Name: Ermenita Zotaj

Lesson plan 1

Puzzle Maps

The lesson plan I evaluated was “Puzzle Pizzazz” by Erin Fridley. This lesson plan was created to help 4^th grade students learn the individual states of the United States. Her objective for the lesson was to assist student to learn the states, not memorize them. To achieve this goal, the students were to create a picture of their own, using the shape of the states. After looking at a map of the United States, the students cut and pasted their creation on to construction paper and assembled the map. At the end of the project, the teacher will have the student make a key that shows each of the states names that they used.

The lesson plan was well designed for them. Students needed to organize their ideas. To recognize the states the students used their existing schemas, for shape and size relationship while processing new information, which is called assimilation. To recognize the states, the students used unique characteristics each state had to relate to one another.

The teacher was trying to reach a goal, teaching them how to organize their learning.  She used the method of scaffolding as a temporary support mechanism, by providing the students with her assistance. She helped them to memorize the states, by discussing with them which states appear the biggest as well as the smallest. She also had her students find the states with the most states surrounding it, or relating to their characteristic shapes. The teacher discussed with the class that there are states which touch water and some which touch land. She showed them how to match the states relating to their given information. Her objective was to assist them with different variety of ideas to recognize the states in order to increase their performance on this particular task. As their proficiency increase, the support is gradually removed. She has let the students apply what they learned, by taking more responsibility for their own learning.

She displayed active teacher involvement and used it to make student think. Her technique is elaborative rehearsal which is the most effective way of transferring information into long-term memory. She let students think about how to relate the shapes with the states by making connections between pieces of newly learned information and old information. She was taking into consideration the students age, how they think and how they view the world.  In order to permanently commit the states to their memory, she displays them with characteristics for each state, to help them to recall the names. She provided them with verbal and visual association, by discussing which state appears the biggest or the smallest, which state touch water or land. In order to organize their thoughts, she demonstrated to the students how to build their creation. Cutting out all states separately and then drawing their favorite object, where they could glue down the states.  The more connection, the more likely the students were to remember and able to retrieve the information.

She uses the Maintenance rehearsal which is a mechanical process, by repeatedly verbalizing and thinking about pieces of information. Not all the students were able to recognize the states.  In this case, the teacher would review the characteristics unique to certain states with the students. She will ask students which states are hard for them to recognize and help them by recalling the names or by using the technique of maintenance rehearsal. She helped them how to repeatedly think about the information, by relating the shapes of the state with their favorite objects or by matching states that touch water or land. The teacher also had the student find the state with the most states surrounding it, and discuss with them which state appears the biggest as well as the smallest. The repetition of the information helped the student recognize the states.

As fourth grader, not all of them knew what to expect from this project or how to deliver it. The teacher taught them within their zone of proximal development to help students that could not yet do alone but needed her assistance. For some students the assessment was harder, the teacher allowed them to cut out the shapes of the states using construction paper. She was taking into consideration their capacity and supported them with ideas that will help them go on with their creation.

 To encourage those that were struggling, she used peers as models. The teacher displayed student’s creation in the classroom or the hallway, in order to give confidence to other students to do well on the task and to increase their self efficacy. By displaying the student’s creations, the teacher is recognizing the hard work of the students that did well, and giving confidence to the rest of the students.  This tends to be more effective, and will increase their performance.

I believe that her idea to use peer was great choice, because it serves as coping model, someone who succeeds but with some effort. Modeling has been shown to be very effective for students.  It allows the student that is struggling to receive feedback about the information, and will encourage the student to use the newly learned skill.

End!!