Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Candidate:  Ms. April Smith                          

Lesson Topic:  Math (numbers and operations) 

Date Taught:  July 14, 2015

What went well:  I have 8 students (6 working independently) and a para-professional to work with my 2 students who are struggling in math calculations and place value using steps.  I have experience in working with specialized instruction which helped bring in strategies to show the students how to find the problem, use steps to solve and identify an appropriate answer.


What did not go as planned:  Because our summer learning place is limited to 3 hours with a 15 minute break, I was not able to complete the entire lesson due to time.

How to change for subsequent lessons:  In the future I would probably skip around more instead of going in order which would allow the class to address all parts of the lesson using place value up to hundred thousand. 


Comments from university supervisor

6 comments:

  1. April,
    I enjoyed looking at all of the pictures of your students. They are too cute. You guys are definitely happy campers. I like how you differentiated your instruction. I would love to look at your resources on place value.

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  2. April,
    It was a great lesson and all of the students were engaged the whole time. I like how you allowed the students the freedom to stand if they needed to instead of having to sit and listen. The time went by fast and you did a good job getting the steps in. The time used allowed the students to master the smaller steps which might not have happened if you skipped around. You could always use another day and have them practice the skill more and get to the other parts.

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  3. I love hearing advice from you about special education. You are so willing to help me with my new job! I think time is an issue that ALL educators struggle with. There are so many things I would liek to do to extend my lessons, but there are not enough hours in the day. Think about the difference you are making in these short weeks!

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  5. April, you are an amazing teacher! Not only do your care about your students, but you truly care about Special Education teachers as well. You are always willing to help and provide insight regarding the field of Special Education. Due to the lack of time, I was unable to finish my entire lesson as well. I have come to the realization that a short amount of time with our students is better than no time at all. Like Mary Chappell said, we all are making a difference in these short weeks.

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  6. I struggled with the pacing of my lesson too! However, I had the opposite problem- I moved too quickly! Overall, it sounds like your lesson went well. It is always better to be over planned and prepared than under. Running out of time is something that happens frequently- especially when you are modifying your lesson to meet the needs of your students.

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