POWERFUL SOCIAL STUDIES LESSON PLAN OUTLINE

JMU Elementary Education Program: ELED 434 ALL SECTIONS

Abbey Blouch
Bev Smith, Stuarts Draft Elementary School
Second Grade
October 26, 2016, 10:30-11:15 am
Submitted to Cooperating Teacher: October 19, 2016
Initial and Date: BRS 10/19/2016

A. TITLE OF LESSON: The Stuarts Draft Paintbrush/Introduction to American Indians

B. CONTEXT OF LESSON
As a pre-assessment, I am going to make a chart on the board and have the students share with me some ideas and key words that they already
know about American Indians, prior to the read aloud. This is an appropriate activity for the children because it allows them to engage and
share their own personal thoughts and ideas. This lesson fits into the curriculum sequence because this will be the very first lesson that the
students will have on this unit, American Indians. As an early lesson in the curriculum sequence, this activity will introduce students to the
concept and importance of culture. This lesson is appropriate when working with you children because it is hands-on and creative, giving the
children a chance to explore the subject using their own forms of expression. This lesson aligns with the constructivist theories of Lev
Vygotsky, the children build their own knowledge by actively thinking about and illustrating what is most important to them in their lives, or in
other words their culture.
C. RATIONALE
In this lesson, I will be introducing the broad topic of American Indians to the students. I will do this by having the students describe what they
know about their own culture and values to what they learn about American Indian culture, particularly as seen in the book Legend of the Indian
Paintbrush by Tomie dePaola and through an introductory BrainPop video. This lesson contributes to the students development of citizenship because
the intention of it is to lead to an appreciation and understanding of other cultures. I hope that by having them investigate and share aspects of life that
are most important to them, they will gain empathy for other cultures. This will allow them to see how our culture makes us who we are and helps to
create a diverse world around us. The vests that the students will create that illustrate some of the more important aspects of their lives will hopefully be
hung up in the classroom so that the students can see the diverse cultures that make up the classroom.

This lesson could be meaningful to students because it helps them make connections from the content to themselves and what they consider
important in their lives. The content is valuable because it allows the students to examine their own values and beliefs so that they can better relate and
empathize with others, especially in this scenario the American Indians. In a larger context, this will help students to broaden and diversify their sense
of community. This lesson provides great opportunities for inquiry; the students will be able to question why and what is important to others around
them, and also compare and contrast their own beliefs to others.
D. RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING (and related NATIONAL STANDARDS)
History 2.2: The student will compare the lives and contributions of three American Indian cultures of the past and present, with emphasis on
the Powhatan of the Eastern Woodlands, the Lakota of the Plains, and the Pueblo peoples of the Southwest.
D2.Civ.10.K-2. Compare their own point of view with others perspectives.
E. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand what are the broad
generalizations the students should
begin to develop? (These can be
difficult to assess in one lesson.)
1. Students will understand that
culture (i.e. the beliefs,
customs and way of life of a
group of people) is an
important part of who people
are.
(D2.Civ.10.K-2.)

Know what are the facts, rules,

specific data the students will gain
through this lesson? (These knows
must be assessed in your lesson.)
2. Students will know the terms
culture and environment in the
context of the American Indians.
(History 2.2)

Do what are the specific thinking

behaviors students will be able to do
or practice as a result of this lesson?
(These will also be assessed in your
lesson.)
3. Students will create an American
Indian vest decorated with symbols
representing the students own
cultures and environments. By doing
this, they will be comparing their own
perspectives to those of the American
Indians and their classmates.
(D2.Civ.10.K-2. And History 2.2)

F. ASSESSING LEARNING:

What will your students do or say, specifically, that indicate every student has achieved your objectives? Rememberevery
objective must be assessed for every student!
Task

Diagnostic Features

Support

1. Students will engage in whole-class

discussion related to the ways in which
culture can be defined.

I will look to evoke responses from the

students relating the concept of culture such
as friends, family, tradition, values, beliefs,
etc.
Will determine students overall
understanding of topic based on language
used in whole-class discussion and cultural
illustrations shown on individual vests

2. Through a discussion, students and teacher

will create a chart-Part 1, What We Know,
will occur prior to the lesson beginning, and
Part 2, What We Learned, will occur after
the Read-Aloud and BrainPop Video.

Looking for specific language related to the

American Indians, in particular culture and
environment. Language will include key
terms from the book and video including
crops, ancestor, adobe, Pueblo, tribe, tradition,
etc.

Adaption: Individual discussions with

students about what is important to them. If
vocabulary related to culture is too complex, I
will change the language I use. I can adapt
this to have them have a conversation with me
individually instead of a whole-class
discussion

I will support students who may be struggling

with the new terms by providing them with
additional books (of a variety of different
levels) that they can look at to learn about
these terms. I will have a small variety of
picture/chapter books

Students will be assessed on the vocabulary

they include related to the American Indians
3. Students will Students will create an
American Indian vest decorated with
symbols representing the students own
cultures and environments. Students will
compare the culture described in the book and
movie to what they see in their own lives.

I will look for illustrations related to a

childs own concept of culture
I will assess based on inclusion of the
following categories on their vests:
family/friends, school/home, hobbies, and
tradition

I will offer students a rough draft of the vest

that will list different ideas of what they can
include on their vest. That way, instead of
looking at culture as a whole, they can have a
more guided way of analyzing the assignment

As they finish, I will have students

individually describe to me how their culture
is similar/different to that of the Pueblo
Indians.
Name:

Understand:
Students will engage in whole-class
discussion related to the ways in
which culture can be defined.

Know:
Through a discussion, students and
teacher will create a chart-Part 1,
What We Know, will occur prior to
the lesson beginning, and Part 2,
What We Learned, will occur after
the Read-Aloud and BrainPop video.

Do:
Students will create an American
Indian vest decorated with symbols
representing the students own
cultures and environments.

Alyssa

YES

YES

Ethan I

YES

YES

Madison

YES

YES

Rose

YES

YES

Destiny

NO

YES

Alina

YES

YES

Landon

YES

YES

School: SDES
Family: YES
Friends: Alyssa & Fiona
Hobbies: Riding bikes
Home: YES
Food: plate on a table
School: Cougar paw print
Family: Me, my two sisters, dad
Friends: Pokemon go with friends
Hobbies: Pokemon go, minecraft
Home: YES
Food: Ice cream
School: SDES
Family: YES
Friends: Three girls playing
Hobbies: Dancing (ballet slippers)
Home: YES
Food: Cookie
School: SDES and Cougar paw print
Family: YES
Friends: Friends playing hide and go
seek
Hobbies: Drawing
Home: YES
Food: Mac and Cheese with ham
School: Cougar cash
Family: dogs, 4 cousins, Mama,
Garell, Nana
Friends: YES
Hobbies: Drawing
Home: YES
Food: crunchy tacos
School: Cougar cash
Family: Fiona, Rachel, Kevin, me
Friends: Allie and Alina
Hobbies: Math
Home: YES
Food: pizza
School: Cougar paw print
Family: Mom, Dad, Landon, dog
Friends: Landon and Ethan playing

Kayden

NO

YES

Seth

NO

YES

Olivia

YES

YES

Ethan W

YES

YES

Riley

YES

YES

Emma

YES

YES

Hobbies: Pokemon
Home: YES
Food: pizza
School: Cougar paw print
Family: Mom, Dad, Kayden
Friends: Three friends playing
Hobbies: running around
Home: YES
Food: Pizza
School: Drew a classroom
Family: Mom, Dad, Seth
Friends: Seth and Kayden
Hobbies: Playing pokemon
Home: YES
Food: Ice cream
School: SDES
Family: Natasha, Sammy, Olivia,
Sissy, Mommy
Friends: YES
Hobbies: Spending time outside
Home: YES
Food: Macaroni and cheese
School: SDES
Family: Family and bird
Friends: little rbother
Hobbies: football, pokemon
Home: YES
Food: Macaroni and cheese
School: SDES
Family: Brother, sister, Mom, Dad,
dog
Friends: Two friends playing a board
game
Hobbies: Soccer
Home: YES
Food: Pie
School: SDES
Family: YES
Friends: Two girls jumping rope
Hobbies: Cheerleading
Home: YES

Serenity

YES

YES

Kody

YES

YES

Noranda

YES

YEs

Kayla

YES

YES

Jaelyn

YES

YES

Jonathan

ABSENT

Food: pizza
School: Cougars rock!
Family: Sissy, Mom, baby, me
Friends: her, Ms. Blouch
Hobbies: basketball
Home: YES
Food: pizza
School: Cougar paw print
Family: Family, cat
Friends: two kids kicking a ball
Hobbies: playing
Home: YES
Food: pizza
School: SDES
Family: Me, sis, mom, dad
Friends: two girls watching a movie
Hobbies: swimming
Home: YES
Food: macaroni and cheese
School: Cougar paw print
Family: family and dog
Friends: friends holding hands
Hobbies: sleeping
Home: YES
Food: apples
School: SDES
Family: YES
Friends: watching movies with
friends
Hobbies: playing outside
Home: YES
Food: macaroni and cheese

G. MATERIALS NEEDED
List all books, materials, and other resources that will be needed to teach this lesson.
Who will be responsible for securing each item?
Provide bibliographic references for all trade books and, if applicable, textbooks used in your lesson. Use APA style for this list when
appropriate.
The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by Tomie dePaola-me

dePaola, T. (1996) The legend of the Indian paintbrush. New York, NY: Penguin Young Readers Group.
BrainPop Jr. video: Pueblo-classroom computer
BrainPop Jr (Producer). (2016, October 10). Pueblo [Video File]. Retrieved from http://aus.libguides.com/apa/apa-video-online.
Pencils-students
Markers/Crayons-students
Drawing Paper-me
White Board-classroom
Dry Erase Markers-classroom
Scissors-classroom
Post-its-me
Document camera-classroom
SMARTboard-classroom
Youtube video of American Indian flute music-classroom computer, pre-selected by me
[Roses of Time]. (2016, October 10). Carlos Nakai: Earth spirit [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19nm5_nAwQg.

H. PROCEDURE
Activity Element
& Time (in
minutes)

Procedures and management

Step-by step procedures
including questions and main
points visualize what you are
going to say to the students. It
might be helpful to script out
what you are going to say,
although during the lesson you
do not need to use this language
verbatim.

Students
Describe what the students will
be doing as a result of your
instructions

Academic, physical,
social & linguistic
differentiation,
resources, and
support
How will you support ALL
students by
differentiating aspects of
your lesson based on
readiness and interest,
and according to
content, process, and
product? It isnt always
necessary to include
differentiation in
logistical aspects of the
lesson such as
transitions.

Introduction
(5 minutes)

I will walk around as

the students are

Were going to start a new

unit today on the American

Students will begin by

sitting at their desks. I will

Indians. You may have heard

the term American Indians
before, or even the term
Native Americans. The
American Indians played a
really big role in the history of
the United States. Also, did
you know that there are still
American Indian tribes around
the country that do important
things for the world? Some of
you may have heard about
American Indians before, but
this is the first time that weve
learned about them in second
grade. So, before we even
start, I want to hear about
some of the things you guys
already know about American
Indians. Who can raise their
hand and tell me something
you know about American
Indians? This could be a fact,
a person in history you have
heard of, or really anything.
As the students share
some of the things they
already know about American
Indians, I will write on the left
side of the board some of the
key words that I hear. This is
more of a pre-assessment
than anything, so I am not
looking for any key words.
However, if any of them
mention anything related to
culture, I will circle the word
and emphasize that culture is
our topic of the day.

start by having them share

thoughts briefly with a
partner, and then they will all
focus on me/the board for a
short whole class discussion

discussing with a
partner and, based on
what I hear, prompt
students with some
related concepts that
they already know. I
will ask the students
who already have
background knowledge
more in-depth
questions, such as why
and how. I will also do
this during our wholeclass discussion

Transition
(5 minutes)

Okay friends, were going

to start off today by reading a
really great story about a boy
named Little Gopher who is an
American Indian by an author
named Tomie dePaola. Could I
have everyone join me quietly
on the carpet for a readaloud?

Students will get up from

desks and gather on the
carpet

Event 1
(15 minutes)

Before read-aloud: Show

cover. Ask: Lets look at the
title. What do we think the
boy may be doing in the
story?
Questions to ask during read
aloud:

First line is many years

ago. Does this story take
place in the past or the
present?

When the people come out

of a cloud and talk to him in a
dream vision: Can people
actually come out of clouds?
Does that make this story real
or not real? So-fiction. This
book is fantasy (a legend,
really) and also historical.
There are some things that
could actually happen, but we
know some parts like this
probably arent real.

Great dreams and great

visions painted-these are
important to the people

He wants to share his

story, and the story of the
people in his village

Students will be listening

to read aloud. At appropriate
times, they will raise their
hands to answer related read
aloud questions/check for
listening and understanding

I will read at a steady

pace and use an
appropriate tone of
voice while reading so
that all students can
better hear and
understand the story. I
will ask for questions
from students to clarify
OR further investigate
information from the
story

Transition 2
(5 minutes)

Event 3
(10 minutes)

After book: He painted

what was most important to
the people in the most
beautiful colors. Were going
to get to do this ourselves a
little bit later on!
Before we move on to our
activity for the day, were
going to learn a little bit more
about American Indians.
American Indians live in
tribes. Can anyone give me a
guess as to what tribe
means? A tribe is kind of like
friends and families all living
together in one place, or a
community. They have the
same sort of houses and do
the same sorts of activities.
There are a bunch of different
tribes, but were going to start
with just one-the Pueblo. I
want you all to quietly go
back to your seats and were
going to watch a BrainPop
video on the Pueblo Indians!
I will give each student a
post-it note. On the post-it, I
will have them write down
words they do not know or
concepts they find interesting.
Play BrainPop Jr Video
(stop at 3:12)
That video helped us learn
a few new facts about the
Pueblo people.
Think of some ideas in
your head about what you
may have just learned. Then,
turn to your neighbor and

Students will return to

seats.

During the video and for a

few minutes after, students
will have time to really think
about some new things that
they learned. They will write
these new words down that
they do not know, or concepts
they may find interesting.
Think-Pair-Share; they will

During the postBrainpop discussion, I

will try to call on a
variety of students. For
the students who may
be having a harder
time answering, I will
give them clues, such

take turns sharing some new

facts.
I will give them 2 minutes
to do this and I will walk
around and listen to some
answers.
Alright, now I want some
friends to share something
that they learned from the
video or from their friend with
me.
I will call on students (or
pull popsicle sticks); as they
are speaking, I will write key
words from what they say on
the board
Some words to look for/key
concepts: Pueblo, location
(southwest USA), language,
adobe/clay buildings, clans,
mesas, villages, communities,
grow crops, irrigation, pottery,
weaving, jewelry making,
dance, ancestor
After gathering answers
from a variety of students, I
will give them a chance to
look at both columns on the
board.
As they are looking at the
words, I will circle the words
that could relate to culture,
such as adobe buildings,
clans, communities, dancing,
pottery and more.
These words are all
important, but some of these
words have something in
common that were going to
focus on today. The words I

think about some new facts

that they learned, share ideas
with their neighbor, and
then
In a whole-class
discussion, they will verbally
share new things that they
learned

as, what crops or

vegetables did you see
them grow? Did you
see broccoli? Or
CORN?
For the more advanced
students, I will ask
them to explore their
answers more. For
example, if someone
tells me the Pueblo
people used irrigation,
I will ask, what do you
think irrigation means
based on what they
told us? Or, why do
you think they did
this? And have them
describe and support
their answers

Transition
(5 minutes)

have circled (I will then read

the circled words aloud) all
have to do with culture.
Who can tell me what they
think culture means?
Culture are the things that
are important to people and
that people have in common.
Lets think about Little Gopher
from the book we read earlier.
He painted pictures of his
family, the people in his
village and some of his
dreams. In the video, culture
included things such as the
community and clans,
families, pottery, dance and
more.
What we are going to do
today is create an American
Indian vest and decorate it
with our own culture, or some
of the things that are most
important to us. We dont
have a buckskin like Little
Gopher did to paint on, but we
do have really pretty colors
we can use with our markers
or crayons.
In just a minute, Im going
to have my helpers hand out
a piece of paper that looks
like this. This is kind of like
your rough draft, or practice.
I will hold up the paper.
On this paper youll see 6
boxes. These boxes say
school, home, family, friends,
hobbies, and traditions. In
each box, youre going to

Students will get out a

pencil and markers/crayons.
Helpers will assist me in
handing out papers.

I will ask for questions,

and clarify/repeat any
points that are muddy.
I will simplify
instructions and have
them up on the
document camera on a
piece of paper.

Event 4
(20 minutes)

draw a symbol, or a picture to

show what these are to you.
For example: I go to JMU, so I
would maybe draw JMU or a
Duke Dog (our school
mascot). It doesnt have to be
really detailed or really big; a
symbol is something we use
to represent something else. I
want you all to think for a
minute and draw some things
that are important to you.
When youre done, I want you
to raise your hand and I will
come around with a piece of
drawing paper so that you can
start to draw your vest with
some of the things that are
most important to you!
While the helpers pass the
papers out, can everyone
please get out their crayons
and a pencil?
Students will begin to work
on their rough draft.
As they begin working, Im
going to tell them that Im
going to play some American
Indian music. Ill say that
music is really important to
some American Indians,
especially this kind, which is a
flute playing.
The music will softly play
in background.
As the students are
working I am going to walk
around and talk to students
about what they are doing.
As they raise their hands, I

Students will work on

drawing pictures of things
that make up their culture.
They can quietly share
ideas with other students at
their table.
They will be
comparing/contrasting what
they are drawing to what
Little Gopher drew, and what
they saw in the BrainPop
video that consisted of
culture.
This time will be less
structured and more creativethe students will have an
opportunity to express

As I walk around, I am
going to talk to
students about what
they are drawing and
why they are drawing
it.
If a student is
struggling with the
idea of culture or
what they may be
doing, I will have a
discussion with them
to help figure out what
they should include.
For some, this
assignment may be

will go get a piece of paper

and bring it over to them. I
will have an individual
conversation with each of
them before I give them their
drawing paper about what
they are doing.
Conclusion

I.

As students finish, I will

instruct them to place their
papers in two piles-one with
the rough drafts and one with
the final
I will let them know that
we will (hopefully) hang these
up in the classroom so that
we can see what culture
means to everyone in the
class
If students finish early, I
will have several books laid
out on the carpet relating to
American Indians for them to
look at.
Around 11:10 I will have
the students start to put away
their supplies if theyre still
working; I will tell them that
they can finish working on
them during free time if they
would like
I will tell the students that
are reading to put the books
away and then return to their
seats
Then, the students will
begin to get ready for lunch.

DIFFERENTIATION:

themselves

fairly easy-I will give

them more ideas of
what culture can
entail and allow them
to expand upon that in
their illustrations

Students will be finishing

up their work. If they finish
and have time left over, they
will go find a spot to sit on the
carpet and choose one of
several books to look at on
their own or with a friend to
get a more in-depth look at
American Indians.

Some students may

not finish the vest; I
will discuss with the
teacher whether she
will allow them to
finish later during the
day. If not, I will tell
students that they can
finish them at home if
they wish, but not for a
grade. This way,
students who work
slowly/carefully do not
have to feel rushed.

In my practicum classroom this semester, I do not have any English language learners. However, there are there are students of
different cultures, and all of the students have varying academic strengths. As a result, I hope to have some levels of differentiation in my
lesson to accommodate for all students. The lesson as a whole is focused on embracing each individuals unique culture; the students have a
chance to consider the beliefs and values that they see in their own lives, and then they also will have the chance to see the culture of others.
This will allow everyone to share their own special story and also promote acceptance, thus successfully providing varying levels of
differentiation for the students. I have one student who is hearing impaired. To support her learning, I will wear a microphone and enunciate my
words. I will also make sure directions are listed under the document camera so that she can clearly see them.
This is an introductory lesson to American Indians, so there is a chance that some students may not have a lot of prior knowledge on
the topic. For those students who may have a harder time taking in the information, I hope to provide additional one-on-one support in the form
of a discussion. I hope to prompt them with ideas if they may need help and scaffold knowledge, providing more information and help when
necessary. I also am going to speak steadily and repeat myself when necessary, and clarify words and ideas to students if they are muddy. Some
students may have a much easier time with this assignment; I will challenge them by having them delve deep into what culture means and
consider it in a larger context. I also will have a variety of books for students to explore once they finish so that they can have more of a
challenge.
ELL Differentiation: If I were to do this lesson with ELL students, I would label some of the key vocabulary words that may be new to other students as well in
both English and Spanish (or any other language). They could potentially already know these vocabulary words in Spanish, so it could further their
understanding in both languages. I will make sure to have a multi-language dictionary present so they can double check what they know. I also will make sure
we talk about all sorts of cultures so that students know that they are welcome in the classroom.
J. WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT?
One problem that could arise is that the events take a shorter/longer time than I originally planned. I have given ample time for the
main activity, and am allowing the students to finish later if need be. By leaving ample time for the activity, I am also giving myself some

spare time for the other events. If I need to, I can spend longer on, say, the read aloud, and still have time to do a good portion of the main
activity. If the lesson ends more quickly than I anticipated, I will have books that the students can read together/alone.
Another problem could be that the students get antsy during the read aloud. I plan to ask questions throughout the read aloud and also
use an enthusiastic and appropriate tone of voice to keep the students engaged.
The BrainPop video I am playing is about a specific American Indian tribe; this is the first lesson that the students will have on the
topic, so it could potentially be an overwhelming amount of information for some students. I am going to spend some time going over some of
the major vocabulary words that the students came up with, and emphasize that the students will learn a lot more about the Pueblo and other
tribes in the coming weeks.
I want my students to have the opportunity to talk to one another as they work on their vests. However, sometimes they can be easily
distracted when talking to others. I am going to play some calming music (its American Indian flute music, so it is also relevant to culture)
while the students work to hopefully calm them, and I will also walk around and engage in dialog about the work that they are doing to keep
them focused.

Lesson Implementation Reflection

As soon as possible after teaching your lesson, think about the experience. Use the questions/prompts below to guide your thinking. Be thorough in your
reflection and use specific examples to support your insights.
I. How did your actual teaching of the lesson differ from your plans? Describe the changes and explain why you made them.
For the beginning part of my lesson, my teaching accurately mimicked what I had planned in my lesson plan. I gave the children the chance to talk
to me about their prior knowledge of American Indians, and also made sure to stop at specific places during the read-aloud. I also allowed the
students to think-pair-share their ideas about the BrainPop video before I picked names from popsicle sticks to have students share answers. I
placed the worksheet under the document camera and pointed out words as I went through the instructions with students so that all students could
fully comprehend what to do. One place where my teaching did differ from my lesson occurred during the main activity. After students finished
their sloppy copy, I allowed them to spread out to a comfortable place in the room to work. I had originally planned for them to stay at their seats,
but since the posters were large and this was a creative project, I allowed them to find more space. I also allowed them to talk to their neighbors
while they worked, if they did so quietly and stayed on task. While some students did initiate side conversations, and there was one minor argument
in which two boys fought over the same spot to work in, they for the most part remained quiet and on task.
II. Based on the assessment you created, what can you conclude about your impact on student learning? Did they learn? Who learned? What did they
learn? What evidence can you offer that your conclusions are valid?
This lesson served as an introduction to their unit on American Indians; as such, I formed the lesson with the intent to have students understand the
term culture the role it plays in their own lives, so that they can better understand the role that culture plays in the lives of American Indians.
III. Describe at least one way you could incorporate developmentally appropriate practice in a better or more thorough way if you were to teach this
lesson again.
If I were to teach this lesson again, I would try to divide the lesson into two days. I provided the students with a lot of information during the lesson
through the form of a read aloud, a KWL chart, BrainPop video and discussion. Though I believe that the variety of learning options helped the
students gain a general overview and introduction of culture as it relates to American Indians, I think that the objectives could have been better
cemented in their minds if they had more time to explore the different sections. Another way I would change my approach to this lesson would be
to make sure to spend thorough time wrapping up the lesson through a conclusion discussion. I spent time talking to the students individually after
the lesson and made sure to talk about the learned section of the KWL chart before moving on to the main activity. In general, I think that the
students established a fairly firm grasp on what culture was. However, I think there was a bit of a disconnect between what they learned about the
American Indians and the activity that they were doing about their own identity. They recognized what the term culture meant, but I am not sure
that they recognized that they were describing their own culture by drawing what was important to them.
IV. Based on the assessment data you collected, what would you do/teach next if you were the classroom teacher?
This lesson was an introduction to American Indians, but the video that I showed specifically demonstrated an overview of the Pueblo people. If I
were the teacher, I would next move on to a specific aspect of Pueblo life, such as their homes, occupations, or forms of transportation. I began the
unit with a general topic, and then move on to specific essential knowledge.
V. As a result of planning and teaching this lesson, what have you learned or had reinforced about young children as learners?
Children really like to do hands-on, interactive activities. While I was leading the whole group discussion with the KWL chart, the student were not as
focused and became easily distracted. However, when we moved on to the main activity, drawing the American Indian vests, I played soft flute music

and allowed the students to move about the classroom. In this circumstance, the children were able to move around and get into a comfortable position,
and also were able to use their own creativity to decorate their vests. I also learned that students become more invested in a lesson when they see how it
relates to them personally. By having them create their vests, I gave them a role in the lesson, making it personal and student-centered.
VI. As a result of planning and teaching this lesson, what have you learned or had reinforced about teaching?
As a result of this planning and teaching this lesson, I have learned the importance of time management in presenting lessons. I had several tasks that I
wanted students to accomplish during the lesson, and limited time to do so. I also had students of varying ability levels who needed varying levels of
support. Arguably the most important aspect of teaching is meeting the needs of each and every student. This in itself is hard, and is only made more
difficult by the tight schedules and strict pacing guides. I allocated what I considered to be appropriate amounts of time for students to complete each
task, which for some tasks worked well and for others not so much. It is important to know how your students work best and maintain consistent
behavior management techniques in order to get a better grasp on time management.
VII. As a result of planning and teaching this lesson, what have you learned or had reinforced about yourself?