Journal #2

1. In this unit I learned how to write up a lesson plan for the day, how to teach a lesson plan, and more notes on the recorder. In the lesson plan, it is written out step by step on what the lesson is about, who it is for, what to assess during the procedure, the materials that are used, and the objective of the lesson plan. How to teach the lesson plan was definitely different, because I never taught a class before, so it was a new experience to follow a lesson plan and actually find out that it is very helpful. The other concept I learned was more notes on the recorder. I was taught how to play the recorder in grade school, but have not played one since. I know how to read music so that part is easy, but I learned what the actual notes are on the recorder, which is always nice, because it is easier to play more difficult songs.

2. I learned these concepts by reading the book, going to class, taking notes, and studying them. As a class, we were given guidelines on how to write the lesson plan, but we had to come up with an activity individually to teach to the class. We had to come up with our concepts, skills, song, and what grade level it had to be, and if we wanted to use any props to help enhance the learning process. I learned when we had to teach our lesson to our groups; I needed more practice on how to teach. I was nervous, not looking up and observing the students the whole time, and did not have the song I was teaching memorized one hundred percent. But after learning this process, I see that I have to do more work and need extra practice on how to teach and focus on the students/children’s learning. The other concept taught in class was the recorder. I learned how to play more notes and more complex songs then in the beginning of the semester. I like it because my voice isn’t always great to get pitch, so a recorder is always helpful and entertaining to younger children.

3. I was taught how to write a lesson plan because as an elementary education major, I will be writing lesson plans for everyday, the rest of my career. I will need to know how to write one effectively in order to make sure my students are learning what they are supposed to be learning. Also, it is important to write a lesson plan effectively because if I, as a teacher were absent one day, my substitute would need to know how to teach or to deliver my message correctly to my students. Also, I thought it was important to teach a group of students, because it gave us hope and a preview of how we would be teaching. I’m glad I got a chance to teach a class one time, because reflecting on how I taught my class was really great feedback. I found myself with a lot of problems and the help I need to become a better teacher. The other concept is knowing how to play an instrument, not just for music teachers, but teachers in general. Music can help any subject and to be able to play a recorder would be a great experience for kids. You can play a thanksgiving song, when you’re learning about Christopher Columbus. J No matter what you’re teaching, the recorder could enhance the lesson in some sort of way.

4. The different concepts or objectives that I learned in this unit did not really have anything to do with the students, it had to do more with the teacher/teaching. It was how to be a better teacher, communicate as a teacher, different criteria to use as a teacher, how to teach as a teacher, and how to schedule as a teacher. We were taught how to do write out lessons and were shown how to teach them so us, as students, can be great teachers sometime in the near future.