Lesson Three Reflection

        This week we did a much better job with our time management. There wasn’t extra time we needed to fill. We read a story called How do apples grow and taught the students QAR. We went over our expectations that we have established week by week and our agenda for the hour. We started by introducing the students to the topic. Using a chart we explained what the different kinds of questions there are and what they mean with examples of how the questions look. We then did some vocabulary before reading because this story was above grade level for the students. For extra clarity it was best to have some background on the specific words in this book. After the story about growing apples the students used QAR questions to build knowledge on the book. Finally the students filled out an exit ticket based on the anchor chart from the beginning of our lesson about the parts of QAR and did a fun activity to close up and connect back to our story about labeling the parts of the apple. The students really enjoyed labeling the apple activity. Again this week one boy was absent. 

Having only two students has been a bit of a bummer but it’s easy for us to see what they are doing and guide them through what they don't understand. One student was very involved in the lesson and was answering most of the group questions while the other students have been more shy week after week and needs to be asked to answer questions. She rarely answers by herself. While doing the exit ticket we try to have the students do as much on their own as possible so we can see what they learned by the end. This week I noticed that she was having trouble understanding the questions and even after multiple suggestions she was still struggling to understand what was being asked. We reminded them both to use the chart that was hanging up for them to help with the answers. 

I learned that students sometimes need different ways of the question being asked to understand. The students have shown that they are very different in their learning styles and personalities. I think we have a variety between our three students. Even though the girl was struggling with the exit ticket she eventually understood what was being asked and completed it to the best of her abilities. 

I think in the future this will make me more aware of students' diversity when it comes to learning. Although we followed the same steps to teach both students they both learn differently and understand the content and questions differently. 

Lesson Two Reflection

         In this lesson we focused on predictions. We read the story 7 Ate 9 The Untold Story. One student was absent so we only had two children. In this lesson we still went very fast through our activities. The students were engaged the whole time and enjoyed the mystery in the story. We all sat between the students to help guide them through the prediction worksheet.

Both students successfully completed the predictions worksheet. They made predictions before, during and after reading. Then they used the text to determine if these predictions were correct or incorrect. After they determine if they are correct they pull evidence to the text to support their predictions. 

This week I learned that the students need to be prompted in a way to get more information. While making predictions we needed them to find reasons for their predictions. The students try to give very general answers. When finding evidence in the book students tried to put answers like they knew this because they read the story or the story told them. We needed to further explain that they needed to explicitly tell what in the story proved their predictions. 

In the future I think I will take more time to explain exactly what I’m looking for in their answers. I think just reading the questions and giving an overview isn’t enough. It may be helpful to have an example of exactly what I’m looking for using a common book instead of the one we are working on so they can’t just copy my ideas down. 

Lesson One Reflection

     This lesson was focused on story maps. The kids were expected to fill out a story map based on a book read to them. The lesson was fully completed and the students had understanding of the work and did an excellent job of pulling out the information to fill in the chart. Unfortunately we got a little bit of a late start so I had to improvise with the students at first. This also was an opportunity for me to get to know them a little more before the start of the content. 

    All of the lesson objectives were met. The summative assessments were all filled out completely correctly and fully. One boy was especially eager to answer all questions and knew all the answers straight away. Another boy was having a hard time focusing in the room and needed to be asked to participate. 

    From this experience I learned that sometimes lessons don’t always go as planned. In this lesson I had to think on the spot. My lessons started a little late so I had to fill the time with students before we started. Since this was the first visit I took this time to get to know them and do a more in depth introduction. 

    In the future I could work better on time management. The lesson was a little out of order and there was extra time. The lesson was planned well but the time allot for activities was quicker than anticipated. In the future I will plan the time better for the lesson.