1b. Demonstrating Knowledge of Students

• Knowledge of child and adolescent development
• Knowledge of the learning process
• Knowledge of students' skills, knowledge, and language proficiency
• Knowledge of students' interests and cultural heritage
• Knowledge of students' special needs

The teacher understands the active nature of student learning and acquires information about levels of development for individual students. The teacher also systematically acquires knowledge from several sources about individual students’ varied approaches to learning, knowledge and skills, special needs, and interests and cultural heritages.

For example, I have often made Accelerated Reader suggestions for students, encouraging them to choose books that they find interesting yet also challenging. STAR is also used to group students based on reading level for activities and units such as my novel choice unit. Below is a list of project options that offers students multiple was to demonstrate their knowledge of the content and still adhere to their particular learning styles. There is also a TDA prompt given in two ways. The first is the original assessment, and the second has been adapted for a student with a learning disability. Based on students' pre-requisite knowledge, I also included a writing notes packet geared toward lower-level learners. I love to use color coordination and symbols to help these students recall information.