Analysis of Learners
General Characteristics
There are a number of fixed characteristics associated with my target learners that I will have to work with. All of them will come into consideration as I plan my lessons throughout the year. I have 22 students, 9 males and 13 females. Five of my learners are Hispanic students (three females and two males) and two (a female and a male) are African-American. The rest are Caucasian. I have one female with special needs. The age of my learners range from young 5's to 7, almost 8 years old. The average age of my target learners is six years. Most of my students come from stable home environments and I had the opportunity to meet many parents at the open house at the beginning of the year. Almost half of the class brings a cold lunch from home every day but the rest of them receive assistance in paying for hot lunch. The school offers a breakfast to every student in the morning.
Many of my students have a healthy interest in learning. They are mostly focused throughout the day but some get distracted and need breaks every 8-10 minutes. A majority of them have "ready to learn" attitudes that keep them interested in the lesson. They work to use their best handwriting and read as many books as possible, although all but six of my learners have extremely low reading scores. A handful of students are movers and shakers! They are much more active and prefer to break dance on the ground than pay attention to the read-aloud story. There are also a couple students that are very good artists and take their time drawing pictures to answer math problems or illustrate their writing.
Many of my students have a healthy interest in learning. They are mostly focused throughout the day but some get distracted and need breaks every 8-10 minutes. A majority of them have "ready to learn" attitudes that keep them interested in the lesson. They work to use their best handwriting and read as many books as possible, although all but six of my learners have extremely low reading scores. A handful of students are movers and shakers! They are much more active and prefer to break dance on the ground than pay attention to the read-aloud story. There are also a couple students that are very good artists and take their time drawing pictures to answer math problems or illustrate their writing.
Specific Entry Competencies
Since this will be taught in the Fall and with first graders, I will treat this lesson as their introduction to learning about different environments and categorizing what animals live in each environment. While they may have had prior instruction regarding life cycles and food chains, I will teach as if it was their introductory experience with both. We will also briefly cover through our conversations about food chains the diets of various animals, as well as how plants and decomposers come in to play.
I do not think that they will know much of this information. Some of them may even have more prior knowledge than others regarding this subject. Many may be able to answer questions by using clues and hints I give them in discussion. I do not think that much of any instruction that might have been given in Kindergarten will have been retained prior to the lesson. For some students, they may remember it once it is discussed.
I don't know the specifics of what technology my students will encounter throughout my lesson but I believe that they will have prior knowledge of how to behave when watching a video clip or movie. Manners and procedures will most likely be reinforced before viewing in class. I may also have them using a program on a computer, like dragging elements of the life cycle or food chain to their respective places, so they will need to have a mouse. They should have prior experience with this from specials classes, but they may not have the hand-eye coordination down yet.
I do not think that they will know much of this information. Some of them may even have more prior knowledge than others regarding this subject. Many may be able to answer questions by using clues and hints I give them in discussion. I do not think that much of any instruction that might have been given in Kindergarten will have been retained prior to the lesson. For some students, they may remember it once it is discussed.
I don't know the specifics of what technology my students will encounter throughout my lesson but I believe that they will have prior knowledge of how to behave when watching a video clip or movie. Manners and procedures will most likely be reinforced before viewing in class. I may also have them using a program on a computer, like dragging elements of the life cycle or food chain to their respective places, so they will need to have a mouse. They should have prior experience with this from specials classes, but they may not have the hand-eye coordination down yet.
Learning Styles
My class is comprised of students from 5-7 years old, so they are well spread out over their stage development. While all but six of my students were placed in low reading levels, they all get their thoughts and learning across well vocally when asked questions. The majority of them are incredibly motivated in school and strive to do their best. Through my observations, I feel that as a class, they can focus for a solid 8 minutes of time, at most. While there are 22 of them, I have had success keeping them all engaged in whole-group instruction at the same time. I believe that my lesson is interactive and interesting enough for them to pay attention and stay on task throughout the whole of it, provi.
Most of my students are movers and shakers, wanting to be active and hands-on in their lessons. This can be very fun with this lesson, as it involves the cycles between plants and animals. I hope to incorporate many visuals and interactive aspects to my lesson that will encourage them to think abstractly about the various possibilities that can be included in the lesson. This way, they will be moving and thinking in a way that is constructive to the lesson while also keeping them involved.
Most of my students are movers and shakers, wanting to be active and hands-on in their lessons. This can be very fun with this lesson, as it involves the cycles between plants and animals. I hope to incorporate many visuals and interactive aspects to my lesson that will encourage them to think abstractly about the various possibilities that can be included in the lesson. This way, they will be moving and thinking in a way that is constructive to the lesson while also keeping them involved.