Primary Student Teaching

Student Work Samples

Animal Habitats

During a two week period, I used non-fiction and fiction DRA books used in guided reading to create and integrated lesson on animals and their habitats. This unit coincided with a whole grade first grade project during which each student selected an animal and researched how many teeth it had and how it used its teeth. Their results were then written in a final format, illustrated and published in a hard back book. First grade science standards covered during this two week period included those related to diversity of life.

During this unit, students also had math content integrated (they had to organize a set of animal cards in order from lowest weight to greatest weight (ordinal numbers), students acted out math word problems that were completed as a whole group. Students also practiced basic addition math facts while playing an addition fishing game.

English and Language arts content was integrated through writing sentences (students were encouraged to write sentences containing the same number of words as their age) using a list of animal names. Students also had to complete and animal investigation during which they illustrated their favorite animal, completed writing prompts about that animal (ex. My animal is larger than a ______, My animal is smaller than a ______, The color of my animal is ________, and My animal lives________.). Multiple non-fiction books were provided for students to complete this “research paper”.

Maps

During this lesson, students used what they learned about maps from reading Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney (from their basal readers) to construct a map of their community. This activity met First Grade Social Studies content standards for location.

During this month, students also received post cards from various members of their family and friends (a letter had been sent home requesting these to be sent to school). We had mail call several times a week and marked (using stickers) on a map places from which all of our classmates received letters.

We also created a map of our classroom indicating where everything was located. Each student took a turn writing their name on the location of their desk. The map was displayed in the classroom.

Symbols of America

Lessons on symbols of America were tied into President’s Day. These lessons integrated to meet Social Studies content standards, English and Language Arts standards and Math standards.

At the initiation of the symbols of America lesson, prior knowledge was accessed to determine which symbols of America students were familiar with and whether they had visited any of them. Then, students were read some short books on some of the various symbols to see if we could add to our list of symbols. Following this, students were asked to come up with some possible ideas for a new symbol of America. Results were recorded on a T-chart.

The student work show here was the result of a New Literacies in Education activity during which each table grouping was given one of the books used to describe a symbol of America. They were given a bin of various art materials and asked to work together as a group to create their interpretation of their assigned symbol. Students, as a group, were then given the opportunity to describe their symbol to the rest of the class.

During this week, students were also assigned a writing prompt . “If you could make a new symbol for America what would it be? Why?” Students were asked to write at least 3 sentences and encouraged to use at least as many words in each sentence as their age. Students also illustrated their writings.