Math
As practice in creating stem and leaf plots, I had students write their birthday days on a leaf and then figure out what their 'leaf value' (ones value) would be to go on the tree. As a class, we created our stem values, title, and key. Following this whole-group lesson, students completed independent practice.
This lesson was especially valuable to visualize the 'stem-and-leaf' concept. Additionally, since students were allowed to move around to put themselves in numerical order and then put their leaves on the board, students remained highly engaged. Many of my students have trouble staying seated for any period of time (a product of our collaborative classroom), so an activity like this really helps to keep them motivated and on task.
This lesson was especially valuable to visualize the 'stem-and-leaf' concept. Additionally, since students were allowed to move around to put themselves in numerical order and then put their leaves on the board, students remained highly engaged. Many of my students have trouble staying seated for any period of time (a product of our collaborative classroom), so an activity like this really helps to keep them motivated and on task.
Stem and Leaf Lesson Plan | |
File Size: | 50 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Science
When teaching the differences between classes of vertebrate animals, I prompted students to complete inquiry research. Each table group was assigned a subset of vertebrate (Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, Mammals, or Birds) and asked to research, using a laptop, specific details to share with the class. Each group created a poster with the important information (as outlined by me), fun facts, and drawings of two example organisms.
This activity allowed students to get practice conducting their own research since I gave very little guidance in how and where to search for information. It also gave the students the opportunity to choose information that they found relevant and interesting to make the material more memorable. This cooperative learning activity is a prime example of how I like to incorporate inquiry-based learning and empower students to take charge of their learning. Students were responsible for gathering the information and teaching it to their peers.
"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery." --Mark Van Doren
This activity allowed students to get practice conducting their own research since I gave very little guidance in how and where to search for information. It also gave the students the opportunity to choose information that they found relevant and interesting to make the material more memorable. This cooperative learning activity is a prime example of how I like to incorporate inquiry-based learning and empower students to take charge of their learning. Students were responsible for gathering the information and teaching it to their peers.
"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery." --Mark Van Doren
Introducing Vertebrates SMARTnotebook | |
File Size: | 3847 kb |
File Type: | notebook |
Vertebrates Lesson Plan | |
File Size: | 48 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Writing
Using quotation marks was a big struggle for my 5th graders this year. To draw connections to a huge area of interest for them, I related using quotation marks in writing to using speech bubbles in comic strips. After an introductory whole group lesson, I modeled taking a Garfield comic strip and turning it into a writing on chart paper. Then I gave the students a new Calvin and Hobbes comic strip and had them create a writing showing the dialogue between characters.
This lesson went over really well because it made the learning relevant for students by tying in their interests and showing writing situations where they would need to use quotation marks. All students remained very engaged and knew exactly what the expectations were for their individual writing after I modeled the activity.
Quotation Mark Presentation | |
File Size: | 968 kb |
File Type: | notebook |
Reading
The functional text unit in reading is just about as 'real-world' as it gets! Each text is something that the students could see in their day-to-day lives and need to interpret/find information. To emphasize the importance of paying attention to detail, we actually followed the directions of project designed to create a stress ball. Just in time for writing SOLs, we had a lot of fun with it! Students completed text-based questions that pointed out key details before they began making their stress balls. After finishing the stress-ball, students completed follow-up questions to reflect on the experience.
The students really enjoyed this activity, and I think it really made the point I wanted it to about needing to read every single detail in a functional text. Many students had trouble getting the flour to go through their funnel into the balloon, which could be remedied by following the direction to use a pencil or spoon to push it through. The feedback I got on the activity sheets was a very useful formative assessment on how well they could tie to together different ideas to determine aspects of reading, such as purpose.
Stress Ball Activity+Questions | |
File Size: | 31 kb |
File Type: | docx |