Reflection

Reflection: Cooking- In the Kitchen –

Hannah Liss, Adam Penney, Iesha Burns, Maggie Davis




 * Does the unit demonstrate the capacity for purposeful and engaging instruction? (Consider Ayers’ //Liberating the Curriculum//)

The unit allows for total exploration of the topic. Students get to be hands-on for most of the lesson, providing for a student-centered classroom. The students are actively engaged in the lesson. Expectations for students are high, and the students get a chance to interact on multiple levels of Garner’s and Bloom’s. The work is linked to a topic that everyone is familiar with and knows something about. It opens up students to other cultures and increases their awareness of ethnicities other than their own. We are very proud of our unit, and think it is a success! 


 * Comment on some of the high points, challenges and difficulties encountered in planning and teaching an integrated curriculum unit.

Some of the high points we experienced during our CUP project were: doing the research for our individual lessons, student reaction during our presentation, and maintaining good organizing with our collaboration. The research was fun and encouraging and kept us all excited about our lessons. The positive reaction we received from the students was icing on the cake, and the great reward for all of our hard work. Working beyond our limits pushed all of us into a new level that was actually enjoyable. It was a very positive experience to discover we could do good work outside of our comfort zone. We all seemed very comfortable working on our own lesson plans but learned patience and great collaboration skills. The main challenge we experienced was the conflicts with all of our schedules, however we resolved them without much issue. Another challenge that eventually worked itself out was answering the question of “how do we tie all of the lessons together?” Once we did the planning, the work and our meetings together congealed the lesson plan into a unit. Overall, each of us had a very positive experience. 


 * Comment on some of your peers’ reactions to your project.

The students enjoyed the first activity of the admit slip because it allowed them to voice their own opinion. It was engaging and incorporated each of our topics instead of focusing on one. They also enjoyed the primary activity of making the trail mix and getting to create it on their own and eat a product they made. Our peers said they felt that the lesson kept them involved and woke them up. It tied the theory of cooking into the lesson very well. We got unanimous fives around the board. We’re so happy it was as much for them as it was for us!

[|CUP Reflection-Cooking.docx]