Sarah White

Ravenswood High School

Principal: Jaquetta Hendricks
Teacher: Cynthia Ray
Grade/Content: 9th Grade Business/Digital Citizenship
Lesson: Google Slides Introduction
Planning

In planning this lesson, what was most beneficial was reviewing the content and

practicing the presentation portion of the lesson. Being able to convey exactly what was intended

kept my presentation consistent between the two class periods that I taught and also allowed me

to easily answer student questions and check for understanding. After teaching this lesson, I

realized just how quickly a 15-20 minute presentation can extend when questions, comments,

and general distractions have to be addressed throughout the course of the period. For my next

lesson, I plan on condensing the presentation of information to allow more time for students to

work through applying the material on an assignment.

Implementation

The presentation flowed very well, kept students attention, and received a great

response. Additionally, having the students carry out processes and tasks as they were presented

was beneficial and kept students interested in the presentation. The introduction discussion

helped students focus on the topic, but did not contribute as much to the lesson as I had planned.

A few questions received few or no responses and fell a little flat. The second time I taught, I

shortened the discussion portion to the essential pieces and it had a much more energetic

response. I also planned on having students work independently on the assignment, but quickly

realized there was a wide variety of motivation levels within the class. As I walked the
classroom monitoring students work, I would encourage those who had not started or were

simply not working to begin only to make my way back to the same student to see that they had

still not started the assignment. In my next lesson, I will work through the assignment as a whole

class using the television as a means to demonstrate or allow students to work in pairs.

Clarity of Presentation

Most of the presentation of information and concepts went very well, but parts of the

introduction I used did not create a smooth transition between the discussion and the presentation

as planned. The transition between the presentation and the assignment was also somewhat

lacking. Students had to repeatedly ask for directions and were not sure of what assignment they

were completing. I may have stated the directions too quickly and did not allow students time to

process the information presented before changing gears. Overall, I believe the message both

audibly and visually was clear to students. The directions in completing assignments were not

clear though.

Attention to Individual Differences

Students were accommodated by having both auditory cues and visual cues. The

assignment students had to complete also included screen shots in addition to written directions.

I did not provide any kinesthetic or tactile mans of delivery for students. My lesson plans mostly

focused on providing accommodations to those students who could not read or were relatively

distracted or uninterested in material.

Focus on relationships and student response

For the most part students responded very well to the lesson. With the exception of a few

students most were interested and attentive throughout the presentation portion of the lesson.

Students responded to questions with exceptional answers and even contributed thoughts about

the usefulness of Google Slides that I had not considered. My cooperating teacher stated that a

notoriously distracted student said I could really use this during the lesson.

Planning and Implementing Higher Order Thinking Skills

This lesson had some higher order thinking, but focused mainly on a skill set that students will

use throughout school, post-graduation, and in the work force. Students were asked to evaluate

and decide how Google Slides could be used both in other classes and other situations. As the

information was presented students were able to carry out processes and experiment with

different methods to complete the same task or to create a personalized presentation.

Assessment

Students learned the necessary content, but had very little time to apply the information.

I did, however, walk the room when students were asked to carry out certain tasks and checked

that they knew how to do so and completed the task accurately. The students also exceeded my

expectations for the review questions at the end of the presentation verifying that they had

learned the content very well. There was not enough time to complete a formal assessment by

means of a quiz through Applied Education Systems.