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Behaviorism Lesson Plan

Behaviorism Lesson Plan

 Behavioral Objective: Students will be given 6 different colors of paper and will make fraction strips of paper representing whole, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, and 1/8 in 15 minutes.

Hook:

The students will walk into the room and find a tray of brownies at the front of the classroom. They will wonder what they are for and be very curious. Once everyone has taken their seats explain to them that you are going to break them into different pieces to represent fractions of the whole. Have someone come up and cut the brownies in half. Once they have broken the brownies in half, tell them thank you and they will receive a brownie at the end. As the students watch this they will be eager to participate in the activity. This is an example of vicarious reinforcement. Once the children have all helped and observed give them all a fraction of the brownie. 

 

Task Analysis:

At the end of this activity, students will have explored their fraction strips and will understand what a numerator and denomenator of a fraction represents. They will also see the relationship between whole, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, and 1/8. They will also understand that the larger the denominator, the more parts the whole has been broken into.

1. First students will be given 6 sheets of different colored paper. Be sure that everyone knows that these pieces are whole pieces of paper. Have them write whole on one of the papers.
2. Next, model how to cut the one of the papers in half. Then, have the students cut one of the pieces in half and write 1/2 on both pieces of paper.
3. Do these same steps with each piece of paper.
4. As they cut the pieces of paper, be sure that they understand why they are writing the fractions on the paper.
5. After all of the pieces of paper are cut, have them explore the different sizes and the numbers that are written on the paper. Which piece is larger?
6. Explain what numerator and denominator are.
7. Why are the pieces of paper with the largest number on the bottom, smaller than the rest? Have them explore and answer this question.
8. At the end of the discussion all of the students will understand that the bigger the number on the bottom, the more parts the whole has been broken into

 

As students are doing all of these tasks, be sure to reinforce them at each step. You can tell them they are doing it correctly by using positive praise which is a form of positive reinforcement. This will help them get to the final goal. This is called shaping. As you are reinforcing them after each step, you are practicing a continuous reinforcement schedule.  If you decide to only reinforce some people at certain steps this is an example of intermittent reinforcement schedule. When you use this type of reinforcement they are more likely to maintain their behavior without expecting to be reinforced. If a student refuses to participate in the activity and won’t cut his paper, a private reprimand may be needed. While the class is working walk over to the student and talk to only that person so no one else can hear. This is important because it won’t embarrass the child in front of the whole class. 

TPACK questions

Content:
The content we used for our storyboard was 3rd Grade standard 1 Objective 2b, which says:
Use a variety of formats (e.g., drama, sharing of books, personal writings, choral readings, informational reports) in presenting with various forms of media (e.g., pictures, posters, charts, ads, newspapers). As students ready different books, and poems, they will have the opportunity of presenting them in various formats. One of them will be by making a storyboard and movie. They will compile pictures, words, and other forms of media to present in their movie.

Pedagogy:
We decided to do poetry interpretation. The children would pick a poem that they had read for that particluar unit, and then they can collect different pictures that represent the interpretation of their poem. They can also draw pictures of what they think is appropriate for their poem. They will be able to present their poems when the project is complete.

Technology:
Children will use a program called photostory to complete their project. They will take all of the pictures that they have collected or drawn and put them together to make a movie. They will be able to use the software to make a slide show of their pictures, add voice over, and music.

Storyboard

Cognition Lesson Plan: Fun with Fractions

3^rd Grade Standard 1 Objective 2 

Objective: Students will understand that the larger the denominator, the more parts the whole is being divided into.  

Lesson:

Sensory Memory. (hook) To get the concept of fractions into the students sensory memory, have a large cookie at the front of the room. Show that as the whole cookie. Then have examples of the cookie being broken down into all sorts of different fractions all the way down to 1/8 of a cookie. They will be able to see, taste, and smell the cookie so that it will briefly be in their sensory memory. You will be able to grab their attention because it is a cookie and most kids love anything that has to do with sugar!  

Working/Short-term Memory. Next, show each of the students what a whole looks like. For example, show them a whole piece of paper. (provide each student with a piece of paper so they can do this activity with you) Then divide it into two pieces and explain that the paper is now 2 halves. They have divided the paper in half. Continue to do this process until you have gotten to 1/8 of a sheet of paper. This is just to introduce the activity and get the idea into their working memory. They will have seen the each of the fractions, but chances are that it won’t stay in their memory for long. (This is an example of mass practice because they are practicing the concepts all at once) 

Long Term Memory. To get the information in the children’s long term memory the teacher will have the students do one last activity. For this activity you will use the loci method. Take the children outside. Also, take a white board and marker outside so you can show them each fraction. Have the children split into halves. Make sure that each group is far enough away from each other so it is obvious. Next, have them split again into fourths. Continue doing this until you get to eighths. You can explain that every time the class is split they are going to have a larger number on the bottom and each part is smaller. Doing this will help the children remember the location they were at so that they can think back to it and remember what they did. The students have also used elaborationbecause they have performed the task themselves, and they have seen three different examples.  

Decay and Interference. To avoid interference and decay, be sure to review what the children have learned each day. The information is in their long term memory, but they will need to review and keep it active so that they will be able to retrieve what they have learned. 

Procedural Knowledge: The students have acquired procedural knowledge because they have performed tasks on their own that have to do with fractions. (The assessment for this lesson would be observing each of the children as they perform the task outside to make sure they understand the concept) 

Link to original lesson plan click here

Content, Pedagogy, Technology

The content that we focused on in our science lesson was friction. We wanted them to find out that rubbing objects together creates heat because of friction. 

The pedagogy we used was to have them explore the different materials for themselves. By exploring the subject by themselves, they are more likely to understand the concept. It is also more likely that they will be able to remember the information. It fits the content because they are exploring the different factors that determine the heat. 

The technology that they use is the temperature probe and the computer software. This is appropriate because it measures the temperature of the objects. They will be able to watch the temperature rise by watching the graph. This helps them understand what is happening when the objects are rubbed together. 

Tech Savvy Teacher Article

As your students and our students make their way through this new age of technology, who is there to teach them about technology? That is precisely why we, as teachers, are striving to achieve the title of “Tech Savvy Teacher”. We believe as Tech Savvy Teachers we will be able to prepare our students to enter into a world that relies heavily on technology. So, you ask, what is a “Tech Savvy Teacher”? A Tech Savvy Teacher knows how to use all kinds of technology tools to enhance the classroom. They also know how to use the tools to engage the children in their own learning. Not only does a Tech Savvy Teacher know how to use these technologies, but they also know how to access the newest technologies that are emerging every day.

(The graph and picture of rubbing with no lotion)

For our science activity we decided to explore temperature and friction. This falls in the 3^rd grade standard 5, objective 3, which is: Demonstrate that heat may be produced when objects are rubbed against one another. We used temperature probes, computer software, our hands, lotion, and carpet. First, we connected the temperature probes to the computer and let the software read the initial temperature, which was 23.7 degrees Celsius. Next, we rubbed our hands over the probe and took a picture of the reading, it rose to 29 degrees. In between each reading we let the probe cool down to the original temperature. Then, we saw the effects that lotion would have on the same procedure, by putting lotion on our hands and rubbing the probe between our hands, the reading this time was 31.2 degrees. Lastly, we rubbed the temperature probe on carpet. This showed the greatest increase in temperature, which was 34.1 degrees. This showed the heat than can be produced by varying amounts of friction.

(The graph and picture of rubbing with lotion)

Students would be able to explore friction and temperature to a greater degree with the technology of temperature probes. They would also be able to watch the graphs that were produced using the computer software. This data that they see on the graph can be collected and analyzed, leading to their own conclusion. Instead of just saying friction causes heat, they can see the actual numbers and the line on the graph that the measure of heat produces. This also provides a hands-on experience instead of having a teacher lecture the same material.

(Below is the graph and picture for rubbing the probe on the carpet)