Field Experience Journal

We taught 5 social studies lessons in our cooperating classroom. 4 of which were a part of the Mountain Man and American Indian time frame. However one of our lessons was based on a more modern perspective for Veterans Day. Overall the lessons went very well. The students had a really good time and so did we.

Lesson 1 – Indian Dwellings - 6 Nov. 2008

With this one we started with the students in groups and they read from a publication put out for students of Utah history called Utah Studies Weekly. Each group read something different and after talking about it in their group we “jigsawwed” them and gave them each time to share with their new group what their original group had read. After this, back in their original groups, they built a model of the dwelling typically used by the American Indian group they had just read about. Finally they had to place their model on a large cut out of Utah in the region where their American Indian group lived.
There were a lot of things that went well. The premade publication that we were able to use helped keep it on their level, with the unit they were already working on, and with reading materials they were used to using. They loved the art project and were so excited to get to take their model home to show their parents. I was not able to get brush (leaves, twigs, etc.) for supplies to prepare for the lesson because it had snowed the night before but it turned out to be a positive because by the time we did the lesson the snow had melted and we were able to take them outside to gather their own brush which they thought was the best.
There were quite a few things that could have gone better though. When we divided them up we just numbered each group starting at 1 each time. Well 3 groups had one less person than the rest so in the new groups one of the groups only had 3 less people and so I had to join that group and fill them in on the 3 American Indian groups they missed. Also one of the models was much harder to do than the rest so one group got stuck staying longer while the other students read. I had to spend the whole art time of it working very closely with them and just let Jessica take care of the rest.

Lesson 2 – Mountain Man Store - 7 Nov. 2008

We moved on to the mountain men after our last lesson. With this one we had a large box of Mountain Man stuff on loan from the district. It was great. We had an idea of what we wanted to do and wrote a lesson plan to go with it but then getting a closer look at the stuff from the district found it wouldn’t work so we had to change it all. Instead we took these equipment cards and gave each one to a student with the actual artifact that some of the cards had. Each of the students had to read their card and come up with a store name and reasons why a mountain man would need or want this item with them. Then one student got to be the Mountain Man and walk “from store to store” and the students would try and sell their item to the Mountain Man.
We were really worried how we were going to pick the lucky student who got to be the Mountain Man but when we were about to pick one a student who had been at resource returned so instead of having to explain everything to her on the assignment we decided it should just be her. They had a great time being little salesmen.
Things that didn’t go so hot though were, it was really hard to hear most of the students because they wouldn’t speak up. Also some of the students were upset that their piece of equipment didn’t come with the real thing.

Lesson 3 – Veterans Day - 11 Nov. 2008

This one was our Media Rich Lesson so please see next post down for info on this one.

Lesson 4 – Problems with Traveling Now and Then - 13 Nov. 2008

This whole lesson was based off a worksheet provided by the activity book they use with their Social Studies. We did parts of it with the students, they did some with a group, and they answered the final question on their own.
The worksheet was very clear. The students had a great time brainstorming ideas and sharing them. We were able to locate within a page or two a lot of ideas so the students didn’t have to read the whole chapter to do the work. The funny thing was it surprised Jessica and I in the end because we thought the finally questions was written wrong but after actually doing the whole thing it really did work out.
Some things that didn’t work were we wrote the rubric backwards asking for more differences than similarities when it should have been the other way around. Also I had some problems with spelling homonyms as I was writing words on the “bored.” That was funny when no one noticed it until it was written on everyone’s paper.

Lesson 5 – Individual Mountain Men - 19 Nov. 2008

We started with a short lecture by me on Jim Bridger. Then we had groups of students each read about a different Mountain Man from their Utah Studies Weekly. After they had some time to discuss among their group, each group came up in front of the class and gave a short lecture on their Mountain Man.
The groups did a really good job. They had lots of ideas and no one was really seemed to be shy or embarrassed.
Again we had problems with them not speaking up loud enough. Also some of the groups just read straight from their paper without putting it in their own words.