I am confident my understanding of instructional alignments has improved as a result of these experiences. When writing objectives, it is best to focus on one (at most two) in a lesson. The first version of my Social Studies lesson had 2-3 objectives and was too unfocused. Objectives are meant to guide our lessons through a stated purpose and what we want students to learn. For activities, I have SO many ideas, it is difficult to choose the best ones. There are a few classics that are always great for a lesson, like graphic organizers, partner-sharing, and discussions. Finally, assessments come in many different forms, and they don’t need to be boring and formulaic. Yes, certain assessment types are more effective and will be used often. However, there are other times when I can take liberty in how I’m assessing my students' understanding. This lesson utilized a writing activity to determine students’ understanding rather than a quiz/test. I was still able to successfully ascertain what my students learned, thought, and felt from my chosen assessment. Overall, my lesson improved over time by becoming more focused. Alignment ensures that we are meeting the standards set by the state, AND that our curriculum is connected, progressing in content and difficulty, knowledge is building on prior knowledge, and that students can reach the goals we set for them at the beginning of the year. As the final version of my lesson was developed, I practiced and became more confident in the curriculum and my delivery. 

While revising my lesson, I made sure to incorporate different processing strategies. The aforementioned graphic organizers of “Big Ideas” that I created, table discussions, and an opportunity for students to read their letter in front of the whole class. When considering deeper thinking and DOK levels for my students, I was excited and intrigued, while also challenged by time. I believe deeper thinking is more effective without the stressful constraint of time. In being new to creating lessons, I found DOK progression to be a helpful guide that pushed me to build more difficult levels of thinking and application as the lesson continued. Aligning those DOK progressions with “I do, You do, We do” was a new experience for me. Altogether, this process took time and care to write a lesson that I was confident in. 

The activities that I chose (amongst the many ideas) were intended to promote active student engagement. Students were asked to fill out a “Big Idea” question as a table, prompting teamwork and peer discussions. They were asked to share what they had found with the whole class in order to complete the class graphic organizer on the projector. The students' last activity, writing a letter from a historical person’s perspective, was the most engaging. At first, there were many questions on how to start writing, as students had never been asked to think from another person’s perspective on an assignment before. Once they were given some examples, the students really went with it. At the end, they were given the opportunity to share their letters with the whole class if “they were feeling confident and brave.” Many students volunteered and were celebrated by their classmates for having courage and sharing. 

The biggest takeaway for me in terms of maintaining high levels of engagement is to walk around the room. After reading some feedback given to me, I understand that my proximity really helps students stay motivated and on task. I will also continue to strive for connections between the curriculum and students’ interests. Meeting content and skill objectives is all about my ability to plan an explicit lesson and truly embrace the I do, We do, You do format. 

Assessment is more than just taking a test. It is a check for understanding, a tool that informs your teaching strategies, and a way of determining your students’ unique needs. The more experience I gain in the classroom, the better I will become at aligning objectives and DOK levels with assessments. As of now, my biggest challenge is still in DOK Level 3 and Level 4 activities. Within this Social Studies lesson, I used formative assessments like thumbs up/down, think-pair-share (at tables), and a class discussion. These checks helped me determine how long we needed to spend on each activity, answer questions, and give examples to deepen understanding. The summative assessment I utilized (writing activity) showed me students' comprehension of the passage, fluency in writing, and application of knowledge to their own experiences and feelings. These assessments allowed me to reach my objectives and properly evaluate my students’ learning.