Lesson 1 Reflection:
I decided to start the first lesson on weather systems. One of the science standards in Kindergarten focuses on having students learn about the different types of weather systems in detail. Since climate change is looking at the effects of different types of weather, I felt it was a great idea for the students' to get a little refresher. We started off the lesson with brainstorming the different types of weather systems there are in our own communities. I wrote all of their suggestions down on a poster board and added little drawings above each so that students had a better sense of what each word meant. I feel now after teaching the lesson, that the pictures really helped the students understand what each word represented because right now, Kindergarten uses pictures to decode words.
When we moved onto the project, I was really impressed by how the students worked. Many of them would walk to the front of the class with their terms and compare them with the terms on the board to find out what cut out goes with what. The only thing I wish I did differently was how I passed out the term strips to the students. As children finished one of their boxes on the poster paper, they would raise their hands for me to check and I would pass out another term strip. However, it was starting to get messy as more students would raise their hands and I would constantly have to run back and forth. I think I would like to make up a system where once students finished one strip, they would still raise their hand for me to make sure it is correct, but they would then pick up a new strip on their own. Because of this, I didn't have time to assess the students as much as I would have liked. Overall, the lesson went great! The students were really engaged and they really enjoyed learning about the different type of weather systems!
When we moved onto the project, I was really impressed by how the students worked. Many of them would walk to the front of the class with their terms and compare them with the terms on the board to find out what cut out goes with what. The only thing I wish I did differently was how I passed out the term strips to the students. As children finished one of their boxes on the poster paper, they would raise their hands for me to check and I would pass out another term strip. However, it was starting to get messy as more students would raise their hands and I would constantly have to run back and forth. I think I would like to make up a system where once students finished one strip, they would still raise their hand for me to make sure it is correct, but they would then pick up a new strip on their own. Because of this, I didn't have time to assess the students as much as I would have liked. Overall, the lesson went great! The students were really engaged and they really enjoyed learning about the different type of weather systems!
Lesson 2 Reflection:
I was really excited to have the students work on this next lesson. The lesson was all about the different seasons and how we see the effects the seasons have on our trees. Before this lesson, we briefly touched on the topic of the seasons. Many students believed that a season is actually a weather system so it was a lot of clarification as to what the actual seasons were. The lesson went very well. The students really enjoyed learning about the different seasons and loved to describe each season. The students connected more to the lesson when they thought about the holidays that fall in each season.
The project was a great success. Because the children are in Kindergarten, I felt that it would be best if I traced my own hand and arm for the students and have them cut the trees out. I traced about 75 hands, four for each student and a few more for safety. I then placed the paints on different tables and had the students rotate from each section. To me, that was the most effective way of having the students work. The one thing I would have done differently is to go over in detail how to dab the paint onto the paper. Since they are Kindergarten, the students didn't know that they shouldn't over do it with the paint. I had a number of students have paint dripping off their sponges and papers. Reinforcing the directions is a big step that I seemed to have missed when it came to the project. However, the projects ended up coming out great and by the end of the lesson, the students were able to describe each season in detail.
The project was a great success. Because the children are in Kindergarten, I felt that it would be best if I traced my own hand and arm for the students and have them cut the trees out. I traced about 75 hands, four for each student and a few more for safety. I then placed the paints on different tables and had the students rotate from each section. To me, that was the most effective way of having the students work. The one thing I would have done differently is to go over in detail how to dab the paint onto the paper. Since they are Kindergarten, the students didn't know that they shouldn't over do it with the paint. I had a number of students have paint dripping off their sponges and papers. Reinforcing the directions is a big step that I seemed to have missed when it came to the project. However, the projects ended up coming out great and by the end of the lesson, the students were able to describe each season in detail.
Lesson 5 Reflection:
Of the lessons I taught, this one has probably been my most favorite. I made a large thermometer out of poster paper and cut strips of red construction paper for the sensor. I placed cut outs at freezing (snowflake), 75 degrees (sun), and 100 degrees (sweating sun). I then moved the sensor up and down and asked the students how warm it was based on the cut outs it was closest to. I think asked the students how hot it was based on the number the sensor was closest to so they can get a more accurate reading. Here, they had some trouble and I always referred back to the cut outs next to the thermometer and they seemed to understand this more.
Next, I pulled out a cup with ice cubes, one with water that was just boiled and room temperature water. The students went crazy for this because they saw the actual thermometer move up and down. First, we placed water in the hot water and I had the students watch it till it stopped on a number. I had one child read the number on the thermometer and then had another students show me with the cut outs on our poster paper how hot the water is. We did this for room temperature water and the ice water. The children really enjoyed this lesson. My only suggestion for this lesson is to make sure you don't use mercury thermometers. We used one, it broke, and we had to evacuate the room for a few minutes while I let the classroom air out. It took a good chunk of time out of our lesson. However, it was great overall and the students seemed to really understand the concept.
Next, I pulled out a cup with ice cubes, one with water that was just boiled and room temperature water. The students went crazy for this because they saw the actual thermometer move up and down. First, we placed water in the hot water and I had the students watch it till it stopped on a number. I had one child read the number on the thermometer and then had another students show me with the cut outs on our poster paper how hot the water is. We did this for room temperature water and the ice water. The children really enjoyed this lesson. My only suggestion for this lesson is to make sure you don't use mercury thermometers. We used one, it broke, and we had to evacuate the room for a few minutes while I let the classroom air out. It took a good chunk of time out of our lesson. However, it was great overall and the students seemed to really understand the concept.