James Crawford

Flinn Elementary
Principal: Maria Miller
Teacher: Barbara Harris
Fourth Grade
November 14, 2012
Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Disease

LESSON PLAN REFLECTION NO. 2

Planning

First, after a discussion with Mrs. Harris, it was decided that I would teach a lesson on the risk
factors associated with cardiovascular disease. I examined the Next Generation Standards for fourth
grade Health to ensure that I included all of the necessary information. While I wanted the students to
learn the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, I also wanted the students to understand
the reason they were learning this material. Therefore, I explained how build-up can begin in arteries as
early as two years old and some reasons for the build-up. I also obtained a large model of the heart
from a local high school to show how the heart itself obtains blood. In addition I reviewed a heart attack
and described the steps in that event. Utilizing this material is the way I plan to challenge the divergent
thinking skills of my students.
I believe the objectives as well as the materials were most helpful for my instruction. In the
back of my mind, I try to remember the objective of my lesson and utilize different questions to guide
my students back to those objectives. The model of the heart made it easy to explain to my students
the arteries and veins that supply blood to the cardiac muscle. Honestly, I do not think I would make
any changes in the planning component or in the lesson plan itself now that I have completed my
instructions. My CSO indicated that the students would comprehend concepts related to disease
prevention. Not only were the students able to name the six risk factors that we discussed, several
students talked about their parents and grandparents that have heart disease.

Implementation

I thought the entire lesson went well. While I firmly believe that all lessons can be improved,
sometimes things go well. This was one of those times. My objectives, strategies and assessment were
appropriate for the fourth grade. The students understood the terms that I utilized in my lesson as they
provided feedback to me during my presentation. The time factor worked out better for this lesson
than for lesson number one. Mrs. Harris gave me a few extra minutes to ensure that I did not take any
of their lunch period. The sequence of events did work and the students were able to sit at their tables
prior to the activity without disturbing the information related to the risk factors. Students were able to
move from table to table without a lot of drama. The pace of the lesson and activity was lively but not
so fast as to lose some of the students. I did follow through with a closure at the end of the lesson.
After the activity, students were randomly chosen to put one of the risk factors on an enlarged version
of the graphic organizer at the front of the room. As far as movement, I move around the room as
needed to keep their attention and encourage participation.

Clarity of Presentation

I have been told I am an actor when I teach. In fact, I have participated in several drama
productions at church. Therefore use of volume control, expressions or gestures is a part of my teaching
style. I attempt to be engaging and appealing with every lesson. Do I have pet phrases that I would
like to reduce in frequency? I am not aware of any but I will discover that when I record lesson number
three. Sometimes I may talk too quickly when I get excited and try to engage my students. I am fairly
sure that my students could hear, see and understand me. The heart model was very helpful in allowing
me to teach and the students to see the functions of the heart.

Attention to Individual Differences

I believe my choice of strategy and activity did accommodate individual differences and learning
styles. I included a mini-lecture to describe the reasons for fourth graders to study cardiovascular
disease risk factors. A model of a heart was utilized to explain the function of the heart along with the
ways that a cardiac muscle receives oxygen and nutrients. Finally, I had the students answer questions
in small groups and participate in exercises to further their understanding of the material. The included
students were mixed with groups of higher abilities to help ensure their success with questions on the
subject matter. I did make provisions for them within my lesson plan design as mentioned on the
Adaptation to Students Special Needs for Differentiating Insturction. As I mentioned in my lesson plan,
I did not anticipate a student finishing early and no one did. However, I did make provisions for early
finishers.

Focus on Relationships and Student Responses

The students and I relate to each other very well. I am very comfortable around this age group
and the students responded well to my teaching and this lesson. More than half of the class told me of
someone in their family that had cardiovascular disease. I did not have to invent anything during this
lesson. The students in this class relate to each other very well and were respectful, helpful and
supportive of each other during the activity and summative assessment. The students worked
collaboratively during the activity. As in most groups there are some dominant students but it did
appear that all students had the opportunity to participate.

Planning and Implementing Higher Order Thinking Skills


My first thought was to help them understand why fourth graders should learn risk factors
associated with cardiovascular disease. I am hopeful this helped some of the students to self-assess
their own personal habits and analyze the need for changes in their health behaviors. During the lesson,
students mentioned several relatives that had cardiovascular disease and the need for those relatives to
change their habits. I did suggest that the students mention to their loved ones the need to make
changes to avoid cardiovascular disease. I encouraged them not to nag them but use gentile
persuasion. Whether this is an ethical implication is probably decided by the student themselves.

Assessment

I did plan and implement a variety of assessment measures throughout the lesson, beginning
with my introduction. After introducing the topic, I asked the students if anyone in their family had
cardiovascular disease. Several students indicated members of their family had this disease.
My students learned six risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. Students also
learned that build-up in the arteries can begin as early as two years old and that avoiding risk factors is
important for them. I believe that the majority of my students did learn the material I wanted them to
learn. I walked around the room during the activity and listened to the students answer the questions.
Few students missed any questions. In addition, most students were volunteering to perform the
summative assessment exercise.
I am learning that an activity reinforces the learning process. While I am quite comfortable
listening and learning from a lecture, it would appear that utilizing hands-on activities helps students
learn and remember the subject matter. Tine management is an area that I hope to improve upon to
increase my teaching effectiveness.

Special addition: areas needing improvement

One area that I intend to address and improve upon is the use of positive statements to provide
students with specific praise. I do utilize brief acknowledgements but I rarely call students by their
name. I will attempt to utilize a students name when providing positive comments.
The other area that I plan to address is the use of non-standard English. I do not think I utilize a
tremendous amount of slang or pet phrases. However, I will make a list of those items when I teach
lesson number three.