LESSON STUDY

By:
Jessica Fogelman
Katrina James
1.

DESCRIPTIVE TITLE OF THE LESSON- The Time of Our Lives: Learning to Tell
Time and How It Connects Students to the World
2.
THE TWO SELECTED CONTENT AREAS
Mathematics:
MEASUREMENT AND DATA 2.MD Tell and write time from analog and digital clocks to
the nearest five minutes, using a.m. and p.m.
Differentiation for higher achieving students:
MEASUREMENT AND DATA 3.MD Tell and write time to the nearest minute and
measure time intervals in minutes. Solve word problems involving addition and
subtraction of time intervals in minutes, e.g., by representing the problem on a number
line diagram.
Social Studies:
Theme: People Working Together
Topic: Heritage
Content Standard: Science and technology have changed daily life.
3.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TOPIC TO BE ADDRESSED

For this lesson, we will be focusing on the concept of time while also integrating
how history and science have changed our experiences with it. First of our lesson, we
are going to show a video that focuses on how time is important in our lives. Then,
based off our pretest, we have differentiated the class into five groups, which the
students will work with at centers. We have five centers including Time Bingo, Minute
Activity Exploration, Scheduling Our Day, Elapsed Time Word Problems, and History of
Time Exploration. In Time Bingo, students will play the game by covering their analog
clock spaces that match the digital clock times called. In the Minute Activity Exploration,
students will explore what they can do in a minute and record these things on a sheet. In
Scheduling Our Day, students will use personal analog clocks to show at what time they
do certain activities and then record these times in a schedule in digital form. In the
Elapsed Time Word Problems, students will create their own word problems using a
framework created by us, and will work together to solve each others problems. In the
History of Time Exploration, students will watch a video on the history of timekeeping,
make a list of what they use time for and what other people use time for, and be able to
explore picture books on time. Some centers will be teacher-led and others will allow the
students to work together to learn about time.
4.
CONTEXT PAIRED collaborate on this
A. Grade level-2 grade
B. Generally, the learning experiences of our students are limited. Worksheets, silence,
and teacher-directed activities make-up the classroom. The students are often at
their frustration levels and many say they hate school or themselves often. They love
to be active and have a need for interaction since there is no community currently in
the classroom. One boy frequently gets in trouble for asking too many questions
nd

and talking. Our activity will accommodate for these limited experiences by allowing
for him to interact, explore, and find his own understandings about time. One girl in
the class normally brings in toys for enjoyment and play, which she loves to show
off, but never is allowed an opportunity to share. She also loves to draw and be
hands-on during activities. Our activities will allow her to be hands-on with physical
manipulatives, share her time-related problem, and explore time in a way that is
much more interactive than normal. Overall, the activity will capture the students
interests since they are always only doing worksheets in silence. The children will be
able to realize how time is important to their lives, interact with it, and learn a great
deal throughout our centers.
C. So far, we have not witnessed any time instruction and the students have not
interacted with time at all. The only time we have seen students working with the
idea of time was during their computer lab time. Students work on a computer
program for a half hour daily called MobyMax which is used to help support their
math instruction. Once, we helped a student figure out a time problem which
involved showing the digital form of an analog clock time with a multiple choice
question. Students are never asked to tell what time it is, and do not know at what
time things happen in their daily school schedule, they have merely memorized their
activities in order and just know what comes next. Sometimes, students will tell us
what time is on the clock for fun to show us that they can tell the time, but these
instances are few and far between.
5. DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECTIVES/STANDARDS OF THE INTEGRATED
LESSON
DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECTIVES/STANDARDS OF THE INTEGRATED LESSON
Jessica Fogelman
Part A:
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.C.7
Tell and write time from analog and digital clocks to the nearest five minutes, using a.m.
and p.m.
OHIOS NEW LEARNING STANDARDS
Theme: People Working Together
Strand: History
Topic: Heritage
Content Statement: Science and technology have changed daily life.
Part B:
Knowledge useful to be familiar with:
Types of early clocks
Using time phrases such as half past, or quarter till
Knowledge and skills important to know:
Ability to read an analog clock
Ability to read a digital clock
Ability to recognize a.m. and p.m.
Ability to count by 5s
Clocks have advanced and become more accurate over time
Understandings that are enduring:
I want the students to be able to understand that time itself is enduring. It is a
form of measurement that we use to measure our days and our activities and is highly

useful for us to know. I want the students to understand that they can have control over
their schedule and can plan things that are important to them using time. I want them to
grasp the feel of time, meaning how long a minute feels and how many things they can
do in one, how long a second feels and how many things they can do in one. I want the
students to understand that there is order in the world that everyone is aware of, whether
its ordered by the solar system, by a candle, by water, shadows, or by a clock, everyone
uses time and it is a universal concept. I also want the students to understand time in
relation to technology and be able to see how it increasingly helps us become expert
timekeepers as it provides more accurate timekeeping devices. Finally, I want them to
understand the functionality and convenience technology provided us through the clocks
we have today, versus the first clocks ever made.
Part C:
I believe that these two subject areas are easily integrated through the enduring
understandings that I have decided I want my students to experience. Using the
multidisciplinary approach, the math and social studies standards are easily fused
together. A multidisciplinary approach organizes standards from a discipline around a
theme (Drake, Burns, 2004). The time standard is important, and is a huge concept that
children need to grasp. I think that it is important that this time standard is integrated with
the social studies standard on technology because it enforces the idea that time is
enduring, and has always been and will always be. People will always use it, just in
different ways and with different mechanisms. According to Susan M. Drake and
Rebecca C. Burns (2004) in Meeting Standards Through Integrated Curriculum the
integrated curriculum is about making connections. Fusing these standards together
connects the students to the world. It puts us all on the same playing field since it is
something that all of our lives are controlled by and defined by, which helps the students
feel unified with the world. Understanding how far timekeeping has come and that it is
something that was used years ago and is still used today shows how important it is to
learn for the students. The math standard is important because of what the students will
learn from the social studies standard. Keeping track of time is only important for
students if they see that it can help them do what they want to do, and if they feel like it
is relatable and controllable by them. If they realize that it is something that everyone
knows and can do, they will want to be apart of that, and will want to have control of their
scheduling and planning in order to incorporate activities that they want to incorporate
during their days.
Katrina James- Description
A. Our Standards:
Mathematics
MEASUREMENT AND DATA 2.MD Tell and write time from analog and digital clocks to
the nearest five minutes, using a.m. and p.m.
Differentiation for higher achieving students:
MEASUREMENT AND DATA 3.MD Tell and write time to the nearest
minute and measure time intervals in minutes. Solve word problems involving
addition and subtraction of time intervals in minutes, e.g., by representing the
problem on a number line diagram.
Social Studies

Theme: People Working Together

Topic: Heritage
Content Standard: Science and technology have changed daily life.
B.
Worth being familiar with:
-The different types of clocks
-The history of time
-How to count by 5s
Important to know and do:
-How to tell time
-How to figure out elapsed time
-Understand how many minutes are in an hour, seconds in a minute, etc.
Enduring Understanding:
Our lesson focused around the idea of time and how it is applicable to daily lives,
thus, a topic that will endure in the childrens lives forever. Our first standard was in
mathematics and called for the children to learn how to tell and write time to the
nearest 5 minutes. This plays off of our main enduring understanding because in
order for students to understand time and how it affects their lives, it is necessary for
them to be able to tell it. Thus, in our lesson, we incorporated this standard through
every center except one, where the students learned about the history of time. I
believe that this standard allowed the students to explore time and create their own
findings through our use of centers. Ultimately, it led them to realize the importance
of time in daily lives and how it connects to not only themselves, but others too. Our
next standard was a social studies standard, which incorporated how science and
technology have changed daily life. We looked at this standard from the perspective
of how time has changed throughout history including the different ways to tell time
and our uses for it. This can be seen in technology through the different clock types,
which we explored in videos, pictures, books, and physically within the classroom.
Altogether, this standard taught the children the real importance of time and how it
has been around since the beginning of the universe. I believe that we were able to
integrate both of these concepts together, attach an importance to them, and show
the children that time is a unifying force for people, which will endure in their lives
forever.
C.
Our two content areas were meaningfully integrated because time, a mathematical
concept, has been in our history forever and will also be in our future for as long as
humans can foresee. Time has evolved through both science and technology, which
is why we chose the standards that we did. Thus, both the math and social studies
standards had a direct connection, which allowed us to give the students a richer
understanding of time. Throughout all of our activities, the students were constantly
encouraged to question why time was important to them. They interacted with
videos, books, pictures, and manipulates, which opened their eyes to how time is
constantly surrounding us and impacting our lives. Through the centers, they learned
mathematical skills such as telling time, learning elapsed time, and how to make the
time on a clock. On the other hand, they also learned the history of time, its role in
our daily lives, and different types of clocks. These fit together well because the
children were not simply learning how to tell time, but also its importance and how it
was relatable to them. I believe that this not only increased their motivation, but also
their enjoyment in learning and how well they will remember the content. As a whole,
the integration of these two standards made our lesson more meaningful, rich, and
relatable for the students.

6. QUALITIES OF EXPERIENCE
JESSICA FOGELMANS QUALITIES OF EXPERIENCE:
Overarching Theme:
Students need to experience competence, autonomy, and belonging. [LTT p. 113]
3 Qualities of Experience:
Belonging: Students should feel like they belong to a group of their peers, finding and
contributing to the community inside and outside of the classroom. (SOE p. 2)
[Used in Part 7]
Autonomy: Students should feel like co-creators of the curriculum, expressing interest in
what they would like to learn, becoming resources that are tapped into regularly. (TT p.
111)
[Used in Part 7]
Competence: The student should be intellectually engaged and challenged by
curriculum that lends itself to students completing productive work. (SOE p. 2 and TT p.
104)
______________________________________________________________________
In what ways does this lesson help students feel like they belong to a group of
their peers, and enable them to find and contribute to the community inside and
outside of the classroom?
Community is an important part of the ECE classroom. Students need to be able
to relate to each other in order to successfully establish this community. Dr. Marvin
Marshall says, Creating an environment of mutual respect is necessary in order for
each class member to develop the confidence to make a statement or voice an opinion
while still feeling safe (Marshall, 1). In this environment, students can gain skills that
they need in order to thrive in a community such as: self-esteem, self-empowerment,
communication skills, interpersonal skills and empathy, as well as values such as
fairness, tolerance, respect, and helpfulness (Marshall, 2). These skills are difficult to
attain for a child unless they are practiced, and activities such as Classroom Meetings
are helpful ways to practice these skills and foster community.
The classroom community should be a place in which students feel like they
belong and make each other feel like they belong. Lilian G. Katz says that this can be
accomplished by providing curriculum that lends itself to students helping others to find
out things and understand them better, as well as making suggestions to others and
expressing appreciation of others efforts and accomplishments (Katz, 2). The students
should be working together, and discovering together, making sure everyone is on
board, taking responsibility for the learning of the entire classroom. Students should be
encouraged to help not only other students individually, but the class as a whole as well
as the teacher. Marilyn Watson says this can be done by, Organizing the environment to
support student interaction, and being open to students suggestions (Watson, 107).
The classroom community is a place in which students can benefit from, as well as a
place that they have responsibility to, achieving harmony, and preparing them for
citizenship in a democratic society (Watson, 106).
Community in the classroom is important for student learning, the building of their
democratic values, as well as creating a sense of belonging, accepting not only the
shared values, but also the diversity that exists within. Marilyn Watson defines being

apart of a classroom community as, Seeing oneself as a member of a definable group

with whom one has shared history and shared goals and values a group that provides
comfort and collegiality and to which one feels loyalty and responsibility (Watson, 81).
She goes on to say that this community also requires trust, and that this community
building can take time and must be supported by activities intentionally designed to
foster it, such as classroom meetings. Creating a shared history, as well as shared goals
and values can help to break down barriers of fierce competition in the classroom that
only isolates students. A great example of a classroom meeting can be found in Black
Ants and Buddhists, where the teacher is facilitating a problem-solving meeting dealing
with an ant problem in the classroom. Students, who begin at odds in this meeting, come
together over a shared goal used to solve the classroom problem (Cowhey 2-3).
In my field experience, students have absolutely no community. They are forced
to work alone, and to not talk to each other, which in turn creates competition, tattling,
and a severe lack of friendship amongst the group. The students are only learning
standards-based material, and know nothing about working in a group, know nothing
about empathy, about looking outside of themselves. They have no way to understand
real-world problems and to even begin thinking about making a change in the world, or
to believe that they are worthy enough or capable of doing so. There is no belonging to
the class or the classroom, the students work in isolation at all times. There is such a
need for community in this classroom, I can see how it would solve so many problems
for the students individually and collectively. Therefore, I want my lesson to foster this
community to give the students a taste of what it feels like to work together and to learn
together.
In what ways does this lesson use students as resources to be co-creators of the
curriculum, incorporating what the students would like to learn?
The traditional classroom tends to be thought of as a place where the teacher is
responsible for putting knowledge into a students head, where the student is not allowed
to construct their own meaning. According to Ayers, Children are the great untapped
resource in most schools Most schools spend additional resources containing and
controlling kids instead of unlocking the knowledge and potential they each contain
(Ayers 111). I believe that radical dialogue, a concept brought up by Dahlberg and Moss,
based on listening is the better approach to student-teacher interaction. In radical
dialogue, as a teacher you have to participate together with the child, entering a space
together where both the teacher and child are actively listening and trying to construct
meaning out of the situation (Dahlberg, Moss 101). This levels the playing field for both
the teacher and student, making both parties co-creators of knowledge. Giving students
this responsibility, gives them a voice in the classroom, allowing them to express what
they would like to learn and know more about.
Ayers explains that Curriculum is an ongoing engagement with the problem of
determining what knowledge and experiences are the most worthwhile. With each
person and with each situation, that problem takes on different shadings and meanings
(Ayers 98). Students, like the curriculum are ever changing and their needs and desires
should continually shape the curriculum and highlight different parts of it in various colors
of light. The teacher should share responsibility and wonder together with the student,
helping them make choices about what they want to learn and supporting them down
their individual learning paths (Cute, 69).
Teachers should encourage students to come along as fellow travelers and coconspirators, in the curriculum creation (Ayers, 100). One way to begin this process is
to help kids consider, How could this be different? rather than asserting, this is the

way it is (Shannon, 61). Prompting students with considering and making change will
support them in their quest for knowledge and their quest for creating a curriculum that
meets their individual needs and interests. According to Dahlberg and Moss, learning
requires attention and the best friend of attention is interest (Dahlberg, Moss, 102).
Students can only learn fully if they are interested in what they are learning. In order to
create high-interest material, teachers should co-conspire with their students and allow
them to influence the curriculum and create it alongside them. Finally, keeping students
in the dark about the standards they are held to doesnt make any sense. Shedding light
on the current situation as is on Education in the US today can be extremely helpful in
getting students to help with the curriculum. Utilizing childrens minds to solve the
problem of finding time to incorporate standards-based skills as well as other real-world
skills to broaden the curriculum and add interest-based lessons can be extremely helpful
and can become a great source of commonly thus far untapped information (Ayers, 114).
Everything taught in my field classroom comes from a workbook or teachers
guide. It might as well be a scripted curriculum. The students do not get to choose
anything that they learn. The extent of their choosing that I have seen thus far was their
ability to choose which animal they wanted to research for their animal report, and even
this was limited to the collection of animal books in the school library. The students all
have interests, and these interests are not known by the teacher, and are not included in
the curriculum in any way. The only way that students are taught is through workbook
worksheets, and they are forced to solve the problems the way that the teacher teaches
them to solve them. The students in this classrooms potential is completely ignored and
not valued at all. The students in this room have so much to offer and to bring to the
table to be learned and talked about, and it is all suppressed and ignored. This
suppression adds to the hidden curriculum that teaches the students that their voice
doesnt matter, and that they cant have a valid opinion. I want my students to feel valued
and to feel like what they have to say matters. I dont want to only validate them verbally,
but I want to show them that what they say matters by empowering them to do what they
want to do with their actions and with what we learn in school.
In what ways does this lesson intellectually engage and challenge each unique
student through completing productive work?
In order to engage student learning, we need to restrict the common mentality
that is to constantly deliver education and help children by providing experiences
known to benefit [them] (Katz, 1). Students are not containers that need to be filled, but
knowledge constructors that need real, authentic experiences individually tailored to fit
their unique needs (Dahlberg, Moss, 101). Each student is unique and we wouldnt want
him or her to all look the same on the outside, so why do we try to fill them with the same
information, using the exact same methods for every student (Shannon 54)? John
Dewey narrows learning experiences into three categories: learning experiences that
are relevant and have a lasting impact, noneducative experiences that fail to promote
learning and miseducative or destructive experiences that can damage the learner
(Cute, 67). As a facilitator or guide in the classroom, it is the teachers role to create
learning experiences as opposed to noneducative and miseducative experiences, using
each unique child as a basis and source of knowledge to create a framework for
engaged learning.
With this engaged learning, should come productive work (Ayers, 104). Students
spending hours completing busywork in a classroom are not productive and are not
engaged. The author of Why Cute is Still a Four-Letter Word explains that student
learning is commonly sacrificed for cute ideas condescending the assumption that the
early childhood teachers role consists of keeping little hands busy rather than

facilitating learning (Cute, 67). This mindset, insults childrens intellect and mistakes
childrens doing with learning (Cute 67-68). Work can take many forms, but productive
work is engaging and will support student learning. Many creative cute activities
actually suppress students creative expression with defined pre-set rules as to what is
creative in regards to the activity, not allowing creativity to actually take place and spring
to life in a childs mind (Cute, 69). Students should be allowed to explore and create
meaning and creativity for themselves, exposed to hands on materials and primary
sources (Ayers, 104).
In my classroom, a lot of the work that is completed is at the students frustration
level. The work isnt difficult, but the students cannot do it because they have never been
taught how and they havent learned the skills they need to do grade-level work. The
students are only taught how to memorize what to do and to essentially just copy and
paste. The students who dont know how to fit this mold and to conform to this way of
getting through school and giving the teacher what she wants are left behind. Even if
the students were completing this work and it was at their instructional level, they
wouldnt be challenged. It is easy work, there is absolutely nothing to challenge the
students. All of their assignments are either worksheets or tests, and nothing productive
is ever completed. Achievement is based on the number of 100% you earn from
completing a worksheet or test in the right way. I want my students to be challenged by
a curriculum that isnt shallow, that is deep and thought provoking. I want them to work
on projects that create something, or that aim to help them learn more about a topic in a
way that is most helpful for them.
Katrina James - Qualities of Experience
1. In what ways does this lesson account for a diverse group of learners who
may need their instruction differentiated?
In To Teach, Chapter 5 addressed many different points that proved it is crucial
for diverse groups of learners to have differentiated instruction. This is because all
learners learn in different ways. There are numerous multiple intelligences, cultural
traditions, and learning styles. In the chapter, it described curriculum as being, an
ongoing engagement with the problem of determining what knowledge and experiences
are the most worthwhile (To Teach, p.98). It goes on to say, with each person and with
each situation, that problem takes on different shadings and meanings(To Teach, p.98).
Thus, this shows that every learner is different and as teachers, we must account for
each student in our lesson. The lessons should be rich and able to tackle or solve in a
number of ways, which will help the student in their problem solving. It will also allow
students to use autonomy by continuing their thinking in a way that they think best. This
will play upon their strengths and help each student reach the objectives. The settings of
these interactions should be within a dynamic and flexible classroom (To Teach, p.103)
that teachers create. All of these different components will work together to create an
environment in which all students will benefit and learn to their full potential.
Realizing the unique abilities of every child is crucial in creating our lessons as a
teacher because as stated above, every student has different needs. Looking further into
this, in In Patience or Understanding by Shwartz said, behaviors are appropriate to
their level of learning (Shwartz, p.1). This means that teachers should learn to accept
the students differences because they all develop at different levels. This acceptance
will show students that it is okay if they are not perfect at everything because learning is
a process that they are all making sense of together.

In Learning to Trust, Laura has a very diverse group of learners in which she
learns with and improves her teaching. In the book, it states, With each group of
children and each individual child, we need to adjust the balance differently (Learning to
Trust, p. 130). Thus, this shows how Laura struggled with finding a balance of how to
account for all the individual needs in her classroom. However, her unwavering effort
made her a great teacher that was able to give each student individualized reading
programs and account for other needs within the classroom. Some examples include
giving certain jobs to students, being understanding of students, and going beyond
teacher duties to help her children such as when she drive Tyrone to see his mother. All
of these are examples of Laura accounting for her diverse classroom by creating ways to
help every student, which made the students feel like part of a community and valued.
In field, I do not believe I have seen any differentiation for our learners except our
teacher allowing certain students not to complete some of the work. Most students
complete the same worksheets and complete the same activities. Their days are very
structured and the classroom does not account for the diverse learners. I believe that
this could be greatly improved upon by creating more engaging lessons and
differentiating work. The students would be more engaged, happier, feel valued, and feel
more in control of their own learning.
2. In what ways does this lesson focus around the child where the teacher acts
as a partner in learning?
In To Teach Chapter 5, another main point that I picked up on was that lessons
should focus around the child where the teacher acts as a partner in learning, not a
transmitter of knowledge. This will increase the amount of activity that children have in
their learning, which will improve their educational process and allow for better
internalization of knowledge. Having the children active is crucial because children are
the most important part of our education system. In fact, the chapter stated, And she
can, if she is secure enough and wise enough, unleash the latent power before her,
drawing forth the resources of the students themselves (To Teach, p.103). This shows
that students are the biggest resource that teachers have. We must build upon the
students own knowledge and experiences in an effort to make content relevant so that it
is focused around the child. These points, along with having the teacher act as a partner,
have the ability to transform our classrooms into a community where students partake in
a shared learning experience.
Teachers should always realize that this shared experience should take into
account the student first. This point was made in In Patience or Understanding by
Shwartz. The article stated that teachers should focus on childs needs, not teacher
goals (Shwartz, p.3). Standardized testing and the era of teaching to the test is making
this more and more difficult, but teachers must realize that if we do not focus on our
students, any amount of standards based worksheets will not teach them anything. This
leads into the point where the article stated each child is worth all the time he or she
needs (Shwartz, p.2). I fully support this quote and that all students should be given an
equal opportunity to education. This will make the students connect more with the
community and have a more passion to learn. Thus, as teachers, we must try our
hardest to give every child the best we can because as Shwartz states, we are all
partners in learning(Shwartz, p.1). This unites all aspects of the educational process
such as the community, parents, and school staff with the students being the central
focus.
In Learning to Trust, Chapter 4 mentioned a learning approach that will help
students stay at the center of teaching with teachers acting as partners. This approach
was called a Child Centered Approach, which I found interesting. Thus, I did a little

more research in order to find out more on the topic than what was mentioned in our
assigned readings. Looking further into the topic, I consulted an article on
Education.com. The article talked about teaching with the whole child in mind, not just
certain subject matter that we are required to teach. The article also talked about
children being inherently good and the role of the teacher being to provide an
environment for that goodness to manifest itself. I believe that this is crucial for teaching
because if we are always reflecting on lessons, our students are the ones who benefit
with rich, multimodal, and interactive activities.
(http://www.education.com/reference/article/child-centered-education/ ).
I believe that in field, our classroom does not focus around the child because the
teacher directs all of the instruction. This is shown through all of the sit down activities
that have little to no interaction for the students. This leads the students to get bored in
work and act out. I believe that this style of teaching should change because their
learning seems to be very monotonous and the students do not enjoy any of the
worksheets or tests. In fact, many of them have already said that they hate school or
themselves for not being able to do the work. The students dread the school day, which
shows a change needs to occur.
3. In what ways does this lesson focus on the childrens interests in an effort to
increase interest, motivation, and relevancy to the students lives?
In To Teach Chapter 5, one main idea I gathered was that lessons should focus
on childrens interests in order to increase motivation, interests, and relevancy. The text
stated, youngsters need opportunities to choose, to name, and to pursue their own
passions and projects to develop some part of their class as their own (To Teach,
p.103). This shows how students need autonomy in their learning in order to feel
engaged with it. This autonomy will foster the students interests allowing them to have a
say in what they are learning. Since they play a part in choosing these topics, the
children will be more intrinsically motivated when working on the activities within the
classroom. I believe that another important aspect of this to mention is that teachers
must have a relationship that gives students competence because without competence,
the children will feel unable to participate successfully in the classroom. Instilling this
idea of competence within children can simply take the form of caring for the children
and holding them to high expectations. Using this strategy, students will feel more
confidence and encouragement in any school topic, which will lead to increased levels of
interest, motivation, and lead to more connections to their lives since the teacher will
know the students better.
The idea of autonomy that was discussed above was also evaluated in Learning
to Trust, which focused upon how curriculum, rather than relationships, can create
autonomous, interested, and engaged learners. In chapter 4, it stated, to support her
students needs to be competent in the mandated curriculum as well as to help them
develop into autonomous academic learners- students who wanted to learn school
topics because they saw the learning as interesting and relevant to them and who had
some choices in how to do it (Learning to Trust, p.126). This shows that even with a
mandated curriculum, teachers have the power to accommodate for their learners and
create an interesting subject base for students. These topics can be democratically
selected by the students, which will lead students to feel a connection with the
curriculum. Ultimately, allowing students to be active in any form of their educational
process will motivate them, making all learning more enjoyable in an environment that is
conducive for learning.
Another source that came to my mind when thinking about a childs interests and
creating a classroom where their lives are relevant was Ray Terrells speech. Ray spoke
about how culture is growing in schools while teachers are an almost homogenous

group of white, middle class females. This means that we as teachers need to learn
more about our students in order to better teach them. Once we know more about our
students and the community, we can teach to our students interests and make the
school topics more relevant for our students lives. This can be seen through community
project-based learning or other mediums, but no matter how the topics are addressed in
schools, it is always important to take into account our students interests in an effort to
improve their learning experiences. This will allow the students to make real life
connections and attach a relevance to their learning.
In field, I have not seen student interest incorporated into the curriculum. Some
students get excited about math or reading, but the topics within these subjects are not
related to the children at all. Often times many of the students are lacking in motivation
and interest, which leads them to act out and get yelled at by the teacher. I believe that
this could change by the teacher simply asking the students what they like and
incorporating it in any way possible. This would allow the students to help in the planning
of lessons, share their opinions, and have a much more enjoyable education.

Works Cited
Outside of Class:
Morrison, G. S. "Child-Centered Education." Child-Centered Education. N.p., 20 July
2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <http://www.education.com/reference/article/child-centerededucation/>.
In Class:
-To Teach
-Learning to Trust
-In Patience or Understanding by Shwartz
-Ray Terrells Seminar
7. DESCRIPTION OF LESSON DESIGN
Jessicas Qualities of Experience:
Belonging: Students should feel like they belong to a group of their peers, finding and
contributing to the community inside and outside of the classroom. (SOE p. 2)
Autonomy: Students should feel like co-creators of the curriculum, expressing interest in
what they would like to learn, becoming resources that are tapped into regularly. (TT p.
111)
Katrinas Qualities of Experience:
Differentiated: With each group of children and each individual child, we need to adjust
(Learning to Trust, p. 130) This shows that each student has different needs and
different levels of learning, thus, we must accommodate for this in our lessons through
differentiation.
Relevancy: youngsters need opportunities to choose, to name, and to pursue their own
passions and projects to develop some part of their class as their own (To Teach,
p.103) This allows students to feel involved and connected to the curriculum, which will
increase motivation, passion, and love of learning.

For our lesson, students will be working with time and how it relates to their lives through
both math and social studies. The students will be going through each of the detailed
centers above. Going further in depth, it is important to look specifically at what the
students and teachers will be collaborating on in order to learn more about the given
topics.
At the beginning of the lesson, we are going to share a video that discusses the
importance of time in daily life. This short 2-minute video asks questions like, What
would we do if there was no time? How would we get places? After watching the
video, Katrina will begin a whole-group discussion with the students on what they think
about these questions, and what would be difficult for them if there wasnt any way to
keep track of time. This discussion will prompt the students to discuss how time is
important to them, making the lesson personal and something that they will desire to
learn more about. This portion of the lesson relates to Jessicas Qualities of Experience,
because the class discussion adds to the classroom community. The community in the
classroom grows as the students hear from each other and learn from each other. Also,
it connects to Katrinas Qualities of Experience because the students are discussing and
learning how time is relevant to their lives. This will lead the students to put more
importance on the topic and feel motivated to learn about time since it will forever affect
them.
Immediately following the video, we will begin instruction on how the lesson will work.
Since the students have never been in centers before, we need to scaffold our
instruction in order to teach them how to functionally use this form of learning. We will
provide great detail and clear, concise instructions with visuals and actions so that each
center is explained clearly to each student. Jessica will physically go to each center in
the room and explain the center in full detail, showing all manipulatives and assignments
available at each center. If actions are required, Jessica will demonstrate them. If certain
thought processes are required at each center, she will give an example of them. The
rotation of centers is also explained at this time. This will be the Teacher Modeling
portion of our lesson, giving students examples of what we expect of them during this
lesson time. Next, we will explain that we want to have fun in this lesson, but that we
also want to do work and learn about time, so we need to follow the rules of the centers
in order to do both. Finally, we will split the students up into their assigned groups based
on the scores of their Pre-Test. We will help students get to their first center and help
them get started on their activities. Overall, this connects to Katrinas Qualities of
Experience because each group has been leveled based off our pre-test data. Thus, the
instruction is differentiated as a whole because the students are working with similar
level students in an effort to learn the material.
For the Time Bingo center, the students will be given a board and bingo chips by Mrs.
Farris. Then, Mrs. Farris will pull digital times and the students will have to find the
corresponding analog time on their board and place a chip on it. If there is any
confusion, Mrs. Farris will be able to physically show the students on a larger clock what
the correct time was. This station allows the students to test their knowledge and feel
like part of a community that is learning together. The teacher will always be there for
support, but will act as a facilitator of knowledge finding instead of a direct instructor.
For the Minute Activity Exploration, the teacher will explain the station beforehand, but
during the lesson, it will be completely student-centered. Beforehand, the teacher will
explain how to keep track of a minute using an analog clock. Then, the teacher will

demonstrate and give multiple examples that the students could do while encouraging
them to be creative. After this, the teacher will say that the example sheet will be at the
station along with many manipulatives that they can work with to find out what they can
do in a minute. When the students are set off onto their own, they will complete the
What Can I Do In a Minute? sheet. This station will allow students to help each other,
learn together, and explore the concept of a minute. This center plays into Jessicas
Qualities of Experience, because it allows the students to be creative and to create the
curriculum in their own way. While the center is structured so that the students are
limited to finding what they can do in a minute, they have free reign over what they
decide to try to do in a minute. Anything they think of is okay, and the are able to take
responsibility for it and have control over it. The students in this classroom are never
able to make their own decisions or have any influence on the curriculum, so we figured
this would be a great way to scaffold their learning into being independent and making
decisions in an interactive, yet structured way. In addition to Jessicas Qualities of
Experience, Katrinas also play a key role in this center since students are working with a
relevant topic. Students constantly hear You have one minute to clean up, Were
leaving in a minute or In one minute, but do they understand it? Our activity sought to
teach students the amount of time associated with one minute and how they can apply it
to their lives.
For the Scheduling Our Day center, Katrina and the students will be working together to
find out how time is applicable to their lives. They will learn that time dictates and guides
almost every activity that they do during a normal day. Upon arriving at the center, the
students will be given a sheet with a rough outline of their daily lives. There will be a
good amount of blank spaces for them to complete and Katrina will scaffold them
through each step. First, Katrina will explain the sheet and ask questions to guide the
students through the first three questions. Since some students will need more support,
Katrina will be able to talk them through the sheet or suggest times that a normal activity
would occur. Ultimately, the students and Katrina will end up with completed daily
schedules that show the children that time is an important factor in our lives that helps us
meet, work, and live our lives. This station will help the students find out why time is
important in their lives by working in a group that is encouraging of individual expression
and community. This center includes Jessicas Qualities of Experience because it helps
students relate the material to their lives and is structured yet open enough for the
students to be apart of making the curriculum. The students are able to pick which
activities they want to schedule in from their lives, so they are able to express their
interests and learn from something that has meaning for them. Also, this center applied
to both of Katrinas Qualities of Experience because the schedule was both differentiated
and relevant. It was relevant because we were talking about the students everyday
lives. It was differentiated because students were given differing amounts of support and
instruction while filling out their worksheets. These allowed the students to feel engaged
in their learning and connect importance to the center, which was shown later on by the
students constantly referring to what time they would do certain activities at.
For the Elapsed Time Word Problems, students will work with Jessica to create their own
Elapsed Time Word Problems and then solve them as a group. Students will each
receive an individualized story problem framework with their name on it. To complete the
story problem, the students are able to choose two different times, and write them in the
story problem blanks. After filling out their story problem sheets, Jessica will collect them
and the group will go through each problem solving them one by one together. Jessica
will read a story problem aloud, and then have that student who created the story

problem use the large manipulative analog clock to work to answer the problem once
everyone has tried their best to answer the question alone. The students will use white
boards to record their work and to share their answers with the group. This center
includes both of Jessicas Qualities of Experience. First, the creation of the problems
allows the students to be designers of the curriculum, picking the times that they want to
solve the problems for. Second, solving the problems in a group is also a way to form
community in the classroom. As the students work and solve the problems together,
teaching and learning from each other, they are forming a community that can learn and
grow together. Finally, relevancy is attached to this center (Katrinas Qualities of
Experience) because we created story problems with the students names and their
interests as the activity that occurred for a set period of time. This sparked the curiosity
of students and made them take pride in their elapsed time word problems when sharing
to the group.
For the History of Time Exploration, students will watch another short video as a group
that explains the history of timekeeping and the history of timekeeping devices. This
video will show how the clock has developed over time and explain how time was kept
before the clock was invented. Next, students will be free to look through a selection of
Time picture books that explain the history of time, how to tell time, the importance of
time, the history of the clock, and other math and social studies concepts regarding the
concept of time. Finally, students will complete a list of reasons why time is important to
them and what they use time for in their own daily lives. This center includes Jessicas
Qualities of Experience because it again allows the students to be designers of their own
curriculum. In this center the students have choices that are multimodal and studentcentered. They can chose the medias that they would like to use to learn about the
history of time. They get the chance to record and think about what time means to them.
By giving these students these choices in this structured environment, they are being
scaffolded to learn how to question things, and how to explore things that they want to
learn about.
This lesson is designed to integrate the subjects of Mathematics and Social Studies.
This integration is obtained through the enduring understanding that time plays an
integral role in everyones daily life and has since the beginning of the universe. The
Mathematics standard we chose aims to teach students how to tell time, while the Social
Studies standard we chose aims to explain how timekeeping has evolved, and how it
pertains to daily life. Our lesson seeks to include both of these topics through activities in
centers that are focused on the idea of time and how it individually affects each students
life. This integration shows students how meaningful this content is to learn, and gives
them a better understanding of the world and how time connects us all. By working in
groups, the students learn on a local level how time affects not only themselves, but also
the other students they are working with. The videos and picture books give students a
world-view into how time has affected all people on the Earth, and how it has
increasingly become easier to keep track of. Through each center, students will be
actively working with both of these topics, piecing together the importance of time on
individual and global levels. As a whole, the students will ultimately take with them the
idea of time as a unifying force, which they will then carry with them into every aspect of
their lives.
Lesson Study Implementation:
The implementation of our Lesson Study went very well. The students never
have the opportunity to work in groups and none of the activities that they do foster

community. We wanted to provide these experiences for the students, but did so in a
way that scaffolded their learning so that they would be able to understand how to learn
with this type of environment. This went very well, and the students were able to handle
the switching of centers and working together in the open for them, but still structured
environment. The students interacted with the different centers, they participated in the
classroom discussions at the beginning and end of the lessons and worked together
well.
In the center that I personally instructed, the students did a good job taking turns
and explaining how they got their answers for the elapsed time word problems. If one
student got the problem incorrect, another student was always willing to share with the
student how to get the correct answer using the clock manipulative. The students really
enjoyed having word problems that were interest-based and that included their own
names. They liked having the freedom to pick the times that they wanted to use to solve
the problem. I would have loved to give the students a bit more freedom in this portion,
allowing them to create more of the word problem themselves, instead of just choosing
times, but because of time constraints and the need to scaffold the learning of centers
and how they work in order for the kids to learn from them in this lesson since they have
never been exposed to this type of interactive learning, some sacrifices needed to be
made in order to teach this lesson. Overall, the Elapsed Time Word Problem center went
well, and the students learned from each other as they made problems and explained
their thought process behind solving them to the group.
Our Lesson Study was a very positive experience for the students and ourselves.
I learned that students are flexible because even with no experience in centers, they
were able to learn and enjoy themselves throughout the lesson. Also, I believe that the
children saw a side of learning that they had never seen before. They saw that it could
be interactive, rich, and meaningful. Thus, I believe that that the students really benefited
from our lesson and took with them our enduring understanding that time will continue to
affect their lives. Our implementation went very well because we thoroughly planned out
how each station would work, our roles as teachers, and how the students would react.
We knew it would be a new change for the students so we used modeling and
scaffolding in order to make the transition easier. Also, we told them of our expectations
prior to starting the activity so that they knew we wanted them to also be learning.
Altogether, each center went very well. We had a good balance of teacher directed and
student centered work, which allowed the students to really explore time and find their
own understandings.
In the center that I led which was Scheduling Our Day, the students did a great
job working with the manipulatives and filling out their worksheets to suit their individual
interests. For the first three questions, I walked the students through step by step of how
to figure out the time and how to make it on the clock. Then, I gave the students the
option of doing the rest on their own or working with me in a smaller group. This
differentiated the instruction and allowed students to work at their own pace. The
students really enjoyed thinking of things that they do throughout their day and attaching
a time to it. It allowed them to incorporate creativity, individuality, and relevance to the
curriculum. Thus, I believe the students learned a lot from the center, but I would make
one improvement of having better manipulatives or using white boards to draw the time
because whenever they held up their clocks to show me the hands would move. Other
than this, I believe that the instruction, planning, and implementation all allowed the
students to interact with time, learn about it, and incorporate it into their lives.