Trying Your Best

Teacher Candidate: Erin Crawford Date: September 17, 2019

Cooperating Teacher: Lisa Gross Coop. Initials:
Group Size: 16 students Allotted Time: 30 minutes Grade Level: Kindergarten
Subject or Topic: Social Studies- Trying your best Section: 391

STANDARD: (PA Common Core):

 5.2.K.A - Identify responsibilities at school.
 5.3.K.F - Identify and explain behaviors for responsible classroom citizens.

I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes)

● Students will be able to identify when characters in short stories are trying their best in order to
apply the skill of trying your best and not giving up in our classroom.

A. Introduction/Hook –
 Tell the students that today we are going to be learning about trying our best and not giving up
when things get to hard for us or when we don’t want to do them.
 Play the song “Don’t Give Up” by Bruno Mars and Sesame Street
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWp6kkz-pnQ
 Ask the students to turn and talk about what the song was all about.

B. Development –
 Ask the students if they have ever felt like something they were trying to do was just too hard.
o Finger on your nose if you did
 Tell them that you have felt that way and sometimes feeling that way can be hard but that even in
those times where you do not think you can do something, you can do it and you should always
try your best and never give up!
 Say we are going to do a little activity to show us that no matter what, even if something is hard,
if we try our best and never give up, we can do it and we will come out on top!
o Blow up a balloon about two inches in diameter
o Have a bowl of water ready
 Tell the students that the balloon is going to represent us when we are having a hard time, like
when we want to give up.
 Push the balloon under the water and say sometimes we may feel like we are underwater. (push
the balloon under the water and hold it there). We might feel like we are underwater when we are
struggling to do something that is hard or when we do not want to do something in school, but
something cool can happen when you try your best and don’t give up! You pop back up (let go of
the balloon) and be able to what you need to!
 Now give all of the students a chance to push the balloon underwater to represent them feeling
like something is hard and remind each student that if they try their best and don’t give up, they
will pop back up and be able to do it!
 Give the students four scenarios for them to decide if the person is trying their best and not giving
up or if they are giving up.
 o Sarah is trying to learn how to ride her bike. Sarah falls off her bike and then runs inside.
She does not want to ride her bike anymore. Is Sarah trying her best and not giving up or
did she give up?
 Turn and talk, then share.
 What could Sarah do to try her best next time?
o Leah is learning all of her letter sounds in Fundations, but she does not like practicing
them along with her teacher and classmates. Instead of echoing, she keeps her mouth
closed. Is Leah trying her best and not giving up?
 Turn and talk, then share.
 What could Leah do to try her best next time?
o Calvin is trying to learn how to write his numbers. This is very hard for Calvin but Calvin
keeps trying his best and practicing his numbers. Is Calvin trying his best and not giving
up?
 Turn and talk, then share.
 How did he try his best?
o Sam is sitting on the carpet in his classroom but he seems to have a hard time sitting flat
and folded and keeping his hands to himself. His teacher reminds him many times to sit
nicely and stop touching his friends but Sam does not stop. Is Sam trying his best?
 Turn and talk, then share.
 What could Sam do to try his best next time?

C. Closure –
 Remind the students that it is okay to feel like something is hard to do but that it is important to
never give up and to try your best, always. If we try our best and do not give up, we will be able
to learn new things and have a great days!

II. Assessment/Evaluation plan

1. Formative
 Observe students answering the scenario questions for accuracy.

III. Reflective Response

A. Report of Students’ Performance in Terms of States Objectives

Student Objective –
B. Personal Reflection
1. How clear was I in my modeling? Was it engaging?
2. Was I able to pace my lesson to fit the allotted time?
3. How could this lesson be improved?
4. Did I give the students long enough to implement the lesson in their writing?
VI. Resources
Street, S. (2011, November 30). Sesame Street: Bruno Mars: don't give up. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWp6kkz-pnQ