Blog Post Eight!

1.  https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/leaf-man-lesson-plan/

Step 1: Know the Learner	This lesson plan is for K-2nd Graders. I chose this lesson plan because while I was mentoring in a kindergarten classroom last semester I actually saw the teacher use this. The students will be reading a book titled “Leaf Man”. After this they will go outside to collect leaves and twigs and acorns and bring them back to the classroom to make them own “leaf man”. This is really good for tactile learning students who want to be more hands on with work.
Step 2: Articulate Objectives	By the end of the lesson, students will be able to: ·      Be able to use a Venn diagram to sort the different types of materials they find outside. ·      Have a better grasp for seasons and what the weather is like during the fall time. ·      Use glue and scissors with control. ·      Compare and contrast their own “leaf man” with others to see how individualized each can be.
Step 3: Establish the Learning Environment	The classroom will be set-up with different stations for each project. We will read the book as a group and discuss it after. Talking about the different elements within the book, the setting, types of leaves (colors), what other types of materials were used to make “leaf man”, the characters, and what is one real world takeaway that we can learn from the book.
Step 4: Identifying Teaching and Learning Strategies	Since the students are still very young and this is not too intense of a lesson, I think that it will cater to most students very well. Majority of students like to do hands on projects. For the students that enjoy reading, there will be opportunity for them to read a page in front of the class if they desire. For those who would rather discuss in small groups there is an opportunity for them to do so also. As a class we will work on putting together our leaf man with glue and scissors. For the students on their own they will be given a bag to put leaves and sticks in while they explore the outside.
Step 5: Identify and Select Support Technologies What standards apply here? (ISTE-NETS)	For this specific lesson plan we are headed away from technology in   the classroom. I think it will be positive for the students to have a break from technology in their life. Each day in the classroom there is usually a technology aspect incorporated into their day, whether it be learning centers with I-pads or some type of learning website for them to excel in their math or reading skills. For this specific lesson plan there will not be any technology on the children’s part. The only time there could be a possible use of technology is when we go to review the book in a couple of days and play the audio voice of the book.
Step 6: Assessment and Evaluation	Although this lesson plan is not one that will be very challenging, I still think it would be a fun way to get students involved with tactile learning and to take a break from sitting down and following what a “typical” type of learning looks like. I think that within this lesson plan I would really try to emphasize the fact of using a Venn diagram to compare and contrast leaves, sticks, and whatever they will collect.

2. Power Point is a great tool to use in the classroom, especially when trying to emphasize Bloom's Taxonomy. For the first step of "Remember" you can create a review slide in the beginning and play like a jeopardy style game to recall information that was taught last week. At the end of the lesson you could also include some review slides to help remember what was taught in this weeks lessons. For the understand step in the pyramid you can create a slide for definitions within the powerpoint. If the chapter that you are doing has many definitions, you could create a new slide with one definition on it and maybe insert a picture of the definition so that the concept might be easier for some people to visualize. For the example part of Bloom's Taxonomy, you can include a link integrated within the powerpoint of a real world example. If you are teaching about money and how important it is to be able to count coins, you could include a video of someone tipping a waitress while doing mental math. The analyze part of the pyramid talks about drawing connections among ideas. For this part you could do a Venn Diagram, where you compare and contrast two ideas or concepts. You can easily make a Venn Diagram within powerpoint just by using the shape feature. Evaluate is the second to last aspect of the chart, within this section one is trying to justify a stand or decision. Within the context of powerpoint, one could create a pros and cons list of why their argument is right and the opposing side is not. One slide could be pros of their side and another could be cons of the opposing side. The final aspect of Bloom's Taxonomy is create. I would say that this one is pretty straightforward because although you can use a template on a powerpoint, each ppt is a unique design and it is aimed towards teaching someone a lesson. No two lessons are ever the same! 

3. Last weeks work with the webquest assignment was really fun! Although it took me quite a while to get a hang of how to use the website design and figure out all its functions. I personally do not think I will be using a website for my classroom in the future. It just took a lot of time and effort to create and to keep it running. I know that time is usually something most teachers do not have excess amount of. While it was fun to work and play with, but also pretty frustrating at times when it would do something I did not want it to do, I found it overall more challenging than beneficial for a classroom. 

https://okm1896.wixsite.com/website

4. I commented on Hayley Singer's and Elizabeth Hattal's blog.