Over sixteen months at CalStateTEACH, I created forty separate lessons, two subject matter units, and an integrated unit. This work represents my ability to package the state content standards into relevant, meaningful, and comprehensible lessons for my students. The state content standards are the subject matter; my lessons are the comprehensible presentation of the subject matter.
When preparing a lesson, my first step is to get to know my students. As a student teacher, I spent time researching each child and understanding their unique circumstances. For example, I looked in cumulative files to discover any identified special learning needs (IEPs, SSTs), past assessment data, and personal background information that might affect their learning. I spoke with the students to get to know them as individuals, to identify their interests, and to find out what motivates them.
Given my knowledge of each student’s unique set of circumstances, I then built lessons that could bring the content standards to life for them. For example, in my first term I was placed in a third grade classroom. The science content standards were related to separating opinion from evidence, and repeating scientific experiments to improve accuracy. To make learning stick, it has to be personally relevant, engaging, and build on prior knowledge. So I taught a lesson called, “Aluminum Foil Boats.” The students were given aluminum foil sheets, a tub of water, and pennies. The objective was to experiment with different “boat” designs to determine which could hold the most weight (pennies). The main purpose of the lesson was to experiment with the height, width, and depth of the boat designs. There were other variables that some discovered. The first time the boat was tested, it was dry. During successive tests of the same design, the boat was wet, and consequently, heavier. Some students learned to gently place the boat in the water, and gently add pennies. Others dropped pennies from various heights, sinking their boats.
The students learned that even their strongest opinions needed to stand up to scientific testing. In cases where the results varied widely from one test to another, critical thinking was required to identify what was causing the variation.
At the end of the lesson, the students showed their designs and explained their thinking about the design, and how much weight they held. Using words to describe their learning, and then paraphrasing one another’s learning, helped to deepen their understanding.
Aluminum Foil Boats
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