Title of Lesson: The letter U / weather

Name: Courtney Elders

Course/Section: ECE 306 001 Date: 11/14/2014
School/Grade: Alexandria Elementary/Pre-k
Date Lesson Taught: 11/03/2014
CTs Signature
Required Components
Alabama College and Career Ready (ACCR) Standards
LL.P.1.2. Listen attentively to stories or class discussions
Listen to book being read or classroom discussion and answer questions
accordingly. [LL.P.1.2.1]
LL.P.2.2. Recognize common sounds at the beginning of a series of words.
Identify two objects or words that begin with the same sound when requested.
[LL.P.2.2.1]
Specific Lesson Objectives (Audience, Behavior)
1.
2.
3.
4.

Students will listen and sing along with the book Uncle Ugbee
Students will write words beginning with the letter U.
Students will make umbrellas from provided materials.
Students will use iPads to learn about weather.

Student Friendly Objective (Today I will statement)

Today I will sing and read the book Uncle Ugbee, learn about weather using iPads,
write U words, and make an umbrella.
Assessment of Student Learning (Criteria for Success) (Must match specific
lesson objectives)
1. The teacher will listen for correct phonological use of the letter U.
2. The teacher will watch for correct letter formation of the letter U and words
beginning with the letter U.
3. The teacher will observe and give feedback to students as they create umbrellas
from provided materials.

Differentiation to Meet the Needs of All Students (Must include SpED, Gifted, and

ELL)
Special Education: The teacher will work with special needs students individually and
provide step by instruction.
Gifted: Gifted students will be allowed to work more independently without aid from the
teacher. Extra work will be provided to keep them busy as they finish until it is time to
change centers.
English Language Learners: The teacher will point to words as they are read/sang in
the book Uncle Ugbee. Pictures will be provided along with written words at the
writing center.
TWIRL/V:
Talk: Students will talk by answering the teachers questions.
Write: Students will write their names and words that begin with the letter U.
Investigate: Students will explore different weather environments using the app MP
weather. Students will discover new words beginning with the letter U. Students will
investigate different colors of paint on their umbrella craft.
Read: Students will read along with the book Uncle Ugbee. Students will read words
beginning with the letter U.
Listen: Students will listen to the song Uncle Ugbee.
View: Students will view the pictures in the book Uncle Ugbee. Students will view
words beginning with the letter U. Students will view an umbrella craft.
Technology
The teacher will allow the students to use the app MP weather at the iPad center. The
students will use the app to learn about different types of weather and what clothing /
items are appropriate for different temperatures and weather conditions.

Motivation/Schema/Prior Knowledge/Background Building

Motivation:
1. The concept that every word starts with a letter.
2. The concept that weather exists.
Prior Knowledge:
1. Certain words start with corresponding letters.

2. There are all different types of weather including sun, rain, clouds, wind, and
snow.

Step by Step Lesson Outline

Small group YES

Whole Group YES

Before

1. The teacher will instruct the students to find a place on the rug for circle. The
teacher will motivate and orient the students to the lesson by saying, Hello
Friends! Can anyone tell me what the magic letter is this week? Students should
respond with the letter U. The teacher will say Thats right! and show the
students a picture of the letter U.
2. The teacher will then state the student friendly objective: Today we are going to
read and sing along to our new book Uncle Ugbee.

During
3. The teacher will have someone assist her in turning on the music then she
will sing the book Uncle Ugbee to the class and encourage them to sing
along as she points to the words. The book will be repeated three times.
When the book is over the teacher will say, Very good boys and girls! We will
read that book again tomorrow.
4. The teacher will then move the class to the subject of weather by saying, We
already said that this weeks magic letter is U, now can you tell me what our
theme is this week? The students should respond with weather. The teacher
will say, Thats right weather! Lets look at our calendar and find out what the
different types of weather are. At this point the teacher will point to the
pictures of various weather conditions on the calendar and the students
should respond by saying words such as: sunny, rainy, cloudy, windy, and
snowy. The teacher will focus for a few moments on rain. The teacher will
say, What are some things we might use when it is raining? The students
should reply with words such as rain coat, boots, umbrella, etc. The teacher
will stop on the word umbrella and say, Yes we do use umbrellas in the rain.
Can anyone tell me what letter umbrella starts with? The students should
reply with U. The teacher will say Yes thats right Kiss your brain! The
students should perform the action and await instruction. The teacher will
then say, Okay it is time to move to our centers. The teacher will check the
board to see which students are to go to which center first, then send each
student, by name, one at a time to a specific table.

5. The students should find a seat at their assigned center. Once the students
are seated the teacher will go to each center and state the student friendly
objectives either being: Today you will write words that start with the letter U.
Today you will make an umbrella using paper plates, popsicle sticks, paint,
and the letter U., or Today you will learn about weather using an app on the
iPads. The teacher will then join the students at the arts and crafts center to
assist them in making the umbrellas.
6. The teacher will provide specific instructions such as, first take your plate
and flip it over, then write your name on the back. Students will write their
names. Students who cannot write their names on their own will be given
extra help. The teacher will then say, Okay if your name is on your plate you
can get your glue and glue your popsicle stick to the back. Once the
students have completed this step the teacher will say, Now you are ready to
attach your rain drops. The teacher will then aid the students in attaching
rain drops to their umbrellas using glue, precut pieces of string, and cardstock
rain drops. The teacher will ask the students to count the number of raindrops
they have received which will equal to four per student. Once the previous
step is completed the teacher will say, Now if you have all your raindrops
glued you may flip your umbrellas over. The students will flip the umbrellas
over so that the craft is front facing. Each student will be shown a card stock
cut out of the letter U and asked to tell the teacher what letter it is and what
sound it makes. After the student has answered correctly he/she will be
allowed to glue their letter U on the bottom of their popsicle stick forming a
handle for their umbrella. Once every child has a handle for their umbrella the
teacher will say, Okay boys and girls now we are ready to paint with our
cloud brushes. Each child will then receive a cotton ball held by a clothes pin
to paint with. The students will be allowed to paint their umbrella however
they chose using four provided colors. Once each student had painted their
umbrella they will be asked one at a time to take their craft to the drying rack.
The teacher will then announce to the students, It is time to change centers.
Please stop what you are doing and find your correct table.
7. While the teacher continues to assist students with the art activity aids will be
at the other centers either assistance in the writing of words that begin with
the letter U or offering guidance at the iPad center. At the Writing center
students will be shown three words with corresponding pictures that all start
with the letter U. In this case the words will be up, upset, and umbrella.
The examples will be made prior to the lesson and will be set up at the center
for the students to view. The aid will have the students write the words and
draw a picture of each word. Students who struggle with writing will be given
extra attention and be given the option to trace the aids hand writing if
necessary. The aid should assure that each student is writing each letter
correctly, staying within the lines on their paper, and doing their best work. At
the iPad center another aid will be close by to interact with the students, show

them how to use the app properly, and assure that each student is staying on
task.

After
8. After every student has completed their work at each station they will be
asked to find a spot on the carpet.
9. The teacher will join them in the circle then say, Alright boys and girls it is
time to line up to go outside, but first I want everyone to tell me something
they learned today. The teacher will call the students up one at a time and
ask them what they learned today. The students answers will vary, but
should reflect on the lesson. Once every student has spoken with the teacher
and has been allowed to line up the lesson will come to a close and the
students will move on to recess.

Materials/Preparation

iPad set up to record art activity

The sing and read book Uncle Ugbee by Frog Street Press
Calendar with weather magnets attached
Large scale broken midline paper with three U words written prior to lesson
Materials for umbrella craft (6 paper plates cut into halves, 12 popsicle sticks, 12
clothes pins, 20-30 cotton balls, 48 3 to 5 inch pieces of yarn, 48 cardstock rain
drops, 12 cardstock Us, crayons, paint, and glue)
4 iPads equipped with the app MP weather

Self-Evaluation (5 part reflection) Reflect on the following elements. A paragraph (at

least five sentences) is required for EACH element. Vague or nonspecific statements
such as the kids liked it, or it went well are not acceptable.
Paragraph 1. I taught this lesson with the Pre-K students in my practicum class. I felt
the lesson was a success because I planned well and had all my materials ready. The
students were engaged in my activities and listened well the majority of the time. As I
was instructing the students today I felt confident in my abilities as a future teacher and
wasnt nearly as nervous as I thought I would be. I greatly enjoyed watching the
students bring my ideas to life.
Paragraph 2. I found that I may have been over ambitious in my art activity. The
activity ended up taking longer than I had planned. The glue did not have enough time
to dry and several of the rain drops fell off throughout the activity. I was able to remedy
this situation with the next group by using tape instead of glue to attach the rain drops,
but the activity was still a little too long. If I do this activity again in the future I may

consider cutting out the rain drops all together, or breaking the activity up into two
separate centers.
Paragraph 3. There were four objectives in this lesson. The first objective was met
because I was able to view the students reading and singing along with the book Uncle
Ugbee. I know the second was met because after the lesson I reviewed the students
workbooks and saw where they had written their three U words and drawn their picture.
The third objective was to make the umbrella craft which I personally assisted each
student in making. The last objective was met when the students used the app MP
weather to learn about different weather conditions. I was able to observe this for a
moment as well toward the end of the lesson. Every student met each objective
required and there was no need to reteach.
Paragraph 4. Planning the lesson ahead of time definitely contributed to my overall
success. I wanted to focus mainly on the letter U since learning letters is such a huge
part of early education. However I also wanted to incorporate the weeks theme of
weather. It took a lot of planning and preparation to decide on what exactly I was going
to do. It also took me awhile to make all the pieces for the umbrella craft. This was not
something I could have put together in a single day. I also counted out everything I
needed for my art activity and placed them in individual sandwich bags which helped
the craft move along smoothly and more time efficiently.
Paragraph 5. My next steps for growth as a teacher will be to work on adapting more
teaching strategies. I would like to incorporate more whole brain teaching. I want to
grow in my classroom management skills as well. I am not where I would like to be as a
future teacher when it comes to managing rowdy students. However I feel once I have
my own classroom things will change. I would also like to incorporate a movement
activity in future lessons.
Digital Artifacts of Planning, Teaching, Student Work (Do not include actual
samples---digital artifacts are required)

http://youtu.be/oXbjk34w1KQ