Professional Documents
Culture Documents
SES is known for its outstanding Transition Services, which helps prepare students
for
future
employment
after
they
graduate.
All
students
at
SES
begin
working
on
campus
at
the
age
of
13,
and
many
students
at
the
high
school
level
go
to
jobs
1-2
days
a
week
in
the
Baltimore
community
accompanied
by
a
job
coach
from
the
school.
In
addition,
SES
also
offers
comprehensive
related
services,
including
occupational
therapy,
physical
therapy,
speech
therapy,
and
assistive
technology
carried
out
by
full-time
experienced
staff
members.
63%
of
students
at
SES
receive
occupational
therapy
and/or
physical
therapy,
and
93%
of
students
receive
speech
therapy.
In
the
Elementary/Middle
team
where
I
work
at
St.
Elizabeth
School,
there
are
5
homerooms
that
travel
as
a
group
to
each
class
during
the
day.
These
homeroom
groups
have
about
7-10
students
each,
which
means
that
the
class
size
at
SES
is
never
larger
than
10
students.
Currently,
I
am
doing
my
internship
in
the
Elementary/Middle
Social
Studies
classroom
at
SES
where
I
am
a
Teaching
Assistant.
The
students
in
the
homeroom
I
have
chosen
to
teach
for
my
Evidence
of
Student
Learning
project
are
between
the
ages
of
13
and
16,
and
their
instructional
level
for
reading
and
writing
is
between
grades
3-5.
In
this
class,
there
are
six
boys
and
three
girls.
This
class
has
Social
Studies
four
times
a
week
for
45
minutes
each
class
period.
There
is
one
African
American
student
in
the
class,
and
the
rest
of
the
class
is
White.
This
class
is
somewhat
unusual
for
the
school
because
there
is
more
school
diversity
than
is
represented
in
this
particular
class.
Each
student
in
this
class
has
his/her
own
behavior
plan,
as
well
as
the
school-wide
program
that
awards
Eagle
High
Fives
to
students
based
on
five
values:
Achievement,
Encouragement,
Rethink,
Respect,
and
Responsibility.
In
this
program,
students
have
the
opportunity
to
win
weekly
prizes
in
a
school-wide
drawing.
Each
student
carries
a
point
sheet
with
them
that
outlines
their
behavior
goals
for
the
day.
This
may
include
doing
their
work,
having
safe
hands,
and
using
nice
words.
Teachers
in
each
class
fill
out
the
point
sheets,
awarding
full
points
if
the
student
meets
all
of
his/her
goals.
The
students
in
this
class
have
a
number
of
behavior
problems
that
can
interfere
with
a
class
lesson,
and
all
of
the
students
have
IEPs
that
call
for
significant
modifications
to
lesson
content.
Student
D
can
be
very
disruptive
in
class,
talking
loudly
and
complaining,
and
often
refuses
to
do
his
work.
He
may
put
his
head
on
the
desk
for
the
entire
hour,
or
verbally
abuse
the
teacher
or
agitate/threaten
other
students.
Student
D
often
works
better
in
individualized
settings
with
a
staff
member.
Student
C
can
also
be
very
disruptive;
he
may
say
loud,
inappropriate
things
at
inappropriate
times,
and
he
is
very
physically
active
around
the
room.
Student
C
becomes
easily
bored
with
normal
classwork.
It
is
important
that
the
lesson
has
planned
alternative
activities
for
Student
D
and
Student
C,
such
as
working
on
the
computer
on
MSA
Government
practice
questions
or
a
webquest
activity.
For
a
lesson
in
this
particular
class
to
be
successful,
it
is
important
that
the
students
have
optional
pathways
for
learning.
If
they
feel
they
have
chosen
their
own
pathway,
they
are
more
likely
to
work
quietly,
and
the
classroom
environment
will
maintain
the
optimal
level
of
student
learning.
If,
however,
Student
D
and
Student
C
dont
want
to
participate
in
the
main
lesson
activity
and
there
are
no
alternatives
available,
they
are
more
likely
to
become
disruptive
and
prevent
others
from
learning.
As
of
this
year,
St.
Elizabeth
School
is
using
the
Howard
County
Public
School
System
(HCPSS)
Curriculum
Framework.
This
framework
is
aligned
with
the
Maryland
College
and
Career
Readiness
Standards
(MCCRS)
for
Social
Studies.
The
unit
I
taught
used
MCCRS
Standard
3.0
Geography:
Students
will
use
geographic
concepts
and
processes
to
examine
the
role
of
culture,
technology,
and
the
environment
in
the
location
and
distribution
of
human
activities
and
spatial
connections
throughout
time.
My
unit
also
uses
MCCRS
Standard
2.0
Peoples
of
the
Nation
and
the
World:
Student
will
understand
the
diversity
and
commonality,
human
interdependence,
and
global
cooperation
of
the
people
of
Maryland,
the
United
States,
and
the
World
through
a
multicultural
and
a
historic
perspective.
Under
the
MCCRS,
the
Suggested
K-12
Pathway
for
College,
Career,
and
Civic
Readiness
states
that
by
the
end
of
Grade
5,
individually
and
with
others,
students
will
(D2.Geo.2.3-5.)
use
maps,
satellite
images,
photographs,
and
other
representations
to
explain
relationships
between
the
locations
of
places
and
regions
and
their
environmental
characteristics.
In
addition,
in
the
same
framework,
D2.Geo.6.3-5.
states
that
individually
and
with
others,
students
will
explain
how
the
cultural
and
environmental
characteristics
of
places
change
over
time.
Under
the
MCCRS
Framework
Reading
Standards
for
Literacy
in
History/Social
Studies,
I
will
use
the
Anchor
Standard
#1:
Read
closely
to
determine
what
the
text
says
explicitly
and
to
make
logical
inferences
from
it;
cite
specific
textual
evidence
when
writing
or
speaking
to
support
conclusions
drawn
from
the
text.
For
6th
grade
students,
I
will
use
the
standard
RH.6-8.1
Cite
specific
textual
evidence
to
support
analysis
of
primary
and
secondary
sources.
The
Essential
Skills
and
Knowledge
that
I
will
use
for
this
standard
are:
Select
and
apply
during
reading
strategies
to
monitor
comprehension
e.g.,
rereading,
paraphrasing,
summarizing,
connecting
related
ideas
within
a
primary
or
secondary
source,
verifying
or
modifying
predictions,
visualizing,
and
connecting
text
ideas
with
prior
knowledge
or
experience.
I
will
also
use
CCR
Anchor
Standard
#3:
Analyze
how
and
why
individuals,
events,
and
ideas
develop
and
interact
over
the
course
of
a
text.
For
6th
grade
students,
I
will
use
the
standard
RH.6-8.3:
Analyze
how
and
why
individuals,
events,
or
ideas
develop
and
interact
over
the
course
of
a
text.
The
Essential
Skills
and
Knowledge
that
I
will
utilize
for
this
standard
is:
Finally,
I
will
also
use
CCR
Anchor
Standard
#4:
Interpret
words
and
phrases
as
they
are
used
in
a
text,
including
determining
technical,
connotative,
and
figurative
meanings,
and
analyze
how
specific
word
choices
shape
meaning
or
tone.
For
6th
grad
students,
I
will
use
the
standard
RH.6-8.4:
Determine
the
meaning
of
words
and
phrases
as
they
are
used
in
a
text,
including
vocabulary
specific
to
domains
related
to
history/social
studies.
The
Essential
Skills
and
Knowledge
that
I
will
use
for
this
standard
are:
In
the
HCPSS
Curriculum,
I
use
the
6th
Grade
Geography
and
World
Cultures
curriculum,
and
specifically
the
topic
of
Geography,
under
which
the
Learning
Outcomes
include:
1.
Identify
Africas
relative
location
in
the
world.
2.
Identify
the
various
geographic
regions
within
Sub-Saharan
Africa
and
describe
the
characteristics
that
make
them
distinct
regions.
3.
Describe
the
major
geographic
and
climatic
features
of
Sub-Saharan
Africa.
4.
Identify
selected
countries
and
major
cities
of
Sub-Saharan
Africa.
12.
Identify
the
characteristics
of
selected
Sub-Saharan
African
cultures.
My
unit
will
be
taught
over
the
course
of
three
days
during
a
one-week
period.
The
students
in
this
class
will
require
a
review
of
Africa
to
refresh
their
memory,
and
prepare
them
for
the
subsequent
two
days
of
lessons
that
are
more
in-depth
and
specific.
The
objectives
for
my
lessons
are
as
follows:
Lesson
1
Objective:
Students
will
be
able
to
recognize
Africa
and
its
sub-regions
on
a
map
and
identify
Africas
important
natural
resources,
animals,
and
climactic
features
by
participating
in
an
interactive
SMART
board
presentation
and
by
completing
a
worksheet
packet.
Lesson
2
Objective:
Students
will
understand
the
importance
of
Nelson
Mandela
to
South
African
history
by
reading
a
book
about
Mandela,
watching
a
video
documentary,
and
completing
a
graphic
organizer
and/or
art
project.
Lesson
3
Objective:
Students
will
recognize
Ghana
and
its
cultural
and
historical
features,
by
participating
in
an
interactive
SMART
board
presentation
while
filling
out
a
graphic
organizer,
and
completing
a
worksheet
packet
and
art
activity.
The
students
I
am
teaching
will
demonstrate
the
knowledge
they
have
gained
from
these
lessons
by
participating
in
the
questions
that
are
embedded
in
the
SMART
board
presentations,
and
they
will
complete
subsequent
activities,
worksheets,
and
writing
assignments
that
will
follow
the
presentations.
quiz
that
tested
students
basic
knowledge
about
Africa.
Question
#1
asked
the
students
to
circle
Africa
on
a
world
map.
The
students
had
been
learning
about
the
7
continents
for
the
previous
few
weeks,
so
the
location
of
the
continent
of
Africa
should
have
been
familiar
to
them.
2
out
of
9
students
in
the
class
answered
this
question
correctly.
Question
#2
on
the
pre-assessment
asked
students
to
identify
one
country
in
Africa
from
four
choices:
India,
Ghana,
Europe,
and
Afghanistan.
Ghana
is
a
country
in
West
Africa
that
will
be
discussed
in-depth
during
Day
3
of
the
unit.
1
out
of
9
students
correctly
answered
this
question.
Question
#3
of
the
pre-assessment
asked
the
students,
Which
person
is
the
former
President
of
South
Africa.
There
were
four
choices
to
choose
from:
Barack
Obama,
Michael
Jordan,
Nelson
Mandela,
and
Madeline
Albright.
Nelson
Mandela
will
be
discussed
extensively
during
the
second
day
of
the
unit,
during
which
I
will
introduce
South
Africa,
and
the
importance
of
Nelson
Mandela
to
that
country
and
to
the
world.
1
out
of
9
students
answered
this
question
correctly.
Question
#4
of
the
pre-assessment
asked
students
to
identify
one
major
region
of
Africa
from
four
choices:
West
Africa,
Ireland,
Madagascar,
and
Eastern
Europe.
4
out
of
9
students
answered
this
question
correctly,
probably
because
the
region
had
Africa
in
its
name,
and
thus
it
is
a
little
easier.
The
final
question
of
the
pre-
assessment
asked
students
to
identify
one
animal
that
lives
in
the
wild
in
Africa
but
not
in
the
United
States.
The
correct
answer
was
the
cheetah,
and
4
out
of
9
students
answered
this
correctly.
I
can
infer
from
this
pre-assessment
that
students
have
been
exposed
to
African
animals
in
a
variety
of
contexts,
and
this
is
an
area
of
interest
for
them
and
a
relative
strength.
Based
on
the
pre-assessment
results,
I
planned
a
unit
that
would
give
the
students
one
class
period
of
overall
Africa
review
(Day
1),
that
includes
the
regions
of
Africa,
climate
zones/landforms,
natural
resources,
animals,
languages,
etc.
One
major
theme
I
intend
to
stress
is
the
great
diversity
of
Africa;
the
continent
is
not
simply
how
it
is
narrowly
portrayed
in
Disney
movies.
It
is
important
to
me
to
engage
the
students
existing
interest
in
African
animals,
but
also
to
expand
on
those
interests
by
introducing
them
to
all
the
similarities
and
differences
that
exist
between
our
lives
in
America,
and
the
lives
of
people
on
the
African
continent.
I
have
tried
to
design
lessons
that
are
as
dynamic
and
interactive
as
possible
while
also
conveying
the
needed
information
about
Africa
and
accurately
assessing
their
new
knowledge.
In
order
for
students
to
exhibit
understanding
of
the
lesson
objectives,
I
have
developed
a
number
of
formative
assessments
that
are
embedded
throughout
the
lessons.
Each
lesson
begins
with
a
PowerPoint
presentation
of
varying
length
that
introduces
the
students
to
pictures
and
videos
of
selected
areas
in
Africa.
Throughout
these
presentations
I
have
included
comprehension
questions
to
test
what
they
are
retaining
from
each
slide,
and
to
teach
them
how
to
use
the
various
types
of
maps
I
am
showing
them.
During
the
presentation
on
Ghana
(Day
3),
I
am
giving
students
a
graphic
organizer
to
take
notes
as
I
am
presenting
the
information.
The
graphic
organizer
is
broken
into
several
categories,
including
Food
and
Arts.
Following
each
days
PowerPoint,
I
offer
students
a
number
of
ways
to
exhibit
their
comprehension
of
the
material.
The
students
in
this
particular
class
are
most
productive
and
the
least
disruptive
and
defiant
when
they
have
choices,
so
I
have
developed
a
Research
Project
and
WebQuest,
which
are
internet-based
assignments
for
the
students
who
do
not
like
traditional
worksheets.
There
are
other
students
who
respond
very
well
to
10
the
simplicity
and
finite
nature
of
worksheets,
so
I
have
developed
a
number
of
worksheets
to
meet
their
needs.
These
include
worksheets
to
practice
the
lessons
vocabulary
using
sorting,
matching,
and
cloze
sentences.
In
addition,
I
have
made
multiple-choice
worksheets
that
ask
students
questions
about
a
climate
map
and
a
natural
resources
map.
I
have
also
made
multiple-choice
worksheets
that
are
similar
to
the
pre-assessment
and
will
prepare
them
for
the
summative
assessment.
Students
will
also
be
asked
to
label
a
map
of
Africa
with
the
5
major
regions,
and
if
time
allows,
they
may
complete
a
climate
region
comparison
chart.
During
the
lesson
in
which
we
are
discussing
Nelson
Mandela,
the
students
will
complete
a
5
Ws
graphic
organizer
as
a
formative
assessment.
I
think
this
format
is
excellent
for
helping
students
to
identify
why
Nelson
Mandela
was
important
and
what
he
did
for
South
Africa.
On
this
day,
students
will
also
have
the
choice
to
draw
a
picture
of
an
important
moment
in
Nelson
Mandelas
life
to
show
their
comprehension.
On
the
final
day,
when
we
are
discussing
Ghana,
students
will
make
a
kente
cloth
art
project
using
strips
of
paper.
My
mentor
teacher
and
I
plan
to
extend
the
Africa
unit
to
five
days
by
incorporating
extension
activities
such
as
the
climate
region
comparison
chart
and
a
SMART
board-based
Who
Wants
to
be
a
Millionaire
trivia
game.
I
have
also
developed
a
number
of
modified
materials
so
that
I
can
teach
these
lessons
to
students
in
all
the
other
elementary/middle
classes.
These
other
classes
include
students
who
need
more
modified
materials
including
picture
matching
using
Boardmaker
tools,
topic
boards,
and
simple
SMART
board
games.
It
is
important
to
assess
how
well
students
have
grasped
the
skills
and
knowledge
necessary
to
meet
the
objectives
developed
from
the
Maryland
College
and
Career
11
12
question.
The
next
section
of
questions
included
three
questions
about
the
Climate
of
Africa.
The
first
question
asked
them
to
identify
the
climate
of
North
Africa.
The
correct
answer
is
Desert
and
the
two
wrong
answers
are
Very
Cold
and
Wet.
Students
will
use
their
knowledge
of
what
the
word
Climate
means
to
answer
this
question,
as
well
as
information
from
the
video
we
watched
about
North
Africa.
For
the
following
two
climate
questions,
the
students
used
a
color-coded
Climate
map
of
Africa
to
identify
several
countries
that
are
in
certain
climate
zones,
such
as
Desert
and
Tropical
Rainforest.
These
questions
will
assess
students
ability
to
use
a
map
to
discern
information
about
a
place
and
will
reinforce
their
knowledge
of
the
climate
regions
of
Africa.
The
next
set
of
two
questions
asked
students
to
use
a
Natural
Resources
map
of
Africa
to
name
one
country
that
has
Diamonds
and
one
country
that
has
Oil.
These
questions
also
assess
students
map-reading
skills,
and
encourages
students
to
use
a
map
to
find
important
information.
The
following
three
quiz
questions
were
about
the
lesson
on
South
Africa.
These
questions
focused
on
Nelson
Mandela.
I
repeated
the
question
from
the
pre-assessment,
which
asked
students
to
identify
the
former
president
of
South
Africa.
Students
will
use
the
knowledge
they
gained
from
our
various
activities
related
to
Nelson
Mandela
to
answer
this
question.
One
of
the
incorrect
choices
is
Barack
Obama,
so
students
should
use
their
background
knowledge
of
the
current
President
of
the
United
States
to
rule
out
this
incorrect
answer.
The
next
question
assessed
what
students
had
learned
about
apartheid
from
the
South
Africa
lesson.
Students
were
introduced
to
apartheid
during
the
South
Africa
presentation,
plus
it
was
discussed
in
the
subsequent
book
and
video.
Students
also
practiced
the
vocabulary
in
follow-up
worksheets
and
a
graphic
organizer.
The
last
question
about
Nelson
Mandela
asked
students
to
identify
13
where
Mandela
spent
many
years
of
his
life.
Students
learned
during
the
book
and
video
on
Day
2
that
Mandela
spent
27
years
in
prison.
The
final
set
of
four
questions
was
about
the
lesson
on
Ghana.
The
first
question
was
related
to
geography
and
asked
students
to
identify
the
region
of
Africa
where
Ghana
is
located.
This
information
was
initially
given
during
the
PowerPoint
presentation
about
Ghana,
and
was
reinforced
in
subsequent
worksheets
and
activities.
The
second
question
asked
students
to
identify
a
major
art
form
in
Ghana.
The
correct
answer,
Kente
Weaving,
was
shown
in
several
slides
and
a
video
of
kente
weavers
during
the
presentation
on
Ghana,
as
well
as
an
activity
in
which
the
students
weaved
their
own
Kente
strip
using
colored
paper.
The
third
question
was
about
the
food
of
Ghana,
and
asked
students
to
identify
one
important
food
in
Ghana.
During
the
presentation
on
Ghana
I
showed
students
images
of
Fufu,
then
they
noted
this
in
their
graphic
organizer,
and
this
was
reinforced
by
vocabulary
sorting
worksheets
as
well
as
a
short
Ghana
quiz.
The
final
question
of
the
summative
assessment
was
about
Slave
Castles
in
Ghana,
which
is
a
topic
that
was
discussed
at
length
in
connection
with
Colonialism
and
Slave
Trading
during
the
Ghana
presentation.
Students
were
also
asked
about
Slave
Castles
during
the
lessons
worksheets
and
short
quiz.
All
assessments
used
in
this
unit
plan
are
directly
aligned
with
each
other
as
well
as
with
the
unit
goals
and
objectives.
The
assessments
are
also
aligned
with
the
MCCRS
and
HCPSS
curriculum
and
standards
as
stated
in
Part
A,
including:
14
The
skills
and
knowledge
that
students
learned
during
the
PowerPoint
presentations
on
all
three
days
were
reinforced
during
subsequent
worksheets,
art
activities,
and
internet-
based
projects.
The
assessments
used
in
this
unit
plan
include
appropriate
principles
of
UDL
and
differentiation.
Students
were
given
a
variety
of
options
to
demonstrate
their
knowledge
of
Africa,
and
information
was
presented
in
a
variety
of
ways,
including
using
pictures,
videos,
and
reading
a
book
with
illustrations.
In
order
to
collect
data
for
this
unit,
I
used
worksheets,
short
daily
quizzes,
art
activities,
and
alternative
assignments,
such
as
a
Research
Project,
in
addition
to
the
summative
assessment
quiz.
Part
C:
Instruction
For each lesson, the objective was written on the board in student-friendly
language
so
that
every
student
would
understand
what
was
expected
of
them
and
what
would
happen
during
the
class
period.
Students
in
this
class
benefit
from
a
simplified
15
version
of
the
objective
that
is
written
as
a
To
Do
list
on
the
board.
The
teacher
checks
off
items
on
this
list
throughout
the
lesson.
Some
1:1
assistants
in
the
class
write
these
simplified
items
on
a
task
analysis
chart
so
that
students
know
what
they
have
to
accomplish
before
they
can
earn
their
preferred
reward
(i.e.
computer
time).
appropriate.
From
the
pre-test
on
Africa,
it
was
clear
that
the
students
needed
a
review
of
general
information
about
Africa
and
its
geography,
even
if
they
had
learned
about
Africa
during
previous
years.
I
could
see
from
the
pre-test
that
they
had
not
retained
much
from
the
prior
years
Africa
lessons.
The
first
day
of
my
unit
will
be
devoted
to
this
general
review
of
Africa.
I
also
gathered
from
the
pre-test
that
students
did
not
remember
the
importance
of
Nelson
Mandela,
despite
having
learned
about
him
fairly
recently
in
a
Scholastic
News
Magazine.
I
also
learned
from
the
pre-test
that
students
generally
could
not
identify
any
African
countries,
and
therefore
it
would
be
valuable
to
go
in-depth
into
several
countries
to
have
a
more
detailed
view
of
the
culture
and
climate
of
several
areas.
One
area
of
relative
strength
for
the
students
was
identifying
African
animals,
and
this
is
something
that
I
will
use
in
the
lessons
as
a
way
to
develop
their
interest
in
the
unit.
In order to motivate and engage students, I began each lesson with a question for
students
to
think
about
and
respond
to.
During
the
Day
1
lesson
about
Africa,
I
asked
students
to
tell
me
what
they
knew
about
Africa,
and
all
answers
were
welcomed.
By
doing
this,
I
hoped
to
hear
if
students
had
certain
stereotypical
ideas
about
Africa,
and
from
that
point
onward
I
tried
to
give
them
a
more
full
picture
of
the
continent
of
Africa.
During
the
start
of
the
Day
2
lesson,
I
asked
students
to
look
at
a
picture
of
Cape
Town,
South
Africa,
16
and
tell
me
what
they
saw
in
the
picture.
I
hoped
that
they
would
notice
and
mention
the
high-rise
buildings,
the
beaches,
the
big
boats,
and
the
large
soccer
stadium.
These
are
all
things
that
we
see
in
American
cities
as
well,
and
I
wanted
students
to
understand
that
Africa
has
many
very
contemporary
cities.
During
the
opening
of
the
Day
3
lesson,
I
showed
students
a
smock
from
northern
Ghana
(a
real
one),
and
I
asked
them
if
they
knew
what
it
is
and
what
it
is
used
for.
I
hoped
that
showing
an
authentic
item
from
Ghana
would
stir
their
interest
in
the
days
lesson
and
incite
discussion
and
speculation.
I
also
motivated
students
through
my
PowerPoint
presentations.
Each
days
presentation
used
numerous
photos
and
maps,
as
well
as
integrated
short
videos
that
gave
students
a
window
into
regions
of
Africa
and
their
unique
qualities.
Also
embedded
into
these
presentations
were
questions
that
were
intended
to
keep
students
focused
while
also
assessing
what
they
had
retained
from
the
previous
slides
or
video.
Finally,
I
also
motivated
students
by
offering
them
choices
to
exhibit
their
comprehension.
Students
were
offered
the
choice
to
do
worksheets,
art
activities,
graphic
organizers,
a
WebQuest,
and/or
a
Research
Project
on
any
of
the
three
days
of
the
unit.
Students
who
would
typically
be
unmotivated
to
complete
class
work
would
have
little
reason
to
complain
with
so
many
options
to
seize
their
interests.
In
this
unit,
new
skills
were
introduced
in
a
way
that
was
engaging
and
met
the
needs
of
a
unique
group
of
students.
In
the
Day
1
Lesson,
students
were
introduced
to
Africa
as
a
continent.
The
lesson
objective
for
Day
1
was:
Students
will
be
able
to
recognize
Africa
and
its
sub-regions
on
a
map
and
identify
Africas
important
natural
resources,
animals,
and
climactic
features
by
participating
in
an
interactive
SMART
board
17
presentation
and
by
completing
a
worksheet
packet.
This
objective
was
re-written
and
stated
to
students
as
a
list
of
items
for
the
day.
The
lesson
began
with
an
interactive
PowerPoint
presentation
that
asked
students,
first,
what
they
already
know
about
Africa.
After
the
initial
question,
I
showed
students
a
series
of
pictures,
which
illustrate
the
great
diversity
of
landscapes
that
exist
in
Africa.
This
is
intended
to
upend
any
assumptions
they
may
have
about
Africa
as
being
one
giant
safari
ride.
I
end
this
intro
by
showing
the
students
a
brief
video
of
Ghanaian
students
dancing
a
contemporary
hip-hop
style
dance.
I
want
them
to
see
that
African
students
live
in
a
modern
world
just
like
American
students.
I
then
showed
them
a
map
of
the
world,
and
asked
a
student
to
come
to
the
SMART
board
and
point
to
Africa.
The
following
slide
asked
students
if
Africa
is
a
continent
or
a
country,
a
concept
that
I
tried
to
quickly
clarify.
We
continued
through
more
slides
that
asked
students
to
come
to
the
board
and
identify
the
continent
of
Africa
from
three
choices.
Here,
I
reinforced
the
shape
of
the
African
continent
through
repetitive
activities.
We
moved
on
to
a
slide
of
a
Climate
map
of
Africa.
The
students
had
the
same
color
Climate
map
at
their
desks,
and
we
discussed
some
of
the
major
climate
zones
and
where
they
are
located.
The
following
slides
asked
the
students
questions
about
which
countries
are
in
certain
climate
zones.
They
used
their
own
Climate
map
to
answer
the
questions
from
their
desks.
They
completed
a
similar
activity
independently
in
their
worksheets
later.
We
then
looked
at
a
Natural
Resource
map
of
Africa,
and
I
helped
the
students
to
read
the
map
and
locate
countries
that
contain
various
resources.
This
was
also
an
activity
the
students
completed
independently
later.
The
next
slide
showed
the
many
tribes
of
Africa,
illustrating
the
thousands
of
languages
in
Africa,
and
then
a
slide
that
showed
the
diverse
appearance
of
Africans
across
the
continent.
We
then
discussed
the
regions
of
Africa
and
delved
into
18
North
Africa
in-depth
by
watching
a
short
video
on
North
Africa,
followed
by
several
questions
about
the
climate
of
that
region.
The
PowerPoint
ended
with
a
few
slides
about
African
animals,
and
then
a
Safari
video.
Students
were
then
asked
to
name
some
of
the
animals
they
saw
in
the
video.
This
concluded
the
introduction
of
new
knowledge
for
the
Day
1
Lesson.
I
modeled
new
skills
and
allowed
for
guided
practice
for
Lesson
1
by
showing
students
how
to
locate
Africa
on
a
map,
how
to
distinguish
between
a
continent
and
a
country,
and
how
to
use
a
Climate
map
and
a
Natural
Resources
map.
I
modeled
these
skills
using
pictures
and
printed
maps.
Students
came
up
to
the
SMART
board
to
help
me
locate
Africa
on
maps
and
answered
other
questions
from
their
seats.
This
process
allowed
me
to
see
if
students
were
retaining
and
comprehending
what
I
was
describing
to
them.
Students
were
then
instructed
to
choose
a
path
for
their
independent
practice.
Most
students
completed
worksheets
individually
that
utilized
their
new
vocabulary
and
map
skills.
Other
students
were
given
the
choice
to
complete
a
Research
Project
using
the
computer.
These
students
put
together
a
poster
about
an
African
animal
along
with
details
about
where
that
animal
lives,
what
they
eat,
etc.
This
alternative
project
was
intended
to
encourage
students
to
use
some
of
their
new
knowledge,
map
skills,
and
vocabulary
about
climate
zones
in
Africa
to
describe
where
their
chosen
animal
lives.
This
project,
in
particular,
engaged
the
students
critical
and
creative
thinking
skills
as
they
designed
the
animal
poster
and
searched
for
information
about
their
animal
on
the
internet.
The
students
in
this
class
require
a
significant
amount
of
prompting
and
support
throughout
any
class
period,
so
even
though
this
portion
of
the
class
period
required
19
students
to
work
independently,
they
had
the
support
of
a
number
of
staff
members
to
help
them
work
through
any
difficult
questions
and
to
encourage
them
to
continue
working.
I
walked
around
the
room
during
this
time,
making
sure
students
knew
how
to
complete
each
worksheet,
and
providing
assistance
where
needed.
I
also
met
with
individual
students
to
check
their
understanding.
I
gave
encouraging
feedback
to
all
students
as
they
completed
their
work.
Students
in
this
class
have
point
sheets
that
are
filled
out
during
each
class
period.
They
earn
points
for
completing
their
work
and
for
other
good
behavior.
The
vocabulary
and
map
skills
worksheets
and
the
Research
Project
acted
as
the
formative
assessments
for
this
class
lesson.
The
formative
assessments
addressed
each
students
learning
needs
in
that
they
are
modified
to
meet
the
needs
of
students
who
are
on
different
reading
and
writing
levels.
Some
worksheets
required
no
writing
and
were
simply
multiple
choice
and
matching/sorting.
Other
worksheets
required
students
to
develop
short
answers
in
response
to
a
prompt,
or
complete
cloze
sentences.
I
also
created
more
heavily
modified
worksheets
that
used
Boardmaker
pictures
and
asked
students
to
match
pictures
to
vocabulary
words
or
sort
pictures.
The
freedom
inherent
in
the
Research
Project
may
not
be
suitable
for
all
students
in
this
class.
For
Lesson
2,
I
introduced
new
knowledge
in
a
similar
way
as
in
Lesson
1.
I
showed
students
a
PowerPoint
presentation
about
South
Africa
that
acted
as
a
brief
introduction
to
a
new
area
in
Africa.
The
lesson
objective
for
Day
2
was:
Students
will
understand
the
importance
of
Nelson
Mandela
to
South
African
history
by
reading
a
book
about
Mandela,
watching
a
video
documentary,
and
completing
a
graphic
organizer
and/or
20
art
project.
During
the
presentation,
I
showed
South
Africa
on
several
maps
and
then
showed
images
of
the
landscape
of
South
Africa.
I
then
asked
students
to
come
to
the
board
to
point
to
South
Africa
on
a
map
of
Africa
to
see
if
they
remembered
where
it
is
located.
I
then
showed
students
a
short
video
about
South
Africa,
and
followed
it
up
with
questions
about
what
they
saw
in
the
video,
including
the
kinds
of
animals
that
live
in
South
Africa.
The
last
slides
in
the
PowerPoint
gave
students
a
brief
introduction
to
apartheid
in
South
Africa.
I
simplified
this
long
historical
story
into
just
a
few
slides
that
would
convey
the
essence
of
how
apartheid
came
to
occur.
I
then
asked
students
if
racial
segregation
only
happened
in
South
Africa,
or
if
it
occurred
in
other
places
in
the
world.
I
wanted
students
to
make
the
connection
between
our
own
countrys
struggle
for
civil
rights,
and
another
country
that
was
fighting
a
similar
battle
for
equality.
I
then
showed
a
picture
of
Nelson
Mandela,
and
I
said
that
this
man
changed
the
lives
of
South
Africans.
I
asked
the
students
if
they
knew
who
the
man
is
in
the
picture.
I
told
the
students
Mandelas
name,
and
asked
them
if
they
know
anything
about
him.
I
finished
by
telling
them
that
they
will
learn
about
Mandela
and
what
he
did
to
change
South
Africa.
After
the
initial
set
of
slides,
I
introduced
an
illustrated
childrens
book
about
Nelson
Mandela.
I
held
up
the
book
for
the
students
to
see,
but
I
also
had
a
scanned
version
of
the
book
inserted
into
the
PowerPoint
presentation.
I
handed
out
a
note-taking
worksheet
of
cloze
sentences
so
that
students
could
follow
along
while
I
read
the
book.
I
read
the
book
aloud
to
the
students,
stopping
when
there
was
new
vocabulary,
and
I
wrote
the
vocabulary
words
on
the
board.
I
also
stopped
to
allow
students
to
fill
out
their
note-taking
worksheet
and
to
ask
comprehension
questions
to
ensure
that
students
were
following
along.
The
book
is
simplified
story
of
Mandelas
life
through
to
his
presidency.
Following
21
the
book,
I
showed
students
a
short
video
of
Nelson
Mandelas
life
to
reinforce
the
information
from
the
book.
Some
students
benefitted
from
the
simplicity
of
the
book,
while
other
students
benefitted
more
from
the
documentary
video
about
Nelson
Mandela.
Following
the
video,
I
asked
students
what
they
learned
from
the
video
about
Mandela.
I
concluded
the
presentation
with
several
slides
with
comprehension
questions
about
Mandela
that
are
taken
directly
from
the
pre-assessment
and
the
summative-assessment.
I
modeled
new
skills
during
Lesson
2
by
asking
a
number
of
comprehension
questions
throughout
the
presentation,
book,
and
after
the
videos.
I
asked
students
to
come
to
the
board
to
identify
South
Africa,
and
I
also
asked
students
to
describe
what
they
had
learned
about
Nelson
Mandela,
and
why
he
was
important.
During
the
book
reading,
I
modeled
new
skills
by
helping
students
to
fill
out
the
cloze
sentences
on
their
note-taking
worksheet.
After
the
main
presentation
with
book
and
videos,
I
gave
students
a
5
Ws
graphic
organizer
to
fill
out
about
Nelson
Mandela.
I
asked
students
to
tell
me
whos
name
would
go
in
the
Who
box.
I
told
students
that
they
would
fill
in
the
other
4
boxes
using
details
about
Mandela
and
South
Africa.
I
described
that
students
were
to
try
to
fill
out
the
graphic
organizer
independently
(or
with
their
1:1
assistant)
for
the
first
5-10
minutes,
and
then
we
would
review
the
answers
as
a
group.
I
then
asked
a
student
to
repeat
back
to
me
the
directions.
This
was
a
challenging
assignment
for
the
students
because
it
asked
them
to
go
beyond
simply
filling
in
a
blank;
they
needed
to
think
about
why
Mandela
was
important
and
how
he
helped
South
Africans.
The
5
Ws
assignment
encouraged
the
students
critical
thinking
skills
because
the
answers
were
not
stated
directly
in
the
book
or
video;
they
had
to
process
what
they
had
22
seen
in
the
video
and
develop
appropriate
responses.
I
did
not
expect
that
the
class
could
complete
this
worksheet
entirely
on
their
own,
so
I
circulated
the
room
throughout
this
independent
practice,
and
gave
students
hints
that
would
help
them
to
develop
their
responses.
After
they
had
worked
independently
for
a
short
time,
we
reviewed
the
answers
as
a
group,
and
I
asked
students
to
read
aloud
some
of
their
responses.
Students
filled
in
the
remainder
of
their
answers
as
needed.
The
5
Ws
worksheet
acted
as
the
formative
assessment
for
this
lesson,
and
I
used
this
data
to
determine
if
students
had
learned
anything
from
the
presentation.
Students
who
needed
an
alternative
assignment
were
given
the
option
to
draw
a
picture
of
Nelson
Mandela
and
an
important
moment
in
his
life.
If
time
allowed
and
in
subsequent
class
periods,
there
were
also
vocabulary
worksheets
that
students
could
complete
that
were
aligned
to
this
lesson.
I
differentiated
this
lesson
by
creating
a
modified
version
of
the
5
Ws
worksheet
that
asked
students
to
cut
and
paste
images
with
words
into
the
5
boxes
instead
of
generating
their
own
written
answers.
This
lesson
was
also
filled
with
many
visuals
and
multiple
means
of
representation
so
that
all
students
could
access
the
content.
During
Lesson
3,
I
introduced
new
knowledge
by
showing
an
extensive
PowerPoint
presentation
about
Ghana.
The
lesson
objective
for
Day
3
was:
Students
will
recognize
Ghana
and
its
cultural
and
historical
features,
by
participating
in
an
interactive
SMART
board
presentation
while
filling
out
a
graphic
organizer,
and
completing
a
worksheet
packet
and
art
activity.
I
was
a
Peace
Corps
volunteer
in
Ghana
for
two
years,
so
this
lesson
draws
heavily
from
my
own
photographs
and
experiences.
Prior
to
the
first
slides,
I
handed
out
a
graphic
organizer
that
allowed
students
to
list
new
vocabulary
words
23
under
categories,
such
as
Food
and
Art.
They
were
asked
to
fill
this
out
during
the
presentation.
I
showed
students
the
smock,
as
described
above,
and
asked
students
what
it
might
be
used
for.
I
then
began
by
showing
students
a
map
of
Africa
and
I
located
Ghana
on
the
map.
I
show
them
pictures
of
the
flag
of
Ghana,
and
the
currency,
the
Ghana
cedi.
I
then
had
a
student
come
to
the
board
and
point
to
which
region
of
Africa
Ghana
is
located
in,
to
see
if
they
had
remembered
from
the
previous
slides.
I
gave
a
brief
introduction
to
colonialism
and
the
slave
trade
in
Africa
by
showing
students
several
slides
of
the
Slave
Castles
along
the
coast
of
Ghana.
Ghana
had
one
of
the
largest
slave
trades
in
Africa,
but
it
also
was
the
first
country
to
gain
independence
from
Colonialism,
which
are
two
very
important
facts
I
hoped
to
convey.
I
showed
the
students
that
Ghana
is
the
closest
country
to
the
center
of
the
world,
where
the
prime
meridian
and
the
equator
intersect.
This
intersection
is
just
off
the
coast
of
Ghana.
I
asked
the
students
what
they
think
the
weather
is
like
near
the
equator,
and
the
students
offered
their
guesses.
I
then
showed
them
a
weather
chart
from
Ghana,
and
it
showed
that
the
temperature
hovers
around
90
degrees
F
all
year.
I
showed
them
the
two
major
climate
regions
in
Ghana
(tropical
rainforest
and
savanna),
and
some
of
the
interesting
landforms
throughout
the
country,
such
as
the
highest
mountain,
and
the
large
Volta
River.
I
then
showed
them
what
schools
look
like
in
Ghana,
how
people
travel,
what
they
eat,
the
important
large
animals,
and
the
major
art
forms
within
the
country.
I
also
showed
slides
of
how
people
shop
for
groceries
in
Ghana,
and
the
various
festivals
that
occur.
Students
took
notes
in
their
graphic
organizer
as
I
went
through
these
slides,
and
I
encouraged
them
to
write
down
important
words
as
needed.
24
25
the
exit
ticket.
I
was
able
to
assess
the
students
new
knowledge
of
Ghana
from
these
assessments.
I
differentiated
this
lesson
in
much
the
same
way
as
the
other
2
lessons:
by
creating
modified
worksheets
with
Boardmaker
pictures,
by
giving
students
choices
of
assignments,
and
by
embedding
multiple
means
of
representation
within
my
PowerPoint
presentation.
creating
several
graphs
that
illustrate
the
data.
The
following
graph
shows
student
scores
for
each
assessment.
The
blue
bars
show
scores
for
the
pre-test,
and
the
red
bars
show
scores
for
the
summative
assessment.
I
have
not
included
the
formative
assessments,
such
as
worksheets,
in
this
graph
because
they
were
not
graded,
but
were
instead
checked
for
accuracy
as
the
students
completed
them.
The
students
revised
and
corrected
their
work
immediately.
5
out
of
9
students
work
closely
with
classroom
assistants,
so
as
a
result,
the
pre-test
and
the
summative
assessment
were
the
only
two
assessments
that
were
completed
independently;
thus,
they
are
the
best
measure
of
student
growth
and
attainment
of
the
learning
objectives.
Four
students
were
not
present
in
class
for
the
pre-
test
and/or
the
summative
assessment,
in
which
case
their
score
for
that
test
is
missing.
One
student,
C2,
was
in
class
for
several
of
the
lessons,
but
was
absent
for
both
formal
assessments.
Student
absences
are
often
due
to
Related
Services,
such
as
Speech
or
Occupational
Therapy,
that
coincide
with
academic
classes.
26
80
60
40
Pre-Test
20
Summative Assessment
The
graph
below
shows
student
growth
from
pre-test
to
summative
assessment.
Each
student
is
represented
by
a
notch
on
the
line
graph.
Students
who
did
not
take
both
the
pre-test
and
the
summative
assessment
were
not
included
on
this
graph.
The
blue
line
represents
scores
from
the
pre-test,
and
the
red
line
represents
scores
from
the
summative
assessment.
According
to
the
graph,
4
out
of
5
students
scores
increased
from
the
pre-test
to
the
summative
assessment.
Scores
80
60
Pre-Test
40
Summative Assessment
20
0
Students
27
Assessment
data
was
collected
for
each
student
prior
to
beginning
the
unit,
and
at
the
end
of
the
unit.
Informal
data
was
collected
throughout
each
lesson
as
students
answered
comprehension
questions
and
completed
graphic
organizers
and
worksheets.
Student
achievement
of
Maryland
College
and
Career
Readiness
Standards
and
corresponding
Essential
Skills
and
Knowledge
was
determined
by
examining
all
data
collected
during
the
unit.
According
to
the
assessment
data,
4
out
of
5
students
exhibited
a
percentage
change
increase
from
pre-test
to
summative
assessment,
indicating
that
they
have
mastered
the
MCCRS
and
corresponding
Essential
Skills
and
Knowledge.
Percentage
change
was
calculated
using
the
pre-test
score
and
the
summative
assessment
score.
The
pre-test
score
was
subtracted
from
the
summative
assessment
score,
and
then
the
resulting
change
was
divided
by
the
pre-test
score.
The
result
was
then
multiplied
by
100
to
obtain
to
final
percentage
change.
Positive
percentage
change
means
that
students
have
gained
knowledge
from
pre-test
to
summative
assessment.
Negative
percent
changes
mean
that
students
have
not
gained
knowledge
from
pre-test
to
summative
assessment.
Percentage
Change
from
Pre-Test
to
Summative
Assessment
Student
C
-11%
Student M2 225%
Student C3 47%
Student D 10%
Student J 120%
It
is
difficult
to
draw
definitive
conclusions
from
this
data,
however,
because
many
students
were
absent
for
one
or
more
lessons
due
to
Related
Services
sessions.
If
a
student
was
absent
from
a
lesson,
it
means
they
missed
valuable
information
that
would
be
included
in
the
summative
assessment.
In
addition,
students
in
this
class
struggle
with
28
reading
assessments;
they
have
reading
goals
with
grade
equivalencies
significantly
below
grade
level.
These
formal
assessments
may
not
be
the
best
test
of
their
content
knowledge.
However,
despite
the
flaws
of
formal-type
assessments
with
these
students,
most
did
exhibit
a
significant
increase
in
knowledge
from
pre-test
to
summative
assessment.
Contextual
factors,
such
as
race,
gender,
and
disability
appear
to
have
had
a
very
small
impact
on
student
achievement.
3
boys
and
2
girls
completed
both
the
pre-test
and
the
summative
assessment.
Of
these
students,
one
student
(Student
D)
was
African
American,
and
he
exhibited
high
scores
on
both
the
pre-test
(80%)
and
the
summative
assessment
(88%),
mainly
due
to
extensive
background
knowledge.
The
two
girls,
Student
M,
and
Student
J,
exhibited
the
largest
percent
change
(225%
and
120%),
but
they
had
the
advantage
of
being
present
in
class
for
all
three
lessons.
I
have
identified
several
students
who
may
not
have
mastered
all
the
lesson
objectives.
Student
M,
Student
D2,
and
Student
L
were
not
present
during
both
assessments,
and
therefore
their
scores
are
not
appropriate
for
comparison.
Student
C
exhibited
a
small
decrease
in
his
score
from
the
pre-test
to
the
summative
assessment,
however
his
summative
assessment
score
(71%)
was
strong
nonetheless
when
compared
with
this
peers.
His
pre-test
score
was
very
good
(80%),
showing
that
he
had
a
strong
knowledge
of
Africa
before
starting
the
unit,
and
giving
him
a
high
bar
to
surpass.
His
main
area
of
difficulty
in
the
summative
assessment
was
reading
a
climate
map
for
information
to
answer
several
questions,
and
recognizing
the
cardinal
directions
to
answer
a
question.
These
are
skills
that
have
been
practiced
extensively
in
previous
classes
this
semester,
so
I
have
to
conclude
that
some
of
Student
Cs
incorrect
answers
were
due
to
impatience
and
rushing
through
the
test.
On
the
day
of
the
summative
assessment,
Student
C
was
very
29
preoccupied
with
drawing,
and
was
trying
to
quickly
finish
the
test.
He
had
to
be
prompted
several
times
to
go
to
the
next
page
to
continue
the
test.
In
general,
Student
C
is
very
impatient
with
class
work,
and
is
often
moving
quickly
around
the
room
from
one
thing
to
the
next.
However,
he
is
highly
verbal
and
intelligent,
so
formal
tests
may
not
accurately
represent
the
extent
of
his
knowledge
and
abilities.
In
the
future,
I
would
ask
Student
C
to
complete
one
page
of
the
assessment,
and
then
allow
him
to
take
a
break
to
draw
or
go
on
a
walk,
and
then
complete
the
next
page,
etc.,
until
he
finishes
the
assessment.
To
address
the
lack
of
student
achievement
with
a
needed
intervention,
in
the
future,
for
a
student
like
Student
C
who
did
not
exhibit
an
improvement
in
his
scores
from
the
pre-test
to
the
summative
assessment,
I
would
offer
him
and
others
an
alternative
summative
assessment.
I
think
the
students
would
be
much
more
motivated
to
make
a
poster
or
a
research
project
about
Africa
than
to
complete
a
multiple-choice
test.
Alternative
assignments
are
more
difficult
to
grade
objectively,
but
I
think
they
would
be
a
better
representation
of
Student
Cs
interest
and
investment
in
the
unit.
I
could
tie
the
pre-
test
to
the
alternative
summative
assessment
by
creating
a
rubric
that
would
assess
the
extent
to
which
students
had
demonstrated
their
knowledge
of
various
aspects
of
Africa.
Through
the
rubric
I
could
ensure
that
the
alternative
summative
assessment
was
an
effective
measure
of
the
students
new
skills
and
knowledge.
Student
C
is
very
interested
in
Africa
and
geography
in
general,
and
throughout
the
week
we
discussed
details
from
the
lessons
that
he
liked.
He
wanted
to
know
if
he
could
buy
baobab
seeds
to
plant
a
baobab
tree
(like
the
ones
I
had
shown
him),
and
he
wanted
to
do
further
research
into
baobabs.
This
would
have
been
an
excellent
research
topic
for
him
that
would
have
illustrated
his
ability
to
delve
deeper
into
a
topic.
30
31
32
sources.
Through
this
exercise,
I
tried
to
build
upon
the
students
map-reading
and
geography
skills.
I
think
this
was
an
important
and
successful
component
of
this
lesson
and
engaged
multimedia
resources
to
analyze
climate
regions
in
Africa.
As
I
mentioned
in
Part
D
of
the
ESL,
this
map-reading
section
of
the
lesson
was
relatively
brief,
and
I
could
have
stressed
this
skill
further
to
increase
student
comprehension.
During
Lesson
2,
students
were
introduced
to
South
Africa
and
Nelson
Mandela.
While
I
read
aloud
a
book
about
Nelson
Mandela
projected
on
the
SMART
board,
students
completed
a
cloze
sentences
note-taking
worksheet.
Prior
to
giving
this
lesson,
I
was
concerned
that
reading
a
complete
book
might
lose
the
attention
of
students,
many
of
whom
are
used
to
the
intense
stimuli
of
videos.
However,
this
particular
book
worked
well
with
these
students,
and
they
seemed
engrossed
in
each
page.
I
think
it
helped
that
this
book
was
authentic
and
the
illustrations
were
realistic
and
rich.
Most
students
in
all
the
classes
I
taught
this
lesson
to
recognized
story
time
and
sat
in
front
of
the
SMART
board
as
I
read
the
story.
The
cloze
sentences
note-taking
worksheet
helped
to
keep
the
students
engaged
and
focused
during
the
book.
Some
students
needed
the
help
of
classroom
assistants
to
spell
the
words
that
went
in
the
blanks.
In
subsequent
classes,
I
created
a
word
bank
that
assisted
students
with
word
choice
and
spelling.
I
learned
from
this
experience
that
I
must
anticipate
all
the
areas
where
students
may
struggle
so
that
I
have
a
support
ready
for
them.
The
students
contributed
a
great
deal
to
all
of
my
questions
during
this
lesson
and
were
very
focused
throughout.
Following
the
book,
students
completed
a
5
Ws
graphic
organizer
related
to
Nelson
Mandela.
All
students
who
were
present
in
class
on
the
day
I
taught
this
lesson
(6)
completed
the
5
Ws
graphic
organizer
with
at
least
80%
accuracy.
In
some
instances,
completion
took
significant
prompting
and
support
from
33
classroom
assistants
and
from
the
teacher.
Most
students
have
difficulty
writing,
so
the
answers
on
the
page
were
often
abbreviated,
misspelled,
or
used
incorrect
grammar,
but
the
concepts
conveyed
during
the
lesson
were
comprehended
well
by
the
students
as
was
demonstrated
by
their
verbal
responses.
For
lesson
3,
students
completed
a
graphic
organizer
during
the
PowerPoint
presentation
on
Ghana.
The
graphic
organizer
asked
the
students
to
categorize
things
from
the
presentation
into
the
following
categories:
Food,
Weather/Landforms,
Arts,
and
Houses.
Students
who
have
difficulty
writing
were
given
pictures
with
words
to
cut
out
and
categorize.
Students
really
enjoyed
this
lesson
because
it
related
to
my
personal
experience
in
Ghana,
and
I
brought
in
a
number
of
items
for
them
to
see
and
touch,
including
beads,
fabric,
a
smock,
and
a
drum.
The
graphic
organizer
and
subsequent
vocabulary
worksheets
helped
students
to
stay
focused
and
identify
the
main
points
that
they
should
know
about
West
Africa
and
Ghana.
During
this
lesson,
I
tried
to
connect
elements
of
Ghana
to
the
students
own
lives.
I
showed
them
a
picture
of
a
school
in
Ghana,
and
I
asked
them,
Does
this
look
like
a
school
in
America?
Why,
or
why
not?
The
students
discussed
how
the
school
in
the
picture
did
not
have
glass
windows,
and
how
it
was
very
small.
I
added
that
the
school
in
Ghana
didnt
have
electricity,
air-conditioning,
or
fans.
If
I
were
to
change
anything
about
this
lesson
it
would
be
to
reduce
the
amount
of
content.
Students
impressed
me
with
their
level
of
engagement,
but
I
could
have
slimmed
the
lesson
down
to
emphasize
fewer
topics;
then
I
would
not
have
to
talk
so
quickly
to
get
through
all
the
material.
I
chose
a
multiple-choice
summative
assessment
for
this
unit
because
it
is
a
format
with
which
the
students
are
very
familiar.
My
mentor
teacher
makes
a
lot
of
multiple-
34
choice
worksheets
for
the
students,
and
they
do
very
well
with
them
because
the
answer
choices
are
given,
and
they
dont
have
to
generate
their
own
answers.
Students
in
this
class
have
significant
difficulty
independently
extrapolating
from
class
lessons
to
generate
answers,
and
therefore
a
summative
assessment
that
asked
them
to
analyze
or
summarize
what
they
had
learned
into
a
poster
or
other
format
would
require
significant
prompting
and
support.
Ultimately,
the
multiple-choice
quiz
was
a
good
representation
of
what
they
had
learned
from
the
unit
in
terms
of
facts
and
information
without
requiring
them
to
utilize
additional
higher-level
thinking
skills
that
are
much
more
challenging
for
them.
For
example,
it
is
challenging
for
the
students
in
this
class
to
analyze
lesson
material
to
examine
why
a
person
like
Nelson
Mandela
was
important
to
South
African
history.
I
tried
to
scaffold
this
learning
as
much
as
possible,
by
pausing
and
emphasizing
certain
points
when
I
thought
specific
information
might
help
students
to
discover
answers
to
these
more
difficult
questions.
I
asked
questions
such
as,
What
is
Mandela
doing
here
in
this
picture?
(Hes
protesting.)
Why
is
he
protesting?
These
questions
led
to
student
understanding,
and
helped
students
to
achieve
the
lesson
objective.
Although
the
students
followed
along
with
me
throughout
the
lesson
on
Nelson
Mandela,
asking
and
answering
questions
with
no
problems,
when
I
gave
them
the
blank
5
Ws
worksheet
with
just
the
words,
Why
and
What
etc.,
I
think
the
students
were
overwhelmed.
I
tried
to
prepare
the
students
for
this
worksheet
by
emphasizing
the
5
Ws
during
the
book,
but
the
students
are
more
comfortable
with
additional
scaffolding,
such
as
pictures
or
a
word
bank.
I
might
offer
these
students
a
word
bank
in
any
future
similar
assignments.
I
also
need
to
make
sure
that
I
do
not
answer
questions
for
the
students
when
they
do
not
answer
immediately.
35
Instead,
I
can
scaffold
my
questions
by
asking
further
questions
that
may
lead
them
to
the
correct
answer.
I
have
identified
several
implications
from
this
instructional
activity.
Based
on
my
analysis
of
this
unit,
I
will
try
to
further
engage
the
students
critical
thinking
skills
during
future
lessons.
I
believe
if
the
students
practice
the
skills
necessary
to
analyze
texts
that
they
may
be
able
to
do
so
more
independently
in
the
future.
This
may
require
continued
use
of
simple
graphic
organizers
or
word
banks,
but
if
the
process,
of
the
5
Ws
for
instance,
becomes
more
routine,
students
may
learn
to
generate
answers
more
independently.
I
hope
to
weave
text
analysis
activities
into
more
lessons
in
the
future
that
are
aligned
with
Social
Studies
literacy
standards.
During
Lesson
2
on
Nelson
Mandela,
I
knew
that
I
would
talk
about
the
civil
rights
movement
in
America
when
I
discussed
apartheid,
but
I
think
I
stumbled
a
little
because
I
had
not
scripted
exactly
what
I
would
say.
It
makes
me
nervous
as
a
white
person
to
teach
about
the
history
of
Africa
and
the
tragic
consequences
of
the
presence
of
white
people
in
Africa.
In
the
future,
my
background
knowledge
needs
to
be
rock-solid,
and
I
need
to
know
exactly
what
I
will
say
to
any
anticipated
uncomfortable
questions.
Unfortunately,
it
is
not
always
possible
to
anticipate
everything
students
will
ask.
In
addition,
I
also
noted
a
few
other
important
insights
that
I
have
gained
from
creating
and
teaching
this
unit.
1.
I
forget
things
Im
supposed
to
do
or
say,
so
it
is
a
good
idea
to
always
write
a
checklist
of
important
items.
This
checklist
can
be
on
the
board
or
on
a
piece
of
paper
for
me
to
refer
to.
2.
I
talk
faster
when
Im
nervous
or
when
I
have
a
lot
of
content
to
cover,
so
I
need
to
make
sure
I
am
allowing
students
to
comprehend
the
information
and
answer
my
questions.
I
should
not
jam
so
much
into
one
lesson
if
I
have
to
36
speak
faster
to
get
through
the
material.
3.
The
lesson
should
have
less
information.
For
my
students,
less
is
more,
and
they
will
understand
better
if
it
is
broken
down
into
smaller
chunks.
I
have
also
identified
ways
that
collaborating
with
school-based
professionals
can
assist
me
in
developing
the
above
changes
to
my
future
instructional
activities.
In
the
future,
I
can
work
with
my
mentor
teacher
to
identify
the
most
important
points
to
cover
during
lessons.
This
will
help
me
to
break
down
lessons
so
as
not
to
overwhelm
students
with
too
much
information.
My
mentor
teacher
is
very
good
at
modifying
content,
and
she
does
it
almost
without
thinking
after
her
years
of
experience,
so
I
can
work
with
her
to
help
me
to
simplify
my
lessons.
I
will
also
observe
my
mentor
teacher
to
see
how
she
effortlessly
delegates
responsibility
during
classes.
She
makes
sure
that
every
assistant
in
the
room
is
doing
what
they
should
be
doing,
and
that
every
student
has
the
assistance
that
they
need.
I
can
also
work
with
the
English
teacher
at
my
school
to
find
ways
to
scaffold
the
process
of
text
analysis,
summarizing,
and
other
literacy
skills
that
are
tied
to
the
MCCRS
Social
Studies
literacy
standards.
I
know
how
to
summarize
and
analyze
texts
myself,
but
I
am
not
experienced
at
teaching
those
skills,
and
so
I
could
use
some
additional
guidance.
Two
professional
learning
goals
that
emerged
from
my
experience
creating
this
unit
are
#8
Instructional
Strategies
and
#11
Use
of
Technology.
I
want
to
find
new
and
better
ways
to
teach
students
the
content
that
they
are
required
to
learn.
I
have
discovered
some
strategies
that
work
well
with
my
unique
group
of
students,
but
I
also
want
to
challenge
these
students
to
dig
deeper
into
course
content
and
make
connections
to
their
own
lives.
This
will
require
instructional
strategies
that
go
beyond
the
teacher-led
format.
37
I
also
want
my
lessons
to
be
cross-curricular
so
that
as
students
are
learning
about
a
topic
in
Social
Studies,
such
as
the
Indian
holiday
Diwali,
they
will
also
be
reading
authentic
literature
and
using
literacy
skills
to
assess
what
they
have
learned
from
the
book.
In
addition,
I
want
to
incorporate
technology
more
fully
into
my
lessons,
particularly
using
computers
as
a
research
tool
for
the
students.
I
also
want
to
explore
more
software
that
is
available
to
enhance
my
lessons,
with
the
intention
to
make
the
lessons
more
interactive
and
fun.
Students
at
my
school
are
very
motivated
by
digital
content,
and
I
need
to
use
that
to
my
advantage,
creating
meaningful,
resonating
content
that
utilizes
a
variety
of
technology
and
software.