Delivering Mini-Units
This week I taught the seventh-grade class a three-day mini-unit on wildlife. I tried to find a fun way to teach them about the wildlife around them. Prior to providing this mini-unit, I had gotten permission from my cooperating teacher to ask them to vote on what environmental sciences topic they wanted to learn about. They chose the wildlife which was a topic that I was looking forward to teaching students about. I know that this was a risk but I thought that the students would enjoy having some autonomy in their environmental sciences class. While the students seemed to enjoy the lessons and activities I had for them I think I could have structured them better.
My first problem was that I was inconsistent with how the information was presented during the lessons. During one lesson I had each student read about one of the animals. In another, I tried to start out this way but the students didn't seem interested in reading so I dropped that tactic and had them read what they thought was the most important. In the last one, I tried to minimize the information simply to how big the animal is and where it can be found. While there are different things that you need to know for different types of animals I feel that there must have been a way to deliver the information in a more consistent way.
My second problem was that I didn't plan out the time correctly, at first it was because I forgot when the class was over so I had planned to end the lesson earlier than I should have. Then I didn't take into account how long the lesson would actually take to present or I didn't think I would have time to add information that wasn't already on the slides to the lecture/discussion portion of the class. However, the students seemed to understand the concepts of the lessons and they didn't seem to struggle with what I had taught them throughout the lesson, they did have some clarifying questions for me but they didn't seem to struggle.
Overall I think that these were my biggest problems. How have you dealt with similar issues? How have you kept your lessons relatively consistent even when the material is different?
My first problem was that I was inconsistent with how the information was presented during the lessons. During one lesson I had each student read about one of the animals. In another, I tried to start out this way but the students didn't seem interested in reading so I dropped that tactic and had them read what they thought was the most important. In the last one, I tried to minimize the information simply to how big the animal is and where it can be found. While there are different things that you need to know for different types of animals I feel that there must have been a way to deliver the information in a more consistent way.
My second problem was that I didn't plan out the time correctly, at first it was because I forgot when the class was over so I had planned to end the lesson earlier than I should have. Then I didn't take into account how long the lesson would actually take to present or I didn't think I would have time to add information that wasn't already on the slides to the lecture/discussion portion of the class. However, the students seemed to understand the concepts of the lessons and they didn't seem to struggle with what I had taught them throughout the lesson, they did have some clarifying questions for me but they didn't seem to struggle.
Overall I think that these were my biggest problems. How have you dealt with similar issues? How have you kept your lessons relatively consistent even when the material is different?
Abbie, this content is a bit out of my wheel house but as far as planning here is what I got. If I am teaching a new lesson, I plan it out and it rarely fits in the time frame that I plan for due to students questions, further explanation, or students taking shorter or longer to complete the work. I just make the changes in my lesson plans for the next time and move on. If the lesson is too long then I adapt to fit it in my unit time frame for next time or even cut an activity or two if I need to fit it in a current unit. I would encourage you to write down your changes for your lessons so you know the next time you teach it.
ReplyDeleteAbbie, I think it is awesome that you are trying to bring in autonomy to the classroom. I have had a similar challenge planning for the proper amount of time. I always seem to plan too much, but this is better! That way, I can review the next day and continue versus letting students sit for 10 minutes at the end of the class. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHi Abbie, consistency can be very challenging, especially when the content that you teach differs from day to day. Establishing a routine (ie. certain types of activities for bellwork and exit tickets, procedures for reviewing directions and turning assignments in) as well as using a timer so students know when each part of the lesson needs to be completed can be helpful. This will also make your life easier and will help to create a flow in your classroom that holds students accountable for different aspects of their learning.
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