The Planning Process for Fieldwork

The planning process is always a very lengthy process in order to create engaging lessons that are meaningful for students. I was in group 3 with two of my classroom peers. We were assigned to focus on the earth science aspect of science. When reviewing the textbook that the students were referring to in that classroom, we realized that there were many aspects of earth science and it was difficult to pick just one. I remember looking at a section about the three types of rocks and I felt that this would be a fun topic to explore. I always liked this specific topic of earth science during the early years of my education. After some discussion with my peers, we all agreed on focusing on the three types of rocks. 

Before we could start making the lessons, we needed to re-fresh our minds about the three types of rocks. We knew that we needed to teach specific information about each type of rock to the class in our direct instruction lesson. We each chose one type of rock and used the textbook and research articles in order to learn more about the type of rock. I explored more about metamorphic rocks. We would each find information, make notes, and condense it into the PowerPoint on Google Slides. This was a great PowerPoint Tool because we could each work on whenever we wanted and could see what we each contributed. 

After finding all of our information, we started planning what guided practice activities we would do for the direct instruction and what the activity would be for the indirect/inquiry instruction. We researched many different activities and added a twist of our own style to what we found. Everything else that came with planning for the lesson plans and activities came from us being in constant contact with one another. We would work individually and then meet up constantly to share our ideas and make sure that they flow. 

Making sure that each group member had a role was an important part of the planning process. By doing this, each person in the group is participating and bringing new ideas. We also learned that working on the lessons early on also benefited us. Lesson plans take a lot of hard work and dedication. A lesson will only be effective and engaging to students if a lot of hard work and time are put into them.