436 Lesson 1- Geography
During this lesson, we incorporated evidence-based strategies by explicitly teaching vocabulary from the books we read. Key words were highlighted before, during, and after reading in order to build understanding and support comprehension.
We used visuals, picture cues, and simple explanations to help students make meaning of new concepts along with a slideshow of the lesson. Students were also given opportunities to practice using the vocabulary through discussion and activities. Sentence starters were provided when needed to support students with speaking and writing. We also selected books that included pictures and visual keys so that all learners could follow along and make meaning from the text.
The texts used during the lesson included A is for Aloha, which is a nonfiction informational alphabet book about Hawai‘i. We also used Hawai‘i map resources as nonfiction and primary sources to allow students to compare and contrast maps. Throughout the lesson, we used visuals such as maps, images, and videos to support instruction about geography and Hawaiian landmarks. We also had students play a Blooket game to administer their pretest. They enjoyed this because it was on their Chromebooks and they got to play the game while completing the quiz.
Overall, students stayed engaged and participated in the activities to the best of their ability. We were about ten minutes behind schedule due to recess, which left us with about an hour and twenty minutes to complete the lesson. The classroom environment was somewhat loud, which some students found distracting, especially since it was the first day and routines were still being established. One student is very shy, and providing sentence starters helped support her participation when answering questions. Two of the students completed their work with no issues and actively enjoyed answering and asking questions. One student seemed less interested in the topic even though he had previously been to Hawai‘i. He appears to be more athletic and active, so incorporating movement breaks or more hands-on activities in the future may help keep him engaged instead of relying heavily on written tasks.
One area of weakness during the lesson was timing. Because part of the class period was spent reviewing classroom expectations, we had less time to complete the activities we had planned. Next time we will be able to begin the lesson more quickly since the classroom routines will already be established. Another improvement would be organizing the activities into one worksheet with three sections instead of using three separate worksheets. This would reduce the number of directions students need to follow and make the workload feel more manageable, which may help maintain their stamina during writing activities.
Several learning objectives were met during the lesson. By the end of the lesson, students were expected to correctly define and use at least four vocabulary words from the texts. All students met this objective through multiple checkpoints where they were asked to define or explain vocabulary words as they appeared in the reading. Students were also expected to identify at least three basic geography or cultural features of Hawai‘i using maps, images, or discussion prompts. Students demonstrated this understanding during the map comparison activity and through discussions where they compared Hawai‘i to Rhode Island and the types of activities people do in each location.
Another objective was for students to complete a Venn diagram comparing two maps of Hawai‘i with three similarities and three differences. Due to limited time, students were only given about five minutes to complete the activity and worked with partners. While most students did not reach three similarities and three differences, they were able to identify at least one or two of each, which was acceptable given the time constraint.
The final objective involved completing the OREO writing template with 90 percent completion. Because we only had about five to ten minutes remaining in the lesson, this activity was modified and completed as a whole group. Each student contributed an idea for one section of the OREO while my partner recorded their responses. This turned the activity into a collaborative group discussion rather than an individual assignment. All students met the learning objectives overall, but one student exceeded expectations. Student A consistently volunteered answers, wrote detailed sentences in her work, and was always willing to share her ideas with the class. In the future, condensing multiple assignments into a single worksheet may help other students maintain their stamina and stay engaged throughout the lesson.
From this experience, I learned how important pacing and flexibility are when teaching a lesson. Even when a lesson is carefully planned, unexpected factors such as time limitations or classroom routines can affect how much content can realistically be completed. Adjusting activities in the moment, such as turning individual assignments into collaborative group work, allowed us to continue the lesson while still meeting the learning goals. This experience also reinforced the importance of scaffolding strategies. Providing visuals, explicit vocabulary instruction, and sentence starters helped students better understand the material and feel more confident participating in discussions. These supports were especially helpful for students who are quieter or need additional guidance when expressing their ideas. This experience will influence my teaching moving forward by reminding me to build flexibility into my lesson planning. I will plan activities that can be shortened or expanded depending on the time available. I will also consider pacing more carefully so that the most important parts of the lesson are prioritized In the future, I would also like to include more interactive and hands-on components to maintain student engagement, especially for students who benefit from movement-based learning.
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