Dear parents and guardians,
We are contacting you with this letter in hopes of keeping you informed of all the learning that will be going on within our classroom. We want to notify you that we will be starting a couple culturally responsive lessons in the next few days. We have planned to start teaching lessons that address the societal issues of ableism and racism. We believe that it is extremely important for all students to have social awareness and tools in their toolbox when it comes to real world issues such as these.
We do understand that these are very serious and critical topics which may provide differing opinions and ideas when it comes to each student’s personal experiences. We want to assure you that we believe these lessons can be carried out in our classroom because we are confident that we have a safe and positive classroom environment where we have created mutual respect and celebrate differing perspectives. We realize that these conversations may be sensitive ones but we truly believe that without addressing these topics our students will not have the full knowledge and critical thinking skills that we hope to prepare them with.
Our goal is to provide your students with a safe and open learning environment where they will have opportunities to discuss as well as privately share their opinions and feelings. We have provided two hands on lessons that help your students become engaged and aware of the hardships that certain groups of people face because of social oppressions. Our hope is to shed light on these issues by creating awareness and then facilitating opportunities for student’s critical thinking skills to develop in order help them come to their own conclusions. We want to assure you that our personal biases and opinions will not be present throughout these lessons so that we can allow the optimal environment for your students to think for themselves.
We also want you to know that at anytime if you feel uncomfortable letting your student participate in these lessons you can feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We respect your decision if you were to not allow your student to participate, but we highly recommend that as a parent you keep an open mind and allow your children the opportunity to explore all areas of learning.
We thank you for the opportunity to be able to teach your student and we are grateful that we are able to come to you with such transparency.
Have a wonderful week!
Sincerely,
Ms. Axtelle and
Ms. Olson
T&L Instructional Plan Template
8/15/2014
(edTPA Aligned)
Overview
The information included in this document is to support faculty in teaching about and supporting students with the T&L (and edTPA) Instructional Plan. While there are many variations of lesson plans, this format meets departmental requirements and is aligned with the 2014 edTPA as well.
Background Information (When doing the actual edTPA, leave out identifiers)
Teacher Candidate: Mariah Olson and Hannah Axtelle Date: 12/3/14
Cooperating Teacher: ______Grade: K-3
School District: ______School: ______
University Supervisor:
Unit/Subject: Cultural Lesson Plan
Instructional Plan Title/Focus: Disability Awareness: What can our bodies do?
Highlight Key
Kara
David
Section 1: Planning for Instruction and Assessment
a. Instructional Plan Purpose:
By becoming aware of how our own bodies work, we can become more sensitive to individuals with disabilities that cause physical limitations. Our bodies work in many ways, and we usually don’t even think about it. By helping children build an awareness of how their eyes, ears, hands, and legs work, they can more fully understand what it might be like to lose the use of one of those functions and reflect on how society should treat people with disabilities.
b. Alignment to State Learning Standards:
5.1.1 Understands multiple points of view on issues in the community.
5.3.1 Engages in discussions to learn about different points of view on issues.
ELP 1.2 participate in grade appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions.
c. Content Objectives:
SWBAT… be aware of how their body parts work.
SWBAT… express how people might feel without their sight.
SWBAT… express how people with disabilities should be treated.
Language Objectives:
SWBAT…verbalize personal feelings during a discussion.
d. Previous Learning Experiences: Students will have previous knowledge on similarities and differences between their classmates, they will have a list of what activities they like to do prepared from the day before this lesson to connect to previous learning.
e. Planning for Student Learning Needs (accommodations, student experiences, prior learning and experiences):
Students will get a chance to experience what it is like to be blind, this means that they will be forced to use all other senses to help them out. Students will probably have prior knowledge that some people have disabilities but what this lesson focuses on building upon that knowledge in order to understand how the treatment of people with disabilities is important as well. Students may have had experiences interacting with or watching interactions with people with disabilities, this modeling outside the classroom may affect the perspectives of students within the classroom.
Students will have a chance to verbally express their opinions and feelings while also listening to others throughout the discussion. They will also get opportunities to journal so that they can express their understanding in this way as well. Visuals put on the board will be helpful for students who may need a more organized documentation of the discussions. For students who with higher academic or social skills they will probably be chosen as their group’s leader so they will be monitoring their group at each station, which may provide an extra challenge to the activity. For students who may have lower literacy and writing skills they can be verbally asked the journal or assessment questions and can draw pictures to answer them, because the goal of the lesson is not to practice literacy skills but for students to think critically about the subject. Students who may need accommodations already for a sensory disability they may be able to tell their classmates what it is like for them to not have that sense (ex: a student who needs accommodations for hearing may not have to participate in the “listen to the school” activity since they already know what it is like to be missing a sensory ability. For students who may have a hard time with motor skills they can verbally explain their answers to the teacher in terms of assessment or if they prefer typing on a computer they can do so as well.
For students recieving ELL services some accommodations that could be made are leveled questions during discussion. The use of visuals, and/or TPR during instructions may help the student be more successful in the critical thinking portions of the lesson. Students who are at a low literacy level that may not be able to read or write in terms of the assessment the student can be read the assessment by a teacher one-on-one and speak their answers for the teacher to record.
f. Assessment Strategies (Informal and formal)
Content/Language Objectives / Assessment StrategiesSWBAT… be aware of how their body parts work. / Formative: t-chart discussion and showing body part functions.
Summative: Assessment Q1
SWBAT… express how people might feel without their sight. / Formative: debrief discussion about not being able to see
Summative: Assessment Q2
SWBAT… express how people with disabilities should be treated. / Formative: debrief discussion about not being able to see
Summative: Assessment Q3
SWBAT…verbalize personal feelings during a discussion. / Formative: t-chart discussion
Summative: debrief discussion about not being able to see.
g. Student Voice
K-12 students will be able to: / Student-based evidence to be collected / Description of how students will reflect on their learning.1. Explain student learning targets and what is required to meet them (including why they are important to learn). / Journal entry / Answer journal questions:
1) What was the importance of experiencing no sight within this lesson?
2. Monitor their own learning progress toward the learning targets using the tools provided (checklists, rubrics, etc.). / Journal entry / 2) Do you think this lesson has changed your view on people who cannot see? Why or Why not?
3. Explain how to access resources and additional support when needed (and how/why those resources will help them). / Journal entry / 3) What resources can you use to help with your research project?
Grouping of Students for Instruction
Whole group discussions, and small group stations for sight activities.
Section 2: Instruction and Engaging Students in Learning
1. Introduction: (pedagogical connection: I know my students like to sing and move) Attention grabber: sing “head, shoulders, knees and toes” before sitting down on the rug to start the first discussion portion of the lesson.
2. Learning Activities:
Describe what the teacher will do and say and students will do during the lesson. Write it as a procedural set of steps. As a part of this process include:
o Connections between students’ own lives, experiences, cultures, interests and the content.
o Questions teacher candidate will ask during the lesson that drive thinking and learning and engagement (5 or more questions)
o Active learning over passive learning
o Multiple means of access to the “content” for the K-12 students
o Multiple means of expression of learning by the K-12 students
o How the teacher candidate will assess the learning of the students (from table above)
- Create a t-chart on poster paper, label the left column “activity” and the right column “body parts”. Ask students what activities they like to do (games, sports, arts) outside of class (personal connection).
- After they have a list of activities ask students what body parts they use in each activity (ex: Left column-Baseball, Right Column- Arms and legs) If they don’t point out eyes lead them in this direction. Help students see that, for example in baseball, seeing is just as important as using your arms and legs.
- Discuss how the loss of one of the functions would make a particular activity more difficult to accomplish.
- Have each students stand and use their own bodies as examples to show their knowledge of body parts, and ask them to point to different parts of the body. Ask them to point to their head, eyes, hands, legs. Discuss what each part does. (Shake your head, make a fist, blink eyes, wiggle toes, etc.)
- Split students into 3 small groups that will work well together (appoint one responsible student to be the team leader in each group), these will be groups for the stations they rotate to and complete the following 3 activities:
- Play pin the tail on the donkey. This fun game helps students see how the body compensates when one sense is denied.
- Construct a feel box that includes objects with a variety of shapes (academic connection: put shapes in the box that are familiar to students to reinforce their math knowledge about shapes), sizes, and textures. Have students reach into the box and pick up an item without looking at it (may need to use a blindfold). Ask them to describe what they feel and then identify the object.
- Play the game “listen to the school” (if classroom might be too noisy from other stations have this group work in the hallway). Have students close their eyes for 30-60 seconds and then when time is up, they open their eyes and you can make a list and discuss what they heard.
- After all stations have been completed (about a half hour) have students come back to the rug and discuss the activities, record some of the feelings on the board for students to see:
- For pin the tail on the donkey- Discuss the difficulties they had and how they managed to complete the task of pinning the tail when they could not see.
- For the feel box- Discuss the difficulties they had completing the task. Were their guesses always right?
- Talk about how taking away their sense of sight, makes them more alert to what they hear around them.
3. Closure:
Ask students what they learned from all of these activities:
Was it hard for you?
Did you get frustrated?
Did anyone try to help you? If so did it actually help?
What things might be hard for people who are blind?
What did you learn about people who are blind?
How does this help us think about people with other disabilities?
Does this mean we should treat them like they can’t do things? If not how should we treat them?
Make sure to emphasize that feeling bad for someone who has a disability does not make them feel included, but treating them just like everyone else does.
4. Independent Practice:
Homework project: research an influential person who was or is blind and find how their disability may have been difficult but did not stop them from being successful.
5. Instructional Materials, Resources, and Technology
pin the tail on the donkey poster and tails, feel box, poster paper (and/or whiteboard), assessment sheet
6. Acknowledgements:
Lesson written by Marlene Gundlach, edited by Benjamin Sell and adapted by Hannah Axtelle and Mariah Olson.
Original lesson plan found at:
Assessment
Q1: Fill in the blanks with an activity that each body part helps you do.
Q2: What emotions did you feel while you couldn’t see in this activity? Make a list.
Q3: Pretend you had a friend who was blind and you wanted to do your favorite activity with them. What is your favorite activity and how would you help them participate?
Student Voice
1) What was the importance of experiencing no sight within this lesson?
2) Do you think this lesson has changed your view on people who cannot see? Why or Why not?
Teacher Voice
3) Do you think you would use this activity in your classroom? Why or why not?
T&L Instructional Plan Template
8/15/2014
(edTPA Aligned)
Overview
The information included in this document is to support faculty in teaching about and supporting students with the T&L (and edTPA) Instructional Plan. While there are many variations of lesson plans, this format meets departmental requirements and is aligned with the 2014 edTPA as well.
Background Information (When doing the actual edTPA, leave out identifiers)
Teacher Candidate: Mariah Olson and Hannah Axtelle Date: 12/3/14
Cooperating Teacher: ______Grade: 3-5
School District: ______School: ______
University Supervisor:
Unit/Subject: Cultural Lesson Plan
Instructional Plan Title/Focus: Learning to Respect Each Other
Section 1: Planning for Instruction and Assessment
a. Instructional Plan Purpose:
Students will participate in a mock segregation where the class is split in half and one group is given special privileges and labeled the majority group, while the other has privileges taken away and is labeled the minority group. The purpose of this lesson to give students the opportunity to develop a better understanding of why discrimination happens based on assumptions and stereotypes. By allowing our students to experience these issues firsthand, we can help them think more critically about their own actions towards others as well as discrimination they observe on a daily basis.
b. Alignment to State Learning Standards:
Social Studies
5.1.1 Understands multiple points of view on issues in the community.
5.3.1 Engages in discussions to learn about different points of view on issues.
ELP 4.5.2 Participate in grade appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions.
c. Content Objectives:
SWBAT… identify how stereotypes play a role in discrimination.
SWBAT… identify how segregation is hurtful and unfair to those discriminated against.
Language Objectives:
SWBAT… express their thoughts and feelings about discrimination and segregation.
d. Previous Learning Experiences: Students will have previous knowledge on similarities and differences between their classmates. The day prior to this particular lesson, we read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech and talked about many different examples of discrimination we’ve seen throughout history around the world and more specifically in the United States.
e. Planning for Student Learning Needs (accommodations, student experiences, prior learning and experiences):
-Students will have a chance to verbally express their thoughts, feelings, and understanding of the content we’re discussing throughout the day.
-Students will write down their thoughts and feelings in their journals throughout the day.
-All journals will have lined paper to keep writing neat and accommodate any students who have difficulties with writing.
-For students receiving OT for writing or ELL services, they will be encouraged to draw pictures next to or in place of their notes to help them focus more on content.
-The teacher could also provide leveled questions to accommodate both struggling students and gifted students as well. For students receiving OT or ELL services, the teacher could also record verbal answers to questions asked at the end of the day (5 questions and student voice).
f. Assessment Strategies (Informal and formal)
Content/Language Objectives / Assessment StrategiesSWBAT… identify how stereotypes play a role in discrimination. / Formative: During whole class discussion before the mock segregation begins, the teacher will ask questions about stereotypes and call on students to share any of their experiences with discrimination in everyday life. This will be a great time to call on children who struggle with writing since students will be asked to write down an example of their experiences in their journal as well.
Summative: During whole class discussion before the mock segregation begins, the teacher will have students write down in their journals an example of discrimination they’ve observed in their everyday life and how stereotypes play a role.
SWBAT… identify how segregation is hurtful and unfair to those discriminated against. / Formative: Throughout the mock segregation activity, students are asked to record their thoughts and specific feelings both while they’re in the majority group and in the minority group. Students will be told to label their notes so the teacher can identify what group they were in during certain situations or times of the day.
Summative: During the closure activity at the end of the day, a designated recorder from each small group will write down one answer per group member on a piece of chart paper explaining what they found to be the most striking aspect of the mock segregation experiment, such as what they found most disturbing or hurtful. Each person’s answer should be different and have their name written next to it. Groups will then be asked to shared with the class and papers will be turned in to the teacher.
SWBAT… express their thoughts and feelings about discrimination and segregation. / Formative: Students will express their thoughts and feelings both verbally and through their journal writing throughout the day during whole class discussion, the mock segregation activity, and small group work at the end of the day.
Summative: Students will turn in their journals to the teacher at the end of the day. The journals should include one example of discrimination they see in their everyday life and how stereotypes play a role (Content Objective 1), their thoughts and feelings throughout the segregation activity, and answers to 5 questions about racism/discrimination to expand their critical thinking once the day has ended (Provided in learning activities section below).
g. Student Voice