Standards: AASL 1—Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.

1.1.1—Follow an inquiry based process in seeking knowledge in curricular subjects and

make the real world connection for using this process in their own lives.
AASL 2—Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new
situations, and create new knowledge.
2.1.4—Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information.
2.1.5—Collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new understandings, make
decisions, and solve problems.
AASL 3—Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our
democratic society.
3.3.4—Create products that apply to authentic, real-world contexts.

Target grade level: 8th grade

Target Group: The group of learners selected consists of eighth grade students ranging
from ages 13-15. The students are heterogeneously grouped and represent a broad range
of learner characteristics. These learners are identified as being in what is known as
Piaget’s concrete to formal operational stages of development. Characteristics from the
target learners are as follows:

Target Population
Student Gender Race Age Exceptionality First
Number Language
1 M W 13 None English
2 M B 13 None English
3 M H 15 ESOL Spanish
4 M W 13 ADD English
5 F B 13 None English
6 F B 13 None English
7 F W 13 None English
8 F W 14 ADD English
9 M B 13 None English
10 F B 13 None English
11 F H 13 None English
12 M W 13 Gifted English
 Learner Characteristics of Target Population

Student Gender Race Learning Favorite Least Social Favorite

Number Preference Subject Favorite Preference Genre of
Subject Literature
1 M W Visual Reading Math Partnership Fiction

2 M B Auditory S.S. Math Groups Non

3 M H Visual Math English Partnership Fiction

4 M W Kinesthetic Science Reading Groups Non

5 F B Visual English Science Alone Fiction

6 F B Visual Reading Math Partnership Fiction

7 F W Auditory Math English Alone Fiction

8 F W Kinesthetic Science Reading Groups Non

9 M B Kinesthetic Math S.S. Groups Fiction

10 F B Visual Math English Groups Non

11 F H Visual Reading Math Alone Fiction

12 M W Kinesthetic Science S.S. Groups Non

Summary:

The target population consists of 6 males and 6 females. There are 5 Caucasian
students, 5 African-American students, and 2 Hispanic students. Two students are
ADD and one student is gifted.
According to my survey, 6 students are visual learners, 4 kinesthetic learners, and
2 students are auditory learners. The teacher should incorporate a variety of learning
opportunities in order to accommodate the diverse needs of the students’ learning
preferences.
Students were asked to circle their favorite and least favorite subject as a means of
assessing student’s attitudes and interests. Three students chose Reading as a favorite
subject, one chose Social Studies, four chose Math, one student chose English, and
three students chose Science as their favorite subject. I found it interesting that the
Hispanic male chose Math as a favorite subject. He does seem to comprehend
 numbers much better than letters. His least favorite subject is English, which does
tend to be more challenging for him given that he speaks very little English.
Four students chose Math to be their least favorite subject, three chose English,
one chose Science, two chose Social Studies, and two chose Reading. Given the data
acquired from students, there seems to be a variety of learning styles and preferences
among the group.
Most students prefer to work in groups (especially kinesthetic learners). While 3
students prefer working alone and 3 prefer working with partners, an attempt will be
made to allow students the choice of how to prepare their work. The teacher will
vary instructional strategies to accommodate all students. Seven out of twelve
students prefer reading fictional books.

Educational Level of Target Students

A teacher interview was conducted to identify the special needs of students. The
following table shows the individual criteria for students.

Student STAR Past reading CRCT Special Needs, Emotional,

Number Reading CRCT Scoring Psychological, Physical
Level Score Criteria Handicaps
1 12.1 850 exceeds
2 4.5 824 meets
3 3.4 no data available n/a struggling reader
4 7.2 830 meets ADD
5 6.7 811 meets
6 5.7 836 meets
7 12.9+ 836 meets
8 5.6 845 meets ADD
9 7.7 821 meets
10 4.2 790 did not meet
11 5.9 no data available n/a
12 12.9+ 910 exceeds
 ARCS Model: Motivational Strategies

The student survey was designed to determine the learners’ interests and attitudes
towards subject areas and ideas. The ARCS Model will be used as a guide when
drawing further insight into student motivation.

o Attention: Students’ attention will be gained through the use of making

connections between content and students’ prior knowledge. The use of a K-W-L
chart will determine what students already know about the concepts taught. The
teacher will have the opportunity to draw on what the students know and what
they would like to know about the concepts. The chart will be completed during
the discussion with the students. This will allow students to feel as though they
can have some of their questions answered when progressing through the unit.
After the completion of the unit, the students will have the opportunity to discuss
what they learned and complete the final part of the chart.

o Relevance: Students will be engaged in a discussion of why Information Literacy

Standard 1 is important and how it can be utilized in their own lives. Standard 1
states that “the student who is information literate inquire, think critically, and
gain knowledge.”
Students will learn to follow an inquiry-based process in seeking knowledge in
reading and make the real world connection for using this process in their own
life.

o Confidence: The students will gain confidence at the beginning of the unit
through the use of clearly defined objectives and understanding the standards and
guidelines. The teacher will provide positive feedback and reinforcement
strategies throughout the unit to ensure all students possess the confidence
required from beginning to end.

o Satisfaction: Students will be given the opportunity to satisfy their desire to

demonstrate what they have learned through the final assessment. This
assessment will determine that all students have mastered the content taught and
are ready to apply their knowledge to further real-world applications.

Learning Objectives

Given a computer with internet access, students will (1)use a webquest to research
relevant information about the events surrounding the murders of Andrew and Abby
Borden, (2) plan, draft, and revise a persuasive essay either defending or prosecuting the
defendant, Lizzie Borden, (3) create a PowerPoint presentation depicting the key figures
involved in the Lizzie Borden trial, and 4) perform a mock presentation as a prosecuting
or defense attorney that must convince a “jury” of Lizzie’s guilt or innocence while
demonstrating at least 90% accuracy in spelling and 95% accuracy in the correct use of
capitalization and punctuation of their “closing arguments”.