Reflection
There are a variety of strengths throughout our unit. Not only does our unit integrate literacy through the strong choice of the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but literacy is also seen throughout our unit in following directions for making crafts, recording data/questions and answers and in using technology via the internet to further our information on the subject at hand. We successfully integrated literacy through visual arts in social studies, science, creative writing, drama and mathematics. The activities we engaged the students in allowed them to learn in all of the content areas listed while having fun creating and exploring concepts themselves. Our unit plan is fun, positive and engaging. Students can learn while having fun.
As far as weaknesses for our unit lesson, time management will be essential. Lessons that require projects or other creative elements can oftentimes take more time than expected. We need to be sure that we monitor our time closely and make any adjustments needed to stay on track.
Differentiation in teaching methods and styles of teaching used was at the forefront of our minds. There are many tactile-kinesthetic projects such as building the scarecrow, making the tin-can man and creating a yellow-brick road floor in the classroom,. For visual learners, there was a Venn Diagram and a question sheet. Audio learners listened to a video on youtube.com as well as created their own lyric to the melody of a song. By involving students in a variety of different learning strategies, we believe that we will create a secure and cohesive classroom.
This unit is supportive of ELL students in that we can adapt any part of the lesson to their native language. Books can be found in other languages and songs translated into other languages. Once the directions are clear to the student, projects created can be labeled by that student in their native language. The ELL student could share with other students what the correct terminology is in their native language. All students can learn from each other.
The materials and activities we chose support multiple learning styles and higher order thinking skills due to their overall adaptability. Students can work at their own pace for many activities. For struggling learners, less detail or artwork can be required. For high-achieving students who finish early, more detail may be required and even a paragraph or two written about what they have learned. The fact that this unit is based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Baum promotes higher level thinking due to the infinite teaching/learning possibilities. We believe the integration we used promoted higher level thinking by encouraging the students to think and understand what they were learning through various content areas and how they all tie together at the end.
As far as weaknesses for our unit lesson, time management will be essential. Lessons that require projects or other creative elements can oftentimes take more time than expected. We need to be sure that we monitor our time closely and make any adjustments needed to stay on track.
Differentiation in teaching methods and styles of teaching used was at the forefront of our minds. There are many tactile-kinesthetic projects such as building the scarecrow, making the tin-can man and creating a yellow-brick road floor in the classroom,. For visual learners, there was a Venn Diagram and a question sheet. Audio learners listened to a video on youtube.com as well as created their own lyric to the melody of a song. By involving students in a variety of different learning strategies, we believe that we will create a secure and cohesive classroom.
This unit is supportive of ELL students in that we can adapt any part of the lesson to their native language. Books can be found in other languages and songs translated into other languages. Once the directions are clear to the student, projects created can be labeled by that student in their native language. The ELL student could share with other students what the correct terminology is in their native language. All students can learn from each other.
The materials and activities we chose support multiple learning styles and higher order thinking skills due to their overall adaptability. Students can work at their own pace for many activities. For struggling learners, less detail or artwork can be required. For high-achieving students who finish early, more detail may be required and even a paragraph or two written about what they have learned. The fact that this unit is based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Baum promotes higher level thinking due to the infinite teaching/learning possibilities. We believe the integration we used promoted higher level thinking by encouraging the students to think and understand what they were learning through various content areas and how they all tie together at the end.