Casey Hearrell Science Lesson Summary/Reflection Summary:

March 27, 2014

My lesson consisted of introducing unicellular and multicellular organisms to the class. The objective was that students would be able to identify what characteristics make an organism single celled or multi celled. To begin the lesson I had the students do an open and closed picture sort. The students first arranged the pictures however they wanted. After a few groups briefly shared with the class, I told students they were looking at unicellular and multicellular organisms. The students had to then arrange the pictures in two groups: unicellular organisms and multicellular organism. Next, the students and I discussed the pictures as to which organism they could be. I showed a T-chart and asked the students if they agreed the pictures were under the correct side. Next, I instructed students on what to do for the stations. The students broke up into groups of 6 and went to the four stations. I went around and listened in on their discussions and asked questions to see if they knew what cell they were viewing. After rotating through each station and moving back to their desks, we discussed the difference between multicellular and unicellular organisms. The students shared what they learned at the stations. Then we went over a slide containing characteristics of both types of organisms. Students had to give an educated reason as to what cell was in which station. For the last activity, the students had to get back in groups and create a collage of pictures and words that would describe a unicellular or multicellular organism. On the IPads, students created a PicCollage as an exit slip. Once the group members could explain their collage with accuracy, they could pack up. Reflection: The students knew a lot more about cells than I had expected them to. They were making connections between unicellular and multicellular organisms and the ecosystem unit they had finished up the week before. When we were discussing the different characteristics of the two types of organisms I informed students that unicellular organisms can be found on and inside multicellular organisms. In other words, bacteria that are on our skin are usually unicellular. I got a lot of surprised faces and gasps out of that one. I think the most important fact the students discovered, was that cells come in many different shapes and contain a lot of stuff inside them. The students are quite familiar with working in groups. While I was at the school, the teacher had the students work in groups almost every day. So, the students already knew what

their behavior should resemble when working in groups. The only problem that came up was that I only was able to put one IPad at every station. So, students got upset with one another because they couldnt all see the cell picture on the screen. I had to gently remind the students that they needed to make sure everyone in the group had access to the IPad. The other problem I had was that students would move the pictures on the IPad and when they did that some saw the labels of the cell (plant cell, animal cell, bacteria cell) and wouldnt extend their exploration. Some of the students got really into exploring the cells. They began using their previous knowledge to make connections between the cells they were viewing. For example, I went to one group and asked what cell they thought they were viewing. One student said he was positive it was a plant cell. I asked him to explain why and he surprised me. He said that there are chloroplasts in the cell and plants have chloroplast, so that is why it is a plant cell. It thrilled me that this student had made that connection between my lesson and a previous one. The class I was in had no physical differences that I was made aware of. However, I did have a student with a learning difference. One of the students is on a first grade reading level due to the fact that she knows four different languages. The reason shes on a first grade reading level is because she struggles with reading and comprehending English. So, I allowed all the students to choose their groups. I knew shed get in a group with her friends and they would help her understand the questions for the video. I also made sure to help her out when she needed it. Other than reading the questions for the video, there wasnt any other reading activity the students had to do. I think that could be why she enjoyed my lesson so much. Although I had technical difficulties the first time I taught the lesson, I did use technology effectively. I was able to have visuals in the power point, allow students to watch a video and look at cells up close on the IPads, as well as, let the students show the new information they learned by using their creativity to make a collage on the IPads. I feel that I included a lot of technology in my lesson and everyone was involved because of it. I feel that the technology enhanced my lesson overall. I think my lesson was a good opener for the rest of the unit on cells. The students got a feel for what they were going to learn by doing a lot of fun activities. I think that the students learned overall that by working together it is much easier to make connections and complete the given work. I noticed that while moving through the stations the students would not truly discuss

with each other what they were viewing. I emphasized to the second class that their classmates are there to help them. This caused a lot more collaboration among the students. What I remember most about my lesson was that I really enjoyed watching the students do all the activities and interacting with them while they did it. I loved that their age allowed me to include much more complex tasks then I could with younger students. I also loved being able to communicate with them in full on conversations. I would do this lesson again but maybe with just a few adjustments. For one, Id like to have more IPads available for the activities. Also, I didnt get to ask all the questions I had wrote down in my lesson plan because the time was just not available. So, next time Id like to have more time and ask more questions. This whole lesson taught me a lot about myself. For starters, I learned that no matter what grade I end up in, I will always have to relearn the material I will be teaching. I also learned that I need to always remember that the students may know a lot about a topic or a little. I figured that the students did not know a whole lot about my topic but when I started asking questions they surprised me. As a teacher I learned that I like standing up and moving around when Im speaking. I like being close to the students and talking to them like theyre people, not just little kids. I also learned that my time management skills are pretty good. Something I feel that I could probably improve upon would be my authority. The students did not disrespect me by any means but I felt that some students looked at me as a friend rather than a teacher. I think because they were much older than the students Im used to being with, that I wanted them to like me so I befriended them. I need to work on my connections with my students as a teacher, not just a friend. In general, teaching this lesson was a great experience and by far my favorite lesson of all that I had to teach. I was proud of how it turned out and felt fulfilled when it was over.