I have been feeling lost and undecided about planning my first lesson. My biggest hope is that I don't turn the cartoon above into a reality. Today I sat down with my teacher and worked on my lesson plan. At first I wasn't sure I knew what in the heck I was doing. Through her guidance I think I am finally starting to understand.
I have decided to do my first lesson on text features with an emphasis on visualization. I have a book that talks about ranches and ranchers, and my first thought was omg how can I do this. I have decided to look at this as a documentary. I will first ask the students if they know what that is, and then explain that they are the director putting the documentary together. Then I will ask them to close their eyes while I read to them, and then I will tell them what the passage brings to my mind and compare it with what they saw. Then I will have them pair up and do the same. This is still a work in progress, but I do love the idea for closing that my teacher gave me. I will have them write a letter to the I can statement and explain that they learned it today because of something, and that they know they learned it because of doing this. This will be a great assessment of how much they actually got out of my lesson.
I think that what I am most nervous about is doing my lesson in front of Julie. I think I can handle it in front of the kids, but if I can do this in front of her I can teach in front of anyone. I just need to spend my weekend working on the lesson and making sure that I have every t crossed and i dotted. I know that there are no perfect lessons, but I hope that with this one I can get some justification for wanting to be a teacher.
Hi Jean, I know you have been frustrated about planning your lesson, but it seems like you have a great plan going here. Your teacher is really making you work to figure everything out. I know that is time consuming, but you will probably benefit in the long run. I love the cartoon you posted at the top of your blog! Don't worry about being nervous with Julie in the classroom. I didn't even really think about it although I looked over at her several times. Just remember, she is not only there to give you a grade, but to also help you and give you suggestions that can make your lessons better. I am sure that your kids like you and they will be respectful during your lesson. I can't wait to hear all about how it goes!!
ReplyDeleteThe truth is that you WILL find yourself in the cartoon situation many times in your career. You don't always get things exactly right - no matter how much you care, plan, cry, etc. That having been said, what is important is that you follow up with an "assessment of how much they actually got out of my lesson."
ReplyDeleteI often think of aspects of teaching are like tuning a piano. If you ever see that done correctly, you are struck by the thousands of fine adjustments that have to be made. If the piano, like your teaching, was always on perfect pitch, then such adjustments would not be necessary. But teachers are not perfect any more than their students are. The key is caring enough to follow up - to admit the possibility that you missed the mark and make the needed adjustments. That is the craft of teaching.