Reflection/Appendices

After reading the Appendices I realized how much I have learned from this class so far. It discusses study trips and teaching context that relate to real life uses. I realized that I did this without even thinking about it in my lesson. I taught my lesson on Monday to the kindergartners. The lesson was on fall and leaves. I thought that the students would get more out of the lesson if they went outside and view fall so the students and I went for a fall walk. As we walked we looked for signs of fall. They looked for butterflies, falling leaves, leaves changing color, flocks of birds, fall and Halloween decorations such as pumpkins. We stopped at trees that changed color and discussed how it is different than in the summer or spring. The students all got a bag in which they collected leaves and acorns. They really enjoyed it and were very excited when they found a cool leaf! Then we went inside and they got to observe their leaves as well as their peers. We made a math lesson out it by graphing the leaves and deciding what we had more of. They also got to complete leaf rubbings of the leaves they found. We discussed what they do with the leaves and what others may do with leaves. They got to relate to the topic and experience fall in an educational way. I know they can go outside and see leaves everyday but I am sure they do not think about them changing color. I learned first hand how important being there experiences are. I feel that it wasn't a big "study trip" but it was something that can be done easily and still have a big impact on the students.