Say What? Melissa O’Dell, Platina Elementary A Study of Idioms A language study for grades fourth...

Say What?Melissa O’Dell, Platina Elementary

A Study of Idioms

A language study for grades fourth through eighth

Platina Elementary School,

Platina, California


My name is Melissa O’Dell and I teach in a one-room school consisting of 13 students in grades kindergarten through eighth at Platina Elementary School.

My web site is http://ctap295.ctaponline.org/~modell/

My e-mail is [email protected]

This is a multi-grade lesson that addresses specific standards in grades fourth through eighth. The overall goal for reading substrand 1.0 is that students use their knowledge of word origins and word relationships, as well as historical and literary context clues to determine the meaning of specialized vocabulary and to understand the precise meaning of grade-level appropriate words.


Lesson Description Students will work in pairs and individually to explore the

development of our language through historical events. Students will become familiar with idioms of their choice,

knowing the derivation, literal and figurative meanings, and the usage.

Students will create an idiom poster, to include the above mentioned items, based on the rubric.


Objectives SWBAT to explain how language developed during

significant events from our past. SWBAT define what an idiom is. SWBAT illustrate idioms using publishing program,

depicting literal and expressive meanings, derivations, and usage in a sentence.


Expectations How to implement technology into the classroom How to put a lesson on a web site To work with people from other schools To use Power Point To use Excel To become more familiar with how computers

“think”


Outcomes

Use a variety of programs to make a well-rounded lesson Design a lesson on a web site using Netscape Composer Navigate successfully within the file/folder structure of the

computer Reinforce techniques via repetition :)

I learned how to:


Successes High interest and enthusiasm Made the topic more interesting Rose awareness of the development of our language Met standards at numerous grade levels Encouraged cooperative learning Fostered discussions between students about language


Shortcomings

Frustrations with printer glitches Lack of experience with computers Lack of knowledge with web surfing Lack of knowledge with publishing

programs Too long of a duration of lesson


Revisions

Due to the isolation factor of our area, many students have none or very little exposure to computers. I would need to give a lesson in working on the computer and Internet. I would have to introduce the students to programs such as Power Point, Word, Excel, and Internet search engines.

Modifications for lower grade/performing students need to be made to make the lesson more palatable. This would reduce the chance of lesson burn out.

Say What?Melissa O’Dell, Platina Elementary Student Data

Although some students have a variegated growth, most students showed improvement from the pretest, through the final project, and finally on the post test. Lower project scores reflect missing elements as defined in the rubric.


Summary

As many teachers do, I rarely think of a standard then develop a lesson. However, this is the most effective and expected practice. I have previously done this lesson, without integrating technology. Creating this web lesson puts the lesson in a whole new perspective that engages the students more and puts them in the driver’s seat of learning. As I have learned in this class, I expect my students will learn through experience and trial and error.


Summary- cont.

This class has introduced me to a whole new world of technology. My classroom computers will need less dusting and more cleaning of fingerprints. I can now effectively teach my students how to use programs such as Excel, Word, Power Point, and Paint.

I am excited to view other lessons and implement them into my classroom as they seem fit. Standards-based lessons are the most effective lessons to use in the classroom. The CTAP site offers a multitude of lessons at varied grade levels.


Student Samples

The following slides are samples of what final projects should look like.

Enjoy.

Say What? Melissa O’Dell, Platina Elementary A Study of Idioms A language study for grades fourth...

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