Science #4: Clinical Lesson

I planned and taught a lesson about magnets at my clinical site on Monday, November 10, 2014.  I am in a kindergarten class at Oakland Elementary School.  Prior to teaching this lesson, I spoke with my cooperating teacher to plan out when I would teach and what the focus of my lesson would be about.  We decided that this would be a great day for my lesson because it was the last day of their magnet unit.  My lesson was originally scheduled for Friday, November 7 but my CT had to stay home with her daughter who wasn’t feeling well.  The first section of my lesson was allowing the students to watch a Brain Pop Jr. video about magnets.  Then I let the students lead a sorting activity on the SMART Board in which they decided which objects were attracted to magnets and which were not attracted.  I did not influence their discussion at all so the students got to make the decisions based on their prior knowledge.  Finally, the students went to their desks and worked in groups to test all of the objects using a magnet.

I was very proud of this lesson and after discussing with my CT and careful reflection I have thought of a few strengths that I would like to share.  I made sure to activate the student’s prior knowledge at the beginning of the lesson.  This was important for me to do because I taught on a Monday and it can be difficult for some young students to recall information that they learned last week when they were home all weekend long.  I also made sure to ask them what new information they learned after watching the Brain Pop Jr. video, which turned out to be great because a lot of students pulled out subtle information from the video that I didn’t even think they would catch!

The way that I allowed the students to lead their predictions was also a strength of my lesson.  They were able to use their prior knowledge to the best of their abilities and combine it with some great assumptions to come to their conclusions.  For the most part, the students accurately sorted the objects or had solid arguments for why they believed it should go in the incorrect category.  I believe that many lessons should be student led because I want students to be in charge of their own learning.  This will make them more interested in the topics presented as well as more motivated to learn.  My CT also shared that she really liked that I used the word “predictions” in my lesson.  A lot of teachers use simple words and dumb-down their vocabulary when talking to kindergartners.  This is necessary at times, but it is also important to teach young children the correct meaning and usage of new terminology.  This will help expand their vocabulary and make them want to use their new words in their schoolwork or conversations with peers or other adults.

In order to make this lesson run smoothly, I laid out the worksheets, pencils, and objects that we tested on the desks while the students were watching the Brain Pop Jr. video on the rug.  This way, it did not take away time from their learning and they were not distracted.  I strategically planned which students were going to test each object.  I knew that some students would be extremely disappointed if they had an object that did not attract to a magnet so I made sure they had something that did attract.  I also remembered that some of our students have issues with putting small objects in their mouths.  Therefore, I made sure to give those students large objects like the blocks instead of the screws or coins.  This was both a safety and health precaution.

Finally, I feel as though I managed the magnet experiment portion of my lesson very well.  I made sure to hold the magnets until I was ready for the students to begin the testing.  I also gave clear directions for how to use the magnet.  I told them to set the object they were testing (for example a paperclip) in the middle of their table and to set the magnet on top.  Then, when they picked up the magnet the paperclip would either stick to the magnet if it was attracted or stay on the desk if it was not attracted.  One student at each group of desks had each object, so after each group tested their paperclip I took the magnets so the students were not distracted and could complete that portion of the worksheet.  Then when they were all ready to test the next object I passed the magnets back out.

Although my CT and I found many strengths within my lesson planning and implantation, we also discussed some suggestions that could make my lesson stronger if I were to teach it again in the future.  One suggestion my CT made was to make sure to keep my eyes on the students that are sitting on the carpet when one student is up at the SMART Board.  This is something that I can apply to my teaching throughout the day, not just in science.  I tend to watch the student who is working at the board so my back is to all of the rest of the class on the carpet.  This can lead to behavior issues, so it is important for me to keep my eyes on them in order to enforce the expectations of sitting on the carpet. 

We also thought of a possible change to the worksheet that we used.  A few of the students had trouble circling the correct word “yes” or “no,” so we thought that changing it to happy and sad faces might be easier.  This would also be a great way to differentiate the lesson if I knew I had some lower and some higher level students, much like my CT’s class.  The students who are more advanced readers could have the worksheets with the yes/no option, the emerging readers could have happy/sad faces that are labeled yes/no, and the struggling readers could only have happy/sad faces. 

We also had some ideas for how I could change the way that the students got the objects that would cause less distraction during the testing portion of the lesson. 

Overall, I had a really great time planning and implementing this lesson.  I am loving my experience with my kindergartners so far and am always excited when I get the opportunity to lead them in a new and exciting lesson that they enjoy like this one.