It Is FINISHED!!!

What a relief!! I have worked so hard on both of my units and have now submitted them to my professors, and am currently waiting for my grades back.  I spent several hours in the library looking for children's books to incorporate in my 306 unit and also researching other ideas for my 307 unit.  It took me a while for me to finish both units, but I took my time and made sure everything was the way I wanted it before I finally submitted it.  I learned a lot from writing both of these units and I now feel more prepared to write more lengthy unit that is integrated with other subjects and technology.  I learned about so many technology resources from my other PDP, class, and from other teachers.  This semester, I had a lot on my plate but I was able to accomplish so much and this will definitely help me as I go into 435 and student teaching!

So Close, But So Far!

I am working on finishing up my units for both of my classes and they are both due just a couple of days apart!  I have spent many more hours working on completing and submitting my work in the template.  The hardest part for me has been coming up with the Factual, Conceptual, and Provocative questions.  I had to really sit down and think about what my students would be able to answer based off of the knowledge and content that they just learned from each generalization.  These guided questions were essential to the rest of the unit because they literally guided the rest of the unit.  I have put my 306 unit on the back burner for now because this unit is due before that one.    I have gotten extremely frustrated with having to hunt for content and other materials.  I keep telling myself that once I am actually working in the school system, I will have help and resources somewhat provided for me to work with. This will make the lesson planning process go by a lot faster and will relieve some of the stress.  I have also been working with other classmates and peers trying to bounce off ideas to make this unit the best it can be.  I am proud of the work I have completed so far and hopefully one day will be able to actually teach this unit! 

Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock

This semester, I have two big unit plans due for my classes.  I struggle with writing lesson plans in a timely manner.  On Saturday, I spent six hours writing four lessons for my 306 unit.  I have also been progressively working on my 307 unit and to complete a section of that template has also taken a lot of thought and time.  In general, I have spent around two to three hours working on the beginning sections of that unit.  I know I am half way finished with both units, but I wish there was a way to decrease the amount of time spent lesson planning and the process would come easier.  In my least PDP meeting we discussed planning my lesson backwards and starting with creating the assessment piece that way I know what I need to teach and what will be expected for the students to know at the end of the lesson.  This did decrease the time filling out the lesson, but I still had to take some time to come up with ideas and instructional techniques to teach the lesson.  As I practice my lesson planning, I hope to master it and focus less on that and more on the action itself.