Lesson Reflection: Purple, Green and Yellow

I always think that creating a hook for a lesson is a little bit difficult. However, the hook I did for today’s lesson was able to capture the students, and it really made them excited. I drew a smiley face on my palm and asked them to guess if it’s going to come off or not. Some said yes and some said no. Then I told them that I am going to read a story to them about drawing with markers. A few students knew the story, and some recognized the title. They were focused and engaged right from the beginning.

The students were very involved as I read, and they came closer and closer to look at the pictures. I stopped at the climax of the story, and I found that this is very effective, because they really wanted to know what is happening next. Even the students who have read it before wanted to listen to the whole story.
After I stopped reading, I asked them to think about what happened in the story and guess what might happen next. I wanted them to write a short summary of the story and write their own ending. I think I still need to work on giving instructions, because sometimes the words do not come out as I wish. Some students thought that it would be hard to retell the story and write an ending. Then Ms. Carson helped me explain to them that they can write two sentences about what happened in the story, and then write one or two sentences for their ending. I need to practice putting things simple and straight-forward so they understand exactly what to do. However, I also need to be careful not to restrict them by giving directions that are too specific.

I think the lesson went well, but I made a mistake. While I wrote down the names of the characters and words that they might need, I spelled “invisible” wrong. I did not notice it until afterwards. What should I do if it happens again next time? Should I go back and tell them that I made a spelling mistake, after they all handed in their work? I haven’t thought about it previously, but I should start thinking about it.