Project Based Learning Lesson Plan - Essay Example

Project Based Learning Lesson Plan of the Lesson: Healthy Self Grade Level: 2 Life Sciences Prepared by: _____________ Overview This project is all about making the children understand the components that make one healthy. The project is all about giving the children the opportunity to practice what makes one healthy. The children are expected to be engaged in various activities such as the provision of a healthy diet, physical exercises, massages, and aerobics and so on. It will be a classroom project, converting the class into a wellness centre and conducting the following: massages, wellness counselling physicals, aerobics class and healthy snacks. The whole project has three phases. The first phase has no practical work, but the second and the last involve a lot of practical exercises. The whole project is based on evidence that project based learning improves learning. Standards This lesson is associated with the following national education standards: That students should: Understand disease prevention and health promotion related concepts, Understand the role of the family, culture, technology, peers, media, and other factors in health behaviours, Know how to reduce health risks and improve health, and demonstrate their ability to use interpersonal skills in such quests Develop appropriate skills that they can use to access products and services and valid information to improve health Develop decision making skills to improve health Gain the ability to practice health promoting behaviours that contribute to reduction of health risks Develop goal setting skills for the purpose of improving health, and Develop the ability to advocate for community, personal and family health (The Nemours Foundation 2011). Goals The aim of this lesson plan is to provide the children with knowledge and practical skills on how to maintain a healthy body. It will also help the children understand the importance of being healthy in disease prevention and treatment. Objectives The children will identify healthy eating habits The children will identify practices that contribute to one being healthy The children will practice what they have been taught Carry out a class project giving the children the opportunity to express their knowledge about the lesson Materials Toy medical check-up facilities, a spa, an aerobic workout centre, and a snack shop. Other resources A paediatrician, a yoga instructor, a psychiatrist, a massage therapist, and Introduction This is a class to be carried out after the winter break, and this will present a perfect opportunity for the teacher to initiate a discussion about health. So many people come to school with common ailments such as sneezing, coughing and flu. The teacher will introduce the topic about being healthy and discuss with the children how one can maintain a good health. There are three phases of this project; the first phase introduces the topic and gets the children engaged. The second phase involves some exposure to the activities that lead to good health, and the last phase is the actual practical expecting children to be involved in the same activities that they had seen (Klein & Farooq, 2013). Development There are three stages of the project. The first stage aims at familiarizing the issue of healthy self to the children. It will be about getting them to understand the concept. The teacher can give an example; “I eat fruits to maintain a healthy diet. A healthy diet makes me healthy”. The teacher should evaluate the level of knowledge on the topic. The children should give examples of their activities at home. This phase will end with directions for the next phase. The children will be encouraged to ask questions about how their activities contribute to good health. These will be documented and kept for the next lesson (Klein & Farooq, 2013). The second phase: The teacher should try and explain how the activities contribute to good health as an introductory part before inviting guest experts to help the children understand the concept. Each guest will be expected to show some practical work demonstrating how an activity contributes to good health. The teacher should ensure that the children understand the concept of each activity’s contribution to good health. The children should be able to comprehend the role of the paediatrician and why he is important for one to see a paediatrician in order to remain healthy. They should be able to understand the role of Yoga, massage, and the role of a psychiatrist. The children will visit a local health club for them to see and experience various health fitness activities. Specific focus will be on how to give exercises, the spa where massage is given, and the café. The teacher should be able to convene a meeting with these experts before the class session and review their mini projects before class time. The last phase now gets the children engaged in the real activities they saw before. The class will be turned into a health wellness centre and given specific roles to perform. For example, some will be psychiatrists; some can be doctors while others take various health fitness positions (Klein & Farooq, 2013). Practice Before the practice, parents and some teachers will be invited to come for services from the children. They will act as the clients looking for ‘healthy self’ services. The children will be divided into groups and each group assigned duties according to their setting. These will be a spa, a café, offices for doctors, physical fitness consultants, massage therapist, and a Yoga instructor. Parents will be expected to pay for specific services they will seek. Parents and teachers will also be divided into groups for the exercise (Klein & Farooq, 2013). Assessment After phase two students will be expected to have knowledge on what exercises are appropriate. The students will be given group assignments to research on questions they came up with through phase 2. These will be shared in class through graphs, charts and surveys. The teacher will observe and supervise the children’s activities while in stage three. He will take notes of the children’s progress in understanding this project. The teacher can also assess the impact of the project on the children’s lives and lifestyles (Klein & Farooq, 2013). Lesson plan template obtained from (Teacher Planet) Why Project Based Learning Will Work to Improve Student Learning There is evidence showing the project based learning has important effects on student learning. They understand concepts based on what they see and practice and can apply such skills in real life. This explains the lesson plan above. The children will be exposed to real live experiences on how to be healthy. This has been conducted before and was revealed to have a long-term effect on their lifestyle. The children were seen packing healthy snacks and lunches. The approach taken for the project is also an effective way of learning. Phase one introduces the children to the concept; phase two gives the children a chance to see and experience the components of healthy self, and phase three gives them a chance to express their knowledge and enhance understanding. According to the Edutopia Staff (2014), the current society is characterised by a complex technology and new systems. The old learning model is no longer enough for students survival in the current changing society. Project based learning provides students with skills they will need to survive in today’s world. The topic handled in the lesson plan is ‘healthy self. There are different systems, and professions that work together to ensure people live healthy. The above project will enhance the children’s understanding of healthy self in the current society, than just letting them recite the facts. The children will learn about social and personal responsibility; strong communication skills for presentation and interpersonal needs; planning, reasoning, critical thinking and creativity, visualization and decision making; and how to use technology. These are very important skills in the process of learning. References Daily Lesson Plan Template No.1, Teacher Planet. Retrieved from: http://www.lessonplans4teachers.com/daily_lesson_1.php Edutopia Staff. (2014). Why Is Project-Based Learning Important? Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-guide-importance Klein, C. and Farooq, S. (2013). 1st Grade My Healthy Self Project. Retrieved from: http://www.dukeschool.org/podium/default.aspx?t=152031&rc=0 The Nemours Foundation. (2011). Healthy Snacking. Personal Health Series. Retrieved from: http://classroom.kidshealth.org/classroom/prekto2/personal/nutrition/healthy_snacking.pdf Read More