5/23/2013

Mix it up

Reflection: (What have you learned about your students? How will this inform future instruction?)

We have learned a lot about our students from implementing this lesson. The way attendance worked out that day, we decided to
do two groups, an older group and then a younger group. Going into it, our first assumptions were that the older children would be
better at listening and interacting with us in the story. We found out that the younger students actually were the ones who paid more
attention to the story. We found that they were more willing to sit there quietly and listen whereas the older students wanted to actively
continue to interact with the book and not sit and wait to listen to the story. The younger students were a lot better at waiting in
transition time. Seeing this tells us that the older students likes to use their hands and actually manipulate materials. We now think that
continuing on with our lessons, since they are activities the older students will do better, and it will be the younger students who will
need more help manipulating the objects.
This will help us inform future instruction because now we know more about each student. We know which students need more
help to stay on task and which ones like to be more interactive. We know that for the older students to incorporate objects they can
manipulate and touch. Then for the younger students we know that you have to control them more and be more specific with your
instructions. We will also need to remind them of what their instructions were, because they tended to forget by the time it was their turn
to participate.
I think having both Natalie and I both at the table was very benefictial, and we will use this strategy with our other lessons that we
have to implement as well. We learned that this was helpful, because as one of us read, the other was keeping the other side of the
table calm and focused on the story. This also helped with the participation factor, because we had two people to help demonstrate the
movements as well as help the students do the movements. We did a good job sharing the book and making sure everyone could see.
With two of us, we could also hear the comments and questions better. That helped us judge how much they knew and how much the
book taught them at the end of the lesson.
If we were to do this lesson over, we would add more of a hands on component for the older students to keep them more
engaged. I also think it would be helpful to have more than one copy of the book, that way we can go through the motions with the
students. Also, this would help to allow the students more time actually looking at and feeling the book. Overall, we think this lesson
went very well and that we learned a lot for our future lessons and time in this classroom.

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Mix it up

Attachment #1
Student Name:

Payed Attention to book:

Participated:

Answerd Exit question: What is one

color you saw in the book?

Yes

Yes

Yellow

Most of the time. Had to bring

attention back.

Yes

Purple! (Excited)

Yes.

Yes

purple

Yes.

Yes

red

Yes. (was surpised by how much he

got into the book.)

Yes

Green, (like ninja turtles.)

Not really. Wanted to get back to the

computer game he was playing.

Yes

red

Yes.

Yes

blue

N/A Absent

N/A Absent

N/A Absent

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Mix it up

Yes.

Yes

blue

10

N/A Absent

N/A Absent

N/A Absent

11

Yes.

Yes

uh, white

12

Yes. Got into it.

Yes

black

13

Yes.

Yes

pink!

14

Yes, not happy about it.

Yes

yellow!

15

N/A Absent

N/A Absent

N/A Absent

16

N/A Absent

N/A Absent

N/A Absent

Reflection: (What have you learned about your students? How will this inform future instruction?)

After implementing this lesson i learned a lot about the students. One of my goals was to see if the students remembered how to
use the dropper from the last time they used it. I found that a lot of the children did remember. They had some trouble with putting too
much water in the dropper, but i think that they thought this was fun so that is why they continued to do it. The only student who had
trouble with the dropper was McKinley, who is younger and not in the room full time. Plus, she was not there the last few times they
used the dropper, so overall she did well manipulating it by using fine motor skills. The students were really energetic about creating
their own piece of art on the paper towel.
All of the students really enjoyed this, despite them being different ages. The only difference that I really noticed between the two
ages was that the older kids listned more about how much water to put into the dropper. The younger ones were sucking up a lot of
water and just dumping onto theeir paper, where the older kids were trying to actually drop the water onto the towel. I thought the
studetns were really creative when doing this activity. Natalie and I let them experiment with the colors and tried to sit back so that it
was not as teacher directed. Since we did this, we found that students mixed the colors in the dropper, or in the cups instead of on the
paper towel. This was okay, because they were still experimenting with the colors and mixtures.
If we were to do this lesson again, there are a few things that we would change. Halfway through the lesson we swtiched to the
paper towels that they had in the classroom instead of the bounty paper towels that we had brought. The classroom towels were not as
absorbant therefore allowing the colors to mix better on the towel. If we were redoing this, we would have less absorbant paper towels
the entire lesson. Also, if we could find smaller droppers. Ones that did not hold as much water would be good, that way the students
could still get the fine motor skills, and the mixing, without using all of the water that they did.
This will inform future instruction in this classroom in many ways. We know now how effective and engaged the studetns were
doing a hands on activity. We need to implement somehting that is hands on and the studetns will get into it and participate. Also, for

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Mix it up

future instruction we split the students up more random this time instead of their age and it seemed to work better. The younger
students watched the older ones who were doing things correctly and then tried to follow their lead. So mixing groups will be better
beneficial to our future instruction. Overall, I thought the students really enjoyed this lesson, and learned more about colors mixing
together.

Attachment #1:
Student name:

Used a dropper:

Created an image:

Answered exit question: What was one color that you

used today on your paper towel?

Yes

Yes

Red and blue make purple

12

Yes

Yes

Red, yellow, blue

10

Yes

Yes

Green, red, pink, yellow

Yes

Yes

Green

14

Yes

Yes

Blue and red = purple

Yes

Yes

Red and black

yes

yes

Orange, Red, Blue

Yes

Yes

Brown, White , Green

11

Yes (it was difficult for her)

Yes

Orange, Blue

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Mix it up

13

Yes

Yes

Red, Yellow

Reflection:

After implementing this lesson I learned a lot. We had a much smaller class this day with only seven students of mixed ages and
were able to work more one on one with students as well as give them the freedom to work as they wished in their space. The read
aloud went really well because the environment had been so quiet and laid back all day. Students answered questions about colors as
well as identified colors in the page as I read. One student even noticed that the book was about friendship as well as about colors. I
learned that these students are able and that my expections can be as high as I let them be.
One of my goals for the activity was to allow the students to be creative with their designs and I think because I demonstrated
how to interact with the materials, but did not show them a finished product they were able to show me as their teacher more of what
they knew versus trying to follow an example they were given. I also noticed that the students did not really pay attention to what each
other had done until the end. Each student worked on their own, tallking aloud when spoken to, sharing their ideas, but mostly just
worked on their plate and focused on the task.
I think the small class really effected this lesson and allowed students their own time and how they interacted the whole time. I
enjoyed that I could focus while teaching to a group. The students were all able to use their paint brushes, and spin their wheels even
though some took more practice than others.
My favorite part was the students being extremely happy with their creations and wanting to interact with their wheels. They were
all proud of their work and effectively showed their understanding of colors and mixing them within their plate.

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Mix it up

In the future I think this lesson shows me how effective small group instruction can be for a classroom over all and how focusing on a
smaller group of students can allow for more freedom and give more attention to students. I think with future instruction on colors and
mixtures with these students I would focus on mixing with new materials and applying that same knowledge to the new materials.

Attachment #1:
Student name:

Created a
Chameleon
Plate

Used a paint brush

Followed along
with book and
shared colors

Was able to spin

their plates

Comments

yes

yes

yes

yes

11

yes- hesitant at
first

yes

yes

yes

10

yes

yes

yes

yes

Made connection
about frienship
with the book that
was not focused
on.

yes

yes

yes

yes

its a chamingo

15

yes

yes

yes

yes

yes

yes

on and off lost

focus

yes after practive

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Mix it up

Comments

yes

yes

yes

yes after practive

was amazed by
spinning the
plates and seeing
how the colors
changed