Standard 2: Works with students as individuals
This standard involves the following:
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It is important that we are teaching students, not content. We may have the greatest lesson in the world, but if it is not geared towards the age level or interest, that lesson has just lost its purpose. The following artifacts demonstrate how I adapt my lessons to my students by incorporating different strategies. |
Baseball Plotline |
Literacy Collages |
First, I adapt my curriculum by incorporating student interest. Students may be able to understand the plotline of a story, but a story can vary from one to three hundred pages. Rather than having students analyze a long and unfamiliar story, I had them analyze a short sports clip to which they could relate. Many of my students are interested in baseball, so I used a 46-second clip of a baseball catch. The lesson went very well, and I had requests to incorporate soccer, basketball, and other sports that the students played. I have also played my students' favorite songs before class and had them make literacy collages to learn about their understanding of English and who they are as a reader, writer, student, and person.
Individual Work Time
Second, I give students the opportunity to develop and master concepts on their own. Offering work time both during and at the end of class allows students to work on class material and complete homework, but if they are still unsure of a concept or have further questions, this is the time to ask. I can now give students individual attention which I cannot do during full class instruction. If further help is needed, I often meet students during lunch until that light bulb goes on. |
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Vocabulary Prefixes
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Third, it is important to remember that every student has his or her own way of learning. Vocabulary is often taught as word and definition memorization. This works for many students, but many others also struggle. Rather than teaching words, I spent a quarter of the year focusing on prefixes. Students were responsible for finding words that incorporate the given prefix, select one word and use it in a sentence, and then draw a picture of that sentence. These instructions required students to research, apply, and visualize the word. For example, 'super-' means 'above and beyond.' Superman is 'above and beyond' the average human because he can fly and has superhuman strength. If students can associate 'super' with Superman, they will be able to better remember the connection between the prefix and its definition.
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Soundtrack Project
Lastly, the Glory Road soundtrack project ties everything together: student interest, individual work time, learning connections, and then relevancy and authenticity. At the beginning of the quarter, I asked students what their favorite songs are and proceeded to play one each day before class. This got them pumped and really brought energy to the classroom. For the unit project, students got to pick songs and create their own soundtrack for Glory Road. I was very impressed with some of their songs, 'The Imperial March,' 'We Are the Champions,' and the Pokèmon theme song to name a few. They connected each song to either a part of the play or a specific character and then supported their explanations with quotes. Since this was a large and comprehensive project, I incorporated a work day and set aside class time. Many of the students enjoyed creating their soundtracks, and seeing the authenticity and purpose of their songs.
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