Micro Lesson #1 Phase 1 Reflection

Lesson 1 Phase 1 Reflection

Assessing Prior Knowledge and Planning Instruction

I chose to present a lesson for the third grade level because it is the grade I will be student teaching in. It is also the grade I hope to teach in the future. The students in the classroom I am observing were currently working on expressive writing so I thought developing a lesson that aligns with my time spent in the classroom would be appropriate for my own learning as well. The students had prior knowledge of essay structure. They knew that the first paragraph is an introductory of their topic, that there is a body of writing that is descriptive of the topic, and that there is a conclusion in which wraps up the writing.

           The student’s prior knowledge will be assessed by reviewing the definition of expressive writing through a whole class discussion. The students brainstorming mind map will also be used for assessment that will show the teacher the student understands their own writing process. Rough drafts and final drafts will be used as summative assessments. As the brainstorming artifacts are completed, planning should be very easy from there. The teacher will know whether a student can move on to revising and drafting their finals.
           The standards that are addressed for this grade level (3.W.2) are appropriate because the students at this age have already been taught not only how to read and write but have also be taught the writing process. This lesson strengthens their ability to properly write an essay. The objectives for this lesson align perfectly with the standards I have chosen. The standard is for a student to write informative/explanatory texts which is exactly what the students will do during this lesson. This lesson is meant to be taught at the beginning of the school year because the topic is about the student, their interests, and specific things about them. It’s ideal for this to be instructed at the beginning because the teacher along with all the students should get to know one another. I’ve really enjoyed this implementation of technology and am excited to use it.

Designing Instruction

            I am using the instructional methods I have described in my lesson because during the writing process one must brainstorm what they want to write about before they should start writing a paper. Mind maps are used to be organized and thorough with your thoughts. I believe that is the best way to start a writing piece. Students are engaged throughout my lesson because they have the opportunity to talk about anything they want, but it must be about themselves. In general, students love to talk about themselves.

Planning Assessment

            This assessment aligns with the standards and objectives addressed because the students are to create topic which is about themselves and be able to convey their ideas and information clearly in a final draft essay piece. In the students final draft of their paper they must have an introductory paragraph, a body, and a conclusion paragraph in which they will put together themselves. The students mind map that was created on mindmeister.com will show the students level of engagement in higher order thinking because it won’t be just full sentences, but words that can trigger a basic idea in which they can eventually write into sentences.

How does your lesson meet each of the ISTE NETs Standards?

            Standard 1 is met by the students creating their own mind map and essay.

            Standard 2 is met by the teacher providing computers and a printer for all students.

Standard 3 is met by instructing the students on how to use the web mindmeister.com and instructing them to print their work as an assessment when completed.

            Standard 4 is met by the teacher providing the log in information for all students and monitoring their work while using the computers. The teacher will be available at all times to assist when students need help.