Lesson Teaching Reflective Summary

Teacher Candidate for Science Endorsement: Alana Davis

Instructor: _____________________________________________________________
School: Mableton Elementary Grade: 5th
Lesson Topic: Introduction to CAD (Computer Aided Design) Lesson
Write a brief summary or blog of your experiences teaching this lesson,
addressing the following questions:

What went well? What did not go well? (Cite specific examples)

How well were the lessons student performance objectives

attained?

Did classroom activity center on science understanding, inquiry,

and sense-making by all students?

Did your scientific content knowledge enable you to support

students construction of knowledge and understanding of
important scientific concepts and processes?

When you have the opportunity to re-teach this lesson, what will
you do differently (strategies, teaching tools, assessments, etc.)
to improve student learning for all students?

For this lesson students were introduced to Computer Aided

Design (CAD) programs that aerospace engineers use to create and
design projects with. This is an important tool that students learned
that helped them complete activities as we made our way through our
STEM extension unit. The lesson started with a video hook that
explained what the CAD program is and why engineers use it. Then,
students worked with partners to complete the creation of a car using
the CAD program Creo 2.0 on desktops. What worked really well was
the manuals that were prepared ahead of time so students could just
go step-by-step in creating their car using CAD. The only aspect of the
lesson that did not get exactly right was that it took longer than
expected for students using the manual. Once class period was not
enough time for both partners to complete the design of the car.
The student performance objectives were attained as they
worked through using the CAD program to create cars. The main
objective of the lesson was to introduce students to the program and
have them try out designing and creating using the manuals. This
went very well, however, both partners did not get through the entire
process in one class.
The classroom activity centered on inquiry and hands-on
experience to develop knowledge about CAD and how aerospace
engineers use this type of program to design and create projects. All
students took part in the mini-lesson and hands-on portion of the
lesson in the computer lab.
I was able to use my knowledge and experience with the CAD
program to help students when they hit roadblocks. There are still
components of the program that I still do not feel comfortable using
and instructing students to use, but each time that I use the program
my confidence grows. I believe that with the hook video students were
able to make the connection between how aerospace engineers use
the program and why we are learning how to use a similar program to
create and design projects.
When I teach this lesson again in the future I will make sure to allow
more time for the second partner to complete their turn in the creation
and design of a car. Doing this will allow all students to maximize their
learning. I also think it will be beneficial to have the CAD program
projected onto the Smartboard so we can step-by-step through the
process in the beginning until students get the hang of it.