Objective 3
Identify and effectively address literacy needs of their students
DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION:
Teaching literacy is not something that the English or language arts teacher does alone. Literacy is taught across subjects and at almost all times during the school day. Helping students to read a math story problem and comprehend what they are reading, being able to put it into numbers and figure out the problem...that is teaching literacy! As a social studies and language arts teacher being able to identify and effectively address the literacy needs of my students is crucial if I am to have success in the classroom. Simple observation goes a long way, especially paired with checklists that help you stay focused on one or two main reading or writing skills at a time. In a middle school social studies classroom there is quite a bit of reading and writing, giving ample time to carefully observe each student.
ARTIFACTS:
I have included three artifacts for this objective. The first is a basic Classroom Reading Observation chart that can be used in any subject. The observation chart covers comprehension, fluency, and self-correction. Each page has two identical observation charts so the teacher can keep a running record (with periodical observations) of each student’s reading abilities. This observation is quick and can easily be done in class (without the student knowing) while the student reads aloud for a large or small group.
The second artifact is an activity called Reading Tic-Tac-Toe. This activity covers before, during, and after reading exercises for students reading longer stories or chapter books. Since I plan to integrate reading, social studies, and language arts as much as possible in my classroom I thought that this would be a great activity for my students. They get a choice of activities to complete, which allows them to choose activities that will align with their learning styles and abilities; hopefully inducing creativity and originality. The Before-reading activities concentrate on prior knowledge. They ask the reader to make predictions, explain what they already know, or find unfamiliar words and define them. The During-reading activities require readers to think and record information as they are reading. The activities include making text-to-self connections, sequencing the chain of events, or recording characters (their descriptions and roles in the story). The After-reading activities require students to think critically about the story. They ask students to create a poster-board, write a letter to the author, or rewrite the ending of the story.
The third artifact is a collection of graphic organizers I created for use in my classroom. I believe middle school students benefit greatly from graphic organizers! They allow the student to separate and dissect information or concepts into manageable or understandable chunks, categorizing or labeling, analyzing and comparing, breaking it down and making it visual.
Identify and effectively address literacy needs of their students
DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION:
Teaching literacy is not something that the English or language arts teacher does alone. Literacy is taught across subjects and at almost all times during the school day. Helping students to read a math story problem and comprehend what they are reading, being able to put it into numbers and figure out the problem...that is teaching literacy! As a social studies and language arts teacher being able to identify and effectively address the literacy needs of my students is crucial if I am to have success in the classroom. Simple observation goes a long way, especially paired with checklists that help you stay focused on one or two main reading or writing skills at a time. In a middle school social studies classroom there is quite a bit of reading and writing, giving ample time to carefully observe each student.
ARTIFACTS:
I have included three artifacts for this objective. The first is a basic Classroom Reading Observation chart that can be used in any subject. The observation chart covers comprehension, fluency, and self-correction. Each page has two identical observation charts so the teacher can keep a running record (with periodical observations) of each student’s reading abilities. This observation is quick and can easily be done in class (without the student knowing) while the student reads aloud for a large or small group.
The second artifact is an activity called Reading Tic-Tac-Toe. This activity covers before, during, and after reading exercises for students reading longer stories or chapter books. Since I plan to integrate reading, social studies, and language arts as much as possible in my classroom I thought that this would be a great activity for my students. They get a choice of activities to complete, which allows them to choose activities that will align with their learning styles and abilities; hopefully inducing creativity and originality. The Before-reading activities concentrate on prior knowledge. They ask the reader to make predictions, explain what they already know, or find unfamiliar words and define them. The During-reading activities require readers to think and record information as they are reading. The activities include making text-to-self connections, sequencing the chain of events, or recording characters (their descriptions and roles in the story). The After-reading activities require students to think critically about the story. They ask students to create a poster-board, write a letter to the author, or rewrite the ending of the story.
The third artifact is a collection of graphic organizers I created for use in my classroom. I believe middle school students benefit greatly from graphic organizers! They allow the student to separate and dissect information or concepts into manageable or understandable chunks, categorizing or labeling, analyzing and comparing, breaking it down and making it visual.
Objective 4
Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of curricular design
DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION:
Curricular design encompasses not only subject matter and standard objectives, but involves designing lesson and unit plans according to the needs of a particular set of students. Teachers must be aware of and take into account the varying learning styles and strengths of their students, as well as being familiar with differentiated instruction strategies that will hone higher-order thinking skills. The best way to begin writing a unit plan is to start with goals and essential questions to be answered at the end of the unit. The formative and summative assessments are designed first, while the lessons and activities that lead up to the assessments are written with specific focus on the objectives to be assessed at the end. Designing classroom curriculum is an important and sometimes challenging part of a teacher's responsibilities; and many times, lesson plans need to be modified part-way through to accommodate student comprehension.
ARTIFACTS:
The first thing I included below is a UbD (Understanding by Design) Lesson Plan Template and explanation. The template in many ways follows the Universal Design for Learning Guidelines illustrated below. I believe it is an excellent way to start a lesson or unit plan, breaking down the main goal before planning the activities that will lead to that goal. I have also included two block plans, one for a social studies unit and one for a language arts unit (both fourth grade), that illustrate purposeful activities that lead up to an end goal or objective. All of the lessons included in each unit are aligned with both the Ohio Academic Content Standards as well as the specific Performance Indicators of the school district in which I was teaching. As a student teacher I made it a habit to write my lesson and unit plans with the end objective in mind; always building the lessons and activities around the main objectives. Also as a student teacher, all of my lesson plans and activities were written or modified according to the specific needs and strengths of the group of students I was teaching. I enjoy creating worksheets and activities for my students, and very rarely use a teacher resource or previously-made material without some sort of modification.
Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of curricular design
DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION:
Curricular design encompasses not only subject matter and standard objectives, but involves designing lesson and unit plans according to the needs of a particular set of students. Teachers must be aware of and take into account the varying learning styles and strengths of their students, as well as being familiar with differentiated instruction strategies that will hone higher-order thinking skills. The best way to begin writing a unit plan is to start with goals and essential questions to be answered at the end of the unit. The formative and summative assessments are designed first, while the lessons and activities that lead up to the assessments are written with specific focus on the objectives to be assessed at the end. Designing classroom curriculum is an important and sometimes challenging part of a teacher's responsibilities; and many times, lesson plans need to be modified part-way through to accommodate student comprehension.
ARTIFACTS:
The first thing I included below is a UbD (Understanding by Design) Lesson Plan Template and explanation. The template in many ways follows the Universal Design for Learning Guidelines illustrated below. I believe it is an excellent way to start a lesson or unit plan, breaking down the main goal before planning the activities that will lead to that goal. I have also included two block plans, one for a social studies unit and one for a language arts unit (both fourth grade), that illustrate purposeful activities that lead up to an end goal or objective. All of the lessons included in each unit are aligned with both the Ohio Academic Content Standards as well as the specific Performance Indicators of the school district in which I was teaching. As a student teacher I made it a habit to write my lesson and unit plans with the end objective in mind; always building the lessons and activities around the main objectives. Also as a student teacher, all of my lesson plans and activities were written or modified according to the specific needs and strengths of the group of students I was teaching. I enjoy creating worksheets and activities for my students, and very rarely use a teacher resource or previously-made material without some sort of modification.
Objective 5
Employ classroom assessment techniques; understand and effectively use student assessment data
DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION:
It is extremely important, in any grade level classroom, to use assessment techniques properly and effectively. In order to measure student understanding accurately and to make sure your own teaching and instruction strategies are effective and successful, a wide range of assessment techniques must be employed. In a middle grade classroom, forms of informal and/or authentic assessment are quite efficient at gauging student comprehension and skills, while allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge through a variety of formats. Using the data gleaned from the assessment techniques, teachers can assess their own effectiveness in the classroom, adjusting their lessons and activities appropriately.
ARTIFACTS:
Along with observation, informal tests, quizzes and homework are imperative forms of authentic assessment that teachers simply can’t do without. Tests and quizzes can be created word for word by the teacher, effectively and efficiently measuring the skills, knowledge, and comprehension of students using formats and sentence structures the students are familiar with or are currently practicing. Quizzes are much shorter than tests and can be planned or spontaneous. They are usually applied part-way through a unit to measure student understanding of specific concepts or skills. Teachers use this information to adjust their instruction, modify lesson plans, and monitor their own teaching practices. Homework requires students to practice their freshly gained knowledge or skills outside the classroom with no assistance from the teacher. It can also be used as a way to build or activate background knowledge, stimulate critical thinking, or add enrichment to enhance comprehension.
I have included some informal assessment ideas for use in a middle grades social studies classroom, as well as an in-class activity for language arts (Adjectives Worksheet), and two final assessments (Chapter 12 Test and Halloween Fact or Opinion) one for a social studies textbook chapter and one for a language arts lesson on fact and opinion. I custom created all three using guidelines set by the Ohio Content Standards (fourth grade), as well as the specific Performance Indicators of the school for each subject.
Employ classroom assessment techniques; understand and effectively use student assessment data
DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION:
It is extremely important, in any grade level classroom, to use assessment techniques properly and effectively. In order to measure student understanding accurately and to make sure your own teaching and instruction strategies are effective and successful, a wide range of assessment techniques must be employed. In a middle grade classroom, forms of informal and/or authentic assessment are quite efficient at gauging student comprehension and skills, while allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge through a variety of formats. Using the data gleaned from the assessment techniques, teachers can assess their own effectiveness in the classroom, adjusting their lessons and activities appropriately.
ARTIFACTS:
Along with observation, informal tests, quizzes and homework are imperative forms of authentic assessment that teachers simply can’t do without. Tests and quizzes can be created word for word by the teacher, effectively and efficiently measuring the skills, knowledge, and comprehension of students using formats and sentence structures the students are familiar with or are currently practicing. Quizzes are much shorter than tests and can be planned or spontaneous. They are usually applied part-way through a unit to measure student understanding of specific concepts or skills. Teachers use this information to adjust their instruction, modify lesson plans, and monitor their own teaching practices. Homework requires students to practice their freshly gained knowledge or skills outside the classroom with no assistance from the teacher. It can also be used as a way to build or activate background knowledge, stimulate critical thinking, or add enrichment to enhance comprehension.
I have included some informal assessment ideas for use in a middle grades social studies classroom, as well as an in-class activity for language arts (Adjectives Worksheet), and two final assessments (Chapter 12 Test and Halloween Fact or Opinion) one for a social studies textbook chapter and one for a language arts lesson on fact and opinion. I custom created all three using guidelines set by the Ohio Content Standards (fourth grade), as well as the specific Performance Indicators of the school for each subject.