The Seasons

Today in the field I observed Sam teach an awesome lesson on the four seasons. I am so jealous of Sam's public speaking skills and the way she presents her lessons to the class. She is very clear, enthusiastic, and speaks loudly and confidently. The students always respond well. She also is great with classroom management and I thought the class was on its best behavior today. Sam used an activity to demonstrate how the eart rotates around the sun and therefore creating the different seasons. She did this by using two students (two that were well behaved) and phsycially moved them, one rtepresenting the sun and the other the earth. This was a great way to involve kinesthetic and visual learning styles. I thought the second part of her lesson was very well thought out as well. She used a larged posterboard and velco pieces with words or images that can be assigned to the seasons. The students had to match them correctly to the right season and same used informal questioning to assess them throughout the lesson. She did an outstanding job adjusting the lesson for each group depending on ability and the lesson itself can be applied to vary levels as it is, which is very convenient. My favorite part of her lesson was the "grab bag box" with clothing and objects that have to do with the seasons and the students had to match them with the season. I also thought she did a great job with praise and positive reinforcement. I always feel like I learn so much from watching other people teach, both what to do and what not to do, and in Sam's lesson I observed almost entirely examples of what defines good teaching. I definitely need Sam to start coaching me in classroom management as well as my public speaking skills!