Adding Details to Writing Reflection
I chose to do my first lesson, in the first grade, on adding details to writing using a mentor text. After talking to my cooperating teacher, Ms. Reda, we decided that this would be a very beneficial lesson for the students and would meet a lot of their needs. Ms. Reda did a lesson on adding details a few weeks ago but the students have been struggling with it over the course of this writing unit. I had expressed my interest in doing a writer’s workshop so she gave me a topic that the students would benefit the most from. After extensive planning and after the lesson presentation, I felt that this lesson went very well and reinforced the use of looking at mentor texts to refer back to when adding details to writing.
Overall, I felt that I was very prepared for this lesson. I preselected questions to ask the students throughout the lesson, I wrote a small moment story to add details to, and I created small group re-teach lesson to re-teach the lower leveled students. Although all of my preparation definitely helped the lesson run smoothly, I felt that I could have done even more preparation. During the lesson I had the students choose one of their stories that they wanted to add more details to. After talking to my advisor, we both agreed that I could have preselected the students’ stories instead of having them choose. I felt that this would have definitely helped me assess them more effectively because I would have been aware of their stories before and after they added the details.
Although I was extremely prepared I forgot one small part that switched up the order of my entire lesson. In the beginning I was supposed to have the students hold up one story that they wanted to bring to the rug. I was supposed to give them time to flip through their folders and quickly read and select the story they wanted to choose. I totally forgot this part of the lesson and I let it get the best of me in the beginning of the lesson. I was so nervous that I threw off the entire lesson that I was shaking the first three pages of the read aloud. However, once I collected my thoughts I realized that this was only a minor mistake and that it could easily be fixed. I decided to have them return to their seats, take out a story and find a place where they wanted to add details. I turned a turn and talk that was supposed to happen on the rug to a turn and talk at their seats. I should have given the students a little more time to choose their stories at their seats because I wanted them to reread a story and then choose one that they wanted to add details to. I soon realized that didn’t give them enough time to do that. This was the one of the flaws that occurred from not giving them the chance to choose a story before coming to the rug. Other than that, I was able to have them do exactly what I wanted them to do except they just did it at their seats instead of on the rug. It ended up working out and they still had the conversation that I wanted them to have before they began to write.
Throughout the lesson I felt that I was very clear and concise. I explained my directions slowly and I made sure to ask higher level thinking questions in a direct way. I wanted to push the students’ thinking but I did not want to overwhelm them. I felt that I was effective in delivering the concepts of using authors as mentors to help as add details. I also felt that the lesson was paced very well and the sequencing of events really helped the students grasp the concepts. I did an interactive read aloud where the students were able to take away examples that the author used to add details. I then modeled how to add details to a small moment story and then they were able to talk to a partner about where and what details they wanted to add to their stories. Finally, they were able to work independently on their stories, adding details. I felt that I guided the students very well and made sure to model the work, guide them, have them share with their classmates, and finally do the work by themselves. This strategy really seems to work when Ms. Reda is teaching so I definitely felt that I should implement these strategies into my own lesson.
I really tried to follow Ms. Reda’s teaching style when I was planning this lesson. I know that she likes to do things in a particular way and the students really seem to respond to it. I felt that after talking to her about my lesson that she would have planned the lesson the same way I did. I wanted to create a lesson that would not only benefit the students but would also fit in with Ms. Reda’s teaching styles. I felt that Ms. Reda was happy with the lesson and that the students liked the lesson and responded well to me. They were eager to voice their opinions and were well behaved throughout the lesson.
I enjoyed doing a writer’s workshop lesson but I feel like this program is too much for the students. I followed the schools guidelines in having them write for 20-25 minutes but I feel like in first grade this is too much for them. They have trouble keeping their attention on a single task for more than 10 minutes. I would have liked to mix it up a little but I thought that it was more important to follow the model of the school. However, to make the transition from writing to a grand conversation easier, I should have had them do something to wake their bodies up. It would have been fun to have them do a quick Simon says to help get some energy out and to refocus them. By the time I was done with my 50 minutes long lesson, the students were so exhausted that they had trouble participating in the grand conversation. Simon says would have helped with this transition.
For my first lesson in this placement, I felt that it went very well. I felt that I got the concepts across to the students in an engaging and effective way. I felt that all of my planning definitely benefited me and helped my lesson run smoothly. I now feel more comfortable in the 1st grade and I hope that the more I practice the more comfortable I will feel in the lower grades.
Overall, I felt that I was very prepared for this lesson. I preselected questions to ask the students throughout the lesson, I wrote a small moment story to add details to, and I created small group re-teach lesson to re-teach the lower leveled students. Although all of my preparation definitely helped the lesson run smoothly, I felt that I could have done even more preparation. During the lesson I had the students choose one of their stories that they wanted to add more details to. After talking to my advisor, we both agreed that I could have preselected the students’ stories instead of having them choose. I felt that this would have definitely helped me assess them more effectively because I would have been aware of their stories before and after they added the details.
Although I was extremely prepared I forgot one small part that switched up the order of my entire lesson. In the beginning I was supposed to have the students hold up one story that they wanted to bring to the rug. I was supposed to give them time to flip through their folders and quickly read and select the story they wanted to choose. I totally forgot this part of the lesson and I let it get the best of me in the beginning of the lesson. I was so nervous that I threw off the entire lesson that I was shaking the first three pages of the read aloud. However, once I collected my thoughts I realized that this was only a minor mistake and that it could easily be fixed. I decided to have them return to their seats, take out a story and find a place where they wanted to add details. I turned a turn and talk that was supposed to happen on the rug to a turn and talk at their seats. I should have given the students a little more time to choose their stories at their seats because I wanted them to reread a story and then choose one that they wanted to add details to. I soon realized that didn’t give them enough time to do that. This was the one of the flaws that occurred from not giving them the chance to choose a story before coming to the rug. Other than that, I was able to have them do exactly what I wanted them to do except they just did it at their seats instead of on the rug. It ended up working out and they still had the conversation that I wanted them to have before they began to write.
Throughout the lesson I felt that I was very clear and concise. I explained my directions slowly and I made sure to ask higher level thinking questions in a direct way. I wanted to push the students’ thinking but I did not want to overwhelm them. I felt that I was effective in delivering the concepts of using authors as mentors to help as add details. I also felt that the lesson was paced very well and the sequencing of events really helped the students grasp the concepts. I did an interactive read aloud where the students were able to take away examples that the author used to add details. I then modeled how to add details to a small moment story and then they were able to talk to a partner about where and what details they wanted to add to their stories. Finally, they were able to work independently on their stories, adding details. I felt that I guided the students very well and made sure to model the work, guide them, have them share with their classmates, and finally do the work by themselves. This strategy really seems to work when Ms. Reda is teaching so I definitely felt that I should implement these strategies into my own lesson.
I really tried to follow Ms. Reda’s teaching style when I was planning this lesson. I know that she likes to do things in a particular way and the students really seem to respond to it. I felt that after talking to her about my lesson that she would have planned the lesson the same way I did. I wanted to create a lesson that would not only benefit the students but would also fit in with Ms. Reda’s teaching styles. I felt that Ms. Reda was happy with the lesson and that the students liked the lesson and responded well to me. They were eager to voice their opinions and were well behaved throughout the lesson.
I enjoyed doing a writer’s workshop lesson but I feel like this program is too much for the students. I followed the schools guidelines in having them write for 20-25 minutes but I feel like in first grade this is too much for them. They have trouble keeping their attention on a single task for more than 10 minutes. I would have liked to mix it up a little but I thought that it was more important to follow the model of the school. However, to make the transition from writing to a grand conversation easier, I should have had them do something to wake their bodies up. It would have been fun to have them do a quick Simon says to help get some energy out and to refocus them. By the time I was done with my 50 minutes long lesson, the students were so exhausted that they had trouble participating in the grand conversation. Simon says would have helped with this transition.
For my first lesson in this placement, I felt that it went very well. I felt that I got the concepts across to the students in an engaging and effective way. I felt that all of my planning definitely benefited me and helped my lesson run smoothly. I now feel more comfortable in the 1st grade and I hope that the more I practice the more comfortable I will feel in the lower grades.