Thanksgiving Unit
I quickly learned that using a variety of methods to teach was not only a good idea, but an imperative. Different students sometimes required different methods but also, varying my approach seemed to promote problem-solving skills and student critical thinking. For example, I used a PowerPoint on the Smart board, art activities that included writing skills, a song about the first Thanksgiving, and IEP goals into my plans. A variety of methods were used to assess student learning. I used mostly informal assessment but I also used a KWL chart to determine what the students already knew. After the lesson I had the students complete the KWL to find out what they learned. I incorporated both visual and hands-on activities for the class since the students were visual/kinesthetic learners. To manage the learning environment I had a set process to transition students from one group to the next. Before the lesson I discussed and explained to the class what they will do at each station and clarified to insure they understood the directions. As a backup I included a hand-out at each station that explained what the student should do at the workstation.
Sound Unit
TEACHING: For my sounds unit I used a PowerPoint and books I checked out from the public library. The students I taught loved engaging PowerPoint presentations and books. I thought it would be a great idea to add sounds to a PowerPoint. The presentation was a huge success! The students wanted to watch and hear the PowerPoint numerous times. Using the books and PowerPoint helped the students become more aware of the different sounds around them.
Matter Unit
ASSESSMENT: For my pre-assessment on matter I asked students questions verbally. For example, I asked the students, "What is matter?" and "What are the three states of matter?" The students could not answer my questions without guided help from one of the assistants. For my assessment the students completed a worksheet on solids and liquids. The students had to match the pictures to the correct category. I chose this assessment because most of the students needed extra help on their fine motor skills and this involved cutting pictures, pasting, and coloring. I also had a file folder to use as an assessment for one student. I felt the student would have had difficulty completing the worksheet. The results were very good!
MANAGEMENT: For this placement I did not have any problems with classroom management. If a problem occurred with a student I took away some of their recess time. The student learned very quickly to stay on task. I also had another student who loved to constantly talk about anything. For this student I gave a booklet of sticky notes. If the student had a question or statement that did not pertain to the lesson, they were instructed to write down their question/statement on the sticky note pad. I then told the student we would talk about what they wrote during recess if they felt it was necessary to discuss with me. This particular student hated writing so this particular tool worked extremely well in this case.
