First Lesson

I walked in the class, with all my supplies, ready to teach my lesson about Ancient China/Egypt inventions. However, the teacher was not expecting me so I had to interrupt the lesson they were already doing. The students seem to be so tired and lacking energy. Irregardless, I tried to have as much energy as I can to get the students excited about learning how ancient inventions are used in our lives today.

As I passed out the worksheets, I asked the students what some inventions they had already learned about. The students all looked lazily at their feet or elsewhere. Even the students who usually was excited to volunteer, sat quietly with their heads down. Teaching at the end of the day had harsh conditions!

I had the students read the passages about each invention aloud. However, I realized through the reading that it was too hard for them to read and to understand. Therefore, I tried to summarize the passage in more simple terms. As only one student was volunteering to answer questions, I continually called on her, but I should have tried to include the other students whether they had their hands up or not. I move quickly through the facts about the inventions and moved on to how the inventions are used in the world today. Many of the students seemed uninterested. First, I was moving too fast for them to write down everything I said. Many of the students were not focusing on what I was talking about. I felt as though the lesson had gone down in ruins.

The lesson ended with the students writing about how they use one of the inventions in their lives. During the writing time, students were able to write about how they use paper, compass, and the calendar in their own lives. After they had finished writing, they were able to share their story with one another and the whole class. The lesson did not go as well as I wished it would have. However, through this learning experience, I will continually learn how to be a good teacher.