Using instructional materials in elementary teaching is crucial for several

reasons, particularly when it comes to capturing the interest and engagement of

students. Interactive and visually appealing materials can capture the attention
of students, making the learning process more engaging. When students are
actively involved in the lesson through the use of materials, they are more likely
to stay focused, participate, and retain information.
In our motivation where as we proposed to play a game “ Guess the Magic Word”
where as the students will guess the correct word with some letters as a guide.
The words that the students are supposed to guess are solid, liquid and gas. In
the first word SOLID we use the pictures apples, bag stones and books. Which
will lead students to think that solids are things that has textures, definite shape,
volume and that it’s particles are tightly close to each other. In the second word
which is LIQUID we use the pictures potion/ chemical solution, water, milk, and
juice inside their containers or glasses. That would lead the students to think that
the solid state are has a fixed volume but no fixed shape and they have
considerable space between the particles. And the last word is GAS where as the
pictures we used include air and balloons. These picture will lead the students to
think that most gas particles cannot be seen through the naked eye except some
like smoke.
We use the power point presentation as an instructional materials so we can
show our students the possible images and post more questions for them to see
it better without spending too much.
The use of instructional materials can spark curiosity and interest in the subject
matter. When students see the practical applications or experience the concepts
in a hands-on way, they are more likely to be motivated to learn and explore
further.
Insights:
As a future educator we would have a diverse types of students that has different
learning styles, and using a variety of instructional materials caters to diverse
learning preferences. Some students may learn better through visual aids, while
others may benefit more from hands-on activities. By incorporating various
materials, teachers can appeal to multiple senses, making the learning
experience more effective. Interactive materials encourage students to actively
participate in the learning process. Hands-on activities, games, multimedia
resources, and other instructional materials help to make abstract concepts more
concrete and tangible for young learners and can make learning more engaging
and memorable.
These materials provide a visual representation of ideas, making it easier for
students to understand and grasp the content. Students in elementary
classrooms come from diverse backgrounds and may have different levels of
prior/stock knowledge so instructional materials can provide additional support
for those who need it and challenge those who are ready for more advanced
concepts, ensuring that every student can have access on their education. To be
honest making instructional material are both enjoying and hard. Enjoying
because thinking of what your students may react once they saw what IM’s you
prepare for them is thrilling, whether they might find it interesting, fun or
disappointing keeps the exciting in me, and hard because imagine all the work
you’ll do like cutting, glueing, connecting taping and gathering materials is
seriously a tedious task itself but once you see that your students give a positive
response on your instructional materials all that hard work is paid off.
In summary, instructional materials play a crucial role in us as a elementary
teacher to foster understanding, engagement, interaction and motivation among
students. Using instructional materials provide a multi-sensory and differentiated
approach to learning, making the educational experience more meaningful,
memorable and effective for a diverse group of young learners.