Big Idea: Critical Thinking
Essential Question: Do I have what it takes to be an effective teacher?
Understandings:
1. I am responsible for my own depth and direction of learning.
2. The reflective practice helps me gain skills and grow.
3. Effective teachers are effective communicators.
4. What I believe as a learner impacts how I perform as a teacher.
Standards (colors indicate unpacked KNOWLEDGE and SKILL):
INTASC (Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium) Standards
Standard #8: The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his choices and actions on others and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
Indiana Career and Technical Program Curriculum Standards
4.2 Curriculum activities help students apply appropriate English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies standards in work-related situations.
Indiana High School Composition Standards
CMP 1.8 Review, evaluate, and revise by writing for meaning, clarity, achievement of purpose, and mechanics.
CMP 1.13 Develop presentations using clear research questions and creative and critical research strategies, such as conducting field studies, interviews, and experiments; researching oral histories; and using Internet sources.
American Association of School Librarians (AASL) standards
2.1.6 Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create products that express new understandings.
3.1.1 Conclude an inquiry-based research process by sharing new understandings and reflecting on the learning.
3.1.3 Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new understandings effectively.
Information Literacy Standard
Standard #4: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests.
Learning Outcomes (which include information concepts and skills):
Knowledge (vocabuary, concepts, facts ):
Students will know . . .
Vocab: reflective, practioner, revision, drafting, protocol, inquiry, literate, information literate, media literacy, visual literacy
Concepts: writing for meaning, writing for clarity, writing for purpose
Skill (skills, processes, and procedures):
Students will be able to . . .
Skills: grammar, language conventions, demonstrate application of language arts standards, narrowing topics, sharing ideas through writing, independent learning, evaluating web sources
Processes: evaluate effects of choices, evaluate effects of actions, writing process
Procedures: review own writing and writing of peers, evaluate own writing and writing of peers, revise own writing, pursuing information, research strategies, conducting interviews
Mini-lesson Collaboration and Watching/Wondering Activities:
(Note: Clicking on the links of the name of each mini-lesson will provide a full explanation of the lesson.)
* Student and Teacher roles taken from Lamb's 8Ws inquiry model as are inquiry skills.
Assessment Methods:
The ultimate goal of this unit is to foster self-assessment skills. A variety of assessment strategies are present. All of which are an attempt at assessment FOR learning versus an assessment OF learning as differentiated by Chappuis in Understanding School Assessment and adapted by Stiggens in Classroom Assessment for Student Learning (page 33). Detailed and specific examples can be found on the pages detailing each mini-lesson. Types of assessment include:
checklist
rubric
written response
performance tasks
personal response
descriptive feedback