Unity 4th grade: 5 hours
This was a BUSY week! We decided Monday that I was going to teach on Thursday. She requested a lesson on design. The kids have been working on their Heritage Fair presentations. Heritage fair is a day that they present their chosen topic from Wisconsin, it can be a person who was born here, or an animal native to here, basically anything Wisconsin. They research their topic and write a paper. THEN they make a bi-fold presentation board that will be used to inform students and parents at the Heritage fair. The students just finished their papers and have been waiting to start their presentation boards.
That's were I came in. In years past she's struggled with the students "design" of their boards. They either write too big or too small. They have too many pictures or not enough. So she asked me to prepare a Powerpoint presentation and make "design" a board of my own. I got Gerogia O'Keeffe ( I didn't know she was born in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.) SO I had 2 and a half days to make the power point presentation AND my heritage fair presentation board...I got it done!!
Teaching the lesson went a LOT better than I thought. I was nervous to just have a lecture. I was nervous that I wouldn't hold their attention or they wouldn't listen at all. And it turned out great! The lecture ended up being almost 12 minutes long, and they listened the entire time. I did loose them once, but was able to regain their focus. I asked questions throughout the lecture and was amazed at how many kids raised their hands, and the amount of kids who participated. It wasn't the same couple kids, it was almost everyone of them! I think they were excited to get started on their boards, and after the lecture they got to start sketching out their ideas. I don't think the teacher has ever asked them to do this step in years past. I really hope she sees an improvement this year in the students boards.
I was only able to lecture to one of the four social study classes so the teacher got to teach it to the other three classes. Then she's going to hold onto the Powerpoint for following years. Although I am technically done with all of my hours, and lessons requirements for our Practicum class, I plan on continuing going to 4th grade and helping the students with their boards (and attend the Heritage Fair if I can.) I can't wait to go in Monday and hear how the lecture went in the other three classes. I really do feel bad that I was only able to teach just the one, I know all the other students would have liked it too!