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Building a Caring
Community of Learners
!

Arts lesson, Pre-K: Students learn and perform choreography to The Lion Sleeps Tonight as a group.
Students dance as a means to understand artistic expression while sharpening coordination and
gross motor skills.

Math lesson, 1st Grade: Students work in pairs to determine if a signal word tells them to add or
subtract. Students identify, cut, sort, and paste words into proper columns to be accessed for
future use.

Social Studies, 4th Grade: Students write I Am poems and use a partners poem to create a collage
about that person. Students present what theyve learned about their partner to the class.

Analysis
Since my ability to write lesson plans was ever-evolving within the EGP program, my theories and
research grew as I progressed through the courses. As we expect students to do, I accessed prior
knowledge each time I sat down to write a new lesson plan; I took into consideration the
comments and suggestions given by professors so I could create adequate and thoughtful lessons.
In the Arts lesson, I tried to engage students in the elements of music and movement while
demonstrating the awareness of shared space. Realizing and respecting the personal space of
peers is important as well as understanding how your bodys movement affects others.
In the Math lesson, I wanted to provide an opportunity for socially meaningful interactionthis
is something I think of every time I write a lesson, as Ive learned its the most effective way to
reach students. Working with a partner allows students to practice appropriate conversational
skills while helping one another create meaning within the context of the discussed content.
In the Social Studies lesson, I hoped to emphasize the importance of identifying similarities and
differences in order to encourage acceptance of diversity among peers. Typically, a student is
required to make a collage about her/himselfwhile it is important to know and feel pride
about your identity, it is equally important to get to know the people around you and appreciate
them for who they are. Similarities spark friendships; differences spark conversations.

Goals
My goals in terms of Building a Caring Community of Learners would be to:
Begin and end each day with a positive attitude: I cannot expect my students to build
positive relationships with peers under my care if I do not maintain an optimistic position.
Engage in many conversations with the students to demonstrate my interest in their wellbeing and success: in order to create a caring community of learners, I must care to learn
about each student.
Model a positive relationship and supportive interactions with my co-op: I cannot pretend
that students do not look to emulate adultsteachers are no exception. Showing students
that we can work cooperatively with a colleague is simply practicing what we preach.

Planning and Teaching

Content
!

Science lesson, Pre-K: Students use their senses to make predictions of the flavors of jelly beans.
Students record their predictions and findings in a chart using certain colors to indicate certain
flavors.

Reading lesson, 1st Grade: Students wear detective hats and look/listen for clues to make predictions
about the plot of My Name Is Yoon. Students fill out a prediction chart indicating what they think will
happen and see if it matches what actually happens in the story.

Math lesson, 3rd Grade: Students work collaboratively in small groups to measure the dimensions of
various classroom items and use formulas to find their area and perimeter. Students record all data
into the area/perimeter packet and discuss their findings with the whole class.

Analysis
In the Science lesson, I wanted to use a fun experiment to keep students engaged while
exploring their five senses, which was the topic I was required to teach for this particular field
experience. One of the things Ive learned is that students benefit greatly from the use of
hands-on manipulatives; they were exploring their senses while absorbing information about
how they workthey discovered that smell affects taste, which was the main objective.
In the Reading lesson, I hoped to create a lesson that made students excited about reading.
Creating an engaging anticipatory set where I told them they would become detectives was a
sure-fire way to capture the attention of each student and ensuring that they would use the
opportunity to be in the detective mode to search for clues about the story. If you get a child
enthused about what youre teaching, they are much more likely to learn about it.
In the Math lesson, I tried to get the students up and moving around the classroom. Math does
not always have to be the teacher in the front of the room and the students at their desksin
fact, I would argue that it should hardly ever be that way. Math should inhabit a dialogic
classroom; allowing small groups to float around the room taking measurements is a great way
to break up the monotony of the classroom while enabling your students to try different
strategies and talk about why they do or do not workthis reinforces skills and content.

Goals
My goals in terms of Planning and Teaching Content would be to:
Sit with my cooperating teacher during the first week and ask her to talk me through her
planning process with a lesson plan shes written/writing.
Keep an ongoing journal of observations made during my cooperating teachers lessons.
Conference with my cooperating teacher after Ive taught each lesson in order to gain
feedback and suggestions for improvement.

Utilizing Developmentally
Appropriate Strategies
!

Math lesson, Pre-K: Students vote for their favorite ice cream flavor (of three provided) during circle
time. Students tally up the votes for each flavor and create a bar graph displaying the data.

Arts lesson, 1st Grade: Teacher reads a play aloud and fills out a graphic organizer with the students.
Students are assigned parts in the play and asked to read along until its their turn to act their part.

Social Studies lesson, 4th Grade: Students use web-based research (scavenger hunt) to learn about
Rhode Islands geography and history. Students share the answers they found as a whole class.

Analysis
In the Math lesson, I tried to bring a little variety to the standard circle time lesson. In addition
to learning the letter of the week and practicing writing it (letter I in this case), I wanted the
students to experience the power of voting. Initially, I wanted to tell them that I would bring in
the ice cream flavor with the most votes as a special treat, but I learned of a family members
passing on my way to field that day and it threw me off a bit. I really wanted them to see the
power of voting and that one voice counts and can make all the difference!
In the Arts lesson, I wanted to incorporate my love of theater and storytelling. I think the
dramatic arts are a wonderful way to foster the use of oral language to communicate with
others, regardless of the fact that the words are not written by the studentthis only means
that the student has to find context clues to know how to truly convey meaning of the words
someone else wrote. In this way, drama can aid in developing problem solving skills.
In the Social Studies lesson, I decided to utilize technology to: a) familiarize students with
navigating PowerPoint, b) provide students with a change of pace for learning, and c) connect
gathering historical information with a modern means of acquiring knowledge.

Goals
My goals in terms of Utilizing Developmentally Appropriate Strategies would be to:
Acquire helpful tricks of becoming a more adaptable person in the event of unforeseen
changes in routine.
Learn developmentally appropriate strategies for addressing challenging behaviors.
Become more familiar with the features and functionality of SmartBoard.

Responding to Differences
and Utilizing Technology
!

Reading lesson, 1st Grade: Students wear detective hats and look/listen for clues to make
predictions about the plot of My Name Is Yoon. Students fill out a prediction chart indicating what
they think will happen and see if it matches what actually happens in the story.

Language Arts lesson, 4th Grade: ELL students identify and underline three examples of hyperboles in
the poem Hyperbole Caf. Students then create four hyperbole sentences using level-varied aids.

Social Studies lesson, 4th Grade: Students use web-based research (scavenger hunt) to learn about
Rhode Islands geography and history. Students share the answers they found as a whole class.

Analysis
In the Reading lesson, I hoped to create an effective lesson while hitting the targets of the
BLLP (Balanced Literacy Lesson Plan). For this assignment, I worked with a small group (we
were each responsible for one lesson) to create lessons that suited varied instructional means
centered around one picture book about a marginalized social group. Mine focused on teaching a
comprehension strategy; making predictionsthis lesson had differentiation for ELLs and lower
level readers and incorporated think-pair-sharing to enhance communal interactions.
In the Language Arts lesson, I worked with two partners to fulfill the requirements of the SIOP
(Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) lesson plan. As a cohesive team, we wrote a
lesson geared towards ELLs with adaptations and accommodations for levels 1, 3, and 5.
In the Social Studies lesson, I decided to integrate technology to make history more fun. History
was never very appealing to me as an elementary student because I felt that it was all
memorizing dates and factsI would have appreciated a little more variety in that particular
subject, so I tried to remember that when I had to plan lessons in that discipline. There are
many kinds of learners, not just those who crave and absorb hard data in plain black and white.

Goals
My goals in terms of Responding to Differences and Utilizing Technology would be to:
Inquire about any students with IEPs or special needs in the classroom in order to include
proper differentiation in my lesson plans.
Find ways to use technology for students who require certain accommodations.
Get to know the students backgrounds and create lessons that are culturally responsive.

Practicing Appropriate and

Responsible Assessment
!

Science lesson, Pre-K: Students use their senses to make predictions of the flavors of jelly beans.
Students record their predictions and findings in a chart using certain colors to indicate certain
flavors.

Arts lesson, 1st Grade: Students write a haiku poem after learning about them and hearing some
examples. Students create an ink painting to enhance their haiku using ink droppers and straws.

Social Studies, 4th Grade: Students write I Am poems and use a partners poem to create a collage
about that person. Students present what theyve learned about their partner to the class.

Analysis
In the Science lesson, I hoped to create a lesson that allowed me to assess them on the spot. I
saw some students forgetting that on the fifth tally you draw a diagonal line and I used it as an
opportunity to review as a group. Its really great to have those formative assessments so you
know whether you can move on or you need to take a step back, modify the structure, and get
everyone to the same page.
In the Arts lesson, I wanted to incorporate a lesson that could be collected for a portfolio. I
think portfolios are awesome because a student can reflect back on their progress from day
one and share it with his/her caretakers with pride and a sense of accomplishment. School
doesnt have to be all tests and quizzesartwork is very telling of academic achievement.
In the Social Studies lesson, I decided to put a presentation aspect in there as a performance
assessment. Public speaking is a real-world scenario so its important to incorporate moments
where students have to get up in front of the class and present information. While it can be
nerve-racking, the more exposure they have to it, the more comfortable they will become with it.

Goals
My goals in terms of Practicing Appropriate and Responsible Assessment would be to:
Obtain sample assessments from the cooperating teacher to use as resources.
Use a variety of assessments for each content area in order to gauge comprehension.
Ensure that my teaching aligns with the learning outcomes and that my assessments align
with what Ive taught.

References
Cunningham, P.M. & Allington, R.L. (2011).
Parker, W.C. (2012). Social studies in elementary
Classrooms that Work: They can all read and write education (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
(5th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
Pearson.
Echevarra, Vogt and Short. (2012). Making
Content Comprehensible for English Learners:
The SIOP Model (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Pearson Custom Education (Eds.). (2014). Teaching

language arts PK-4. New York, NY: Pearson
Learning Solutions.

Johnston, P.H. (2012). Opening Minds: Using

language to change lives. Stenhouse Publishers.

Smith, Margaret Schwan, Victoria Bill, and Elizabeth

K. Hughes. Thinking Through a Lesson Protocol:
Successfully Implementing High-Level Tasks.
Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School 14
(October 2008): 132-138

Lowery, Lawrence F., Texley, Juliana, Wild, Ann.

(2000). NSTA Pathways to the Science Standards
(Elementary). Arlington, VA: NSTA.
McCormack, R.L. & Pasquarelli, S.L. (2010).
Teaching Reading: Strategies & resources for
grades K-6. New York: Guilford Press.

Wright, Wayne E. (2010). Foundations for Teaching

English Language Learners: Research, Theory,
Policy and Practice. Philadelphia: Caslon
Publishing.