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Reflection, Self-Evaluation, & Professional Development Showcase Lesson The third lesson titled To, Too & Two taught the understanding of how to

use and apply these homonyms. SC State Standard: 1-3 The student will learn to read by applying appropriate skills and strategies. Indicator: 1-3.5 Understand the relationship between two or more words (including synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms). When going through the process of planning out my lesson, I began with a pre-assessment that had each child complete a worksheet that included four simple sentences where the student could fill in the blank with the correct to, too, or two. The students showed me that they were not familiar to the correct use of the word. So I then began planning out how I was going to teach the concept of using the correct to, too, & two in a sentence. I began the lesson having the students gather together in front of the SMARTboard. I wanted to have the students engaged with the lesson so I asked them if they could tell me the three different ways to write the homonym. They participated well in telling me the to and two. Armando was the only student that could tell me the too way. I then shifted the lesson by having the students read aloud the story To, Too & Two. My sister is two years old. She went with me to the market. I wanted to buy her a big doll. The doll was pretty. She liked the doll, too. But the doll cost too much money. I do not know what to do. The students were then allowed to highlight each to, too, two with permission of the teacher. The students had no trouble and were able to engage in the lesson and found it exciting to be able to recognize what I was asking them to do. I then went into farther explanation of how to, too, two were used in our readings and writings. TWO names the number 2 TO goes with the action word for example to buy and also goes with a direction word to the market TOO means more than and also The class then went back over the story to make sure that each homonym fit correctly and was used properly. I then gave three sentences to have the class decided which to, too or two belong in the sentence. This was a way of seeing if the children were really grasping the understanding of the different meanings and spellings of this homonym. The class was then dismissed to their tables to wait for father instructions. Each student had a flipbook to cut out. The students are familiar to using a flipbook Brown 1

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but directions were given again on how to cut on the lines. Then I modeled to the students how to format each homonym a section of their flipbook. The instructions were for each student to find at least one sentence in a book under their desk that contains either to, too or two. The students were then to create two sentences using the remaining to, too or two. The post assessment was exactly the same as instructions for the students to locate a sentence in one of their books and copy it under the correct flap on their flipbook. Then the student will give two more examples of sentences that contain the other two type of to, too or two.

Whole Class The students did a great way of following this lesson and really understood

the concept after. The instructions and process was perfect for the students to stay engaged and learn the homonyms. I did not have to fight for the students attention and they did very well at staying on task. All of the students were allowed to voice their knowledge. This was a great opportunity for the students to remain on top and work through the idea of what the homonyms mean. Having the whole class work together at the SMARTboard was one of the best decisions made. This gave the students a way of learning from each other. It was also a great way to explain the meanings of to, too or two. The entire class of students made an 80% or higher grade on their flipbooks containing sentences using the to, too and two. This was a big success since this required the students to use their new knowledge and apply it into a sentence. If I could change anything about the structure of the lesson, it would be for all of the students to have an example to complete in front of the class by finding the correct to, too, or two. This might have been a little more pressure on the students to make sure they were learning from one another and paying closer attention. Also I wish I could have done some type of small group activity. This would have been great in making sure the students really understood the explanation of when to use to, too and two.

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 Ranking 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

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Lesson 3 Pre Armando Abigail Willie Brayden Tiyonia Kentravious Avin Jamin Willie Chayla LaDreavis Dayshun DMetria James Ambra JKwon Daricus Giovanni Shemarshia

Lesson 3 Post Armando Abigail Tiyonia Dayshun Avin Kentravious James DMetria Willie Tyler Chayla Ambra Jamin LaDreavis Brayden Shemarshia Giovanni JKwon Daricus (ab)

Three Individual Students

Armando was the highest because he was able to copy a sentence containing one of the homonyms and was very creative in producing two more sentences with the correct usage of the other two homonyms. Armando is very well behaving does not cause any behavior problems. Armando is a very bright student and is one of the if not the brightest students in the class. Armando is from an all-speaking Spanish home and has adjusted very well in an English-speaking classroom. His writings are remarkable and his reading level is the highest in the class. Armando is easily bored due to lack of interest in school due to the fact that he is so ahead of others he does not feel challenged. I had to make sure Armando was heard during the discussion of the difference of to, too and two. He is very bright and new the difference in the homophones. He sometimes gets really quiet when he knows the answer. Almost like he is embarrassed that he knows more than others. I made sure that he was able to be proud of knowing the difference in to, too and two.

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DMetria was in the higher middle of the class because she was able to copy a sentence containing one of the homonyms and produce the other two in sentences she created. She was not ranked higher because she did not follow directions on how to write the sentences in correct format. DMetria has problems following directions and is very easily distracted. DMetria is not a behavior problem and is very well rounded. I could help her in succeeding by providing a way for her to concentrate and stay focused by making sure she is not around hyperactivity students. I also believe she needs some type of push in making sure that she listens to direction. I believe when giving directions, I need to make sure she is listening and maybe allow her to repeat the directions to the others. JKwon was ranked low because he was only able to copy a sentence containing a homonym from a book but did not produce two more sentences with the other homonyms including correctly. JKwon is very hyperactivity and his reading level is very low. He has a hard time paying attention and is not motivated to work hard. To push JKwon I need to offer an incentive. I think he also needs to be aware of the importance of school by his family influences. In this lesson, I believe to help JKwon would have been to have him work with a peer. Peer influence is essential and also a way for JKwon to stay on task. It is important that he is teamed up with someone that will have him stay on track. I also think monitoring his work is needed. JKwon made me rethink part of my lesson due to the fact that he was having a hard time participating in the whole class discussion of which to, too or two to place in the correct place in the sentence. I think to better my lesson in the future would be to have a small group time to allow questions to be answered and more practice to happen using the homophones.

Reflection of Each Lesson

Lesson 1 Sun give Heat and Light When deciding to teach this lesson, I did some research on what the students had covered during the year. The students had not gone into depth of sun knowledge. I wanted to make sure I had the students using their own critical thinking skills when learning what the sun produced for the earth. The students were able to list some things about the sun so I took some of this knowledge and connected it to what does the sun do for the earth. I thought by providing the students with a video, it would help the students be able to stay engaged while also learning the new material. All of the students were able to participate and 13 of the 19 students received 100% on their post assignment. I consider this a successful lesson. One thing I learned from this lesson is to make sure that when beginning the post assessment process, I need to make sure I dont lose the students attention by allowing them all to get up at the same

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time. From now on, I will call the students by rows or table to go back to their desk. One of the best things about the lesson was allowing the students to research in their own books under their desk. This allowed them to stay engage in searching for the homophones. They were also able to make the connection between the lesson and where they could see it into practice.

Lesson 2 Play Dough Experiment I was thrilled to introduce the students to the science lab. I was aware they had never participated in an experiment/investigation and be in the science lab. I knew this would be a great experience and I wanted to make sure the students were with me. Since it was new, I allowed the students to imagine they were scientist. I wanted them to make their own decisions and set the rules for their investigation. This allowed them to hold up to their own standards during the lesson. I provided a copy of their rules and posted them at the front of the science lab so they can check their actions. This also let me become more focused on the lesson than worrying about behavior problems. The students were engaged during the investigation by stirring, measuring, pouring and kneading. In the next lesson, I want the student to use their imagination. I want them to become excited about learning. By allowing the students to pretend to be scientist, I had their complete attention the whole time. This allowed me to explain past just what the standard showed. Also all of the students except one were very successful in the assessment. The one that had a hard time following safety rules did however do okay on his knowledge assessment. The investigation went great but the combination of different components did not produce oatmeal play dough. I was able to use this fail experiment and teach the children that sometimes things are not going to work out like we had expected. It was a great time to motivate student that we still have to work hard and carry on when we dont succeed. Lesson 4 Planting I knew the students were interesting in another science lesson. I wanted to introduce them to something new. It was MAPP testing time at the school and the students were not allowed outside their classrooms. So I decided to bring the outside inside. Similar to the play dough experiment, I had the children become intrigued by pretending to become gardeners. We discussed what plants needed to live. The students then watched a video about the five basic needs plants need to grow and have energy. The students loved the video and had to repeat the list after the video was over. The students stayed engaged and I didnt have to fight for their attention. I then had the students stand up and show me how a plant used these needs. This was a great way to have them moving and learning by doing. If I was to do this over again, I might make sure the students were separated over the classroom for more room.

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Then the student went through the process of planting. This was great and caused a mess. In the future, I might put down tarps in every station to avoid having to clean afterwards. The students loved digging in the dirt though. During the lesson, I let the students talk to a peer about planting the seeds and how everything looked. I want to make sure I intergrade some type of communication among the peers in the next lesson. Students learn so much from their peers. I was very consistent from setting the rules and procedures. The students knew that we were going to follow along the plan. I presented the students with the plan so they knew what to expect next. This helped our class stay on topic. Lesson 5 Contractions The teacher approached me asking me if I could teach contractions for my last lesson. She wanted me to do another English lesson since she was pleased with my homophones lesson. I did some investigation on how to get the students involved in combining two words to form a contraction. I used a flipbook to show how two words combine. The students then were able to use the SMARTboard to work in front of their peers. Each student that wanted to participate in front of others was given two words to form into a contraction. If you did not want to do it in front of the class, the student was pulled aside to show the teacher privately. If a child had problems with joining the two contractions on the SMARTboard, I allowed them to choose a peer to help them. If they had difficulty or not, every student receive a high five from me and cheering from there classmates. This reassured a positive and supportive environment. All of the students preformed well and on the post assessment they all scored 80% or better. I wouldnt change one thing about my lesson. I was very proud of the students and did not have to fight for their attention. I am sure to always hold high but reachable standards. When I give an assignment, I do not doubt if the student can achieve or not. I knew that my castle contractions worksheet would challenge the students but I also knew they could do it. In the future lessons, I want to always show support when a child is having difficulty. I want to make sure they should never be embarrassed to ask for help from a peer or me.

Two Professional Development Goals 1. The first goal I am setting for myself is to grow in educational knowledge. I worked along side a teacher of 18 years and she had so much knowledge to offer to me. I learned that it is important to continue learning about education to keep up with the new and improved way of teaching children. Every generation of students are different and I want to make sure I know the knowledge to provide a successful environment of learning.
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2. The second goal is for me to learn more and more about teaching along side others. I see so many teachers come inside a classroom including inclusion teachers, reading resource teachers and ESOL teachers. I want to make sure I am able to communicate the needs of my students to these teachers to make sure we are helping the students in the best way possible. I want to learn more about how to corporate with these others. It is important that a student is having all of their needs met, this requires educators to communicate and plan properly. I want to be the best teacher to work along side.

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