4499 Lesson Self-Evaluation

Course/subj & grade: Grade 11 University Biology (Period 4)

Lesson: Nov. 20/14
Lesson Summary (2-3 sentences max.):

Date of

At the end of this lesson students understood the symptoms, causes, and
treatments for different disorders of the circulatory system. Students first
listened to a song summarizing the main concepts of the circulatory system.
Following this, they copied down a short note about atherosclerosis that
provided them with the template they would use when researching the rest
of the disorders using iPads. This was done in groups. Once their tables were
complete, each group had to act out the symptoms of a particular disorder
and the other groups had to determine which disorder it was.
1. Student Engagement
Students were engaged the entire lesson as the note was very short. They
were the most engaged during the acting. Allowing them to work in groups
helped increase their engagement, as they were able to talk amongst each
other to determine the right information.
2. Student Learning
I was able to determine if students were learning, as the students would
write down the disorder they thought the group was acting out on white
boards and then they would display their answer. If they thought it was the
wrong disorder I would ask them how they came up with their answer.
3. Accommodations/Modifications
I was aware of the students in my class that had IEPs. Because of their
severity, no accommodations/modifications had to be done to my lesson in
order to aid their learning. In order to enhance every students learning, I
used multiple teaching strategies including note taking, group work, and
acting.
4. Assessment
My lesson included opportunities for assessment for learning as well as as
learning. I was able to gage the level of understanding for learning as each
group wrote down which disorder they thought was being acted out. It was
also an assessment as learning as students were able to compare their
understanding to their group members through discussion. If a group decided
on the wrong disorder I would ask them how they came up with their answer
and then got the group acting to explain why the symptoms they acted were
correct for that specific disorder.
5. Transitions

I managed the transitions relatively well in between tasks. When I was

inputting the web attendance, students were asked to get out their learning
goal log as well as the handouts they picked up as they entered the class.
Once they copied down the note and I explained the instructions they were
able to get an iPad and form groups. This went very smoothly and students
remained on task. I circulated the room constantly to answer any questions
and make sure students were using the iPads to get the information. Before
they began to take part in acting, I had the students put away the iPads that
way we wouldnt run out of time at the end of class.
6. Questioning
I did not ask any questions during the PowerPoint so that did not affect the
flow of the lesson. I asked questions during the acting part and that helped
enhance engagement, as they were application questions. This made the
students think more deeply about the information.
7. Classroom Management
The main management issue that I encountered during this lesson was trying
to get the students to calm down and be quiet after each acting segment. I
managed it by explaining that we will not move forward to the next group
until the room is completely silent. In some cases I had to call on the
students name. This strategy worked the best if we were only waiting on a
few students. Given a second chance, I would maybe form my own groups
that way students would remain on task better.
8. Planning
My written lesson plan adequately prepared me to teach this lesson as I had
down the main points I need to cover as the strategies I was using to do so. I
also had researched all the disorders the students were given ahead of time
so I could refer to the proper symptoms, causes, and treatment if need be.
9. Feedback from Associate
My associated said that it was good that I stopped and dealt with students
talking. As they found the information using iPads, I could have emphasized
that they should work together to find the information not just divide the
disorders up and then copy from their group members.
10. Conclusion(s)
From this lesson I learned that fun activities for the students help better
solidify the information previous taught. With that being said, in order to
keep the students on task I had to frequently walk up the aisles. One thing I
would change would be forming my own groups instead of allowing the
students to make their own. This way students would be less inclined to talk
about outside stuff and focus more on the task in front of them. They would
also potentially limit the talking in between acting segments.