William ste marie educational portfolio2

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not only think critically, but to think metacognitivly. This will ensure that all students value their education and garner real world skills from my instruction. I believe that self-efficacy is the gateway to success and that I must facilitate an environment where students believe in their abilities as individuals. I know successful instruction is borne in classrooms with positive environments and I will strive at all times to mirror these attributes in my classroom. I value routines and structures as I know they are integral to student success and comfort in the classroom. Informed by my educational coursework, I am bound to the belief that co-construction of information must be present in the classroom. I will ensure that meaning is dispersed throughout the classroom and that all my students feel they are viable sources of information. All students 4 including English as second learners and students with disabilities 4 must be provided a quality education. It is my duty to assist these students in any way possible by collaborating with special education teachers and paraprofessionals to implement their IEP 9s. In short, I pledge to continually implement all elements of successful practice held in this portfolio and adapt all instruction that feel short. Ultimately this portfolio exists as my foundation for pedagogical knowledge, preferred practice and reflective dispositions. Sincerely, William Ste. Marie Part 2 Ste. Marie 4 Knowledge of Community and Parental Outreach INTASC 10: School/Community Involvement Parent Coordinator: Mrs. Williams So what is being done to establish family involvement in the school, does the school have any programs in place? Oh yes, all day. We are constantly communicating with parents. We have many academic pep rallies where we invite parents to come and support their children as they receive awards for academic achievement. All the events we do are geared towards parental participation. We invite parents to every event we do here. We have our arts day where students hold performances for their parents and the larger community. We also have many programs for home improvement and outreach. We want to make sure if the parents are having trouble supporting for their child that we support the parents. We are constantly providing parents with resources. We have a program to help f those formally incarcerated receive their GED. We have career workshops, and inform parents of important government resources that may help them with their financial problems. We even have a program for those who have little technology at home acquire computes. We assist parents with getting eye care for their children as well. We have a company come and perform tests and administer eye glasses to the students. It 9s great, these glasses are great quality glasses, and what's really impressive is if they feel the student needs to be further evaluated they'll refer the student to an eye doctor free of charge. We also help parents by many parents express difficulty visiting and getting information on the high schools their students are interested in. So we bring the schools to them by inviting representatives from different high schools to our school to speak to the parents and students. What about the larger community 4 what is being done to connect with and involve the outer community. We do a lot of community outreach here. We have some of 7 th and 8 th graders help younger children to read in many K-5 schools in our community. We also have healthy living Zumba classes that are open to the community. We have many open house arts shows where we invite the outer community to watch our shows. We have a big heritage day on thanksgiving where we give out food and celibate different heritages, we don't call it thanksgiving but it happens on the day of Thanksgiving Day. What are some barriers in communicating with parents? What is being done to address these obstacles? The biggest thing about getting parents involved is for them to actually show up. A lot of the parents express interest in their child's future and will speak on the phone, but when it comes time to actually attend a show, or a PTA they may not show up. It use to be that food would be good enough incentive for the parents to show up but now it doesn't always seem to work. It sounds funny, but you'd be surprised what a difference food makes. Other barriers revolve around struggling parents. Many parents are afraid to admit that they have financial problems and or trouble supporting their students and will avoid seeking help. We try to communicate that we Part 2 Ste. Marie 5 have the resources; they just have to ask for it. We are not mind readers here. Some accommodations are made for those parents who struggle financially and may be working too many jobs to show up as often as they may like. Constant communication on the telephone and letters home help to keep them informed, but we still stress that they need to show up whenever possible. 8 th grade Lead ELA teacher: Mrs. de Melo What do you do to foster communication with your student's parents? In the beginning of the year I established a weekly letter home to students' parents keeping them informed of what they learned, how they have been performing and what will be expected of them for the upcoming week. This worked out great especially for quality review, because when I was asked how often I communicated with students I could honestly say every week. A few of my students' parents are directly involved with the school. One of my student's mothers has a program that honors high academic achievement in the school with cool incentives. I keep in touch with the parents through En Grade as well. Students and parents can email me questions through Engrade, but I haven't gotten many emails. I think it 9s really important to have parents involved, and caring about their child 9s progress. 7 th grade ELA teacher: Mr. Berry. What do you do to foster communication with your student's parents? I think parental involvement is huge. Much of the order in my classroom has come with careful consideration of individual students. I have worked hard to develop those individual relationships and winning the parents over was a big part of that. I do a lot of positive phone calls home. I have fun with it sometimes and even have the students script the phone call and I 9ll recite whatever ridiculous praise they want. Sometimes it is difficult to call home because many of the children at the school live in foster homes and may alternate guardians if moved. I also worry at times that the students' parents may have a harsh reaction to negative phone calls home and complicate the issue. 8 th grade Math teacher: Mr. Lewis. What do you do to foster communication with your student's parents? I'd say I have built a relationship with just about every parent of my students this year. It 9s been a big part of what I do. I usually don't go about solving a problem without including the parents in the situation. I find out a lot about what's going on with my kids through the parents. Usually many things can be traced back to the home or if not the parent has some sort of idea of what's happening in school that I don't. I think it 9s important to keep the parents on board so that you have a team. Especially with math 4 it takes a lot of positive reinforcement the kids definitely someone close to them in their corner. P arental Involvement Plan Step One Part 2 Ste. Marie 6 Is to establish communications. I would like to adopt the weekly letter home informing parents what their student learned and how they performed. On this letter would also be a place for parents to leave comments. I would also like to utilize some sort of online communication which would partially depend on what program the school is using e.g., Pupalpath, Engrade. I will also give out my email for parents who struggle using the software Step Two Is to establish positive relations with parents and make sure they know their involvement is necessary and valued. This will include meeting or speaking with parents proactively to predict possible challenges students may face when learning new material. This will also include cooperating together with parents create individualized goals for each student. This will also include giving positive phone calls home and informing parents when students are meeting the goals we have identified. Step Three Is to sustain these positive relations by routinely celebrating a student 9s success as well as monitoring their struggles. Opportunities will be made available for students to publish their work by performing it in front of parents and displaying it in the class room and hallways. Parents will be encouraged to make suggestions or leave comments in homework assignments Part 3 Ste. Marie 7 Part 3 Ste. Marie 8 Classroom Management Action Plan I am Identifying Michael 9s lack of respect towards other classmates as a classroom management problem 1. Michael 9s lack of respect can be described as being very abrasive and rude to other students. Michael refuses to work with many students and provides mostly negative feedback to his peers. He is quick to point out other 9s mistakes and becomes hostile when other students point out anything wrong he is doing. Michael reacts very poorly to being chastised in any way by the teacher and his behavior must be calmly addressed or he becomes enraged. Because of this, many students do not even want to sit anywhere near Michael and have asked to move their seats. Michael 9s background is very troubled. He just recently came back from a lengthy suspension for assaulting another classmate. Much of the school 9s staff has reason to believe that he is gang affiliated and his parents have been in and out of work. In order to devise a management strategy the circumstantial evidence of gang relations and family problems must be validated by contacting parents and perhaps obtaining police reports. It may also be beneficial to look up his academic performance in ARIS to confirm whether his behavioral problems are linked to failures in school. It is also important to collect records of his attendance to see how often he is at risk of being unsupervised or on the streets. Many people will have to be involved to help create an effective intervention plan. The guidance councilor can help provide Michael with some of the resources that he may need to deal with the emotions that may lead him to his behavioral problems. The councilor may also collaborate with his parents to figure out if his parents need help finding work or supervising Michael. The police may also have to be involved. They may be able to provide Michael with programs that feature ex criminals speaking out against crime. 2. In examining Michael 9s behavioral problems, his issue falls under, cDomain 2, Component 2a: Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport d of Danielson 9s Framework for Teaching rubric. d Michaels behavior is particularly damaging to the classroom environment, as the rubric recognizes that, c as important as a teacher 9s treatment of students is, how students are treated by their classmates is arguably even more important to students. d The rest of the class 9s unwillingness to sit near Michael demonstrates the rubric 9s idea that, cpoor treatment causes students to feel rejected by their peers. d Michael 9s harsh feedback and comments has resulted in a mutual rejection between him and his classmates. This is exactly in line with the rubric 9s identifying, c Some students refusing to work with other students, d as an example classroom environment issue of Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport. The rubric rates the way I am addressing the situation as cbasic, d because, as a teacher I, cre spond to disrespectful behavior among students with uneven results. d And because my attempts to address Michael 9s behavior can be described as, cattempts to make connections with individual students, but student reactions indicate that the efforts are not completely successful or are unusual. d Part 3 Ste. Marie 9 What When Result 1. Identify at least one student who shows willingness to work with Michael in group work and pair them together. Observe Michael 9s progress working with partner for at least 3 to 4 days. 2. Invite Michael to a group advisory session on providing effective feedback and dealing with, cbad attitudes d Call Michaels parents explaining the importance of him attending the advisory session. 3. If Michael shows progress working with partner, indentify a handful of students who are willing to work with Michael. Include Michael in larger group setting. Make positive phone call home if Michael does well. 4. If Michael handles group work well, move Michael 9s seat next to other students. Monitor if he can handle being around other students. If Michael misbehaves, hold an after class discussion and explain to Michael that you would like him to sit next to students, but First period on 3/7/2012 6 th period during an advisory 3/9/2012 First period 3/14/12 Michael made some inappropriate comments, but the student didn 9t react, most of the group work was done. Michael was abrasive to the group, but agreed with some of the methods of dealing with cbad attitudes. d TBD Part 3 Ste. Marie 10 will have to move him back, and will consider seating him next to students if his behavior improves. Make positive phone call home if Michael does well. 5. Arrange for a Criminal intervention workshop to be held at the school, assign class with a written reflection assignment on the program. Communicate to Michael 9s parents the importance of every student attending school on that day. 3/20/12 TBD TBD Part 3 Ste. Marie 11 TBD *TBD-To be determined. 5. The main adjustments that I made to my routines in the classroom involved the paring of students. Normally turn and talks involved students talking to the student next to them ,but because of Michael 9s isolation, I had to pick students who were willing to travel to work with him. I would normally, prefer students have different partners with each activity, but I made an exception with Michael when he first started working with a partner, as I wanted to build off of the positive interacts he had with his partner in order to make sure he was ready to work with additional students. Because of Michael 9s large impact on the classroom environment, the advisory session was also specifically geared towards Michaels needs as opposed to general advice towards the students. Many interventions were made towards Michael and the rest of the class. I had to change the culture of the class being afraid to work with Michael by slowing integrating him into classroom activities. The positive phone calls home helped give positive reinforcement towards Michael 9s progress. The interventions addressed Michael 9s withdrawal from classroom activities by slowing bringing him back into the activities. Michael 9s issue of providing mostly negative comments and feedback was addressed by the advisory session on Peer feedback. Hopefully the workshop on crime helps Michael with his gang involvement as he will see the grimmer side of crime. Although many of the interventions appear to have been successful, some of the steps are yet to be implemented, and I will not truly know if he has improved until he is seated next to other students. Part 4 Ste. Marie 12 Part 4 Ste. Marie 13 Part One: First Week and Current Level of Engagement : Record each student 9s name, their first week level of engagement (copy from the Midpoint Student Achievement Plan or from your data tracker) and their current level of engagement in class. 1 = These students show the least amount of engagement and effort. They are disengaged for parts of the lesson or are disruptiv e. 2 = These students are engaged for at least 80% of the lesson, but they may show off-task behavior a few (2-3 ) times during class. 3 = These students are engaged for almost the entire lesson. They show off-task behavior less than one time and are never disr uptive. They are able to focus despite distractions and demonstrate an eagerness for learning. Academic Indicator : What percentage of your whole class and small group objectives has this student mastered (mastery = 80% or higher)? Indicat e the number of objectives assessed versus the number of objectives mastered to calculate the percentage (e.g. 10 objectives mast ered/15 objectives assessed = 67% mastery of objectives). Summary : Summarize each student 9s progress from week one until now (4 -5 sentences per student). Address both academic and behavioral progress in your summaries. Student Name First Week Level Current Level Academic Indicator Student Progress Summary Foli, Christopher 2 3 62% Christopher was a high energy student from day one. In the first weeks he had a wealth of misplaced energy. In the following weeks, I engaged him in the lesson by giving him classroom responsibilities such as being my scribe. Weeks later, Christopher often helps assist passing out papers and with calls to attention. Academically, I have given Christopher the opportunity for some cVegas d by having him earn credit for performing in activities. This differentiation has helped Christopher to express himself while earning extra credit Bookman, Marques 2 3 62% When I first arrived, Marques was disinterested, absent, and had a pending court case on his mind. Marque 9s attendance has since improved dramatically, and when he tries, he has earned many 100 9s in class. Improved. Because of his vast potential and gene ral background knowledge (he has read nearly almost every independent reading book in the class) I have involved Marques as much as possible in the class. discussion I have had success using techniques like cCold Call d to elicit responses from him. Marq ues has also shined throughout with the cVegas d technique, in fact he just recently came in second place in a jeopardy review activity. Using the cwhat to do, d technique has made his behavior less aggressive, but he still struggles focusing and will sometimes disappear from class. Using Data Driven Instruction/Data Tracking Endpoint Student Achievement Plan and Rubric: Working with a Small Group A rentice Name: Session Leader Name: Part 4 Ste. Marie 14 Smith, Roget 1 3 25% Over the course of my time with him, Roget went from being hostile and hardly getting any work done to finishing most of his assignments and joking lightheartedly with me. Using the cJ factor, d has made a big difference in our rapport. Although some of his questions become a little too personal, he seems interested in building a positive relationship. His classwork has shown the vast improvement. O verall, Roget has had a lot of success due to the cchallenge technique. By prodding him to think deeper, Roget has been more activity involved in class. Adams, Tishelle 2 3 37% My first experience with Tishelle involved her ripping her papers up and refusing to do work. While she still fights doing work, I was recently pleasantly surprised that she wrote me a letter explaining why she didn 9t want to do the forensic science unit. Her maturity in expressing herself in general has developed leaps and bounds. Our rapport has vastly improved, after using the cJ Factor d she often says cwhat 9s popin 9 d and laughs when I fail to say it cool like her. Her engagement and completion of classwork has improved overall, but she still needs to work on not completely tuning out when she doesn 9t like the subject matter. Ramirez, Sabrina 3 3 62% Overall, Sabrina 9s improvements have fluctuated. She was trending more towards a four, but has recently dropped back down again. Despite the dips in her performance and engagement, she is on an upward path. Again, like many other students the cJ factor d has made huge improvements in our rapport. We have an inside joke about ice cream, and it has become our standby to signal that sh e is off task. The cwhat to do, d technique has also had a lasting impact on Sabrina. She was very quick to argue and engage in the past, and now although she may look frustrated when corrected, she does not challenge me. Her grades are sporadic and she often needs to be reminded to finish assignments, but she has consistently given her work a second effort. Part Two: Analyze the data above and your Small Group Data Tracker. Reflect and respond to the guiding questions below (~500 words) to c reate an action plan for your ongoing development into a highly-effective middle school teacher. o Positive Impact : Based on your analysis, what do you feel was the greatest positive effect that you had overall on your small group? What was the greatest positive effect that you had on an individual student? What student achievement data can you use to support y our responses? What specific actions did you and your students take that enabled you to achieve these results? Describe how certa in techniques you used were effective specifically in a middle school setting, and explain why you think these techniques are effe ctive when Part 4 Ste. Marie 15 working with middle school students. o Greatest Disparity : Based on your analysis, what student or students struggle the most to make gains in achievement? Why? What specific actions could you have taken or would you like to take to better support these students in accomplishing their goals? o Development Areas : Based on the data that you have collected and the greatest disparity that you have identified, what do you see as your greatest development areas in moving and motivating all middle school students to reach higher achievement levels? What specif ic next steps will you take to gain the knowledge, skills, resources, or habits of mind that you need to improve within your identified development areas? What is your timeline for your next steps? Throughout my experience two things have really stood out: establishing a classroom culture that is positive, and individu alizing behavioral and academic strategies. I am most proud of my contributions in establishing a positive rapport in both whole group and individual settings . Despite the struggles I have had developing effective discussions with the small group, I believe I have ingrained a sense of value to student 9s opinions. Through a class participation points system and positive reinforcement , many students who were previously introverted have fought to have their voice heard . All of a sudden I am now hearing comments like, cwhy didn 9t I get 5 points today? I answered some questions. d and, cStudent X was distracting me, that 9s why I couldn 9t participate. d Tishelle 9s progress from ripping up papers 4 to writing letters to express herself 4 speaks to empowerment students gain from instruction that values their voice. Getting to this point involved utilizing student evaluations of disc ussion techniques, as well as many strategies such as the cpopcorn d technique and the cPepper d technique. These strategies were vital in building students 9 respect for one another, as the increased pace and tigh ter nit structure cut down on opportunities for heckling. This improvement was evident as many of the objectives students 9 mastered in the data tracker are tied to the students success in respecting their own voice as well as others. Because off their sporadic performance, It is difficult to determine the longevity of the impact of these strategies on s tudents like Marques and Sabrina. Although techniques like the cJ factor d and cVegas d were at times effective, I have learned that boundary issues come attach ed. Too much joking around may curtail your leadership role as a teacher and appear as double standards to those students who respond to strict techniques l ike cNo Warnings. d In the future, It would be helpful to set more strict and consistent expectations and boundaries associated with those techniques on t he warmer side of things. I have also observed the necessity to build on success and to catch students from regressing into old habits. Thinking back, if I were more diligent in celebrating Sabrina and Marques 9s progress they may n ot have had such sporadic academic and behavioral progress. Perhaps involving students in their behavior and academic plans would allow students to more effectively and tangibly track their progress. As a whole, I find that I need to make many of the techniques I have recorded my own. I feel that my current application o f some of the techniques squash my personality rather than highlighting it. Despite some of the success I have experienced with techniques like c what to do d and the cno warnings, d I f ind myself feeling unnaturally robotic. I agree with the sentiment behind positive framing of telling students what they should b e doing rather than what they shouldn 9t, but I need to implement it in a way that feels more personable to me. I believe th is internal debate I am having has resulted in the boundary issues I have had with Sabrina and Marques . Finding the balance between warm and strict is a key area that I need to advance i n. While I have had success with both sides of the technique, knowing when to feature each side is the next step. Continuing to be aware of what I buy into as a teacher will allow me to approach the techniques more effectively and in way that feels natural. I think role playing, video demonstrations, workshops , and observations will help to exemplify how these techniques can be personalized. Part 4 Ste. Marie 16 Part 5 Ste. Marie 17 Reflections/Philosophy Part 7 Ste. Marie 18 Part 7 Ste. Marie 19 Part 7 Ste. Marie 20 Part 7 Ste. Marie 21 qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfgh jklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvb nmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwer tyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopas dfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzx cvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmq wertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuio pasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghj klzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbn mqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwerty uiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdf ghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrty uiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdf ghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc Educational Portfolio Planning, Learning, Reflecting [Pick the date] William Ste. Marie Part 7 Ste. Marie 22 These three reflections on the theatrical concepts of Constructivist Learning Theory, Problem Solving, and Transfer and Understanding Student Differences, are at the heart of my knowledge of learners and human development. Not only do they demonstrate the theoretical foundations behind the developmental stages and differences of learners, but they also highlight my real world experience witnessing these concepts. Through the field work observation component of this assignment exists a candid and valuable assessment of how this knowledge of development and learning styles is addressed in the classrooms I have witnessed. The assignment 9s task to assess, evaluate, and provide meaningful answers to these developmental questions allowed me to synthesize my knowledge of these theories and begin my future as a reflective Practioner. The completion of this assignment essentially requested that I shed the theatrical fog that had often clouded my view of these theories in favor of a real world revelation. Upon reflecting on Constructivist Learning Theory, Problem Solving, and Transfer I was shocked at the lack of emphasis on meaningful connections in school. I was truly disturbed when I observed a teacher dismiss a student 9s comparison of Lenny from Of Mice and Men to its Warner Brother 9s cartoon representation. This exchange, among many others, impressed upon me the importance of valuing student 9s prior knowledge and experience. On the lighter side of things, the assignment also confirmed my studies on the importance of constructivist learning, as I witnessed the wonderful transformation a class had when it moved from teacher as facilitator to student centered learning. My observation of the effectiveness of ill-formed (open ended) questions enriched my appreciation for classrooms with high cognitive demands and rigor. The creation of my reflection on cTheories of Psychosocial and Cognitive Development d fostered my awareness of development processes. Concepts like cIndentify vs role d became more three dimensional as I was able to contextualize them in common culture. This has since sparked my interest in determining the effect of social and gender roles on instruction. My observation of a student writing in class that, che hopes a sports jock and a sped cartoonist d can get along still informs my belief that many students are well aware of their role in the classroom. The assignment also allowed me to witness how student 9s schemas can be accessed more efficiently by certain teac hing methods such as Part 7 Ste. Marie 23 chunking or active reading. This also engendered the importance of allowing students assimilate knowledge to their schemas by providing them opportunities to build on prior knowledge and make connections to new information. The value o f student 9s co constructing knowledge was all made very apparent to me, as I witnessed the positive effects students gained from not having to feel chastised by their peers or teacher for arriving at a wrong answer. My piece on cUnderstanding Student Differences d revealed many equity issues in a classroom. I was deeply affected by struggling students that were failed by strictly direct instruction based classrooms. Whereas witnessing the success students had when they were in environment of differentiated instruction left a positive impression on me to search and exploit students 9 learning styles. As a result theories such as cGardner 9s multiple intelligences, d were forever engrained in my repertoire of tools to engaging students. Ultimately these three reflective pieces mark the transition from theory to application in my development as a teacher. Looking back, I cannot imagine stepping into a classroom without considering the most important resource available in the room 4 the students. Completing this activity has instilled my core belief that it is absolutely necessary to know my students and to artfully plan and teach based on student differences, and developmental processes. Seeing Gardner 9s theory Multiple intelligences in action has had a di rect effect in my teaching as I plan to continue administering learning style surveys. And my observation use of copen ended d questions and constructivist learning has inspired me to resist the temptation to rely solely on direct instruction in the future. Part 7 Ste. Marie 24 Standard 1: Knowledge of Subject Matter Goal 1, Objective A: Knowledge of Subject Matter William Ste. Marie Part 7 Ste. Marie 25 This unit embodies my understanding of my major, English Writing, as it builds on the knowledge I have of the writing process and literary interpretation to effectively teach students. Because of its focus on the Harlem Renaissance, this unit specifically showcases my expertise in poetry. The topic of Harlem Renaissance highlights my awareness of how artistic movements affect genre and style of writing. The research portion of the unit highlights my experience conducting and facilitating literary rese arch. The unit 9s emphasis on connecting writing to the real world, demonstrates my ability to speak to the importance of literary and artistic expression in everyday life. Its interdisciplinary aspect shows my capability to connect literary content to the larger context of historical and social movements. The creation of this unit allowed me to envision what generative writing might look like in an everyday classroom. This provided me with the opportunity to apply many of the theories I studied about the writing process to lesson planning. My struggle at times facilitating meaningful writing exercises allowed me to navigate the challenge of integrating activities and content successfully. Creating this unit was invaluable practice implementing material that is engaging and connected to the students 9 experience. Through its many engaging activities, I was also able to implement my knowledge of writing and literary analysis. My exploration of the essential question, cH ow can we develop a voice through culture? d contextualized massive concepts like multiculturalism and student experience. Out of this, simple ideas like students writing about their neighborhood, and the history of New York were born. This experience has provided me with an essential touchstone for how to engage students through personal and cultural avenues. Because of the limited time frame of ten classes, I was truly challenged to do more with less content. This instilled an appreciation for close readings of texts in order to allow students to have a thorough rather than cursory understanding of content. The amount of skill-based and interconnected teaching objectives that I was able to fit in such a short amount of time was truly inspiring. This has laid the foundation for my appreciation for the value of instructional time. After carefully planning the unit, I witnessed the value of eliminating unnecessary activities and implementing timesavers such as student monitors for passing out papers and having materials and groups already out and organized. The interdisciplinary aspect of the unit revealed the necessity to bridge what students are learning in different subjects. I was surprised to discover all the ways Art, History, and English could be interwoven to scaffold students 9 learning. This, by design, provided students with differentiation even at the curriculum level. Students often tune out if Part 7 Ste. Marie 26 the unit 9s topic is not of interest, but approaching it from different disciplines increased the propensity for student self - efficacy. Perhaps the student who would normally shut down because they are low performing in English would be uplifted by the aspects of History in the unit and vice versa. The variety of an interdisciplinary focus made the unit more pliable and provided opportunities for text to world, self, and text connections. After assessing the effectiveness of this unit plan and reflecting on the feedback I received, the main thing I will take away is the necessity of modeling activities. As ambitious as this unit is, if I were to plan it in the future I may cut down on some of the activities in favor of a more consistent routine. With the sheer amount of different activities that I was implementing in this unit, I am not sure I would have had the proper amount of time to successfully model how each should be completed. Much like how the creation of the unit taught me that you can do more with less content, I believe you can do more with fewer activities. The importance of becoming efficient and comfortable with different procedures and activities is essential to students 9 learning of material. In the same vein, students 9 journals and double columned response logs needed to be implemented more predictably and consistently, this would allow for a smoother and more organic experience with generative writing. Although 4 after spending more time in front of the classroom 4 I have gravitated more towards direct instruction, and reading this unit plan has refreshed my knowledge of student generated discussions and discovery learning. In the future, my instruction needs to meet in the middle of these two styles, perhaps more modeling, but less teacher-led discussions. On the other hand, this unit has also blazed the trail for continuing to use my specific knowledge or poetry and writing to design engaging and effective unit plans. Although the different amount of activities may have been unrealistic, it demonstrates the variety of ways I can implement my knowledge of literature and poetry into the classroom. Writing prompts and group poems are very connected to what I have studied as English major, and my first hand experience learning through these tools will give me insight into teaching students. Part 5 Ste. Marie 27 Planning: Interdisciplinary Unit Plan Topic/Title: Birth of a Voice: The Harlem Renaissance Grade Level and Demographic Information: 10 th grade New Dorp School is a high school with 2323 students from grade 9 through grade 12. The school population comprises 19% Black, 20% Hispanic, 54% White, and 7% Asian students. The student body includes 6% English language learners and 10% special education students. Boys account for 51% of the students enrolled and girls account for 49%. The average attendance rate for the school year 2006-2007 was 91.6%. The school is in receipt of Title 1 funding with 38% eligibility. The school was redesigned in September 2006 into eight small learning communities. Lesson Timeframe: Ten 45-minute periods. Context: Part 6 Ste. Marie 28 Students have previously engaged in many writing activities aimed at integrating common figurative techniques specifically mood, tone, irony and metaphor. The unit prior engaged students in many generative, informal writing exercises. Some of the featured activities were a, cThen and Now d memory activity about their house 6 years ago and now, as well as a clistening to a place activity, d where students went to favorite neighborhood spot and recorded conversations and sensory details. Students have also engaged in generative writing geared towards tuning and developing their voice. One of the featured activities was, cWho Owns the voice? d where students wrote a brief character piece in the voice of someone known to the whole cl ass. Students also engaged in the activity of, cTrying on Other Voices, d as they all imitated a long time favorite author, or an author that they have read previously in class. The teacher has modeled how to properly keep a double-columned response log and students respond in it regularly as well as in their less formal writing journals. The unit Birth of a Voice: The Harlem Renaissance builds on the previous unit 9s introduction to voice by providing the students with a unique and culturally relevant avenue to foster their voice. Students will be inspired by both their local surrounds and history to become a New York writer much as the artists of the Harlem Renaissance were. Manhattan 9s particularly artistic roots will provide relevant and accurate examples of texts written with a distinct artistic voice. The unit will use History and Art as interdisciplinary scaffolds to show the varied ways in which voice is connected to culture. The unit will prepare students for the type of personal voice necessary for the next portion of the class which will focus on students 9 creating a nonfiction memoir as well as longer creative works. Rationale: It is vital for students to feel what they 9re saying is valid. Otherwise students are not emotionally or intel lectually engaged in their work. Developing a voice is central in a student 9s engagement in any form of writing. Students frequently have difficulty relating to school subject matter. Often, especially in culturally diverse classrooms, they may feel as though their particular background or life experience is unworthy for academia. The Harlem Renaissance provides a unique opportunity to illustrate the value of both voice, and culture. By studying an artistic movement born out of Part 6 Ste. Marie 29 culture and background, stu dents are encouraged to see the value of their own life experiences. The movement 9s roots in New York City specifically appeal to student 9s specific local culture. At the same time, the movement will provide students with an opportunity to learn about a culture different from their own. Because of the local connection students have the unique opportunity to see a close connection between past and present. Students can further understand the world around them through past depictions of it. They can also learn about the past through their knowledge of present day New York City. The history and themes of the Harlem Renaissance demonstrate the importance of finding an artistic voice. The social acceptance garnered by African Americans as a result of the cnew image d they created through their art is an empowering example of real life importance of artistic expression. Because of the range of prominent artwork, students can develop their analytical skills as they form connections between the various forms of art. The lack of a clear cut, easily defined genre during the Harlem Renaissance will offer the students a chance for exploratory learning, as they attempt to navigate the period. Key Concepts and Learning Goals for Students: How can we develop a voice through culture? How can we learn about the past through the present and vice versa How can the same genre manifest in different artistic forms? Standards Addressed: Standard 5 is addressed as students will participate in workshops as well as revising their own work. Opportunities for revision are given during , c Being the Thing activity , d and with the culminating, cMy New York d Text as student response partners provide feedback. Part 6 Ste. Marie 30 Standard 7 of the ELA Writing standard cResearch to Build and Presen t Knowledge , d is addressed as students are instructed to pose a self generated question about a local destination or landmark of their choice and research it. Standard 9 is addressed through the in class activity of, cCreating a Political Motto. d Students analyze and evaluate the validity of the political message in Claude McKay 9s cIf We Must Die, d as well as Langston Hughes 9s c Harlem. d Standard 1 of the Common Core ELA cSpeaking and Listening Standards, d is addressed in the Unit plan particularly parts A, B, and C. In the c Being the Thing activity , d Part A is addressed as the response partners are to have already done the work and research necessary to create a short poem based on an object in their neighborhood. The teacher modeled guidelines for effective response groups prior to the activity addresses Part B of the standard. Part C is fulfilled as the teacher requests students to prepare questions about their piece in Part 6 Ste. Marie 31 advance to be discussed by their response partner. The standard and the parts specified prior are also adhered by the Response pair activity for the culminating assessment of the student created, cMy New York Text d Standard 2 is also addressed by the response partners during t he, c Being the Thing activity , d as well cMy New York Text d, as students will be assessing and discussing a variety of different texts e.g., poems, visual representations , paintings. Standard 4 is addressed during the activity, cClippings of The Rider of Dreams , d as students must use context clues Sterling Brown 9s c Slim Greer in Hell , d to interpret the slang in the poem. Standard 5 is addressed in the activity, cCreative Dialog , d as the students must grasp the figurative concept of characterization found in Sterling Brown 9s c Slim Greer in Hell , d and provide examples of slang words with similar connotations in their nuanced translations. Part 6 Ste. Marie 32 History Standards Standard 4 is addressed by the activity , cCreate a Political Motto, d as students 9 will analize and evaluate the politically charged poems cHarleem d by Langston Hughes , and cIf We Must Die d by Claude McKay. Standard 6 is adressed throughout the unit as a whole as students look at the period of the Harlem Renaissance through different perspectives and art forms. Standard 10 is addressed throughout the unit. Students have the opportunity to write over an extended period of time as they will revise and edit their, cMy New York d text in response to the Harlem Renaissance. Students will also engage in a variety of short in class writing activities that cover a variety of tasks. Part 6 Ste. Marie 33 Resources: Poems Slim Greer in Hell, Sterling Brown Juke Box Love Song, Langston Hughes Harlem, Langston Hughes. If We Must Die, Claude McKay Dawn in New York, Claude McKay On Broadway, Claude McKay Broadway, James Papastamos Broadway, Kira Ulch Silence (over Manhattan) by Paula Bardell Howard Horowitz 9s cW ordmap 1997. Short Play (clippings) The Rider of Dreams, Ridgely Torrence Art Palmer Hayden, Jeunesse. Archibald J. Motley, Nightlife . Aaron Douglas, Aspects of Negro Life #62: Song of the Towers . Aaron Douglas, Crucifixion , 1927, oil on canvas . Aaron Douglas, Study for Aspects of Negro Life: The Negro in an African Setting . Part 6 Ste. Marie 34 James Lescesne Wells, Negro Worker . Where'd You Git Them High Top Shoes?, Palmer Hayden . Lapeyrouse Wall 2004, Peter Doig (British, born 1959). Jenny Beorkrem 9s cManhattan d 2003 . Here is New York (Selected Photographs from the gallery). Detailed Instructional Plan: Week One Day One (Monday) SAMPLE LESSON PLAN Prep: Before class teacher displays 5 copies on a desk of the poems c Juke Box Love Song d by Langston Hughes, Langston Hughes 9s Harlem , Claude McKay 9s, c If We Must Die, d Claude McKa y 9s, c Dawn in New York, d and Claude McKay 9s, cOn Broadway, d on a group of desks for the cShopping for Poetry activity. d) Learning Goals Students will interpret and interact with five main poems of the unit. Students will demonstrate one example of how they experienced the history of the Harlem Renaissance through the poems. Aim: What does the Harlem Renaissance have to do with New York pride? Housekeeping 3 attendance, students copy Aim off board. (2 minutes) Teacher shows slides of selected 911 photographs from the Here is New York exhibit. (5 minutes) Part 6 Ste. Marie 35 - Teacher asks, "how many of you remember 911? d Teacher then states, cIt 9s hard not to talk about what happened on the day of 911, where you were ect., But I want you to do just that; I want you to talk about the coming weeks after 911. What are some of the images you saw? What were some of the things you heard? How did the people of Manhattan react? d Teacher call s on some volunteers. Teacher then asks, cwho here had heard about how all the different people of all ethnic backgrounds bound together? d Teacher then switches gears, cit wasn 9t always like that, many immigrants weren 9t accepted. d Teacher then asks, cHow many students have heard about the Harlem Renaissance ? d (3 minutes) - Teacher takes student volunteers. Teacher speaks about how many African Americans gained their political and social voice as a result of the acceptance garnered through their artistic voice. Activity cShopping for Poetry d (2 minutes) - Students select a poem from the poems that are laid out on a desk in the far side of the classroom. Teacher organizes groups based on numbers one through which poem the students pick. Students do a cJig Saw d activity. (10 minutes) - Students meet with their expert groups and discuss some of the important elements of their particular poem . Some of the questions students will be addressing are, cWhat literary techniques is the poem using? What can you infer about Manhattan culture at the time of the Harlem Renaissance based on the poem? d Teacher gives students numbers assigns students numbers 1 through 5 in each expert group and directs students to disband from their expert groups and to the group with their number. (10 minutes) - Students discuss the different poems they have analyzed in their expert groups with the home group. Teacher asks them to address the questions, cWhat is different about the poems? What is alike? Are there any common themes in the poems? What common literary techniques are employed in the poems? d Part 6 Ste. Marie 36 Teacher asks each group to report their findings to the class adding that each person from each group should speak. (15 Minutes) - After each group responds, the teacher uses remaining time to have a whole class discussion. Some of the points of discussion are the political themes of the poems and Manhattan as a setting in the poems. The topic of characterization of urban slang is also discussed. HW: Pick three quotes from the poems you have read today respond to them in your double- column response log. Ask questions. What do you want to know more about? Respond emotionally. Can you think of something you 9ve seen or felt that 9s similar? Week One Day Two (Tuesday) Aim: A voice in the neighborhood: How is urban slang a part of characterization? Teacher collects response logs. Teacher hands out copies of, c Slim Greer in Hell d and reads it with the class, asking students to pick out words that they don 9t know. Teacher calls on student volunteers to translate the slang in the poem. Teacher then asks the students if they can think of how their friends might say the same thing. Activity cIntro Clippings d Teacher asks students to pick from numbered clippings of Ridgely Torrence 9s The Rider of Dreams , teacher then puts students into groups based on the number on the clipping. Students must interpret the Clipping from Rider of dreams and translate it to both modern day standard English and modern day Part 6 Ste. Marie 37 slang. The teacher asks students to keep in mind how the slang in the play helps to characterize African Americans. cHow the modern day is similar how is it different from the slang in the clipping? d Students share their findings with the class; class discusses Urban slang and its affect on the Harlem Renaissance as well as how local culture informs characterization in general. Activity cShort Crea tive D ialog d Students return to working with their groups to create a short creative dialog of a page of two current day characters speaking in slang that is indicative of their local culture. Students share their creative dialog with the class, Teacher collects . Week One Day Three (Wednesday) Aim: How can we develop a voice through politics? Teacher hands out cHarlem d by Langston Hughes. Teacher asks students to record any morals, themes, or political stances they feel is present in the poem in their writing journals. Teacher takes student volunteers; students share their notes. Class discussion develops based off student reactions. Teacher puts students into groups based on numbers 1 to 5. Students analyze the political message of, cIf We Must Die d in their groups. Some questions they will address are: c How does the Harlem Renaissance work as a political tool for activists. How is this done today? Do you agree with this message? d Groups report their findings. Whole class discussion on how the seeds of Blacks developing a political voice were planted in their politically charged poems. Activity cCreate a political Motto. d Part 6 Ste. Marie 38 Students return to working with their groups. Teacher ask students to find a current political issue that they believe affects their particular local culture and come up with an inspiring motto, much like in c If We Must Die. d Week One Day Four (Thursday) Aim: How to get more connected to art through research? Teacher asks students to take out their double-column response logs that they responded in for homework on Monday 9s class. Teacher asks students to volunteer some of the questions they asked about the poems, in the, cI want to know more, d portion of their homework. Class tries to answer some of the individually volunteered questions as a group. Activity cNewspaper interview d Teacher selects interview partners. Students imagine that they are news reporters from the time of the Harlem Renaissance, they must interview one of the authors and ask questions about the meaning of his work and why they wrote it. HW: Answer the questions you have posed in your group interviews individually through research at home. Week One Day Five (Friday) (Prep: Teacher puts print outs of all the poems read previously in stacks on a desk in the far side of the class room.) Part 6 Ste. Marie 39 Aim: How can we express our voice in different genres? Teacher asks students to present some facts about the poem and or author they researched. Teacher shows slides of Palmer Hayden, Jeunesse Archibald J. Motley 9s , Nightlife Aaron Douglas, Aspects of Negro Life #62: Song of the Towers Aaron Douglas 9s , Crucifixion , 1927, oil on canvas . Aaron Douglas 9s , Study for Aspects of Negro Life: The Negro in an African Setting , and Palmer Hayden 9s Where'd You Git Them High Top Shoes? , Palmer Hayden Activity c Paring Genres . d Students are to work in pairs of two and select one poem and one painting that they feel are similar in some way. Students will answer questions: c What aspects of the painting characterize it as a Harlem Renaissance piece? How might the painting be changed to more accurately reflect the poem or vice versa? d Teacher puts the categories, cultural characterization, political overtones, and sound (particularly jazz music) on the board, and explains that, cthese are guides and we will add categories as we discuss your groups findings. d Students will report their findings to the class. Class will discuss the common aspects of the poems and paintings. Class will discuss how each poem and painting fits into the categories on the board, adding whatever categories come up in discussion. Class is asked to split from their group. Students select a painting that they do not believe is related to any of the poems and will create their own short poem based on it. Students are asked to include at least one of the common traits of Harlem Renaissance: cultural characterization, political overtones, sound, or any others included from the class discussion. Teacher collects poems. Part 6 Ste. Marie 40 HW Using one of the Harlem Renaissance paintings, modernize the location so that it looks more how it would today. What 9s changed? What 9s the same? In what ways did the original painting influence people 9s perception of New York Culture? Create a modern club, or redo Broadway. At this portion of the class we will be creating a working portfolio, please bring in an empty folder tomorrow and I tell you which pieces to include in your portfolio as we get to them. Week Two Day Six (Monday) SAMPLE LESSON PLAN Aim: How can my neighborhood inform my voice? Learning Goals Students will demonstrate their knowledge of how local culture informs voice through the creation of a text that reflects their local neighborhood artistically. Students will make at least one connection in their journal as to how location can act as a symbol or theme. Housekeeping 3 attendance, students copy Aim off board. (2 minutes) Students present their modern day representations of the locations they read about from the Harlem Renaissance as well as their portfolio folders. (3 minutes) Teacher hands out modern day versions of poems about Broadway, as well as other Manhattan inspired poetry. Pieces include: c Broadway d by James Papastamos, c Broadway , d by Kira Ulch, and, c Silence (over Manhattan) , d by Paula Bardell - Teacher asks for student volunteers to read each poem. (2 minutes) Teacher instructs students to reflect in their writing journals if their more modern artistic depictions of Manhattan relate to the modern poems about Manhattan in the same way they did in the cPair Genre d activity from the previous class. (5 minutes) Part 6 Ste. Marie 41 - St udents will answer questions: cHow is your picture similar to the modern poems we read? How is it different? Are there any common themes or symbols present in both artistic representations? In what ways is your view on the location unique? d Students will also reflect on how both their representation and the modern poems are similar and different from those of the Harlem Renaissance. Students report their findings. Building off students 9 answers to the question, cIn what ways is your view on the location unique? d The discussion will focus on how artists develop a unique voice by their interpretation of their local culture including their neighborhood. Students 9 responses to the question, cAre there any common themes or symbols present in both artistic representations? d Will also focus the discussion towards location as a symbol. (4 minutes) - The teacher states that, cWhere you come from, even what neighborhood, can become a huge part of your voice as a writer. Some artists have used their neighborhood as a symbol of who they are. Not only can it inform the language you use as we 9ve seen in, c Slim Greer in Hell , d and in your Creative dialogs, but where you come from can also serve as the setting of your poem, and in some cases it can be the poem itself. (2 minutes) Teacher hands out Howard Horowitz 9s c Wordmap , d and Jenny Beorkrem 9s cManhattan . d Teacher explains how cWord Map d is actually in the shape of Manhattan (if the students haven 9t noticed). Teacher explains that also the location of the words actually reflects the real life location in Manhattan. For example, when Horowitz is talking about Battery Park in the poem, the words Battery Park in the poem are located where Battery Park would be on a map. (2 minutes) - Teacher reads part of cWord Map d and asks students to follow along with the poem making note of any locations they recognize within the poem. ( 2 minutes) Students report their findings; class discusses some of their favorite places from their neighborhood. (2 minutes) Part 6 Ste. Marie 42 Teacher then asks students to look at Jenny Beorkrem 9s cManhattan . d - Teach er asks, cIt is a bit more straight forward, but how is this also using Manhattan as a means of expressing the author 9s voice? In what ways is the artist using Manhattan as a symbol? H ow does New York City culture inspire both pieces? d Class discusses these questions. Teacher then asks the class, cH ow is this similar to the works during the Harlem Renaissance? How is it different? d (3 minutes) Activity cGraphical Representation d Teacher asks the students to create their own graphical representation of their neighborhood, - Students are organized by borough (if student lives somewhere out of state they have a choice of going into a group of their choice to learn more about the borough, or working individually to create their own neighborhood graphical representation). They must include specific locations of spots that interest them. Students are encouraged to have the visualization of the map reflect the places they chose. Teacher states, c if it 9s a sketchy place, make it look dangerous, put some spooky handwriting, or draw something intimidating. If it 9s a place that you think is really beautiful, make it look beautiful give it some style on your map. d (10 minutes) Students present their graphical representations to the class, each student will pick one location that th ey contributed and explain why it 9s significant. (10 minutes) Teacher instructs to put both the graphical representation piece as well as their modernized location piece in their working portfolio. HW Pick a place either from the texts in class, or one of the prominent places in your neighborhood that you listed in your graphic organizer. Make perditions on why it is what it is today. What might it have been previously? Record notes in your writing journal Part 6 Ste. Marie 43 Week Two Day Seven (Tuesday) Aim: How can we incorporate figurative language in our local voice? Teacher asks students to refer to the poem c Dawn in New York , d by Claude McKay that they have previously read. Teacher explains to the class that, cwe will be creating our own sort of cDawn in new York d poem as a class. Activity cClass poem d Students will create a class poem In response to dawn in New York, it must be set in New York, each line will start with, c today in the big city, d students will each individually create one line in their writing journals the Teacher calls on volunteers to and writes the first 10 lines on the board. The teacher cal

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