Reflect upon your experiences this semester with meeting the competencies under Domain #1 (Planning and Preparation). Consider what artifacts and documents you have which fulfill this domain. You can reflect upon experiences from your field placement and your methods block courses. Consider first what you have done in social studies, and then examine mathematics, reading/language arts, and science.
This blog represents the first draft of the reflective essay you will use for Domain #1 in your professional portfolio.
Under domain #1 of Danielson’s framework of planning and preparation, I have prepared many lessons. In methods of how to teach social studies, I have had the opportunity to prepare a lesson plan on two communities. It was nice to be able to choose anything to do the lesson on because there are no materials given for social studies at Donegal. At Donegal, I have only observed social studies, but will be teaching social studies for the full two weeks in December. I have taught mathematics at least 4 times. I have prepared many different lesson plans. The preparation for mathematics takes a lot of time to take the material from the Basel (Everyday Mathematics) and turn it into a lesson plan. I have taken my biggest challenge and have taught it. I still get nervous every time, however, I am slowly overcoming that with the practice I get by teaching it each week.
ReplyDeleteI have picked up two different subjects as I became comfortable with math. I taught reading and writing for the first time last week. The preparation for reading and writing come from Journeys. The information comes so naturally to me that I am at ease when I am teaching. It is convenient that writing and reading go together. Like the writing assignments usually go along with the reading assignment that occur that day or the day prior. There is no extra time or space to fit anything other than what is written in the text to teach. Science is not in my classroom, yet I have seen it once. I have not had the opportunity to teach or prepare any lessons at Donegal, but have had the opportunity to prepare a lesson plan based off the Foss Kit. Science is hard to plan, however using Foss is helpful because it gives you exactly what you need to teach the students. It thinks of every aspect of the lesson and comes with supplies to have in the classroom. IT would be very helpful to use this in the classroom and I am excited to see how that works. Unfortunately, I will not be teaching science during my two-week period because I will be teaching social studies (the two classrooms switch after the cycle).
Overall, I have lesson plans and many handouts from all of my classes from methods block to incorporate into my portfolio to show planning and preparation. After having the opportunity to create the lessons, I realize how much time is needed to set aside for planning.
Under Planning and Preparation, I feel that I have a lot of experience. I have needed to create and plan many lessons from previous ED courses and from Methods Block. I have the physical lessons as evidence of this to add to my portfolio and also the experience of helping my co-op teacher prepare for her lessons. I am often doing things throughout the day that help her prepare for lessons such as making copies, deciding groups, and figuring out which lessons to teach when. I really like this part of my field placement because it is the behind-the-scenes work that ED courses do not teach you about. I see every Thursday the materials my teacher needs to get together and the things that are already provided for her.
ReplyDeleteIn Social Studies, planning and creating the integrative lesson plan and our lesson demonstration, has made me dive into Social Studies materials and resources and see what is out there. I had never needed to plan for a Social Studies lesson before but I have seen the potential for really good integration with other subjects.
In Math, I have had to create multiple lessons so far and a large unit that shows how each lesson needs to feed into each other. This was beneficial because I had to create activities that would incorporate with each other well and flow. One lesson needed to contain a game and one lesson needed to contain an interactive website. These different types of lessons forced me to include different learning styles.
In Reading and Writing, I did not have to create as many lessons as the other subjects but I have seen different ways of preparing for a lesson and different activities and strategies that work well. The textbooks we have has prepared me with multiple ideas that I have used in my field placement already and that the students really seem to enjoy.
In Science, I have not needed to create many lesson plans either, except for planning the Into the Wild event and the Lights On event. These lessons can show how a multitude of lessons can all be incorporated into one large event for children. The large FOSS unit we need to create in groups has also made me plan a way to incorporate more than one lesson into a unit.
I feel that I have had enough experience and practice with the requirements in this domain to fully understand the extent of what teachers need to do.
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ReplyDeleteFor Domain #1 of Danielson’s Domain, there are several artifacts that demonstrate planning and preparation in the classroom. During social studies, I wrote an integrative lesson plan for a second grade classroom. In the lesson, students are reading a book about Egypt then writing about what material is still used from Egypt today and why they are grateful to have it. This integrative lesson plan is a great way to make sure there is time for students to learn about social studies when there is such a push for language arts and math instruction.
ReplyDeleteIn methods class for math, I wrote an interactive lesson plan. Although this lesson plan was not actually taught to anyone, I think it is a great way to use different resources with students to learn content knowledge. In this lesson, students are learning about tangrams, which is a difficult concept to grasp so they are using a lot of manipulatives. They will be using paper first to make their own tangrams then progress into using a smart board and a computer game to practice the tangrams on their own. Many of the lesson plans I wrote in math class utilize different resources for teaching math to students other than just skill and drill. In my placement, the students are completing a lot of skill and drill math problems instead of using manipulatives or other activities to learn math. I think this is the reason many of them are struggling to learn simple math calculations because there is no meaning behind it.
For science methods class, I experienced a lot of preparing for large events. I was able to prepare a lesson plan for Come into the Wild. The students are making ladybug wings, which they can wear on their back. Another event that I prepared the material for was Camp Curtain’s Lights On. Both of these events gave me insight on how difficult it can be to prepare a lesson for a large group of students, especially if their ages vary.
In methods class for reading and writing, we had to do a case study on one student from placement that has difficulty reading and writing compared to their classmates. Throughout the whole semester, I have been taking anecdotal records, conducting interviews, and analyzing my student’s reading and writing. This project gave me insight on how to learn about the needs of students in the classroom, as well as how to assess their reading level and watch their growth over the school year. Although I was just observing one student, I have learned several techniques of how to learn more about my students. One idea that I will take with me is having one on one interviews with my students. Over the course of the semester, I started to realize how much stuff actually goes into preparing a lesson as well as assessments of students.
Under Domain #1, Planning and Preparation, I believe that I have valuable knowledge and experience. Over the course of my field placement I have been able to further develop my understanding of effective planning and preparation for the classroom. I feel that planning and preparation involves multiple elements including knowing the developmental levels of the students that I will be teaching, having resources and materials prepared, having background knowledge about the material I will be instructing, as well as, lesson plans that help outline the lesson in which I am going to teach.
ReplyDeleteFor Social Studies, I have been able to integrate appropriate Social Studies material into Reading and Writing lessons that I have instructed. I have been able to create Social Studies artifacts that promote student involvement, engagement, and participation. Also, through a lesson demonstration on citizenship, I have realized how important it is to plan and prepare in order for students to grasp the full importance of citizenship in association with the study of Social Studies, as well as, its importance in their everyday lives.
In Science I have been able to investigate and explore the concept of Earth, Moon, and Stars through the use of a FOSS Kit. Through this kit I was able to understand and effectively arrange the lesson so that the material is presented in a meaningful way. The FOSS Kit lesson helped show me a different way to plan and prepare for lesson instruction. The FOSS Kit helped me become informed about the material in order to be properly knowledgeable about the subject of study.
In Math, I have gained experience in planning and preparation by developing lessons for a math unit, thus requiring me to ponder what I will teach during a series of different days and how I will assess all the lessons in the end. I have also designed lessons for two math concepts based off an interactive website and a game.
Finally, Reading and Writing has been the subject in which I have had the most practice planning and preparing lessons. The English lessons that I have created revolve around the Reading and Writing level of the small group of students that I worked with. I had to take into consideration the Leveled Reader Book (that is connected with the Basal), the questions that I was going to ask the students, and develop activities that provided the material in a meaningful and effective way.
In conclusion, I feel that Danielson’s first domain, Planning and Preparation, is a key factor in becoming an efficient and successful teacher. It is through this domain that I have showed my ability to organize material so that it is presented in a way that each individual student understands. Through my past planning and preparation I have been able to demonstrate my knowledge of individual students, knowledge of the content, and knowledge of the instructional goals that I want the students to achieve.
Under Danielson's Domain 1, Planning and Preparation, I feel I have a variety of artifacts that display my knowledge and experiences in the four disciplines : Social Studies, Mathematics, Reading/Language Arts, and Science. Throughout my education classes and fieldwork placements I have had the opportunity to plan and prepare many lesson plans across the disciplines. Although I have not personally taught a Social Studies lesson in my current placement, I have observed it and will be teaching it during my full time in December. However, in methods I created a Social Studies lesson plan on Families for Kindergarten which was integrated with not only Reading/Language Arts, but also Math and Art/Creative Expression. Additionally, I am working together with a team to plan, prepare, and execute a lesson demonstration focused on Diversity. This experience will not only further my knowledge on how to write an effective lesson plan, but by working as a team I will gain more experience in working with others which will prepare me for my future career in a school environment.
ReplyDeleteI feel I have the most experience with Math as I have not only planned and prepared several lessons throughout methods block, I have also taught many Math lessons in my placement. I teach Calendar and a Math lesson every time I go to placement and each day I feel more comfortable and confident. My placement uses Saxon Math for Kindergarteners which was new to me when I first arrived. I have never experienced a scripted Math lesson prior to this placement, and I am not sure what my feelings are on the topic. I see both the benefits and disadvantages of having a scripted lesson when I prepare and teach the lesson. I also really enjoy this experience because I integrate a lot of technology into this portion of the day including songs, interactive Smart Board activities, and modeling of math concepts.
I have not yet seen Science in my placement as they switch between Social Studies and Science halfway through the year. However, I have had the opportunity to become familiar with various Elementary and Early Childhood Science Curriculums during methods block. While preparing a lesson on the Life Cycle of Ladybugs, I have been able to dive deep into the GEMS curriculum and really get to know the material and what it has to offer. I have also been caring for Lady Bug Larva and watching their Life Cycle to prepare for my lesson and be comfortable with the content I will be teaching.
Finally, I have experienced planning and preparing for several Reading/Language Arts lessons during my time in Kindergarten. For the past several sessions I have prepared and executed Read Alouds, Shared Readings, and Word Work lessons. I will continue to teach these for the remainder of my time there. I enjoy this experience because I have the opportunity to watch the students develop their skills right before my eyes. In addition, I have had the chance to work closely with one individual student to learn more about their behaviors in the classroom and their skills in the Language Arts.
Danielson’s Domain 1, Planning and Preparation, is an essential “piece” to the portfolio “puzzle”. Without each piece, the puzzle would be incomplete, just as a lesson would be incomplete if the teacher did not plan and prepare for all necessary parts. Planning and Preparation, in my eyes, is building the ground in which the teacher can then build upon. There needs to be a plan, otherwise you will not know how to reach your goal…the standards!
Under Domain #1 Planning and Preparation, I feel that I have many artifacts that fulfill this domain. I have been preparing many lessons in Social Studies, Mathematics, Reading/Language Arts, and Science. By creating lesson plans, I am becoming more familiar with the content and I am learning more about how to help my students learn.
ReplyDeleteFor Social Studies, I have taught two lessons on transportation and anger in my field placement. By preparing these lessons, I have learned more about what goals to focus on for the students and I have learned what to work on with the students. I also created a lesson on Labor Day for the methods class. For all of the Social Studies lessons, I adapted a lesson from a website. This demonstrates that I am learning about resources to use in the classroom. All of these lessons integrate with language arts and I am learning more about how to connect social studies to language arts. I am also going to be teaching a lesson on the United Nations with two group members. We used a video for students to watch which demonstrates using technology and we also selected learning activities that will build on to students’ knowledge and skills.
For Mathematics, I taught a lesson on number stories in my field placement. This lesson was very hard to teach because I did not know what to expect if the students did not understand the concepts. This is why I now know what to work on next time with my students. I also learned that the students needed more emphasis on how to solve number stories. This has made me learn more about my students. I am going to be teaching another math lesson on frames and arrows next week and hopefully I can learn more about what the students know and what need to be taught next. I created many math lessons in math class. I created an activity lesson plan, a math game from my placement on number stories, and a co-teaching lesson plan. All of these lessons have made me learn more about how to create a lesson plan and what resources are available such as videos and books. By having resources, the students are able to learn content in different ways.
For language arts, I have the most amount of lesson plans from my field placement because I have been doing phonics, shared reading, and read alouds almost every week. This has built on my skills and I now know more about my students. I have also become comfortable with the content. For methods class, I created a lesson on making words with two groups of students on different reading levels. This has taught me more about the strengths and weaknesses of my students. I have also gained information about what goals to work on next. The case study project is a great example because I have learned more about my student personally and his writing and reading abilities. It shows me what my student is capable of and what to work on with him.
Finally, for Science I have only taught a storms lesson that integrates with language arts. I have learned more about how Science and Language Arts are connected. Next week, my teacher will be starting to teach from the Foss Balance and Motion. I am looking forward to this because I am currently working on a lesson about tops on Foss Balance and Motion for methods. By creating the lesson, I have learned more about how to teach the content and the goals of what to expect from students. I have also incorporated a video in the lesson. I do not think I like the Foss that much. Even though it is scripted, I wish that there was a way to prepare my own lesson and become more creative.
By planning and preparing different lessons, I have grown and developed more professionally. I have learned more about how to engage the students in learning and what kinds of questions to ask. I have also learned about the standards and what goals to reach. I agree with Kathleen that by planning and preparing, an individual becomes a successful teacher. By planning and preparing lessons, an individual is able to recognize what to change and what to work on for the next time.
When it comes to Danielson’s four domains, I have had much practice at each of them through observations, field placements, and more. The domain I believe I have had the most practice with is the first domain on Planning and Preparation. My general past experiences with this domain include creating lesson plans, units, presentations, activities, learning any material that needs to be taught, and basically my whole life. I say that my whole life fits into Domain 1 because everything I have done has taught me something new or prepared me to be a better teacher including college, working, or even preparing my people-skills.
ReplyDeleteI have seen plenty of planning and preparation in my placements as well by looking at teacher’s lesson plans, and watching them try to get everything set up at the end of one day to be ready for the start of another. I have seen curriculum content and organized schedules. Besides watching my fieldwork teacher’s, I have examined my own professors and seen the difference it makes to come prepared and be organized when teaching.
In social studies I have seen the preparation of a unit. I have continually thought of ways to integrate social studies into different units in a variety of grades. I have worked on taking one social studies lesson and differentiating it to fit a different grades as well as different learners.
In math I have seen the whole cycle of a lesson from conceptualizing, to demonstrating, to finally reflecting upon. I have written lessons, and thought about the days surrounding a lesson, and creating an assessment, and planning to use manipulatives and differentiating instruction.
In reading and writing I have created lessons, and units, and presentations and implemented a handful of them in my field experiences. I have looked at resources and how to appropriately use them. I have gathered useful materials that will be helpful as a teacher such as website resources, ELL toolkits, an assortment of books for my future classroom library, and lastly worked on my reading, presentation, and writing skills so that I can perform my best for my students.
In science I have seen how much preparation is needed to create activities such as family nights, or even an in-class experiment. Science is a hands-on subject and preparing for it is essential to have the right equipment and materials and the right amount of things. I have looked through a variation of kits and materials to learn how to best use them and implement them into the classroom. Science needs so much planning and preparation to go correctly.
I have had so much practice for Danielson’s Domain #1 for planning and preparation.
I have much experience in Domain 1, Planning and Preparation, of Danielson’s domains. I have planned and prepared many lessons in my career at Elizabethtown College. Most of the lessons have been during junior block, but in many of my other classes, I have thought about lessons and written informal plans on how to carry one out. In my field placements, I have seen a lot of the behind-the-scene work that needs to take place to make a lesson run smoothly. I am always copying papers, setting up tables, organizing information, and planning for the day in my junior block placement. I have learned to adapt lessons in the heat of the moment along with all the work you need to do before hand and how difficult it really is to plan not only lessons, but units as well.
ReplyDeleteIn math, I worked on planning a three-day unit on fractions with a partner. Much effort was needed in order to do this and to make sure students understood the concept from beginning to end. It was also challenging to plan the entire unit, including accommodations and testing. Overall, I felt the lesson planning was very successful and can be used in a classroom. In addition, I wrote lessons pertaining to using games and interactive websites in the classroom. I have learned how to meet the needs of all of my students and their many different learning styles.
In science, I have worked on creating one main unit using the FOSS science kit. I have also planned and taught two lessons, one for Into the Wild, and another for Camp Curtin Lights On event. Both lessons, I felt were very successful and students really enjoyed learning science in a different atmosphere.
In reading and writing, I have only created lessons that I actually taught in the classroom. I have learned a lot about the importance of strong lessons, including the importance of anyone being able to teach the lesson they way you expect it to be taught. I have many ideas about different games I can use in my classroom to teach composition, spelling, and writing techniques that are needed for a successful future. We also had to do a case study on one student, observing their reading, writing techniques, analyzing them, and figuring out what to do next to help this student.
Social studies has been a subject that I hated all of my life, until now. I have learned a lot, including the fact that social studies does not have to be boring. I learned how to incorporate many different subjects into a lesson and how to make it fun by doing more hands-on things in the classroom. I also worked on preparing a unit on community leaders that will be taught to the class.
In previous years, I have also created many lessons and units. One of my favorite was a kindergarten unit on animals that I created in Integrated Technology II. This was a lot of fun and was a lesson that truly showed my interest and dedication. In ED250, I created a lesson on Halloween and had my students draw what they would be for Halloween and write the word the best they could. All of the students enjoyed doing this and did a great job at sounding out the words and spelling them to the best of their abilities.
In conclusion, I feel like I have the most experience with planning and preparation and I feel that this will not be an issue in my future. I am a very structured person and will have everything planned as well as ideas on how to change and rearrange lessons in order to fit any “surprises” that I might face. Through all of my planning, I have realized how important it is to think about each individual student and how they will react to a lesson at any given moment. I know this is the domain that I am most comfortable with.
For Domain #1 of Danielson’s Domain, there are several artifacts that demonstrate planning and preparation throughout my fieldwork experiences, as well as in my experiences in my education classes at Elizabethtown College. This domain consist of artifacts that represent understanding of the content I am teaching, as well as personalizing learning by knowing my students. I have been able to demonstrate knowledge of content and pedagogy, knowledge of students, designed coherent instruction, and have demonstrated knowledge of resources.
ReplyDeleteThe first artifact in this domain is an integrative lesson plan for social studies and language arts. The lesson teaches students about sequencing the main events in a story and physical characteristics of different countries through a read aloud and t-chart activity. I taught this lesson during my Methods fieldwork to a second grade class during their social studies time period. In planning this lesson I made sure that it was coherent with what the students were learning in their class. Their shared reading that day introduced the student to sequencing, while their social studies unit for the week focused on characteristics of different countries and continents. I thought this lesson was coherent to what the students were learning in the classroom for the week. This lesson went over really well with the students in the classroom, and they were able to answer questions and participate in the activity using their background knowledge from their shared reading and their previous social studies lessons.
The second artifact in this domain is a Kid Watching Study in which both reading and writing analyses were conducted and recorded. This study was conducted during my Methods Fieldwork at Taylor Elementary School. The artifact consists of a reflection that I did at the end of the study to reflect on how the student was learning, and what is developed and what is developing with her reading and writing abilities. By participating in this study I was able to acquire knowledge of this particular student. With this knowledge I feel that I am able to come up with strategies to help her have success with reading and writing. Having knowledge of all of your students is an essential part of planning and preparation. This study allowed for me to get a glimpse of how important having knowledge of your students really is to being a successful teacher.
The third artifact in this domain is a 5E Lesson Plan that I created that goes along with a lesson presented in the STC Science kit: Changes. This lesson demonstrates knowledge of resources that might be seen in the classroom. This lesson plan allowed me to explore the STC: Changes unit, as well as allowed for me to explore the great resources that the unit provided for a teacher to provide a hand-on science lesson for their students. I was able to teach this lesson in my Methods Block to pre-service teachers, which gave me great experience and knowledge of resources that can be used to teach science at the elementary level.
The fourth artifact in this domain is a math lesson plan on double addition facts that I presented to my math methods class. This lesson taught students how to use picture cards to learn and practice double addition facts. With this lesson I was able to build content knowledge of basic addition strategies for elementary students. I was also able to build pedagogy knowledge by planning the lesson and presenting it to pre-service teachers. Creating and presenting this lesson plan was a great experience for building upon my content and pedagogy knowledge.
Overall, I feel that I have been able to develop a variety of artifacts that demonstrate planning and preparation in all the core subject areas at the elementary level. Throughout my time here at Elizabethtown College I have been able to develop quality skills and strategies for planning and preparing lessons for my classes and fieldwork experiences.
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ReplyDeleteAs I have progressed in my career as a pre-service educator, I have built a repertoire of plans and ideas to take with me to my own classroom. I have worked to build strong a foundation in Danielson’s Domain #1, Planning and Preparation through my fieldwork experience and pre-professional classes. I have prepared lesson plans and materials that are meant to be specifically engaging and thought provoking for young learners. Centering on the subject of social studies, I created an integrated lesson plan that seeks to teach students about community helpers while learning about the community efforts of the ancient Greeks, Hippocrates and Pythagoras. The lesson integrates the arts and humanities through emphasizing learning through role-play. Ideally, I plan to teach social studies as its own subject, but in case I am faced with curriculum restrictions, I plan to integrate social studies into other subject areas as an alternative.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I created and taught a language arts lesson specifically tailored to teaching children an inquiry strategy of asking “thick and thin questions.” This strategy was taught using a historical fiction book, The Other Side, by Jacqueline Woodson, which focuses on racism before the Civil Rights Act, a theme that the children explored while reading a previous text. In preparing for this lesson, I collected and planned to use materials that would complement the concrete learning that my 4th grade children grasp so enthusiastically! Students wrote and differentiated their thick and thin questions into each category by writing on different sized (3x3 and 3x1) sticky notes to represent where “thick” and “thin” questions belong. I also prepared an alternative T-chart for students who felt more comfortable organizing their ideas through graphs instead of sticky notes.
In the area of mathematics, I prepared a lesson for my 4th grade students to learn the concepts of flips, slides, and turns through physical movement. I planned to teach mathematical concepts of flips, slides, and turns by using their bodies before applying these concepts to shapes. I prepared to emphasize the use of movement while learning conceptually in order to appeal to kinesthetic learners and auditory learners. I planned to appeal again to kinesthetic and visual learners by encouraging children to manipulate sets of pentomino shapes at their desks.
For science planning, I worked to plan, set-up, and implement a lesson to 3 and 4-year-old students during a 1.5 hour activity day, “Into the Wild.” Using the preparation resources, Into the Wild and Project Learning Tree, as a basis for instruction I prepared materials such 60 4x5 ft sheets of butcher paper, collected leaves, created vocabulary labels, and designed the station set-up for the college sponsored event. After students’ bodies were traced to look like trees, children used materials such as leaves, yarn (roots), and crayons to decorate and label their trees.
Through planning and preparing for each of these lessons, I feel as though I have grown a great deal professionally due to my ability to understand what is important to plan for teaching an effective and engaging lesson. I must look at our students’ unique learning styles and determine how to best teach the children in my class. I must determine how to best appeal to different learning styles, and how to create and organize lesson materials that will help complement my lesson plan. In addition, I must plan for instruction reflectively by determining how I can improve from the lesson prior in order to offer an improved learning experience to my students.
I have had a great number of experiences with the first domain: Planning and Preparation throughout my education classes at Elizabethtown College and the related field placements. I have written lesson plans in Reading, Writting, Math, Science, and Social Studies, some of which I have had the opportunity to teach. The artifacts I have placed in this domain demonstrate my knowledge of all four content areas as well as my knowledge of how to use technology to teach the content. Each artifact takes into account the knowledge I have about the students I am teaching. The artifacts also include a variety of types of assessment to evaluate what each student knows and/or can do.
ReplyDeleteThe first artifact is a powerpoint for a lesson I taught to a third grade class on Symmetry at my field placement at Milton Hershey School. The powerpoint was projected onto a smartboard and students came up to the smartboard to draw lines of symmetry on a variety of shapes resulting in an interactive experience for the students with this important math concept that they will definitely see on the PSSA.
The second artifact is a reflection on my experience working with a struggling reader. I observed, took notes, asked her questions about her experiences with reading and writing, listened to her read, updated her running record, did a DIBELS test, and did a miscue analysis on her over the course of the semester all in hopes of gaining a better understanding of her as a reader.
The third artifact is a lesson plan for a co-teaching lesson I taught with a partner to my peers as part of my Methods of Teaching Elementary Math class. This lesson demonstrates one way of planning instruction that meets the needs of both students who understand previously introduced material and are ready to move on and students who need additional scaffolding in their understanding of fractions. This lesson would be at a 5th grade instructional level and may need to be further adapted to meet the needs of the particular students in a specific classroom.
The two artifacts in 1d demonstrate my knowledge of two different types of resources. The math lesson plan demonstrates my knowledge of interactive websites and ways to use them to teach and assess students. The second artifact is an interview I did with a person from Head Start, a social service agency, for a special education class. As part of this project, each member of the class interviewed a member of a social services agency and shared their agency with the class. A “social service contact file” was then compiled and each member of the class received a copy that we can now use as a resource to help families in our schools.
The last two artifacts relate to assessment of students. The unit grid was an assignment of an Assessment class I took. We created a unit outline based on a particular grade, and then created the grid to show what content knowledge and what level of thinking (Bloom’s Taxonomy) we would assess for that unit. The last artifact I included is also from the Assessment class; it is my Philosophy of Assessment based on what I had learned in that class.
In regards to Danielson’s first Domain, Planning and Preparation, I have included a variety of artifacts that encompass the essence and purpose of this domain. The discipline of social studies is represented through an integrated lesson for a fifth grade classroom about ancient Egypt. The students are to create their ultimate society based off of the information they gather during research, other lessons, and class discussions. This lesson fits into domain one because it demonstrates exactly what I expect from my students, the type of lessons I believe are most engaging and helpful to students, and it has does not have a paper and pencil assessment of the information, which hints at my philosophy of education and of assessment.
ReplyDeleteMy second artifact for Domain one is a lesson I wrote for my field placement in a kindergarten classroom. It is a lesson on the sight words here and went. I use a variety of methods to teach the students these two words. I have them highlight them in a short book that we read as a class, we chanted them as a class, we found them on our word wall, and we read a big book so the students could find them in context. This reading lesson demonstrates Planning and Preparation of the lesson well. I had to find two books that had both sight words and other sight words so the students could review what they should already know. I also had to incorporate a method that my cooperating teacher always uses, but I would not necessarily use it in my own classroom. I intertwined the different methods to create a well rounded lesson in which my kindergarteners were engaged, motivated to participate, focused, and most importantly learning.
During my methods block, I have also created a math lesson, for grade two, that exudes the qualities of domain one. My interactive lesson plan, in which the students use technology to learn, shows many examples of planning and preparation. In the lesson, the students are using an interactive geoboard found on the computer, along with the Smartboard to learn geometric shapes. Because of the technology being used, I had to set up the computers and Smartboard for this lesson so students know what website they should be on. I would also be organizing several worksheets for the students to record their findings when they are doing independent work on the computer. Lastly, the students would need explicit directions on what to do and what not to do during this lesson, so I would have to choose several points to talk with the class about before the lesson even begins.
My final artifact in Domain one is an assessment plan chart. This chart is a model of what I would create in order to assess my students. It explains the different types of assessment I would be using during a given unit. The assessment chart demonstrates the main objectives of the lesson, and the formative and summative assessments that will be used during this lesson. This artifact corresponds to this domain and the other artifacts in it because it provides an example of how I would plan to assess my students, and also it shows the variety of assessments that can be used in one unit. This artifact also represents some of my assessment philosophy for younger grades. The assessments are not arbitrary, they assess what is taught in the lessons, which aides the teacher in reflecting on what needs to still be taught, and it assists the students gain feedback on their performance.
Overall, my artifacts in this domain articulates what I have done in my college career that represents planning and preparation. Two of the artifacts were for field placements and two were for my education classes, but whether they were for placement or my classes, they taught me that planning and preparing lessons and types of assssment for your classroom allows you to have a stronger presents in the classroom when you are teaching because you ultimately know what you want your outcomes to be for each lesson.
There are many things that Domain #1 Planning and Preparation have taught me. I have learned how to write lesson plans and prepare to teach that lesson, I have learned how to watch the students to see how best they learn, I have gained many resources from our professors and will use as many of them that I can to help me teach my students.
ReplyDeleteIn meeting with the competencies under Domain #1 Planning and Preparation I have gained knowledge about social studies--especially history, geography, economics, and civics and government. I have learned many different methods for teaching, reviewing, and learning new information about social studies through my methods block course. It has given me many resources that I plan on using in the future. My favorite ones are the list of websites to get ideas about lesson plans on any social studies topic and even how to integrate it into other subjects. An artifact for Domain #1 for Social Studies is my Integrated Lesson Plan.
In meeting with the competencies under Domain #1 Planning and Preparation I have gained knowledge about mathematics. I have learned that there are many different students and they learn in many different ways. Teaching students different methods for learning a specific topic takes manipulating objects--for example using pattern blocks to teach shape and color patterns--and numbers to create and solve equations. An artifact for Domain #1 for Mathematics is my Co-Teaching Lesson Plan because it has different ways to teach patterns and uses different manipulatives.
In meeting with the competencies under Domain #1 Planning and Preparation I have gained knowledge about Reading and Language Arts. I have learned how to teach reading, writing, spelling, and talking about all of them in many different ways. I will use word wall words to play games like wordo, spelling games, and many others. I really enjoy using Patricia Cunningham's book Phonics They Use because it teaches you many ways to teach words. She is a great resource. An artifact for Domain #1 for Language Arts is my Field Placement Lesson Plan on Final Blends. I think that one represents the most thought out work and shows how teaching final blends and reviewing them in a fun game promotes literacy.
In meeting with the competencies under Domain #1 Planning and Preparation I have gained knowledge about Science. There are four main categories in science--The Nature of Science, Biological Science, Physical Science, and Earth and Space Science. The best way to teach students science is to give them hands on experiences. Have them work on the experiments, have them make observations out loud, and give them the experiences. The best way to help them remember what they have learned is to teach them how to use a science notebook and write or draw their observations, ideas, or questions. Students will enjoy using their notebooks to help them remember what they have learned and what they want to know and help them communicate what they think is important.
Throughout my field placement and my methods block classes I have had many opportunities to experience Danielson's first domain of planning and preparation. I feel that planning does not only include preparing lessons, but also, having resources and materials for my lessons prepared a head of time, understanding the developmental levels of my students, and having background knowledge about the concepts I am teaching. Planning is such an essential job for an educator. It is important to prepare your lessons to ensure that your students will gain the most from you. I have included a variety of artifacts that represent my knowledge and experience of Domain #1.
ReplyDeleteIn my field placement I have had many experiences with planning and preparation. Each week my Co-op and I take time, while the students are Specials, to plan her lessons for the following week. We discuss what we have accomplished this week and decide what she needs to teach for the following week. I also help to prepare for the day by making copies, getting materials ready, and setting up the doc cam.
In social studies I have had the opportunity to create an integrated lesson plan where I designed a lesson that has students learn about Pilgrims and their voyage to America on the Mayflower. It incorporates Language Arts as students are to read a story about the journey and write a letter about the experience to a family member back in England.
In science I have prepared a unit on water using a Foss kit. This includes three 5E lesson plans for the three investigations students will complete during the unit. The Foss kit helped to expand my background information on the topic to help me prepare for teaching the lesson.
In math I have created an interactive lesson plan where students will use a website to help deepen their understanding for the concept of adding with regrouping. It was important for me to explore the website first to ensure that this would be the best activity for students to practice the concept. I have also created three lesson plans that will be co-taught to our methods block class. The three lessons model three days of teaching math and how I will assess the students on their understanding of the concept.
In English I have had many opportunities to create lesson plans. I developed a lesson for my Co-op using her Journey's Anthology. I learned how to explore this basal and develop a lesson from its concepts. This was a good experience for me because I have never planned a lesson through a scripted text. I was able to see that although the lessons were scripted it is still important to plan and organize my materials in order to make the lesson appropriate for all of the students.
Through my field placement and method block classes I feel that I have gained a valuable experience in Domain #1. I have been able to create lessons and organize materials that will be presented in a way that all students understand. I feel that I have been able to demonstrate my knowledge in individual students and the content I will be teaching. Through these experiences I have learned how valuable planning is for educators.
This semester as a methods block student, I have begun to learn, not only the content of what I will teach, but also how I will prepare, implement, and evaluate strategies for students to learn it. The planning and preparation aspect of the teaching process is important because it determines the success of instruction.
ReplyDeleteMy integrative lesson plan in social studies required me to think about the learning objectives and concepts that I wanted students to learn and to write clear procedures for the lesson so that anyone who read it could implement it as I intended and achieve the same instructional goal.
In my field placement, I have become increasingly aware of the incredible amount of preparation necessary to create engaging and effective instruction and a classroom environment conducive to learning. For a Making Words spelling lesson that I taught to my students, I had to copy, cut, and organize letters into envelopes for each student; the large amount of materials preparation made the lesson flow smoothly. The lesson also required me to plan the progression of words that students would make; having written this out, I was able to stay quick on my feet and keep the pacing of the lesson moving to continuously engage the students.
In the development of a science unit, I am applying my knowledge of curriculum mapping to see the “big picture” of teaching and learning while also planning for the specific instructional techniques. The preparation of materials is also extensive and time consuming and requires me to work together in our group to remain organized. Without this preparation, our actual teaching of the unit to our peers would be inefficient and meaningless, and students would not learn.
Likewise, in math, the creation of a mini unit on geometric thinking has required me think about context and plan for before and after lessons. I also had to reacquaint myself with the content and learn how to teach it in more meaningful ways than I learned it myself.
As pre-service teachers, planning and preparation are important skills to learn. While writing extensive lesson plans may seem tedious at times, the ability to plan for content goals to meet state and national standards, classroom management, and instructional methods is critical to our success as teachers and to our students’ success.
Danielson’s four domains of professional development prepare pre-service educators to become effective teachers of the future. Throughout my time at Elizabethtown College, I have had the opportunity to practice planning and preparation through both my education classes, and in my field placements in a variety of schools in many different communities.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have not yet had the opportunity to teach a social studies lesson, my methods class has prepared me by refreshing my memory on social studies topics such as history, geography, economics, and civics and government. As well as learning about social studies within my classroom, I was also required to prepare a social studies lesson that integrated reading and writing.
I feel most comfortable, and have had the most practice in preparing and planning for reading and writing. I taught many lessons during my field placement at the Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. More recently I have written, and taught a more formal lesson plan to my third grade class at South Lebanon Elementary School in Lebanon. It was a learning experience, and really helped me understand how much detail needs to be included in a lesson plan for it to run smoothly.
I have also had the opportunity to plan and create a 5E lesson plan for my science methods class. We also performed the lesson plan to our peers. It was a new kind of lesson plan I had never seen before, and gave me another way to help my students learn, and enjoy science. I have also had practice planning science day for pre-school aged students. I, along with my peers in my methods block classes wrote lesson plans, gathered materials, set up, and executed a program called, “into the wild” which taught students about different aspects of Pennsylvania’s environment and ecology. It was a difficult task, but it was very effective, and we received a lot of positive feedback.
Finally, I have also had practice within my math methods class. We have created a variety of lessons, including an interactive lesson plan that allows the students to be actively involved by using an online source, and hopefully help them enjoy math.
Not only have my classes at Elizabethtown College, prepared me to effectively plan lessons and activities, but they have also taught me about standards, objectives, essential questions, and how to effectively use them within the classroom. Through our methods class, we have continuously practiced using the standards to create valuable lesson plans. Through my pre-professional development, I feel I have made a great deal of progress working toward Danielson’s first domain of planning and preparation.
Throughout my courses at Elizabethtown college, my knowledge and application of Domain One: Planning and Preparation has grown and strengthened. The Methods Block courses, along with field placement really provided me with the chance to learn about all four of the domains.
ReplyDeleteI have learned how important it is to prepare and plan effectively in advance to become a quality educator. I have had many experiences planning and preparing lessons and units to fulfill this domain. In the content area of social studies one artifact that I have is a lesson plan for an integrative social studies and language arts lesson. The lesson includes teaching social studies content information: the concept of different cultural communities by comparing the indigenous cultures of South America to the culture we live in, in the present day United States. This is tied to language arts because after collecting data and information on the different cultures, the students will be assigned a pen pal from South America and they will have to a write a letter to that student. I also had the practice of planning a lesson which focused on differentiation between grade levels, first and fifth grade specifically. The lesson was on Ancient Egyptian civilization and in addition to the regular lesson, it gave ways the lesson could be adapted for a different grade level.
In the area of mathematics, I have also been able to develop my skills of lesson planning. I have written multiple lesson plans thats focus on many different skill levels and strategies. One of which is included is a lesson geared toward the second grade on the topic of multiplication. I planned the lesson so that the students are interactive with each other and technology all while developing fluency and skill in basic facts of multiplication.
In the area of language arts/reading I have been preparing a unit for the novel, Island of the Blue Dolphins. I have included several of these artifacts due to the levels of planning and preparation which they required.
In science, I had the opportunity to work with the FOSS science investigation kits and plan lessons in a unit on Water. This was a very interesting process and made me consider the amount of planning and preparation that a teach may need to do to get ready for a major science experiment.
This semester has really helped me to develop my planning and preparation skills as a pre-service teacher. By looking at all aspects of planning and preparation in different subject areas I have a better understanding of Domain number 1.
Through both methods block and field placement, this semester, I strongly feel that I have gained both knowledge and practice within regards to Danielson's first domain of planning and preparation. To me planning and preparation is not just merely typing up a lesson plan for next week ahead of time. Planning and preparation consist of taking into account your intended goals, understanding of the particular conept(background knowledge) of both self and students, and how your students learn best. During the lunch/planning period and at the end of the day my co-op and I sit down and discuss these very things because planning and preparation is an essential part to lesson planning, or more importantly teaching. This being said I make sure to put a lot of time into the planning and preparation part of all of my lesson both for my placement and for method block classes which as a result have given me numberous possibilities of what I can include in my portfolio under Danielson's first domain.
ReplyDeleteI believe that my integrated social studies lesson plan on discrimination and segregation for fifth grade would be a great asset for this particular domain. This integrated lesson plan not only focuses on social studies, but also language arts which is seen through the use of a journal which at the conclusion of the lesson is collected and read as a way of assessing the students knowledge and comprehension of the lesson. Besides the inclusion of the journal, this lesson also entails a great deal of preparation before the actual lesson (taking into considerations your students' needs, arranging the room in a particular way, gathering/collecting pictures, and more).
For math I have also had the opportunity to create a math lesson which falls into Danielson's first domain of planning and preparation in regards to the knowledge of technology. This particular lesson involved the use of an interactive website which teaches how to tell time and allows practice using an interactive clock. For this lesson the knowledge of not only how to use a computer but how to use the website is needed and learned will simutaneously learning a necessary mathematical concept.
The last artifact which I can include under Danielson's first domain of palnning and preparation is a langauge arts lesson plan that I carried out in my placement. When my co-op assigned me with this particular lesson, she told me that my goal was to develop a lesson which would teach the concept of a folktale. I thought long and hard on how I would tackle this particular task, and personally I feel I came up with one great lesson plan especially seeing its effective results after I had taught it.
Unfortunately, I have not yet had the chance to develop and artifact for this domain which involves science; however, I still feel that I have learned and developed many things which fall into Danielson's first domain. Through both my field placement and methods block I have had great experiences with planning and preparation, and through these experiences I have not only gained a better understanding, but also I have been able to demonstrate just how planning and prepartion is when it comes to teaching.
Danielson’s first domain consists of Planning and Preparation. Planning and preparation requires dedication and devotion to finding appropriate resources in order to optimize students’ learning experiences. I have multiple artifacts that demonstrate my commitment to planning and preparation in both field experiences and educational courses at Elizabethtown College. These artifacts display my overall understanding of constructing coherent and organized lessons that have specific objectives. Furthermore, these artifacts show evidence of my knowledge of the standards and how to align them with both the lesson and assessment. The individual student and the various pedagogical knowledge utilized to reach each student is apparent throughout these artifacts.
ReplyDeleteThe first artifact under planning and preparation is a social studies lesson which integrates writing. This 40 minute lesson teaches a class of second grade students how to write a friendly letter to a veteran. The main purpose of this lesson was for students to be able to understand the significance of veterans and their service to our country. Students wrote letters thanking veterans for their dedication and commitment to protecting us. I emphasized to students that they are able to enjoy certain activities because of veterans and soldiers who are willing to protect us. It was important that students made this connection and I helped scaffold their ideas by making a template they could follow. Students were encouraged to add their own thoughts and messages into the letter as well. I formatted the letter paper ahead of time so there were lines already on the patriotic bordered paper that followed the five main parts of a friendly letter.I made sure I had extra paper for those students who finished early and wanted to write a second letter or those who made an error. Furthermore, I encouraged students to draw some patriotic pictures and symbols on the bottom of their papers, when finished writing. By having alternative tasks prepared all students were engaged and busy working throughout the entire 40 minutes. Plus, preparing a template ahead of time allowed all learners in the class to construct a meaningful letter to a veteran.
The second artifact under planning and preparation is a 5-E science lesson plan developed for second grade students surrounding the topic called changes. STC or Science & Technology for Children was the series the lesson was based around.STC provided various supplies and resources in order to provide a hands-on inquiry approach to science learning. I had the opportunity to teach the 5-E lesson to my methods block class so they could gain an understanding of how the series could be utilized in the classroom. I provided them with information pre-service teachers should know about how to navigate this manual and use the various resources to their advantage.
The third artifact is a Kid-Watching project which was part of my methods fieldwork requirement in which an individual student’s writing and reading was analyzed. This study was conducted over a several month period at Bonfield Elementary. Multiple interviews with the student were conducted as well as observations of the student in various environments throughout the school day. This study has given me insight on the knowledge and understanding teachers must gain in order to prepare their students for the next stage in the learning process. Plus, I had to utilize my resources and pedagogical knowledge of reading and writing in order to help develop a plan of action for this student to improve the students’ reading and writing skills.
ReplyDeleteThe fourth artifact is a co-teaching lesson that was developed for my methods block class. A fellow colleague and I prepared a lesson together which focused on the relation of fractions and decimals. We not only developed this main lesson but we designed a proceeding lesson as well as a prior lesson in order to plan the sequencing of concepts and objectives. This helped us to ensure that the students’ learning were at a developmentally appropriate rate and context. In addition, we meet several times throughout the planning of this lesson and located various resources that helped strengthen our overall lesson. Also, we developed an assessment that aligned with the standards and evaluated students learning of the main concepts.
Overall, planning and preparation is necessary in order to ensure powerful teaching and learning. By using pedagogical knowledge, resources, and knowledge of my intended students I have been able to design and carry out effective lessons.
I have not seen Social Studies at this point in the school year. I feel my ability to plan and prepare has improved throughout methods block. At no other time in my college career have i had so much going on simultaneously. I have to stay on top of things or I will be lost. Also spending an entire day in the school, I see how to best use down time and plan for the unexpected. I've seen how events in the classroom can throw off the rhythm of the teacher and how her preparation got her back on track. I've also witness how the help of your fellow teachers can steer you in the right direction. Planning and preparation isn't just an individual thing, it's a team effort.
ReplyDeleteI think my first artifact will be my lesson plan on synonyms and antonyms. The plan involved playing Bingo to apply the skill. I had to plan out the game boards and create them in such a way that the entire class did not win at the same time. I also had the Bingo chips separated into dishes to pass out before the day started. Having the materials ready to go before the students came in allowed me to cut out down time. There was no time for the students to get off track while I got materials ready. We were able to transition very smoothly without losing anyone or having to regroup.
In order to prepare for domain number one in my portfolio for junior block I will have to demonstrate the preparation that I have put into lessons that I have taught. First off I will start with social studies. The social studies lesson that I prepared for my first graders had to do with how weather affects our lives by what we wear and the activities we do. I did a few really interesting activities with this lesson. We did a chart as a class and then made our own apple trees for each season which reflected the book that I read to the class. I took pictures of the students doing these activities, but they would probably go into a different domain because that was what was carried out and not the preparation. For the preparation aspect, I would probably include the lesson plan for this lesson. Also, I would explain all the preparation I put into making the apples trees and charts.
ReplyDeleteAs far as a math lesson plan goes I taught them sequencing and ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc..) in which I would also provide the lesson plan for that. That included reading a book and having the kids stand in front of the class in order with the mice in the book I read.
I did a spelling game called WORDO with the students as an activity. For domain number one for this activity I might include pictures or an example of the board I prepared and the words that I had them include on their WORDO board (just like bingo).
Planning and Prep is one of the four domains in Danielson's Domains. I have had a lot of experience with Planning and Prep since beginning school at E-Town. I have learned a lot through my multiple field placements. I have learned that a teacher must not only plan an appropriate lesson plan for their class but prepare for mistakes, misconceptions, and failure. I have witnessed quite a few of my teachers lessons either fail or the students were having difficulty understanding the activity but, the teachers always have something else planned.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I have had experience planning and preparing lesson plans for different subjects. For social studies, I created an integrated lesson plan with Language Arts. Students learned about the attack on Pearl Harbor and read actual newspaper articles, and then the students were to create their own newspaper article. I planned the expectations for this project in a fourth grade classroom. For my field placement, I created a math lesson plan but instead of using my supervisor’s lesson plan format, I used Professor Wile’s lesson plan format. His lesson plan was more adequate for a math lesson than my supervisor’s format. Furthermore, for our science class, we had to prepare a “Five E” lesson plan for our co-teaching. This effective form of planning and preparing is much different than a formal lesson plan in that it almost starts from the inside and works it’s way out. Lastly, I have prepared and planned many lesson plans in language arts but one thing I thought was very interesting was when my co-op asked me to give one of our students a separate spelling test. I was required to give her only 10 of the 20 spelling test words due to her difficulty with the English language. I planned to go a lot slower when saying the spelling words to her and repeating them multiple times. This allowed for her to process the word and remember the spelling at a slower pace rather than being rushed by the rest of the class.
Planning and Preparation is the first category under Danielson’s four Domains. I have had much experience with this category during my field experience this semester. Unfortunately I did not get to teach any social studies lessons or even see any social studies in my classroom, but nonetheless I had some great experience with planning and preparation. First off I have shown my knowledge of content through the lessons I have been teaching. I have taught numerous math and language arts lessons where I had a true understanding for the content, ensuring that I could answer any questions my students may have had. I also developed a knowledge of pedagogy with the help of my co-op. She gave me some great strategies that were extremely effective in the classroom. Another important competency that went hand in hand with these two things was a knowledge of the standards. I made sure to know and understand the standards and the purpose to everything that I taught. I also made sure to use technology at every chance I got. Using the smart board has been a great experience, and I find the kids love it and get even more excited. I taught a language arts lesson where I used the smart board to read a story aloud to the class, and they really go actively involved. I’ve come to realize that technology can be a great way to help the students learn more and become engrossed in the lesson.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main parts of planning and preparation during my experience was creating meaningful lesson plans, which I have had a lot of experience with this semester. As part of social studies method block, I created a lesson plan on Ancient Civilizations. This lesson would be a lot of fun and I hope I someday get the chance to teach it. The lesson is something I may be placing in the planning and preparation part of my portfolio. I also helped co-create a math lesson plan on adding and subtracting and co-taught it for methods class. The lesson went very well and was something I knew right away would fit perfectly into the planning and preparation part of my portfolio. Not only did the lesson plan demonstrate good practices, but the actual lesson went great as well. I have also had numerous opportunities to write lesson plans and teach them to my fieldwork class. This has been a great experience and the feedback my co-op has given me has been extremely helpful. Overall I have had a lot of really great experience with planning and preparation this semester.