The artifact in this ePortfolio is a detailed lesson plan designed for a 5th-grade math block. Although I have not yet had the opportunity to teach this lesson, I am scheduled to do so within the next week. The objective of the lesson is to engage students in solving math problems across six distinct stations. To facilitate collaboration and active learning, the class will be divided into six small groups, with each group rotating through the stations. Students will have five minutes per station to work through the problems, check their work, and collaborate as a team. At each station, they will also be tasked with identifying a missing word related to the lesson’s topic, further reinforcing their understanding while encouraging teamwork and communication. This lesson plan is designed to foster critical thinking, cooperative learning, and problem-solving skills in a hands-on and interactive environment. I believe that this artifact aligns with Standard #7 – Planning for Instruction: The teacher draws upon knowledge of content areas, cross-disciplinary skills, learners, the community and pedagogy to plan instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals.
The past few weeks I’ve been able to complete some of my fieldwork in a 5th grade classroom at CK Burns School in Saco, during their math block. I was able to complete a lesson plan this past week and I will be teaching it within the next week, as stated above. Overall, working in this classroom has given me a hands-on experience in a 5th-grade classroom, while observing and participating in the math block has allowed me to see how to differentiate instruction for diverse learners and use effective strategies to engage students. Working in small groups has improved my ability to tailor my teaching approaches to meet individual needs. Moving forward, I feel more confident in my ability to implement these strategies and adapt to various teaching situations to become a more effective educator.
