EEND 676B: Artifact #1 Reflection

One artifact from this class that I really enjoyed creating and implementing was my Human Body Lesson.  I created this lesson for Module 6: Writing and Assessing a Collaborative Task. While creating this lesson I chose to use the Gallery Walk discussion strategy to introduce my students to the content that they would be using. Students were divided into small groups. Each group had to move to the 6 Gallery stations, read information about a different body system and take notes about the system in their science journals. Next, students worked collaboratively to create a Google Slide deck. Each slide focused on one of the body stems and students had to identify the function of the body and explain how that system is necessary for students to be able to rock climb, their current gym class activity. Students also were asked to comment on the work of their peers and self evaluate themselves on a provided rubric. 

While creating this lesson, one of the greatest challenges I had was being able to assess how well students collaborated on the project. I want all students to have some responsibility for completing the Google Slide deck, however I did not want to dictate how this would look for the different students. While assessing this aspect of the assignment, I looked at both student self evaluations on the rubric as well as looked at the version history on the document to see what each student contributed. This helped me to have a better understanding of each team members' role. 

I used this lesson during my science class on our Human Body unit. The lesson took place over 3 different class sessions. Students were actively engaged in the content and were excited to work with their peers on the project. I was happy with the completed assignment and the way that students had understood the information. I think this project shows how much I have learned through this class. Students truly worked collaboratively while completing this assignment. Students were all able to access the content at the same time and work simultaneously on the project. I am so proud of the work of my students. I am excited to use this lesson again next year and modify it to fit other content areas later this year.