Today I delivered my first made-from-scratch lesson to three different classes of 7th Graders. The lesson was about memoirs, as we are starting our Narrative Writing unit. Instead of giving the students a cut-and-dry definition of what a memoir is, I decided to read them and example. As our group has a lot of struggle with bullying, I chose a short memoir from an anthology called “Dear Bully,” which included 70 memoirs about bullying. The first lesson was not what I had had in mind. I ran out of material before the end of the period. The second lesson was better because I tweaked it a bit based on what I did not like from the first lesson (and with the help of my cooperating teacher’s suggestions). I allowed students some Think-Pair-Share time. The third and final lesson was the best, but I ran out of time.
I found that I needed to introduce the topic rather than simply jump right into the story. The first class was a bit perplexed and not quite prepared for the depressing tone of the story. So, for the following two periods I introduced the topic and let the students know that it was not a topic about which they could joke around. I also realized that I need to ensure that students are paying attention. Some were goofing around. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see some students who have never participated raise their hands and contribute. That made me feel good.
With what I learned today, I am going to do a better job planning my lesson before delivering it. I am going to add more to my final lesson plan, as I now see elements for which I did not account. I am also going to do a better job paying attention to students who are not behaving. I feel that when one student is answering a question I asked, I like to give that student my whole attention; however, I must interrupt the student if another student is being rude. One of the rules in our classroom is that it must be silent when another person is speaking.
Overall, I feel very content with my first lesson delivery. I am at a point where I’m comfortable with the kids, so I think that gave me an added boost of confidence today. It is my hope that my lessons will continue growing and strengthening as time progresses.
