Table of Contents
Lesson Plan 1
The lesson plan in question is designed for the first-grade mathematics lesson (“#4629. Addition Stories”).
- Objectives: Students will be able to write equations and connect oral storytelling and addition.
- Standards: California Grade 1: 2.5 (Mathematics Content Standard)
- Anticipatory Set: The teacher should read the poem using the pictures on the board. It is important to get students involved and using visual aids is beneficial for this purpose (Skowron 34).
- Activities: The lesson plan includes effective activities that enable the students to achieve the goals. It is necessary to add an activity where students will use visual aids to create their own stories to make equations. These will be worksheets with cartoons that will help students tell the stories and train addition.
- Guided Practice: The lesson plan includes quite effective activities involving guided practice as students create their stories and write equations in groups where students can assist each other and learn. The teacher also assists struggling students.
- Independent Practice: Circle activity is an effective type of independent practice. Again, students may use visual aids, but at this stage, the teacher should encourage them to tell their own stories.
- Differentiation: The lesson plan in question is quite effective as the teacher manages to reach all the students through different types of activities (group activities, working in pairs).
- Check for Understanding and Assessment: This part is the least effective in the plan as there is only some mentioning of assessment. Thus, the assessment should be held through observation. The part when students tell their stories to the class can also be a part of the assessment. Thus, the teachers will be able to check whether students can write equations and connect oral storytelling and equation.
- Closure: Closure could also be more effective as, after the activity with matching, the teacher could summarize the lesson by stating that children now can tell stories using specific words. It can be also effective to encourage students to tell some stories to their parents.
- Materials: Apart from the materials mentioned in the lesson plan, it is necessary to use visual aids. These can be worksheets with pictures to facilitate oral storytelling.
Lesson Plan 2
The lesson plan in question is designed for the second-grade science lesson (“#4564. Dinosaurs!!!”).
- Objectives: Students will be able to name major dinosaurs and tell some main facts about each of them.
- Standards: California Grade 2: 4.3
- Anticipatory Set: Reading a book is an effective hook for children, but it can be beneficial to use a visual aid (Skowron 34). The teachers can find pictures (online, in the book) and display them on the board. The teacher should also introduce the topic to children and tell them what they are going to learn (McCormack and Pasquarelli 97).
- Activities: It could be effective to make the activities more diverse. Thus, a short quiz about dinosaurs can be held after reading the story and discussion. Besides, the teachers should make sure that students will choose different dinosaurs to make masks and color. It can be beneficial to make sure that students choose herbivores and carnivores.
- Guided Practice: Activities involving guided practice are quite effective as the teacher can assist students during their work. It can be interesting to encourage students to talk to each other while they are wearing masks. They can introduce themselves to their peers (using information they learned).
- Independent Practice: As has been mentioned above, it could be beneficial to encourage students to choose different types of dinosaurs.
- Differentiation: The teacher will manage to reach all students when using the plan in question.
- Check for Understanding and Assessment: As has been mentioned above, a quiz can be held. The quiz will be a part of the assessment. Observation during the children’s work in groups and during children’s introductions (when they wear masks and introduce themselves).
- Closure: Again, the teacher should make sure that he/she summarizes the major points of the material (Mariotti 26). The teacher can ask students to stand in two lines (herbivores and carnivores). Students can also be encouraged to tell their parents about the dinosaurs they like most.
- Materials: It is necessary to add quiz worksheets for students.
Lesson Plan 3
The lesson plan in question is designed for the third grade English/reading lesson and it is very detailed and effective (“#4607. Crazy Cow Compares & Contrasts”).
- Objectives: Students will acquire initial knowledge of comparing and contrasting.
- Standards: The plan does not include the standard.
- Anticipatory Set: The plan includes quite an effective hook, but it is possible to make it more catchy through the use of an example. Comparing two people or objects in the class.
- Activities: The activities are quite diverse. But the advanced activity is quite excessive.
- Guided Practice: The activities involving guided practice are effective as the teacher can observe the way students are working.
- Independent Practice: As for independent practice, it is also efficient as students complete their diagrams and can understand the concept of comparing and contrasting.
- Differentiation: The teacher can reach all the students during different activities.
- Check for Understanding and Assessment: Though it is not stated explicitly, assessment is easily implemented. Thus, diagrams, lists of similarities and differences as well as the participation of students can be the necessary tools.
- Closure: The Teacher has to stress that students are now able to compare and contrast things, stories, and so on.
- Materials: The materials mentioned are enough for an effective lesson.
Works Cited
#4564. Dinosaurs!!! 2011. Web.
#4607. Crazy Cow Compares & Contrasts. 2012. Web.
#4629. Addition Stories. 2012. Web.
Mariotti, Arleen P. Creating Your Teaching Plan: A Guide for Effective Teaching. Bloomington: AuthorHouse, 2009. Print.
McCormack, Rachel L., and Susan Lee Pasquarelli. Teaching Reading: Strategies and Resources for Grades K-6. New York: Guilford Press, 2009. Print.
Skowron, Janice. Powerful Lesson Planning: Every Teacher’s Guide to Effective Instruction. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press, 2006. Print.