Direct Lesson -Causes & Effects of the Declaration of Independence

Reflection on Teaching: Day 1: Direct Lesson
Topic: The Causes and Effects of the Declaration of Independence. 
Link to Lesson Plan
Link to presentation
Link to worksheet
Link to Quiz

        Today, my group, Group C, presented our direct lesson plan to the 4th grade class at Bishop Dunn Memorial School. Our direct lesson was on the causes and effects of the Declaration of Independence. We handed out worksheets to the students to fill out during the presentation. The worksheet contained information that was in the powerpoint. Caitlyn began the lesson by pre-assessing students' knowledge about events that caused the need for a Declaration. Anne presented the reasons why the colonists were angry. I talked about what a Declaration is and what happened on July 4th, 1776. Rachel described the outcomes of the signing of the Declaration and did a cause and effect activity with the class. We created a t-chart with the causes and effects. Students came to the board and dragged the facts into the appropriate columns. The students then explained why they dragged that certain statement into the column they chose. We asked the class if they agreed or disagreed. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time for our next activity. We were going to present a video to the class on the Declaration of Independence. Laura gave the closure. She reviewed with the class what they had learned throughout the lesson. We handed out a quiz to the students to complete as independent practice at home. The quiz contained facts about what was presented in the lesson. 

Reflection: As a group, we worked very hard on this lesson. We did not realize how pressed for time we really were. I wish we had more time to completely finish our lesson. The video was fun and incorporated many facts that we had talked about. I felt that because we were pressed for time, we scrambled and rushed through our presentation. Things to improve on: at one point or another, we all slipped and said the word "guys". As I was saying this word, I realized I made a huge mistake and was so disappointed in myself that I had said it. It is a word that rolls off the tongue without even realizing it and I think as a group we have to practice and be more aware that we are using this word. For the group, I think we need to be more positive about the responses we give to students after they answer. Many of us said: "no" or just ignored some students answers. We need to focus on how to properly address students positively when they give an answer. Also for everyone since we are pressed for time, we cannot go off topic or elaborate anything that was not mentioned in the script in the lesson plan. 

My teaching- In general I think I did well. I spoke as loudly and clearly as I could even though I was sick. I tried to keep students engaged and make what I was presenting fun and interesting. However, I know there are things I can improve on. I need to work on my vocabulary skills and not say "guys" , also I am going to avoid saying things that are not in our lesson plan since we are pressed on time.

Debates

               Week 9         

Class: Wed, 10/23

         Today in class, Amanda, Katrina, and Christina presented their current events lesson. The article they told us to read for homework was called: "These students just can't sit still in school all day". This article addressed the issues of obesity and fitness in schools. Many students in schools are obese and cannot pass the physical fitness tests. So there has been a debate whether or not schools should provide 30 minutes of exercise before school starts each day. We were separated into two groups: pros & cons. I was placed in the "pros" group. The teachers presented about what a debate is and how to form a realistic debate in the classroom. 

       I got into the "pros" group. Our argument was that there should be 30 minutes of exercise before school begins everyday. It is important that children stay physically healthy. We did some further research and found that there are common core standards for health and fitness in schools. Children have to be provided with physical exercise. I think that physical exercise before class is good because it gets childrens minds working and alert. Exercise also helps students focus better. This also benefits students with special needs who need physical activity in order to concentrate during the day. We presented our argument to the "cons" side. Their argument was that there is already physical fitness incorporated throughout the day which is known as gym class. We continued to present our facts and ideas back and forth. Finally, Katrina came to the decision that the "pros" side had won their argument. 

       Amanda gave a more in depth explanation about debates and how they can be used in the classroom. The teachers also gave us resources to use if we did a debate in the classroom. I really enjoyed this presentation. It was well organized and engaging. I think students would enjoy this activity as well. I have provided my +3 and wishes that I posted on e-class:

Dear Christina, Amanda, and Katrina, 

+Christina you had a clear and loud voice.

+I like how you ladies made the article into a debate topic, that was very creative and a great idea!

+Katrina, you did a good job keeping time and making sure everyone was on track

I wish...Amanda could have spoke more during the presentation

Cooperative lessons with groups 1 & 2.

Week 8

Class: 10/14/13, Monday

Today we had no field work at Bishop Dunn Memorial, since it was Columbus day holiday. Today was a review day in class. Groups 1 & 2 reflected on their inquiry lesson. The groups shared with the class what went well and what they could improve on. Dr. Smirnova gave the groups suggestions on how they can improve their lessons and teaching. Dr. Smirnova asked our group and group 4 on our opinions on group 1 & 2 teaching. We gave the groups some suggestions along with things we thought they did positively. We also received time in class today to continue to work on our own lesson plans. 

Class: 10/20/13, Wed.

 Today was the 1st current events presentation. The teachers in this group included: Kristen, Christina, and Courtney. The teachers told everyone previously before the class to read an article called "U.S Safety Strained by Government Shutdown". The article was about the government shutdown and the unsafe situations it is causing in the country. The teachers began their lesson by reviewing the 5 w's. This bridged into the lesson because the teachers then handed out a worksheet with the 5 w's chart. 

This was the worksheet they gave us:

We had to fill out the worksheet based on the information in the article.The teachers told us to switch papers with other student. Then we had to write a summary on the back based on what that person wrote in their chart. Then the class came together and each group was given a bubble to write in. The students were able to come to the board. After we were finished writing on the board, the teachers came together to review. The teachers asked the class if they agreed or disagreed with the answer on the board. If the class disagreed, then the teachers asked if there was another solution for an answer. I think that Courtney did a great job with this part. She had positive feedback and reassurance if one of the answers were not correct.  I think the group was very well organized. The teachers were prepared and their presentation was very straightforward. I thought it was great that they showed us additional resources on the topic and other sources we can use for our current event lesson. I learned a lot about the current event and teaching techniques from this lesson.

My reflection on eClass:

Dear Christina, Kristen and Courtney,

+1. Courtney- I think you did a great job adding on to the answer that someone gave to the "where". Your explanation was  positive to the person who gave the first answer, and then to the person who added it on.

+2. Kristen- you answered my question very clearly.

+3. Christina- you spoke with a clear voice and were knowledgeable about the topic.

I wish we had a smart board because the chart could also serve as a smartboard activity

Class: 10/18/13

Today we were back at Bishop Dunn Memorial for field work. Today was the last day for Groups 1 & 2 to teach their lessons. Their final lessons were on cooperative learning. 

Group 1:Alex introduced the lesson. She refreshed the students' memories by telling them what they talked about in previous classes (Colonial New York). She then asked students: "Why do we work together?". The students gave their answers, and the teachers bridged their answers by lists of reasons why we work together and how to work together efficiently. The teachers explained that for this lesson, the students will be working together. Students were given a word and had 2 minutes to find the definition with  their partners. When time was up, the group had to share their definition with the class. The next activity the students had to pair up into groups and each group was given a different activity. Each teacher went to the groups for guided practice. The teachers worked closely with the groups in order to create their activities. When time was up, each group presented their activity. The first group made a poem on colonial New York. The second group wrote a skit pretending to be students during colonial times. The next group wrote a song about the 13 colonies. The 4th group came up with an advertisement for tools used during that time. The teachers closed their lesson by telling the students they worked together in order to create an activity and gather their knowledge they all learned about Colonial New York to create them. 

Evaluation: For the introduction, Alex needed to grab the students' attention more. It was a Friday, so I think the students were probably more rowdy. From sitting in the back of the room, I could see the students were not paying attention. I would also suggest that Alex could speak more loudly and clearly so students will gain attention. I think that it was good that the teachers explained why we work together and how to work together in groups. For the activity, I liked how the teachers told each student they needed to have a role in the group. I think James did a great job explaining what each role was and the responsibility it has. The teachers did a good job guiding the students with their activities. I thought the closure was great that each group got to present their activity. I thought this cooperative lesson was really creative because each group got an activity to do. The activities tied in really well to the topic and what material was covered over the previous sessions. What could go better- trying to get students' attention and have them to focus. Also, Madison could have a voice more, I feel that she does not get much of a chance to speak.

Group 2: The teachers started off the lesson by asking students if they remember what historical event they were covering in the previous sessions. They showed students pictures to see if they remembered. The teachers received a couple of different answers, but told the class the main topic was "The American Revolution". The teachers had an activity on the board. They asked students if they knew what each letter in "TEAM" could stand for. The students participated and gave excellent answers. The answers would transition and come onto the screen. The teachers bridged this activity by telling students that they were going to work in groups for this lesson and they needed to have teamwork. The teachers told students they need to each have a role in their group. This included: manager, time-keeper, etc. The students were given a picture of an event during the American Revolution and they had to determine the series of events that it followed during that time period. The teachers came around and helped each group. For closure, the teachers asked the students to come up and put their picture in the time slot where they think it took place on the timeline. The students came up and placed their pictures in order. The teachers asked the students if it looked correct. Everyone agreed, the students were able to list the events that occurred during the American Revolution in the correct order. The students were excited that they placed the pictures in the correct order. The teachers went over the events in chronological order on the timeline. The teachers handed out students scrolls to keep as souvenirs. 

Evaluation: I think group 2 did a good job introducing the lesson. They helped refresh what they had been talking about in the last 2 sessions. The American Revolution is a detailed topic and event, and I think they did a great job narrowing down on the basics and important events. I loved the timeline activity! I thought this was such a creative way of showing students how timelines work and to apply that to what they learned about the American Revolution. I could see that students had a fun time with this activity and got excited when they created the timeline in the correct order. The closure also went well for the teachers. They were able to manage their time and close the lesson completely. The thing that could have gone differently is that the teachers could have explained more the importance of a timeline and why we need timelines when learning about history. The teachers just need more explanation and detail about how to do their activities. 

Colonial New York & The American Revolution

WEEK 7

Class: 10/7/13:

      Today was the first official day that groups started teaching in 4th grade at Bishop Dunn Memorial School. Groups 1 & 2 presented their direct instruction lessons. The topic for Group 1 was "Colonial New York". The topic for Group 2 was "The American Revolution".

Group 1: James, Madison, Erika, Alex, and Lindsay were in this group. They first started off their lesson by pre assessing the students. The group presented vocabulary words based on their topic. The technology that the group used was the SMARTBoard and used the software, Prezi, to present their content. The lesson included how people migrated to NY, the difference between indent servant and slave. James asked the students if they knew what kind of government we have. The answer was a democracy, but back in this time they called government an "assembly". The group also talked about the schooling back in this time and how it is different from schools today. The students were asked if they would prefer going to school at that time or now. The teachers also let students watch a video based on the clothing that was worn during this time. They asked the students to compare and contrast the clothing differences from then and now. The group used an activity with the vocabulary words. The students had to correctly match the word to the proper definition by dragging it in the SMARTBoard. For independent practice, the group gave a worksheet to the students to complete for homework. 

Evaluation: I thought group 1 had a very organized and straightforward lesson. The students enjoyed comparing and contrasting how life was back then for students than it is now.  I liked how Erika got the students' attention  by telling them to put their hands on their heads when they would transition to the next slide. She also gave students certain thumb signals to tell her if they understand or if they did not understand. For the other members of the group, my suggestion was to speak more loudly and clearer. The beginning of the lesson could have been more structured and organized. However, this was due to technical issues. The direct lesson in general went well. I think the teachers had the students engaged throughout the lesson. The closure could have went differently. Due to time constraints, the closure was not as clear. A suggestion that this group can do differently is not call on students names who can not be video taped. Otherwise, the group did well for their first time teaching for a direct lesson.

Group 2: The teachers in this group were: Courtney, Christina, Brittni, Liz, and Kristen. They started their lesson on the American Revolution by showing a video from School House Rock. They then asked students to listen or look for things in the video they might know of. The teachers showed pictures and asked the students of what they think these pictures might be. The pictures showed war during the American Revolution. After each slide, the group had check for understanding questions. The teachers asked the students: who were colonists? What were things that were getting taxed at this time? During the lesson, the teachers gave students a formative assessment. Students has to fill out a worksheet based on the content that was being presented during the lesson. The teachers then talked about the Boston Tea Party. They then talked about the revolution. Liz described what happened during the battle at Lexington and Concord. Liz had everyone respond as a class when she asked a question. The teachers used a SMARTBoard activity. In this activity, the students had to correctly identify content that pertained to loyalist and that contained to the patriots. The teachers provided a flag to each student. On one side, the loyalists flag was shown, and on the other side, the patriot's flag was shown. When the students would answer the question, they would hold up the side of the flag of what they thought the answer was. For independent practice, students had to complete a mini quiz for homework. 

Evaluation: I liked how creative group 2 was. I could see they took a lot of time and effort into making the flags for the students. There was also a lot of effort put in the PowerPoint  I think Christina did a great job managing the technology and keeping the students in track. Liz and Courtney had a very clear and loud voice when they were presenting. I liked how Kristen addressed the questions to the students. The questions were clear and understandable. The beginning of the lesson was well structured with the video that was presented. It grabbed the students' attention. The direct instruction was well organized because of the review questions. The students were forced to pay attention because they had to fill out the worksheet that was given to them. For this group, I could not identify what the closure was. So my suggestion is to give more of a closure to the lesson.  

Class: 10/9/13

     Today in class was more of a review day. Dr.Smirnova gave groups 1 & 2 feedback and advice for their next lesson. We watched the recording of group 2 and provided feedback on what went well and what did not go well. As for our group, we got the opportunity to work on our direct lesson plan.

Class: 10/11/13

         We were back at Bishop Dunn for fieldwork. Today, groups 1 & 2 presented their inquiry lesson plans. 

Group 1: Group 1 was continuing their topic on Colonial New York. They started off by asking students if they remember what strategy they used last time to show if they understood something. The students responded with: "thumbs up and thumbs down". The teachers pre-assessed students by asking them if they remembered what they learned last class. They also asked students if they knew what an artifact is. The students responded, and the teachers gave them a general definition of an artifact. Their inquiry lesson was doing artifact bags. They gave each group a bag filled with various objects pertaining to the lesson. The teachers also demonstrated on how to do the lesson. They also provided the students with worksheets with questions to answer as they were making their discoveries. Each teacher went around and guided the groups. They asked them questions such as: "what artifacts did you find?" and "Where do you think these artifacts came from?". For closure, the teachers asked the students to say out loud some things they found out during their discovery. For independent practice, the teachers gave students a worksheet to complete for homework. 

Evaluation: I think group 1 did a good job organizing the artifact bag activity. I liked how they demonstrated how the students should be doing the activity. I think the teachers did a good job splitting up and using guided practice by going to each group. This gave students a chance to interact and socialize with the teachers. I could see the students really enjoyed this activity. The activity was organized and fun. The beginning was great, the teachers pre-assessed the students' knowledge and refreshed their memories. The inquiry part was very organized. The teachers did a good job preparing the materials for the students in order to save time. The students were engaged throughout the whole inquiry process. The students were interested in finding the clues to help them solve the mystery of their artifacts. The closure was great as well. The teachers came back and were able to grab all the students' attention by asking  students what they found in their artifact bags. Something that could be done differently is that some teachers should have more of a voice in the group. Erika leads the lesson majority of the time, which is good, but I think the other teachers should have more say in the lesson.

Group 2: Group 2 started off their inquiry lesson by asking students: "what is a historian?". Students gave the teachers various answers on what a historian is. The teachers followed up to their answers by saying that historians solve problems. The teachers presented to the students on their powerpoint presentation steps to solving a problem. The teachers also used the software, voki. They made a George Washington Voki. The voki gave the students directions to their treasure hunt activity. The teachers handed out students a sheet to fill out during their treasure hunt. The students were using iPads, and the app, QR Reader. The scanner would scan and give the students clues. The students had to find the answer to these clues by researching on the computer. The teachers used guided practice and helped each group try to solve their mysteries  The students were looking up people who were involved in the American Revolution. After time was up, each group presented their research and findings. The teachers asked students if they knew what a hypothesis was. They asked students if the hypothesis they made in the beginning of their lesson was right or wrong by the end when they completed their research. The teachers closed their lesson by asking students if they enjoyed the activity and learned about a new person.
Evaluation:I think group 2 did a great job with their introduction and pre assessment piece. They reviewed what the students learned last time and bridged it to what they were going to teach in their new lesson. I liked that they used a "voki" because this grabbed the kids attention. In the development part, I thought it was good how Liz explained to the students that the iPads needed to be handled with care. The suggestion I would give if the teachers had more time was to explain how to use the iPad and explain why they are using this app. I saw that the teachers were the ones who were scanning the folders. This is okay because of time restraints, but the students should get a chance to use the technology hands on. Students were having fun, but I could tell they were getting frustrated at some points. It was good that the teachers were each with group because it helped the students stay on track. The students were rushing, trying to find information as if they were competing for something. I think the teachers could have explained to the students that they did not have to rush because it was not a competition. I think the teachers did a good job with the closure. I like how the groups came up and presented the information they found on a special person. The teachers were able to wrap up the lesson by saying how the students were historians during the lesson.My suggestion for this group is that each teacher should have equal time in the lesson to talk. What could have been done better-explaining to the students why they are using the technology, what its purpose is, and how it will help them find clues. Over all, I thought this was a well constructed activity. I wish there could have been more time so it didnt have to be rushed for the students or the teachers!

Moving towards field work

WEEK 6

Class: Monday, 9/30/13

In class today, we did a treasure hunt! For the treasure hunt, Dr. Smirnova printed out barcodes for us. We had to download the “QR-reader” app on our iPhones. We got together in our field work groups in order to complete this assignment. Each group was versing each other. When the barcodes were scanned, questions would come on the screen. Everyone in the group had a job, which included: manager, time-keeper, note-taker, typer, and researcher. I was the manager in the group, Rachel was the time-keeper, Laura was the note-taker, Caitlyn was the typer, and Anne was the researcher. Whichever group answered all the questions and posted them first to the forum would win a prize.

The questions and answers we came up with include:

Group: Revolutionists: Caitlyn Yackeren, Brianna Croce, Rachel Springer, Anne Eisner

Date: September 30, 2013

Treasure Hunt

Question 1: Learning Centered Approach

Question 2: True

Question 3: No

Question 4: D- Competition among teachers and students.

Question 5: John Dewey- Came up with empirical evidence.

Question 6: C- The primary responsibility was to engage students in inquiry into important social and interpersonal problems.

Question 7:  Group Investigation: The class is divided into teams, which then select topics to investigate, gather information, prepare reports, and present their findings to the entire class.

Example: Treasure hunt

Question 8: Structural Approach: An approach based on the teaching of the different areas of 'grammar' in a language; eg present simple tense, conditionals, adverbs and adjectives etc. A structural syllabus will view the language in terms of linguistic structures,of which there will be grading and sequencing; of a functional approach.

Example: Think-Share-Pair, 6 thinking hats

Question 9: Think-Share-Pair: This is a structured approach to classroom discourse that aims to get all students actively involved in a discussion. An example is: You can use it in small groups before reading. Decide upon the text to be read and develop the set of questions or prompts that target key content concepts. Describe the purpose of the strategy and provide guidelines for discussions. Model the procedure to ensure that students understand how to use the strategy. Monitor and support students as they work through the following:

T : (Think) Teachers begin by asking a specific question about the text. Students "think" about what they know or have learned about the topic.

P : (Pair) Each student should be paired with another student or a small group.

S : (Share) Students share their thinking with their partner. Teachers expand the "share" into a whole-class discussion.

Question 10:

Role of the Teacher

Make decisions

Specify academic/collaborative objectives  

Decide on a group size

Assign students to groups

Arrange the room

Plan materials

Assign roles

Set the lesson

Explain the academic task

Structure positive interdependence

Structure Individual accountability

Structure intergroup cooperation

Explain criteria for success

Specify expected behaviors  

Teach collaborative skills

Monitor and intervene

Arrange face to face Interaction

Monitor student behavior

Provide task assistance

Intervene to teach collaborative skills

Evaluate and process

Evaluate student learning

Process Group Functioning

Provide closure

Question 11: 5 Characteristics: 1. Positive Interdependence

   2. Individual Accountability

   3. Social Skills

   4.  Group Processing

   5. Lesson Planning  

   I really enjoyed doing the treasure hunt activity. It was fun and it got my mind working. I think students would highly enjoy this. This is a fun activity that can be geared towards any grade or subject. I like how technology is incorporated into trying to find questions and answers. It was also great for a cooperative learning lesson. Group work was really needed in order to do this project. As a group, we processed the answers, and as individuals we all had different roles and responsibilities. I would definitely use the QR-reader in my classroom, and I plan to use it for my fieldwork lessons.

Class: Wed, 10/2/13

Today in class we focused on creating/designing our lessons for field work. We also watched an instructional video called "Teaching Methods in the Classroom." There are several things that I learned from this video.

Direct instruction is when the teacher is demonstrating a lesson to students. This demonstration includes using visual and coral responses. Students practice what they have learned. Lesson plan activities include: guided practice, checking for understanding, introducing new skills, and others. Independent practice is when students do activities such as seat work or homework. The development of a lesson includes: getting the student's attention by pre-assessing their prior knowledge. The development phrase allows the teacher to check for students understanding.Cooperative learning is successful in diverse setting. The classroom mirrors a democratic society. The phases of cooperative learning: Clarifying aims, providing materials, organizing study teams, assisting teams, sharing/evaluating/recognizing work.

The video was very helpful because it related to the practices that will be used during field work. It also gave me more insight on how to create lessons pertaining to field work. I am glad that Dr. Smirnova showed us this video. I hope to apply the tips that I learned in the video to my field work and other teaching experiences.


Class: Fri, 10/4/13

Today was our first day of fieldwork! As a class, we headed over to Bishop Dunn Memorial School. Our goal was to get to know the 4th grade class. The teacher in fourth grade is Mrs.Benfer. Each group had a few minutes to get to know each group of students. The students were sitting in desks in groups. We all introduced ourselves to the class. When we met with the students, we started off by asking their names. As a pre-assessment to our topic,"The Declaration of Independence", we asked students to give us some ideas that they might include if they wrote their own Declaration.
These are pictures of the paper where I wrote down each groups ideas for a Declaration:

We asked the students what rights we do have in America. We then asked them to add some of their ideas of rights they do not have now but wish they did. From my observation, most of the groups agreed that we have the freedom of: speech, voting, choosing, religion, freedom, and education. It seems that students have a general understanding and understanding of our rights as American Citizens. In our cooperative lesson plan, we will be doing a similar project. We will let students collaborate as groups and create a class Declaration.