The Access Curriculum

Self-Review Lesson 1
Student teaching the Learning Activity: Annie Lesha

Date: March 17,2016

Peer reviewing the Learning Activity: Alexis Aronson

The SOE student
the reviewer.

had Learning Activity plan approved in advance and provided it for

had all materials for the Learning Activity organized and ready to

use.
communicated the plan and roles with the other adults in the room.
Investigative Topic: Water Habitats (Saltwater vs. Freshwater)
Title of Learning Experience: Painting with Nature
Briefly Describe the Learning Experience: Include the number of children, how the
environment was staged, materials included, the experiences and whether or not the
children were engaged (if not engaged-where/when did their engagement wane?)
The learning experience I developed for the students was an experience about
freshwater animals, specifically in ponds. I used a book called In the Small, Small Pond
and read it to the class as a whole group. I then explained that we were going to do an
art activity at small group tables. Once the students went to their small group tables, I
passed out a piece of paper to each student and explained how they were going to draw
a pond animal that we learned about in the story, cut it out, and tape it to the large
pond to create our own classroom pond. Before the students cut out their animals, I
asked each of them what animal they chose to draw and then handed them scissors,
reminding them of scissor safety. There were 17 students present for the experience and
they all were engaged throughout the entire experience, including the book read. I had
to cut off the activity after a while, because the students kept making more and more
pond animals to add to the pond. My cooperating teacher loved the lesson and asked for
a copy of my lesson plan so that she could use it with her future classes. The materials I
used include the book In the Small, Small Pond, construction paper, blue poster
boards, scissors, tape, and crayons. The environment was staged as the classroom is
always staged. I began the lesson by reading the book on the large group carpet, sitting
on a chair while the students sat on the floor around me. I then moved the lesson to the
small group tables, Alexis sat at one table and I sat at the other as the students drew,
cut out, and taped their animals.
What went well?
The book read went really well. The students were interested the entire time and
engaged in discussion about the book and topic before and after the read aloud. The art
activity was also a big success, as the students didnt want to stop making pond animals.

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All of the students also created animals that were discussed in the book and were able to
identify the animals they drew.

What recommendations for improvement do you have? (Peer reviewers must

include at least one recommendation for improvement)
I would improve my explanations or descriptions of animals that the students were
unfamiliar with in the story, such as the heron. They wanted more information about the
animals that they were unfamiliar with than I was prepared to give.

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Peer-Review Lesson 1
Student teaching the Learning Activity: Alexis Aronson

Date: 4/14/16

Peer reviewing the Learning Activity: Annie Lesha

The SOE student
the reviewer.

had Learning Activity plan approved in advance and provided it for

had all materials for the Learning Activity organized and ready to

use.
communicated the plan and roles with the other adults in the room.
Investigative Topic: _Freshwater
Habitats_______________________________________________
Title of Learning Experience: __Freshwater
Habitats___________________________________________
Briefly Describe the Learning Experience: Include the number of children, how the
environment was staged, materials included, the experiences and whether or not the
children were engaged (if not engaged-where/when did their engagement wane?)
There were 14 students present for Alexis lesson. The classroom was staged as it always
is, and students sat in on the large group carpet space facing the smart board. Alexis
stood to the side of the smart board to give her presentation. Alexis prepared three
water bottles; one bottle with pond water, one with river water, and one with wetland
water. She went through a powerpoint presentation that had real-life images of each
form of freshwater habitats. She explained biomes, asked questions regarding previous
lessons and prior knowledge. She also asked questions to recap the lesson she just
taught. She passed around the water bottles and asked students questions about what
they observed in each. The students were engaged the entire time and were very
interested in the water. They loved pointing out facts that they remembered and stating
their observations when looking at the water bottles.
What went well?
The most successful part of the lesson was the water observation investigation. The
students were really interested and did an excellent job pointing out observations and
making connections.
What recommendations for improvement do you have? (Peer reviewers must
include at least one recommendation for improvement)
I would suggest a more interactive powerpoint presentation, where the students could
interact with the smart board a little bit. The technology element would really enhance
the lesson.

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