This lesson would take place over a number of days in smaller chunks rather than as one solid lesson.
Lesson Plan
Class/Group: P3/4 Lesson: Spanish- Gender Date:
| Previous Experience
Describing myself |
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| Working towards outcomes of a Curriculum for Excellence
I am beginning to share information about myself using familiar vocabulary and basic language structures. MLAN 1-02b I am beginning to use illustrated word-banks, picture prompts, picture dictionaries and displays to support my understanding of simple texts. MLAN 1-11a With support, I am beginning to experiment with writing in the language I am learning MLAN 1-13 |
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| Learning Intentions | Success Criteria | ||
| To learn how the gender of words relating to the family. | I will look for patterns in words and their gender.
I will be able to correctly identify the gender of a word. I can sort the members of family in Spanish by gender. I can talk to a shoulder partner about what family I have. I can listen and take turns in a conversation. I can change an adjective to suit the gender of the word it is describing.
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| Resources | Powerpoint, IWB, dice, mini whiteboards, picture cards | ||
| Timing | Assessment methods | ||
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15 minutes
5 minutes 10 minutes
10 minutes
10 minutes
10 minutes
10 minutes
10 minutes |
Setting the context/Beginning the lesson (Introduction)
Discussion of what we learnt during the previous lesson.
Write on whiteboards any words they remember from last lesson.
Ask if anyone knows any words for the members of the family.
Teaching the learning intentions (Development)
Discuss learning intention and success criteria with pupils. With the use of the powerpoint, discuss how we determine the gender of a family member and when we use el/la and un/una.
Game of bingo to practice words and determine understanding. (Listening)
In pairs, roll the dice with the different members of the family on it and determine if it is el/la. Form a sentence which includes this member of the family. (Talking and listening)
In table groups, sort the picture/word cards under the headings of el/la. (Reading)
Just as before, roll the dice and form a sentence including this person. This time write the sentence in workbooks.
Ending the lesson (Plenary)
Using the mini whiteboards, ask pupils to write down a word they learned today. Ask them to write down words such as ‘the mother’ to determine understanding. Discuss with pupils how they found the work- was it too hard or too easy? Was there anything they struggled with? How did they overcome problems? (dictionary, shoulder partner, ask teacher)
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Discussion
Discussion
Teacher observation
Teacher observation and discussion |
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This placement has provided me with several learning opportunities and I am developing my own educational philosophy and teacher style. I was fortunate to have such a wide range of experiences during the six weeks with school trips, sports competitions and one to one observations. Gaining insight into these aspects has allowed me to grow in confidence of what is to face me as a teacher. I think by going on school trips as a student, I will be better prepared for when I need to plan one as a qualified teacher.
the beginning of placement, I was not feeling confident in my ability to be a teacher. I think my tough placement last year made me really doubt myself and wonder if this career is the one for me. I now feel more confident in my ability to deliver a lesson. Last year, I was constantly feeling I needed to refer to my lesson plan and stick to it. Whereas, this year I was confident enough to teach the lesson without looking at my plan and was able to take the learning wherever the children led it (within reason!).
As a student who was educated in Northern Ireland until coming to Dundee for university where I have experienced 6 weeks of the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence, I have found it interesting to compare the two systems. I would say that the aims of each subject area are more specific in the Experiences and Outcomes. With NI, it is less specific on what topic the learning would be on and is instead about developing the skills. Additionally, whilst Scotland has standardised testing at the end of P1, P4 and P7 in primary school, Northern Irish children are assessed every year through teacher assessment and planned tasks and activities. Formal results, in the form of levels, are reported to parents at the end of primary 4 and 7. Certainly, from this experience I would say that Northern Ireland schools are more open to expressing and exploring Christian values. This, however, may just be the case for a few schools rather than the majority in NI.
Last year, my class were extremely difficult for all staff and myself to manage. This meant that my tutor’s feedback on my behaviour management was poor, decreasing my confidence in myself. This placement has really helped me to build this confidence up as the class have been well settled I adapted a firm but fair approach with the pupils which appeared to work as they respected me whilst we also had fun together. Pitt (2001, pp.155) believes that the best ways to support good class management are to vary the type of activity to cater for different learning styles, link learning to children’s interests and maximise the time spent on direct teaching. I tried to incorporate this into my lessons. During my time on placement, I tried to minimise interruptions, however, it is not always possible to avoid interruptions e.g. children from another class with a message. I felt my expectations were clear so the children were not distracted or likely to interrupt e.g. talking or playing with pencils. The class teacher was very impressed with my control over the class and didn’t see any cause for concern.
I tried to work on cross curricular learning during this placement. My main literacy topic of the Lighthouse Keeper provided many opportunities to link learning to crafts, RE and even data handling. I planned to read Jack and the Beanstalk to lead into measuring and planting beans but unfortunately as I learned there can be interruptions during the school day. I developed a confidence and ability to deal with change and take over from the class teacher without notice.
“No hands up, its thinking time” – this means that all children need to think as the teacher could ask anyone. Children cannot hide and not make an effort, everyone needs to try.
Teachers should start right at the basics i.e. without the rope. This sounds a bit strange for a skipping programme but it is important pupils know how to land correctly and safely when they jump. Next is keeping to a rhythm, perhaps by putting some music on as pupils skip. Some pupils may benefit from group or partner skipping in order to further develop their skills and increase their confidence. Once pupils are ready they could move onto more complex techniques such as spinning around or side swings with the rope. Skipping rhymes could be introduced for children to jump along too. This will help challenge children to keep in time to a song (pp. 84-100).
As I was off for a couple of days, I had missed teaching a few lessons I had prepared so my teacher kindly let me teach some of these lessons this week. One of these was the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand people. In ways I felt prepared for this lesson as I had planned it a couple of weeks prior so had the worksheets and extension activities printed but I also felt semi unprepared as I was told on the day that I was teaching it so didn’t have much time to refresh my memory on the plan. However, all things considered I felt the lesson went well for first thing in the morning as they normally do Bible stories on a Thursday afternoon and circle time on a Monday morning instead of this RE lesson. I made use of Twinkl for a powerpoint of the story. The children listened well most of the time and enjoyed the pictures to help them understand the story. The noise level was at an acceptable classroom level and I had good control of the class at all points. I used the usual classroom behaviour management strategies when I required their attention. After the lesson, I felt quite bad as I had worked them rather hard especially for a Monday morning but they really did prove themselves! I felt my explanation of the worksheets and my expectations was clear. 
The main worksheet was a crossword based on the story. As the class had first met crossword puzzles with me during the ‘ai’ phonics lesson, I gave them a reminder of how it works. Most of them remembered it well but a few had forgotten things such as one letter per box. The pace of the lesson was good as pupils were engaged and kept busy. No pupil was left with nothing to do and all pupils achieved a good amount of work. The behaviour was exceptional especially for so early! The only thing I would change about my practice for next time would be I would add a quiz or interactive activity before they begin the worksheet. This is because at one point, a lot of pupils were very distracted and only a few children responded to me. I think they were quite tired and sleepy but think that an interactive activity might help keep them engaged and get them excited.
On Monday, my reading group went well. The children were mostly focused and read clearly. They showed good understanding of the book and were able to discuss the key events. As I missed Wednesday, my reading group had moved onto a new book. Additionally, I missed reading groups on Tuesday as I was observing the P4 class. This meant that the children had only completed one worksheet for reading groups by Thursday. I decided it would be wise to get the group to do the worksheet planned for Tuesday on Thursday. As they had PE before reading groups there was less time for the worksheet. This meant that most children did not get to draw the three witches but all children completed the sentences. I am really happy with the progress that this reading group are making. They are beginning to really grow in confidence and try to sound tricky words out instead of giving up. They are making links between the books as well as links and differences between the books and the online stories.
I was determined to do one more Lighthouse Keeper story with the children before I left as they really engaged with the Lighthouse Keeper’s Picnic. I decided over Easter that I liked the Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch and had some ideas floating in my head for activities. I had prepared a storyboard worksheet to allow children to work on their ordering skills and the days of the week. The children were excited to hear another story involving the Grinlings and most sat quietly whilst I read the story. I felt I explained the activity well as the children knew exactly what they had to do. However, some children did struggle to order the days/story correctly. 
It is evident that more work on the days of the week is required. Perhaps, more repetition of the events in the story might have helped the children but I felt they had grasped the order of the story and instead got mixed up with their days of the week. I ended up being asked to come and observe a P4 child during this lesson so was unable to see children as they did the activity. The end results were amazing though and it was clear that they had worked really hard especially on their drawings.
On Tuesday, I was given the opportunity to observe a child with aspergers in a one to one session with a classroom assistant. This is quite similar to the reading recovery set up but is more focused on words rather than reading books. He started off by spelling words on a whiteboard he had learnt recently such as buzz, fluff and cuff. During this time, his handwriting and how he holds his pen are considered as well as his spelling. Next, he read through page of sounds otherwise known as ‘alien talk’ such as b, p, d, d, b, b, p, b, d. This is to ensure that he knows the difference between similar letters and their sounds. The main focus for this session was the use of double letters in words. A worksheet included paragraphs with several double letter words that he had to circle. 
Next, he told me how he writes ‘d’ and ‘b’ and the rules he uses to help him- “With b, you need to draw an h first or huffle buffle. With d, you need to draw a c first then make it into a d.” After the pupil left, we discussed the progress they had made since the start of their sessions. For him, it is more of a behaviour thing that is hindering his learning. He is a very capable boy but due to his behaviour he gets less work done and so cannot keep up with the rest of his class and requires this additional help and teaching. He is dyslexic and often takes tantrums if things do not go his way which in turn reduces teaching time. He has made great progress with his behaviour as originally there would be little work done as he would throw tantrums if he got something wrong on the first try. Now he is more willing to give something another try when encouraged to do so. I noticed that he likes to do his own thing e.g. certain stickers and taking a huff if he doesn’t get the one he wanted. According to Lloyd (undated), when children are trying to blend sounds there are two reasons why they might struggle to hear the word when they have said the sounds. These reasons are:
I was then able to observe the child in the classroom with his teacher and the rest of the class. There is another child with aspergers in this class and I had been told that the teacher has quite a rough time with them but watching this would be a great experience for me. I took the two children with me to photocopy some things and within a few minutes I noticed that their behaviour was different to most pupils. They found it quite hard to follow instructions and act sensibly when walking down the corridor. However, once we reached the photocopying room, they were well behaved. They were interested in the photocopier and couldn’t wait to carry the sheets back. I found that one of the pupils is more out there than the other and his behaviour is a bit more obvious and extreme. It was interesting to watch pupil A in a one to one setting and then in the whole class setting. In the classroom, he struggles to keep up whilst in a one to one setting he is able to work at his own pace without the worry of others being ahead of him. However, I think he can get more frustrated in the one to one setting because he is the only one there to answer questions so he knows if he gets it wrong he has to try again and cannot rely on others to answer. 
He finds it hard to listen for a long time if he isn’t doing anything in both the whole class setting and one to one. The class teacher says that he is manageable but he falls behind due to his behaviour and is struggling to reach the target level for a primary 4 pupil. He makes it clear when he is struggling or if something is not his way whereas child B tends to withdraw. He doesn’t throw tantrums and instead shuts himself off. During his time in the junior school, he would play alone and walk around in a square at break and lunch times. If he can’t do the set work, he will just sit and stare at it; he will not make it known that he is struggling and needs help or needs to try again. I believe that this extra support and teaching that pupils like these two get is so vital as it can really help them to get back on track and achieve the same level as their peers. Sometimes, all it takes is a little one to one time and extra attention that the class teacher cannot give them due to the sheer number of pupils in their class to ensure children can achieve and realise their full potential. These children need to grow in confidence whilst learning to correct their behaviour and take responsibility for their learning efforts. Ultimately, each child is different and therefore has their own routines that help them to learn. According to The National Autistic Society (2017), it is important to maintain a routine with these children and ensure that they are prepared for any changes to this routine. Sometimes, visual aids can help them understand and cope better with routines such as an egg timer. It is suggested that schools use social stories to help those with autism. The school has a session of social stories with those with additional support needs each week. It lasts for about 30 minutes and allows the children to discuss what they would do in various situations to prepare them incase they do happen e.g. someone pushes in front of them in the lunch line. These stories help children to cope better in social situations and act appropriately towards others.
FINALLY the lighthouses are complete! It has taken a lot longer than I expected between pupils being off, me being off and various happenings in the school. The pupils have thoroughly enjoyed making them and have been constantly asking when they could take them home. They have worked really hard on them and asked if we can make the cottage and the Grinlings to go along with their lighthouses. I would definitely do this craft again as they were super engaged and I felt it aided their learning. I think I better start saving the Pringles tubes for next years placement now!
This week had a rough start between being sick and then spilling coke all over my laptop so I had a broken laptop and a messed up head and stomach- not the best start to the week. Unfortunately, I was in no state to go into school on Monday or Tuesday so that was quite a lot of teaching time out the window for me but there was no way I could have delivered effective lessons.
On Wednesday, I did a lesson on writing about a character and related it to The Lighthouse Keeper book series. We looked at the character of Mr Grinling. It was important for me to model what I expected the students to do. I did this by gathering all the students up to the front of the classroom and explaining the worksheet in detail. We considered who Mr Grinling is and what family he has and his physical features. We looked at what he does and where he lives to give a more detailed description of the character. By having a word bank at the bottom of the page and going through these words, I think it helped the children to complete the task and know exactly what they were meant to be doing. The children responded well to this activity and were engaged throughout. They couldn’t wait to share their sentences about Mr Grinling with the rest of the class. I believe it is very important to use topics such as The Lighthouse Keeper across several subject areas as it helps the children to dive deeper into the story and adds an element of enjoyment rather than some plain and simple sums. My main learning point from this lesson was to always put the writing part at the top of a worksheet rather than a drawing part.
On Thursday, I was teaching the children about tally charts. They had touched on the topic before but some pupils weren’t sure about tally charts so I took it right back to the basics. I once again modelled how the children should do their work whilst allowing them to have a go on the whiteboard. I think this is important as many children learn by doing something rather than listening to how we do it. This also helped me to see if they were grasping the concept. The worksheet was all about finding out each pupil’s favourite sandwich and recording our results. I decided it would be chaotic for the children to go round and ask each classmate their favourite sandwich plus the results would likely be inaccurate. Instead, I thought we should take it slow and do it together as a class asking each pupil what their favourite sandwich and ensuring each pupil put the tally mark in the correct row. I felt this worked well as pupils were able to help one another and had to listen to one another. No one ever seemed fed up by the slower pace and no one was left behind. By the end, everyone had completed their tally chart and created their own sandwich out of paper for the class tally chart wall display. My time management was really good with everyone getting the work done in the set time. I felt my behaviour management was good with no children talking over one another and no acting up. I would definitely use this activity again in the future as the children were so engaged and so eager to share their favourite sandwiches. Next time, I would consider using pictures to help those who cannot read as this meant it was harder for them to keep up and they required more support. This was a great link to The Lighthouse Keeper’s Picnic and Lunch stories.
This was a great idea as each class raised about £80 gathering more money than a non-uniform day. As a treat on Friday, during play time the children made sandwiches with me in groups of 4 or 5. This was quite funny as they were making sandwiches in their pyjamas and onesies! They really enjoyed this especially with reading all about Mr Grinling’s lunch and picnic and seeing what my perfect picnic would be. These practical and fun cross curricular activities are a great way to link topic learning and bring it to life. Cross curricular learning provides opportunities to further develop skills and values and creates richer learning opportunities (Centre for Global Learning, undated, p.5). It linked in nicely with our data handling on our favourite sandwiches the day before. There were some odd combinations of sandwiches with chocolate spread and cheese sandwiches and chocolate spread and ham!
The lighthouse craft continued this week for me but unfortunately not for the children as the lighthouses needed to be glued onto the cardboard bases which the children had already painted. This involved me using the glue gun which I had used on many occasions before but unfortunately I experienced the joy of getting burnt by it as the glue dripped off a Pringles tube onto my wrist-ouch!
Recently, I have observed the class teacher using primary movement particularly after break or lunch or when the children are unsettled. These are different body movements which require children to focus and give their full attention if they are to do it right. Interestingly, those children who do it right often yawn. These movements allow children to relax and have been shown to improve handwriting. 5-10 minutes with a dyslexic child improves concentration and helps to calm them. Primary movement is all about replicating the movements of the foetus in the womb. This triggers the integration of retained primary reflexes, which contribute to behavioural, educational and emotional difficulties. At the age of one, the primary reflexes system turns off and our movements are controlled more by thought than by reflex. However, problems arise when the primary reflexes continue after their normal time span. If this continues, there can be problems with neuro-development which in turn may affect educational functioning and has been linked to a diverse range of learning difficulties such as dyslexia (The Learning Clinic, undated). It only takes about 10 minutes each day for 6 months for it to be effective and have a significant impact on a child’s learning and behaviour.
It has been a bit of a weird week with being off for two days and then having the ‘Break the Rules’ day as it has thrown me out of routine slightly. I am looking forward to next week as I hope it will be fun between getting the lighthouses finished and doing some more teaching. I hope it doesn’t go too quickly as I want to enjoy it and know that I will be sad when Friday comes especially with it being a half day. I think I am probably the only person who is disappointed that this week is only 4.5 days long!