I wasn't able to see math last week. We did work on making lists of how to complete a task. The student who completed this work is a student who struggles in most subjects. As you can see he has not mastered how to write on the lines yet. I would provide him with a sheet of paper that is not so confusing. I think this line paper is great for students who already have a strong understanding of writing. I would provide him with a sheet of paper that has very defined lines. This student does have an understanding of how to list events (first, next, then, last...). He was able to use the vocabulary the teacher provided which was peanut butter, jelly, 2 slices of bread, and knife. The student is not consistently spelling the words correctly. This is a problem because the words were posted on the black board so they could spell them correctly. I sense that this student does not enjoy school. My mentor teacher does not always try to connect what the students are learning to real life. If I were to change this assignment I would not have them only write the steps, but I would have them actually do the steps. I would allow each to student to pick one task that they wanted to teach the class. For example if I wanted to make a milk shake I would bring all of the supplies to class and actually show the class how to make the milkshake. Then we could write out the list. This is a much more meaningful way to create lists. Another way to help them understand how to use lists would be to reverse the order. I would give them a list of steps to make a milkshake and have them actually make the milkshake.
This is an interesting example...Even though it's not math, I see a lot of connections. For example, conventions like writing in the lines, spelling words correctly, etc., are really just procedural elements or conventions of the task that do not really get at the "big idea", which seems to be about putting / describing things in order. Are there ways you could differentiate this task? What other ways might you see if the student can describe or express how something is to be followed in order? Your idea about having them demonstrate is one good idea. Picking an example of something they already know is another.
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