Unit: Lesson 1

Our first lesson went much better than we anticipated, especially considering the fact that the regular classroom teacher, Ms. H, wasn't there. With a substitute, we were concerned about potential discipline/behavior problems, but the students were all well-behaved, attentive, and respectful. The substitute was unobtrusive and uninvolved, briefly introducing herself then retiring to her desk in the back of the room.

The kids were just coming in from lunch and recess, so they were still fairly energetic. However, we were able to get them in their seats and calmed down without much difficulty. We started off the lesson by relating it to the lesson we taught in the fall on latitude and longitude. Most of the students seemed to have some recollection of the terms, and how to use them to find places on a map. As we moved into the lesson, it was clear that some students were much more eager to participate than others. It was a challenge to try to call on all students equally, especially since we were still unsure on some of their names.

Kelly and I were able to transition pretty smoothly between our parts, and we varied the activities enough so that students weren't bored or distracted easily during instructional time. After going over location and place, and having students practice and give examples of absolute/relative location and human/physical characteristics, we moved into the mystery places game. Most students seemed to work well in their groups, and it was not difficult for them to figure out their mystery place. From walking around and hearing them discuss ideas with each other, it was clear that some of them had different ways of thinking and analyzing information, but they were all able to arrive at the same conclusion. As students were finishing this game, we realized we has finished much earlier than anticipated. To fill the remaining time, we had students draw pictures (individually) of their mystery place, making sure to include both physical and human characteristics. This was a more low-level activity on Bloom's Taxonomy, not requiring much analytic or creative thinking. However, it still aligned with the objectives of the lesson, in reinforcing the concept of place and the types of characteristics used to describe a place.

After students finished their drawings, we called on some of them to share with the class, which they all seemed excited and eager to do. This is a great way for students to be affirmed in their work and to receive recognition from both the teacher and their peers. Finally, after this, we wrapped up the lesson by handing out the graphic organizers that we will be using throughout the unit. We had the students focus on the first two boxes, "Location" and "Place," and fill out as much as they could remember from what we talked about today. Some students struggled to remember any information, while others were writing profusely with definitions and terms and examples. It was interesting to note the stark contrast and the wide range of abilities within the same classroom. We should definitely take this into account in planning future lessons, and make sure that all students are gaining equal access to the knowledge and information being preseneted. Some of the students who struggled may simply lack interest in geography, or perhaps the material was not presented in a way that appealed to their individual learning style. Regardless of the reason, it is our role as the teacher to provide every student with the same opportunity to learn.