Reflective Essay on English Lesson Plan

Introduction

One of the principles on which the English curriculum is based is that the child learns through language, that he/she can use language to clarify images and so facilitate the cognitive organisation of concepts and ideas. The writing process is an integral part of the language learning process as it allows the child to develop their expressive and communicative abilities to their full potential. This process is as important as what is produced because it is only through consistent practice in using this process that children learn to write and to write effectively. Writing is not a natural form of self expression for children and they may feel they need to complete more than one draft to get their work to a presentable state. As a teacher I feel it is important to offer considerable encouragement and guidance in this area, to instil confidence in the child's writing, to help develop accuracy and expressive abilities, to stimulate them to want to improve their writing efforts, thus becoming independent writers. For this reason I feel that enabling the child to refine ideas and their expression through drafting and redrafting is a vital learning experience in the child's development.

Learning experiences must be enjoyed. Quality learning is when students are captivated and enthused by what they are learning. For this reason I chose the stimulus of a great Irish poet and an evocative poem which fitted the clothing theme, but also sets a wonderfully creative and imaginative tone which would effectively capture the children's attention and set their poetic brains in motion.

Learning is also an active process – a product of doing rather than receiving and it must be linked to prior knowledge. This lesson plan is part of a block of lessons that would be taught over four weeks where previous lessons would have touched on similar topics giving them ample vocabulary and experience to tackle the task of writing a simple 3 line poem. Extensive oral language on the topic is completed through class discussion at the beginning of the lesson. Activity is in observing the teacher complete the task first to understand why drafting is so important, writing a first draft, working with peers and conferencing with teacher to redraft, and then a final draft of high standard is prepared for publishing before being presented to the class.

Finally we reflect on the success of the drafting process and record what was learned enabling the class to monitor and review the learning experience.

The initial class group discussion invites children to offer their thoughts and opinions in a respectful manner and also to value the opinions of others. This also applies to the think, pair, share setting. After the initial group brainstorming, the child has to develop their own ideas about what they want to write about and get these down on paper. He then shares this with his friend and the teacher must be clear in stating that criticism is constructive

The redrafting skill is very clearly explained and broken down by the teacher. A model of redrafting is completed for the class on the whiteboard with the advice on corrections coming from the children. This demonstration is explicit in its teachings of the new skill. The teacher holds mini conferences with children to ensure an understanding has been gained and teacher asks if "anybody has any questions?" and if "everybody understands what they are doing?" It is of utmost importance that children can grasp the concept of drafting, editing and redrafting as it is at the heart of the writing process and a vital learning experience

Assessment is conducted through a number of techniques to qualify the learning experience. Firstly the teacher observes the children writing the initial draft and makes notes on how each is performing. This will decide who is paired with whom and who may be able to complete redrafting on their own. Self assessment by the children is another important tool. If they begin to understand the mistakes they make this will lead to greater ownership for their work and eventually lead them to become independent writers. Peer editing provides a great learning experience when performed correctly and respectfully. Children