Small Group Lesson
When I taught my whole group lesson on figurative language and the literal and figurative meanings behind the words there were three students that were not in the classroom. These students had been pulled out of the class for instruction on a different topic and only returned during the independent practice portion. The purpose of the small group activity was to instruct the three students that were absent from the classroom during the whole group lesson. I taught the same poetry lesson to the small group that I did to the whole group. The small group lesson went much quicker and I didn’t need to explain as much as I did with the whole group, they seemed to catch on quicker.
I brought the students up to the front of the room (in front of the Smart board) and I explained the topic, figurative language in poetry. I used the PPT to go over the teaching point (this is what the cooperating teacher calls the objective) with them and then we talked about similes and metaphors and why they are figurative language. I introduced the poetry chart and explained that they were going to use that to organize their thinking. Then I read the one line (on the PPT) from the poem Willow and Gingko to them and we talked about how the author is using figurative language in the form of a simile. I modeled my thinking about the language and meanings and showed how the chart should be used. I read The Boy to them and I used the first sentence to show how the author used figurative language in the form of a metaphor. Together we talked about the literal meaning, figurative meaning, and why we thought the author chose those words. I then I had them sit down at their desks with copies of the poems I had passed out for independent practice and had them recreate the chart. The students then read the poems and began filling out their chart.
The students were attentive during the instruction time and asked questions when they were confused or needed something clarified. They were able to come up with reasons why the author chose those words.
I brought the students up to the front of the room (in front of the Smart board) and I explained the topic, figurative language in poetry. I used the PPT to go over the teaching point (this is what the cooperating teacher calls the objective) with them and then we talked about similes and metaphors and why they are figurative language. I introduced the poetry chart and explained that they were going to use that to organize their thinking. Then I read the one line (on the PPT) from the poem Willow and Gingko to them and we talked about how the author is using figurative language in the form of a simile. I modeled my thinking about the language and meanings and showed how the chart should be used. I read The Boy to them and I used the first sentence to show how the author used figurative language in the form of a metaphor. Together we talked about the literal meaning, figurative meaning, and why we thought the author chose those words. I then I had them sit down at their desks with copies of the poems I had passed out for independent practice and had them recreate the chart. The students then read the poems and began filling out their chart.
The students were attentive during the instruction time and asked questions when they were confused or needed something clarified. They were able to come up with reasons why the author chose those words.
Reflection
Students learned:
The students learned that authors sometimes use figurative language to provide a deeper meaning or a different meaning than what we expect. The students in the small group were able to find figurative language in the form of similes and metaphors in poems and determine the literal meaning, figurative meaning, and why the author chose those words. The students learned to think about the words and to make inferences to determine what the author is really trying to say. I saw these three students working hard to identify the language and asking themselves questions to determine the meaning. These students were able to fill out their charts more effectively than some of the others that were given whole group instruction. Two of these students called me over to show me what they had done and to make sure they were doing it correctly. They were very proud of themselves when I informed them that they “got it.”
Successful aspects:
These three students were able to complete their charts using half the time that the rest of the class used. They were already “behind” because they were absent for part of the class period and the other students were already working on completing their charts while we were just beginning the small group instruction. I think they were able to complete the activity in a shorter amount of time because of the almost one-on-one instruction they received. I think the small group atmosphere helped them to understand the activity better because of the fact that there were only 3 of them versus 25. We were able to get right to the point of the lesson and I didn’t have to fill in a lot of background on figurative language (similes and metaphors) because the students were already familiar from the beginning of the year. The students’ questions were answered quicker and they stayed focused during the instruction time.
Less successful aspects:
When conducting the small group lesson, I had them stand at the front of the room so I could use the Smart board/PPT to go over the lesson. The students were standing for about 10 minutes and they started to get “happy feet” (shuffling their feet, moving around a little, etc.). Next time if I need to use the Smart board for a small group lesson, I’ll let them bring their chairs. This way if they want to move their feet, their bodies won’t follow (hopefully).
Changes:
I wouldn't change much about the way I conducted the small group activity. The students were able to grasp the concept in less time than the whole class. I spent less time on “background” knowledge with the small group because they had already covered similes and metaphors earlier in the year. I would have liked to have had them practice more before going right into independent work but because of the time constraints we weren’t able to do that. If they were allowed to practice, I would’ve been able to immediately answer any questions that came up and to check for understanding better. However, during my instruction the students seemed to understand what they were supposed to do and how to do it. Also, after looking at their independent work, practice time didn’t seem to factor in their work.
I used the PPT slides to go over the lesson with the small group. This worked well for the small group, but caused an issue with some of the other students. I used the Smart board to display the independent practice question and when I changed the slides, some of the students took this to mean they could stop working. Next time I will write the question on the white board as well so if I need to change a slide, work won’t be interrupted.
The students learned that authors sometimes use figurative language to provide a deeper meaning or a different meaning than what we expect. The students in the small group were able to find figurative language in the form of similes and metaphors in poems and determine the literal meaning, figurative meaning, and why the author chose those words. The students learned to think about the words and to make inferences to determine what the author is really trying to say. I saw these three students working hard to identify the language and asking themselves questions to determine the meaning. These students were able to fill out their charts more effectively than some of the others that were given whole group instruction. Two of these students called me over to show me what they had done and to make sure they were doing it correctly. They were very proud of themselves when I informed them that they “got it.”
Successful aspects:
These three students were able to complete their charts using half the time that the rest of the class used. They were already “behind” because they were absent for part of the class period and the other students were already working on completing their charts while we were just beginning the small group instruction. I think they were able to complete the activity in a shorter amount of time because of the almost one-on-one instruction they received. I think the small group atmosphere helped them to understand the activity better because of the fact that there were only 3 of them versus 25. We were able to get right to the point of the lesson and I didn’t have to fill in a lot of background on figurative language (similes and metaphors) because the students were already familiar from the beginning of the year. The students’ questions were answered quicker and they stayed focused during the instruction time.
Less successful aspects:
When conducting the small group lesson, I had them stand at the front of the room so I could use the Smart board/PPT to go over the lesson. The students were standing for about 10 minutes and they started to get “happy feet” (shuffling their feet, moving around a little, etc.). Next time if I need to use the Smart board for a small group lesson, I’ll let them bring their chairs. This way if they want to move their feet, their bodies won’t follow (hopefully).
Changes:
I wouldn't change much about the way I conducted the small group activity. The students were able to grasp the concept in less time than the whole class. I spent less time on “background” knowledge with the small group because they had already covered similes and metaphors earlier in the year. I would have liked to have had them practice more before going right into independent work but because of the time constraints we weren’t able to do that. If they were allowed to practice, I would’ve been able to immediately answer any questions that came up and to check for understanding better. However, during my instruction the students seemed to understand what they were supposed to do and how to do it. Also, after looking at their independent work, practice time didn’t seem to factor in their work.
I used the PPT slides to go over the lesson with the small group. This worked well for the small group, but caused an issue with some of the other students. I used the Smart board to display the independent practice question and when I changed the slides, some of the students took this to mean they could stop working. Next time I will write the question on the white board as well so if I need to change a slide, work won’t be interrupted.