Category: Lesson Plan

Lesson Activity

Name: Specific Teaching Methods – Elementary

WGU Competency Number(s): 602.4

Competency 602.4.17: Teaching Methods – Science (Elementary)

General Information: Observation and Description

• Activity Title and Subject(s): Solid-State Statics, Mathematics
• Topic or Location in Lesson: Levers and Pulleys
• Grade/Level: Grade 3 (three)/Primary – 7 day lessons
• Instructional Setting: a group of 15 students aged 8–9, seated in a classroom at their tables in pairs, with a clear view of the desk and the objects demonstrated by the teacher. Among the students, there are four ones with ADHD, a student with hearing impairment, a student with Asperger’s syndrome, and three ESL students (a Turkish student, and two students from the UAE).

Objectives

Your State Core Curriculum/Student Achievement Standard(s)

Objective 602.4.17-15: Leading an activity that requires students to manipulate tools to learn the concept of levers in the solid-state statics.

The standards of clarity and specificity, advanced science content, connectedness, continuity, and safety are going to be used as the guiding principle for the lesson activities (Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards for Science, n. d.).

Lesson Objective(s)

• Explain the mechanisms of levers and pulleys to the students;
• Show the principles of the work of levers to the students;
• Help the students formulate the golden rule of mechanics regarding the demonstrated work of levers;
• Show the difference between stationery and traveling blocks;
• Display the properties of a stationary pulley (i.e., its ability to change the direction of the applied force);
• Display the properties of a moving block (i.e., the ability to cut the applied force to ½ of the one applied to the opposite side of the construction);
• Help the students notice the difference between the weight of the load and the applied force;
• Drive the students to the idea of the performance index;
• Train the newly applied skills – calculating the
  • Force applied to the opposite lever/length of the opposite lever based on the force applied to the given lever, its length, and the length of/force applied to the opposite lever according to the following formula: F₁/l₁ = F₂/l₂, where F₁, F₂ are the forces applied to the first and the second levers, and l₁, l₂ are the lengths of the first and the second lever;
  • Force applied to the stationary pulley based on the weight transported with the help of the pulley;
  • Force applied to the moving block based on the weight transported with the help of the block;
  • Introduce the idea of mechanical work, i.e., W = F*D, where W is the performed work, F is the applied force, and D is the distance/length of the lever;
  • Teach the students to solve simple problems based on the above-mentioned formula (A = F*S);
• Introduce the idea of performance index to the students (where ή = P_out/P_in, P_out is the output, and P_in being the total work);
• Training the newly acquired knowledge with the help of simple formula-based tasks.

Materials and Resources

Instructional Materials

• Textbooks, levers, blocks, PowerPoint.

Resources

• Textbooks, educational sites.

Instructional Plan

The sequence of Instructional Procedures/Activities/Events (provide a description and indicate the approximate time for each):

Identification of Student Prerequisite Skills Needed for Lesson

Connection to previous learning about force.

Presentation of New Information or Modeling

Terms definitions (levers, blocks, etc.), formulas (using the appropriate visuals).

Guided Practice

A teacher-directed practice is going to be used. Since the topic is new to the students, explanations, and experiments with the teacher’s commentaries on the results will take a considerable amount of the lesson. Therefore, after the explanation part is over, it cannot be expected that the students will be able to deal with the tasks on their own. In the first part of the lesson (exclamation point), the teacher can ask the students to assist him/her and, thus, integrate practice and theory, at the same time supervising the students’ actions. In the second part of the lesson (problem-solving), the teacher should adopt a guided practice approach to allow the students to conduct experiments and do the calculations on their own, yet prevent the students from making mistakes. Thus, it will be able to engage students in participation.

Independent Student Practice

In the third part of the lesson, the students will be offered a small and simple test that will supposedly show whether they have understood the principles of levers and pulleys work and will stir their curiosity, raising the level of engagement. The teacher will no longer assist; however, the teacher will supervise the students’ activity to prevent instances of cheating.

Culminating or Closing Procedure/Activity/Event

At the end of the lesson, the students will be too tired to learn any more information; therefore, it will be necessary, to sum up, the key ideas and principles learned during the given lesson. The teacher can ask students to tell the basic information in turn in their own words. As a student tells a specific segment of information, the teacher writes a corresponding formula down on the whiteboard.

Pedagogical Strategy (or Strategies)

A direct instruction strategy is going to be used. Since the topic concerns the phenomena that are observable in everyday life, it can be expected that the teacher will have only to provide concise and limited directions, while the students are expected to co-create the examples, formulate the key principles of levers and pulleys work, and be able to understand how the elements of the formulas are related rather than learn by heart the key formulas.

Differentiated Instruction

Student Assessment/Rubrics

By the end of the lesson, the students:

Instructional/Learning Activities

• A structure consisting of two levers of different lengths and several sets of weights is shown to the students. The students are supposed to explain how weights balance each other. The given activity will help the students understand the principle of levers work; the manipulative will be used to demonstrate the basic principles and train their abstract thinking skills;
• The teacher introduces a specific weight (e.g., 300 g) and two levers of different lengths (e.g., l₁=15 and l₂=20 cm). The students are supposed to calculate the weight of the opposite block in case: a) the first block hangs on lever 1; b) the first block hangs on lever 2. The given activity will help the students apply the formula of levers to practice; the manipulative will be used to help students train their mathematic skills;
• The teacher introduces a stationary pulley and a weight, suggesting the students to calculate the force that can lift the weight. The given activity will help the students understand the principle of pulleys work and train their mathematic skills;
• The teacher introduces a moving block and a weight, suggesting the students to calculate the force that can lift the weight. The given activity will help the students understand the principles of moving block work and train their mathematic skills;
• The teacher offers the students to draw examples of levers that they can encounter in their daily life. The given activity will help the students train their abstract thinking skills;
• The teacher offers the students to draw examples of pulleys that they can encounter in their daily life. The given activity will help the students train their abstract thinking skills about the lesson topic.

Instructional Strategy (or Strategies)

Activity 1–2

It is important to mention that for the given activity, the use of such manipulative as levers and weights is crucial. Besides, it is necessary to bear in mind that different weights and levers of different lengths must be used to demonstrate to the students the golden rule of mechanics. Also, it is necessary to make sure that the students differentiate between the notions of mass and weight. The activity helps the students understand the principles of pulleys and levers work.

Activity 3–4

To conduct the given activity, one must incorporate the use of blocks and weights. It is crucial to make sure that the teacher has moving blocks and stationary pulleys, as well as weights of different mass. The activity helps the students understand the principles of the work of blocks.

Activity 5–6

The given activity does not involve the use of any materials, since the students are supposed to find the examples of levers and pulleys in their school environment, as well as display the ability to think abstract and come up with their examples of levers and pulleys in real life. The activity provides the premises for a deeper understanding of the topic.

The thinking process for each activity will consist of recognizing the problem, analyzing the offered data, recalling the basic formula, deriving the required formula, and calculating the results.

Manipulatives

Apart from other elements, manipulatives must be introduced into the lesson activities. Being the basic means to attract the attention of third-graders, manipulatives will help not only provide a better understanding of the lesson material but also keep the students engaged. Thus, it will be required to use colorful plastic/wooden levers (each lever painted in a specific color), and weights of different color, shape, and size. With the help of plastic/wooden colored pulleys and ropes of different lengths and colors, it will be possible to demonstrate the properties of stationary pulleys and moving blocks.

Explanation and Rationale for Instructional Strategy

The choice of the instructional strategy can be defined by the needs of the students in the context of the chosen topic. While the students need to learn the formula, understand the key principle of levers and pulleys, and solve simple problems, they will also need to learn the purpose of the problem-solving process.

Learning Activity

As is shown above, the learning activity will incorporate the elements of the ability to analyze and calculate, as well as an ability of abstract thinking.

Explanation and Rationale for Learning Activity

The above-mentioned learning activities help the children not only understand how levers and pulleys work, i.e., understand the topic of the lesson better, but also understand the algorithm of solving problems in general (Reys, Lindquist, Lambdin, & Smith, 2012, 107).

Analysis, Exploration, and Reasoning

Although the students did not display much interest in the theoretical issues at first, with the help of the visual aids, i.e., levers, pulleys, and the experiments that could be carried out, they started showing curiosity. They were rather puzzled with the nature of the inverse proportion between the applied force and the length of the lever. As soon as the first experiment was conducted, the students started trying to understand the theoretical premises behind the experiment.

Connection to Other Effective Teaching Practices

It would be wrong to consider the chosen teaching practice the only possible one for the given lesson; apart from the chosen tactics, it would be a good idea to introduce some elements of reflective teacher practice, which will allow the evaluation of the results of the conducted work and consider the possible improvements (Koch, 2010, 49).

Evaluation

Since the given lesson involves the introduction of completely new notions, it must be mentioned that the evaluation system should be rather mild. The students are supposed to be able to define each of the elements in the formulas, though may not have the formulas learned by the end of the lesson. Also, the students will have to be able to explain the key properties of levers and pulleys, as well as show the forces applied to the levers/pulleys and define the resultant.

Recommendations

Though the given course of activities seems efficient enough for the students to learn the basic rules of the solid-state statics, it still could use certain improvements. To be more exact, the given activities could be more diverse, i.e., aimed at dealing with the specific issues that might emerge in the course of dealing with the topic. However, since it is impossible to consider all possible nuances that might appear in the process of learning (Elser & Elser, 2010), it is reasonable to develop a more general set of exercises.

Personal Meaning and Professional Growth

In terms of professional growth, the given experience was extremely useful. Allowing to understand the specifics of the knowledge management process, as well as the mechanisms of processing and interpreting the newly obtained information, helped see the way teaching theories can be applied to practice. The professional implications of the given lesson concern the process of helping the students understand the key principles of lever and pulleys work, as well as train their mathematical and abstract thinking skills. The personal implications of the given lesson will concern a better understanding of how to make the students interested in the lesson. The given experience has changed my teaching methods, switching them to being more balanced between the theory explanation and practical tasks.

Reference List

Esler, W. K., & Esler, M. K. (2001). Teaching elementary science: A full-spectrum science instruction approach (8th ed.). Stamford, CT: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Koch, J. (2010). Science stories: Science for elementary and middle school teachers (4th ed.). Stamford, CT: Wadsworth Cengage Publishing.

Reys, R., Lindquist, M., Lambdin, D., & Smith, N. (2012). Helping children learn mathematics (10th ed.). Hobokon, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards for Science (n. d.). Web.

General Information

• Subject(s): Reading/ vocabulary
• Topic or Unit of Study: Word identification: phonics recognition and decoding
• Grade/Level: Grade 1
• Instructional Setting: classroom of 20 pupils in a reading lesson context sited in groups of 4 pupils.

Standards and Objectives

Wisconsin state Core Curriculum/Student Achievement Standard(s)

Reading standards:

1. growth of comprehension.
2. text complexity (Winscosin Department of public instruction, 2011).

Speaking and listening standards:

1. Develop collaboration.
2. Develop flexible communication.

Language standards:

1. Writing and reading convention standards.
2. Acquisition of vocabulary.

Lesson Objective(s)

By the end of the lesson:

• The pupils should be able correctly spell words appropriate for their grades.
• The pupils should be able to set phonetically irregular words in appropriate order.

Materials and Resources

Instructional Materials

• Letter cards.
• Smart boards.

Instructional Plan

Identification of Student Prerequisite Skills Needed for Lesson

In the beginning the teacher provides opportunities for practicing word recognition. Using the smart board, the teacher includes parts of words mixed with other words learnt in previous lesson. This section takes 10 minutes.

Guided Practice

In the activity of making words, the teacher will use a set of letter cards for each student. One side of the letter cards will contain capital letters. The other side of the cards will have small letters. In each set of cards, the teacher includes more than one of each vowel and other frequently used letters. The teacher uses cards generated from the smart-board to guide the students into the activity.

• The first step will require the teacher to distribute the letters before giving the directions for each word that students are to make (Keifer, Hepler, & Hickman, 2010)
• The teacher picks a simple two letters and asks students to make a word using the two letters. For instance, the teacher makes the word “TO” and then tells the children to make the same word from their set of letter cards.
• Then the teacher asks for one student to volunteer and assemble the correct arrangement of the lettercards on the smart board to form the word “TO”. Once the one student arranges the correct letters, the teacher asks a different volunteer to read the word. If the response is correct, then the teacher assesses whether all the students managed to arrange their cards correctly (Gunning, 2010).
• In each word making activity, the teacher spends approximately 10 minutes before moving to the next activity. The teacher should focus on using at least three words. Before moving to the next word, the teacher first gives direction and uses the word in a sentence so that students can understand the context of its use.
• In order to cater for students who are struggling with understanding, the teacher can stretch out the words to make the letters clear.
• Finally, on the smart board the teacher lines up the words that the students made in their correct order. This ending session will require the students to read the words aloud in order to be able to sort words according to patterns and beginning/ending sounds (Gunning, 2010).

Independent Student Practice

In order to make use of the team sitting arrangement, this section will involve group work and partner work. The session will last for 10 minutes. In partners, the students will do a simple game where one says words while the other attempts to write the letters and phonemes of the words. This section will last for approximately ten minutes under the direction of the teacher (Keifer, Hepler, & Hickman, 2010).

Culminating or Closing Procedure/Activity/Event

The teacher uses the smart board to conduct a short and focused conclusion which involves giving the pupils a small spelling and word arrangement exercise on the smart board. The exercise is a means of formal assessment that helps the teacher establish whether the lesson objectives have been achieved (Keifer, Hepler, & Hickman, 2010).

Pedagogical Strategy (or Strategies)

Cooperative learning and partner work are the two main strategies to be used. Since the students are grouped into four, they perform the learning activities in their groups. Through both the teacher guided activities and independent student practice, the students should be able to achieve the two main objectives of the lesson.

Differentiated Instruction

In order to cater for students who are struggling with understanding, the teacher can stretch out the words to make the letters clear (Gunning, 2010). For the sake of different groups of students, the teacher will accommodate them by mixing the five groups to include the gifted learners and slow learners. The groups will be diverse to encourage cooperation among the children (Keifer, Hepler, & Hickman, 2010).

Components of formal and informal assessment

The most appropriate means of informal assessment in this lesson is observation. The teacher gives the pupils small exercise to be completed on the smart board and makes necessary observation. Alternative assessment is done throughout the lesson. However as the teacher ends the lesson, the children are provided with a small exercise from the work book as a formal assessment (Armbruster, Lehr, & Osborn, 2001). The exercise may also be done on the smart board since the technology enhances the students’ ability to recall concepts. Correct responses means that the objectives have been achieved.

References

Armbruster, B., Lehr, F., & Osborn, J. (2001). Put reading first: The research building blocks for teaching children to read. Web.

Gunning, T. (2010). Creating literacy instruction for all students (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon/Pearson Education.

Keifer, B. Z., Hepler, S., & Hickman, J. (2010). Charlotte Huck’s children’s literature. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Winscosin Department of public instruction. (2011). Common core state standards for English language art. Madison: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Theme: The Neighbourhood Where I Live

Age Group: Pre-k… Preschool

Objectives: Students will be able to describe their neighbourhoods and they will be able to identify things that are common for all neighbourhoods.

Materials: The book, slides, printed sets of pictures, board and magnets.

Anticipatory Set: To draw the students’ attention, I will introduce the topic and will tell them that we are going to read a book about neighbourhoods. I will ask them to listen carefully as I will ask some questions at the end.

Body of the Lesson (Activity):

First, the teacher introduces the topic and reads the book. While reading, the teacher switches the slides with illustrations from the book. Then, the teacher asks some questions on the book to start a discussion on the topic. After that, the teacher takes a set of pictures and asks students questions about things that can be found in their neighbourhoods. When children name some objects (houses, trees, cars and so on), the teacher puts the corresponding picture on the board. Of course, the pictures include all objects and people mentioned in the book read. When this task is completed, the teacher divides the students in several groups (2-4 students) and asks students to describe their neighbourhoods to each other using the pictures. The teacher helps students and supervises their work in groups. After that, students are asked to create their common neighbourhood (things that can be found in all of their neighbourhoods). Finally, students can mime different things individually or in pairs (trees, drivers, cyclists and so on).

Direct Instruction & Guided Practice: After reading the book the teacher will ask the following questions:

Did you like the story? What is it about? What did you like most? Is your neighbourhood the same?

As for the group work mentioned above, the teacher will provide the following instructions:

You will now describe your neighbourhoods to your classmates. Use pictures just like we used them on the board.

It is necessary to note that in this activity older students will start to give younger students encouragement.

Closure / Assessment: At the end of the work, most active students will get ‘gold stars’, which will be added to the points earned during the class. The students will also name objects and people that can be found in the neighbourhood (one by one). If the student cannot come up with the object, he/she drops out.

Classification: It is possible to divide students of the class into active and passive. Active students are always eager to answer questions and they always start an activity (describing neighbourhoods). Passive students are quite shy and they often feel reluctant to talk. There are only a few passive students in the class.

NJ Preschool Teaching code: 6.1.B.1

Independent Practice: The game that can reinforce the learning outcomes can be as follows. At the end of the lesson, the teacher will ask the students to try to pay attention to all details in their neighbourhood on their way back home. During next several days, they will come to the class and create their neighbourhood using the sets of pictures available. When they are done, they ask a teacher to come and take a picture of their neighbourhood. Each students will be able to make several neighbourhoods and pick the best one (the most complete) at the end. In a week or two, the teacher will print out the neighbourhoods of children and they will make a poster.

Abstract

This article reflects on proper pronunciation, use of vocabulary, creativity, and ease in interaction in terms of gestures, confidence, and understanding of the concepts for ESL teachers. The importance of this article is the active reflection on practical aspects of the lesson at the macro level to achieve the desired goal. In assessment, the analysis evaluates understanding of the collocations via written and spoken words besides gesture in dramatization, especially in pronunciation and proper use of the most appropriate vocabulary.

The ESL teachers are expected to apply to mark procedure to verify understanding of collocations via various tools such as oral reading fluency rubric, oral presentation, evaluation sheet, active listening rubric, and student assessment on the facets of interactive learning, proactive presentation, and peer editing.

Lesson Plan Execution: Instruction Delivery on Vocabulary Collocation

Basic Approach in Teaching About Collocations

The evaluation rubric consists of three parts, that is, speech and gesture, pronunciation, and creativity. These three segments reflect on understanding of the topic and are important in evaluating progress for the preceding lessons. To evaluate speech and gesture skills, the educator should proactively analyze full participation in social conversations by the learner by asking and answering questions, and soliciting information (Slavin, 2006).

Also, this should be done in a free environment by ensuring that all learners participate equally. The educator should be keen on telling the learner to self reflect on what he/she has learned and share with the whole class. Expanded vocabulary, descriptive words, and paraphrasing should come out during their presentations when the educator is in a position to apply the most appropriate evaluation methodology.

Therefore, the teacher can evaluate the ability of the learner to listen attentively to the story line and information and be able to orally identify key details and concepts brought out in the novel. In the process of achieving this, the evaluator should make the learner understand him/herself during the oral presentation by using a consistent grammatical form of English, sounds, intonation, pitch, and modulation (Howson, 2006).

Instructional Execution and Approach

Bloom outlined the hierarchy of cognitive objectives of learning as knowledge (remembering information), comprehension (ability to acquire meaning from the information), application (ability to use the information), analysis (ability to break information into parts to understand it better), synthesis (ability to consolidated materials together to create something new), and evaluation (ability to check, judge, and critique materials) (Slavin, 2006).

Therefore, the lesson should adopt practical, interactive, and inclusive learning to minimize the impact of these impediments. As a professional teacher who has to accommodate these characteristics, the lesson should incorporate visual aids, a short film, and clear charts for an explanation of the lesson objectives as indicated in the table below. Therefore, inclusive education adopted provides a practical alternative that is likely to make every student comfortable with the lesson.

Planning and Teaching

This lesson should encompass the proximal development and language-content goal actualization. This objective is important in training learners to not only understand concepts in the syllabus, but also to orientate them to the basics of self-expression, confidence in speech, creativity, and qualitative analysis through proper use of the English language. Thus, this objective is not only relevant but also practical and achievable. Since the objective is incorporated in the inclusive learning process, it integrates the special needs, bilingualism, different levels of learning, and cumulative grade rubric.

In the long term, the goal facilitates interactive learning, sensitivity, and creativity amidst diversity (Unsworth, 2008). These traits are important in promoting confidence, language proficiency, and thoroughness in the analysis. Due to the uniqueness of the class setting, prior knowledge of the special needs of each learner facilitates proper development of the lesson plan and dramatization of the learning process through the use of visual supplements to make the lesson interactive and more interesting.

In lesson planning, the Zone of Proximal Development concept holds that an ESL student acquires concepts first through social interaction with others, and then interpersonally where those concepts are internalized. These language goals operate on the assumption that the student has a prior understanding of Language in this lesson and that he/she has a compact mastery of the same (Unsworth, 2008).

The basic language goals can be classified into listening and speaking, pronunciation, reading fluency and systematic vocabulary development, reading comprehension, literary response and analysis, writing strategies, and applications. This can be broadly classified into reading standards, listening, speaking standards (pronunciation), and creativity to improve teaching on collocation.

Lesson Activities

The primary intention of the lesson is to uphold audio, kinesthetic, and visual learning.

1. Activity 1: Audio-video Film (8 minutes). Learners will view an audio-video documentary giving a recap of different vocabularies.
2. Activity 2: Lecture (12 minutes). The educator, you will explain the documentary in simple terms to improve on the understanding among the secondary English speaking learners.
3. Activity 3: Group-work (15 minutes). Students will be advised to form groups of seven learners each. The educator will give a question to each group on vocabulary after which the group leader will present their work to the entire class within a time frame of three minutes.
4. Activity 4: Vocabulary review. The educator will lead the learners in reviewing technical terms such as pronunciation, application, and spelling.
5. Activity 5: Questioning. The question activity should summarize the analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of the specific collocation.

Summary

Teachers who are successful and on purpose, in planning and implementing instructions designed to meet the varied needs of the children in their classroom, have an extensive impact on their student’s reading accomplishments. Besides, it is vital for the teacher not to base the learning process on assumptions. Rather, every concept imparted should be treated as fresh information that is presented in such a manner that the learner would benefit fully.

References

Howson, J. (2006). Taking control of your teaching career: A guide for teachers. Alabama, Al: Routledge.

Slavin, R. (2006). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. New York, NY: Pearson Education.

Unsworth, L. (2008). Describing visual illiteracies in teaching multi-illiteracies: changing contexts of texts and images in classroom practice. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.

Objectives

The students will learn basic information (not very detailed) about the development of heliocentric thought in the Middle Ages and its significance on the later development of science and culture.

Materials Used: textbook, pictures depicting Theocentric universe and Heliocentric universe, an extract from the video about middle ages (first minute and a half to be shown).

Standards Addressed & Expectations of the Student

Hunter and Russell (2005) point out that it is important to make students aware of the objectives of the lesson to make it more effective. Thus, the lesson will start with short discussion about students’ ideas about the place of the Sun and the Earth, and other planets. At this point it is necessary to introduce the term “Heliocentric”. Then the teacher asks whether the students know what people thought about it in the Middle Ages and hint (if necessary) that medieval people thought that Sun was moving around the Earth. After this the teacher articulates that the lesson will deal with medieval superstitions and the dawn of Heliocentric thought, and its significance on the development of the societies.

Anticipatory Set

The teacher asks such questions as: How do you think what role the Church played in the development of Heliocentric ideas? Why? Was it important to prove that the Earth was moving around the world?

Instructional Input

According to Willingham (2005) it is important to evoke students’ meaningful thinking, so that they could memorize facts and draw cause-effect connections between them. Thus, to make the students plunge into the atmosphere of the Middle Ages, the video about the Church power will be shown. The students will acknowledge that the church was very powerful, and this is one of the reasons why it could not let people free from superstitions. Then the work of Copernicus (and display of pictures illustrating his theory) will be discussed and juxtaposed with Theocentric ideas and the reaction of the Church. It will be also pointed out that a bit later Galileo published a work where he considered and supported Copernicus’s theory, because of that there was a trial over him.

Guided Practice/Monitoring

The students will be divided into two groups. Representatives of one group will go to the blackboard and write one argument supporting Theocentric theory, and the other group will write down arguments for Heliocentric theory.

Closure

In the end of the lesson the students will discuss the reasons why the Church opposed the new theories, and how this discovery could and did influence the development of humanity.

Independent Practice

The student will be asked to implement a research. They will be divided into two groups which are to be the two parties on the trial over Galileo which is to take place during the next lesson. One group will be prosecutors and the other – lawyers, providing scientific background for each theory.

On my mind, the present lesson can encourage students to think critically. They will need to think why the Church was against progress, or why it was important to implement research and start scientific revolution. The students will not only learn facts about Copernicus and Galileo, but will also touch upon the issue of interests and power. The students will critically think of forces which try to stop progress because of the fear to lose power. Besides, the format of discussion will encourage students to articulate their points of view and defend them.

Reference List

Hunter, M. A., Russell, D. (2005). Planning for Effective Instruction: Lesson Design. In B. C. Marlowe and Canestrari, A.S. (Eds.), Educational Psychology in Context: Readings for Future Teachers (pp. 3-13). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Medieval Europe: Religion in Medieval Europe. (2010). YouTube. Web.

Willingham, D.T. (2005). Students Remember… What They Think about. In B. C. Marlowe and Canestrari, A.S. (Eds.), Educational Psychology in Context: Readings for Future Teachers (pp. 68-75). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Introduction

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is the design of learning materials and teaching methods to allow learners with wide-ranging differences in capabilities to attain the set learning goals (Bonnie, 2003, P.5). In UDL, flexible strategies are incorporated into the curriculum during development to enable all the learners to get into a wide range of learning. Technology is used extensively in UDL and it creates an opportunity for teachers to customize education especially with the use of digital texts to meet individual needs (Hall, Meyer, & Rose, 2012, P.11). The use of UDL in curriculum design possesses more advantages as compared to assistive technologies that were initially used. Assistive technologies accommodate individual needs but without change of courses (Bowe, 2000, P.1). In addition to this, traditional steps and assistive technologies are very expensive (Bowe. 2000, P.2).

In our modern society, classrooms are more diverse than before. Freedom of being anywhere gives a room for studying in any school in any region. As a result, classrooms will contain learners with diverse ethnic, economic, and linguistic backgrounds. Teachers are confronted with the challenge of teaching students with disabilities, learners who are culturally and linguistically diverse (Richard & Debbie, 2011, P. 26). Educators are therefore required to make education more convenient for time-pressed students, more comfortable for people from diverse backgrounds, and more flexible for persons having different learning styles (Bowe, 2000, P.4).

Universal design for learning framework helps in making course concepts accessible and to accommodate all the learners regardless of their abilities. UDL environment will help in creating curricula accessible to all students through careful planning and design (Hall, Meyer, & Rose, 2012, P.10). UDL comprises principles that assist in reducing barriers to learning and it supports differentiated instruction (Richard & Debbie, 2011, P.34).

Lesson Plan

Universal Design for Learning Lesson Plan

References

Bonnie, G. (2007). Implementing Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) Principles to Maximize Learning for Students with Disabilities at the Jack F. Owens Campus of Delaware Technical & Community College. Michigan, University of Delaware: ProQuest.

Bowe, F. (2000). Universal Design in Education: Teaching Nontraditional Students. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Hall, T., Meyer, A., & Rose, H. (2012). Universal Design for Learning in the Classroom: What works for Special Needs Learners? New York: Guilford Press.

Richard, G. & Debbie, M. (2011). Teaching in Today’s Inclusive Classrooms: A Universal Design for Learning Approach. New York: Cengage Learning.

Introduction

Piaget contributed so much to present understanding of cognitive development. He proposed that cognitive development in human beings takes place in various stages. According to Piaget, cognitive development progresses from learning through actions to learning through practical thinking as one develops. Like other cognitive theorists, he believed that knowledge exists in certain distinct units, schemata. In his view, Piaget believed that one’s schema or units of knowledge are modified with experiences. Experiences that students go through do serve in modifying the students’ knowledge. Much learning will therefore, occur if learners come across many experiences. In this lesson, students will learn through experiences presented to them. They will receive classroom instructions on the theories put forward to explain how evolution takes place. The students will be assigned reading materials to prepare them for the lesson.

Observational learning

The students will learn by observing the archaeological charts provided by the teacher. Besides the charts, they will also watch the video clips on evolution. The teacher and parents will then reinforce the behaviours reproduced by the students after the observation process.

Objectives

By the end of the seven sessions, the learners should be able to define evolution. They should also be able to identify and describe the theories of origin of life; creation, cosmic and chemical theories. Besides, the students will also be able to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed theories. Further still, students will also be able to discuss the evidences in support of chemical evolution.

Materials

A wide range of materials are essential for this lesson. Hand held archaeological charts could be used for this lesson. Video clips on evolution will also be provided in the lesson. Projectors will be crucial in viewing the video clips. Drawing boards are also needed for illustrations. Presentation slides will also be handy in this lesson.

Technology connection

Technology can be incorporated into the lesson to make it more vivid and appealing to the students.

Archaeological charts especially those showing evolution of man.Video clips can also be downloaded from Web.

Clip on the experiment to prove chemical evolution theory, Miller Experiment.

Biblical integration

The lesson will no doubt have an impact on the worldview of the learners. Christianity and other renowned world religions believe that the earth and all forms of life that thrive in it are a creation of a supreme power. On the contrary, chemical evolution theorists believe that life came about by chance and that all the complex life forms that we observe today evolved from the simple life forms. As illustrated in the book of Genesis, God created heavens and earth and all that dwell in it. Biologists believe in chemical evolution theory of evolution while the religious sects believe in creationism. Whereas biologists believe that organisms are evolving from the simple life forms to more complex forms Christians believe that all the organisms as observed today are of the same form as they were at creation. They do believe that organisms do not change their forms The lesson will increase the learner’s knowledge on the origin of life and the diverse species. The students will be able to support the theory that sounds convincing to them and discard fanciful information.

Scientists do not challenge the biblical explanation of creation. This is because creation theory is not testable using the hypothetical scientific methods. Scientific theories on evolution also do not offer questions to some daunting questions on origin of life. As a result creation theory is far much popular than the scientific theory on origin of life.

Procedures

The students will be presented with the archaeological charts and given time to observe them. On their own, they are to note the progressive change in complexity of the organisms in the provided charts with much emphasis on human evolution. The teacher would then guide the students in defining evolution. The video clips should also be presented for viewing. QAIT model of instruction can be employed for effective instruction. To employ this instructional model, the teacher should use direct instructional method to teach the learners. The teacher provides adequate time for learners to digest the facts appropriately. The teacher also carries out his instructions using suitable levels of instruction that are not beyond the capability of the students. The perfect setting for the lesson would be the science laboratory. The laboratory provides wide benches on which the charts can be spread.

Developmental activities

The students are to perform some tasks to prepare them for this lesson. They will read the materials assigned to them. Back at home, the students will gather information on the society’s view on creation and evolution.

Instruction

The students will then be instructed on an overview of evolution and origin of life: theories of evolution, weaknesses and strengths of the theories, theories on the origin of life including creation, cosmic and chemical evolution theories. Instructions will be via power point slide presentations.

Guided activities

The students will obtain guidance from the teacher in understanding the illustrations that may be difficult to understand on the provided charts.

Team activities

The students are then divided into small groups of about five members. In the groups, they will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed evolution theories. They will also be required to choose and justify their choice of the most relevant theory of origin of life. The teacher will provide guidance to the groups on how they can handle the tasks. The groups will then discuss their findings with the other group members. Each group will select a representative that will present the findings of the group on behalf of others. During the presentations, other groups can ask questions.

Independent practice

Out of the group work, the students will then be asked to complete a short paper on the limitations of the cosmic theory on the origin of life.

Field trip

A field trip will be organized for the students to a museum located in the city. At the museum, students will observe the ancient animal species and compare them to the current animal species to determine any evidence of evolution.

Differentiation for exceptionalities

The lesson plan offers opportunities for a wide range of learning styles. This ensures that all the individual needs groups are effectively catered for. The styles range from the use of visual, audio, pictorial, inter-relational and intra-relational styles. Creative writing tasks incorporated in the lesson plan also cater for the gifted learners For LD, ED and ADD needs, group activities are helpful. The group activities also enable students to learn concepts from different points of view. This is because the groups bring together students from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Evaluation

The students’ evaluation is rubric based. The independent practice assignment given will account for 10% of the final grade. The class and group activities assigned to the students will also be evaluated. These will also account for 30% of the overall grade. Pre-reading tasks and homework assignments will also account for 20% of the ultimate grade. The final exam will account for 40% 0r the final grade marks at the end of the seven sessions. The final exam will test on all the areas learnt.

Lesson Plan

• Lesson Title & Subject(s): Developing Drawing Skills.
• Topic or Unit of Study: Drawing Birds and Animals.
• Grade/Level: First Grade.
• Instructional Setting: This lesson will take place in the first-grade classroom. Eight students will be sitting at the desks while listening to my presentation and drawing their images. There will be only two desks each of which can give room to six learners. This setting is quite suitable for the art lesson since I will be able to monitor the activities of students and guide their work when it is necessary.

Standard, Goals, and Objectives

Your State Core Curriculum/Student Achievement Standard(s)

According to Wisconsin State Standards, during the first grade, students should learn how to use different painting techniques and media that are involved in the creation of visual arts (Perma-Bound School Library, 2011, unpaged). This is one of the skills that I will focus on. Additionally, they should know the difference between such elements as color, textures, shape, and lines (Perma-Bound School Library, 2011, unpaged). Finally, learners should be able to create original images (Perma-Bound School Library, 2011, unpaged). These are the main skills that should be developed during the lesson.

Lesson Goal(s)

Students will be able to use colored pencils, crayons to describe animals or birds. Furthermore, they will paint original pictures that are based on their own experiences.

Lesson Objective(s)

After guided and independent practice, children will correctly use shapes, lines, and colors to draw pictures of animals.

Materials and Resources

• Instructional Materials: Mayesky, M. (2009). Creative Activities for Young Children. New York: Cengage Learning.
• Resources: Colored pencils, crayons, erasers, colored chalks, 30 photographs of different animals (dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, sparrows, hummingbirds, and so forth), and 12×18 sheets of paper.

Instructional Plan

A sequence of Instructional Procedures/Activities/Events (provide a description and indicate the approximate time for each):

Identification of Student Prerequisite Knowledge and/or Skills

Students can create images in response to their experiences. Secondly, they can use mostly straight lines to represent some of the simple geometrical objects. Thirdly, they can apply different painting tools such as colored pencils or crayons.

New Knowledge and/or Skills To Be Taught

This lesson focus on the following aspects, namely

1. ability to create works by using primary colors and their tints;
2. creation of patterns with various shapes, lines, and textures to draw pictures of animals;
3. ability to rely on imagination while creating original artworks.

Modeling: I Do (15 Minutes)

At the beginning of the lesson, I will demonstrate a series of pictures with animals. Furthermore, I will explain how one can create different shades of the same color. In particular, I will tell learners how one can mix primary colors to create different shades or tints. Secondly, I will show how they should hold pencils or crayons to draw horizontal, vertical lines. In this way, I show how one can use different elements of art to depict animals.

Guided Practice: We Do (15 Minutes)

During the part of the lesson, I will let children do their drawings independently. In particular, I will ask them to choose one of the pictures and try to create a similar image. Furthermore, I will encourage learners to ask questions if some of the tasks seem challenging to them. Moreover, students will have an opportunity to make changes or modifications if they think that they are necessary. Learners will be allowed to work in groups and exchange their drawings. At this stage, I will help learners choose colors and select the media they need for their work.

Independent Student Practice: You Do (10 minutes)

During this part of the lesson, I will ask children to draw a picture of their pet or their favorite animal. This activity will be aimed at promoting the creativity of learners and their ability to create images that are based on their own experience. I encourage students to use those colors and tools that they find most convenient. Furthermore, they will be able to complete this task after classes.

Culminating or Closing Procedure/Activity/Event (5 minutes)

At this stage, I will praise children for their work and ask them to continue working on their final task, namely the drawing of their favorite animal or pert. This step is very important because learners should feel positive about their experiences in the classroom.

Pedagogical Strategy (or Strategies)

During the lesson, I will first rely on direct instruction to demonstrate how some of the drawing skills and explaining each of the assignments. Secondly, I will attach importance to cooperative learning groups. This strategy will be particularly important during the guided and independent practice of students. This approach is important because learners should be able to assist one another and share ideas (Mayesky, 2009). One of the main strategies was engaged in learning. Its goal is to make students interested in the main activities of the lesson.

Differentiated Instruction

The group of students whom I will teach will include two learners with special needs. One of them has mild hearing impairments, while another one has a motor disorder and uses a wheelchair. While working with these learners, I will use different strategies. First of all, while explaining the new material, I will stand right in front of the student with a hearing disability. In this way, I will try to make sure that he can fully understand my explanation. Additionally, I pay close attention to the needs of a child with a motor disability. First of all, he will have more space while working at the desk. Furthermore, he will have more to complete the assignments.

Technology Integration

While teaching this lesson, I will not strongly rely on information technologies, since they will not be necessary for the development of learners’ skills. Furthermore, at this stage, children may not be able to understand the material presented with help of computers. Nevertheless, these technologies can be useful for displaying different images. For instance, it is possible to use a projector to display different images.

Student Assessment/Rubrics

The following rubric summarizes the assessment criteria that I used while evaluating the work of students:

It should be noted that creativity which is the third criterion should be taken into account only when students complete their final assignment. They should be allowed more time because this task is more challenging than others.

Observation and description

This lesson took place in a classroom that was suitable for a small group of students. This lesson was attended by learners whose ages ranged between six and seven. The desks were located in such a way that a teacher could easily guide the activities of learners. Furthermore, the setting provided for learners with disabilities, especially those with movement disabilities. These are the main aspects of the learning environment.

Analysis

There were some deviations from the initial lesson plan. I have to acknowledge that I spent more time than I expected while working with students who had disabilities. Additionally, I could have predicted that some of the learners could ask me for watercolors. While developing this lesson, I thought that students could not work with these media. Finally, I had to take into account that it might take learners more time to complete each of the assignments that I had offered to them. These are some of the main issues that I did not take into consideration. If I had done it, I would have made the lesson more engaging.

Connection to other effective teaching practices

While teaching this lesson, I relied on two strategies, namely direct instruction and cooperative learning groups. During the first stage, I needed to set an example that students should consider. However, during the second and third stages of the lesson, I emphasized the autonomy of students because this creativity is not possible if a learner is not able to take independent decisions (Hurwitz, 2007).

This is why I allowed them to work in groups. During the guided practice, I tried to limit my intervention into the work of children. They could ask for my assistance if they needed it, and I did help learners if they struggled while drawing some parts of their pictures. However, I avoided mentoring them. Such a strategy is necessary for promoting the self-directed learning of students.

Evaluation

In my opinion, I was able to use different media while teaching this lesson. Additionally, I think that I managed to engage the majority of students who were quite interested in the learning activities. However, one could choose an alternative approach to teaching this lesson. For instance, it might have been possible to use a greater variety of painting techniques and tools. Additionally, I could have assigned more creative tasks right after my instruction. While evaluating this lesson, I focused on such criteria as the ability to achieve the main learning objectives and the degree of learners’ engagement.

Recommendations

I could have taken a very different approach to teach this lesson. I could have relied more on such a strategy as cooperative learning groups. According to this approach, the teacher should divide students into several groups in which students can work together on certain tasks. For example, a teacher can ask students to create a series of images that can be united by a certain theme such as favorite animals. Moreover, they could employ different tools and techniques while working on this task. This strategy enables students to demonstrate different skills. This approach could be of great benefit to the learners in my classroom because some of them were more skillful with the use of water colors while others created their images with the help of chalk and colored pencils.

Personal Meaning and Professional Growth

This teaching experience has been of great value for me since I was able to able to learn more about the needs of first-grade students. These learners tend to explore the world and they expect a great number of things from a teacher. Furthermore, this lesson will help me anticipate some of the main challenges. This is why I think that this teaching experience is beneficial for us. I was able to observe the behavior of students and their interests.

Reference List

Hurwitz, A. (2007). Children And Their Art: Methods for the Elementary School. Boston: Cengage Learning.

Mayesky, M. (2009). Creative Activities for Young Children. New York: Cengage Learning.

Perma-Bound School Library. (2011). Wisconsin State Standards for Arts Education: Grade 1. Web.

Summary

The 45-minute English lesson should clarify the use of the past tense for students. The main developmental goal is to improve the understanding of the grammar of sentence construction, the initial acquaintance with regular and irregular verbs, and the training of communication skills. By the end of the lesson, the student should be confident in using the past tense in simple sentences, learn ten irregular verbs, and have a clear idea of ​​how to use them. New knowledge will help students improve their language skills, allow them to feel more confident in English, and serve as a good basis for further improving their level. It will subsequently help them travel, find contacts with native English speakers and successfully pass an international exam if needed.

Materials/ resources needed

As for schooling resources, the teacher can take excerpts from any textbook about English learning practices. The primary thing is to adapt it to the level of difficulty of third-grade children. In addition, it is necessary to prepare manuals with a table of irregular verbs and a scheme for compiling a sentence using character inserts. The teacher can find fun interactive videos to get kids involved more in the learning process.

The Class Introduction

As a practice for remembering the material of previous lessons, the teacher can use brief phonetic warm-ups, making up dialogues in pairs, and games for associations. It is critical not to overload the child with too much data before mastering the central material of the lesson. Making a smooth transition between the prior material and the new class topic is also important. The teacher may start the lesson by repeating the sentence structure and explaining in detail the use of the Past Simple tense. Students can start analyzing irregular verbs only if they have a complete understanding of the previous and new material. The first 10 minutes of the lesson can be spent on phonetic warm-up and repetition of the previous material. The next 20 minutes can be devoted to the syntactic structure of the sentence and the explanation of the concept of Paste Simple. For the next 15 minutes, the teacher can talk about regular and irregular verbs, focusing on the manual. At the lesson’s end, children must show a clear understanding and active interaction with the learning process. Then the lesson and its agenda achievement can be considered successful.

The Class Body

The main task of the lesson should be not only in understanding the language material but also the development of interpersonal and communication skills. One of the main tasks of the teacher is to ensure an equal distribution of time and attention for each student. Children should not feel embarrassed in front of classmates or afraid of public speaking.

Step 1: Phonetic warm-up and dialogue writing (5 minutes each). In the warm-up, teachers can include short rhymes and simple vocals. Dialogues should be brief but concise, including vocabulary from previous lessons. Students will be asked to share their personal impressions and experiences that they consider important. The main task of the warm-up is the repetition of the material and the improvement of articulation.

Step 2: Analyze sentence syntax and use cases for Paste Simple (10 minutes each). The teacher can use visual associations and examples to facilitate visual perception. The main task of this part of the lesson is to explain the difference between the tenses. Working in pairs and groups with active discussion is encouraged.

Step 3: Analysis of the concept of regular and irregular verbs (15 minutes total). Students need a personal reference book with different forms of verbs, their translations, and usage examples. Students can learn these verbs as homework. Clear associations and active involvement are important for more successful assimilation of the material.

Closure

The conclusion of the lesson should include a summary of the material covered and a clarifying survey among students. If they comprehend everything, then the teacher can assign homework and complete the lesson. If there are some questions and misinterpretations, not properly explained, material can be left for the next session for further analysis. Ideally, each topic should have at least three concerning lectures regarding its explanation.

Assessment Practices

In addition to traditional tests, other types of assessment encourage students to participate actively in learning. The learning material helps children identify what they have learned and what steps they need to take. Students find repetition and testing systems the most annoying part of learning, even if they generally like the topic. Memorizing all the information under severe academic pressure is discouraging and difficult, repetition is boring, and examination tasks are frequently not done as well as when studying the material. In this case, it is better to consider whether to change the method to assessment for learning or self-assessment (Archer, 2017). Students should understand from the beginning what the goals are and what the result should look like. Self-assessment should be individual and private so that students do not impact classmates’ and the teacher’s perceptions.

The first stage of assessing progress may not include rigorous assessments. At this stage, the main goal is to understand the attitude of the children. The second stage may include a light form of a formative assessment in the form of a game test with pictures and games. There may be several such tests per semester, depending on the progress. The third stage may be at the end of the semester and include a summative assessment that will show the final result of the success or failure of the curriculum.

The Differentiation Mechanism

Pupils of the third class have very similar goals in learning the language. Although it is too early to talk about serious language exams, language is still primarily a means of communication. It is vital to find common bonds between all students and their level of knowledge to develop individual teaching tactics. Everyone has a different language level, a predisposition to study, and a motivation. Consequently, the activity of pupils in the learning processes and their productivity with homework largely depend on these factors. The main agenda of the teacher is to see the clear difference between the lack of a specific learning goal or motivation (Hashim & Yunus, 2018). Not all students need intense English learning, but some can require additional help with materials and professional feedback for improvement. The main strategy will be to create a welcoming environment where children can freely share their experiences and thoughts, based on which teachers and classmates will draw conclusions regarding contribution.

The Constructivism Theory Usage

For a traditional teacher, a student is an empty vessel that can be filled with any information. A constructivist teacher is trying to create conditions in which the student himself will look for answers to compelling questions. Constructive learning is special, to an exceptional extent, excellent integration of various approaches to learning aimed at the development and formation of personality. A constructive person is a creative person with shaping practices and productive thinking. As a result, he will independently build new knowledge or make it within his living ideas about the world formed by previous experience (Winn et al., 2019). In my opinion, the teacher should create a wholesome, friendly atmosphere in the class, where all beliefs and thoughts of students are supported and reasonably evaluated through the constructivism theory.

The Errors Acceptance and Corrective Background

The professional has to deal with errors with patience and the absence of harsh criticism. Pupils should not be afraid of mistakes because it is absolutely normal. There is evidence that many children receive traumatic experiences in school, which do not allow them to succeed in life because of fear of failure. The teacher should transfer to students even the need for some errors for subsequent improvement and work on oneself. Corrective feedback is needed but not in the form of restricted grades. Children can get detailed encouraging notes with the proposed evaluation and an invitation to discuss it if needed.

Structure-Based Instruction Environment

The educational class setting refers to the knowledge, behavioral and emotional characteristics of the classroom background. An extensive amount of scholarly research connects a structure-based class environment to increased student accomplishment and graduation rates. It goes through the good build social structure of the class with no bias and prejudice towards anybody (Winn et al., 2019). I believe that the best option is to achieve a structure-based instruction class environment based on wholesome connection and communication.

References

Archer, E. (2017). The assessment purpose triangle: Balancing the purposes of educational assessment. Frontiers Education, 2(41), 1-7. Web.

Hashim, H. & Yunus, M. (2018). English as a second language (ESL) learning: Setting the right environment for second language acquisition. Tadris: Jurnal Keguruan dan Ilmu Tarbiyah, 3.

Winn, A. S., DelSignore, L., Marcus, C., Chiel, L., Freiman, E., Stafford, D., & Newman, L. (2019). Applying cognitive learning strategies to enhance learning and retention in clinical teaching settings. MedEdPORTAL: The journal of teaching and learning resources, 15, 10850. Web.

Introduction

Effective lesson pacing is important because it determines how well students grasp new information. Information takes time to be processed at any level of learning process. Therefore, it is essential for the teacher to present new information at a pace that will not leave any student behind the lesson. This calls for the teacher to come up with a lesson plan that will be able to actively involve all students in every lesson activity.

Need for Lesson Plan

A lesson plan is a comprehensive description of the course of instructions for a lesson. Teachers develop lesson plans for everyday teaching. The content of a lesson plan varies depending on the needs of the students and subject taught. The school may lay down rules on how to prepare the lesson plan. A good lesson plan must cover the interest of the students.

Pacing the lesson plan is necessary so as to ensure that the presentation of the lesson helps the students understand the material despite differences in their abilities and interests (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2004). A teacher needs a lesson plan so as to individualize the teaching.

Individualizing a lesson plan ensures that no student is left behind and also, no student will be bored. In a class environment, there are some students who are able to grasp materials and solve challenging tasks faster than others.

Individualizing the lesson is necessary so as to move each student from the level where he/she is currently to the next, more advanced level. The reading level of students in a class may vary according to the ability and interest of the students. Therefore, they all do not need the same focus for skills and concepts (Echevarria et al, 2004).

Pacing for a Class that includes English Language Learner

It is necessary for teachers to know the strength and weaknesses of each student in the class; this will enable the teacher to plan effective lessons. Effective teaching plans help in keeping the students interest on the subject. It also gives room for independent development of each student (Jones, & Jones, 2004).

A student who is learning English as a second language will require more time to grasp the conceptions. This is because; such students may have to think in their native language and then try to interpret their thoughts in English. A teacher in such a class has to slow the material and give the students time to catch up with it.

ELL students may require that the teacher breaks down the concept and presents the material gradually. A teacher must consider slowing the pace of lesson if the class consists of ELL students. However, a teacher should make sure not to slow down too much so as not to distort the natural rhythm of English language. Slowing the pace of the lesson ensures EEL students are not left behind (Jones et al, 2004).

ELL students may require the teacher to involve extra activities in the lesson, and keep checking their progress regularly. If there is something that the student does not grasp as quickly as it is required, the teacher should try to present it slower or break the presented material into smaller steps.

When conducting the lesson, the teacher may include pauses, and allow students time to discuss and digest. This is because ELL students learn more from their peers than from their teacher.

This is as a result of EEL students always interacting with their peers, as opposed to their teachers. The teacher must also give the students time to ask questions. This will give the teacher an idea of what the students do not understand (Hofmeister, & Lubke, 1999).

Educators should pair up ELL student with their peers who speak English as their first language. Teachers should introduce songs. A song will boost the memory of a student and reduce the learning tension.

Music boosts the memory because it is rhythmic and learning a song comes more freely. The teacher should also encourage group reading. This way, ELL students will be able to master pronunciations.

Pacing for a Class that does not include English Language Learner

If a class consists of gifted students, the teacher will need to make the pacing faster than for ELL students with lower level of knowledge. Normally, students with exceptional learning abilities often find themselves in trouble.

This happens because the lesson is too slow for them, or it is not challenging enough. The students are left with plenty of time doing nothing. The teacher should be able to recognize the presence of gifted students in a class and increase the pace of the lesson as necessary.

Conclusion

Pacing a lesson plan narrows down to one thing, the students. Teachers may increase or slow the pace of their class as per individual preference, but if students are familiar with the material, or they do not understand the lesson at all, then, no matter how much the teacher may try, it will not make any difference for students.

The teachers must ensure not to relinquish the quality of the class lesson to the quantity of materials they want to cover. Effective educators must be able to adjust their lesson pacing depending on the ability of the students. They must also reflect on the lesson plan and change it according to the needs of the students.

References

Echevarria, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D.J. (2004). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP model (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Hofmeister, A., & Lubke, M. (1999). Research into practice: Implementing effective teaching strategies (3rd ed.). Logan: Utah State University.

Jones, L., & Jones, V. (2004). Comprehensive classroom management: Creating communities of support and solving problems (7th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.