Unit Lesson reflection

My three lessons were based on the program making meaning. For this unit we focused primarily on making self to text connections and depicting the parts of a story such as setting, characters, problem, solution, and conclusion. During these stories vocabulary terms students may struggle with, especially ELL, were highlighted. This was modeling comprehension for the students and stopping to reflect what we read and how we understand what we are reading.

After completing three lessons I think students definitely began to grasp the concept of text to self connections. They are also doing very well with parts of a story and depicting these parts. Students are, however, now confusing comprehension questions with self to text connections. When I ask students to discuss a certain part of the story a couple will respond with a connection as opposed to reflecting on the question provided. I am thrilled that they are eager to participate and discuss connections they have made with the book but they are confused about what is actually being asked. This also goes for students making self to text connections. Some students will write down what the book is about, providing evidence from the text, but not connecting to their own lives. This is still a work in progress.

Other interpretations I gained from these three lessons are that many of my students are struggling with comprehension in their own reading as opposed to read aloud. Students were able to read silently on their own and then write on a sticky note a connection they made to the text. Many more students struggled doing this as opposed to talking about it with their making meaning partner and then sharing with the whole class. I had thought that this was the case but I now can pinpoint more accurately who is struggling with this and how to address this.

As for my students’ literacy practices that extend beyond my objectives, I learned that many of my students do well when they are given an assignment that is quick and structured. For example, I just had them jot down their ideas on a sticky note, which was a quick assessment that allowed every student to feel successful. Often times some of our strong writers will write a great deal while others only write a sentence. The sticky note challenged students to keep their idea short and allowed every student feel as if they can complete an assignment like this.

Because the main focus of these lessons were based on making connections and elements to a story we will be revisiting these topics a great deal. These lessons were completed at the beginning of the unit and we focus on these skills throughout the unit to reinforce what is being taught. Students who are struggling will have an opportunity to answer the same questions but based on a different story.

After reflecting on my lessons I think I would have made a couple changes. I needed to set the ground rules for making meaning before each lesson which is to sit with your partner, no talking unless I tell you to turn and talk and all eyes must be on the book. Some students who did not understand the lesson fully were playing with their shoe or their neighbor’s hair etc. Overall I would be stricter in management but I am currently working on this as the rest of the unit progresses.