Teaching
Standards Addressed
INTASC Standard 1 - Discipline Knowledge and Understanding
INTASC Standard 2 - Understanding Student Development
INTASC Standard 2 - Understanding Student Development
Artifact 1 - Linear Inequalities Lesson Plan
This lesson plan is one I designed to teach my 8th Grade math class. It is part of a unit that deals with Linear Systems and Inequalities. This lesson in particular deals with linear inequalities and their connection to linear equations. This lesson was created to help students understand fully the fundamentals of linear inequalities (e.g., graphing on a number line, solving inequalities for a variable) through a mixture of direct instruction and guided practice (in the form of an inquiry-based activity). This lesson draws on students' prior knowledge, emphasizes connections with previous and future learning, and utilizes a couple different checks for understanding to help guide the teacher in future planning.
Artifact 2 - The Shapes of Algebra Unit Organizer
This is an example of a Unit Organizer that would be used to teach the Linear Systems and Inequalities unit. This tool is something that helps the teacher better organize the unit but is also a great resource to help students stay organized and make connections throughout the lesson. This organizational tool has been researched in secondary schools and has been shown to help students increase their test scores significantly. This particular Unit Organizer would be given to students at the beginning of the unit as a road map to help them see where they have already been, where they are going in this lesson, and where they will be heading in the future. Using this organizational tool helps students conceptualize the material better by making meaningful connections and organizing the material in a meaningful way.
Reflection
INTASC Standard 1 deals with Discipline Knowledge and Understanding which requires the teacher to demonstrate knowledge of the content and pedagogy. My lesson plan for Artifact 1 requires a great deal of content knowledge about linear inequalities as well as how to best teach this concept to students. I believe my lesson plan affords students many different opportunities to make meaning of the material. The lesson is coherent and shows connectedness within the lesson but also to previous lessons. By having students do a Kickoff activity that requires them to recall what they did in the previous lesson, students are able to make better connections with the material they are learning in the lesson. Students are also asked to make connections throughout the lesson which also helps them conceptualize the material.
INTASC Standard 2 deals with Understanding Student Development which requires the teacher to understand how students learn and develop and to help students in setting and reaching goals. While designing the lesson plan for Artifact 1, I kept in mind that students learn math best when it is first modeled for them and then they are given the opportunity to practice on their own with some instructor help. The lesson demonstrates the gradual release of responsibility model which involves teachers first modeling the material, then students doing some guided practice, and then students taking control of their own learning. The learning targets for the lesson are also to be discussed and frequently revisited throughout the lesson to make sure that students are making progress toward reaching the learning goal of the lesson.
The unit organizer used in Artifact 2 is a great way to help keep students organized and help them better see the connections in the material that they may not have seen before. This unit organizer demonstrates that I understand how the students best learn (i.e., when they are organized and can clearly see connections) and is evidence that I have provided a learning opportunity for the students that supports their development.
INTASC Standard 2 deals with Understanding Student Development which requires the teacher to understand how students learn and develop and to help students in setting and reaching goals. While designing the lesson plan for Artifact 1, I kept in mind that students learn math best when it is first modeled for them and then they are given the opportunity to practice on their own with some instructor help. The lesson demonstrates the gradual release of responsibility model which involves teachers first modeling the material, then students doing some guided practice, and then students taking control of their own learning. The learning targets for the lesson are also to be discussed and frequently revisited throughout the lesson to make sure that students are making progress toward reaching the learning goal of the lesson.
The unit organizer used in Artifact 2 is a great way to help keep students organized and help them better see the connections in the material that they may not have seen before. This unit organizer demonstrates that I understand how the students best learn (i.e., when they are organized and can clearly see connections) and is evidence that I have provided a learning opportunity for the students that supports their development.