Lesson # 5 Reflection

This was the fifth lesson that Grace and I taught together. This week, we focused on Japanese culture. We began the lesson with a Blooket review, which the students responded to very well—they were highly engaged throughout the activity. After finishing the Blooket questions, we transitioned into introducing new vocabulary words related to the topic of culture. We handed out the vocabulary cards for students to add to their key rings. Each student took a turn reading a term and its definition aloud. Next, we read a folktale titled The Star Festival by Moni Ritchie Hadley and Mizuho Fujisawa, taking turns as readers. To continue exploring the theme of culture, we had the students watch a short video on their Chromebooks with headphones. If any students finished early, they were instructed to take notes on anything new they learned from the video. Afterward, we moved into our “Needs, Wants, and Culture” picture sort activity. For this, I held up pictures representing elements of Japanese culture. Students then determined whether each element represented a need, a want, or both. They were very engaged during this activity, and everyone had a turn to paste a picture onto the poster board we prepared. We concluded the activity by gathering the class on the rug and doing a quick brain break—a silent movement game in which students passed a ball to one another without speaking. After the brain break, we realized we were running short on time, so we transitioned straight into the origami activity. This took up the remainder of the lesson. The students followed directions well and successfully created their own origami boats. Once everyone finished, we cleaned up the materials as it was the end of the lesson.

Overall, the lesson went very well. Our biggest strength was the inclusion of hands-on activities that kept the students actively engaged. They thrive when learning involves movement and visuals. The main weakness, however, was time management. We had many activities planned but not enough time to complete them all. We had hoped to include primary sources but realized with only 25 minutes left that we needed to move directly to the origami activity.

Of the three learning outcomes, only one was fully addressed within the lesson timeframe. That objective stated: “Students will analyze how human needs and wants influence development and change in societies and cultures by completing a ‘Needs, Wants, and Culture in Japan’ chart and through exploration of primary and secondary sources.” All of the students met this objective, engaging thoughtfully when identifying whether elements of Japanese culture represented needs, wants, or both.

I learned a lot from this experience. First, I learned that students are more engaged when brain breaks are well-timed. When students have been sitting for a while with minimal movement or visuals, that’s the ideal moment to introduce a brain break. These short breaks help them reset and refocus on learning. I also learned that visuals greatly enhance student understanding. The “Needs, Wants, and Culture” chart was very effective, especially because it mirrored the layout of the “Goods and Services” chart from the previous week, providing a sense of familiarity.

This experience will continue to shape my professional identity by reminding me why I chose to pursue teaching in the first place. At times, I can feel overwhelmed by coursework and assignments, but teaching experiences like this remind me of my true goal—becoming an educator. Moving forward, I will plan lessons that include a variety of movement-based activities and brain breaks to maintain student engagement. I will also make use of colorful visuals and anchor charts to support understanding. Additionally, I plan to incorporate frequent formative assessments, as they are low-pressure and provide valuable insights into student learning. I especially enjoy formative assessments that promote group collaboration, as they foster both learning and community within the classroom.