1. Assure Method Assignment (Revision)
A –Analyze Learners
The students I will teaching are 1st graders. Their ages are ranging from 6 to 7 years old.
This class is also a special education class. There are 17 students in this class. Ten of the students
are boys and seven of them are girls. 70% of the students are white, 20% are African- American
and 10% are Hispanic. Also there are 7 students in the class have mild to severe ADHD (attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder).
At this age many of the students have high energy levels and need to constantly be actively
participating. With this in mind and the fact that 7 of my students have mild to severe ADHD
means I will need my activities to be interactive and hands on to keep the student’s interest.
Another factor I must take into consideration is that many of my students have different learning
styles. This means I will need to use visuals and hands on tasks along with activities that require
the student to listen.
I have one last thing to consider when I am analyzing my learners and that is to be aware
of their previous knowledge on the topic. I can’t assume that every child is at the same level of
understanding about the months of the year because each child has a different background. To
become aware of where my students are at and their prior knowledge on the topic, I will briefly sit
down with each student and ask them to tell me what they can remember about the months of the
year and/or if they can recite them.
S- State Objectives
By the end of the week, my students will be able to recite the months of the year by learning a
song, learning hand motions for remember the months and how many days are in each, putting
the months in order, and making a calendar, with a 85% accuracy.
S- SelectMethods, Media, and Materials
The method I plan to use in teaching the months of the year is through songs,
movements/dances, knuckle remembering trick, making a calendar, and putting months in order.
Many of my activities will be hands on and require movement to help my students, especially
those with ADHD, stay focused and have fun.
I plan to use an interactive song from YouTube that helps students who have problems
focusing and get distracted easily, because it involves their whole body. On the first day I will
sing the months of the year song for them and show them the movements that go along with it.
Then each day that week we will start the lesson by singing this song so that they get the chance
to really learn it and the months.
I will teach my students mostly through movement and song. To do this I will need
several materials: computer with internet, and smart board or projection screen so that we will be
able to watch the videos that goes with our song and other activities. When teaching the students
the motions or dance that go with the song I will have a motion for each month that goes along
with the month’s theme, such as for July I will make the motion of fireworks with my hands.
When teaching them the knuckle trick to remember how many days are in each month I will use
myself to show them.
2. I will make handouts for the students to make their calendars with. I will need Microsoft
excel, white paper, printer/copier, crayons or color pencils, hole punch, and ribbon. I will create
a template for their calendars and a cover page where they can have their name. The students will
color and decorate them. Once the students have put the months in chronological order and
placed their cover page first, I will hold punch them and tie ribbon to hold them together so the
students can look through them.
Lastly, I will be using a circuit of activities, such as matching games, and ordering game,
that students will do in small groups that require activity and help with the repetition of the
months so that they can learn and remember them easier. I will make the matching games from
index cards. For the ordering game each student will have a name tag that has a month on it and I
will tell them to put themselves in order.
U- Utilize Media and Material
Preview the Materials
I will preview the videos I will use in class before presenting them to the students, to
make sure they are helpful and appropriate for the lesson.
I will show the motions that I made up for the months of the year song and the knuckle
remembering trick to another teacher and ask if they are appropriate for my lesson and
won’t be offensive to anyone.
I will test out Microsoft excel and make sure it is able to make the calendar template that
I want. Then I will print out the templates and spell check them while looking for other
errors before giving to the students.
I will make sure that all technology used is working and able to be used before I start the
lesson.
Prepare the Material
The videos I will show will give students something to associate with each month so that
it is easier to remember such as holidays, weather, etc.
The students will watch the videos from YouTube, on a smart board or projection screen
so that the entire class can easily view them.
I will make the calendar template and cover page on a computer using PowerPoint, print
them out, and pass them out to students while giving instruction.
Each calendar template will have a space at the top for the month and below it will have
boxes for everyday in that month. Each month’s template will be different because the
month’s name and number of days in each month will be in a gray dotted font so that the
students will be able to easily trace over the letters and numbers with their crayons or
colored pencils.
I will also make a simple cover page for each student with a box in the center for the
student to write their name.
3. I will have colored pencils and crayons laid out at each table or desk so that student can
color their calendars.
I will have a sample calendar that I made in the front so that students can view the
finished product and see what they are working towards.
Once they are finished coloring we will work as a class and put our pages in
chronological order and then place our cover page on top. Then I will go around and hole
punch them and tie ribbon on them so that it holds it together and so students can easily
flip through it.
I will make a matching game by drawing pictures of things associated with each month
on one set of index cards and on another set write the name of each month. I will mix up
the cards and lay them out on a table for the students to match.
I will write a month on name tags and give them to each student and then have the
students work together to line up in chronological order.
Prepare the Learners
To prepare my learners or students, I will present my overall plan and activities for the
lesson. I will inform the students about each day’s activities. I will tell them that we will
be learning a song with motions, watching a video about each month, and learning a trick
that is very helpful in remembering how many days in a month.
I will also show them during the introduction the calendar that they will be making so
that they can be prepared for what is ahead.
Prepare the Environment
Since the song requires movement I will arrange the classroom so that there is room for
the students to move around easily but still will be able to sit at their desks and work on
their calendars. Having the desks split with half on one side and half on the other so that
there is an open space in the middle of the room in front of the smart board or projection
screen.
There will be 9 desks on one side in 3 rows of 3. On the other side there will be 8 desks
with 4 rows of 2. So that it is still easy for the students and me to move through them.
The desks will all face the front of the room so that the students will easily see the smart
board or projection screen.
Provide a Learning Experience
When I am teaching the students the song and the motions that go with it, as well as the
knuckle remembering trick, I will have the students standing in the middle of the room
where it is open and have them standing towards me.
The first time I sing them the song and show them the motions for the song and the trick I
will have them sitting down so that everyone is able to see what I am doing. Then I will
have them stand up and try it with me.
4. When showing a video I will have the students move their chairs in front of the smart
board or projection screen and if they can’t sit still or don’t want to sit they can stand
behind all the chairs in the back watch so that they aren’t in anyone’s way.
I will have the students seated at their desks when making their calendars and have the
example of the month they are working on projected on the screen so they can have an
idea of what to do. I will also go around and see if students are needing extra help on this
assignment.
I will have the students one by one while working on their calendars come to my desk
and have them play the matching game so that I can observe what they are learning about
the months.
When doing the ordering activity I will have the students line up in the middle of the
room and then hand them each a name tag with a month on it to put on then I will tell
them to work as a group to line up in chronological order.
R- Require Learner Participation
I tried to incorporate all the learning style types in my lesson so that each student would be able
to get something out of at least one of my activities. For the students that learn hands on I used
the calendar activity, motions for the song, and the knuckle remembering trick to help them learn
about the months. For my auditory learners I used the song and videos to help them hear about
the months. For my visual learners I used the videos, matching game, and calendar to help them
visually learn about the months.
With each activity I will require each student to participate and be actively involved. I
want to see each student being creative and will require each student to make their own calendar.
Also each student will be required at the end of the week to present their calendars to the class
and tell the class what their favorite month is and why.
At the end of the week I will have each student come back to my desk and recite the
months in chronological order to me. They may use the song or hand motions to help them. I will
also interview them about the months to see what else they know about different months.
E- Evaluate and Revise
I will be evaluating my students through the interactive activities and by interviewing the each
student at the end. I will also have each student come back and do the matching game so that I
can evaluate where they are at. I will also view the students calendars to assess how well they did
on them, in regards to the correctness of labeling. I will also be aware of what activities worked
well and which didn’t work as well as I had planned. I will also ask the students at the end of the
lesson what their favorite part was and what they didn’t like.
After I have evaluated my students and finished the lesson plan I will go back and revise
the assignment for the next time I teach it. I will also see if I need to reteach the lesson in a
different way because my goal was not met. If one of my concepts was not understood I will fix
the activity and come up with a better way of teaching it and quickly go through it with my
students to help them better understand. I will adjust the activities that didn’t work as well as
planned and adjust them to fit the next classes’ needs.