Standard 2 - Content Area and Pedagogical Knowledge – The competent teacher has in-depth understanding of content area knowledge that includes central concepts, methods of inquiry, structures of the disciplines, and content area literacy. The teacher creates meaningful learning experiences for each student based upon interactions among content area and pedagogical knowledge, and evidence-based practice.
This lesson plan was created for my second student teaching placement in a sixth grade ELA classroom. The content standard that this lesson is based on is "RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. " In order to meet this teaching standard, I ensured an in-depth understanding of the material before teaching the lesson.
Through teaching this lesson I displayed knowledge of the central concepts of the content area. I read the story multiple times and took my own notes before teaching the lesson. During instruction, I provided different methods of inquiry to push students into a higher level of thinking. This questioning helped the class to think deeper about the story, and connect parts of the plot to the overall theme of the unit. While teaching this lesson, I incorporated other areas of literacy, but pointing out unfamiliar vocabulary words. We spent time using context clues to define these unfamiliar terms.
I feel that I created a meaningful learning experience for my students through my engagement strategies. Including the Pixar movie helped students to make connections during the lesson. I made the lesson interactive by providing multiple opportunities for students to participate in discussion. while also providing the written notes for reference.
This lesson was taught in my first student teaching placement. I wrote this lesson plan for a Special Education transition program, so the students were between the ages of 18 and 22. The purpose of a transition program is to prepare young adults with disabilities to function as independently as possible after they are finished with school. During my time at this program, we focused on independent living skills and vocational training. Paratransit aligns with these goals for most of our students. Paratransit is a transportation service for individuals with disabilities who can not independently use public transportation. Many of the students I worked with will definitely utilize this service, so it was important to go over the concept with the class.
This lesson aligns with this professional teaching standard because of the meaningful learning experience provided for the students. Paratransit and transportation services are included in the content area of special education, and I included the central concepts as well as different methods of inquiry. This was a meaningful learning experience for the transition students because Paratransit can help students to gain a greater sense of independence in their lives. Many students with disabilities will not drive on their own, so Paratransit is a valuable service to help individuals get to and from their jobs, the grocery store, or any other location they need to travel to.
This lesson taught me the value of teaching important life skills to students in the transitional stage of their school career. While I understand the importance of academic content, I was given an opportunity through this lesson to see the importance of life skills taught in the classroom as well.