One of our recent TAP 3 assignments was to create a lesson plan and present it to the class. This took place over the course of a few weeks so that we could each develop a great lesson. I chose to do mine on a first grade science standard for telescopes. This standard wanted students to know the difference between using the naked eye and using a telescope to see things in the sky. I knew that I could have lots of fun activities within this lesson and I was excited to be creative!
Highs of my presentation:
- The telescope craft went phenominally! The students loved it and had fun making a tool.
- I designated spots to put the completed craft to minimize distrations and it worked well.
- My quick formative assessment of thumbs up/down helped guide me and allowed me to see where each student was in the understanding/comprehension process.
Lows of my presentation:
- The powerpoint I created in order to teach the lesson had a dark background color (for the night sky) and was difficult to see in the back of the class.
- I read an article about what telescopes do, but that wasn’t the best method of presenting new material. I needed to follow through with the article as well, but did not.
- There were a couple of opportunities that students could’ve taken the lead and been more vocal with responses instead of me.
I believe that my creative ideas of the craft, drawing, and review of previous material worked well and that the kids enjoyed being able to work with their hands. I have room to improve on several aspects of presenting my lesson, specifically teaching what the telescope is actually used for and making that part a bit more engaging.
Overall, being able to write and implement a lesson plan was incredible experience and prepared me abundantly for what I expect to do in college this fall!
Positively Primary 