Quality Standard 1: Teachers demonstrate mastery of and pedagogical expertise in the content they teach.
The elementary teacher is an expert in literacy and mathematics and is knowledgeable in all other content that s/ he teachers (e.g., science, social studies, arts, physical education, or world languages). The secondary teacher has knowledge of literacy and mathematics and is an expert in his or her content endorsement area(s).
Element A: Teachers provide instruction that is aligned with the Colorado Academic Standards, their District’s organized plan of instruction, and the individual needs of their students.
This artifact demonstrates Element A by showing how I planned instruction that aligns with Colorado Academic Standards and meets the needs of my students. The lesson plan was designed for 1st and 2nd graders at Harris and Shepardson Elementary and reflects age-appropriate goals, clear objectives, and activities that support student learning. It also shows how I considered student needs when planning the lesson to make it accessible and engaging. My role as a teacher was to develop and teach the lesson, making sure it was aligned with standards and adjusted to fit the developmental levels and needs of my students.
Element B: Teachers develop and implement lessons that connect to a variety of content areas/disciplines and emphasize literacy and mathematical practices.
This slide show demonstrates Element B by showing how I designed and delivered a lesson that integrates visual arts with mathematical practices and literacy skills. The group grid activity required students to apply proportional reasoning and scaling (enlarging a 1x1 inch square to a 4x4 inch square), reinforcing mathematical concepts within an art context. Additionally, students engaged in visual literacy by analyzing value, contrast, and detail in order to accurately recreate their section of the image, and contributed to a collaborative composition that emphasized both individual accountability and collective understanding. My role as the teacher was to plan and facilitate the lesson, clearly model the grid enlargement process, and guide students in observing and replicating values. I supported students as they made connections between math and art, provided feedback during the drawing process, and helped coordinate the final assembly of the class image.
Element C: Teachers demonstrate knowledge of the content, central concepts, inquiry, appropriate evidence-based instructional practices, and specialized characteristics of the disciplines being taught.
This artifact demonstrates Element C by showing my knowledge of printmaking as a discipline and how I use evidence-based instructional practices to teach it. The slideshow includes a brief history of woodblock printing to build student understanding of the art form, followed by clear, step-by-step instructions for how to print from a linoleum block. This is so the students can pull up the slides whenever to refer back to if they forget. I then pulled small groups for my demonstration so they could clearly see and hear me. This helps students understand both the cultural background and the technical process of printmaking. My role as a teacher was to design and present the slideshow in a way that broke down a complex process into manageable steps, supported student understanding, and connected historical context to hands-on studio practice.
