Planning is half the battle, but planning is exciting because you get to use your creative bone. This past week I taught a social studies lesson that was quite a hybrid. My cooperating teacher wanted me to cover North Carolina's natural resources. I wanted to do a lesson on North Carolina's inward expansion because that is the topic for the unit we have been planning all semester. It took me a little while to come up with a plan that incorporated both, but I think I pulled it off! I wrote a lesson about how the expansion of the railroad systems during the 1800's allowed North Carolinians to take advantage of the natural resources to help boost their economy. At first, combining the two topics seemed like a stretch, but in the end it actually flowed nicely and seemed like one solid lesson plan and not two separate topics. I even incorporated the regions of North Carolina, since the class is currently studying the geography of the state.
At the request of the teacher, I utilized a Powerpoint presentation for the lesson. It was a very useful tool to show many pictures and primary resources. I made sure that I did not use an abundance of words on the slides, rather I talked about the material. I also had students stop every few slides to do small activities such as a pair-shaire, a group activity, and a quick write. We also stopped and answered questions as a whole class along the way. Since this class is rarely exposed to Powerpoint presentations, I wanted to make the lesson interactive and use the slides merely as a reference.
Technology did force me to change my plans a little though. The projector overheated during the group activity. The students were sorting authentic natural resources on a regional map and during that time the projector overheated. Yikes, it always seems to happen at the most inappropriate times! I was getting ready to review the slides of the answers and it refused to turn on. I revised my lesson to keep students engaged while the cooperating teacher waited for the projector to cool down and come back on. I had the students share their answers as a class. I asked, "Who thinks cotton is found in the mountains? Raise your hand." I went through and asked about each region. They then had to explain why they think cotton is found it that particular region and had to explain how they could make money using that natural resource. We did that for several of the resources before the projector came back on. We utilized the slides that were explaining the answers only as a reference once the projector was finally working.
The temporary technology fail actually changed the direction of my lesson... and for the better. Since we were talking about railroads, resources, and economic opportunities I redirected the lesson to focus on how to make money. This gave the lesson more depth and made it relatable to the students. It also helped with the students' quick write at the conclusion of the lesson.
The one thing that I had difficulty with was maintaining control of the class during periods where students were sharing or doing an activity. I gave explicit rules about 12" voices, working together, raising hands for help; but, it still seemed a bit chaotic. The cooperating teacher only does whole-class instruction so the students do not have a lot of experience with group work or pair-shares. I think in my future classroom, this lesson would go smoothly if the procedures for group work were explained at the beginning of the year and practiced consistently. There seemed to be a lack of respect for other students; students were talking over each other when I called on people to answer. I reminded students that they need to listen to who I call on and show respect; this way the other classmates will do the same when they are speaking. Respect is something that a classroom teacher has to establish, practice, and prompt from day one and I plan to do this in my future classroom.
Overall, the lesson went very well. I am glad that I chose to combine the two topics. I believe that if I merely covered natural resources and the regions, the lesson would not be as interesting or meaningful for the students. I truly believe that the students walked away understanding the big picture of how railroads and natural resources were used to help North Carolinians make money.
Yay! I knew after reviewing your lesson in class that it would go very well. You were thoughtful in your direction and planning, while also cognizant of what topics needed to be addressed. I agree that this is definitely a keeper for your own classroom one day because it is engaging, relevant, and models technology. And a "Way to GO!" for not panicking during the technology failure...perhaps it was divine intervention to make your lesson super successful :)
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