ED- 271 Lesson Plan

This semester in ED - 271 each student was given the opportunity to create and execute a lesson plan for an assigned chapter from our textbook "Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood" by Jeffery Jensen Arnett. The chapter that I was assigned was Chapter 8: Friends and Peers. With writing a lesson plan and teaching my lesson, I was able to incorporate a multitude of Performance Criterion for the Vermont Licensure Portfolio.

Performance Criterion 2.1: designs inclusive learning experiences

Although there are no ELL students in ED - 271, I designed a a graphic organizer that would be easily used by any student to learn and understand the concept of Youth Culture. I also had my NearPod presentation projected on the board as well as had it available for each student to stream individually on their devices.

The option to draw a picture is helpful for ELL students and other students that learn best visually.

Performance Criterion 3.2: designs approaches that engage

I included several opportunities for small group and class discussion to encourage students to talk amongst each other. I also used the graphic organizer and a writing prompt, therefore, students that are less comfortable with speaking in class were able to engage with the material in an alternate way.

Performance Criterion 4.1: understands content knowledge

I spent a great deal of time studying Chapter 8 and working on my lesson plan in preparation for creating and teaching my lesson. I performed additional research in friends and peers, lesson plan writing, assessment, and proven teaching practices.

Performance Criterion 5.1: engages learners in real-world problems

In my lesson I included scenarios related to their real life as future educators. During my lesson I included information about Western and Traditional cultures in relation to friend and peer relations. One question that I asked the class to discuss was: If student A raised in Western cultural ideals came to you concerned about student B, who was raised in a more traditional culture, because student B seemingly did not place as much emphasis on the friendship as student A did, how would you handle this, knowing that traditional cultures tend to place family relationships higher than friendships in comparison with western culture?

As a middle school student, I had personally gone through a situation similar to the scenario the question presented, therefore, I felt at though it was a potential position that my classmates may encounter during their time as teachers, or possibly parents. 

 

Performance Criterion 8.1: uses a variety of strategies to engage learners

 I began my lesson by having the students work on vocabulary on the Quizlet app. Throughout my lesson I used Nearpod activities and encouraged group discussion. The main activity within my lesson was filling out a graphic organizer to outline Youth Culture. These various strategies that I used helped me to encourage participation and create meaningful experiences for each student.

Children Belong Outdoors

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend my favorite weekend of every year, the Annual Spring Bowhunters Festival. This year was the 23rd year. I have been participating in the great sport of archery since I was seven years old. Most of the last 12 years have been spent competing and educating others on just how fun archery can be. The Annual Spring Bowhunters Festival is a great opportunity to meet new people and their children. This weekend reminded me of just how important it is to get children away from their tv and video games and to show them just how wonderful the great outdoors is.

I watched children jump for joy because they hit the 3D target or walk away in disappointment because they missed and lost an arrow. This "emotional roller coaster" is good for the ego and a learning experience that they can't always be perfect. Personally, I have struggled with the need to always have a perfect shot, causing me to lose sight of the reason I began shooting in the first place: to have fun. I truly hope I am able to witness children's lives being transformed because of archery for many years to come. I will continue educating and encouraging children and adults of all ages to just give archery a shot (pun intended!) because you never know where that one arrow could take you - it very well may become the best thing you've ever done.

2 young kids having a blast at the 22nd Annual Spring Bowhunter's Festival.

This article is a great depiction of just how much the Annual Spring Bowhunter's Festival means to the surrounding community members as well as the Boy Scouts who generously allow us to use their 1,100 acre facility each year.