Ashlee Miller

Professor Suk
EDUC 230-03 Education Field Experience
Semester Spring 2023
Rationale Statement-Standard #7

Standard Seven: Planning for Instruction

The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals
by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and
pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context (“New Jersey
Professional Standards for Teachers Alignment with InTASC,” 2014, p.9-10).

Artifact: Lesson Plan and Assessment One

Date of Completion: February 18th, 2023 Spring Semester

Course Completed in: EDUC 230-03 Education Field Experience

Rationale Statement:

In Lesson Plan and Assessment One, I was given the choice to plan and complete
either a science lesson or a different subject of my choosing. I chose to complete a science
lesson about climate change. My main focus for this lesson was centered around the human
activities that cause climate change, the natural events that cause climate change, and what
the world can do to slow climate change. I planned out a variety of different assessment
techniques and instructional strategies to maximize my hypothetical students' learning.
This artifact is specifically connected to the standard because it demonstrates that I
was able to successfully plan a lesson. A lesson which met various different expectations
within standard seven’s description. This can be seen in indicator iii Critical Dispositions (1):
“The teacher respects learners’ diverse strengths and needs and is committed to using this
information to plan effective instruction” (“New Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers
Alignment with InTASC,” 2014, p.9-10). Out of all of the indicators within standard seven,
this one most represents my lesson. I say this because I made sure to include that the teacher
would constantly be available to students if needed. Also because of the different learning
styles I said the teacher would accommodate for. This shows that I considered all of the
students while creating this lesson plan.
As a prospective future educator, I have learned that being passionate about what I am
lesson planning for makes a difference. Climate change is something I feel very strongly
about. I also feel that it's a topic that children should be properly educated on from a young
age. It's so important to me that students get a basic understanding of what climate change is,
how humans are causing it, and for them to know the solutions. If children know all of this,
they can do their small part to help reduce climate change. If I was actually teaching this
lesson, I think the students would be able to tell how important this issue is to me. I started to
come to this realization when I put myself into a young student's shoes. If I was a young
elementary child, I know I would feel more inspired by a teacher who showed passion for
their lessons rather than a teacher who showed apathy. This made me realize that I want to be
the kind of teacher who shows passion. Another reason I came to this realization is because I
was able to complete this lesson plan relatively quickly. The passion I have for this topic
threw me into a lesson planning flow where I was able to generate ideas well. Based on all of
this information, as a prospective educator, I have come to the conclusion that it’s important
that I show passion for all of my lessons so I can inspire my future students.
Building off of what I just explained, I think I will use this artifact in my future
professional practice as an example of a lesson that means something to me. This rationale
statement and my lesson plan might be something good to refer back to so I can remember
how important it is to be enthusiastic and passionate about what I am teaching to young
minds. In addition, this artifact will continue to help me build upon my lesson planning skills.
As I complete more and more lesson plans over my next two years of college, I will get better
and better at designing lessons that support every student in my class.
 Miller 2

Reference

New Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers Alignment with InTASC. (2014, August 4).
Retrieved from New Jersey State Department of Education:
https://www.state.nj.us/education/profdev/profstand/ProfStandardsforTeachersAlignm
entwithInTASC.pdf