Artifact 1

EDD440/441 English Teaching Methods Artifact

Description of the Project

For my English Teaching Methods class here at UM-D, I had the opportunity to observe a 9th grade Honors ELA classroom for a semester. For this observational practicum, I created and demonstrated a lesson plan that aligned with what the students were doing in the class with my cooperating teacher. This plan is focused on reading comprehension of the characters in the books the students were reading for their "literature circles" unit.

Importance of the Project

This project revealed to me the true impact of group work on student comprehension in the English discipline. Having the opportunity to finally see one of my lesson plans carried out in the classroom and having it be received so well by the students gave me confidence in this career I have chosen. I am a firm believer that students gain the most valuable learning when they work together to see each other's perspectives, and this lesson validated my belief. At the assessment point in the lesson, hearing students read the creative works they worked together to create also confirmed my belief that multicultural literature has a crucial role in the lives of our students and a place in the classroom

Skills Demonstrated

Working with a practicing teacher on this lesson plan was invaluable to my pre-service career. As collaboration is a large part of this occupation, I welcome any and all opportunities to do so. The lesson itself puts particular emphasis on understanding a character's heritage and background specifically as it relates to their identities, as does my teaching philosophy. This lesson celebrates and supports so many different identities through the portrayal of these multicultural faces in literature.

Tasks Completed

In creating this lesson plan I...

- Collaborated with a practicing teacher to create a lesson plan that supports students' unique identities

- Related strategies and concepts I learned in class to the needs of the students in my practicum

- Executed the lesson in a classroom setting

- Supported the multicultural identities of the students in the classroom with an emphasis on diverse texts and heritages

Attached below is a copy of this lesson plan: