May 2011
Reflection on Implementation Strategies
I have recently begun to use centers in the library as a means to implement my teaching philosophy. One challenge was to balance my desire to allow for the autonomy inherent in “self” with the students’ varied developmental needs for structure. Additionally I have 23 different classes, so differentiation was necessary not only for students within classes but for classes that each has their own unique culture. When I began to assess the culture of the class as a whole it became easier to develop a hierarchy for management. A specific example of this is using my instructional model as a management tool. I have combined direct and explicit instruction with center learning, much like the guided reading paradigm. This has enabled me to create some centers that invite students to move freely in the library, some that are stationary but offer autonomy within the center and others that are structured and guided. I engage the students in the different centers over time as they demonstrate their ability to stay on task unassisted, collaborate and follow directions without assistance, conduct task driven conversation in a non-disrupting manner. I manage classes using the same criteria, assessing their culture as a whole, and then breaking it down to accommodate students’ needs.
I seek to use a broad variety of formats during my instruction. When whole class instruction is the model, during a read-aloud, for example, my lessons have included a) podcasts b) e-books read in Spanish, then read by me in English (and visa versa) c) visiting author websites before or after using the SMART Board to facilitate group engagement d) group access to OPAC by using SMART Board e) listening to chapter books on CD f) engaging in readers theatre g) students conducting read-aloud h) students conducting character analysis using WORDLE i) students identifying nonfiction convention elements by creating nonfiction posters using and identifying those components j) engaging students in projects beyond the school such as “The Envelope Project” k) demonstrating Photostory as a poetry project l) student projects involving Web Poster Wizard m) frequent use of SMART Board by teacher and students. These varied formats have helped to create enthusiasm in our library. This is especially true for the intermediate grades who are demonstrating a great deal of interest in creating much of what they have seen presented, and indeed have done so in some cases. The spark that is created fosters self discovery and supports the self determination that I intend as a result of instruction.
Lesson – The Beginning of the Year
Library Lesson Plan
Week of 9/30/10
Kindergarten - First
Subject: Book Care
Objectives: Students will learn how to care for library books.
NYSED:
ELA 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
ELA 4: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.
Information Literacy:
Standard 1: The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively
Books:
“Mr. Wiggle’s Book” by Paula Craig
“Read It, Don’t Eat It” by Ian Schoenherr
Materials:
Mr. Wiggle puppet (teacher created), Mr. Wiggle worksheet, crayons, book cart with books
Set:
Hold up “Read It, Don’t Eat It” ask students if they remember this book from last week. Explain that students will be now introduced to Mr. Wiggle the puppet. Something horrible has happened to Mr. Wiggle’s book and now he feels very sad. Ask students to try to remember what they learned in “Read It, Don’t Eat It” to help think of what they can do to so Mr. Wiggle will happy again.
Direct Instruction:
When we take books out of the library we must treat them very carefully, and care for them so that they are not damaged or lost.
Procedure:
- Assist students to rug in an orderly fashion. Ask for students to have all eyes on me and get ready to use their very best listening habits. Quickly review the “rules” for listening at the rug (on the whiteboard easel).
- Allow students to hold “Mr. Wiggle” puppet starting with a very good listener who looks very ready for the story. I will explain that many people will get a chance with Mr. Wiggle and ask the student to pass Mr. Wiggle to the next student when I turn the page. But we must take very good care of Mr. Wiggle because he is so sad! So we cannot grab or pull him, we must take very good care of Mr. Wiggle.
- Read-aloud “Mr. Wiggle’s Book”. Check for understanding, asking students what they see in the pictures in Mr. Wiggle’s Book that would make him sad. Remind students to think about what they learned in “Read It, Don’t Eat It” to scaffold text to text connection.
- Facilitate brief discussion after book. Ask: Do you think it would help Mr. Wiggle if other children read our books? Why what would they learn about caring for their library books?
Independent Practice and Assessment: Distribute Mr. Wiggle handout and ask the students to circle the examples of different problems they saw in Mr. Wiggle’s Book. When they have identified at least six out of ten, allow students to continue to find the rest or color Mr. Wiggle. Have the students model the correct treatment of books.
Reflection – The Beginning of the Year
This was a whole class instruction lesson on book care. The material was level appropriate. The illustrations and cover engaged the students as soon as they saw the book. The worksheet was intended to provide independent practice with the subject matter and it did. The students were enamored by the “Mr. Wiggle” puppet and were additionally motivated to engage using proper “story time” manners when faced with the opportunity to hold Mr. Wiggle. Sitting willingly on the library carpet, though assembling slowly because the library period routine was still unfamiliar, the students sat in an A/B pattern (girl/boy). We called out our names while sitting as many of these students were not familiar with the concept of first and last names.
The Mr. Wiggle puppet was two sided. One side showed Mr. Wiggle with a smile and the other showed Mr. Wiggle wearing a frown. This served two purposes. While assembling, reviewing carpet manners and readying to read, I used Mr. Wiggle. First I used our hand signals as a reminder. If the students did not attend properly, Mr. Wiggle could be turned to show a frown if a student was not observing our rules. This worked nicely in that I did not have to immediately single out one student, it gave all the students time to self correct.
Additionally, I used Mr. Wiggle as a story prop. The book is a simple story about a bookworm who discovers that his book has been damaged many times in many ways. With each page, the book illustrates damage to Mr. Wiggle’s book and explains the source of the damage. Most of these are damages typical to books that are circulated in a school library and many evidence the inexperience of the patron. I was able to use Mr. Wiggle interactively, indicating sadness or contentment as the damage was discovered and the remedy prescribed. I modeled the interaction I then asked to students to participate in after the read-aloud. At the end of the read-aloud, the Mr. Wiggle was circulated and I reread the story. The students participated by changing Mr. Wiggle’s expression to match the dilemma. This activity was helpful in that it served as an assessment tool as well.
After a brief discussion, I showed the students the worksheet on the easel. It was an image of Mr. Wiggle with markings and damage on the page, much like the images from the read-aloud. I explained that this was like a picture search and there were ten examples of damage done to Mr. Wiggle’s book on the paper. The directions were to find all ten, circle them, and then color Mr. Wiggle. I modeled with two different students. I invited each one up to point out and circle the “damage”. Satisfied that the students were clear about the directions, they were then called to their assigned tables and began working on their worksheets.
During this time, the students were called to the book cart one table at a time and practiced book selection with me. Book selection and check out was conducted. The students took the Mr. Wiggle worksheet with them and went back to class.
Improvements Reflecting Growth
- Worksheet: The worksheet was intended to provide independent practice, provide an activity that would engage the students so I could manage book selection and check out and provide assessment. While it worked for a few, for most students this was not effective. I had large tubs of new Crayola crayons set in the middle of each the five color coded assigned tables. This became an unforeseen problem, as many of the students fought over colors or took the entire tub in front of their own seats, or dropped crayons constantly, kneeled on seats dangerously, and there was a constant drone of inappropriately loud chatter. I had to stop every few minutes to correct a problem, manage a conflict or ask for quieter voices, which made the book selection assistance choppy and ineffective. Finding that many of the students did not know their last names or did not know what a last name was or spoke too softly, or couldn’t make choices, then time for book selection was ticking away unsuccessfully. Because of the loss of time during book selection and check out, there was no way to use the work sheet as an assessment of learning. After the lesson I reflected upon two other issues. One was that the lesson was very “low tech”. The second reflection was that the lesson required a lot of paper that would most likely be tossed out and not used again.
- Puppet: The puppet provided motivation, and there was evidence of objectives being met when the students were able to manipulate the puppet’s expressions. But it did not go deep enough, in that the students were reacting to Mr. Wiggle’s image, more than the insight gained into the proper habits for book care. Also, students complained that they did not get a turn to “hold” Mr. Wiggle and this was a distraction.
- Behavior: The misbehavior was a result of many contributors. The students were new to the library routine. Many had never been to a library before. The table activity needed much more supervision than I anticipated due to the start of the school year and again, the lack of familiarity with the library routine and the younger students overall development. I had to realize that these students had only been to the library three times and spent only one hour and a half total over three separate weeks being taught library behavior and routine. The book selection was not completed because the check out was ungainly and took a long time because the students didn’t know their own names and or their last names. Time lost because of behavior throughout the 30 minute period contributed to an incomplete check out, sporadic interruptions and loss of assessment time.
Lesson – The Middle of the Year
Library Lesson Plan
Week of 02/07/11
Second
Subject: Authors use a variety of literary devices to create richness and depth, as well as to convey meaning. Students need to develop an understanding and awareness of literary devices in order to read critically and interpretively. Student understanding, recognition and ability to interpret literary devices along with an understanding of why authors use these devices, assists in the incorporation of meaning and a richer literary experience.
Objectives: Students will identify and describe the meaning of idiom. Students will select and interpret an idiom from a selected reading.
NYSED:
ELA 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
ELA 4: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.
AASL:
Standard 2: The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently.
Standard 3: The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively.
Standard 5: The student who is information literate appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.
CPS LMC
Strand 4.3: Develop knowledge of a variety of authors and illustrators.
Strand 4.5: Recognize different forms of literature.
Books:
More Parts by Ted Arnold
Books To Explore:
My Momma Likes to Say by Denise Brennan-Nelson
There’s a Frog in My Throat by Loreen Leedy and Pat Street
Monkey Business by Wallace Edwards
In a Pickle by Marvin Terban
A Chocolate Moose by Fred Gwynne
Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms
Materials:
Clipboards, colored wipe off markers, Idiom graphic organizer,Teacher created SMART interactive presentation
Library routines: Courteous book selection behavior, respectful of library resources, ability to follow circulation procedures, building knowledge of library physical arrangement and location aids.
Set: Distribute clipboards with graphic organizers and pencils. Explain the meaning of idiom (a phrase that has a different meaning from the actual words used). Explain that idioms are an example of figurative language. Sometimes they are called “silly” phrases. Give two examples of idioms and explain their real meanings. (Examples: “You’re the apple of my eye.” “It’s raining cats and dogs.”) USE TEACHER CREATED SMARTBoard activity for this and others. For example, a mother may say to her child: “You’re the apple of my eye.” That does not really mean that her child is an apple and in her eye. It instead means that her child is very important to her and she loves him/her very much. This is an example of an idiom. Sometimes, you may even read a phrase in a book that is an idiom that doesn’t make sense to you, such as “rub me the wrong way.” Even if you’ve never heard this saying before, you could understand the meaning by thinking about the idiom. If someone rubs you the wrong way, they are probably hurting or annoying you. So even though you’ve never heard that idiom before, you understand what the text is trying to tell the reader. Allow students to operate SMART activity and engage in interactive activities that illustrate other idioms. Encourage brainstorm about slide one. There will be many interpretations and idioms created from this image. Prior to reading, cue students to pay close attention to how Ted Arnold (author/illustrator) visually depicts all the scary things that Chip (main character) has heard. Share with the students that Chip does not understand that these expressions are idioms and they don’t really mean what the words are actually say as they are read.
Procedure:
- Read More Parts. While reading guide students to chart idioms from the first half of the book. The graphic organizer provides images to give clues as to the meanings of the idiom and provides a space for the student to write or draw the meaning as they interpret it from the story. Continue to read and ask students to choose one of their own to chart.
- At the end of the reading ask 2-3 students to share their idioms and develop meaning as a group.
- Ask students why they think authors might choose to use idioms in their writing. (adds humor, aids visualization, more complete description)
- Close by telling students we will research the origins of idioms: Where does a particular expression come from? Show the Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms and explain just as a dictionary is a reference book that is organized alphabetically and tells us the meaning of words, this book will help us find the meaning and origin of idioms. Tell students they are organized the same way and ask for someone to tell us how they think the idiom dictionary will be organized. Demonstrate looking up an idiom. They are organized the same way. How do you think that is?
- Begin book exchange. Encourage students to explore the variety of books which use idioms placed on their tables.
- Direct attention to the variety of library books (ON ROUND TABLE) which can be borrowed that use or are about idioms.
Independent Practice and Assessment: Teacher observation of engagement and responses to discussion. Student identifies the origin of one idiom from the graphic organizer. Teacher observation of students completing book selection within the allotted time, of students following instructions and participating cooperatively during the activity. Teacher observation of students following library procedures and routines.
Reflection – The Middle of the Year
This lesson is an example of a pivotal time for my teaching practice. There are many examples within the lesson that I will use to provide evidence of this statement, but what can’t be seen is the emotional energy I invested and the excitement I felt about the creation of this lesson. This was a lesson I created to prepare for an observation by the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. I was determined to demonstrate my growth and potential. I was also haunted by my own desire for that sense of total accomplishment, so elusive to a first year teacher. But once completed, I used this lesson with second through fifth grades, adapting for independent inquiry, advancing web abilities (for example, the fifth grade students went to websites about idioms and their origins and evaluated their effectiveness as a learning tool).
I wanted this lesson to demonstrate my commitment to the district’s desire to provide project based and technology rich instruction. I also wanted this lesson to demonstrate my educational philosophy, my style of engagement, my desire to balance structure with my need to provide flexibility, humor and room for discovery. The reason I’ve included this lesson in my portfolio is that I feel I did accomplish many of my teaching objectives and demonstrated by educational philosophy while enabling my students to accomplish the planned learning objectives.
The lesson plan itself shows growth in the development of the lesson and organization. I present a fuller understanding of the subject and its content. I had begun to more fully explore the standards that guide LMS practice and by this time I had begun to align more closely with the district’s local LMC objectives. While this seemed unwieldy it actually helped me to focus my outcomes and develop my procedures. My practice was slowly becoming more reflective. I had established management strategies over time that enabled me to think about my instruction on a different level. This was very helpful.
I had long been experiencing frustration managing the use of our SMART Board, which was a good 25 feet away from the furthest set of tables. Squeezing larger classes onto the rug under the SMART Board was cumbersome when it came to interaction in that abandoning the tables made writing or taking notes at the SMART Board very difficult because the students didn’t have a firm surface. I was provided clipboards by the administration to use at the SMART Board and that was an incredible aid. The students were able to engage on several different with the print material in real time, taking notes, noting observations and interpretations. The clipboards, also a novelty, added to the students investment in the lesson and gave another signal that they were expected to engage.
Increasingly, I was noticing that the students wanted to check out the books I used for my lessons. This was a problem because I needed them for instruction. It occurred to me that I should gather related materials that could circulate without interfering with my lesson for the week. I researched like materials ahead of time and had them on display every time I did this lesson. That worked very well. My read-aloud choice was a standard recommendation for the content, but the Ted Arnold Parts series is always a hit and never gets stale. I also liked the choice because I could stop the read-aloud should things run long as each page was about a different idiom and its relevance did not rely on what came before or after. Not to mention that the borderline gross humor is a great hook.
The unexpected was the success of my SMART activity. I was amazed at the discussion that was prompted by the images, and while there were so many students on such a variety of levels using it, the activity was never anything but a success. It sparked interest, lively discussion and inference, comparative and insightful questions. In the case of this lesson I moved off the SMART activity, using it to set my lesson, introduce the concept of idioms trying to access a variety of learning modalities during a whole class lesson. Using only three slides enabled me to read the book, explain the clipboard activity and conduct a follow up after the read-aloud enabling students to share the idioms they identified and their interpreted meanings. I was able to
conduct an informal assessment of learning during the follow-up and conduct a more formal assessment after the class by examining the graphic organizers.
The students were given the opportunity to use the copies of the Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms placed at each table to identify an idiom and read about its origin. They began this part of the lesson enthusiastically during book selection. Tables rotated book selection.
This lesson also began to help me formulate additional insights into my developing classroom management style. There were many opportunities for humor, dramatic interpretations and playful discussion. I found that the students responded to an opportunity to engage in a relaxed fashion. Discussion flowed considerately without the need to raise hands. Students listened intently to each other’s interpretations of the idioms and shared humorous comments without being disruptive. I was able to assume the role of facilitator, something I had not often done before, and let the students lead the way during discussion. The use of the graphic organizer lead me to realize that assessment could overlap with the lesson and not always need a separate allotment of time. I also began to see my lessons as parts of long term units instead of weekly, isolated experiences, and the graphic organizers facilitated that by providing organization and student tracking. Using them more than once reduced waste. The graphic organizer also provided additional visual cues, (images that gave hints of the real meaning of the idiom) for students who needed assistance sequencing, correlating or. Not only did this scaffold learning, but provided additional management benefits by reducing the amount of questions and interruptions that were needed and kept challenged students more engaged and on task. Having the organizer already on the clipboard, and later in the week putting multiple copies on the clipboard so that a fresh one remained after the completed one was collected) added to the ease in which materials were distributed, again freeing me to instruct as the materials managed themselves.
Improvements Reflecting Growth
1) Time Management: Time was an issue with this lesson. It was so rich with experiences that there was little time for the students for prolonged engagement of higher order thinking skills. The opportunities were built into the lesson but planning did not allot the proper time necessary to execute the lesson fully.
Remedy: The lesson reexamined as a unit on idioms and reworked into three lessons. Lesson One was a modified version of the original lesson which ended with the follow-up sharing of the idioms identified while listening to the read-aloud and engaging the students in discovering the actual meanings, giving evidence and identifying the sources of the information in the book they used as evidence to support their meanings. During Lesson Two we charted idioms found in the previous read-aloud and other teacher provided materials. Students chose idioms from the chart to research as planned in the original lesson. Using a template the students conducted their research and created illustrations of the literal interpretation of the idiom. During Lesson Three, those students who had finished the research project were given time on the web to explore www.Idiomsite.com or Eye on Idioms at www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/idioms
2) Transition: Transitioning students is a large part of classroom management and moving students efficiently. After the graphic organizer follow-up I told the students about the next activity. I did not anticipate that they would move without direction and it caused a bit of confusion during transition from the carpet to the tables, and with the beginning of the research activity.
Remedy: I asked the students to return to their assigned tables so that I could give them instruction to begin their research activity. Once they were at their tables I used my xylophone prompt to gain student attention. I then gave the students their directions.
Lesson – The End of the Year
Library Lesson Plan
Week of 05/16/11
Third-Fourth-Fifth
Subject: Closing National Poetry Month and beginning to focus on computer skills. Using transition to establish computer skills baseline with classes and introduce centers in the library. Center activities may be simplistic for fourth and fifth grades. Students will be asked for feedback and activities will be developed that introduce challenge as students become acclimated to centers in the library.
Focus on computer skills: I am finding a broad range of abilities, so broad that basic log on skills are missing, students have log on problems that are overlooked because they always find the computers on. Students in these various grades don’t know how to get to the internet, enter a web address, use a back arrow or refresh a site. I need to identify a foundation from which learning can occur. So I am using this poetry site to assess ability gaps and keep students using the computers in a way that will lead them to use several skills repeatedly and over time. Additionally, students who have been working successfully on the laptops are being given an opportunity to complete the poetry work. Those who have completed the work will also participate in centers.
Small group instruction is needed to establish a skills baseline and address individual needs. Students will work at their tables engaged in center activities while LMS conducts small group instruction.
Library Routines: Introducing center activities in the library. Developing courteous book selection behavior, respect for library resources, ability to follow circulation procedures, building knowledge of library physical arrangement and location aids.
Objectives:
1) Center Objectives: With limited teacher guidance, students will participate in center activities at their tables. Working cooperatively as groups they will follow directions, take turns, speak softly and arrange manipulative, create a graphic organizer as an activity requires.
2) Small Group Instruction Objectives: With limited teacher assistance and scaffolding when necessary, students will use a prescribed formula to identify their user names, sign on to a computer, access the internet, access a poetry website using a web address, explore the site independently and create a concrete poem.
NYSED:
ELA 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
- Locate and use library media resources to acquire information, with assistance
- Read and understand written directions
ELA 2: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.
- Recognize differences among the genres of stories, poems and plays, with assistance
AASL:
Standard 1: The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.
Standard 3: The student who is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests.
Standard 5: The student who is information literate appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.
ISTE/NETS
Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
2.a. Design of adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools resources to promote student learning and creativity.
2.b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning and assessing their own progress.
Copiague Public Schools Library Media Center Curriculum
CPS LMC Strand 2.1: Demonstrate the basic use of retrieval tools.
CPS LMC Strand 2.2: Retrieve needed information from print and electronic resources.
CPS LMC Strand 4.5: Recognize different forms of literature.
Materials:Teacher created web task ticket, exit tickets, laptops/PC’s, and teacher created centers,, Smart Board,
Media:
Websites: Concrete Poems www.wild-about-woods.org.uk ; www.tinyurl.com/cswzqf
Monarch Library Centers http://monarchcenters.wikispaces.com
Set: Seat students on carpet (no more than 5 minutes) Use student experience with centers in the classroom as schema for introducing center work in the library. Explain that I will work with a small group of students with laptops just as they read with their teacher in the classroom during guided reading. Introduce each activity for each table. They are already distributed. Direct students to their tables. Explain they have 15 minutes to work on their center activities.
CENTERS
1) Fact or Opinion: Students will read cards with information about animals and decide if that information is fact or opinion.
2) Shelf Order in the Library: Students will “shelve” book “templates” in alphabetical order using call letters on a spine label. When completed, students will advance to SMART Board to advance to leveled shelf order activities of increasing difficulty.
3) Fiction-Nonfiction: Students will match fiction illustrations to their nonfiction photographs and sort into fiction and nonfiction categories.
4) Investigation Station: Students are provided with 16 different live cacti and succulents to explore. Given a variety of print resources and a star organizer, they are asked to develop up to six questions for further investigation.
5) Laptop Small Group Instruction: Start up, log in, password, trouble shooting log in, internet access, entering a web address, troubleshooting, browse a website.
Procedure:
- Select students for guided instruction and ask them to go to the middle table with the laptops. Direct all other students to their tables to begin their centers. Set timer for 12 minutes. At 12 minutes give students a two minute warning to wind up at centers. Use xylophone prompt when center time is finished. Remind students to complete exit tickets.
- Ask laptop group to begin and sign on. Roam tables to be sure students are on task. Return to laptops. Following the instructions on the web task ticket, guide students to be patient with the computers and engage as independently as they can with each step. Check for individual understanding. Use student reporting on web task ticket to
issues.
- During center work, if necessary, reinforce asking a table mate, raising hands, staying in seat while working. Reinforce individual and group cooperation and problem solving.
- Roam room and conduct frequent checks for progress. Explain that we are beginning to develop skills to prepare for next year and centers will be a part of our lesson cycle.
VIII: Reflection – The End of the Year
This lesson is a reflection of one of my long term goals, which was to develop centers a vehicle for instruction, to assist in classroom management, to enable me to spend time with small groups addressing a variety of needs and to manage the period’s innate time constraints.
Additionally after watching centers in classrooms and seeing the guided reading groups meet while the other students were doing their center work, I saw that this model would provide me an excellent way to teach technology skills in a small group setting.
There were many benefits to planning a period in this manner. I felt an enormous sense of ease as the students engaged in the five centers. Students were given verbal directions and time to ask me questions, which took about nine minutes if I was introducing the centers for the first time and less (almost five minutes) as the centers were rotated in classes that followed. This enabled me to attend to a group with a need for small group technology instruction, troubleshoot some performance issues with the laptops, observe and record the student’s abilities and left time for the students to explore a website.
This was a student centered period. The students progress drove the pace of the period. The atmosphere was relaxed and collaborative. Most students used appropriate speaking levels and kept the conversation center related. The students demonstrated accountable independence. I was able to check work and behavior efficiently, as the students were completing center work at their assigned tables. I could observe them attending to their tasks, and their progress in their centers was in clear view. Therefore, I was able to notice when progress seemed slow and I would join the group, offer support or just meander over to take a look without speaking at all, to just check in.
Another benefit to this model was the ability many of the various resources that exist in the library at one time. Students used the SMART Board (independently), students used laptops,
students were engaging in critical thinking and inquiry using graphic organizers, and some students were engaged in literacy activities that were related to library instruction.
Another benefit to this model is that I was physically able to slow down, the collaborative nature of the centers allowed the students to help one another. I was able to observe the class as a whole, employ end of lesson strategies like using a tone and then an alarm, and the class never seemed harried, even when transitioning to book selection.
Constructing a lesson in this manner allowed me the time to monitor and adjust, again because the period was not teacher centered and the majority of the students engaged independently, I was able to monitor for level appropriateness, group work skills, address learning issues in an efficient way and spend extra time one on one if it was necessary. I was also able to just spend time with students who weren’t having challenges and engage with them during their center activities.
Improvements Reflecting Growth
This entire lesson was a reflection of my professional growth. Period was technology rich, engaging a variety of technologies at one time. It provided ample opportunities to level to support differentiation. This period fostered a cooperative atmosphere. The lessons, as well as the teacher and the students were more student centered. I was able to perform assessment and provide direct and explicit instruction when needed.