Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 3

I. Whole Class
A. My third lesson in my Clinical was a Language based instructional activity on the two important ways writers often weave narration throughout fairytales. During my lesson, I engaged children in certain activities such as watching a video of a fairytale adaptation my colleagues and I created, partner work on adding narration to the class fairytale, and individual practice with adding narration to their own fairy tale adaptations. I really enjoyed working with the students through the various activities I planned, because I believe my lesson kept the class engaged and overall allowed the children multiple opportunities to practice the concept of writing narration. I think it also exposed the class to a wide variety of other fairy tale adaptations, which helped the children to think and learn more about the purpose of narration. My post-assessment, the students individual examples, was an adequate way in which to acquire students knowledge of the ways in which narration may be used in fairy tales. Children were asked to try the different narration techniques on their own fairy tale adaptations, by working on adding narration at the beginning or using it to stitch together their created Small Moment stories (Scenes 1 and 2). As a result of different learning domains, I implemented an assortment of modifications during my instruction in order to enhance my teaching and student performance overall. Early finishers were instructed to push ahead with rehearsing and drafting the remaining scenes of their fairy tale adaptation. If they finished that as well, they were encouraged to begin reading one of the chosen books from their book bags. Concerning the students who finished late or did not finish at all, I worked with them in independent conferences the next day while the other students were engaging in independent reading. For my three IEP students and one ESOL student, I personally read the directions for the writing activity to each one of them individually when they got back to their seats, in order to make sure they truly understood what I expected for them to do or if they had any questions. Also, the YouTube video featuring the unique fairy tale adaptation my friends and I created of Jack and the Beanstalk, served as visual confirmation for not only these four children, but also for the rest of the class as well. Pertaining mainly to my ESOL student, I clearly stated the objective and activities of the lesson at the beginning of my instruction to inform her of the topic we would be discussing and activities we would be doing. B. On the other hand, relating to my instructional objectives and decisions, there were a couple of things I would change about this lesson if I had the opportunity to teach it again. First of all, for some reason during my instruction, I talked louder to the class than I would in regular conversation. After her observation, my supervisor informed me of this and suggested I work on bringing my voice level down a notch when teaching the children lessons. In my future instruction, I will seek to monitor the level of my voice while I am teaching, by first attracting students attention and then addressing them with my normal tone of voice.

Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 3

Secondly, once again, I must focus more on monitoring my time management, as it has become a professional development goal of mine. For my instruction, I was given an hour to teach the class and have them complete their assessment. However, during my lesson, the children seemed to be having a difficult time understanding, so therefore I decided I needed to rethink the direction in which my instruction was heading. As a result, the students ended up staying on the carpet for instruction time a lot longer than I had desired, and the class appeared to be growing tired and restless by the time they were asked to go back to their seats. Once I finished with my instruction, the students did not have much time to work on their own fairy tale adaptations because it was time for Reading. If I were to do this lesson over again, I believe I would make my instruction consist of less fairy tale examples while still teaching the children the same amount of valuable information.

II. Three Individual Students

A. Regarding my high, medium, and low students, all three seemed to do very well with the content of the lesson. Madison appeared to be the most successful with adding narration to her individual fairytale adaptation. She had an overall idea in mind for what each scene in her story would consist of, and did a sufficient job of adding narration as the introduction and the stitching between scenes 1 and 2 of her fairytale. Considering my objective, instruction, and assessment guidelines for the lesson, Madison provided evidence in her writing notebook that she was effectively able to add narration at the beginning or use it to stitch together the Small Moment stories of her own fairy tale adaptation. B. Tyler seemed to be the least successful with his narration assessment, even though he had wonderful ideas in mind for how he desired for his story to take place. He did an adaptation of the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk, and because I had some experience with my own adaptation of that fairy tale, I helped him with adding some of his narration. However, once I spent some one-on-one time with him, he finally grasped the concept of how narration can be used as both an introduction and stitching between scenes of a fairy tale. He incorporated narration into both areas of his story, and it was truly effective and original; however, his spelling was still hard to decipher, which took away from the neat aspect of his writing. To improve Tylers performance, in the future I will seek to work with him one-on-one on completing assignments. Through one-on-one instruction, I will do three things with him: 1) have him tell me what he would like to write, 2) write his thoughts on a separate sheet of paper for him, and 3) have him copy what I have written onto the assessment paper. By doing so, he will hopefully learn how to spell common, everyday words and how to appropriately structure sentences and grammar. C. Once again, Genesis appeared to be above average in her performance of the narration assessment, using her own fairytale. She was creating an adaptation of The

Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 3

Gingerbread Boy, and did very well adding narration to both mentioned areas in order to make the story her own. Considering my objective, instruction, and assessment guidelines for the lesson, Genesis demonstrated improvement in her learning of narration by effectively adding it to her own fairytale, after exploring the two different important usages of narration.

III. Reflection on Lesson

1. What instructional decisions did I make before and during the lesson and why? My third lesson in my Clinical was a Language based instructional activity on the two important ways writers often weave narration throughout fairytales. During my lesson, I engaged children in certain activities such as watching a video of a fairytale adaptation my colleagues and I created, partner work on adding narration to the class fairytale, and individual practice with adding narration to their own fairy tale adaptations. I really enjoyed working with the students through the various activities I planned, because I believe my lesson kept the class engaged and overall allowed the children multiple opportunities to practice the concept of writing narration. I think it also exposed the class to a wide variety of other fairy tale adaptations, which helped the children to think and learn more about the purpose of narration. My post-assessment, the students individual examples, was an adequate way in which to acquire students knowledge of the ways in which narration may be used in fairy tales. Children were asked to try the different narration techniques on their own fairy tale adaptations, by working on adding narration at the beginning or using it to stitch together their created Small Moment stories (Scenes 1 and 2). As a result of different learning domains, I implemented an assortment of modifications during my instruction in order to enhance my teaching and student performance overall. Early finishers were instructed to push ahead with rehearsing and drafting the remaining scenes of their fairy tale adaptation. If they finished that as well, they were encouraged to begin reading one of the chosen books from their book bags. Concerning the students who finished late or did not finish at all, I worked with them in independent conferences the next day while the other students were engaging in independent reading. For my three IEP students and one ESOL student, I personally read the directions for the writing activity to each one of them individually when they got back to their seats, in order to make sure they truly understood what I expected for them to do or if they had any questions. Also, the YouTube video featuring the unique fairy tale adaptation my friends and I created of Jack and the Beanstalk, served as visual confirmation for not only these four children, but also for the rest of the class as well. Pertaining mainly to my ESOL student, I clearly stated the objective and activities of the lesson at the beginning of my instruction to inform her of the topic we would be discussing and activities we would be doing.

Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 3

2. Based upon student performance, discuss the instructional decisions for the next or future lesson. On the other hand, based upon student performance and relating to my instructional objectives and decisions, there were a couple of things I would change about this lesson if I had the opportunity to teach it again. First of all, for some reason during my instruction, I talked louder to the class than I would in regular conversation. After her observation, my supervisor informed me of this and suggested I work on bringing my voice level down a notch when teaching the children lessons. In my future instruction, I will seek to monitor the level of my voice while I am teaching, by first attracting students attention and then addressing them with my normal tone of voice. Secondly, once again, I must focus more on monitoring my time management, as it has become a professional development goal of mine. For my instruction, I was given an hour to teach the class and have them complete their assessment. However, during my lesson, the children seemed to be having a difficult time understanding, so therefore I decided I needed to rethink the direction in which my instruction was heading. As a result, the students ended up staying on the carpet for instruction time a lot longer than I had desired, and the class appeared to be growing tired and restless by the time they were asked to go back to their seats. Once I finished with my instruction, the students did not have much time to work on their own fairy tale adaptations because it was time for Reading. If I were to do this lesson over again, I believe I would make my instruction consist of less fairy tale examples while still teaching the children the same amount of valuable information.

3. How did you engage or motivate the students successfully? During my lesson, I engaged children in certain elements such as watching a video of a fairytale adaptation my colleagues and I created, partner work on adding narration to the class fairytale, and individual practice with adding narration to their own fairy tale adaptations. I really enjoyed working with the students through the various activities I planned, because I believe my lesson kept the class engaged and overall allowed the children multiple opportunities to practice the concept of writing narration. I think it also exposed the class to a wide variety of other fairy tale adaptations, which helped the children to think and learn more about the purpose of narration. My post-assessment, the students individual examples, was an adequate way in which to acquire students knowledge of the ways in which narration may be used in fairy tales. Children were asked to try the different narration techniques on their own fairy tale adaptations, by working on adding narration at the beginning or using it to stitch together their created Small Moment stories (Scenes 1 and 2).

4. What instructional mode(s) was employed? (lecture, small groups, demonstration, experiment, etc.)

Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 3

Through whole-group instruction on the carpet, I conducted the beginning part of my lesson which consisted of students viewing a YouTube video of a personal fairy tale adaptation my friends and I created (in which I was the narrator), and a discussion of the two different ways narration can be used throughout fairy tales. Following the discussion, I had the children work with their assigned partners on practicing the two types of narration in the context of the class fairy tale. Partner 1 was given the job of brainstorming ideas of narration that could be added to the start of our Cinderella story to provide readers with some background information. Partner 2 on the other hand, was responsible for thinking about ways narration could be used to stitch together Scene 1 and Scene 2. After partners shared some of their examples, I instructed the students to work individually on adding narration to the introduction or using it to stitch together the created Small Moment stories of their own fairy tale adaptations.

5. How effectively did you use instructional aides, i.e., whiteboard, video, calculators, manipulatives, computer, etc.? To begin my lesson, I utilized the Smart Board and computer to show my children the fairy tale adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk that my friends and I created called, Jane and the Giant Lollipop Tree (YouTube video). While watching the short video, I encouraged the students to focus on my character, Janes cat, who was the narrator of the story. In my opinion, the video worked okay, because even though I already had it pulled up on the computer and ready to go, there were still two minor complications that occurred. First of all, the volume on the video was extremely low, and neither I nor my cooperating teacher could determine how to fix the problem. Secondly, because of the low volume, I tried to exit out of the video to retry loading it, but a Spanish version of Jack and the Beanstalk popped up. We all found this particularly hilarious! However, I finally had to tell my class to be very quiet and listen so they could hear what was happening in the video. Using the class fairy tale adaptation, the children worked with partners on practicing the two types of narration we had discussed. While the partners were working quietly together, I created my own introduction and stitching pieces to add to the class fairy tale in order for the children to have an example to go by. For my postassessment, the students used their own fairy tale adaptations in their Writing notebooks to practice the different narration techniques.

6. Were the students actively or passively involved? How so? Throughout my lesson, I engaged children in and met a variety of learning styles by using an assortment of activities such as watching a video of a fairytale adaptation my colleagues and I created, partner work on adding narration to the class fairytale, and individual practice with adding narration to their own fairy tale adaptations. I believe my lesson kept the class engaged and overall allowed the children multiple opportunities to practice the concept of writing narration. I think it also exposed the class to a wide

Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 3

variety of other fairy tale adaptations, which helped the children to think and learn more about the purpose of narration. My post-assessment, the students individual examples, was an adequate way in which to acquire students knowledge of the ways in which narration may be used in fairy tales. Children were asked to try the different narration techniques on their own fairy tale adaptations, by working on adding narration at the beginning or using it to stitch together their created Small Moment stories (Scenes 1 and 2). 7. Did you present the information in a clear and logical manner? How so? I believe I presented the information of my instruction in a clear and logical manner, as my lesson plan was very detailed and thorough. I included a variety of teaching strategies including having students turn and talk to their partners, as well as write in their journals. Also, my activities were well thought out and based on discussions I had had with my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Landreth (added to and enhanced her plans). In order to make sure the information in my lesson was completely accurate, I studied the content and followed the third grade standards, as well as the given pacing guide, to incorporate higher-level thinking questions at various times throughout my lesson.

8. How effective were the materials and resources you selected for the lesson? The materials I selected for this lesson (Jane and the Giant Lollipop Tree video (YouTube), Smart Board, picture of the movie Pinocchio, How to Write a Fairy Tale Adaptation chart from previous sessions, The Power of Narration chart, chart paper, class adaptation of Cinderella (Scene 1 and start of Scene 2), students writing notebooks, pencils) seemed to be valuable resources for my students in learning about the two different narration techniques. I think my lesson kept the class engaged and overall allowed the children multiple opportunities to practice the concept of writing narration. I think it also exposed the class to a wide variety of other fairy tale adaptations, which helped the children to think and learn more about the purpose of narration.

9. Were you able to or could you (in the future) relate the lesson content to the lives of the student? After working with their partners, I had the students try the different narration techniques on their own fairy tale adaptations, by either adding narration at the beginning of their story or using it to stitch together their created Small Moment stories (Scenes 1 and 2). Through this assessment, I tried to create a personal connection for the children, in order to enhance the content for them as well, but I am not positive that, in the future, I could relate the lesson content to the lives of the students even more; narration is mainly used for written stories.

Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 3

10. Describe any discipline or classroom management techniques used during the lesson. Were these techniques effective or would you employ a different technique the next time? During my instruction, I utilized three different classroom management techniques in order to keep the students on task and ready to learn. The first technique was the new attention-getter I decided to use, which involved me saying, I said a Boom-ChickaBoom, and the children responding, I said a Boom-Chicka-Laka-Chicka-LakaChicka Boom! My class really seemed to enjoy this chant! The other classroom management technique I used is one my cooperating teacher uses at times. It consisted of me saying, Eyes and ears, and the students responding by repeating what I said while touching their eyes and ears. Also, before leaving the carpet and going back to their seats, I utilized the Silent 5 technique my cooperating teacher uses as well. With Silent 5, I silently counted to 5 using only my fingers, while the children quietly prepared their minds and bodies for the work they were about to complete. All three of the techniques appeared to be effective, fun ways to grab the childrens attention, as all of the children immediately caught on and quickly responded to the chants.

11. Reflect on your interaction with the students. Would you describe your treatment of the students as being fair, respectful, and ethical? How so? I think I would consider my treatment of the students as being fair, respectful, and ethical, as I succeeded to provide good questioning and feedback to all children, called on a variety of students at all ability levels, strived to create a positive learning environment, and ensured a safe feeling that all ideas were welcome. I also engaged children in and met a variety of learning styles by using an assortment of activities such as watching a video of a fairytale adaptation my colleagues and I created, partner work on adding narration to the class fairytale, and individual practice with adding narration to their own fairy tale adaptations.

12. Were you able to summarize the lesson and relate it to the following lesson or homework assignment? In order to summarize my lesson, I had students create their own examples of narration by adding the two different techniques to their individual fairy tale adaptations. By doing this assessment, the children were able to provide context and stitch their own story together meaningfully, which would establish the foundation for the writing skill they would be learning about the next day: dialogue.

13. Was your estimated time allocation for this lesson as noted in your lesson plan accurate? If your time varied, what factors contributed to this variance? For my instruction, I was given an hour to teach the class and have them complete their assessment. However, during my lesson, the children seemed to be having a difficult

Kassie Vaughn

TWS 8

Reflection and Self-Evaluation Lesson 3

time understanding, so therefore I decided I needed to rethink the direction in which my instruction was heading. As a result, the students ended up staying on the carpet for instruction time a lot longer than I had desired, and the class appeared to be growing tired and restless by the time they were asked to go back to their seats. Once I finished with my instruction, the students did not have much time to work on their own fairy tale adaptations because it was time for Reading. If I were to do this lesson over again, I believe I would make my instruction consist of less fairy tale examples while still teaching the children the same amount of valuable information.