Unit Reflective Summary

Teacher Candidate for Science Endorsement: Maggie Gudgel

Instructor: Dawn Hudson?

School: Frey Elementary Grade: 1st

Unit Topic: Weather

Write a 1-2 page summary of your experiences teaching this unit, addressing the following
questions:

 How well were the unit’s student performance objectives attained? Were there
opportunities for the students to develop conceptual understanding through engaging
in the learning cycle (5E’s)?

 How did you use formative assessments to inform instructional decisions during the
unit?

 Were the lessons/tasks scientifically worthwhile for all students? Were there students
that had difficulty achieving the goals of the unit?

 Was there evidence of a classroom culture that honors inquiry, wrong answers, personal
challenge, collaboration, and disequilibrium as opportunities for new learning by all
students?

 When you have the opportunity to re-teach this unit, what will you do differently
(strategies, teaching tools, assessments, etc.) to improve student learning for all
students?
The student’s performance objectives were attained through hands-on lessons and real life
experiences provided throughout various methods of science/STEM instruction. The students
had opportunities to collaborate, discuss, and gain understanding vested within the 5E lessons
included in the unit. The children were able to easily make connection to weather because they
have personal experiences to pull from. Prediction, data collection, and modeling strategies
were embedded within the unit. I used two pretests to analysis the amount of background
information my class came to first grade with. After proctoring the test, I could then identify
which students needed extended learning material. I did checks throughout the lesson while
taking notes to ensure checkpoints of learning material were achieved. I often allowed the
students to turn and talk and share pair responses. I tried to infuse weather throughout several
subjects thematically to enhance instruction and connect ideas across the curriculum. I pulled
four of my lower students during morning work time to review vocabulary and big ideas from
the unit. I also used little weather readers and weather games on my IPAD with this lower
performing group. I appreciated hearing the class discussion and ongoing observations that my
students were discovering. Every day a student had the opportunity to be the class
meteorologist and report the weather. The students really loved this! I let the meteorologist go
outside to check the weather with my supervision; that person would also check and record the
rain gauge and temperature using the instruments I installed on the playground beside my
room. We would track the data on a large anchor chart, and the students kept up with their
weather tracking graphs independently. I feel that this daily routine gave my students a chance
to look forward to the next day of learning because they were each excited to have a turn. The
children also felt attached to their weather journals because they quickly grasped the graphing
concept and felt accomplished when able to complete their weather tracking graph data
quickly. The students took leadership by presenting the report, and thus the children bonded
with each other and depending on each other to give the accurate weather information. The
students were required to give an example of an activity that would be appropriate for that
specific day; there were times when students would disagree about the presenter’s activity
ideas. As a whole, the children learned to communicate and bounce ideas between one another
in a supportive manner. I have four students that are brand new to the school. I believe this
unit allowed those children an opportunity to get to know our campus, and classmates because
the lessons led to a positive classroom culture. I have a very diverse group of learners this year,
and because of that I tried to incorporate meaningful experiences while differentiating. The
students were involved in inquiry throughout the entire unit as they implemented exploration,
analyzation, and investigation skills in a STEM atmosphere. If I had the opportunity to re-teach
this unit I would try to find a better formatted pretest and also provide a better culminating
activity. I would try to do more STEAM in this unit because I did not incorporate art into my
lessons. Unfortunately, this start to the new school year has been the most chaotic yet because
of a tremendous amount of instructional time taken up due to extra testing. Also, I realize now
that I need to reorganize my weather themed text. I have so many weather themed text that I
did not maximize use from. Given the chance again, I would have them available to students
and organized into their reading levels prior to starting the unit. I have two very challenging
students that are repeating first grade. If I retaught this lesson, I would try to challenge the
retained students more to ensure the material was not redundant. I would offer those two
students an extension project or activity due to their background knowledge from the previous
year in first grade. I originally made a goal to have the student’s present information in groups
as a culminating activity in Seesaw. However, due to time restraint I was not able to incorporate
this technology. Given the extreme hurricanes that have obstructed the South this past month,
my students experienced the dangerous side effects of weather. My students helped raise
money to send to Texas for Harvey flood victims. They truly understand how nature can impact
many lives, and used the opportunity to help people in another community! Overall, my
weather unit was a success; I feel that my students gained a thorough understanding of
patterns in weather, precipitation, and grasped the big ideas and cross-cutting concepts from
the unit.