Below are lesson plans that I have completed thus far in my education.
Reading/ English and Language Arts
|
In this first grade lesson, students were given the chance to relate a concept to a real-world scenario. The students were encouraged to think of sequencing in comparison to a stop light. Green can be compared to the beginning, where the wheels start turning and the story begins. Yellow is the middle, just like on a stop light. Red is the ending, where the car stops and the story ends.
|
|
One of the most popular children's books out there are the No David series books. This was no exception with this group of first graders. And what a better character to do a character study on than David?! In this lesson students were drawing David at a certain time in his antics, and describe what he might have been feeling at that moment. This directed drawing activity is directly related to the first-grade standard of analyzing characters.
|
|
This sight word activity was pretty common for this group. Students in this class often had an easy time recalling from memory the word when presented, but weren't able to spell the word without heavy intervention. Having them read it, say it, write it was a great way to get that repetition needed for spelling memorization.
|
Science
|
Penguin Parents was a lesson that my first graders completed on the concept of offspring and parent relationships. Any time that this group gets to watch a video, it's a great time. That is why I chose to use a video as the instruction, rather than lecture. After watching the video, students reflected on ways that we are similar to baby penguins in relation to needing our parents. After we verbally reflected, students brainstormed and drew a picture of themselves and their parents, showing a time when they rely on their parents to help them survive. The intent was to share our stories with the group when finished, but time did not allow for that.
|
|
The two lesson plans on the left are a unit that was performed in a first grade classroom. The standard was about communication over a distance. In this unit, students were exposed to different types of communication over a distance. Students also were given the opportunity to experiment with communication methods that are unfamiliar to them, such as flashlight signals and body language. To finish the unit, students were tasked with a problem- solve how to communicate through a device. Students were given cups and string and were left to independently decide how to use the cups as telephones.
|
Math
|
Which One Doesn't Belong is my favorite Math routine. In WODB, students are given four images, and are tasked with choosing which one could be separated from the rest (doesn't belong). Not only do they need to pick one, students must also give a logical explanation as to why that image does not belong with the rest. Students are also encouraged to find ways that an image other than the one they picked could be the one that doesn't belong. Each image has something that the other three do not. WODB is my favorite because it adheres to the creativity within the individual to find a solution to the problem. Each child is allowed to, even encouraged to, have their own opinion. In WODB, there are no wrong answers, only more right choices!
|
|
The two lessons on the left are a part of my unit on making 10 with a group of first-graders. In the first lesson, Ways to Make 10, students used their hands and fingers to work with missing addends of making 10. At the first grade level, making 10 is a quick idea to cover. These kiddos had a tough time relating the concepts of all of these completely different numbers working together to make a 10. For this reason, I decided to spend the two weeks on mastering the ways to make 10. For Ways to Make 10, a random student was called to the front, and was to hold up as many fingers as they wished. Another student was then called at random to finish the 'problem' by holding up the correct number of fingers that are needed to make 10 when combined with the other student.
The second lesson was one of my favorites. Students had to use higher-order thinking in order to apply their knowledge thus far by using it in a game. Students were playing a typical game of Go Fish, but with a twist. Students had to ask for the number that was a pair of the other number, which added together makes 10. For example, a student holding an 8 in their stack should ask their partner if they have a 2. This game was a favorite of the kids as well, with many of them wishing to play it during recess and free time. |