Artifacts
Principle #1: Central Concepts and Tools of Inquiry
Defined by INTASC Standards: The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and the structures of the disciplines he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
INTASC Principle #1 allows educators to demonstrate their creativity in creating learning activities and lessons to best reach students of all academic and cultural levels. In creating these activities and lessons, successful teachers find ways to connect class content and material to the student’s daily lives.
Within my eighth grade English class, I combined the concentrations of English and social studies to challenge student’s ability to read and comprehend nonfiction text. I focused a nonfiction text unit around the Vietnam War, having students read various forms of nonfiction text to learn about historical figures and facts. This nonfiction text included newspaper articles, primary documents, posters, and memorials. By providing various types of text, some which were familiar, students immersed themselves in the material. Regardless of the text, students needed to be motivated to learn, and it was my obligation to develop lessons which provides relevant and relatable content.
I regard this principle as one of my strengths and one of my passions while teaching. While planning an activity or lesson I would focus on how students can relate to the material and what they will really care about. My goal in the nonfiction text unit was to expose students to a variety of nonfiction text, all of which explained the tactics of war, the importance of war, and how American families were affected. Students quickly realized that they had family members who were affected by the war, making the content very relevant to their lives. Finding meaningful connections is one of teachers' most successful teaching strategies.
Articfact Examples:
1. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.docx (1,3 MB)
Activity Description:
In this activity, students were provided nonfiction text in the form of a poster. Utilizing reading strategies, the students were assigned to read and comprehend the facts in the poster. Along with enjoying this familiar form of nonfiction text, the students were required to answer questions about the Vietnam War Memorial. This activity effectively introduced the use of memorials and provided the class important facts for a future lesson on the Vietnam War Memorial.
Reflection:
Students enjoyed hunting for facts about the war, the memorial, and the artistic importance of the memorial. This familiar form of nonfiction text enabled students to feel comfortable with the content, but challenged their reading and comprehension skills.
2. Article Summary.docx (25,2 kB)
Activity Description:
In this activity, students were broken into four groups. In each group, students were assigned the roles of reader, scribe, presenter, and task manager. Each group was then provided a different news article and was assigned the task of reading the article, summarizing the article, and presenting the information to the class.
Reflection:
Students enjoyed having ownership in each group and thrived on the opportunity to teach the class. Leaders took control of the group and assured that the information being presented was acceptable. Allowing students to work in cooperative groups fosters a comfortable learning environment. Students felt comfortable expressing opinions to small groups, rather than expressing their thoughts in front of the whole class. Students were able to verbally communicate to each other in small and large groups.
Principle #10: School and Community Involvement
Defined by INTASC Standards: The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support students’ learning and well-being.
During my placement at Wilson West Middle School I had the opportunity to develop a culminating activity for the nonfiction text unit I developed. This culminating activity was designed to involve all academic concentrations and the community. By involving all academic concentrations I needed the support and expertise of other teachers. By fostering relationships with colleagues, I was able to develop a complex and innovative culminating activity based on the Vietnam War. I also wanted to involve the community, as members of the community experienced the war first hand and would be able to provide passionate, firsthand accounts of the war.
1. Vietnam Day Schedule.docx (15 kB)
Activity Description:
All eighth grade students were divided into groups based on their homeroom. The students were then assigned to attend a specific activity for a certain amount of time. The activities included a mock draft presented by social studies teachers Mr. Debelak and Mrs. Wenger, a presentation about military involvement by Colonel May, a presentation of a soldier’s point of view by a Vietnam Veteran named Mr. King, a presentation about the impact of the war by a retired teacher named Mr. Morgan, and a sample of the music of the time presented by the music teacher Mr. Iovino. At the conclusion of the presentations, the students would proceed to lunch. After lunch, the students watched the movie To Heal a Nation and were required to write thank you notes to all of the presenters.
Reflection:
I was able to engage students in a variety of activities aligned with state standards. Students were able to experience a collaboration of all academic areas. They were able to experience how all concentration areas are connected and relevant to one another. This culminating activity engaged all students and incorporated the community. Students were able to understand that the material taught in class is relevant in school and the community. It was truly a unique and engaging instructional day.