CONTENT: Second Grade
- Demonstrates a clear understanding of the content being taught.
- Elicits students' prior knowledge and makes connections to new concepts.
- Uses multiple representations to illustrate crucial concepts.
- Discusses multiple viewpoints, theories, and methods of inquiry important to the understanding of the discipline.
- Selects curricular materials that are accurate, in-depth, comprehensive, and appealing to the students.
- Seeks out and uses supplementary materials that go beyond the text.
- Develops and teaches interdisciplinary lessons as part of a larger unit.
- Seeks out and uses other resources/research to develop content expertise.
Description & Rationale
(The picture at left was drawn by Student 15 to accompany his final letter regarding what he had learned about butterflies in Mrs. Ingram's class.)
My second grade unit was a writing unit. More specifically, it was a writing unit that required each student to compose a five-sentence paragraph with a topic sentence, three supporting detail sentences, and a concluding sentence. This paragraph had to be about something the student had done or learned in second grade, and it had to be in the format of a friendly letter. Based upon content that was being covered or had been covered in reading, grammar, and spelling, the unit also addressed the following:
* nouns, verbs, and proper nouns
* capitalization and ending punctuation
* commas in a series
* main idea and supporting details
* steps in a process and sequencing in stories
* sequencing words such as first, next, then, and finally
* indentation
* parts of a letter
* punctuation and capitalization in addresses and in dates
I also wanted to focus on the process of writing and was explicit with the students about the parts and purposes of this process; from creating a brainstorming list and organizing ideas in a graphic organizer, to developing a rough draft that would be revised and edited into a final draft. I wanted to incorporate technology with BrainPop Jr., ReadWriteThink, and Microsoft Word. Finally, by requiring the students to write about other content they had studied or activities they had completed in second grade, the unit enveloped other content across the curriculum. The students wrote about butterflies, the solar system, dragonflies, sea turtles, and stories they had read in whole group and small group reading.
I spread this unit out across the day over a two-week period. There were times when the students practiced with commas in a series or played a proper nouns game during morning work. During official writing-instruction time, the students sat on the carpet as I opened every lesson by reading letters from Dear Teacher by Amy Husband. I created a writing center during small group reading time for the students to work independently, work cooperatively with peers, or conference with me. I used computer class and bonus time on pull-out days to work with students in small groups or individually. Below is the lesson plan for this unit. It can also be viewed as a PDF document by clicking here.
My second grade unit was a writing unit. More specifically, it was a writing unit that required each student to compose a five-sentence paragraph with a topic sentence, three supporting detail sentences, and a concluding sentence. This paragraph had to be about something the student had done or learned in second grade, and it had to be in the format of a friendly letter. Based upon content that was being covered or had been covered in reading, grammar, and spelling, the unit also addressed the following:
* nouns, verbs, and proper nouns
* capitalization and ending punctuation
* commas in a series
* main idea and supporting details
* steps in a process and sequencing in stories
* sequencing words such as first, next, then, and finally
* indentation
* parts of a letter
* punctuation and capitalization in addresses and in dates
I also wanted to focus on the process of writing and was explicit with the students about the parts and purposes of this process; from creating a brainstorming list and organizing ideas in a graphic organizer, to developing a rough draft that would be revised and edited into a final draft. I wanted to incorporate technology with BrainPop Jr., ReadWriteThink, and Microsoft Word. Finally, by requiring the students to write about other content they had studied or activities they had completed in second grade, the unit enveloped other content across the curriculum. The students wrote about butterflies, the solar system, dragonflies, sea turtles, and stories they had read in whole group and small group reading.
I spread this unit out across the day over a two-week period. There were times when the students practiced with commas in a series or played a proper nouns game during morning work. During official writing-instruction time, the students sat on the carpet as I opened every lesson by reading letters from Dear Teacher by Amy Husband. I created a writing center during small group reading time for the students to work independently, work cooperatively with peers, or conference with me. I used computer class and bonus time on pull-out days to work with students in small groups or individually. Below is the lesson plan for this unit. It can also be viewed as a PDF document by clicking here.
The picture at left was drawn by Student 16. It accompanied the letter she wrote regarding what she had learned in a science lesson I had taught on the solar system.
Below are various student samples. The first group of pictures contains Student 4's Brainstorming List, Graphic Organizer, Rough Draft, Working Draft (2 pages), Published Letter typed on stationary he designed, and a picture he drew to accompany the letter. I have blocked his address and changed his signature line for confidentiality. The Published Letter can be viewed here in PDF format. The next group of images contains the published letters on personally designed stationary of Students 1, 2, 6, 8, 11, 17, 20, and 22. I have modified these samples as well for purposes of confidentiality.
Below are various student samples. The first group of pictures contains Student 4's Brainstorming List, Graphic Organizer, Rough Draft, Working Draft (2 pages), Published Letter typed on stationary he designed, and a picture he drew to accompany the letter. I have blocked his address and changed his signature line for confidentiality. The Published Letter can be viewed here in PDF format. The next group of images contains the published letters on personally designed stationary of Students 1, 2, 6, 8, 11, 17, 20, and 22. I have modified these samples as well for purposes of confidentiality.
Reflection
This unit was so much fun, but it was also a lot of work and quite stressful. It was stressful, because I went down to the wire to finish it before moving on to my second placement in fifth grade. Jan Ingram and Robin Paul accommodated me so much, and for that I am most grateful. There were several delays during my unit when students had to test. My unit was interrupted by fire drills, surprise parties (including one for me), field trips, and assessments by the S.P.A.C.E. teacher. But, my experience in this regard seems to be par for the course in the world of a teacher. As Jan shared with me, I must always be prepared, but I must also be ready to "go with the flow."
I feel as though I satisfied the objectives for this lesson, both from a content perspective and from an emotional one. It was very important to me that this be a pleasant, fun, and positive endeavor for the students. One of my goals was to impress upon these students that writing can be fun and flexible. One should not be intimidated by the process. I wanted them to build confidence in their writing, a sense of comfort with the process regardless of the final product. Although it was all about the writing process, I think the final products turned out great. The children were so proud of them as they should be. They particularly enjoyed working with me at the computer to design their stationary with borders, clip-art, and pictures. The animated videos at BrainPop Jr. were a hit, and they are fabulous educational tools. All in all, I think this unit was a success for them and for me.
I feel as though I satisfied the objectives for this lesson, both from a content perspective and from an emotional one. It was very important to me that this be a pleasant, fun, and positive endeavor for the students. One of my goals was to impress upon these students that writing can be fun and flexible. One should not be intimidated by the process. I wanted them to build confidence in their writing, a sense of comfort with the process regardless of the final product. Although it was all about the writing process, I think the final products turned out great. The children were so proud of them as they should be. They particularly enjoyed working with me at the computer to design their stationary with borders, clip-art, and pictures. The animated videos at BrainPop Jr. were a hit, and they are fabulous educational tools. All in all, I think this unit was a success for them and for me.