Domain 1
Planning and Preparation
Plan. Instruct. Assess.
These three components are key to making sure that all students are progressing at an adequate rate and learning the material. Planning is the first step of this cycle. If there is not a clear plan for students to follow, there is no way to achieve the outcomes that are being expected. In order to instruct and assess properly, teachers should consider their students’ needs and the concepts that are being taught, and consider the most effective way to teach the class.
The following artifacts are both lesson plans that I created during my teacher preparation program that demonstrate how I walk students through a unit, making sure to assess students throughout and adjust my teaching accordingly.
The Solar System and How We Explore It
I have always thought science is such a broad and interesting topic. Teachers can use numerous engages activities to get students excited about any topic. Therefore, taking my science methods course was exciting for me. For my this course, I created a unit plan about the solar system for a 4th grade class using original materials and addressing the needs of diverse learners and backgrounds.
Looking to Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching, I feel that this unit plan would fit under the 1e section entitled designing coherent instruction. In the plan, I made sure to tie directly to state standards, provide a segue between lessons, and assess the students to ensure that they are understanding the material as they move through.
I feel that this unit plan is thorough in many aspects and I am eager to implement these plans in a classroom one day!
Special Education Unit Plan
Colonialism: Fact Versus Fiction
This unit plan was created in order to show students that there is more than one aspect to history, and to seek out different perspectives before forming an opinion. I chose to focus on the colonization of North America for this unit, as I feel that the story that most students are commonly taught is not necessarily correct to the events that took place. The students will be analyzing texts using close reading in order to determine what truly happened during colonization.
Throughout the plan, I noted Bloom's Taxonomy, specific materials, and close reading practices. Also, note the lesson plans written in full at the end of the document. These have specific accommodations and modifications for students with diverse needs. There was no set disabilities or classroom to base these adjustments on, so I included a wide variety that could be adapted for different situations. The key to meeting the needs of diverse learners is being prepared and having a plan, so I feel that the thoroughness of the materials and instruction will allow all learners to participate in these readings and discussions.
In Danielson's Framework for Teaching, this piece would fall mostly into Domain 1 satisfying 1d and 1f. Many of the resources used in this unit have adjusted readings, so students of all reading levels can independently read the texts (1d). Also, the assessments in this unit address the needs of all students by giving them options in the format and content of their summative assessment (1f).
Here, I have attached the powerpoint I used to teach fifth graders this content virtually: