History Lesson 2 Reflection

                 Miss. Karlie and I were given the opportunity to teach a history lesson about France to our group of fourth-grade students. The lesson started with a reintroduction of our names and an icebreaker to get the lesson moving. The students were asked some would you rather questions and were provided with yes or no cards using the French language. Following the icebreaker, we decided to go over the list of learning expectations that we had created as a group the prior lesson. To start the lesson we had collected the prior knowledge the students had on primary and secondary sources. We then provided the students with examples of sources and had them identify which ones were primary and which were secondary. The students completed this activity using the T-chart provided by Miss. Karlie and I. Once the students had a good understanding of what the difference between these sources were we decided to do a primary source analysis using the tool provided by Dr. Gurjar. During the analysis of the source we played a game where the students acted as if they were in the picture playing a game of hide and seek. We had asked the students "Where would you hide in this picture? What would you see and hear?" The students had great responses, for example "I would hide in the tree and see and hear all the people walking." Then, we read the book The Bees of Notre Dame’ by Meghan P. Browne and E.B. Goodaleto to the students and repeated the same steps to analyze a picture from the book. Included in the lesson was a brain break video for the students to copy stretches and take a break from learning. The students definitely needed this brain break because our next activity was completing a timeline with important events from France history. The students were given sentence strips with important events and provided a poster board with a timeline and dates. Once the students each taped an event to the timeline and it was complete we then did a cause and effect chart specific to each event. To provide the students with a fun activity focused on France we decided to complete a role-playing activity. The students watched a video of a common greeting/conversation that the French experience on a daily basis. The role-playing activity was for the students to turn to a partner and try to speak the French language and attempt an interaction. We wrapped up the lesson with a play-doh activity where the students created the outline of France. The students had a laminated outline of France and they used play-doh to form the shape. 

                       The entire lesson went well and the students stayed engaged. The activity that went the best was the Primary analysis, the students enjoyed the game of hide and seek and it made them complete a thorough analysis. The primary source was a picture named Weary Refugees Pouring Into France. Miss. Karlie and I wrapped the activity up by asking them what questions they have about the source. The students generated questions such as "Where are they going?, when was this picture taken?, and how long were they walking for?" The students also enjoyed the play-doh activity and used their creativity when creating France. Throughout the lesson there were no weaknesses that I could recognize other than trying to fit all activities within the lessons time. I was hoping the students would have gotten a little more time with the role playing activity but they were looking forward to using the play-doh. SLO #1 was for all students to be able to compare and contrast the difference between primary and secondary sources. All students met the objective by placing at least one example on the T-chart. SLO #2 was for the students to analyze a primary source using the primary source analysis tool. All students exceeded the objective by giving input and asking multiple questions. Our third SLO was for students to create a timeline of France History. The students did a great job using the resources given to them by Miss. Karlie and I. If they knew of each historic event ahead of time I think they would have collaborated even more. SLO # 4 connects with the idea of having them create a chart of causes and effects specific to each event. The students equally had a hard time coming up with answers but they all engaged in this part of the lesson and exceeded our expectations. Lastly, the students were expected to compare and contrast different perspectives of France history by role-playing as a group. Miss. Karlie and I were unsure if our group of students would participate in this activity but they all put in great effort. If we had spent a little more time on this activity then the outcome might have been different. Overall, all learning objectives were met by each one of the students. 

                After this experience I can say that I have learned that incorporating hands-on activities is important. Not only is it important but it gives the students the opportunity to learn using manipulatives and engage with peers. During lesson planning I always seem to focus on the activities and if we will have enough time for each one. I've learned that it's very hard to be on time because you never know how the lesson is going to go. Included in my lesson plans are additional activities in case of extra time. I will continue to do this in each of my lesson plans because there will be days you have extra time and days where you don't have enough. Another important thing I have learned from this experience is that it is important to teach about primary and secondary sources and using the source analysis tool is an ideal tool to incorporate. 

                The lesson has impacted my professional identity in many ways. Giving me the experience of teaching history and its impact on the world now. The use of an agenda helps to keep the students going and aware of what's coming next. The incorporation of visuals and hands-on activities makes the lesson valuable. When planning in the future I will continue to add additional activities in case of extra time, incorporate lots of visuals, and create engaging lesson ideas. When teaching and assessing, I will continue to work on my time management and get to the activities that are most important. The history lesson went so well and Ive never worked with a more engaging group of students!

Book Read (Secondary Source):

The Bees of Notre Dame by Meghan P. Browne and E.B. Goodale

Primary Source:

Weary refugees pour into France. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2001696010/>.


Brain Break & Role Playing Video:


The Sid Shuffle - Ice Age: Continental Drift

French Greetings Song for Children - Bonjour!









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