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Julie Wiechec LLT 307-Final Project December 6, 2012

Teaching Philosophy: Teaching allows me to fulfill what I believe to be a fundamental responsibility of educators: to impact the lives of each and every student, engage them in a positive learning process, and motivate them to become life long learners. Not only will I teach my students but I will also learn alongside of them building on our knowledge, critical thinking, and inquisitiveness together during the journey of learning. By doing this, I will begin to understand the different types and unique learning styles of my students and design my instruction around them to help my students establish effective strategies that will accommodate each and every one of them. I teach for the past, the present, and the future. I teach in order to keep the past alive and to demonstrate how to grow from past experiences. I teach for the present; so that students may have a place where they are allowed the freedom to think, feel, and develop as an intellectual. I teach for the future; so that the world will contain educated and equipped persons to make it a better place. I teach for every student as an individual so that they are able to realize their maximum potential and become better citizens. Students will be entering my classroom with multiple layers of knowledge, and I will use that as a base to build a greater understanding of more complex material. Allowing my students to actively apply their prior knowledge in a creative, meaningful, and authentic way will create that greater understanding. I believe my approach should inspire my students to process concepts in ways that are most meaningful to them. As a teacher, my job is to inspire my students to learn and motivate them throughout the entire process. My students success will stem from their active engagement of my lessons that will build on their already existing learning process. I will create ample opportunities for my students to communicate by modeling good communication skills that will benefit my students in

the real world. I will create an environment where students feel safe and comfortable to express their ideas, opinions and beliefs so that other students can have a chance to learn and benefit from their peers communicated ideas. My love for teaching flourishes when my students transform into a more positive, motivated and mature learners. My love will continue to grow while I learn along with my students and create a motivated and enthusiastic classroom where my students love to attend every single day. Teaching is not only my job, it is my absolute passion and at the end of each day my heart is full when I have effectively impacted my learners, transformed them into the capable communicators that they can be and ultimately connecting them to their own passions and lifelong learning. Teaching is a passion I've always had. I couldnt imagine myself doing anything else. In the classroom, I promote an atmosphere of safety, trust, and respect. I work hard to build a sense of community among my students, and I emphasize the idea of teamwork.

Lesson Plan: Background: This class has been learning comparing and contrasting different things Previously the students have learned the graphic organizer that is used when comparing and contrasting things in everyday language and writing. Since we have only brushed on comparing and contrasting we have yet to implement this concept into their reading and writing skills. Information about students: Grade level: 1st Grade English proficiency level: Beginners Class subject: Language Arts Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.4 Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. of the class is ELL Objectives: (Write these on the board and recite them to the class slowly.) Content Objectives: Students will: Develop their knowledge on the five senses in text. Recognized how the five senses affect a story. Language Objectives: Students will: Read a short story about the five senses. Work by yourself to identify/draw the five senses. Vocabulary: (Read these words off to the class and discuss definitions. Also review at the end of lesson.) Sight Hear Smell Touch Taste Materials:
o o o o o o o o o o

pencil chalk blackboard worksheet projector masks string crayons/colored pencils/ markers scissors glue

Motivation:

Read the objective out loud to the students. Review what they already learned emotions and how they affect a story. Ask students if they know what the five senses are. Ask what they are used for or give examples. Presentation: Activity 1: Read the story, My Five Senses by Aliki Activity 2: Listen to the five senses song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWW5IaDCj1g Discussion: As a whole class, discuss what we just learned. How are each sense used? Can you give me examples? I will record what students say on a table (Under materials used during lesson). At end of discussion, have students repeat after me. See (point to eyes) Hear (point to ears) Smell (point to nose) Taste (point to tongue) Touch (touches arm) Practice: Activity 3: Student will participate in a hands-on activity that uses the five senses. I will split the class up into groups. Students will get one object (an apple) to use their five senses. First students will color in the apple worksheet to what color apple they have. Then students will fill the apple worksheet based off what they see, feel, hear, taste and touch. Students will fill all information on the worksheet in about the five senses. (Under materials used during lesson) Discuss as a whole class what they noticed/information recorded.

Activity 4: Read the story, The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses by Joanna Cole. Discuss as a whole class what this book just told us about our senses. Activity 5: Have students create a mask that has all five senses label. Students will have time to color the mask before putting it together. Have students say what body part is used for each sense (eyes-sight, ears-hear, tongue-taste, nose-smell and skin-touch). Homework: Student will go home tonight and explore their five senses. They will record different ways that they use their sense. Find at least two things you use each sense for and bring back to share with the class tomorrow. Review: Content Objectives: Students will: Develop their knowledge on the five senses in text. Recognized how the five senses affect a story. Language Objectives: Students will: Read a short story about the five senses. Work by yourself to identify/draw the five senses.

Materials used during lesson: Sight:

Touch:

Smell:

Hear:

Taste:

A is for Apple:

Record what you see. Include shape, color, and other characteristics. Sight:

Record how the apple feels. Is it soft, hard, slippery? Touch:

Record how it smells. You may bite into the apple to see if there is a smell. Smell:

When you bite in, does it make a sound? Sound:

What does it taste like? Is it juicy? Sour? Taste:

Rationale Statement: I created a hands-on activity for my students because they are my absolute favorite to teach! I believe the students get so much more out of the lesson when they are actually experiencing it with their five senses. I chose objectives that were simple and clear so my students and colleagues could view and understand them. I chose to read My Five Senses by Aliki because it was a nice and easy introduction into our topic that we were going to discuss today. I thought I could make reading the book a fun experience to get the students motivated for their activities today. I then chose activities that will help my students complete their homework on their own so I could assess if they met the content and language objectives meant for this lesson. In my lesson I allowed my students to use their prior knowledge about the five senses to share with the whole class and have a discussion on how we use our senses. I made sure the students participated as a whole group, small groups, and made sure their homework was individual so I could assess their written work on my own. I gave my English language learners enough time to complete each activity and make sure that they comprehended what was being asked. Group work is great for English language learners because students are at different learning levels and are able to work together to build off one anothers ideas and learn something new. With A is for Apples activity my students are speaking and writing for their language objectives. In first grade it is very important for my students to speak what they know and transform that meaning into their written work with using pictures as visual aids. For English language learners, this can be a hard task to do since they may not be fluent with the English language. Therefore, I have scaffold the lesson so that students use gestures (point to the body part associated with that sense) and repeat after me. I made sure to incorporate a fun apple tasting activity so my English language learners students could realize how there sense effect everything in their daily lives and that apples can have different flavors and textures. This is a

great activity to do with English language learners because its hands-on and also, it has them say what they think, and then they write it down. Reviewing the vocabulary with my students before, during, and after, permits them to use more explanation in their writing when describing how to use their five senses. Using the materials that I have chosen allowed my students to hear, feel, touch, taste, smell, write and speak about the development of using their five senses on a daily basis.

Resources: Apple found at: http://bellowsfam.com/apple.jpg Masks found at: http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/free-printable/science-printables/five-senses-mask

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