Name: Cactus Hotel Lesson Plan
Reflection:
This is a lesson plan I wrote for my Level II Field Experience in the spring of 2003. I taught the lesson to a third grade classroom at Price Laboratory School in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The lesson was about the Saguaro Cactus and its importance to the desert throughout its life. After we read the book "Cactus Hotel", the students and I created a chart to show how the cactus provided important elements for the animals of the desert. After creating the chart, the students studied the chart, and took a short assessment to show what they learned.
This lesson went well. I kept all of the students involved by asking questions as I read the book and by making connections to things they already knew about the desert. Since the students created a chart about the cactus and its importance, they were able to perform well on the assessment and remember the information we learned from the book. The reason this lesson went well was because I was organized and well-prepared for the lesson. The lesson was very informative and the kids learned a lot.
I would use this lesson again if I were teaching a lesson on biomes or the Southwest. The text and activity for the lesson were appropriate for all of the students and the structure of the lesson allowed the students to participate in the lesson and ask questions. The one thing I would change about this lesson would be to have a copy of the text for each child, instead of having the kids share. Sharing the text caused problems between some of the children.
Standards/Criteria Connections:
Standard One - I saw the students demonstrate new knowledge and application
skills that supported their intellectual and personal development through
their understanding of new information.
Standard Two - I created a lesson that met the needs of every student, regardless
of ability.
Standard Three - This lesson incorporated different curricular areas and transitioned
well.
Standard Four - This lesson involved a variety of instructional strategies
that allowed the students to become active contributors.
Standard Five - I created a classroom environment that promoted group participation
and collaboration.
Standard Seven - I assessed the students' knowledge of the Saguaro Cactus
by giving them a post-assessment.
Artifact: