Lesson 1: I taught my very first lesson on February 28th.

Since it was my very first lesson to teach and get observed, I was quite nervous. I was teaching a math lesson; a rather complicated one at that, especially since I was teaching students who struggled the most with math in the entire fifth grade of Merrywood Elementary. The lesson was on rounding fractions. The object of the lesson was for students to determine if a fraction is closer to 0, , or 1. I introduced the lesson with a story about how my friend and I shared a pizza and we were trying to figure out if we ate approximately one half of the pizza or approximately the whole thing. I drew a picture up on the SmartBoard to give them a visual to help them see the problem. After we discussed that problem, I gave them another problem to work on. I said that my friend and I then shared a candy bar and asked them approximately how much we ate together. Next, I wrote notes on the board for students to copy in their math notebooks. After they took notes, I had them work problems in their textbook; they could use manipulatives, draw a number line, or draw a picture using grids, or compare the numerator and denominator. During this lesson, I did a great job of keeping a calm, safe, and inviting environment for my students. This enabled them to be ready to learn. I also felt that I did a good job or getting their attention during the introduction. It was a story about pizza and candy bars so they immediately became interested in solving the problem. Overall, the students seemed to enjoy this lesson, especially since it involved working with manipulatives and drawing pictures. There are quite a few things that I would work hard to improve if I were to re-teach this lesson to the same group of students. During the introduction problems, I realized that this concept was going to be very difficult for them to grasp. They were rather confused and I wasnt sure how to help their confusion so I moved on to the note-taking in hopes that they would be able to understand the concept better after exploring other ways to look at it. I would also rethink using the manipulatives that I used. I gave them pizzas (which were foam circles divided into fraction pieces) and candy bars (which were rectangular fraction pieces). I should have only passed out the pieces that they needed rather than giving them every piece in one manipulative kit because that became a huge distraction to a majority of the students. One of the biggest things that I would try to work on is explaining the concept in a way that does not

confuse the students. It was hard for me because I understood the concept, but was having a really difficult time putting it into simpler terms to help them understand. Overall, this was the lesson that needs the most improvement. It was my first lesson to teach and the first time I was being observed so I am sure that had a lot to do with how the lesson went. I was too busy wondering how I was doing because I wanted to know that I had done a good job, which was a huge distraction for me. I also was looking to my cooperating teacher and my advisor that were observing me for a confirmation that I was doing okay. A majority of the students were getting it, but then there were several that were not, and I was not sure where to go with that because I felt like I had to get through my entire lesson that I had planned for. I realize if I were to teach this lesson again, I would need to teach to the needs of the students even if that means spending the entire lesson on the introduction problems to make sure they are not confused and get it.

Lesson 2:

This lesson was actually my third lesson because my second lesson was my showcase lesson. I taught this lesson on April 2nd. For this lesson, I read aloud the book The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida. The day before I did this read aloud with the students, my cooperating teacher read The Harmonica by Tony Johnston to them. I had the students come to the carpet and sit while I read the book aloud to them. During the read aloud, I had students make observations and predictions based on the pictures and details in the story. I also had them compare this story to The Harmonica. Overall, this lesson went well. The students were engaged in the story and participated when I told them to turn and talk to a partner about a question I asked or a prediction I told them to make. They brought forth really good ideas during our discussions. I did a good job of grabbing the students attention back when I wanted them to come back together to discuss as a class. I used a rain stick to get their attention when I was ready to come back together. I also did

a good job of making sure each student had an opportunity to share out with the class during discussion. If I were to re-do this lesson, I would try to do a better job of ensuring that each student can see the illustrations in the book. I had a hard time showing them the pictures because of the wall I was sitting next to, and I did not realize that the students also sitting next to the wall could not see the pictures. I would also study more about Japanese-Americans and their lives during the time period of World War II so I could answer any questions that came up. I feel that this lesson was one of my better ones. Although I was nervous because I was being observed, I felt confident during my lesson. I think it went pretty well.

Lesson 3: I taught this lesson on April 4th. The

This lesson was the fourth lesson that I taught.

objective of this science lesson was to explore the effects that friction has on motion. I had them explore different things like different kinds of textures, mass, pressure, and if surface area had an effect on motion. I used sandpaper to let the students explore and determine rough textures versus smooth textures. I gave each student hand lotion to rub in their hands to learn and explore the term lubricant. We discussed different real life scenarios where certain situations need more or less friction. For example, we discussed how decks around swimming pools have rough surfaces to prevent slipping. We also talked about bowling alleys and why they have such smooth surfaces. I had the students get out of their seat and slide their feet across tile versus carpet in their socks. They found that it is easier to slide in their socks on the tile because of its texture. The students seemed to really enjoy this lesson and gain a lot from it. I also used a wagon to show that a taller student is heavier to pull than a shorter student. I personally think that this lesson was the one that was most successful out of all of my lessons because of how engaged the students were. They were having fun while learning and I really liked seeing that. They enjoyed the parts where they got do something hands-on or physically. I am certain that the students gained a better understanding of friction and the effects it has one motion from this lesson.

Though this lesson was the most successful, I would make some improvements next time. I would spend more time ensuring that students got the notes down. Unfortunately, my lack of familiarity with note-taking strategies for fifth graders and the SmartBoard caused me to make the note-taking process more complicated than it should have been. It would have been

beneficial for me to have memorized what I wanted them to write down rather than copying it from a cheat-sheet that I had for my lesson. I should have also used lines on the SmartBoard to help me model what the notes should have looked like in their notebook. Overall, this lesson was the most successful. I really enjoyed teaching the lesson because I felt like the students were also enjoying it, which gave me the confidence I needed to help them be successful in learning and understanding the concept.

Lesson 4:

This lesson was actually my fifth (and last) lesson that I taught. I was teaching a math lesson on capacity. The objective of this lesson was to convert different sizes when measuring capacity (cups, pints, quarts, and gallons). I introduced the lesson with a story to help the students remember the capacity conversions. I then had the students create their own story that would help them remember the conversions. Next, I had the students draw a Gallon Man picture with letters to represent the capacity conversions. After they completed their stories and drawing, I explained how we would use our stories and pictures to help us to complete conversion problems. We worked a few problems together as a class and then I let the students work the rest in the book while I came around to check if they got it correct. I thought this lesson went a lot better than my first math lesson. The students enjoyed creating their own stories and sharing them with the class. I think I did a good job of walking around the classroom to ensure each student was on task and was not confused about anything. This lesson was not perfect. I was crunched for time because I had a lot planned to do so I felt very rushed while teaching my lesson. I realized that I should have worked through several problems with the students before having them work the problems on their own. Though there were several students who were getting it, there were still some who were confused and I should have spent more time ensuring that they understood the concept. I also should have changed the

order of problems in the book because they were not in a developmentally appropriate order because of the different levels of rigor problems would have one after the other. I did enjoy teaching this lesson. I learned a lot from this lesson as I do from each lesson that I teach. I have faith that I will get better at teaching as I have more practice in the classroom.

Reflection on Professional Development:

I have learned so much from my experience with actually teaching lessons. I have learned that it can be difficult sticking to what you have written in a lesson plan due to a time constraint or just how things go. I have a lot of goals for my future clinical experience and career. I plan to ensure that I know the content inside-out before going in to teach the lesson. I also plan to make sure my lesson plans are well thought-out and thoroughly reviewed so I remember what I am supposed to be doing during the lesson rather than referring back to my lesson plan to see what I have next to do. I also need to work on making sure I am paying attention to each student in the class. I need to ensure everyone is engaged with the lesson and on the same track. I have learned how difficult it can be to have your eyes on each student while teaching a lesson. I think that working on my multitasking skills will also be beneficial to my future in the classroom. I look forward to growing, improving, and constantly learning what works best in my future clinical experiences.