Lesson 1 Reflection

I taught my first 4th grade social studies lesson today and it was fun. I enjoyed having so many different options on how to teach the lesson. When I first asked my teacher what topic to teach on, she was going to have me and my Meredith classmate both teach about maps, since that was what her students were working on in Social Studies. However, I noticed that in the student's reading period, they were reading about how mail was being delivered (from a train). I had just heard a great mini-lesson on the Pony Express, so I decided to teach the kids an interdisciplinary lesson about how the mail delivery system has changed over time.

I packed a lot of things into the lesson; so much that I thought I may have had too much information for one lesson. However, I was being observed by a Meredith peer. Having this peer's feedback was very helpful. She not only was able to observe me, but she also heard what the classroom teacher was saying. The classroom teacher said that one student who answered a question of mine correctly was a level 1 student. The classroom teacher showed excitement when she saw this student answering questions. This was a self-esteem booster because I think it is very important to have all students connect to the lesson and answer questions about it, especially the students who do not usually volunteer answers.

I also enjoyed having my peer evaluate me on my lesson because she gave great recommendations on how to improve the lesson next time I teach it. The three items I will change next time I teach the lesson are:

• having a timeline
• including a video clip
• allowing time to view the posters

I drew a timeline for the students to see when 1800, 1860, 1914, and 2010 was, but next time I will have one already made with pictures next to the dates. For example, I will have a picture of a boat by 1800, a picture of a train and horse by 1860, a picture of a train by 1914 and a picture of a USPS truck or a computer by today's date. This will help show students how the mail system has changed over time.

Even though books were read and pictures and posters were looked at to show how the mail system used to run, I will add a video clip next time I teach this lesson. The video clips will show how mail was delivered during the different time periods to help students really see what it was like during that time.

I allowed students to look at Pony Express posters that were borrowed from my Meredith peer, but I read a book while the students were looking at the posters. Next time I teach this lesson, I will allow time for the students to just look at the posters. I felt for time management purposes I should read while they looked, but I noticed that students were not listening while they were looking.

Overall, I was pleased with the lesson and am looking forward to the next one.