This was probably one of the most well thought out and planned lesson we've ever had a chance to do together during my time as final intern. The thing that tied it all together was the structuring, being that it was gradual release of responsibility, given the I do, we do, you do guidelines. Students loved the conjunction junction video, and it had a good hook into the actual conjunctions we were to use in the lesson. There were even more opportunities to practice my teaching abilities to the students who struggled with the content, being that the class is populated by 1st and 2nd graders. The standard being taught is a 2nd grade standard, yet the skill was applicable to both grades. After the lesson was over, I noticed several areas for improvement.
There weren't alot of opportunities for formative assessments during the cloze notes part of the lesson, in that students were only copying from the board and not sharing their thinking for how to create compound sentences with people at their table. Maybe more opportunities for partner collaboration during the PowerPoint presentation would have been great. I had initially considered having shoulder partners and asking students to write one sentence each and then discuss together how they would combine the sentences using commas and conjunctions to make them compound. Classroom management during this time seemed to go alot smoother, based on the music that was played for independent practice, amongst other factors. The energy and excitement in my voice about the material on my CT's noted for the lesson, and I feel like your attitude as a teacher determines the attitude in your students 100% after experiencing this lesson.
Another area for improvement was the fact that the pre-planning portion of the lesson was done as soon as my supervisor arrived instead of beforehand. Some of the sentences I had already written on the board, but the technology (PowerPoint + video) had to be loaded by me while the students were waiting on the rug. After grading student papers in Wednesday night (4/27), I saw that many brilliant bugs may need a re-teach on the concept of using a comma to separate independent clauses in compound sentences. My questions for the future include "How can I find exciting ways to kinetically engage my students in ELA work?", and "How many elementary schools teach their students all of the standards that CPALMS and districts ask them to?"
There weren't alot of opportunities for formative assessments during the cloze notes part of the lesson, in that students were only copying from the board and not sharing their thinking for how to create compound sentences with people at their table. Maybe more opportunities for partner collaboration during the PowerPoint presentation would have been great. I had initially considered having shoulder partners and asking students to write one sentence each and then discuss together how they would combine the sentences using commas and conjunctions to make them compound. Classroom management during this time seemed to go alot smoother, based on the music that was played for independent practice, amongst other factors. The energy and excitement in my voice about the material on my CT's noted for the lesson, and I feel like your attitude as a teacher determines the attitude in your students 100% after experiencing this lesson.
Another area for improvement was the fact that the pre-planning portion of the lesson was done as soon as my supervisor arrived instead of beforehand. Some of the sentences I had already written on the board, but the technology (PowerPoint + video) had to be loaded by me while the students were waiting on the rug. After grading student papers in Wednesday night (4/27), I saw that many brilliant bugs may need a re-teach on the concept of using a comma to separate independent clauses in compound sentences. My questions for the future include "How can I find exciting ways to kinetically engage my students in ELA work?", and "How many elementary schools teach their students all of the standards that CPALMS and districts ask them to?"