When planning and developing a lesson, I first start with the end result in mind and begin by analyzing the major components. The majority of lessons taught in the classroom are to address the objectives detailed in the TEKS for that grade level, so I will first identify the measurable objectives of that lesson. Using the objectives as starting point I create statements known as SWBAT statements. SWBAT is an acronym for “students will be able to..” and help to focus the lesson on the important goals.
With the end goal in mind, I can then focus on an activity that both engages the students interest and helps to promote curiosity as to why things happen, how they work and how that might apply to real life. Recently I taught a lesson on weather and climate. I created a water bottle observation, which was a variation on the cloud-in-a-bottle. Students were first given a bottle with water, a set of directions and asked to observe what occurred when they compressed the water bottle, creating high pressure. This was partly to emphasize that science is about observation. I then had them add match smoke to the water bottle and this time a cloud formed at the top of the bottle when the bottle was compressed.
Lesson plans are rarely static but are more like works-in-progress. After the water bottle observation I realized I need an area on the lab sheet for student hypothesis and more time for inquiry based discussion. My allowing time to discover the student’s misconceptions and redirect the questions to help them discover the answers, they truly “own” the lesson.
The source for lesson was from an internet site that was designed for middle school students. By rewriting the lesson using the TEKS, I knew what concepts needed to be covered as well as what concepts the student should already have mastered. I discussed the lesson with my mentor teacher to verify the that her students were familiar with the basic concepts and proceeded to design the lesson with her feedback, to make sure the lesson was appropriate to the grade level. As part of my research for this lesson, I also consulted with other teachers as to students’ most common misconceptions and incorporated their suggestions for modifications within my lesson plan.
The assessment started with initial verbal responses. As I walked around the room I could hear some speculation was to why “nothing” was happening. The students also recorded their observations on the lab sheet, providing further demonstration that they were developing the correct line of reasoning. This was followed by a discussion of how clouds are formed.
Assessments are an ongoing part of each lesson. One lesson leads in to the next, so subsequent assessments may point out a need for clarification or a student misconception, allowing the opportunity for that misconception to be address to the class as a whole. Besides allowing for a snapshot of the students’ progress, assessments are an opportunity to modify the lesson(s) to better communicate the concepts.
With the end goal in mind, I can then focus on an activity that both engages the students interest and helps to promote curiosity as to why things happen, how they work and how that might apply to real life. Recently I taught a lesson on weather and climate. I created a water bottle observation, which was a variation on the cloud-in-a-bottle. Students were first given a bottle with water, a set of directions and asked to observe what occurred when they compressed the water bottle, creating high pressure. This was partly to emphasize that science is about observation. I then had them add match smoke to the water bottle and this time a cloud formed at the top of the bottle when the bottle was compressed.
Lesson plans are rarely static but are more like works-in-progress. After the water bottle observation I realized I need an area on the lab sheet for student hypothesis and more time for inquiry based discussion. My allowing time to discover the student’s misconceptions and redirect the questions to help them discover the answers, they truly “own” the lesson.
The source for lesson was from an internet site that was designed for middle school students. By rewriting the lesson using the TEKS, I knew what concepts needed to be covered as well as what concepts the student should already have mastered. I discussed the lesson with my mentor teacher to verify the that her students were familiar with the basic concepts and proceeded to design the lesson with her feedback, to make sure the lesson was appropriate to the grade level. As part of my research for this lesson, I also consulted with other teachers as to students’ most common misconceptions and incorporated their suggestions for modifications within my lesson plan.
The assessment started with initial verbal responses. As I walked around the room I could hear some speculation was to why “nothing” was happening. The students also recorded their observations on the lab sheet, providing further demonstration that they were developing the correct line of reasoning. This was followed by a discussion of how clouds are formed.
Assessments are an ongoing part of each lesson. One lesson leads in to the next, so subsequent assessments may point out a need for clarification or a student misconception, allowing the opportunity for that misconception to be address to the class as a whole. Besides allowing for a snapshot of the students’ progress, assessments are an opportunity to modify the lesson(s) to better communicate the concepts.
