PHASE I
Rationale Statement:
An interactive, meaningful, student-centered learning experience for second grade students to develop narratives by composing friendly letters through real events and use technology to produce, assess, and publish writing by interacting and collaborating with the teacher and peers.
Assessing Prior Knowledge and Planning Instruction:
Prior to the lesson, students need to know how to write complete sentences that begin with a capital letter, capitalize proper nouns, and use proper punctuation. Prior knowledge and experiences will be assessed by asking the students to explain how to compose complete sentences during whole group discussion after the teacher introduction presentation. Students can be asked to show an example of a complete sentence. Students will be directed to take out their white boards and compose a sentence using the example from the graphic organizer: My name is _____ and I am ___ years old by asking students, "In a complete sentence, please tell me your name and how old you are." From there, the teacher can assess if students use capitalization at the beginning of the sentence, capitalize proper nouns (their name), and use proper punctuation at the end of the sentence. The purpose behind pre-assessing whether students are capable of composing complete sentences and not friendly letters is because the online friendly letter generator places users' input into the correct friendly letter structure.Giving students a real-life purpose for creating a friendly letter reinforces narrative writing skills that students will continue to use throughout their academic career and every day life. Having students publish their final copy of their complete sentences through an online friendly letter generator promotes opportunities for students to produce their writing by using technology and the Internet that 21st Century students will continue to use. The learning objectives for this lesson align with the standards by creating a purpose to produce functional writing that is appropriate to the task with guidance, and edit and strengthen their writing through editing and revising by the support of peers. Due to the nature of the engagement in which the lesson is introduced with a presentation that introduces the teacher to the students, this lesson would be taught in the beginning of the school year.
Designing Instruction (InTask Standards 7 and 8):
The design of this lesson was developed to incorporate and utilize instructional methods that align with my personal teaching philosophy. Throughout this lesson, the students are able to learn by doing through an interactive lesson that gives the students a meaningful purpose to compose friendly letters. Students were engaged in higher order thinking through making connections to information that was presented to them during the introduction PowerPoint presentation with similarities that they either have or do not have in common with the instructor. Examples of this include sharing information on favorite holidays, students, pets, books, and the students providing similar information. Students were not restricted on what they could or could not share, and students were encouraged to think of questions outside of information that was shared in the presentation to include in their letters to ask the teacher. Questions that students asked included my favorite animal, favorite food, and if I love being in the classroom with them. While this lesson was not implemented in its entirety in the classroom with students, when I was explaining the lesson to the elementary school's reading coach suggested the same methods for publishing their letters on an online letter generator.
Planning Assessment (InTask Standard 6):
Assessment during this lesson align with the standards and objectives by students having to listen attentively and recount details from the presentation, use critical thinking skills to ask questions relating to the presentation, use a graphic organizer to organize and brainstorm ideas to include in their writing, peer-assess student writing, and compose a final draft using technology and the Internet. Assessment demonstrates that the students are successful in learning the content by whole-group discussion to keep students on task and on track, students filling in their graphic organizer, and peer-assess students' complete sentences prior to final drafting. Assessments utilized in this lesson demonstrate student engagement and higher order thinking by the teacher acting as a facilitator to students learning and progress, and granting students the responsibility for assessing their peer's work. These assessments demonstrate that individual students needs were met by the "buddy system" where students assess their own work and peers' work through a checklist to see whether students meet the lesson's requirements. This relieves the pressure of submitting in work for the teacher to evaluate and grade, and grants students the opportunity to be self-accountable for their own work.
ISTE NETs Standards:
Lesson facilitates and inspires student learning and creativity by promoting, supporting, and modeling and innovative thinking and inventiveness through the teacher's introduction via interactive media presentation (PowerPoint) and by allowing students to make connections with details to share within their letter to the teacher. Student learning and creativity is also facilitated and inspired by promoting student reflection through the usage of collaborative tools with editing and peer-assessing student work through the implementation of Google Docs, and composing student final drafts on an online friendly letter generator.
Lesson's design and develop is of 21st Century digital age learning experiences and assessments because relevant and meaningful learning experiences are incorporated through integrating digital tools and resources that promote student learning and creativity. Instead of the teacher creating a poster or oral presentation that introduces themselves to their students, in this lesson, the teacher shares more age-appropriate and intimate details about their self through a PowerPoint presentation that is both interactive and engaging for all student learners. Opposed to students using worksheets during this lesson, students record their notes on Google Docs, self-assess and peer-asses their work on Google Docs, and compose their final drafts via friendly letter generator. This lesson demonstrates the teacher's ability to create a technology-enriched learning environment for students that provides students with varied types of assessments that align with the content.
Lesson exhibits instructor's knowledge, skill, and work processes that utilizes 21st Century digital age work and learning for students through modeling and facilitating effective use of digital tools and resources through the integration of PowerPoint during whole-group discussion, Google Docs, and online friendly letter generator.
Lesson promotes and models digital citizenship and responsibility by addressing diverse needs of all students in student-centered activities, and provides equitable access to learning resources and digital tools for all students.
Lesson promotes and models digital citizenship and responsibility by addressing diverse needs of all students in student-centered activities, and provides equitable access to learning resources and digital tools for all students.
PHASE II
Instructional Decisions/Teaching (InTask Standard 9)
Implementation of this lesson went very well. The only issue that occurred was during the note-taking portion. I planned for adult learners to be able to download the graphic organizer to take notes, but instead, some people were making changes to the original Google Doc. That was a learning process for me, so when I integrated the lesson into the classroom, I made corrections so that student learners didn't encounter the same issues.
This lesson's alignment to objectives and standards were maintained throughout the lesson because it followed the Arizona's College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards (ACCRS) for Writing. Text types and purposes were delivered through the lesson's design of students writing narratives to develop real real experiences through an effective technique. Production and distribution of writing were delivered through the lesson's design in which students "produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and styles are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience" (Arizona's College and Career Ready Standards: English Language Arts). Production and distribution portions of this lesson continued to implement ACCRS anchors in which the students revise, edit, and rewrite their writing through the use of technology.
During the implementation of this lesson with student learners, modifications were made due the duration of time that the lesson was taking. Student learners were not able to reach the portion of the lesson where they would publish their final copies using the friendly letter generator at ReadWriteThink.
Mechanics
Technologies that were used by the teacher in preparation of integration of this lesson was Microsoft's PowerPoint. This technology was utilized to create an interactive presentation that included pictures, music, and text that shared the teacher's interests with the students.
The teacher created documents through Google Docs that students were able to use for taking notes during the presentation, a graphic organizer, and for self-assessing and peer-assessing student work, CUPS Checklist. Afterwards, students were to take their complete sentences that they composed and assessed on their graphic organizers, to compose their final copies on a Friendly Letter Generator.
The duration of this lesson was designed to be an hour long lesson. While developing the lesson with my mentor teacher to implement with student learners, we decided to extend the duration of the lesson to 2 one hour lessons. Even while modifying the length of time, the lesson was not long enough for students to complete. As previously stated, to accurately implement this lesson plan into the classroom, I would extend the duration of time to be a 3-4 days, one hour lessons.
The teacher created documents through Google Docs that students were able to use for taking notes during the presentation, a graphic organizer, and for self-assessing and peer-assessing student work, CUPS Checklist. Afterwards, students were to take their complete sentences that they composed and assessed on their graphic organizers, to compose their final copies on a Friendly Letter Generator.
The duration of this lesson was designed to be an hour long lesson. While developing the lesson with my mentor teacher to implement with student learners, we decided to extend the duration of the lesson to 2 one hour lessons. Even while modifying the length of time, the lesson was not long enough for students to complete. As previously stated, to accurately implement this lesson plan into the classroom, I would extend the duration of time to be a 3-4 days, one hour lessons.
Assessment of Learning (InTask Standard 6)
(Student Artifacts)
Online Generated Friendly Letter
Adult learners easily demonstrated success in achieving the standards and objectives set by this lesson. As previously stated above, a few student learners struggled with demonstrating the same level of success. However, for the intention of providing a relevant and meaningful purpose to create writing and work on narrative standards, the lesson did prove to be successful since students were still able to work on their writing.
My level of success in teaching this lesson was high when taught to my fellow adult learners. The level of engagement and interest that they showed throughout the lesson gave me a renowned sense of hope and excitement to teach it to my student learners. Unfortunately, since my student learners were not able to compose their final copies in a friendly letter format, I was slightly disappointed. However, I fully believe that had it not been taught in the classroom the week before winter break, that students still would have shown the same level of excitement to compose friendly letters in return to me.
Adult learners easily demonstrated success in achieving the standards and objectives set by this lesson. As previously stated above, a few student learners struggled with demonstrating the same level of success. However, for the intention of providing a relevant and meaningful purpose to create writing and work on narrative standards, the lesson did prove to be successful since students were still able to work on their writing.
My level of success in teaching this lesson was high when taught to my fellow adult learners. The level of engagement and interest that they showed throughout the lesson gave me a renowned sense of hope and excitement to teach it to my student learners. Unfortunately, since my student learners were not able to compose their final copies in a friendly letter format, I was slightly disappointed. However, I fully believe that had it not been taught in the classroom the week before winter break, that students still would have shown the same level of excitement to compose friendly letters in return to me.
Other Personal Learning Experiences
I humbly believed that this lesson was created with the best of intentions that were under the belief that student learners would have been able to complete it in the modified amount of time. Unfortunately, that was not the case. That said, I still ended the session with a light step since my student learners still enjoyed themselves during the entire time. Each child was excited to tell me more about their self and ask me even more questions! The were filled with a purpose to actually write and quickly began each writing portion of the lesson.
To teach does not mean that we as educators are exist as the be-all and end-all. To teach successfully requires us as educators to learn, reflect, and adapt. This lesson proved just that! Just because it was not as successful as I hoped, does not mean that I will not alter to implement it into my classroom successfully in the future. Contrary to that, I believe that if it is efficiently implemented, that the writing outcome of this lesson could be used to pre-assess students' writing for future lessons.
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