The lesson I observed during my two weeks was a lesson focused on circuits

and how they relate to everyday life. The lesson was mainly a PBL (problem based
learning) focused task. My teacher started off the lesson by reviewing the two distinct
types of circuits, series and parallel, that were listed on an anchor chart in the front of
the classroom. From there she moved into introducing the PBL which was about
Christmas lights. The students were told that their help was needed from a Christmas
lights manufacturing company. They were to figure out what kind of circuit was needed
in the new lights so that when one bulb went out, the entire strand would not go out as
well. From there the teacher went through a T-chart with the students so they could sort
out the information provided in the PBL story and what they still needed to figure out. As
the groups worked individually, she walked around the room making sure to stop at
each group and discuss their progress and ideas.
The students responded really well to the entire lesson. I could tell that they were
excited that they could apply their circuit knowledge to a situation they are familiar with,
especially since the holidays are approaching. I think my teacher did a great job
creating an activity that engaged them and kept them interested. However, the
conclusion of the activity was not super strong. They simply stated which circuit the
lights needed but didnt go into tons of explanation as to why that was the correct circuit.
There wasnt any type of worksheet to go along with the lesson which I think I wouldve
added if I had done the lesson. The students did write in their science journals but it was
just for the T-chart. They didnt record what they did when figuring out the correct circuit;
they didnt even write a final reflection on the whole activity. Overall, I think the lesson
went really well and was greatly engaging but there couldve been more direct
instruction so that the difference between the two types of circuits was obvious.