Category: Lesson Plan

Purpose of the Lesson

Teaching students the correct watercolor painting technique, algorithms, and sequence of landscape drawing and correcting mistakes.

Activities

We are developing the imagination and inspiring the students by observing natureeducation of aesthetic taste and love of nature, art, and the world.

Necessary Materials and Equipment

Color circle to assess color compatibility, canvas, watercolor paints, tassels, water bottles, and an example of a natural landscape for inspiration (local park with a big blossom tree).

Lesson Progress

To start with creating the landscape and watercolor colors, we need to discuss the feeling of art and creativity. Looking at trees or flowers, the artist should notice the minor details and features created by nature and try to reproduce them on canvas. It is necessary to determine the large and small pieces that are present in the image, as well as the contrast of colors. When looking at a blossom tree, a person should as soon as possible understand what kind of tree and what features of its growth.

At the beginning of the work, you should make sketches with a pencil to quickly correct faults or errors in the drawing process. A prerequisite for drawing sketches is to make as thin lines as possible, which we use both for drawing the main elements of the landscape and smaller ones. After the rough sketch is ready, you can begin to color the painting.

The first task from which you should start to fill a picture with color is to create a background. To distribute the paints evenly, wet the sheet with water and gradually apply the color with a brush on the wet fabric. After the background is ready and finally dried, you can start working with more minor details of the drawing. We have a big blossom tree in our landscape in a local park, and we can start by painting the leaves and then create a more precise contour of the trunk, branches, and small flowers.

The final stage of landscape drawing is to refine the contours and focus on the more minor details. For example, if you want to add birds or tiny houses to your picture, you can start it gently with thin lines. Once this work is completed, you can leave the painting to dry well, and then the work of art will be ready.

Summing Up the Results of the Lesson

During this lesson, students were able to learn the correct technique of painting landscapes with watercolor colors and were able to focus on small details. The algorithms for creating a work of art were studied, and the basic knowledge of drawing techniques was obtained. Thanks to the use of color palettes, students developed a sense of color and style, which helped facilitate the process of creating a new painting.

Brief Evaluation of the Unit

A narrow-focused objective of the lesson (to examine colors and cloth in Chinese Mandarin) will be beneficial for students because it will help them memorize the concepts and vocabulary more effectively.

Due to the fact that the lesson plan is premised on using combined learning styles, including perceptual modes and psychological factors, the lesson will be efficient for the students whose visual and auditory memories the most developed (Heacox, 2002, p. 8). In addition, the first stages of lesson will also identify the students whose interest in the subject is the highest.

Discussions of the basics will provide a clear picture of students psychological characteristics and defines which students are reflective, analytic and impulsive. In this respect, the challenge of teacher lies in extending the learning process of students who are ready to comprehend the material and those who are just starting their exploration, which expands the degree of the lesson variety (Heacox, 2002, p. 9).

Smart Board application will be successful for visual learners as well because it provides more opportunities to visually memorize the vocabulary, particularly spelling and sentence structure. Students whose level of visual memory is poor can face complications while conceiving the new words presented in the unit.

Determining the Students Who Failed to Benefit from the Course

With regard to the above considerations, the lesson will not be sufficiently effective for students who have poor visual and auditory memories. Such students are usually more successful in manipulating and touching the material objects, which is quite difficult while studying different colors.

The lesson might turn out a failure to those who are not active and impulsive enough to interact with each other because communicative skills belong to another important condition to succeed in comprehending the lesson.

Because the lesson is built on the basis of a concrete-to-abstract scheme, students who have a more developed abstract thinking ability are less likely to grasp the main aspect of the lesson because it starts with discussing concrete notions and ends with indulging the more abstract ones (Tomlinson, 2001, p. 46).

Finally, students who have slow pace of study will benefit much from the presented lesson either because the unit is based on a number of activities that are time-sensitive. As a result, differentiation will not equally bring the information to all students in the class.

Prerequisite Skills Necessary for Successful Accomplishing the Unit

In order to successfully pass through the lessons activities, students should have a sufficient level of visual and auditory memories, great communicative and analytical skills, ability to abstract thinking and expressing thoughts in a logical way. In this respect, the discussion board at the beginning of the lesson seeks to define the most active students whose interest to the lesson is the highest one.

Further stages are designed for same purpose, but still they are oriented on a wider target audience. More importantly, the lesson is also planned for students who have background knowledge about the country which language they are studying.

Due to the fact that lesson cover wide areas of knowledge, successful accomplishment of the course is guaranteed to students with a strong interest in the subject because the lesson is based on a high-prep differentiation involving independent studies, tiered activities, interest groups, and personal agendas.

Pre-assessment Data Collection

Taken the above-presented information into the deepest consideration, certain gaps of the lesson plan should be identified. To begin with, the presented plan should be have an equal orientation on the learning styles because visual learning modes are prevalent in the unit.

Second, the lesson plan should be more organized in terms of time allocation of all assignments and exercises presented in the unit. In particular, a low-to-fast mode will be more appropriate for engaging all students irrespective of their abilities and skills (Tomlinson, 2001, p. 49). Hence, the fifth assignment should be shorter, or be placed before the third one.

Third, the project is destined on more self-guided, independent students who will be able to manage the most part of the presented activities. This is why more dependent and pass students are less likely to succeed. In order to improve the situation, the lesson should have included more tasks encouraging students express their thoughts and monitoring the extent to which the students are involved.

Aside from lesson content characteristics, particular reference should be made on the analysis of learning environment. Specifically, a teacher should be sure that each student feels comfortable and welcomed in the classroom. More importantly, the instruction should do his/her best to help a learn gain knowledge and experience.

Elements of Grouping: Perspectives for Success

The core principle of grouping should be focused on whom we teach, where we teach and how we teach (Tomlinson and McTighe, 2006, p. 3). These components, therefore, should be closely interrelated to create a favorable environment for a learning process. In the presented case, the grouping has been applied for the purpose of increasing students potential and developing their strongest skills and abilities.

Particular attention has been made to such elements as learning profiles, readiness to learn, and time allocation of the activities. All these details contribute greatly to developing a multidimensionality of the lesson unit. Arising from the above, grouping helps teachers to meet the needs of a differentiated learning environment, including the quality of curriculum and quality of instructions provided.

With all these elements combined, the teacher will succeed in creating effective guidance and tools to develop a lesson unit based on best comprehension of learning and teaching. In addition, grouping concept should heavily rely on students experiences and background knowledge, which will be a valuable contribution to the comprehension process.

Post-Test Analysis and Suggestions for Improvement

An in-depth analysis of the material and evidence used for presenting the lesson unit have revealed different degrees of challenges and variety for students. Specifically, the first assignment and the last two were poorly perceived by students whose independence level and motivation to learn Chinese was insignificant.

The third assignment was not accurately identified and, therefore, it has been poorly accepted by learners as well. Besides, memorizing activities should be more detailed because this is the basis of further interactions in the differentiated community.

Second assignment with color identification was the greatest success, specifically among students with high level of associative thinking because this activity was based on matching the meaning with symbol which is quite effective both for students with highly developed abstract thinking and those who is more visually oriented.

It should also be stressed that the first assignment was also effective because it has managed to provoke interest among students and engage all of them into an active participation. Arising from this, more quests should be involved into lessons as far as differentiated environment is concerned.

Complying the Lesson with Tomlinsons Theory of Differentiation

The presented lesson plan is almost congruent with Tomlinsons (2001) theory of differentiation suggesting &shaking up what goes on in the classroom so that students have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn (p. 1). At this point, the unit under consideration exposes an exhaustive algorithm of practicing and training students with various levels of skills and abilities.

In particular, the presented plan includes a great variety of options and students to overcome. The lesson does not only encourage students to demonstrate their potential, but make them fill in the gaps in the fields that seem to be the most complicated for them. What is more important is that lessons provoke students active participation in discussions related specifically to the topic of the identified unit.

In this respect, all assignments are highly relevant to the identified goals and provide wide opportunities for students to fulfill themselves. Oral and written representation of the learnt material is also an advantage of the given plan.

While drawing the parallel between Tomlinsons theory of differentiation and the lessons plan under analysis, certain improvements can still have to be introduced.

First, the plan should strike the balance between theoretical and practical information where concrete examples should be directly related to theoretical foundations. Second, teacher should also be more involved into interaction with students to ensure their successful performance. In general, the plan creates relatively equal opportunities for all students.

References

Heacox, D. (2002). Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom, Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to Differentiate in Mixed Ability Classrooms, 2nd Edition, Alexandria: Virginia, Association for Curriculum and Instruction.

Tomlinson, C.A. & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating Differentiated Instruction & Understanding by Design. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Curriculum and Instruction.

Topic of Lesson

Understanding pictures and understanding text: What is the difference?

Length of lesson

Approximate length should be about two periods, each about 20 minutes.

Developmental level/Grade level

The approximate age of learners should be four to five years.

Grouping

The group should consist of approximately 15-20 students.

Literacy Development Objective(s)

• Learn to understand the meaning of the text after reading aloud;
• Learn the difference of reading aloud and reading silently;
• Learn to understand pictures and use those to understand the text;
• Learn to discuss the difference between a picture and a text.

Related State Learning Standard(s)

Working on teams can be interesting and exciting for children. They are required to choose a leader of the team and share with this person all ideas for him/her to present those as the final version.

Procedures

Introduction

• Greeting students and explaining the objectives of the lesson to children;
• Introducing the activity of reading a big book;
• Explaining the rules of this game (this should be introduced as a game because children do not really like learning in its direct meaning);
• Giving an example of how the process will take place.

Learning Activity

• Make children divide into groups with equal number of members (help them to divide themselves);
• Give each team a book (the same book);
• Make children describe a picture;
• Tell children to read the text and interpret its meaning (make them explain what the text was about);
• Tell children to compare what they learnt from the book and from the picture.

Conclusion

• Analyze the effectiveness of childrens interpretation;
• Explain if they were wrong (do this on every step so that children were guided by you).

Adaptations for diverse learners

• If children have poor reading skills, a teacher should organize the reading aloud activity so that every participant knew what the text was about;
• If children have poor reciting skills, it is necessary to make them interpret the meaning of the picture in some other way (for instance, children can describe their emotions driven by this picture or choose some colors that characterize the mood of the picture).

Oral Directions and Guidance given to children

It is necessary to explain the children a step-by-step algorithm so that they could follow it after having divided them in groups in accordance with their leadership competencies and literacy skills:

• Choose a captain of your crew;
• Let every captain choose a picture from those given in the book;
• Try to explain what is depicted there (more than one version is allowed);
• Give suggestions on your rivals pictures.

Materials/Supplies Needed

It is necessary to provide each team with the same book.

Assessment of learning objectives and state standards

The lesson is designed in accordance with the state standards and the activities can be performed by all members of the team. Post-lesson reflective evaluation: I believe that I was rather effective as a teacher and children did neither get bored nor were passive and dissatisfied. I think that I could apply practices involving more individual participation such as preparing and reciting a poem or a song.

Lesson Plan

Lesson Title: Comparative Analysis of the Interpretations of a Folk Tale Canvas in Two Different cultures

Lesson Topic and Main Idea: The main idea of the given lesson is to locate the fairytales of the same Aarne-Thompson index belonging to different cultures in the Gutenberg Project by using an iPad, compare and contrast them after revising the class notes with the help of an iPad application known as IA Writer and offer the suppositions and/or explanations regarding the similarities/differences found. The main idea of the given class is to teach the students 10 searches for the required information; b) be able to use iPad applications for study purposes; c) critically analyze (compare and contrast) specific literature pieces.

Target Audience: Presumably, the students of Key Stage 3 (12–14 years old) are going to make the target audience. However, it is important to note that, with a few modifications, this lesson plan will be also applicable to the younger audience.

Grade Level: 10 (Key stage 3–3)

Area of Study: Comparative Literature

The goal of the Lesson: The goal of the lesson is to teach the students 1) the fact that, despite the cultural diversity, there is a lot in common between the representatives of different nationalities, which can be traced in the numerous details in which the fairytale canvas cross; 2) the fact that the differences between the two interpretations of the same story define the cultural specifics of the nation I question; 3) efficient use of the iPad software application, which will help them in their further individual research projects, class activities or home assignments.

Lesson Objectives: Apart from the goal specified above, the given lesson has several objectives to be met in the course of the class. To start with, the students are going to be encouraged to conduct independent research by using the latest technological advances i.e., conduct a comparative analysis with the help of the sources that they will access via their iPads.

Specific Learning Objectives: Help the students access the necessary sources by using their iPads.

Prerequisites: It is rather desirable, although not obligatory, that the students should know at least the most popular canvas of the traditional European fairytales, such as Cinderella, The Snow White, and the Seven Dwarves, Puss in Boots, The Ugly Duckling, etc., to be able to draw parallels between the given stories, their plots, and characters. There is no doubt that the students who know the most common fairytales will doubtlessly succeed in defining the similarities and the differences between different interpretations of the story, while the students who are unaware of the given plots will surely need more time to analyze the two pieces.

Options for Learners with No Prerequisites: As has been mentioned above, the background knowledge of traditional fairytales is desirable. However, given that among the students in the class, there might be ethnic minorities, e.g., Turkish students, Japanese students, etc.., it is reasonable to provide each of them with equal opportunities. Therefore, it will be necessary to modify the task so that the knowledge of the original story should not be necessary. The given objective can be achieved by demanding that the students should compare a fairytale that is well known to the Europeans with the one that represents the cultural heritage of an Eastern or African culture. Thus, each of the students will have to deal with a story that (s)he has never heard before.

Standards Used: The students are going to be evaluated by the UK standards of evaluation for Grade 10, key stage 3-3.

Materials: For the given lessons, such materials as iPads, pencils, and notebooks will be required.

Activity: The lesson is going to be split into several activities. The table provided below describes the activities, the timeline, and the significance of the given activities:

Sample Assessment Plan:

Homework: Choose a fairytale that fits the following Aarne-Thompson type: 410, define the tropes typical for the specified type, and comment on what you liked/disliked about the story.

Note: For understandable reasons, it is assumed that not all the students will be able to use an iPad during the lesson. Therefore, in case some of the students will not have an iPad to use, the students will be split into several groups (presumably, into groups of two or three students) and encouraged to share a single iPad. The teacher, thus, must give account for the time spent on the individual research of each student and cut some of the activities so that each of the students had the chance to carry out personal research by using an iPad on his/her own.

Example of Student Work

Cinderella: In Search of the Lost Glass Slipper

Thesis statement: Despite the differences in the two versions of the tale, which are, doubtlessly predetermined by the specifics of the national culture, the two versions of Cinderella, the African and the traditional one (by Charles Perrault) share several similarities.

Argument: Even though the tale provided originally told the story of an African girl and her sudden luck instead of the traditional tale about a poor victim of her abusive step-relatives, the two stories look much alike. For example, in The Maiden, the Frog, and the Chief’s Son, the same priorities (marrying the handsome prince) and villain are provided.

Counterargument and its refutation: It is worth noting, however, that the two short novels differ from each other considerably. It can be assumed that the given differences should be attributed to the specifics of the two cultures, i.e., the European and the African one. It is important to note that the differences occur on the level of setting (Europe – Africa) and the introduction of the enchanted prince (the frog).

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be considered that, despite considerable differences in the character development and the setting, the two stories convey the same morals and offer a similar fight between the good and the evil. Being the interpretation of the same idea, the two tales offer a closer look at the specifics of their countries of origin.

• Topic: The effect of the Great Migration on the evolution of the diversity concept and the relationships between the American and the African American population of the United States
• Grade/Subject/Academic Level: 7^th Grade/History
• Time: 120 min
• Springboard/Warm-up Activity: The students will be asked to define the phenomenon of diversity and provide examples of the phenomenon and the lack thereof.
• Reading and Analyzing the Text: The students are provided with a short (400–500 words) text on the Great Migration and the questions for discussion. The students will also be asked to retell the text.
• Closure: The students are asked to summarize what they have learned and are provided with an assignment (a two-page essay on diversity with at least two sources to support it with).

Topic Outline with Teacher Activities and Questioning

Start by addressing the issue of diversity. Ask the students if they can define the term. Ask what effects the lack of diversity in a specific environment (within a particular state) may have on the specified state and the relationships between its residents. Help the students differentiate the aforementioned outcomes into the social (sociocultural), economic and political ones. Make certain that the students have learned the connection between diversity and equality among the representatives of different nationalities and ethnicities.

This accommodation will be beneficial for the African American students, who are experiencing difficulties in integrating into the classroom environment and find it complicated to communicate with their peers, who have little to no idea about the culture of the African American people. It should be noted, though, that the given lesson on diversity and the trials and ordeals that people have passed through in order to attain high diversity rates in the modern society are targeted mostly at the European American students. In other words, the lesson is supposed to serve as the tool for the European American students to learn more about the specifics of the African American culture, as well as the difficulties, which African American people traditionally experience in the realm of the present-day America.

Ask the students if they know what the Great Migration is. Tell the students about the Great Migration and the factors that triggered it in detail. Provide the students with a short text about the Great Migration and prompt a discussion of the material. Suggest the students analyze the factors that have contributed to the Great Migration, including the sociocultural, the economic and the political ones. Prompt the students to define the lack of diversity based on their knowledge of the Great Migration. Suggest the student to analyze the effects that the lack of diversity in the North had on the process of the Great Migration.

This accommodation exercise, in its turn, will provide the European American students with a chance to gain more insight on the mistakes that have been made by the American population in the process of recognizing the culture and rights of the African American people. Thus, it will be possible to allow the students to understand the necessity to appreciate the culture of the people of other ethnicities, nationalities and races.

Provide the students with an opportunity to evaluate the factors contributing to the fast integration of the African American population into the environment of the North. Based on the results of the previous activity and the outlined factors that may have caused complexities with the introduction of diversity into the northern states of America, allow the students to define the significance of cultural awareness and the links between the latter and the phenomenon of diversity.

The given activity can be used as the accommodation tool for the students to learn the history of the diversity evolution in the United States.

Trick the students into developing the ideas of the Great Migration into the concepts of multiculturalism and diversity. Help them understand the concept of multiculturalism and diversity. Explain what goals and purposes the members of the Great Migration pursued. Ask why the Great Migration was successful in the economic aspect of the process and lacked efficacy in the cultural outcomes of the movement. Help the learners develop the idea of human needs, thus, leading them to the understanding of the Maslow’s needs hierarchy. Mention the issues of integration and segregation as the key outcomes of the Great Migration. Provide the students with the statistical data regarding the Great Migration and ask what area they consider to have witnessed the most radical changes in the diversity rates. Make a connection between the Great Migration and the diversity rates. Ask why diversity is important and what effects the lack of diversity may lead to.

This activity will be utilized as the accommodation tool for students to accept the concept of diversity into their system of values and apply it in the process of communicating with the representatives of other ethnicities and races, particularly, the members of the African American community.

Lesson Plan

Introduction: The topic of the lesson in Biology is “What Evidence Shows that Different Species Are Related?”. It is designed to support teachers and students through an educational process by providing clear instructions, objectives, material, and activities that can help 14-15-year-old students learn better the world of Biology and the variety of species that exist around.

Key Concepts: Evolution, a variety of species, differences and similarities, the relationship between species, fossils.

Objectives: Students should demonstrate their communicative skills and abilities to comprehend how different species can be related; students learn more about the evidence for evolution and discuss the material that has to observe; students try to share their opinions and compare them before and after new material is offered; students compare their predictions and analyze the results got.

Material: a video presentation is taken from youtube.com (11min, 21 sec); a table with a list of evidence for the connection between species; several books that are required for reading, the cards with the evidence for evolution list.

Activities, Instructions, and Expectations: The following table introduces the activities that can be offered to students.

Assignment Details: At the end of the class, a teacher gives clear instructions for students to be followed. Students get their homework and the assignment to read several chapters from different books. Besides, it is offered to prepare a project on the basis of the evolution topic and the differences between species and the possibility to relate them. Students are divided into groups of two and develop projects on different animals that can be related.

Outcomes: Students have to be motivated to study deeper the process of evolution. There are many animals that can be compared and related. The question of evolution is open today, and students have to contribute to this question as well. A teacher is not only a guide. He/she is a mentor and a facilitator in a learning process.

Common Core Standards: These standards are created to provide students with help on how to learn the required skills and use them properly. The current lesson plan is developed for 9^th-grade students. It is possible to apply the standards that are developed by the California Department of Education in 2013. There are several standards that can be used in the plan under consideration.

1. Students have to develop an explanation on the basis of evidence;
2. Students should create models to illustrate the organization of interacting systems;
3. Students should apply statistics and probability to support their explanations;
4. Students need to create simulations with the help of which they can test their solutions and understand the impact of biodiversity.

This information is analyzed and taken from “HS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity” (California Department of Education, par.4).

Work Sheet

This example of a work sheet can be offered to students at the end of the lesson to check their level of knowledge about the topic discussed during the lesson. The answers should not be too long but informative (to demonstrate students’ understanding of a topic).

1. What is evolution?
2. What is the main evidence for evolution?
3. What do you know about paleontologists?
4. Why are fossil records necessary?
5. How is it possible to prove the connection between a dinosaur and a cow, for example?
6. What is natural selection? Provide an example of natural selection.
7. How is it possible to change the word combination “the change over time”?
8. What do you know about Darwin?
9. What way do scientists prefer to use to investigate the diversity among species?
10. Do species change at all?

Describe your personal opinion on the lesson and the level of knowledge you expected to get and have gotten at the end.

It is necessary to inform students that some questions can be neither right nor wrong only. These questions should help students develop their critical thinking and analytical skills. Their answers should provide a teacher with a clear picture of what students know, want to know, and do not know at all. As soon as each student offers the answers, the following lesson can be developed.

Works Cited

California Department of Education. NGSS for California Public Schools, K-12. 2013. Web.

DeBenedictis, Albert. Evolution or Creation?: A Comparison of the Arguments. Bloomington, IL: Xlibris Corporation, 2014. Print.

Franklin, Janet. Mapping Species Distributions: Spatial Inference and Prediction. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print.

Smith, Andrew. Systematics and the Fossil Record: Documenting Evolutionary Patterns. Cambridge, MA: John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Print.

Treuting, Piper and Suzanne Dintzis. Comparative Anatomy and Histology: A Mouse and Human Atlas. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2012. Print.

What Is the Evidence for Evolution? 2014. Web.

Theme: The Rain Forest

This plan is meant for the pre-kindergarten age-group aged 3 to 4 years.

Objectives

1. Students will be able to paint and identify some wildlife species in the rainforest.
2. Students will be able to record and isolate the features found in a rainforest as it will be learnt in “The umbrella” story.
3. Students will be able to play video games with various terms and educative activities.
4. Students will be able to practise some of the onomatopoeia sounds made by the animals found in the rainforest.

Materials

The materials will be a book “the umbrella” by Jan Brett (2004), a projector, a laptop, pictorial diagrams of wildlife species mentioned in “the umbrella rainforest story“ , pictorial maps showing typical rainforests, animal sculptures, a white board, a blue marker pen, play stations sound games, crayons and drawing books. The class will be organized in a semi-circumference seminary format where the teacher together with the materials will be facing all the students. The display materials will appear at the most appropriate positions for all learners to view effectively.

Body of the lesson

Anticipatory Set

The class will be set in a semi-circular conference stage format in order to make students focus on the teacher and the resources provided. The teacher will then proceed to introduce the topic of study by showing the cover of “the umbrella book” and then ask the students to make predictions of what they think the story will entail. As a preparation for this lesson, the teacher will carry an umbrella and then engage the students to differentiate between the present umbrella and the one found in the rainforest story.

The teacher will also narrate to students about some of the animals mentioned in the story and will then involve the class to give some of their views regarding the habitat to the mentioned animals. These views will be recorded on a chart paper. The teacher will then proceed to taking the students through a picture walk of the book while pointing out the most important captions in the pages. The teacher will then read the whole story to the class in the most effective way.

Direct Instruction and Guided Practice

The lesson will be all-inclusive one where learners will be allowed to participate. This aspect will improve the equality of all students in that they will experience similar chances of selection. In cases of the slow learners, extra time will be provided to pull up their capabilities. After “the umbrella book” reading session, an animated type of a movie clip that shows a rainforest theme will be played to the class. The choice of the clip must be strictly related to the “the umbrella” story and suitable for the learner’s age.

Therefore, the movie clip must contain some child development elements such as cartoons and puppeteer’s explanation. The educator will be actively involved in the lesson’s activities by teaching the learners some songs that have been developed in the “the umbrella” story. In addition, the teacher will organize some students to dramatize some of the popular scenes as portrayed in the “the umbrella” book. Therefore, it is a requirement that the teacher should be audible enough and knows how to relate properly with the learners of the selected age group.

Closure/ Assessment

The lesson will end after the learners paint various wildlife species learnt during the lesson. All reference sources will be hidden in order to test the learner’s capacity to remember. The selection of species to be drawn will be based on the popularity of some of the species learnt in “the umbrella book” and the movie clip. The learners’ paintings will be marked as the lesson proceeds, and this activity will end by awarding the best drawings and the performances of the various drama plays.

Classification and Modifications

Dyslexia is a choice of classification which can hinder the success of the lesson due to difficulties encountered while pronouncing and writing some names of the species (Barnett et al. par. 1). In order to modify this disorder, the taxonomic names of species will be replaced by their local names for easy identification. In addition, detailed information regarding the rain forest will be omitted in the explanation.

Code of the Lesson

New Jersey Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards for pre-kindergarten learners is the code to embrace in teaching this lesson. In this code, representation of the social and mental needs of the learners have been enhanced within this plan in order to ensure proper development of the child as per the guidelines set in the curriculum.

Independent Practice

As part of the lesson future development, the teacher will provide the reference book to the learners in groups of five and then guide them to practise some of the phrases that are found in the “the umbrella” book and which are written in Spanish. In this foreign language practise, the teacher will encourage the learners to learn new foreign terms and develop the culture of multi-language speakers among the learners. The teacher will assess the progress of this activity by encouraging feedback from the group leaders.

Questions to include in the lesson plan

1. Has Carlos been in the forest before? Explain your answer.
2. What are the names of several animals found in the “umbrella book” story?
3. Can a river be found in a rainforest?
4. What are the names of some dangerous animals found in a forest?
5. What are the names of some human-friendly animals likely to be found in a rain forest?
6. What are the names of some trees found in a typical rainforest apart from the fig tree mentioned in the story?
7. What is the possible reason that made Carlos call the forest a “cloud forest” when the story begins?
8. Why were all the animals attracted to the Umbrella?
9. Do you feel if you hadn’t read the story you would still comprehend what is happening in the story? Why or Why not?

Works Cited

Barnett, Steven, Dale Epstein, Megan Carolan, Jen Fitzgerald, Debra Ackerman, and Allison Friedman. “Contents.” The State of Preschool 2010. National Institute for Early Education Research, 2015. Web.

Brett, Jan. The Umbrella. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2004. Print.

Effective teachers apply particular approaches to make the process of learning more efficient. Thus, some educators focus on the development of creativity, while others focus on ‘auto-education.’ Of course, the student-centered approach is still one of the most used paradigms (Hottecke, Henke & Riess, 2012). It is necessary to note that the three lessons in question bear certain elements of these philosophies. Students’ needs, expectations, and levels are taken into account.

Hence, the lesson plan in mathematics is based on student-centered and ‘auto-education’ approaches (“Math Wars!”). Of course, young learners have a short attention span, and they benefit from playing games rather than completing certain routine tasks. At that age, students need more games as they are more engaged during the lesson. The educator uses the principle of the development of a child’s autonomy as well (Holfester 2). During the lesson, children play the game, and they can add certain elements to their game. The teacher is guiding students and helps those who have some difficulties.

As far as the science lesson plan is concerned, it incorporates elements of the student-centered approach and the so-called Montessori method. The lesson starts with the discussion of stages of the frog’s life cycle (“Life Cycle of a Frog”). Of course, it is held by the level of students. Pictures are funny and appealing to young learners. Students are encouraged to use these pictures to create their own frog life cycle diagrams. Furthermore, the lesson involves the part of students’ autonomous work. Young learners work on their diagrams without any assistance or guidance. Some students may draw their pictures and share their creative diagrams. In this case, the development of students’ creativity will also be involved.

It is noteworthy that many educators use an approach that focuses on creativity and the development of problem-solving skills. Students are encouraged to explore and reveal their creativity when completing a variety of tasks (DeHaan, 172). The third lesson is based on this principle. The teacher tells (or reads) a story (portion by portion), and students use crayons to ‘tell’ the story as they remember or understand it (“Story Quilts – For the Classroom”).

Apart from reading comprehension, students train their retelling skills. Researchers stress that the development of students’ creativity is important as it positively affects the development of their cognitive skills (DeHaan 172). Apart from this approach, the lesson also uses elements of the student-centered approach and the auto-education’ approach. Again, students’ autonomy is highly valued and encouraged.

On balance, it is possible to note that the educator employs a student-centered approach (facilitated by the Montessori method) and focuses on creativity in his lessons. This is a holistic approach that helps young learners to acquire and train quite specific skills (adding, reading, retelling, and so on) as well as develop cognition skills and autonomous learning. Students are engaged as their needs and levels are taken into account. They are also encouraged to explore their creativity and to work autonomously, which is important for their further development.

Works Cited

DeHaan, Robert L. “Teaching Creativity and Inventive Problem Solving in Science.” CBE Life Sciences Education 8.3 (2009): 172-181. Print.

Holfester, Chris. “The Montessori Method.” Research Starters 8.3 (2008): 1-6. Print.

Hottecke, Dietmar, Andreas Henke and Falk Riess. “Implementing History and Philosophy in Science Teaching: Strategies, Methods, Results and Experiences from the European HIPST Project.” Science & Education 21 (2012): 1233-1261. Print.

Life Cycle of a Frog. Web.

Math Wars! Web.

Story Quilts – For the Classroom. Web.

The role of instructional planning in the process of teaching should not be underestimated. The primary aim of the teacher is to adhere to the curriculum and employ all necessary strategies and methods to provide students with the lesson that is maximally useful. The planning is directly connected with the definition of the learning opportunities of pupils. The purpose of the instructional planning is to set the goals that should be achieved and the ways for their accomplishment. The value of instructional planning lays in the fact that every teacher should be prepared for all activities that will be conducted in the class. Although there are different types of planning, all of them have the typical essential structure.

Thus, the teacher should define the objectives of any lesson. Then, it is necessary to clarify resources and materials that will be used. The next element is the description of all class activities. The home assignment comes next. Finally, every lesson planning should end with the assessment as far as it is the significant part of the teaching process. Hunter’s model includes seven essential steps for the lesson while Common Core aligned instructional plan adapts the lesson planning to the state standards of education. Despite these facts, the understanding by design should be regarded as the most efficient instructional plan because it represents the modern approach to teaching with the emphasis on three-stage backward design.

One of the most widespread and famous models was developed by Madeline Cheek Hunter. Hunter was a teacher and psychologist. Madeline Hunter introduced hew vision of the teaching process. Thus, she considered that teachers always faced the decision-making processes. These processes concern three primary areas. The first area is content or what should be taught. The second aspect is instruction or the way content is to be taught. The third component is learning that reflects the necessary knowledge and skills that students have to acquire (Gouwens, 2009).

Hunter created a seven-step plan. Regardless of the level of education, every teacher should follow all steps. The first thing to do is to activate prior knowledge of children. Then, he or she has to define the objectives. Instructional input and modeling come next, and these are the parts where teacher represents new information and explain the ways of its demonstrating. Checking for understanding and guided practice are the following constituents of the lesson plan. The independent practice or the homework is the last step in the Hunter’s lesson plan (Madeline Hunter’s Lesson Plan n.d.).

As far as this plan was one of the first, it had undergone numerous modifications. However, it became the basis for the teaching practice for a long time. The unique element of this plan is anticipatory set. Common Core and understanding by design lessons plans do not define this significant component. The Gradual Release of Responsibility Model is present in the plan under analysis to some extent. Thus, the teacher shows the usage of new skills and knowledge. However, the guided instructions part of the model is not defined in Hunter’s model. According to it, the teacher should assist students in doing the task if they make mistakes. The work with the teacher and between students is combined in the model. The teacher should assess students on the basis of their activity at class. If they have demonstrated necessary mastery, the teacher has to give the corresponding homework. The instructional plan stimulates students’ critical thinking by their gradual involvement in the process of learning.

The New York State Educational Department aimed at modeling the lesson plan that would meet the requirements predetermined by the Common Core Standards. The Common Core is a combination of academic standards in such subjects as English language arts and literacy and Mathematics. This governmental initiative has been established to enhance the learning abilities of pupils. The aim of the Common Core is to promote the high-quality education (About the Common Core State Standards n.d.). Common Core aligned lesson plans vary due to the different approaches to teaching ELA and Mathematics. However, every teacher defines the objectives of the lesson (Common Core Aligned Lesson Plan Template n.d.). The guided practice and adjust instruction presuppose the conducting of various activities. The assessment is formative.

The distinctive element of this plan is monitoring. First, teacher controls the engagement of student while presenting new information. Second, teacher evaluates the level of understanding of pupils. Formative assessment is a tool for necessary guidance in studying (Lefrancios, 2013). This type of assessment is included in the Common Core instructional plan. The Gradual Release of Responsibility Model is presented better in this model than in the previous one. All four stages are clearly defined in the lesson plan template. As far as there are specially designed plans for different subjects and study levels, the approaches to enhancing of critical thinking vary depending on the subject.

Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe have introduced understanding by design (UbD) lesson plan model. It is a modern template for lesson planning that aims at promoting students’ understanding. Besides, the model presupposes that the effective curriculum should be designed backward with the help of three stages. These steps comprise the lesson plan. The desired results are the first phase. The objectives are defined here. The second phase is the assessment evidence, and the third one — learning plan (Understanding by Design — Backwards Design Process, n.d.).

This lesson template differs from others significantly. Besides objectives, there are essential questions that should be answered in the process of studying. However, the teacher’s monitoring of all procedures is not mentioned in the plan. The Gradual Release of Responsibility Model is presented there to some extent as well. All necessary components of the model are shifted in the scheme. I should admit that the assessment is described in UbD model better than in previous models. The second stage is fully devoted to the appropriate assessment. The plan has all necessary features for the development of students’ critical thinking as well. Thus, it contains the authentic, performance-based tasks and includes informal methods of teaching.

In my opinion, the UbD — backward design lesson template is the best in comparison to Hunter’s model and Common Core aligned lesson template. The backward design represents a new vision of the lesson planning. The primary strength of the plan is the enhanced attention to the assessment evidence. Thus, the evaluation of students’ understanding is central to this planning. One way to make UbD more efficient is to use modern technologies in the process of studying. Teachers should take advantage of the fact that the current generation of students is technological. The other way of improvement is to follow the notion of “six facets” correctly (Roth, 2007). Six facets is a part of the lesson plan that presupposes that all pupils should have the ability to interpret, explain, emphasize, shift perspective, apply, and conduct self-assessment.

References

About the Common Core State Standards. (n.d.). Web.

Common Core Aligned Lesson Plan Template. (n.d.). Web.

Gouwens, J. (2009). Education in Crisis. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

Lefrancios, G. (2013). Of Learning and Assessment. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Madeline Hunter’s Lesson Plan. (n.d.). Web.

Roth, D. (2007). Understanding by Design: A Framework for Effecting Curricular Development and Assessment. CBE-Life Science Education, 6(2), 95-97.

Understanding by Design — Backwards Design Process [Image]. (n.d.). Web.

Objectives

This lesson will help second-grade students see the connections between mathematical operations such as addition or subtraction and measurement activities that are important for various sciences. Overall, it is necessary to achieve the following objectives:

1. Students will learn to identify the position of an object relative to other objects. In particular, they will determine the distance between small cars.
2. They will learn to identify the position of an object by using two mathematical operations, addition and subtraction.
3. Learners will train to use measurement units.

In part, these goals are based on the standards identified by the National Science Teachers Association, according to which teachers should encourage students to use the skills derived from various areas, especially algebra and geometry (1). Additionally, one should focus on the strategies identified by the National Association for the Education of Young Children; this organization emphasizes the idea that teachers should use various toys or other manipulatives to help children understand the motion of objects and their positions relative to one another (National Association for the Education of Young Children 13).

Relevant resources

The students will need to use the following materials

1. worksheets;
2. rulers;
3. posters depicting the movement of cars; and
4. small cars that will be regarded as moving objects.

Differentiation

While providing instructions, I will make accommodations for learners who have different learning styles. In particular, I will rely on charts depicting the movement of vehicles. Furthermore, I will encourage students to manipulate small cars because this manipulation is useful for people who can benefit from motor learning. Moreover, much attention will be paid to the needs of learners who may struggle with some disabilities such as visual impairments. In particular, these learners will be seated right near the teacher.

Problem-solving

At first, I will introduce various units of measurement such as meters, decimeters, and centimeters. Moreover, students will learn to measure the distance between objects such as cars. In turn, students will need to perform several tasks. At first, they will need to determine the total distance covered by an object through a series of moves in the same direction. They will do an addition to perform this task. Additionally, they will determine the distance between two objects that can move in the same or opposite directions. They will do subtraction to complete such tasks. Additionally, learners will use rulers to see that measurements confirm the results of their calculations.

Science processes

During this lesson, learners will be engaged in several science processes. In particular, they will observe the direct movement of objects. Moreover, they will use rulers to measure distances between small cars. Additionally, they will test a hypothesis according to which one can determine the distance between objects by using subtraction. It should be mentioned that teachers help learners see that distance between objects can be identified by certain mathematical operations (Humphreys 31; Maden 63).

Manipulatives

In this case, the main manipulatives will be rulers and small cars. One should keep in mind that children can better understand or visualize the movement of an object or the distance between objects if they can use cars or other toys (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 3). Apart from that, in this way, children can see that the connection between physical concepts such as the movement of an object and mathematical notions.

Informal and formal assessments

I will carry out an informal assessment by talking to students. In particular, I will ask them to explain their reasoning when they need to determine the distance between objects or the total distance covered by a small car. In turn, I will do a formal assessment by asking learners to complete various written tasks that require a student to determine the distance between objects.

Formative, summative, and authentic assessments

At the initial stages, I will focus on the formative assessment. In particular, I will pay attention to the mistakes that students can make. For instance, they can make computational errors while adding or subtracting. However, it is critical to identify conceptual errors like the wrong order of mathematical operations. The analysis of these mistakes can help me improve my instructional strategies. Moreover, the students will complete the formative assessment by doing the test with multiple-choice questions. Finally, it is necessary to undertake an authentic assessment. In particular, it will be necessary to construct a case study in which one has to calculate the distances between objects. Overall, this authentic assessment should prompt children to identify the connections between new knowledge and real-life problems (Luongo-Orlando 10).

Works Cited

Humphreys, Cathy. Making Number Talks Matter: Developing Mathematical Practices and Deepening Understanding. New York: Stenhouse Publishers, 2015. Print.

Luongo-Orlando, Katherine. Authentic Assessment: Designing Performance-based Tasks, New York: Pembroke Publishers Limited, 2009. Print.

Maden, Sabena. First Grade Fun, Fitness & Learning, Grade 1, New York, NY: Carson-Dellosa Publishing.

National Association for the Education of Young Children. “Science in the Yearly Years” NAEYC. 2009. Web.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. “Executive Summary: Principles and Standards for School Mathematics.” NCTM. 2012. Web.

National Science Teachers Association. “2012 NSTA Preservice Science Standards.” NSTA. 2012. Web.