Coteaching Part II

Name: Taylor Laufenberg

Date: March 17, 2014
How does this project contribute to your understanding of collaboration with teachers through
coteaching?
This project has allowed me to work with my mentor teacher week after week to design a lesson
following guidelines she set out for me. I have learned that collaboration is possible if both sides
are perceptive and willing to make necessary changes. I have also learned, through this project,
that collaboration is successful when both parties are aware of the specific needs of students. It
has been very helpful to have my mentor teacher explain why certain students may need an
extension activity or perhaps a few clarifications before moving on. Overall, my collaboration
skills have improved due to this project because it gave me a framework with which I could
approach my mentor teacher about.
On my honor, as an Aggie, I have neither given nor received unauthorized
aid on this academic work.
Signature____________________________________

Lesson Plan
Objective:
After the class reads a passage from the textbook, TSW draw pictures of
beginning, middle and end and be able to describe the story to a partner
correctly using transition words.
TEKS: Reading 2.14.C describe the order of events or ideas in a text;
Background Information: students have been working on identifying
characters and setting within fiction and non-fiction works; students are able
to summarize briefly what happens in a story; the class has learned which
words are transition words
Materials: Bruno the Baker story from textbook, picture walk worksheet,
flashcards with sequences, whiteboard marker
Equipment:
Projector
Classroom Management/Environment:
Students seated at desks arranged in tables, wait to be called on for answers,
level 2 voices during group activity
Engagement/Focus:
Hello my friends!! Good morning/good afternoon! With a show of hands
only, who here has ever used a recipe to make some food? Thats what I
thought, most of us have tried it once before.
Helena, Im sure you noticed something about the order of the steps, were
they in a random order? (No, they are in the right order) That is a very
good observation Helena
Braydon, what is a different word we could use to tell that the steps are in
the right order? (Sequence means the order of events) That is exactly the
word I was looking for, remember friends, sequence is the order of events
that happens.
Today we will use our transition words we have learned to complete a picture
walk together. This picture walk will help you all to practice organizing a
story into parts so that you may retell it later. In a moment, I will be calling
on helpers for a fun activity to start us off. This can only work if all voices
are on a 0 and all eyes/ears are on me listening and watching for directions.
Explanation/Procedures:
1. I will be passing out a card to each helper, and each of you will get a
turn to participate. When I have given you a card, leave it turned over
and do not read it! You will line up at the front of the room and hold
your card in front of you so that the class may see it. We will need
their help and transition words to put these cards in order.
2. Lets review which words are used as transition words.

Modifications

3. Nate, what is an example of a transition word we may use to tell that

something is at the start of a sequence? (Beginning or first) That
is correct Nate, that word tells us that we are starting a sequence.
4. Ashley, what is a transition word that tells us we are in the middle of
a sequence? (Second, next) Very true, that word gives us a clue
that more is coming in the sequence.
5. Now, as I pass out these cards and our friends line up, I need your
eyes and ears on me so that you can hear the next step!
6. Distribute 4 cards to 4 students and wait until they are quietly lined
up at the front of the room.
7. Now each of our friends is holding a card that will fit into a
sequence that I am sure we all know. We need to help them get in the
correct order, but here is the tricky part (watch for all eyes on you)
we have to use a transition word in a complete sentence to tell each
person where to stand.
8. Lets start with (student holding D card), he/she is holding the card
that should be the end of the sequence so Wendi how may we tell
(student holding D) where he/she should stand? (Student should
stand last) Very good use of the transition word last Wendi.
9. Continue with this questioning until the cards are in alphabetical
order, collect cards and tell volunteers to be seated.
10. That was a great effort putting them in order but how did we know
which order was correct Ainsley? (We put them in order of the
alphabet) That is true Ainsley, we all know the alphabet so we
knew which order the cards belong in.
11. Repeat this process until all 4 groups of cards are complete. Be sure
to ask questions as to why the cards belong in the order they say. Ask
for clues during cake cards since there are no transition words on the
card, how do they know which order?
12. All of your participation was quiet and well thought-out, good job
friends. We are now going to read a story together called Bruno the
Baker I will be reading and as I do, be on the lookout for transition
words. Read story until page 81 and start asking questions over what
might happen next.
13. Now, turn to page 77, do Bruno and Felix take out the bread crumbs
before or after they melt the butter? Very good, that is true and which
words tells us this Brenna? (Next) Yes, the word next tells us they
melt the butter after they get the bread crumbs out.
14. Now we will complete the first two sections of a picture walk for this
story. Use pictures that will remind you of what happens in the
beginning and middle of the story because next week we will finish
the story and fill in the last blank. Then we will switch picture walks
with a partner and they will have to tell the story using only your
picture walk.
15. Model what may be drawn for beginning and middle blanks, using
clues and explaining how they remind you of what happened.

16. Great work drawing your picture walks friends, now write two
transition words at the top of each section. Brayden, give me an
example of a transition word to use in the beginning section (The
beginning may have words like First or before) Exactly Brayden,
both of those will work. Jeffrey, how about a word or two for the
middle section (The middle may have words like next or after)
That is correct, those words tells us about the middle of a sequence.
Extension/Elaboration:
Extension: Students will practice with using transition words to tell their
partner where to move the cards. Same cards used in whole class activity, but
they must write out instructions using complete sentences for their partner to
read and follow.
Elaboration: Students will have recipe of a cake printed out in sentence
strips. They must put them in a logical order and explain why they chose that
order. Be sure to ask questions that will have them think about the reason
behind the order.
Closure:
Great participation today friends, I saw that you have all completed the first
two sections of your picture walk and this helped us all to put the story
Bruno the Baker in the correct sequence. Next week we will finish this
picture walk and begin to use transition words in writing sentences.
Assessment:
Completed picture walk of the beginning and middle sections with 4/4
correct transitions words used.

Co-development of Lesson:
My mentor teacher, Mrs. Wolf, and I have been working together on a
sequencing unit plan. Each Tuesday I teach another component of the lesson
to match objectives that she has laid out for me. She simply wrote down the
gist of what students should be able to do and I tailored my lessons around
that. I matched them to TEKS even though she said I did not necessarily
need to because it gave me a guideline for my objective. Mrs. Wolf and I
were able to discuss which type of whole class instruction works best and

how long students can handle teacher led instruction and stay engaged. This
was very helpful because my first lesson was a bit too long and the students
began to lose interest.
Instructional Management Strategies:
I wrote each of the lessons that I have delivered but Mrs. Wolf has been there
to direct me as to which students do better with questioning and
volunteering and reading aloud, etc. She has been a valuable resource to the
design of my lessons because she knows each of the students so much
better than I. She knows their strengths and weaknesses and communicates
them to me so that I do not make a mistake such as asking a student to read
aloud to the class when he or she is still building fluency skills. Due to the
switching classes halfway through the day, I am able to tweak my lessons
after Mrs. Wolf notices a few improvements that could be made. Most often,
my afternoon lesson is the better version of my morning one because she is
able to help me fix a question or rearrange an activity ever so slightly.
Classroom Management Strategies:
Mrs. Wolf and I decided that while I am teaching, I will handle most behavior
issues that distract from the lesson. If any students are to be pulled out, Mrs.
Wolf will handle them and not interrupt while I teach. We came to this
conclusion after one student insisted on trying to get my attention over and
over and kept disrupting the flow of my lesson. Mrs. Wolf could tell that the
student was being manipulative and did not allow me to correct the behavior

because it would have put that student in control of the situation. After that
incident, we decided it would be best for me to handle public corrections of
behavior and she would take care of the private interventions. I think this is
best because it allows me to focus on the delivery of my material rather than
constantly correcting behavior. The students know that I am an authority
figure, but they are eager to see how far they may bend the rules with me
and this can get frustrating if I constantly have to correct them. Mrs. Wolfs
assistance in behavior management is so crucial because we do not want the
students to see that I am frustrated at all.
Student Assessment:
The assessment for this lesson is based on the students participating as well
as using the transition words correctly. Mrs. Wolf informed me that no grades
would be collected for these lessons because the students are just learning
the material for the first time. After hearing this, I knew that participation
would be my way of measuring their understanding. If students do not
complete the picture walk during this lesson, they still have the opportunity
to finish during the next Tuesday lesson. This allows me to fit my next lesson
around the holes in their understanding. If I see that most students were able
to draw the pictures but they are missing the written transition words, I will
know that we should review the spelling of the transition words or perhaps
provide a word bank on the next lesson.