brown eyes! The word “same” means a similarity so I should write “brown eyes” under the similarities label on my chart. Write “brown eyes” under the similarities part of the chart. Let me see what else. Oh, in the picture the person has black hair but I have brown hair. That is something that is different about us so I am going to put that under differences. Write hair color” under the differences part of the chart. Continue to list more similarities and differences and write them in the chart. When finished use the general learning scale to make sure students understand what they will be doing for independent practice.

3. Independent Practice and Application: (20 minutes)Now I want everyone to come pick a piece of construction paper and bring it back to

your seat. Call students up one table at a time based on their behavior. When you come up you are going to take a piece of construction paper without looking at the other side and a similarities and differences chart. On the other side of the construction paper is a picture of a person we don’t know, just like the example I used. When you get back to your seat you are going to look at the picture and think about what makes you and the person similar and different. Then, you are going to fill out the similarities and differences chart just like I did. Write down as many things as you can find. The teacher will walk around to observe the students and make sure they are completing the assignment correctly. Help will be offered to the students who are struggling with the assignment. Have students share their picture and some of the things they wrote down in their chart with their partners. See if they can find something similar between both pictures and themselves.

4. Closure: (10 minutes)


Everyone did a great job today! We learned that there are so many ways that people can be similar and different. Now, we are going to break up into groups of four and play a fun game. I am going to give each group sixteen cards (use Guess Who game cards). I want each group to mix up the cards and place them face down so you can’t see the people on them. Once your group has done that give me a thumbs up. Wait until all groups are ready. Now, for the first round you want to try and match two people that have the same eye color. So each person in the group is going to take turns picking up two cards. You will look at the cards and if they have the same eye color you get to keep those cards, if they don’t you will put them back. Make sure you watch what cards your friends are picking up because that might help you when it is your turn. Each player will get to pick 3 times. Then stop the round. Have students count how many matches they made. The player with the most matches wins that round. Play another round but give a different characteristic they have to match, such as hair color. Play four rounds.

5. Days 2-5

Students will have another classmate’s “me box” given to them. They will take the “me box” home to show their family. They will make a list of things that are similar and different from them. The next day in class they will write in their journals about the “me box” they brought home. Lower level students will copy their list they made into their journals and draw a picture to represent their thinking. Average level students will write one to two sentences about their classmate. Above average students will write three to five sentences about their classmate. They can write about similarities, differences, what they liked, what they are interested in or what to know more about, etc. This will be repeated multiple times so students get the opportunity to write about many of their peers.

EVALUATION:

Throughout this lesson, the teacher will assess students on the concepts through listening to the small group and whole group discussions and their verbal answers to questions. Also, the teacher will be able to formally assess the students through their chart and collecting their post-its. If the students put the correct information in the chart and on their post-its the teacher will know they understand how people are similar and different. The students’ journals will also be able to be assessed, evaluating not only the objectives of this lesson but also their writing skills.

ATTACHMENTS:

“Different” poemDifferentHey! Hey! I’m just me!I’m different from anyone else you’ll see!Taller than John - shorter than Sue...Hair that is darker than Nancy’s too.Eyes not black or really greenNor really blue, but in between.I’ve got more freckles than Don or Fred.Jane reads better but I can add,


And Jim runs faster (which makes me sad!)Johnny’s arms are chocolate brown,And he’s got the happiest grin in town.Judy’s arms are almost whiteAnd I’m dark tan - and it’s all right‘Cause Johnny is him, and I am me,And Judy is Judy, plain to see,And we’re all as different as we can be!-Unknown

Figure 1 Similarities/Differences Circle

Similarities Differences

Examples of pictures used for independent activity


Cards for matching game

This lesson was adapted from: http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/socjust/reneeneilsen.pdf

REFLECTION (AFTER THE LESSON):


http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/socjust/reneeneilsen.pdf

After this lesson is taught the teacher will reflect how it went. The teacher will be focusing on the students’ similarities and differences charts, journals, and responses during discussions. This will show the teacher if they truly understood the objectives and were able to apply it to their lives. Also, the teacher will be looking at the specific activities used and will check if they helped the students to grasp the concepts of this lesson.

TEMPLE TEACHING STANDARDS:

Standard 1: Deep Content UnderstandingThe first Temple standard, Deep Content Understanding, requires students to be involved in a

variety of learning experiences representing content knowledge in new ways. By using a variety of methods, involving technology, developmentally appropriate materials, and strategies the teacher can correctly differentiate the lesson to reach all students of different levels. This will allow all learners to continually build their knowledge of a topic. The teacher’s teaching ability is evident through the students’ learning. With this standard teachers need to remember that it isn’t about just assessing students’ work after the lesson is taught. This is a common misconception that teachers need to avoid. If they use this method, students can use the first tier of Bloom’s Taxonomy, remembering (Bloom, 1956) the information, and duplicate it onto a worksheet. This is not an effective way for the teacher to know if the students have a deep, thorough understanding of a concept but instead it tells whether they have a decent working memory. A more appropriate way to achieve deep content understanding is by incorporating the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, which include analyzing, evaluating, and creating (Bloom, 1956). These three tiers require the teacher to ask higher order thinking questions and provide students with opportunities to explain, apply and reflect on what is being taught rather than memorizing facts and regurgitating it back to the teacher.

Before the lesson begins I activate prior knowledge to start the process of understanding the content that will be taught. By allowing students to work in steps and build their knowledge slowly they can grasp the concept easier, rather than overwhelming the students with all the information at once. After activating their prior knowledge I provide many opportunities for students to analyze what makes people similar and different. The students go through all the tiers of Bloom’s Taxonomy through the use of multiple teaching methods, including a video, read aloud, hands on activities, a game, a poem, and visuals. It is important for students to have the opportunity to utilize the top three tiers of Bloom’s Taxonomy, which is why I focused on discussions and activities that would promote students participation in these tiers.


One of the top three tiers of Bloom’s Taxonomy, analyzing, requires higher order thinking. Students begin by differentiating between what characteristics make people different and whether that makes them good or bad. Then I provide them with the chance to examine different pictures of people around the world and determine how similar or different they are. Through this activity I also require the students to defend their choice, which allows me to evaluate their understanding quickly. We then further examine people by comparing each other’s pictures. Using a poem, we continue to delve into what makes people different. This first step of analyzing is a stepping stone to the higher tiers of Bloom’s Taxonomy that are required for a deep understanding of content.

The next tier in Bloom’s Taxonomy deals with evaluating. Through think, pair, shares students are able to demonstrate whether they can support their decision. Students are required to discuss what they have observed about people and correctly determine if it is a similarity or difference and share with their partner. Without an understanding of the concept they will be unable to discuss appropriately with their partner. The teacher will be able to observe if this is not being done correctly. Utilizing small group discussions not only permits the students to justify their decision but it also lends itself to collaborative learning. Vygotsky’s theory promoted peer-to-peer learning to better facilitate the student with the tools to perform independently (Vygotsky, 1978). By having students see modeling before independent work in this lesson I am equipping the students with many opportunities to obtain the tools needed for their individual assignment.

The highest tier, creating, is a superlative way of determining understanding. Students in this lesson must formulate a chart that represents the differences and similarities between them and another person. Through the previous activities they will use their knowledge about comparing and contrasting to perform this operation and prove their understanding. Another way that students will reveal their comprehension of the topic is through their writing. This activity in the lesson has no guidelines allowing the students to take what they have learned and reflect about what they know. Removing the restrictions of normal worksheet problems, where there is only one answer, allows students of all developmental levels to participate.

Another aspect of my lesson that allows for deep content understanding is differentiation for all learners. By providing modified activities and many ways of learning, I am able to have all the students participate. Offering visual ways of learning including the video, a picture book, and examples provides the necessary materials for my lower level students and students with disabilities to understand the content. Offering differentiation throughout the whole lesson will allow all the students to be pushed slightly above their level of learning while still making it feasible for them to complete the work. It was important for me to take into consideration the different abilities and learning styles of all the students to appropriately plan this lesson so all students were able to succeed.

Using the general learning scale allows me to quickly assess if students understand the content. If they do not understand it gives me the opportunity to work privately with that student or few students so they will succeed with the objectives of the lesson. I can also use this opportunity to partner students who do understand the content with students who do not. Offering peer tutoring will allow more students to be helped in a one to one scenario.

Standard 2: Coherence and ContinuityThe second Temple standard, Coherence and Continuity, is defined as having learning

experiences and activities that are planned and conducted in a systematic way. Diverse ideas,


activities, concepts and values are integrated as to show consistency and logical connection, integration, and relationships. When a house is constructed, a foundation needs to be put in place before the building process can begin. Similarly, a student needs to learn basic skills first and then work on building up to more advanced aspects of that skill. For an educator to use this standard successfully, they must have consistency, meaning the lessons prior must flow into the current lesson and logically make sense, and future lessons must connect back to the lesson. Lessons are like a brick wall; the bricks all need to fit together seamlessly, building on top of each other and preparing the way for the new bricks. Teachers tend to relate this standard to one specific lesson rather than multiple lessons that are incorporated before and after the lesson. Coherence and continuity need to be incorporated in a specific lesson and the transitions throughout are a necessity to a high quality lesson plan but it does not stop there. This idea needs to be broadened to improve the comprehension of concepts. Edward Thorndike believed that the more commonalities two situations had the higher the transfer rate of information (Perkins, 1992). Based on his theory, if a teacher provides information in an order that starts with the basics and builds upon those, the students will have a better chance of transferring the knowledge.

My lesson incorporates this theory by being broken into five individual lessons that build upon the previous ones. By the end of all the lessons the students will have built their knowledge to completely grasp the concept of different aspects of physical differences and similarities. The sequential order of my lesson began with a “me box” assignment that began the process of the students thinking about what makes them unique. From there we started comparing and contrasting people beginning with their classmates and working up to people all around the world. This order allowed the students to transition from one topic to another in a meaningful manner.

The first part of this standard, coherence deals with logic. When talking about logic we think of common sense, for example we must learn what letters are before writing sentences. This concept connects to my lesson. If I were to start teaching about prejudice prior to teaching the students what it means to be different it would have been complete chaos and not logical. The students would not have been able to grasp the concept of prejudice without being able to understand that people are different, just as a student would not be able to write a sentence if they knew nothing about letters. Teachers must make sure their lessons are appropriate and as Gagne states in his nine instructional events, recall on prior knowledge (Gagne, 1992).

The second part to this standard is continuity, which deals with connections. Not only does my lesson connect the different topics in a systematic way but it also connects to other subjects. This lesson not only incorporates social studies and literacy but also will be utilized to work on math concepts. Students will use the information they have compiled about people to further understand fractions. The word usage and definitions in this lesson are on grade level allowing students to understand the topic fully. By re-exposing students to these concepts and building upon them it will prepare them for the future lessons. Employing the same strategies used when teaching other lessons the students were able to exercise their prior knowledge and benefit from a more coherent lesson.

Standard 3: Real World ConnectionThe third Temple standard, Real World Connections is defined as situating learning in real

world contexts and connecting the classroom instruction to events beyond the classroom. Heightening the value of subject matter for students through activities that combine the


classroom instructional context with real world application makes learning more credible and encourages students to transfer information. An important part to real world connections that teachers must remember is that it is essential that the connection be relevant to your specific students. If you are making a connection to the beach but none of your students have ever been to the beach, because you are teaching in an area where there are no oceans, the students may know basic information, but will not have a firm understanding. This will make it so they are not able to make the correlation because it is not relevant to their lives. Allowing students to have a personal connection with a topic will permit them to have an improved appreciation of the idea. Gardner believes it is vital to provide students with the ability to work on a topic they have learned in one setting, the classroom, in another and extend their knowledge of the concept (Gardner, 1999).

I provided multiple opportunities for students to engage in real world connections. Using discussions, materials, and activities students were able to connect the concept with their own lives. Prior to this lesson students constructed a “me box.” This was the first step to making real world connections. Students had to think about what in their lives makes them different. They were encouraged to talk to family members and learn about their backgrounds and cultures, which would help link the assignment with this lesson. The “me box” assignment will be referenced throughout this lesson to remind students of the connection to their lives. They will also have the opportunity to take home other student’s “me boxes” and participate in making connections from their lives to their classmates’ lives.

The first discussion during the M&M activity started a conversation with the students to link what they already know with what they were about to learn. This provided students a connection to how they are treated in their everyday lives and to think about how they treat other people. It was a way to remind them that even though everyone in our class is different it does not mean we should not be polite to one another. Using M&Ms was a connection to their lives because they love candy in the classroom. This got them excited while allowing them to understand the concept through something they already knew about, what M&Ms are made of.

The book People provided students with the experience to relate what they eat, celebrate, and look like with themselves and their families. It also provided the opportunity to have a discussion about what holidays the students celebrate, their favorite foods, and traditions their families partake in. Students were able to compare their lives with their classmates and ask questions pertaining to what other students have experienced in their lives.

Standard 4: Active LearningThe fourth Temple standard, Active Learning, is defined as providing a supportive

environment for students that promotes students’ critical thinking through “asking questions, seeking solutions, reflecting, sharing their thinking, and responding to other’s viewpoints” according to Temple University. Students have multiple chances to learn by doing. The teacher, through demonstrations, applications, and exhibitions can do assessments. Utilizing this standard correctly helps to ensure the successful teaching of an educator. The major misconceptions about Active Learning are that it utilizes only hands on activities, something visible and physical, and spending large amounts of time and effort on a specific activity demonstrating that they know the topic. Through the definition and aspects of Active Learning, it is understood that students can reflect and discuss topics and concepts as part of this standard, which does not require hands on demonstrations but instead allows the students to critically think about the topic and show their knowledge by applying it to other situations. According to John Dewey’s philosophy of


education, students need real life experiences and challenges to be involved in where teachers guide their experiences and allow them to contribute rather than being restricted in the classroom (Dewey, 1938). Dewey’s theory encompasses the meaning of the standard, Active Learning.

I made sure my lesson was student driven allowing the students to experience education in a way that was specific, concrete, individualized, and unique. As the teacher, my role, according to Dewey was to help students learn new knowledge without doing it for them (Dewey, 1938). Instead I need to be a guide to lead them down the right path. This is done by gradually releasing responsibility to the students. Keeping in mind that Dewey believed students could learn from their failures as well as successes, students’ are encouraged to explain their process and share thinking during small group and whole group instruction rather than focusing on a correct answer. John Dewey believes that thinking cannot be done without facts but we can have facts without thinking (Dewey, 1938). This is why I had students discuss different people and physically point out similarities and differences during the picture walk and reading of People. Regurgitating facts would not have allowed the students to be actively engaged and would not have benefited the students in any way.

During the first part of the lesson I used the M&M activity and video to review that the world is made up of many different people. By asking questions it begins the process of having students think critically about the concept and make connections. Later they will need to apply these skills to their activities, so having them begin to think about it ahead of time is important. This is also a great way to help struggling students who may not want to ask questions on their own, but are still able to get background knowledge they will need to know. This will be a stepping-stone to the topic.

One aspect of Active Learning requires students to think for themselves, make choices, and take ownership of the learning process. I provide multiple opportunities for my students to do this throughout the lesson. Students are required to partake in thinking for themselves and making choices when they are presented with a picture of a person they do not know. The students must consider everything they have learned and make inferences related to the picture they have. Through this activity they are able to take ownership of their learning.

Another aspect of Active Learning is having students construct knowledge and communicate that information to others. Students are provided this opportunity through the use of small groups and whole group discussions. According to Piaget, it is important for a child to interact with their peers to develop cognitively (Piaget, 1970). By incorporating small groups and discussions the students are able to do just that, interact with their peers. An example from the lesson is when the students had to think about how they would respond to someone who is different from them. Once they came to a conclusion they had to share their thinking and defend their answer with their peers. This also provides the chance for struggling students to receive support regarding the concept through their peers. During all the sharing portions of the lesson, whether they are whole group or small group, students are able to contribute what they know to the rest of the class. This allows everyone to further grasp the concept through his or her classmates’ explanations. Providing students with multiple explanations through teacher lecture and student responses, every student has an opportunity to understand in their preferred way.

Lastly, students are provided a non-threatening environment for this lesson. They are able to work at their own pace, learn from their peers, and have models from the teacher. There are plenty of opportunities for students to participate in different activities because the lesson is set up so students are not working on one part for to long, giving every student the chance to be


involved in something that promotes their strengths. They also are offered help from their peers and teacher if they are struggling.

Standard 5: Critical and Creative ThinkingThe fifth Temple University standard, Critical and Creative Thinking is defined as teaching

the lesson’s key concepts and ideas in depth and using practices which encourage students to develop arguments, construct explanations and draw conclusions about the subjects being taught. The learning environment inspires students to develop innovative, unusual and unique ideas, strategies and approaches. This idea of critical and creating thinking can be misconstrued as giving a student freedom to do what they want or exhibit creativity. This is not what is meant by this standard although showing creativity can be part of the process. A teacher must steer clear of this thinking and instead integrate meaningful activities and strategic questioning techniques. If this standard is used correctly students will be motivated and inspired to learn. According to Sternberg, being able to think creatively is an important skill to possess to thrive in life (Sternberg, 1994). Benjamin Bloom agrees with Sternberg that this way of thinking is significant, which is why it is at the top of his tiers, requiring higher order thinking (Bloom, 1956). This standard intertwines with understanding of content because if a student is able to think critically and creatively, they are demonstrating that they have a deep understanding of the concept being taught. According to Sternberg, having creative abilities, which is one aspect of having intelligent behavior, requires the student to be inventive and try other creative endeavors (Sternberg, 1994).

One way that I challenged the students to think critically and creatively is through my questioning in the lesson. By using higher order thinking questions, students were not able to memorize the information I provided them and repeat it back to me, which would only involve them using the first tier of Bloom’s Taxonomy, remembering. As a teacher it is essential to use the strategy of questioning students using the top three tiers of Bloom’s taxonomy, which include analyzing, evaluating and creating. By integrating these tiers into your teaching, it promotes critical thinking in the classroom. Developing careful questioning to use in my lesson was essential for me to be able to assess the students throughout the lesson. For example, I started with a closed question of asking if they would like to eat the same food everyday, such as pizza, cereal, or fish, but then I went into open-ended questions about why they felt the way they did. What if they couldn’t choose the food they ate everyday and instead their parents chose. By asking these questions I am not expecting a right or wrong answer, instead the students are able to think critically and creatively and make a decision and defend it.

By implementing the chance to compare and contrast all different types of people, including their classmates and the random people in the pictures, students used the top tier of Bloom’s Taxonomy. They showed deep understanding of the concept through writing. Through this experience students are able to gain new skills, knowledge, and attitudes toward people. They increase their self-confidence by constructing their own ideas that show their skills and knowledge. Knowing there is no correct answer provides them with a positive experience that will in turn produce upbeat attitudes. These activities also give them the experience of thinking about different ways to think about other people.

Standard 6: Teacher’s Reflective ThinkingTemple University’s sixth teaching standard, Teacher’s Reflective Thinking, requires the

instructor to self-observe and self-evaluate. Reflective thinking entails evaluating and analyzing


one’s own teaching. There are three main questions a teacher must ask themselves to fully encompass this standard. These questions include what are they doing in the classroom, why are they doing what they are doing, and whether or not it is working. To fully understand the answers to these questions the teacher must observe their students and provide them with formal and informal assessments to gather information about what they know. Bandura believes there are four things required for a student to truly learn. They are attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation (Boeree, 2006). Through observing and assessing the educator will know if these four things are taking place. If not they can take the first step by reflecting on what went wrong, which will then require them to change and improve their teaching. “Assessment must be followed by high-quality, corrective instruction designed to remedy whatever learning errors the assessment identified” (Guskey, 1997). This idea by Guskey of remedying the errors is what teachers need to remember is the purpose of this standard.

The biggest misconception about reflective thinking is that it only happens after a lesson is taught. An instructor needs to not be afraid to stop a lesson and re-evaluate if it is not going well. The best characteristic of a teacher is being able to think on their feet. Another misconception is that if a lesson is not going well it is completely useless for the future. Oftentimes teachers will decide whether or not the lesson went well and if it did they will keep it, if it did not they will never use it again and come up with something new. This common mistake is a waste of precious time. Instead of coming up with a whole new lesson an educator needs to reflect on what went well and improve what did not by using “approaches that accommodate differences in students’ learning styles and intelligences” (Sternberg, 1994). The teacher needs to remember that, “effectiveness is not defined on the basis of what they do as teachers but rather on what their students are able to do” (Guskey, 2003).

Throughout this lesson I will be using the general learning scale. After explaining each part I will ask the students to use this scale by putting up 3,2,1, or 0 fingers to their chest to let me know if they understand what I explained. By allowing them to put their fingers to their chest it eliminates embarrassment of what their peers will think. This is a private way for the students to quickly communicate their understanding with me. For students who are putting up a 0 or 1 I can do a small group while the other students continue the lesson. Also this is a quick way for me to reflect on my teaching delivery and make changes for the future.

During guided practice I will collect information through using a checklist. I will have all the students’ names listed and will make a check next to the student’s name if they correctly determine a characteristic that makes people different in the poem. If they can choose the line of the poem that describes a characteristic on their own, they will also get a plus to let me know they did not just guess correctly. This checklist can be used later to know whom I should talk to during independent practice that might need more targeted instruction.

There are two ways I will be assessing the students during the independent practice phase. While students are writing on their charts during independent practice and writing in their journals (days 2-5), I will walk around the classroom with a clipboard with an index card for each student. I will be asking them to give me a brief explanation of what they are working on. Using the index cards to make notes will allow me to assess them on the objectives. If they are having difficulty verbally explaining, it is a quick way for me to know they need additional instruction. Having students answer verbally and illustrate their thinking also allows the students who are having difficulty writing still show me they understand the objective. I will collect students’ journals to further assess. By checking their charts, I can verify whether they have succeeded in the objective. Through the checklist, index cards, and the general learning scale


procedure I can quickly sum up which students volunteered, understood the objective, need targeted help to accomplish the goal, and assess my effectiveness in this lesson. Collecting the students’ journals will allow me to have a more thorough understanding of their success with the objective. This will also allow me to assess other areas of their learning including writing, spelling, and comprehension.

Resources

Bloom, B. 1956. Taxonomy of educational objectives: Handbook I, The cognitive domain. New

York, David McKay & Co.

Boeree, Dr. C George. (2006). Albert Bandura. Retrieved from

http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/bandura.html

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: The Macmillan Co.

Gagné, R. M., Briggs, L. J., & Wager, W. W. (1992). Principles of instructional

design (4th ed.). Forth Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers.

Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New

York: BasicBooks.

Guskey, T.R. (1997). Implementing Mastery Learning (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Guskey, T.R. (2003). Using Data to Improve Student Achievement. Educational Leadership,

60(5), 6-11.

Marzano, R. J. (2009). Designing & teaching learning goals & objectives. Bloomington, IN:

Marzano Research Laboratory


http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/bandura.html

Perkins, D. N., & Salomon, G. (1992). Transfer of learning. International Encyclopedia of

Education (2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Pergamon Press.

Piaget, J. (1970). Science of education and the psychology of the child. New York: Viking.

Sternberg, R.J. (1994). Allowing for Thinking Styles. Educational Leadership, 52(3), 36-40.

Vygotsky, l. (1978). Interaction Between Learning and Development. From: Mind and Society.

Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Walpole, S. & McKenna, M. C. (2007). Differentiated reading instruction: Strategies for the

primary grades. New York: Guilford Press.


http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/thinking/docs/traencyn.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavriel_Salomon

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