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Trade Tales Reflection

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Lesson Plan

Trade Tales Reflection

Students will reflect on their one-week shop experiences using guided prompts to identify skills learned, challenges faced, safety practices followed, and set goals for future growth.

Regular reflection deepens students’ understanding of their trade, reinforces safety habits, highlights areas for improvement, and empowers them to take ownership of their hands-on learning.

Audience

9th Grade Vocational Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Structured reflection with sentence starters and group discussion.

Materials

Reflection Worksheet, Pens or Pencils, and Projector or Whiteboard

Prep

Prepare Reflection Materials

10 minutes

  • Print enough copies of Reflection Worksheet or upload it to your LMS.
  • Review each sentence starter to anticipate student needs.
  • Preview common shop tasks to provide context during discussion.
  • Queue up prompts on projector or whiteboard if using digital display.

Step 1

Introduction

5 minutes

  • Explain the purpose of reflection: to improve skills, reinforce safety, and recognize growth.
  • Highlight how thinking about challenges and successes accelerates learning in any trade.
  • Display the first three prompts on the board as examples.

Step 2

Guided Reflection

15 minutes

  • Distribute the Reflection Worksheet.
  • Ask students to complete as many prompts as they can in complete sentences:
    • Today, I learned how to…
    • One challenge I faced…
    • I used these tools…
    • The most important skill I practiced…
    • I solved a problem by…
    • I felt confident when I…
    • Something new I discovered…
    • If I could do this again, I would…
    • This experience taught me that…
    • I worked with others by…
    • The safety rule I followed was…
    • I improved my skills by…
    • I was proud of my work because…
    • I need more practice with…
    • This trade interests me because…
  • Circulate to support students needing clarification or additional time (ELL supports, sentence starters).
  • Encourage use of shop terminology and safety language.

Step 3

Sharing and Discussion

8 minutes

  • Invite 3–4 volunteers to read one reflection aloud.
  • Facilitate discussion on emerging themes:
    • Common challenges and solutions
    • Key safety practices
    • Skills they’d like to develop further
  • Acknowledge strong insights and model how to build on peer ideas.

Step 4

Wrap-Up and Assessment

2 minutes

  • Emphasize that reflection is a tool for continuous improvement.
  • Collect worksheets to review depth of thought and understanding.
  • Note common needs to tailor future shop lessons or safety reviews.
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Worksheet

Trade Tales Reflection Worksheet

Name: ____________________________




Date: ____________________________




Instructions

Use the sentence starters below to reflect on your shop experience. Write in complete sentences, include specific details, trade vocabulary, and mention any safety practices you followed.


  1. Today, I learned how to…






  1. One challenge I faced while working on this project was…






  1. I used these tools or materials to…






  1. The most important skill I practiced today was…






  1. I solved a problem by…






  1. I felt confident when I…






  1. Something new I discovered about this trade is…






  1. If I could do this task again, I would…






  1. This experience taught me that…






  1. I worked with others by…






  1. The safety rule I followed was…






  1. I improved my skills by…






  1. I was proud of my work because…






  1. I need more practice with…






  1. This trade interests me because…







Take your time and think deeply about each prompt. Your reflections will help guide your future growth in the shop!

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