Artifact Title: Pizza Lesson

Date: October 23 & 25 2014

Artifact Description:
This artifact contains the pizza lesson plan that I wrote up and taught for multiple
kindergarten classes at Mineral Point Elementary School. I wrote up and taught this
lesson while enrolled in Pre Student teaching at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
The purpose of the lesson is to reinforce the students knowledge of simple shapes and
to introduce semi-complex shapes. The lesson gives the students the freedom to
customize their pizza to make a visually complex personal masterpiece. The lesson is
designed to keep the students engaged for one 45 minute class period. Both
kindergarten classes had fifteen students each. I first taught the lesson on October 23,
2014. Then the cooperating teacher taught my lesson on October 24, 2014. Lastly, I
taught the same lesson on October 25, 2014.
Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment:
This experience best aligns with Standard 1 Content and Curriculum: The teacher
understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline he or
she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject
matter meaningful for students.
This artifact best aligns with standard one because I had to relate my disciplinary
knowledge of art to other subject areas such as geometry. Before I started writing the
lesson, my teacher gave me the general outline for what students are learning in the
other classrooms. During the month of October, the kindergarteners focus on shape
making and counting. So I tailored the lesson to include counting sides and the shapes
they were learning in math. While teaching my lesson, I appreciated multiple
perspectives and would customize the suggested toppings to reflect the student
learning objectives I had made for the lesson. I was very enthusiastic about teaching
this lesson because I could see the connections to everyday life. The students were
able to make connections to their own personal preferences in everyday life. Because
all the students made their own pizza, I engaged the students in generating knowledge
of the subject using methods of inquiry and standards of evidence apparent in previous
attempts of the students artwork.
I am more competent now in this standard because I better understood the central
concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline I teach and create learning
experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students through
creating and teaching my pizza lesson.

UW-Platteville Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Alignment:

This experience best aligns with KSD3.c: Engaging Students in Learning-The candidate
has the ability to engage students in the learning process by linking appropriate content,
based upon suitable instructional materials and resources, to students knowledge and
experience, being certain that all students are cognitively engaged in the
activities/assignments and that the students actively contribute to the content design.
Instruction is highly coherent and appropriately paced for all students and allows for
reflection and closure as appropriate.
The experience creating and teaching the pizza lesson plan best aligns with this KSD
because the lesson kept the students actively engaged the entire class period. I also
used suitable instructional materials such as a library book to capture the students
attention at the beginning of the lesson. The students also actively contributed to their
artwork molding it into their own unique pieces.
I am more competent after this experience because I demonstrated the ability to engage
students in the learning process. It allowed me to use all the resources on hand, and it
was designed to give the students the most creative room possible while still
maintaining the content objective. Because I taught the lesson more than once, I was
able to reflect and revise the lesson to go at a better pace.
Secondary KSDs:
KSD1.a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content
KSD1.e: Designing Coherent Instruction
What I learned about teaching/learning from this experience:
I learned from this teaching experience that meeting with the cooperating teacher to
discuss writing a lesson is crucial. I received many helpful hints about which students
may need extra help. I learned what other teachers in the grade level are teaching
during the same time period. I learned that having the consistent subject matter in all
the classrooms makes the lessons more meaningful for students. They are also more
willing to try to expand farther into the art project because the basis of the project is
familiar to them.
What I learned about myself as a prospective educator as a result of this
experience:
As a result of teaching this lesson my confidence in creating lessons relevant both in
context and curriculum has gone up dramatically. My lessons went so well that my
cooperating teacher asked my permission to implement my lesson into the upcoming

school years. I am more confident in time management of the class as well as creating
a lesson that the students will enjoy and find relevant.