Steve
Nuttall
EDUC-2530
Mike
Link
April
10th, 2014
ADAPT Lesson Plan
Introduction
Psychology
is not explored very much at an early grade level. I aim to introduce the
subject with this lesson. I have decided that since self-esteem is such a
pressing issue among children and adolescents, it would be best to start
teaching a positive self-image as early as possible. This lesson will begin to
explore those ideas in a comfortable classroom environment.
Grade Level
Third through fifth grade.
Objectives
Introduce psychology and self-esteem.
Help children develop self-esteem.
Help children identify their strengths and talents.
Help classmates see the strengths in others.
Homework and Assessment
Students will create a poster, drawing, piece of
writing (e.g. a story, poetry, a song), an award etc. to describe a feature,
talent, skill or interest they take great pleasure in. This can be created
during class, or you can ask students to work on it at home. Students will be
asked to share their creation with the class, during which time they will be
expected to elaborate on at least two things about themselves they really like.
Students will be self-evaluated on a 5 question scale distributed after
presentations have completed.
Lesson Plan Title and Description
“Proud to Be Me”
This lesson plan focuses on helping children
identify the things about themselves that they are proud of. Class should begin with a story, such as Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, about a character with a unique quality. Next, a brief discussion on what it means to have self-esteem is in order. Then it is possible to begin describing the assignment.
Have students
think about the things that they are good at or enjoy doing. Younger children
may need a little prompting, so making a list of characteristics or activities
and then letting them pick from that list is a good idea. This lesson is
especially useful for students who may have a disability. These students can
learn to take pride in themselves even if they need extra help at times. They
can draw attention to their other qualities so classmates can see beyond the
disability, and see the person behind it. Hopefully, by seeing that a student with
a disability has similar interests to themselves students will bridge the gap
that is sometimes created by highly visual disabilities that can create
distance in students who have little to no experience with exceptionalities.
Some of the things you might list include:
artistic, kind, funny, a good friend, helpful, smart, creative, good at music,
etc. Basically, create a list of positive qualities that kids may excel at.
Materials and Resources Needed
The project can be accomplished in a number of
ways. The simplest method is to have students draw a picture of themselves and
their talents. For students who do not wish to draw, they may be able to write
a list, or a poem, or a short story about themselves and what they would like
to share. Students who have difficulty holding a pencil can verbally dictate
instructions to a helper, such as an EA, that will be able to assist in
completing the assignment.
Another method is to find a bunch of old magazines
and allow students to cut out pictures and create a collage. Students who enjoy
being artistic but cannot draw will enjoy this method, as they can still create
an eye pleasing result without the ability to draw things themselves.
Advice
Younger students may find the activity a bit
abstract, so keeping it as simple as possible is a good idea. As it is open
ended, provide many examples to the students as to which route they should take
given their abilities.
Making a list of possible ideas can help students
who are insecure or lack confidence to "brag" about their good
qualities. Remember to reinforce the idea that we all have different talents
and not being good at one thing does not mean we cannot excel in other areas.
Encourage students to pick as many as or as few
talents or skills as they wish. Some might find it easier to talk about one
thing extensively or many things briefly. Giving the student power over the
assignment creates a feeling of control and boosts confidence.
Rationale
Initially
I had opted for high school psychology. However, given the limited amount of
schools currently teaching it, appropriate aged lesson plans were difficult to
find that were not overly simplistic. I decided that since my practicum
experience so far is only with elementary, I would write my ADAPT lesson plan
aimed at that age group. My class did not have any students with
exceptionalities, so I have adapted this lesson plan to be more accessible to
reach a wider audience. These changes include the implementation of the
Universal Design for Learning. As we discussed in class and read in the
textbook, a UDI can be introduced slowly to fit the needs of the teacher and
the classroom. Given that the subject of psychology and self-esteem are likely
new concepts to such a young class, we have a unique advantage of using a UDI
from the beginning. I broadened the scope of the assignment to apply to the
different skills of the students. After all, this lesson is about finding
strengths. Instead of just assigning a poster, students can write, draw or sing
their way through the assignment. With this change, I raised the grade level as
the assignment is now much more self-directed, which I feel is positive for
students as they gain control. My hope with this lesson is that students will
see their classmates differently in a positive way. I think the idea of letting
the students elaborate on their creation to the class is very important. So
many people grow up to be shy in front of crowds that allowing students to
present in a safe environment is crucial to their development. Additionally, I have added self-evaluation so that students can take an honest look at their work and reflect accordingly. I do not think that it is very fair to be judged by a third party when the goal is building self-esteem. Students should be able to work on the assignment without fear of being graded by the instructor. Ultimately, I
would just like to see students of all levels of ability be able to take pride
in themselves as they should.
Original
Lesson Plan:
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