Standard 3: Engaging and Supporting Student Learning
During one of my practicum experiences, I tutored a 3rd grader, which allowed me to develop lesson plans informed by both assessment data and the student’s interests. As I built a relationship with the student, I learned more about her preferences and what engaged her in learning. This insight enabled me to tailor key aspects of our lessons, including the writing activities and read-aloud selections.
The student had a strong interest in animals and their habitats, so I selected a relevant book for us to read together and designed a writing activity to complement it. Additionally, knowing that her favorite book series was Diary of a Wimpy Kid, I incorporated one of the books from the series into our read-aloud sessions. I included a book from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series to keep the lessons enjoyable and engaging while providing a lighthearted and relaxed conclusion to our sessions.
The pictures below are from an activity I led during my second placement at Reams Road Elementary in a 2nd-grade classroom. This was part of the first reading comprehension lesson for the story The Green Grass Grows All Around. After discussing with my cooperating teacher, we decided to modify the original plan and instead implement a visualization activity. Students were asked to draw what they imagined at four different points in the story, and they thoroughly enjoyed expressing their thinking through art. I created the worksheet they used for this activity to enhance engagement and deepen comprehension. In addition, I developed sequencing cards to help students recall the order of events in the story as preparation for their assessment.
