Below you will find examples of a variety of lesson and activities that have been done in the classrooms I've taught in. Most of my experiences has been in 1st and 2nd grade, however, there are also some samples from my year of student teaching at the 5th grade level.
Plant Observations
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These are 2nd grade students working on their plant observations. This assignment was over multiple weeks in order for us to see the process of plant growth. We also had some outliers that were observed as a whole class; plant given gatorade instead of water, another with no sunlight, and one with no water. Every few days students drew what their plant looked like, wrote their observations, and also measured the lengths of roots and stems. My students were also given the opportunity to plant the results of their observations in the school garden so they could continue to grow throughout the summer and the community could benefit. |
Boat Design and Building
This project gave students the opportunity to design and build a boat (with all the same materials), then test its buoyancy by adding pennies. After students were able to see how well their boat did in the water we discussed what designs worked and didn't work based on the outcomes. Students were then given the opportunity to redesign and build a new boat based on this new found information. I am proud to say that in round two every group was able to increase the amount of pennies their boat was able to hold. Students were then asked to write to compare and contrast their two boat designs and discuss what worked and what didn't. |
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Measurement Tasks
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There are a few 2nd grade measurement standards that can be applied to this particular activity. Above you will find pictures of students participating in rotating centers that asked students to complete a variety of measurement tasks. Some students had to measure various body parts, the distance they're able to jump, pictures of monsters on cards, and the height of the spaghetti tower they built; each of these tasks asked them to measure using a given unit of measurement. This activity allowed students to move around the room, interact, and discuss their answers. |
Geometry Headbands
One of the 2nd grade math standards asks that students identify specific shapes by their attributes. This game has a student put a shape card on the headband that they're wearing without knowing what it is. Then the other student(s) in their group describe the shape based on it's attributes while the student wearing the headband tries to guess what is on their head. This is a spin off of a popular game called "Headbands" that you can find in stores. The students really enjoyed being able to play this popular game in the classroom while also observing geometric shapes. |
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Readers Theatre
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I have done readers theatre at both the 1st and 5th grade level. Students were given parts that would best suit their reading abilities and given time to practice and collaborate their parts. This gave students the opportunity to improve their fluency, prosody and confidence while reading. Students were also given time to design and build some of their props and backgrounds before the "big show". Both grade levels were excited to take part in this activity and really took ownership in their given responsibilities. |
QR Codes and Augmented Reality
QR (Quick Response) codes give my students more independence and expand access to other resources. In the pictures above you will see my students working at a center practicing multi-digit addition and subtraction. Once they have solved the problem on a white board they're able to check (and make corrections if needed) their answers by taking a picture using the QR app on the ipad. I also used them in my classroom library. Students again used the QR app and it would take them to the book read along that was connected to that code. Similar to QR codes, I have plans to also implement Augmented Reality in my classroom. This will make learning literally come to life and I cannot wait to take my classroom to the next level. |
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