Standard+7

=Standard 7 – Teachers are able to plan different kinds of lessons.=

Evidence: Brown Bear Sequencing Lesson - Kidspiration



 * Rationale:** This language arts lesson was created for kindergarten students. This lesson shows students how to use Kidspiration to create a graphic organizer to show the order in which the animals appeared in the story. In kindergarten, I begin teaching comprehension strategies and provide varied opportunities for students to respond to literature. One obstacle to this is my students’ limited writing abilities. Using technology (e.g. Kidspiration) allows all students to practice comprehension strategies and respond to literature in authentic ways, even if their writing and fine motor skills are quite limited. Due to the lack of the Kidpsiration program in my school district, I was not able to actually use this lesson with my students.

The most important thing I learned while planning this lesson is that technology offers many ways to overcome obstacles that prevent focusing on higher-level thinking during a lesson. Kidspiration transforms this lesson from an exercise in drawing animals to a lesson that focuses on the text and the story. It also allowed me to discover many, valuable technology resources that are readily available on the internet. Students will benefit from this lesson by gaining experience with using Kidspiration and by successfully completing an important comprehension activity.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND DISPOSITIONS:
====7.K.2 The teacher knows how to take contextual considerations (instructional materials; individual student interests, needs, and aptitudes; and community resources) into account when planning instruction that creates an effective bridge between curriculum goals and students’ experiences.====

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Kindergarten is most students’ first experience in a formal, academic learning environment. While we spend our days immersed in activities appropriate for children of five and six, they are learning an incredible amount and leave for first grade as readers and writers. Because it is such an intense period of development, it is essential that my students have many, many successful experiences. This lesson is planned to provide an opportunity for all students to be successful with a sequencing activity. The use of technology provides the effective bridge between curriculum goals and my students’ experiences by allowing my students to focus on the process of sequencing using a story that is universally loved by kindergarten students.=====

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While kindergarten students are enthusiastic learners, they are only able to sustain their attention to something for a short period of time. Using Kidspiration to sequence the animals in the Brown Bear story allows them to focus on the most important part of the task, sequencing, and not become frustrated and/or distracted by the process of drawing the animals. In addition, using computers is very motivating and, in my experience, tends to help my students sustain their attention to a task for a longer period of time.=====

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In and of itself, this is a valuable lesson to teach to my students. In the short-term, it provides an introduction to using Kidspiration and experience with an important comprehension strategy. The value of the lesson extends into the long-term as well. Once the students have experience with the process of using Kidspiration to create a sequencing graphic organizer, my students can apply their skills to sequencing other stories that we encounter during the year.=====