The above artifacts display the elements of a lesson plan I formulated and instructed.  The artifacts include a hands on activity, a PowerPoint presentation on the SmartBoard, and a bulletin board of the completed how to writing foldables. The PowerPoint I presented in the classroom can also be viewed above.  

     In my Foundations 3000 course at Auburn University I participated in twenty-five service learning hours in a third grade classroom at Ogletree Elementary School for ten consecutive weeks. My cooperating teacher, Mrs. William's, allowed me to plan and teach a how to writing lesson. This lesson aligned with third grade writing standard number twenty-three in the Alabama Course of Study. Specifically, students were to clearly explain and inform an audience how to make a coke float in a writing entry. Their writings were to include an introduction of the topic, give details in the body of the writing, and include a closing statement. Throughout their writings students were to also include appropriate linking words and sentence starters. The lesson preparation included constructing a PowerPoint presentation after research, gathering materials for a hands on activity, and creating coke float foldables to place their writings in for a hallway bulletin board. The lesson was introduced on the SmartBoard through a PowerPoint Presentation and students were encouraged to contribute their thoughts/ideas during the class discussion. The student's participation and input was considered a formative assessment to identify the current knowledge students had on this topic. The summative assessment took place when students were assigned to write an explanation of their own on how to make a coke float. The learning outcomes were assessed based upon clarity, sentence structure, use of appropriate transitions, and paragraph format of their writings. I reflected upon their performance and identified the weaknesses of the class as a whole. I concluded most students needed a review of the appropriate steps taken to make a coke float. I decided to include a hands on activity the following week to conclude the how to writing unit. I gathered the appropriate materials for each child to make a coke float. While making a coke float, each child explained aloud the steps one takes to make a coke float. As a future educator it is vital to instruct then evaluate and reflect on the lesson before, during, and after. This will allow for possible revisions to the lesson itself and improve instructional performance as a teacher. My teaching philosophy is that is is important to connect the classroom curriculum to the real world. This lesson achieved this philosophy because students learned how to appropriately explain how to do something. This is a necessary concept to acquire in order to live in our society today.