Project Wet/Project Wild Classroom Implementation

Implemented: 11/12/15

Date

Activity Name: Are You Me? pg.2-8 Aquatic

Grade level to be implemented
Wild
in: 1st grade
Attachments:
Photocopy of Activity:____
____
Pretest Attached: _________
Posttest Attached :
_______
Brief description of the class the activity is to be implemented with
I am placed at Eagle Ridge Elementary in a first grade classroom. There are eleven boys
and nine girls with no ELL students that I am aware of. I would consider it to be an
inclusion class even though we do not have any students with specific special needs. We
have several with behavior issues and several that are academically lower than their
grade level so Mrs. Dunn has specific measures in place for those students.
Description of changes made to the activity (as written in the manual) during
initial planning
I did away with the first 4 steps of the lesson due to lack of time and resources within my
classroom. It asks students to bring in pictures from home and I know that my students
most likely do not have pictures or they would not bring them in. The students rarely
remember to get their agendas signed and do their homework so I did not want to add
on another thing to remember. Instead of using pictures of them, I had an example of
myself. On a Prezi presentation I posted a picture of me as a baby and asked them if
they recognized who it was. They did not. Then I compared it to a picture of me now, as
an adult, and asked them to compare what had changed in the past 20 years. They told
me that I was pretty and a lot taller.
Description of changes to the activity as a result of the pretest
I gave my pretest on Tuesday, November 10th and taught my lesson on Thursday,
November 12th. I did not make many changes to my lesson after evaluating the pretest
given. I did put more emphasis on how some animals look the same as babies and adults
(dolphins, manatees, etc.), while others change forms (butterflies, frogs, etc.).
Objectives for the activity (use Blooms Taxonomy as a guideline)
The students should demonstrate remembering as they recall the development and
growth of animals that they have been learning for the past few weeks. They will
development an understanding through comparing and contrasting baby animals to
adult animals and vice versa. Students will also learn through evaluating which occurs
when they explain why certain baby animals are different from the adult animal.
Georgia Performance Standards (total of 5) Be sure to specify the element being
used.
These standards should be from more than on content area (Science and LA, Science
and Math, etc.).
Content Area One: Science
Content Area Two: ELA
S1L1, d) Compare and describe various
ELAGSE1SL1: Participate in collaborative

animals-appearance, motion, growth, and

basic needs.

conversations with diverse partners about

grade 1 topics and texts with peers and
adults in small or larger groups.
ELAGSE1SL2: Ask and answer questions
about key details in a text read aloud or
information presented orally or through
other media.
ELAGSE1SL3: Ask and answer questions
about what a speaker says in order to
gather additional information or clarify
something that is not understood.

Content Area Three: Math

Standards for Mathematical Practice
3. Construct viable arguments and critique
the reasoning of others.
Reflection on the comparison of the pretest and posttest information
Most students gained understanding from my lesson on what makes a baby animal
different from an adult animal. We also discussed how some animals look different when
they are babies and some do not. We compare a dolphin to a frog. They showed
understanding that dolphins look the same and get bigger, while tadpoles grow legs and
lose their tail to become frogs.
Also, due to lack of time in the classroom I had to give my post-test on the same day I
taught my lesson. In order to attempt to check their comprehension I did not give the
post-test until later in the day after my lesson and activity.
Written Analysis of the Activity
Strengths of the teacher/activity
I feel that my lesson and activity went rather well. The students really enjoyed it and
they fully understood the concept I was trying to teach. They were very interested the
entire time and eager to participate in a class discussion.
Weaknesses of the teacher/activity
I wish that the pictures used in the book were clearer because some of them are hard to
decipher. I would also rather they be in color instead of black and white, but thats just
personal preference and younger children do better with color.
Specific suggestions for improvement for the teacher
I feel that I should have introduced the lesson in a more clear way. I also could have less
discussion, especially with the younger students. They all like to talk at the same time
and it quickly turns into chaos. I could include more teaching and interaction. I also need
to improve on class management while I am teaching. We have several children with
behavior problems, so they can cause pandemonium in a second if I am not paying
attention while teaching my lesson.
Specific suggestions for improvement of the activity

The activity could have been improved with smaller groups depending on the individual
students maturity levels. Several of my groups worked together without any issues and
they led their own discussion of which animals matched and why. Other groups that
included some of our problem children had a rather hard time and had to individually
do the activity due to their inability to work together without causing issues.
I would also laminate the cards, especially with my first graders. Several of them would
bend and crumple up the cards without even realizing it or they would fight over them
and tear them. They would need to be laminated if I wanted to use them from year to
year.
Evidence and explanation of ways that you know that learning has occurred
I asked the same questions from the beginning of the lesson at the end of the lesson to
check comprehension. The second time around, they all had the correct answers as
opposed to only one or two students with the correct answer. As I walked from group to
group, the students would show me the matches they had made and explained why they
had decided to put those two animals together. I even had some groups that sorted
them by habitats so that was very encouraging and interesting to see.