Instruction Plan 3

My goals and outcomes are stated in a way that teachers and students can understand. My objective is, "Students will be able to identify and write an acrostic poem by creating on using the letters of their own first and last name." This aligns with Arizona reading and writing standards at the fourth grade level.

Prior Knowldege 3

To assess prior knowledge, I would have them write some words to describe themselves. I would also ask the students if they have heard of an acrostic poem and what type of poetry they have heard of. This is a lesson that would be done towards the end of the school year so I should have a good understanding of students' abilities.
From assessing students prior knowledge, I would have an understanding of students vocabulary and I would have an idea on how in depth I would need to go in my lesson. If I needed to go more in depth with a few skills, I would need to make this a two day lesson or rearrange the day's schedule.

Assessment of Learning Lesson 2

Each student could perform the task by the end of the lesson. One student was having difficulty so we talked our way through an example; then to make the experience a more successful one, I differentiated her lesson to incorporate on equivalent fraction instead of two. Another student caught on very quickly so we changed the lesson to make fractions using circles. This may not have been more difficult for him but it changed the lesson slightly. One of my peers stated that through my instruction, students were able to have fun with the website; I think it is always beneficial to make learning fun. A comment was made about how this activity would be appropriate for students who had some experience with equivalent fractions, not as a lesson that helps teach a new concept. I wonder if I had spent more time on instruction about the fractions, if her opinion would still be the same. I unintentionally rushed through academic instruction; I’m not sure I would have done the same with actual fourth grade students.

Teaching Lesson 2

I did not spend as much time as I should have on instruction at the beginning of the lesson. Through the teaching process, I realized what worked well with the website and what might have caused problems with a large class of fourth grade students. Each student had his/her lesson modified during the lesson; one student had her lesson modified to make it a less frustrating and a less difficult experience. I encouraged the other two students to decide if they liked making equivalent fractions with squares or circles better and evaluate which they thought was more difficult. The students were reassured that the lesson would not count as a grade in the grade book even though I wanted to see the score that the students received at the end of the lesson.

Plan for Assessment Lesson 2

The technology keeps a running record of how well the student is doing on the task. The students are to show the teacher the score so that it can be written down but not used as a grade. This will allow the teacher to look at the scores after the lesson and see which students had difficulties and it will show students if they need to practice the skill. For guided instruction and assessment purposes, I will go to each student to check on his/her progress. Making my way around the room also gives me the opportunity to help differentiate instruction during the lesson.

Teaching Design for Lesson 2

My lesson is organized to begin with reviewing the vocabulary needed to build on students prior knowledge and ending with an informal assessment for the students and I to see what knowledge was gained during the lesson. The technology used in the lesson allows for differentiated instruction. Students will apply multiplication skills to think about what numbers can be used to create a fraction that equals the given fraction. The technology allows students to visually see how a shape can be divided or manipulated to create the amount needed for the denominator and shade the correct amount for the numerator.

Plans for Lesson 2

I stated what the students would be able to do and how they would demonstrate this knowledge in terms that other teachers and my principal can understand. I did not put the objective in student friendly terms. "Students will be able to convey an understanding of fractions by creating visual representations of two unique fractions that are equivalent to a given fraction." The objectives align with the Arizona Department of Education fourth grade math standards.