My First Lesson!
On the first day of my first field experience in a grade 2/3 classroom, my coordinating teacher asked my partner and I if we were interested in teaching a lesson the next class. Of course we were ecstatic! She helped us organize a plan for our lesson after school that day. We were going to teach a lesson on BATS! After our first lesson, our coordinating teacher asked us if we wanted to teach another and of course we agreed again. This pattern led to 6 more bat lessons! Though I was in a grade 2/3 classroom, the developmental levels ranged from kindergarten to being ready for grade 4 so our lessons reflected that. Please take a look below at my very fist lesson!
Bats Introduction
Duration: 35 minutes
Tasks:
1. KWL Chart:
Duration: 10 minutes
Duration: 4 minutes
Tasks:
1. KWL Chart:
Duration: 10 minutes
- What do they know about bats?
- Prompting Questions:
- Where do bats live?
- What do bats look like?
- What do bats eat?
- Do bats fly?
- How do bats sleep?
- When will you see bats flying?
- Prompting Questions:
- What do they want to know about bats?
Duration: 4 minutes
3. "What I Wonder About Bats" worksheet
Duration: 20 minutes
Duration: 20 minutes
- I have posted some finished product "What I Wonder About Bats" worksheets below.
Lesson 2: Life Cycle of a Bat
Duration: 1 hour
1. Read a book about bats
Duration: 15 minutes
1. Read a book about bats
Duration: 15 minutes
2. Discuss the life cycle of a bat:
Duration: 10 minutes
Duration: 5 minutes
Duration: 10 minutes
- work together to put life cycle in order (simplified explanations for each stage
- draw a diagram on the board throughout discussion so the students have a reference to look at while they do their assignment later on
Duration: 5 minutes
4. Cut and paste life cycle of a bat worksheet
Duration: 30 minutes
Duration: 30 minutes
- Includes time for clean up
Lesson 3: Bat Diagram
Duration: 35 minutes
1. Show the class a diagram of a bat. Have a group discussion about labeling the bats body parts
Duration: 15 minutes
1. Show the class a diagram of a bat. Have a group discussion about labeling the bats body parts
Duration: 15 minutes
- Project diagram onto board (using projector in classroom), teachers will fill in the blanks on the board so the students can use it for reference during their task
- Very structured! As a class we cut the pieces out, then as class we will begin to clue the pieces to our diagram.
Lesson 4: Bats vs. Birds
Duration: 35 minutes
1. Brainstorm differences and similarities with class
Duration: 15 minutes
Duration: 20 minutes
1. Brainstorm differences and similarities with class
Duration: 15 minutes
- Draw Venn Diagram on board for the students to reference during their activity
Duration: 20 minutes
- Give each of the students a Venn Diagram worksheet - not the cut out options as they were just for teachers reference. By having the students use paper and pencil instead of cutting and pasting the answer, it allows the students to have extra time to work on their writing skills. The extra literacy work within other subjects (such as science) is extremely beneficial s many of the students are developmentally behind subjects, including literacy.
Lesson 5: Bats in Literacy
Duration: 45 minutes
Literacy Stations:
Duration: 13 minutes per station with 2 minutes for transition
The class has groups assigned for the students, but without the students knowing the groups are separated by ability level. Both teacher station had at least 3 different worksheets to accommodate to the students abilities. The groups are labeled X (low level), Y (medium level), and Z (high level).
Literacy Stations:
Duration: 13 minutes per station with 2 minutes for transition
The class has groups assigned for the students, but without the students knowing the groups are separated by ability level. Both teacher station had at least 3 different worksheets to accommodate to the students abilities. The groups are labeled X (low level), Y (medium level), and Z (high level).
- Draw the bat and write a sentence about what the bat is doing (teacher station)
- Cut and Paste words to make sentence about bats (teacher station)
- The Z (high) group were able to complete 2 of these worksheets in the time given. - RAZ Kids on iPads
Task 1
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Task 2
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Lesson 6: Bats in Literacy
We transformed the classroom into a bat cave for todays lesson! Today we used flashlights and lanterns as light in the classroom and decorated the walls with pictures of bats already coloured by the children and bat decorations. I have included pictures in the Photo Gallery area under the 'My Field Experiences' tab.
Duration: 45 minutes
Literacy Stations:
Duration: 13 minutes per station with 2 minutes for transition
Literacy Stations:
Duration: 13 minutes per station with 2 minutes for transition
- Read to self
- Guided reading books about bats (teacher station)
- Levelled books to reflect the level of the students literacy development in each group - Word work (teacher station)
- colour the words that rhyme with bats, and cut and paste the words that rhyme with bats
Word Work Worksheets - Rhyming Bat Words
Prior to us arriving to the school this day, our coordinating teacher asked the students to draw a picture of a bat house, so to finish the afternoon in the classroom the students were able to bring those drawings to life. We gave the students paper, Styrofoam cups, tape, glue and toothpicks to design their own bat houses. I have included pictures in the Photo Gallery area under the 'My Field Experiences' tab.
Lesson 7: Assessment
Duration: 1 hour
This assessment period we will not be giving the students the answers, rather encouraging them to try their best and put what they think is correct. It is a period to assess what they have learnt over the past few weeks.
Authors note: Our coordinating teacher is actually using these assessments for grades - Bonus: My first grading experience!
This assessment period we will not be giving the students the answers, rather encouraging them to try their best and put what they think is correct. It is a period to assess what they have learnt over the past few weeks.
Authors note: Our coordinating teacher is actually using these assessments for grades - Bonus: My first grading experience!
- Fill in the blank bat facts
- Duration: 15 minutes - Cut and paste bat diagram
- Duration: 15 minutes
NOTE: Go through this activity in a very structured way. Cut first, then glue as a class.
NOTE: We have used the same diagram as the students had once done together as a class - What I learned about bats
a) Go through "What I Wonder" chart we made as a class on the first bat lesson
- Duration: 10 minutes
b) "What I learned About Bats" worksheet
- Duration: 20 minutes