Lesson 1 Reflection

    Overall, lesson 1 on geography was a mixed experience. Certain elements went well, and certain elements did not go so well. To begin the lesson, when we arrived, the students were already waiting at their tables. This meant they were sitting there while my partner and I were setting up. We had not prepared anything for them to do while we got situated, so they sat there for a while. Our first activity was introductions. Some time was taken to get to know students' names, something they were looking forward to during the weekend, and an interactive game of would you rather. Our next activity was supposed to be the pre-assessment. Due to miscommunication between my partner and I, the pre-assessments were forgotten. There was a misunderstanding between us about who was bringing them. This definitely was a bump in the road. Going forward, proper planning is definitely something we need to incorporate. For activities, students created self-portraits for their passports and a suitcase craft (see below). 

Suitcases

Self Portraits

                                                       
Students really enjoyed the craft and creating self-portraits. Getting to customize their suitcases gave them a sense of self expression. During this time, we also went over the travel brochures. Our students are learning about Puerto Rico. The brochure offered information and fun facts. During this activity, I asked students to volunteer reading certain sections of the brochure. After this, it was time for a brain break. During our brain break, we combined with the rest of the classroom. All students played globe toss, where they tossed the globe and read whatever country their thumb landed on. Students really enjoyed this game. Getting up and doing something more physical was a great opportunity for them (see below).

Our last activities were maps, vocabulary, reading, and a Blooket. My partner led the map review with students. The students made observations and comparisons about the old and new maps.  Next was vocabulary, which students did well with. I let my partner lead this activity. We did not have time to get to reading or a second brain break. One thing I realized was that we needed to plan out our activities a bit better. Better time planning and management would've allowed my partner and I to complete all activities. Our last activity was a Blooket. Students really enjoyed this and had fun. Most students met the objective of the lesson, which was identify major regions of the Earth, their physical features, and political boundaries using a variety of geographic tools (specifically Puerto Rico). Students were able to recall quite a bit of information from the lesson. The Blooket acted as our formative assessment. There was a minimum of 6 questions right and a maximum of 35 questions right. The Blooket repeated the same 6 questions with students trying to win candy. They enjoyed it however, next time I will make sure to add more questions. For a total of 8 players, 147 questions were correct and 111 were incorrect. The results could have been better.

Many things were learned from this lesson. Firstly, was proper planning. A big part of the lesson was not completed. There was a miscommunication, and I should have taken action and printed the pre-assessment to be safe. Next lesson I will make sure to print any content I create and use proper communication with my partner. Secondly, there was a student who was struggling with participation. He did not want to sit with the group, was unwilling to participate, and said things like "this is stupid" and "this Blooket is awful". I have never experienced a poor attitude or lack of participation in a practicum lesson before. In our next lesson, I want to gain this students interest. I spoke to his classroom teacher about ways to get him more engaged. My partner and I will be incorporating them into our next lesson. After the lesson, I asked students what they liked and disliked. They said they liked the crafts and movement activities and they disliked sitting so long and the type of Blooket we did. For our next lesson, we will incorporate more crafts and physical or movement related tasks. I also plan to make a different Blooket. I really liked getting student feedback and giving them a chance to say how they feel. I think it was a great way to show them their opinions matter to us. I want cooperation and listening to students voices to be a part of my professional identity and future lessons. In the future, I will make sure to plan accordingly and use proper time management. I am looking forward to our next lesson on history.