3rd Grade whole group mini-lesson
Goal: Word Work
Strategy: Pronouns - singular & plural
What I observed:
The teacher was standing in front of her class at the Interactive board while her class sat on the carpet. She introduced the topic, explaining they were going to review pronouns, and discuss singular and plural pronouns.
She asked the class to explain what a pronoun was. A majority of the class turned and referred to the anchor chart hanging in the room, and raised their hands. The teacher called on a student who gave the correct explanation. She then asked them to explain the difference between plural and singular. She gave them the hint of a single person. Students raised their hands and the teacher called on one who shared the correct answer. She complimented their thinking.
The teacher then made a t-chart on the Interactive board and wrote singular on one side, and plural on the other. She shared sentences, and asked the students how she could change the sentences and use pronouns. She would share one sentence, students would raise their hand and she would call on them. They would share the pronoun and she would add it to the chart after they identified if it was singular or plural. This was continued until they had a list of 6-7 on each side of the chart.
The teacher then shared sentences on the Interactive board. She asked the students to identify the pronoun and tell whether it was singular or plural. Students would raise their hand, and she would call on them. The teacher would circle the pronoun when they identified it and then write to the side if it was singular or plural.
When the lesson was complete, the teacher asked them to transition to their desks. She then explained what the expectations would be during the next part of their lesson.
Next Step:
This was a great introductory lesson for singular/plural pronouns. I encourage you to continue to model with one or two examples, but then allow more time for practice. Perhaps you would want to have your students draw their own t-charts on white boards and work with a partner to make a list of singular/plural pronouns. Then spend some time sharing out to check their understanding. This will provide your students with peer feedback for their responses. "Anyone who has taught for any length of time or had school-aged children know that peer feedback can be more powerful than tht of the teacher or parent." (Johnston, 2012) This will give you a picture of each individual child's level of understanding, not just a few.
To encourage more student engagement in the lesson, you may want to have the students write their own sentences using the pronouns on their white boards, or on paper, as you have a student write one as a model on the board. The more you engage the students in the lesson, the more they will gain. Through this format, "we can explicitly provide them with an opportunity to experiences all the components of meaning making...in a supportive social setting." (Barnhouse & Vinton, 2012) We need to give our students the opportunity to do the thinking, and explain to us what they know.
Resource:
Barnhouse, D. and Vinton, V. (2012). What readers really do: teaching the process of meaning making. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Johnston, P. (2012). Opening minds: using language to change lives. Portland: Stenhouse Publishers.
Goal: Word Work
Strategy: Pronouns - singular & plural
What I observed:
The teacher was standing in front of her class at the Interactive board while her class sat on the carpet. She introduced the topic, explaining they were going to review pronouns, and discuss singular and plural pronouns.
She asked the class to explain what a pronoun was. A majority of the class turned and referred to the anchor chart hanging in the room, and raised their hands. The teacher called on a student who gave the correct explanation. She then asked them to explain the difference between plural and singular. She gave them the hint of a single person. Students raised their hands and the teacher called on one who shared the correct answer. She complimented their thinking.
The teacher then made a t-chart on the Interactive board and wrote singular on one side, and plural on the other. She shared sentences, and asked the students how she could change the sentences and use pronouns. She would share one sentence, students would raise their hand and she would call on them. They would share the pronoun and she would add it to the chart after they identified if it was singular or plural. This was continued until they had a list of 6-7 on each side of the chart.
The teacher then shared sentences on the Interactive board. She asked the students to identify the pronoun and tell whether it was singular or plural. Students would raise their hand, and she would call on them. The teacher would circle the pronoun when they identified it and then write to the side if it was singular or plural.
When the lesson was complete, the teacher asked them to transition to their desks. She then explained what the expectations would be during the next part of their lesson.
Next Step:
This was a great introductory lesson for singular/plural pronouns. I encourage you to continue to model with one or two examples, but then allow more time for practice. Perhaps you would want to have your students draw their own t-charts on white boards and work with a partner to make a list of singular/plural pronouns. Then spend some time sharing out to check their understanding. This will provide your students with peer feedback for their responses. "Anyone who has taught for any length of time or had school-aged children know that peer feedback can be more powerful than tht of the teacher or parent." (Johnston, 2012) This will give you a picture of each individual child's level of understanding, not just a few.
To encourage more student engagement in the lesson, you may want to have the students write their own sentences using the pronouns on their white boards, or on paper, as you have a student write one as a model on the board. The more you engage the students in the lesson, the more they will gain. Through this format, "we can explicitly provide them with an opportunity to experiences all the components of meaning making...in a supportive social setting." (Barnhouse & Vinton, 2012) We need to give our students the opportunity to do the thinking, and explain to us what they know.
Resource:
Barnhouse, D. and Vinton, V. (2012). What readers really do: teaching the process of meaning making. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Johnston, P. (2012). Opening minds: using language to change lives. Portland: Stenhouse Publishers.