Annotation, Reflection and Narrative on the Lesson Plans

This article provides an annotation, reflection, and narrative on the lesson plans for teaching capacity to Grade 1 students. It includes pedagogical approaches, alignment with the Australian Curriculum, and suggestions for improvement.

Running head: ANNOTATION, REFLECTION AND NARRATIVE ON THE LESSON PLAN
ANNOTATION, REFLECTION AND NARRATIVE ON THE LESSON PLANS
Name of thee student
Name of the university
Author note

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ANNOTATION, REFLECTION AND NARRATIVE ON THE LESSON PLANS
ANNOTAIONS:
Lesson Plan 1:
Introducing students to the concept of ‘capacity’, as the lesson objective demonstrates
alignment with the Australian Curriculum Achievement Standards for Year 1.
Active and Inquiry Based approach has been demonstrated through the instructions. For
example, asking students to give thumbs up and thumbs down to show which object can hold
something.
This pedagogical approach is appropriate for the Year 1 students learning math because it
allows them to involve actively in the learning rather than just listening and observing the
teacher.
Asking students to compare containers such as glass, showing them p/p slide images of
capacity and asking questions about the size variations bring out the literacy and numeracy
abilities of the students.
Lesson Plan 2:
Coherency between the lesson plans is demonstrated in the lesson objective where
students are expected to demonstrate knowledge of capacity by comparing containers.
The fourth instruction in this lesson plan demonstrates the pedagogical practice of
creating the conditions for group work and planning activities that have clear learning goals
The underlying perspective here is to encourage peer-to-peer interaction and
collaboration to let students value and respect each other’s work

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ANNOTATION, REFLECTION AND NARRATIVE ON THE LESSON PLANS
The numeracy learning abilities of the students are explored by making them measure
spoon/cup of sand and their literacy learning needs are addressed by asking the students to record
their measurements in the sheet of paper
Lesson Plan 3:
Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is demonstrated in the lesson
plan where students are shown video clips demonstrating capacity. ICT tools help improve
traditional pedagogical approaches and incorporate a ‘learner-centric’ learning environment.
The lesson plans aligns with the Australian Curriculum Year 1 content descriptions for
Measurement and Geometry where students’ ability to measure and compare the capacities are
explored.
The lesson plan incorporates peer-to-peer collaboration and instructional learning which
is evident from the assessment or differentiated learning considerations.
The literacy and numeracy learning needs of the students are met in the lesson plan by
asking them to keep count of the number of cubes needed to fill a container with unifix cubes.
REFLECTION:
Lesson Plan 1:
Throughout the first lesson plan, I have made use of real life objects like different
containers and vessels to let them understand the concept of capacity. The active and inquiry
based learning requires students to engage in learning process by actively participating and not
just listening. I would have explained clearly the instructions in clearly demarcating the
‘capacity’ from other terms.

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ANNOTATION, REFLECTION AND NARRATIVE ON THE LESSON PLANS
Lesson Plan 2:
The second lesson plan that I have developed incorporates the assessment and feedback
approach of teaching where I will be observing the students when they carry out the activities.
However, I would have changed the approach of treating a misbehaving child in the classroom
and incorporate another approach which values the contribution of each student equally. As
Gregory et al, (2016) points out, teachers must understand and value each aspect of the student
and then take an action. Misbehaving students must be treated equally, which would make them
feel that they too have an important contribution in the class. In addition, I would have added the
instruction to ask the students about the concept of ‘space’ or ‘volume’, which is a necessary
element in capacity.
Lesson Plan 3:
While preparing the third lesson, I have followed Bloom’s Taxonomy o f higher thinking
where I have incorporated a section where the students are required to revisit the reasoning
behind the different activities undertaken in the previous lesson. According to Bloom’s
Taxonomy, students are allowed to remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate and create
new knowledge learned in each activity.
I have prepared the lesson plans as per the needs of the students studying in Grade 1,
keeping in mind their cognitive and physical capability. However, I have also aligned the lesson
plans with the Early Years Learning Framework (ELYF) Learning Outcomes 4 and 5. The
Learning Outcome 4 states, “Children are confident and involved learners”, while the Learning
Outcome 5 states, “Children are effective communicators (Education.gov.au, 2018). As it can be
seen, the lesson plans I have developed allow the children to solve complex problems, research,

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ANNOTATION, REFLECTION AND NARRATIVE ON THE LESSON PLANS
investigate, and communicate effectively with their teachers and peers. In addition, I must have
included learning plans that would have ensured a safe learning environment for students coming
from diverse backgrounds.
NARRATIVE:
The lesson plans that I have chosen for reviewing are based on the mathematical learning
for students of Grade 1. All the three lesson plans are sequenced according to the needs and
capacity of the students these lesson plans mainly focus on measurement part of mathematics
where students are taught the concept of ‘capacity’. In the entire three lessons planning, I have
tried to incorporate the numerous learning and teaching approaches. Some of these include
assessment and feedback, facilitating group or tea-based learning and active and inquiry based
learning. I have used these approaches because I believe that teaching mathematics at Grade 1
level should not be confined only to academic teaching; it must include active and interactive
learning.
In the world of teaching, many scholars and professors have made immense contribution
and I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to read their works. While preparing the lesson
plans, I have taken care of the fact that teaching mathematics to the students of Grade 1 should
involve interaction and technology collaboration. O'Flaherty and Phillips (2015) have found in
their study on students with limited cognitive ability that the interactive teaching practice yields
the best results. Students in a Grad 1 classroom must be given different tasks that expose their
skills. Tasks such as the ones mentioned in the lesson plans I have prepared, give them the
opportunity to learn and grow while having fun. Powers et al. (2016) have further found that
teachers, who review the works of their colleagues in terms of preparing lesson plans, help them

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ANNOTATION, REFLECTION AND NARRATIVE ON THE LESSON PLANS
pin point the effective strategies for the math classroom. I too have analyzed the works of my
colleagues prior to making the lesson plans that have helped me cover the most important parts
of the subject. Nonetheless, I must say that the reviewing I had done was limited and hence
certain loopholes have been found. In case of the learning and teaching approaches, Ottmar et al.
(2015) have found Responsive Classroom Approach as an effective way to teach mathematics to
Grade 1 students. According to the author, teachers who use this approach of teaching have
yielded better results and student improvements. Pedaste et al. (2015) however are of the view
that active learning improves students’ performance not only in mathematics but also in other
related subjects such as science. On the other hand, Freeman et al. (2014) talk about the
importance of feedback as an essential element for improving students’ performance especially
in mathematics. The authors view that continuous feedback from the teachers at every stage of
the lesson would allow the students to rectify their mistakes at the instance. Therefore, the
approach that I have employed for the students to teach mathematics has the efficiency to
produce better results.
The comments or annotations that I have given to my lesson plans reveal that certain
aspects of mathematical pedagogy for Grade 1 students should have been included. The review
of literature has given me the opportunity to learn in depth about the effective pedagogical
strategies in math classroom, which I shall implement in the future if given another opportunity.
I shall end with the satisfaction that I have been able to produce quality works with minimum
flaws and have encompassed almost all the elements of the Australian Curriculum.

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ANNOTATION, REFLECTION AND NARRATIVE ON THE LESSON PLANS
References:
Education.gov.au. (2018). Early Years Learning Framework | Department of Education and
Training. Retrieved from https://www.education.gov.au/early-years-learning-framework-
0
Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., &
Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science,
engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415.
Gregory, A., Clawson, K., Davis, A., & Gerewitz, J. (2016). The promise of restorative practices
to transform teacher-student relationships and achieve equity in school
discipline. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 26(4), 325-353.
O'Flaherty, J., & Phillips, C. (2015). The use of flipped classrooms in higher education: A
scoping review. The internet and higher education, 25, 85-95.
Ottmar, E. R., Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., Larsen, R. A., & Berry, R. Q. (2015). Mathematical
knowledge for teaching, standards-based mathematics teaching practices, and student
achievement in the context of the responsive classroom approach. American Educational
Research Journal, 52(4), 787-821.
Pedaste, M., Mäeots, M., Siiman, L. A., De Jong, T., Van Riesen, S. A., Kamp, E. T., ... &
Tsourlidaki, E. (2015). Phases of inquiry-based learning: Definitions and the inquiry
cycle. Educational research review, 14, 47-61.

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Powers, S., Kaniuka, T., Phillips, B., & Cain, B. (2016). The impact of teacher-lead professional
development programs on the self-efficacy of veteran teachers. Journal of Research
Initiatives, 2(1), 16.