Instructional Delivery – The competent teacher differentiates instruction by using a variety of strategies that support critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, and continuous growth and learning. This teacher understands that the classroom is a dynamic environment requiring ongoing modification of instruction to enhance learning for each student.
Rationale:
Description of Planning: I created this lesson with the intent of teaching to a 3rd-grade level classroom. I wanted to make an informative lesson about The Great Lakes: Names, geography, and some history. To begin I transferred a www.youtube.com video to a www.wevideo.com with a song introducing the topic to the class. The song is used to launch the subject and generate intrigue amongst the class. Next, I created Google Slides to clearly cover the topic using visuals, research, and facts all compliant with the standards that I wanted to cover in this lesson. In the slides, each lake is named, pictured, and then the content expectations are explained. I then included a short 3rd-grade reading level passage from the www.discoveryeduction.com online textbook that I copied, pasted, and cited into a google doc. I chose the excerpt to include additional information and vocabulary words necessary for the lesson. The student can choose to read the lesson to themselves or use the Google read-aloud/ text-to-speech feature in Quick word. Finally, I capped the lesson with a short 10 question quiz on a Google Form about the facts contained in the slides and reading. All the material can be accessed by the student in my Google Classroom.
Objectives & Standards
Students will be able to identify each of the Great Lakes
Students will be able to interpret information presented visually, orally, and quantitatively.
Students will be able to contract differences and similarities between the Great Lakes.
4. SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Speaking and Listening. 4.SL.1.c Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.
17.A.2a Compare the physical characteristics of places including soils, landforms, vegetation, wildlife, climate, natural hazards.
17.C.2b Describe the relationships among the location of resources, population distribution, and economic activities (e.g., transportation, trade, communications).
17.A.1b Identify the characteristics and purposes of geographic representations including maps, globes, graphs, photographs, software, digital images and be able to locate specific places using each.
Standard Connection: Creating this lesson is useful for those students who have missed class and have access to their Google Classroom outside of school. This is also great for students to take the lesson at their pace and be able to understand the lesson thoroughly by going back in the video (if need be). Using the flipped classroom method, I saw how teachers, parents, and students can benefit from this. This connects with the Illinois teaching standard 5c which states "The competent teacher differentiates instruction by using a variety of strategies that support critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, and continuous growth and learning. This teacher understands that the classroom is a dynamic environment requiring ongoing modification of instruction to enhance learning for each student". This is a great way for future educators to connect with their classrooms from home and for parents to watch and even help their students with the lesson of the day.
Takeaway: I learned that within creating a Google Classroom and online lesson that my students will have the ability to access lessons from their computers whether in the school or perhaps at home on an e-learning day or absence. Students can stay current and up to date at all times. I also learned that the technologies can easily blend, be organized, tested, modified, and provide necessary data through the features that Google provides.