Sample Lesson

Posted on April 8, 2007 
Filed under Examples




I use the curriculum and text provided by my school district, but my instructional goals are to follow the state standards, which the texts alone do not always meet. This means that I supplement the texts by asking more deeper questions. I also pay attention to the feedback I’m getting from my students (blank stares, blank work pages, puzzled looks, poor test scores), and adjust my teaching.

But how do I teach? What does a typical lesson look like? It varies, but here is an example:

Introduction of the weekly selection from Open Court
(click on graphics to see full size version)

Preview the week’s spelling words with a pretest. Correct and discuss the sound/spelling pattern.
spelling

Word Knowledge done from a PowerPoint projected for the class to see.
wordknowledge

Vocabulary, also from a PowerPoint. I highlight the clues in the sample sentences by underlining the projected text on the whiteboard.
vocabulary

Background taken from the teacher’s edition, but I often add my own information, including pictures and maps. This is also on PowerPoint.
background

Two part organizer that ties their experience/prior knowledge to the story being taught. They fill out the first part of the organizer (the left column) answering questions from their own experience.
organizer

Clues, Problems, Wonderings:
CPW
Students browse the selection, then fill in at least three clues, and two wonderings, plus any problem words they run across. I have them do this on a paper organizer. I circulate, and type in the problem words, with definitions into the projected organizer. I then take student responses by table group on the Clues and Wonderings. We will review what we came up with on Thursday after we have completed the selection.

This is the preview process I go through each week with Open Court stories. The last 40-45 minutes of my language arts block is spent on what Open Court calls workshop time, and is also called independent work time, or centers. The students work in their table groups on worksheets (which they do together), activities, group projects, or on computers. I either do pull-outs, or circulate the room to check and help students. I make this time three to four days a week to ensure that they are not just listening to me lecture, or doing silent seat work. My goal is to have them work together, and learn from each other and increase engagement.

Here is a screencast of a similar lesson (warning, turn down the sound, I was using my instructional voice with a mic):

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