MY ARTIFACTS

The research I conducted on developing and putting together this presentation was also a huge teaching tool. I realized that many of the strategies developed by both researchers were ones that I had either used before, or planned on using, but I now have a much better understanding of them. There is a difference between being able to recite a method and actually utilizing it in your own classroom. When used correctly, each of the strategies or structures outlined in this presentation do a wonderful job of ensuring that student achievement soars above what is expected.

These 49 strategies combine tools that allow a teacher to create a diverse learning environment for all students. While utilizing them in my teaching over the past two years, I was able to see first hand which ones best suited my teaching style and the needs of my students.

This collection of educational websites were compiled with the intentions of bringing together technology and education for both students and parents. Every core subject is represented within the various websites such as literature, mathematics, science, and social studies. Each website is suitable for any child of elementary school age and also has areas for parent and whole family learning.

This project combined the reading and writing lesson plans for the week. The whole group reading story for that week was called "My Robot" and after reading it, students were given the chance to create their very own robots. Throughout the remainder of the week they created prewriting, a first draft and a final draft on a personal narrative writing piece on the steps they took to create their robot. They also wrote a creative, fictional story about their robot. Clicking the links will take you to the lesson plans, templates, and photos of the finished products!

Various projects and lessons I've created and completed throughout my experiences and how they relate to the INTASC standards.

Standard 1: Learner Development

The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.

This was a project that reached the needs of all different types of learners (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic) as well as incorporating many different areas of curriculum (reading, writing, and art). The templates that I used challenged my higher level students and aided my lower level students.

Standard 7: Planning for Instruction

The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.

Standard 8: Instructional Strategies

The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.

On Family Academic Night I presented this lesson along with my mentor teacher and another first grade teacher. As families came into our area we helped instruct them on how to navigate the different websites and what they would be most beneficial for.

Standard 3: Learning Environments

The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning and self motivation.

Standard 10: Leadership and

Collaboration

The teacher seels appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, and other school professionals and community members.

COMMUNITY!

Standard 6: Assessment

The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making.

COMMUNITY!

Learning about and using strategies from three different researchers has prepared me to be able to reach the needs of any student as well as numerous ways to assess them. I believe that by using a variety of these strategies I will create a stable classroom community that thrives on consistency and cooperative learning.

This assignment combined literature and social studies in which my students learned about nonfiction text features as well as the presidential election. I first guided my students through a mock election in order for them to better understand how voting works. We then read a Time for Kids magazine about the election and identified all the nonfiction text features (title, subtitle, illustrations, captions, etc.) Finally, the students chose a photograph from the article and created their own magazine cover about the election. The finished product looked great and they have been able to recall the correct terminology for nonfiction text features ever since!

Standard 4: Content Knowledge

The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry and structures of the discipline he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assume mastery of the content.

Standard 5: Application of Content

The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.

Before beginning this lesson, I had to take into consideration the fact that some students may have never heard of the election or understand how it worked. This is why I created a mock election in which students could participate in. The main goal of the lesson was for students to be able to identify nonfiction text features, but tying in current events kept the students engaged. I was able to check for understanding by having the students create their own magazine cover that contained correct features, while also allowing them to be creative and use their critical thinking skills.

MY ROBOT PROJECT

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: Nonfiction Text Features