Kim Thurman

11/25/2014
Lesson Analysis
In preparation for teaching this lesson, my practicum teacher informed me I would be
teaching about the plus sign. Not necessarily teaching about addition, just the symbol of the plus
sign. I was a bit nervous because in all the math lessons I had observed up until that point, the
students were focusing on learning the basics of numbers; how to write them, what they
represented, and different groups used to make them. I was afraid this would be a big step for the
students and initially I was nervous to hold that responsibility.
Once I got over that initial nervousness, planned, and taught the lesson, I think my
biggest strengths were the use of manipulatives and the variety of activities I had the children
participate in. Every math lesson I had observed since Ive been in that class has been the same
mundane thing. The students sit through a lesson then they do a worksheet together. I think the
students really liked using the baggies to help them create number sentences. The other activity I
liked was using the hula hoops to bring the groups in closer proximity of each other while they
took turns using the baggies. The students dont usually have the opportunity to work in groups
without an adult present. So this was a good experience for them. Of course, they were a bit
rowdy at first; especially because I used the hula hoops to create the circle for them to sit around,
but I thought they did well considering the circumstances. I didnt include this activity in the
morning class and by including it I saw a significant difference in the overall experience for the
afternoon class.
Unfortunately, lessons arent perfect and there is always something that can be improved
on. One weakness I think this lesson had was my closure. In theory, it was okay. I got the

students thinking about what they learned during the lesson. But as I watched and analyzed the
video of my lesson, I noticed that not all the students were actively involved in reviewing the
material. Students were still working on their assignment so they werent looking at me, paying
attention, or thinking of what their own response to the question might be. Only a handful of
students (the higher level students) were answering the questions that I was asking. So I didnt
have a clear representation of which students knew the material and which students needed a
little bit more work.
Just as nice as it would be to teach a perfect lesson that was without weaknesses, it would
be nice to follow the original lesson plan that you put so much hard work into creating. Because I
am in a kindergarten class, I had the opportunity to teach my lesson twiceonce in the morning
and again in the afternoon. For the morning class I followed the lesson plan and it didnt turn out
like I had hoped. So before I taught the lesson a second time in the afternoon class, I collaborated
with my mentor teacher and dyad partner and made some adjustments. One of those adjustments
was to get rid of the video I had planned to watch that was from the MyMath program. After the
students in the morning class watched the video, I didnt think it helped or hindered their
understanding. I came to the conclusion that it was just a waste of time. Another adjustment
involved using the hula hoops to increase productivity during collaborative work time.
Throughout my lesson, my main form of assessment was formative observation. I would
watch students fill out their number sentence worksheet. The main thing I was looking for was
their use of the plus sign. Was it in the correct place on their worksheet and were they using the
vocabulary in their conversations with their peers? Their summative assessment was to create
their own number sentence using a plus sign to combine two groups. Again, the main aspect I

was looking for was their use of the plus sign. And as they read to me their number sentence, I
made sure they read it correctly; focusing especially the plus sign.
The major differentiation I implemented in this lesson was for the students that have
behavior problems. My mentor teacher would help with proximity control by sitting closest to
the students that tend to cause the most problems. And while I was configuring my groupings for
the activity where groups sat around the hula hoops, I thought about which students couldnt
peacefully work together and placed them in different groups.
No matter how well-planned the lesson, there will be situations you cannot account for in
a lesson plan. One unexpected happening occurred in the morning lesson. I had planned to use
baggies I made that had a plus sign stapled inside. They worked really well when there was
plenty of air in the baggie so the objects didnt get stuck. But because of the staples, air was
being released so the baggies would not hold air for very long. So the objects would just fall to
the same side of the plus sign, resulting in the same numbers being written on students number
sentence worksheet and eliminating variety. We were able to fix the problem by turning the
baggie upside down then shifting the objects around then turning it right side up so the objects
fall on either side of the plus sign. Consequently, the activity worked better for the afternoon
class.
Overall, I was pleased with the way this lesson turned out. I thought it provided the
students with a decent exposure to the plus sign so they can continue their journey on to addition.
The subject of this lesson provided me with some leeway when it came to choosing activities
they could participate in. Seems the focus wasnt centered on actually adding numbers, as long
as the students understood the purpose of the plus sign, then they understood the objective for
this lesson.