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Assessment 3. Early Childhood Generalist Integrative Culminating Project

  1. Brief description. This assessment is a unit assigned in CI 630.
  1. This assessment is aligned with the Common Core in these ways:
  • Reading Standards for Literature (K-5)
  • Reading Standards: Foundational Skills (K-5)
  • Writing Standards (K-5)
  • Language Standards (K-5)
  1. Data:

Total Points- 120 Possible Points
Points Earned / Number of Candidates / % Class earning # of Points / % points earned
120 / 2 / 15.40% / 100%
112 / 4 / 30.80% / 93.30%
108 / 2 / 15.40% / 90%
100 / 1 / 7.70% / 83.30%
90 / 3 / 23.10% / 75%
72 / 1 / 7.70% / 60%

2010-2011

  1. Interpretation of the data: Mean score: 104 (86.7%). Students demonstrated understanding of the essential elements of planning an integrated unit. The most challenging component of the unit is the requirement to include the big ideas and essential questions. Students may not have fully understood the meaning of these terms and may not have had experience identifying them and aligning elements of unit plans to them.
  2. Assessment as given to students and scoring guide.

Design a Language Arts/Social Studies unit using a historical fiction novel appropriate for fourth or fifth grade. While you do not need to write a separate lesson plan for each day (a unit with a novel could take weeks!), provide in-depth descriptions of how you would meaningfully integrate the two content areas to foster both literacy skills and understanding of social studies concepts, specific instructional and assessment methods you would employ, a timeline for the unit, connections to the Ohio Content Standards for English Language Arts and Social Studies and assignments and activities in which students would participate. See assessment checklist for specific expectations and a general description of the unit format.

Assessment Checklist for Integrated Unit Plan

  • Connections to Ohio Content Standards, Benchmarks, and Indicators (however, do not limit yourself to only these; you can extend the content and focus well beyond them!) 10 points
  • The Big Idea(s) of the unit. In other words, what essential or central question(s) does the unit aim to address? These questions relate to both the language arts and social studies content. These questions are very broad and general, and through daily instruction, inform the specific objectives of each lesson. 30 points
  • Example: (based off of the novel Esperanza Rising) What was life like for migrant workers during the Depression? How do authors use descriptive language to help the reader visualize the setting? How do authors use dialogue to portray characters’ feelings?
  • List of daily objectives, stated in terms of what students will be able to do, addressing multiple levels of thinking (use Bloom’s Taxonomy for guidance if needed). Remember, these collectively aim to address the central questions of the unit. 20 points
  • Timeline of instruction, in-class activities, and assignments. Describe each in detail in terms of what students will do to demonstrate their alignment with the daily objectives. 30 points
  • Assessments, both formative and summative. Assessments must align with the objectives and big ideas and essential questions of the unit to demonstrate student progress towards those overall goals of the unit. 30 points

9-10 points / 8 points / 7 points / 0-6 points
Unit plan includes Ohio Academic Content Standards for both Language Arts and Social Studies. Standards are clearly aligned with all elements of the unit plan / Unit plan includes Ohio Academic Content Standards for both Language Arts and Social Studies. Reflects a general alignment of standards with elements of the unit plan. / Unit plan includes Ohio Academic Content Standards for either Language Arts or Social Studies OR includes both content areas but does not reflect alignment with elements of the unit plan. / Unit plan is not aligned with Ohio Academic Content Standards.
27-30 points / 24-26 points / 21-23 points / 0-20 points
Includes “big ideas” of the unit, clearly describing what essential questions teacher intends for students to gain as a result of the unit. Big ideas and essential questions reflect over-arching ideas of the unit and are clearly facilitated through the entire unit plan. / Includes “big ideas” of the unit and essential questions teacher intends for students to gain as a result of the unit. Big ideas and essential questions reflect a general over-arching theme and are partially facilitated throughout the unit. / Big ideas and essential questions do not reflect an over-arching theme of the unit. Students have limited opportunities to reflect on big ideas and essential questions. / Big ideas and essential questions are not included, do not reflect an over-arching theme of the unit, thus preventing students from engaging in the “heart” of the unit topic.
18-20 points / 16-17 points / 14-15 points / 0-13 points
Objectives are clearly defined, reflect high expectations of students as reflected in Bloom’s Taxonomy, and are clearly aligned with all elements of the unit plan. / Objectives are defined, reflect multiple levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy and are generally aligned with all elements of the unit plan. / Objectives are included but do not reflect multiple levels of thinking OR are not aligned with elements of the unit plan. / Objectives are not included OR are not appropriate for the unit content.
27-30 points / 24-26 points / 21-23 points / 0-20 points
The timeline of activities is detailed, indicating what specific objectives will be addressed for each activity, how each activity will be assessed, and a general description of how students are provided opportunities to consider the essential questions of the unit. / Timeline of activities is included, describing what objectives will be addressed and includes a general description of assessments. / Timeline of activities is included, but the description of what objectives are addressed and the corresponding assessments in unclear. / Timeline provides limited information regarding how objectives are addressed and assessed.
27-30 points / 24-26 points / 21-23 points / 0-20 points
Assessments are clearly linked to unit objectives (knowledge and skills) and include formative and summative assessments. Students are given an explicit opportunity(ies) to demonstrate that they have met each of the objectives. Both objective and subjective assessments are used. / Assessments are clearly linked to unit objectives (knowledge and skills) and include assessment of each objective. Students are given an opportunity to demonstrate that they have met each objective. Assessments are included in the unit plan. / Assessments are not clearly linked to unit objectives (knowledge and skills). Some objectives not assessed. Assessments are included in the unit plan. / Assessments are described but not included in the unit plan

Examples of student work:

60/80

CI 632 Lesson Plan July 10, 2011

Standards:

Grade 4, Data Analysis and Probability Standard, Data Collection #2 Represent and interpret data using tables, bar graphs, line plots and line graphs.

Grade 4, Life Science, Diversity and Interdependence of life #3 Classify common plants according to their characteristics (e.g., tree leaves, flowers, seeds, roots and stems)

Objectives:

The students will generate a chart containing different plants and classify them according to their characteristics.

The students will create a graph representing the information they have gathered and explain what information the graph shows them about the plants.

Theoretical Rationale:

I chose this lesson because the students are familiar with farm land because it is a very rural community. Giving them some base information on plants and their needs will benefit them because they have been exposed this type of surrounding[C1]. With this lesson the students can discuss all the issues going on currently with the very dry conditions and what it does to plants and how it also affects the crops that are produced in the area. This lesson will be a hands-on student lead activity. They will be provided with the instructions and then they will be able to take the information and generate a graph or chart in the way that fits them best. With the students working in groups it will also help them develop social skills and abilities to work together and generate a product as a team. “McKendry agrees that it is generally true that when students interact in cooperative learning activities, they spontaneously raise and negotiate task- relevant topics. Students discuss the meaning of questions, the content of good answers to questions, and how to find answers to questions. They discuss grammar and the meaning of words, phrases, and sentences. Students discuss their progress in completing assignments and the relationship of the content material to their background knowledge- unwittingly, but naturally, employing metacognitive strategies for organizing and directing their learning while acquiring expertise in content” (pg 3, Theory into Practice, A Cooperative Learning Success Story in Middle Level Classrooms). Working in groups to generate a common goal is important for students of this age and this lesson will support that learning process[C2].

Instruction[C3]:

I will begin by telling the students that we will be learning about plants today and what some of their characteristics are. The students will be placed into three groups of 3 and will work together on creating their graphs. I will tell the students that they will be given a picture of 6 plants and they are to classify them into groups anyway that they feel works best. After that is completed I want you to create a graph that displays the information that you have learned about the plants. You can create any type of graph that you would like to show the information and the important thing is to work as group to come up with your ideas. The plants I will be using are: Dandelion, Sunflower, Grass,Oak Tree, Cactus, Tulip, Rose, Pine tree, Ivy, Corn, Wheat, Potatoes and Carrots[C4].

Assessment:

I will assess the students on their performance as a group and how they classified and graphed their information. I will be looking at the graphs to see how the information is presented and the qualities the graph contains. I will also be asking the students questions about their information to check for understanding of why they choose to put the information in the way they did. Overall this is based on their performance and if they completed the activity and can explain their information being presented to the other students[C5].

Very nice lesson. You do a nice job of relating what you have learned about 4th and 5th graders in general, and the students you are working with in particular, to inform your choice of topic and instructional method. See comments for additional feedback.

75/80

Science Lesson Plan – Fossils

Grade level/course: First Grade[C6]/ Science

Standards and Indicators:

Life Science Diversity and Interdependence of Life: 4. Observe and explore that fossils provide evidence about plants that lived long ago and the nature of the environment at that time.

Scientific Inquiry Doing Scientific Inquiry1) Select and safely use the appropriate tools to collect data when conducting investigations and communicating findings to others (e.g, magnifiers)

English Language Arts Research 2. Locate sources and collect relevant information from multiple sources.

Materials:

  • 20 plastic cups
  • 4 cups of flour
  • 2 tsp. alum
  • 2 tbs. vegetable oil
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups salt
  • At least ten Fossils
  • At least ten Shells
  • 10 magnifying glasses
  • Vaseline
  • Book: Fossils by Rebecca Faulkner

Objectives and Purpose(s[C7]):

  • The students will observe fossils using magnifying glasses.
  • The students will compare their findings on the fossils to the book Fossil by Rebecca Faulkner.

Theoretical Input (Rational Statement)

I chose to do a lesson on fossils because fossils are something that can be found many places that are near where the students live. Fossils and fossil hunting are something that can provide entertainment to the students and their family during the summer month and it is something they can do for free. I am choosing to give the fossils to the children at the end of the lesson in hopes to spark conversation about them at home. I would also like to give them to the students because I know that many students will not have the opportunity to go fossil hunting and it may be the only fossil they will ever have.

I chose to do a discussion based lesson for several reasons. I will start the lesson as a discussion because I want to find out the levels of prior knowledge that the students had about fossils. The students come from several different neighborhood schools and the students have different levels of knowledge about fossils. I want to gauge the level of knowledge the students had. I also chose to do a discussion based lesson to encourage cooperative learning. I would like the students to take charge of the discussion and ask each other questions. I would like the students to help teach each other about the fossils. By teaching others, it also reinforces the information for the child teaching the information. By using cooperative learning, it encourages cooperation instead of competition. It also takes advantage of social interactions.

A discussion based lesson is also appropriate for this lesson because of the structure of the program at my field placement. There are not a lot of times during the program that the students have to sit still and listen. I want the students to be able to talk to each other during the lesson because they are accustomed to interacting with each other all day. If I stick to their normal routine and rules, I think there will be lesson management issues.

I also chose to do a lesson on fossils because I knew it would spark their interest. The students like to show me rocks and other things that they find on the playground or parking lot around the center. I know they like to make observations about them so I knew that this would spark their interest and be relatable to their lives. Since we are unable to go on a field trip to do fossil hunting, it was a small way to bring the field trip to the students. It helps bring the “real world” into the lesson[C8].

Methods or Procedures

Grouping

The lesson will be taking place in the art room. The tables are setup for two students and they are arranged in a horseshoe shape. The students will be able to sit where ever they want but they must stay where they picked once they sit down. The students will be able to share their findings with the other student at their table as well as raising their hand and sharing it with the whole group when called upon. The lesson will be a whole group lesson for the majority of the lesson since the lesson is based upon discussion and sharing findings.

Instruction

I will get the students excited about learning about fossils by having a magnifying glass and a fossil or two (depending on their size) already on their table when they walk into the room. I will tell the students they are not to touch the fossils or the magnifying glass until instructed to. I will warn them if they do not follow the rules, they will be sent out of the room or they risk getting their fossil and magnifying glass getting taken away. I will start the lesson out by having a discussion about what the students think fossils are. I will ask about where the fossils come from of where they can be found. I will ask the students to estimate how old these fossils are. I plan on only taking a small role in the discussion and I plan on having the students lead the discussion and ask questions to one another. Once we have our discussion, I will allow the students 5 minutes to explore their fossils. After 5 or so minutes, I will ask the students to share with the group some things that they observed in their fossils. Since I already looked at the fossils, I know that there are a lot of shell imprints in the fossils. Since I anticipate a lot of students telling me about the shells that they observe, I will ask them where they thing I found these fossils. I will surprise them by telling them that I found them in Ohio and that they weren’t near a lake or large water source. I will ask them why they think there are shells in the fossils if I didn’t even find them near water. Next, I will have the students make the measurements to make the fossil dough. The students will pour all of the ingredients into a large bowl and the bowl will be passed around so each student can help mix the mixture with his/her hands. Next I will show them how to make the “fossil” imprints by taking the shell that I gave them and rubbing it in Vaseline and placing it in the dough. After the students have each made their imprints, I will ask them to remove their shell and discuss how they look similar or different from the real fossils we observed. I will then begin to wrap up the discussion by reviewing the things that we learned. The students will be able to take their fossils, shells, dough, and cups home. The students will need to place those items back in the cup and write their name on the cup[C9].