EDUC 540

Jonnaé McClain

Videotaped Lesson – Weathering, Erosion, Deposition

Lesson Reflection

For my videotaped lesson I taught the students about erosion. We previously completed

an overview lesson of weathering, erosion and deposition. We moved on to in-depth exploration

of weathering. This videotaped lesson was our in-depth exploration of erosion. I provided

students with content specific information through teacher-created slides. The students struggled

with notetaking during our last unit and I felt it was necessary to find a way to present the

information in a way that they could easily fill in the important information. It seemed as though

the students were focusing on the wrong information and not summarizing the important parts of

the text so I felt it necessary to employ interactive notebooks. I utilized their student voices by

allowing them to read the slides.

The main learning goal for this lesson was for students to investigate the effects of wind,

ice, water, and human activity on a rock model in order to observe and understand the role of

these elements in nature. In order to do this, we used cookies to represent a rock and used four

different tools to represent water, wind, ice, and human activity. It was important for the students

to make meaningful observations and communicate their findings on a teacher-created activity

sheet. The students were charged to organize appropriate observations using diagrams and

journaling in order to draw conclusions from the data they collected. Students were encouraged

to use their sense of touch and feeling to make their observations. They were also able to make

their own hypothesis or conclusions about what and why things happened. I was sure to ask for
input and reiterated ideas that were shared and facilitated small discussions using open-ended

questions. Students were able to input their own thoughts and observations rather than being

given a “correct” response. For example, when we were exploring weathering and erosion using

a toothpick, one student said that he was being destructive while another explained that he was

carefully digging into the rock like a paleontologist. Both students explained how they used their

tools and why. They were also able to explain their different results.

The second learning goal for this lesson was for students to be able to make a connection

between the model of the rock going through weathering, erosion and deposition and our visual

supports/tools. Students were told to use their “science eyes” and to use scientific language when

responding to probing questions. They were asked to share their observations and how those

connected to the tools they used. The rocks that students used were Oreo cookies. They used a

toothpick that represented weathering and erosion by human activity. The Q-tip that was used

represented ice, and more specifically, a glacier that causes weathering and erosion of rocks in a

different way. The students were asked to compare and contrast their observations. The straw in

the activity represented erosion by wind. However, one of the students was able to explain how

her straw weathered her rock. The water droplets represented weathering and erosion caused by

precipitation and/or bodies of water. I was sure to input fill-in the blank sentences and included a

word bank to make sure that the connection was made intentionally while scaffolding their

thinking while they observed.

I made sure to use a tone of voice that was excited yet calm, inviting yet firm. This was

intentional. In the beginning of our lesson my voice wasn’t as booming as in other parts of the

lesson. This was because we’ve had a chatty week in class. Once I started to gather my supplies

their eyes started to shine and their teeth started to grit. There was a buzz in the room and I
wanted to be sure that my voice was loud enough to gain their attention yet soft enough that they

had to cut their conversations short in order to hear the next steps. One of the potential

challenges that I thought of while planning was that the students would be too excited to see the

“science of the activity.” In order to combat this, I tried to explicitly state the objectives of each

activity, use academic language and specific vocabulary, and keep the pacing appropriately

throughout the lesson. There was a student whom I rarely let choose his group because he can get

too excited and lose focus. I allowed him to sit next to his friend during this activity but grouped

the two of them with a pair that are always focused and able to command their attention if

needed to help keep the friends in line. At one point in the video the boy was using his tools

inappropriately and speaking loudly about unrelated topics. I made sure to use proximity and

moved closer to him. He stopped for a short while and continued almost immediately as I moved

away. My subtle redirection did not work and I had a short and specific comment of redirection

expressing my concern for how his behavior was unfolding. Once this happened he seemed to be

more focused but I made sure to continue to use proximity and ask him for input throughout the

lesson.

I felt positive about the science talk towards the end of the lesson while answering the

more specific open-ended questions. Students were using appropriate language saying

“sediment” instead of “cookie dust” and were thinking critically as well as scientifically. The

connections that they made were those that I had hoped they would arrive at on their own but

with some responses the follow-up questions needed to guide them to the appropriate focus at

that time. I believe that the students were very focused and engaged. They were itching to eat the

cookie. Some had to hide it under a napkin, others couldn’t contain themselves and

“accidentally” swallowed a crumb when modeling wind with a straw. All in all, the students
really seemed interested in the activity even after I told them that they wouldn’t be able to eat the

cookie.

There were a few things that I would have done differently from the start. Once I started

to explain that they would use the tools and could use them in any order I noticed that it was a

bad idea as soon as it came out of my mouth. I thought about the learners and the personalities

and felt it would be best to follow along as a whole group. The students still had small group

conversations and made observations in smaller groups so it turned out to be an effective move. I

should have thought of this beforehand and it would have resulted in a smoother transition of

tasks. I also would have put the tools in individual baggies. Their attention was pretty spot on but

if they were away in the beginning there would have been more focus on the notetaking and less

on what and how we will use these tools.

I think that my pacing was decent throughout the lesson. If I were to do this another time

I may forego the reading of teacher-created slides and just give them a complete interactive

notebook page with the information filled in. This is because we will end up continuing to

explore erosion in depth and we did an overview of the process already so they have some prior

knowledge. This would allow more time to manipulate the tools and model as well as more time

to ensure that they are writing/drawing complete observations. Also, thinking of feedback from

the professor, I could have been more obvious with directions for each activity as if it was a

more scripted lesson plan so that a substitute could pick it up and use it. I know that I like to

leave room for the flow of the students but I can see the benefits of being more specific. I may

also use more turn and talk time when wrapping up the lesson and filling out the last few open-

ended questions. I do know that this could result in some students’ answers changing to a group

consensus rather than their own specific observation but it could also ensure that everyone has a
complete response. In my upcoming lessons one goal is to use different types of questions

throughout the lesson. Another goal is to make sure that I am checking for understanding in more

meaningful and student-specific ways.