EDUC 250-Educational Psychology Group

Project
Theme: Aquatic Animals
Grade Level: 1st Grade
May 6, 2015

Presented By:
Micaela Johnson, Katy Espich, Amber Adams, and Delani Strub

Chapter 2: Micaela Johnson

Learning, Cognition, and Memory

Prior knowledge and beliefs affect new learning.

Facilitate visual imagery.

Ask students to write down in their science journals some of the things that
they already know about aquatic animals.

When discussing the characteristics of particular animals, provide the

students with pictures so they can see an accurate representation of the
animal.

Identify and address students misconceptions.

Assess the students beliefs about aquatic animals and address the
misconceptions that they have the next day.

Chapter 3: Micaela Johnson

Learning in Context

Learners sometimes co-construct new understandings with more

experienced individuals.

Learners also co-construct knowledge and understandings with peers

who have ability levels similar to their own.

Work one-on-one with students as they write in their journals each day about a
different aquatic animal.

Give students the opportunity to work in small groups to perform a short skit
about the different communities that exist in water environments.

Provide physical and cognitive tools that can help students work and
think more effectively.

Allow students to use computers to make a concept map of the details that
they would include in a poster presentation of a particular aquatic animal.

Chapter 4: Micaela Johnson

Complex Cognitive Processes

Self-regulating learners establish goals for their performance and plan

their actions accordingly.

Self-regulating learners evaluate the final outcomes of their efforts.

Ask groups of students to make plans for their poster presentation such as
who will say what and what kind of information will be included.

At the end of the poster presentation, ask each student to write a journal
entry that reflects upon how the group worked together and how they think
their presentation went.

Encourage metacognitive self-reflection.

Have students keep a learning journal that they write down the new things
that they learned about aquatic animals each day during the unit.

Chapter 5: Katy Espich

Cognitive Development
Interactions with other people promote development.
During this section I will use Vygotskys words that social interactions are even more important, in that they
provide the very foundations for cognitive development. One of the ways that will help this lesson will be
mediated learning experiences. I will ask a zoo worker to come in with pictures, stories, names of different
aquatic animals. The zoo keeper will attach the different animals to objects, events and human experiences with
the animals. The children will learn about the aquatic animals through an adult that knows what he or she is
talking about.
Accommodating development differences and diversity.
During this section I will use a developmentally appropriate activity. The aquatic animals section will be for
elementary grade k-3. The children will have different pictures of animals and different descriptions about the
animals. The children will play a matching game with the pictures and descriptions. The younger grades
(kindergarten) will have to sound out the name and then match the picture and description up. The older grades
(3rd grade) will need to match the picture and description up while telling facts that they learned about the
animals before the matching game.
Encourage play activities.
During this section the children will be encourage to play activities. Children learned more about acting out
different things such as dramatic play. The children will act out the aquatic animals. I will have different stuff
animals/puppets that are the aquatic animals and during free time the children will be able to act like an aquatic
animal that they chose to be.

Chapter 6: Katy Espich

Motivation and Affect

Ask students to set some personal goals for learning and performance.

During this section it is very important that the students have their own personal
goals for learning and performance. The students need to know what they want out of
their schooling or what section they may be working with that day. The students will
write out what they would like to learn about the aquatic animals and how they will
want their learning and performance achieved. For the younger grades (kindergarten)
the students will verbally say what they would like to achieve and the teacher will
make a list on what each child will like to achieve out of their personal goals.

Present challenges that students can realistically accomplish.

During this section it is important to present challenges but make sure that the
students can realistically accomplish that assignment. The students will have to write
down a brief description about the different animals that they have learned about. If
the students need help they will be able to look back to the matching game that they
had played.

Chapter 6: Katy Espich

Motivation and Affect

Focus students attention more on mastery goals than on performance

goals.

During this section I will need to insist that students understand, rather than
simply memorize classroom material. I will verbally give students a quiz on
what they just learned about the aquatic animals. I will make sure the
students know the differences of the animals. If the students need help I will
keep having them work on the matching games and talk to their peers about
the different aquatic animals. I will also have the students go back to the
dramatic play area during free time and act out the aquatic animals.

Chapter 7: Amber Adams

Personal, Social, and Moral Development

Childrens behaviors are the results of inherited traits, environmental

conditions and contexts, and maturational changes in the brain, all of
which gradually shape childrens personalities and sense of self.

The students could create a poster of their favorite aquatic animal.

The students could pick an aquatic animal and draw pictures to form a book.
There would also be some facts about the animal in the book.

The students have to think of an aquatic animal that they would like to be or
that best describes them. They have to give an explanation of why they would
want to be that animal.

Chapter 8: Amber Adams

Instructional Strategies

Sometimes instruction is most effective when it is learner-directed- that

is, when students have some control over the issues to be addressed
and the ways in which to address them.

Students could choose between playing a memory game, creating a searelated activity, coloring an aquatic animal, or having a scavenger hunt.

The teacher will have students create and color crafts to put up around the
room so the room has an aquatic theme.

Practice adding and subtracting with aquatic animals.

Chapter 9: Delani Strub

Strategies for Creating an Effective Classroom
Environment

What are the rules?

Classroom Rules (Pre-Established)

Be respectful.

Be courteous.

Be kind.

No bullying of any kind.

No hitting.
No one-upping.
No name-calling, etc.

No talking when the teacher is talking.

Chapter 9: Delani Strub

Strategies for Creating an Effective Classroom
Environment

What does the classroom look like?

Classroom layout

Chapter 9: Delani Strub

Strategies for Creating an Effective Classroom
Environment

For this unit:

On one of the bookcases in the Library & Relaxation are there will be an
aquarium filled with saltwater fish that the students will feed in the morning
and before they head home.

The children will each get to do this in an alphabetical rotation.

Chapter 10: Delani Strub

Assessment Strategies

Summative Assessment

Multiple choice and short answer tests

Math

Authentic Assessment

Spelling
Use the following words:
Shark, Jellyfish, dolphin, whale, crab, seal, otter, sea lion, turtle, lobster
The student will need to write a story using all of their spelling words (spelled
correctly).

Chapter 10: Delani Strub

Assessment Strategies

Dynamic Assessment

Science
While teaching a lesson about the hazards of pollution in oceanic ecosystems, the
teacher gives the students a picture of a beach scene with good (animals) and bad
(pollutants, litter) objects that the student will cross out if bad or circle if good.