Goal 1: Lessons will be designed to incorporate simulations, station-work, discussions, and other

non-traditional instructional formats that encourage active student engagement in the content.
Standard 7
Video 1
The way this teacher demonstrates the work of epidemiologists and finding “Bloody Mary” is
very engaging. This lesson, originally talking about Ebola, would fit spectacularly into a lesson
on the Corona Virus outbreak. The central point of the lesson is students simulating the spread of
the disease with test tubes filled with an unknown substance. Each student is then placed in a
chart to try and trace the origin of the original carrier. This encourages student movement and
active engagement with the content. The teacher also blends other subtle techniques to foster
active engagement. The teacher has a student on the board to record the decision-making of the
class. The teacher provides a structure with a worksheet of questions for students to answer. The
teacher uses rhetorical and probing questions to assist students in making a decision. This lesson
follows similarly to a lesson I did on the First Continental Congress, where I had each student
take on the persona of a colonial representative tasked with representing the interests of their
colony. Each student had an informational sheet that listed the interests and background of their
colonies. I would pose a question and students would debate and eventually vote on that
decision. Both utilize simulation in an effective and informative manner, allowing students to
develop a better understanding of the content

Goal 2: Units will include daily formative checking for understanding and weekly reviewal.
Standard 6
Video 2
This teacher is using an exit ticket in order to gauge student understanding of their progress in
geology. Exit Tickets are simple and easy methods of checking for understanding. When
reexamining my lessons, my usage of checking for understanding was not explicitly laid out in
the lesson plan. I would use informal methods, such as hand signals or thumbs up/down, but I
would like to incorporate more checking for understand methods that utilize reviewable and
quantifiable data. Whether that be exit tickets, end-less surveys, KWL charts, 30-second
summaries, or another checking for understanding that I can review and adjust instruction to.
Video 3
This teacher utilizes an impromptu game regarding morse code for students to decipher and be
recognized for. It combines an engaging element to reviewing content. I believe my weekly
reviewal has accomplished the same form of reviewal gamification. I utilize Plicker cards and
questions in order to see what my students know and what I need to re-teach. The majority of my
students say they prefer the Plicker review over the traditional Kahoot because there is no time
element included, it only requires them to rotate a piece of paper, and it is fairly anonymous. For
classes that want the competition aspect, I have kept track of each number in order to record the
points. One major change I would like to make with my reviewal is including another form of
review game besides Plicker, as doing the same thing three times in a row was beginning to get
repetitive. These include organized games, such as jeopardy, to an informal game similar to what
the video does.

Goal 3: I will expand my usage of technology in the classroom by incorporating elements into
my lessons, activities, and assessments. ​Standard 11
I have addressed my third goal by combining elements of technology into my review games.
Plicker is a free downloadable app that allows you to create questions in order to gather data.
Each student received a Plicker card, which when rotated a specific way represents an answer.
On the student end, it is just a piece of paper they spin. On the teacher’s end, however, the
teacher can just scan the room with their phone, get a visual indicator of who answered what,
display the answers in an anonymous bar graph, and show the answers on a projector, all from a
phone. This has been my most high-tech element that I have incorporated into my classroom. I
have also utilized a projector, which I have borrowed from the library because my classroom
does not have a projector, to display images and Plicker games on. I also utilize a Google
Classroom, where students can find their assignments and projects. I have also incorporated a
chapter resource page, which provides all the materials done in-class for any day