Lesson planning is often part of a teacher's daily routine. We learn this skill over time and eventually become very proficient at it. I have been working towards challenging myself to create a new type of lesson plan. This lesson plan is a more innovative one. I have chosen to create an innovative lesson plan using a technology tool called Squishy Circuits. Squishy Circuits encourage students to understand how to create circuits, understand the movement of light, and practice hands-on learning! After ordering my Squishy Circuit tool I tried to envision how I would incorporate this into a lesson plan. My first step was researching the best Common Core standard that aligned with my learning target and tool: 1-PS4-4 Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance. After much research about the TPACK framework, I have learned the importance of aligning content to technology. This ensures students have a meaningful experience while gaining new skills. One challenge was creating a learning target that was student-friendly. The learning target is: We can build a circuit using different materials to demonstrate how light moves. Students will recite this during the lesson to remind them of the "what" and the "why" behind the lesson. I did not have the learning target included in my lesson plan draft. I added this because it shows what the student expectations are. I also created a rubric that students will use to assess themselves during this lesson. We will go over the rubric before and after the lesson. I believe this is an important asset to the lesson because it helps students understand what they need to do to be successful and it also gives me grading guidelines. While designing my lesson plan I wanted to ensure that it was backed up using research-based ideas. I used the following components to guide my innovative lesson plan: (Yelon, 2001)
These research components guided me to start with the first aspect; the problem. I feel like science is something that does not get focused on often enough in schools. I believe this problem is due to time restrictions and standardized testing. This lesson plan addresses this problem because it gives students an opportunity to explore a science standard while integrating language arts. I decided to include a portion of this lesson plan to dedicate towards speaking, listening, and presenting. Students can demonstrate their understanding by presenting their circuit, drawing, and/or writing about their experience. I wanted to consider all types of students during the lesson. Giving students a choice as to what type of way they would like to present their understanding was important. I wanted to give ample opportunities for learning to students who may have a learning disability, child-anxiety, and other educational restrictions. I was able to think more deeply about this after a classmate helped me revise my lesson plan based on student need. I added different ways that students can work together, grouping strategies, and multiple ways to present their understanding. I believe this is so important because of the wide variety of learners in classroom spaces. I look forward to trying this lesson out with my students and to learn first-hand how to implement an innovative lesson plan into my first grade classroom. References: Yelon, S. L. (2001). Goal-Directed Instructional Design: A Practical Guide to Instructional Planning for Teachers and Trainers. Michigan State University: Self-published. Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054.
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