Weekly Reflections for the week of ________7__________

Teacher Candidate Name: Samantha Holmquist

Placement: Miss Orchard Kindergarten
Day one: 5th November 2019
What I taught today (list all lessons taught including whole group, small group,
and/or individual lessons specify if the lesson was planned or impromptu): greater
than 2 whole groups
Links to lesson plan(s) I used today (include a link to Google docs or attach the
plan to this assignment): See lesson plan at the end of the reflection.
Reflection of my teaching today (be specific with a reflection from each lesson
taught today): Today I integrated technology and hands on activities and the
children loved it. The children practiced and practiced. They received assistance
through the white board. The teacher did an example and the children saw it on the
white board. The first group was more cooperative this lesson than they have been
in the past. Usually the second lesson goes better because I feel more confident.
This time I also felt confident for the first lesson. I remembered all the attention
getters and I think that helped a little. Both groups enjoyed interacting with the
game on the board. Only one child could answer, so I asked them to vote at the end
if they thought the person got it right or wrong. I saw that almost all of them knew
the right answer. It was a successful lesson because they knew the vocabulary
words and they sang the song that they learned.
Day two: 7th November 2019
What I taught today (list all lessons taught including whole group, small group,
and/or individual lessons specify if the lesson was planned or impromptu): I taught
2 lessons today to 2 groups. They did
Links to lesson plan(s) I used today (include a link to Google docs or attach the
plan to this assignment): see second lesson plan.
Reflection of my teaching today (be specific with a reflection from each lesson
taught today): today was a review and post assessment day. I incorporated the
literacy part of the unit. I told the children a story about Ally the Alligator. They
used their vocabulary words to help me tell the story. And I asked for some of
them to help me be part of the story. They laughed and I think they learned a lot.
The only thing that I could have improved on would have been to make sure that
the post assessment was printed out properly. The first group ended up doing half
of the assessment and the second group did the whole assessment. There was a
printing problem, so the second page wasn’t printed for the first group.
My goal for this week: (reflect on your goal this week – what is it, how did it go,
did you achieve it or do you need to keep working on it, etc.) Differentiation took
place in the form of the environment. This week I added games and stories to the
children’s learning. All of them were engaged and we had less wonderers. The goal
worked. The children who sometimes need help were able to sit down and used the
counters which where part of the hand on activity.
My goal for next week: (state what you’d like to work on for the coming week)
My goal next week is to be more cautions of time so that the children get to do the
independent practice questions.

Lesson plan 1

Greater than lesson plan.

Topic: greater than Grade Level: kindergarten Name: Samantha Homlquist

Lesson Type: New Performance Level: on Group Size: whole group

material

Standard: K.CC.B.6: Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less
than, or equal to the number of objects in another group, eg, by using matching and counting
strategies.
Objective: Students will be able to accurately recognize and identify a group of items that are
greater than the other group of items 4 out of 5 times during the lesson.

Assessment plan: walk around and look at student’s work as they do practice problems with
counters. Check what students answer for their independent practice questions.

Key vocabulary terms and definitions:

Greater than: the greatest number of items compared to a small number of items.

Materials: greater than signs, counters, equal sign, less than sign practice questions and
counters.
Differentiation/Accommodations: Use hands on activities. The students have a lot of energy
and need to move around. Add more movement transitions. Group two will count and pretend
to count the number of counters that Ally the Alligator will eat. If group one students are
grasping greater than fast then I will ask them questions that would test them from the whole
unit, less than, equal to and greater than questions.
Support: Miss Orchard will sit near the children that require to be told the instructions more
than once. Show example on the board when the students are struggling.

Management Decisions
Behavioral Expectations: Transitions from place Fast Finishers: give them
Students will do what the teacher to place or between more practice problems and
will ask them to do. Sitting down activities: check on their progress. Color
on their own chair and not “If you happy and you in the practice questions
speaking when the teacher is now it craw to your counters.
teaching. chair…….”

Attention Signal (Regain Student Material Management: Grouping:

Focus) “1, 2, 3, eyes on me…ears Teachers will pass out Group one and group two.
are listening carefully” and collect all needed
materials apart from
pencils.

Lesson Sequence
Time What the teacher is doing What the students are doing
3min Gain Attention/Activate prior knowledge: Students will answer
The teacher will bring out Ally the alligator. Invite a few question and
students to help you with the attention getter. Invite 2 students participate as part of
and have them stand on one side. Ask them, “how many other the equation.
friends do we need on the other side to make this number of
friends an equal amount?” When they answer invite two
more students and show that they are equal. Ask if Ally will
smile or if she will eat one side? Bring Ally the equal sign
that is smiling at put it in the middle. Next invite one student
to join one side. Ask the students which group has less
amount. Then ask them which group Ally will chop on and
eat. Remind them that ally only likes eating the big amount.
3 Input & Modeling: Students will answer
min Teacher will say, “boys and girls today we are going to learn questions and count
about greater than. Greater than means, most, big or large with the teacher when
amount/ number. she counts.

Draw on the board 3 circles and say, “if I had three counters
like this.” Count the counter out loud, “one, two, three,” then
write the number three underneath the counters on the board
and do the same for the number four. Then ask the children
which number of counters has less? Circle that group and say
this group has more. Tell them that Ally likes to eat the bigger
number, so she faces the bigger number. Bring in the greater
than sign and show how it faces the bigger number.

3min Guided practice: Students will use

Each child will have 5 counters placed in front of them on counter to make
their table. The teacher will say, “if I had three counters on numbers, point to
the right side one, two, three, and one less counter on the left greater than and place
how many would I have on the left side? Which number I is the greater than sign.
greater?”
After children answer walk around and check their work.
Write two separate numbers on the board and ask the students
to replicate the numbers using their counters. Then to point to
the number that is greater. After they do that, ask them to
place Ally the alligator so that she is facing the bigger
number.

2 Independent practice: Students will work on

min Each student will receive practice questions to work on. practice questions by
Instruct the students to count the counters they see, write the themselves.
numbers and to circle the number that has a greater number of
counters. Then write in the greater than or less than sign.

3min Closure/Summary: Students listen and add

Summarize equal means the same. Less than means that Ally insights.
won’t eat it and that it has the smallest amount. Greater than
means that Ally will chomp on it and eat the bigger number.
 Lesson than or greater than smart board game. Students will play the
game.

Items to be collected as a result of this lesson: counters, practice sheets and counters.

Lesson plan 2

Post- assessment and review.

Topic: Comparing up 5. Grade Level: kindergarten Name: Samantha Homlquist

Lesson Type: New material Performance Level: on Group Size: whole group

Standard: K.CC.B.6: Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less
than, or equal to the number of objects in another group, eg., by using matching and counting
strategies.
Objective: Students will be able to accurately recognize and identify equal, less than and
greater than numbers of objects 4 out of 5 times during the lesson.

Assessment plan: Use the post assessment to see what the students, know do not know and
need to know. The students will be asked to vote if the answer their classmate choose on the
board is the right answer or the incorrect answer using thumbs up or thumbs down.

Key vocabulary terms and definitions:

Equal to (the same as): the same number of items in each group.
Less than: the least number of items compared to a larger number of items.
Greater than: the greatest number of items compared to a small number of items.

Materials: posttest, Ally the alligator story visuals,

Differentiation/Accommodations: For learning environment use the voice amplifier so that

the children here your voice the best. For group 1 give clear instructions and keep the lesson
on a fast pace.
Support: Have support teacher sit next to the students who needs more help or is being
disruptive to the whole class.
 Management Decisions
Behavioral Expectations: Transitions from place to place or Fast Finishers:
Students will put a pencil on their between activities: Practice drawing
head like a unicorn to show that Tell students where to go and sit. the sign to the
they are ready for the next Use the special word tell them when questions.
question. they can go.

Attention Signal (Regain Material Management: Grouping:

Student Focus) “1, 2, 3, eyes on Teachers will pass out all needed 2 Whole groups
me…ears are listening carefully” materials. The students will return
all the materials to the appropriate
places.

Lesson Sequence
Time What the teacher is doing What the students are doing
2min Gain Attention/Activate prior knowledge: Students will do
 Sing, “Ally the Alligators like to chomp chomp” the same action as I
will be doing and
attempt to sing
along.

5min Input & Modeling: Students will give

Teacher will say, “boys and girls our math lesson today will start animal idea,
with a story about Ally the alligator. The teacher will make up a number of animals
story about Ally having animals to eat and choosing which one to to use and tell
eat. The students will answer and give the teacher ideas of which group of
animals, number of animals then eventually choosing which one animals to eat.
Ally eats because it’s the greater number.
Students will take
the posttest

1 Guided practice: Students will ask

min Teacher will draw on the board 2 examples that will guide the any questions they
students on what they need to do on the test. (Some students did might have before
not circle they did squares etc. taking the post test.
2 Independent practice: Students will do
min Each student will take a post test. the posttest.

3min Closure/Summary: Students will take

Finish with the comparison game. turn choosing
which way Ally the
http://www.softschools.com/mathg.jsp Alligator will face.
When choosing the
number that is
greater.

Items to be collected as a result of this lesson: Students pretest, post test.