2. Content Area and Pedagogical Knowledge

This artifact was created for a middle grades literacy class that I took in the spring of 2022. For this artifact, I was asked to create a writing unit plan. It includes a letter to parents about the upcoming unit, a fifteen day unit calendar that walks through what the focus will be each day, and five detailed lesson plans with mentor texts listed. Students would be walking through each of the five aspects of writing: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.

There are a few indicators that were met in the creation of this artifact. The first that was met is 2I which states that the competent teacher, “evaluates teaching resources and materials for appropriateness as related to curricular content and each student’s needs.” There were multiple mentor texts used in this unit plan so that students can see appropriate materials in order to get an idea of how to write properly. Also, as there are five different writing strategies that are to be used by students throughout the unit plan, this also shows that I know how to access tools and strategies which help students learn, which is knowledge indicator 2F, “knows how to access the tools and knowledge related to latest findings (e.g., research, practice, methodologies) and technologies in the disciplines.”

Through creating this artifact, I learned how to properly plan and think through creating a unit. As an educator, I need to have content knowledge and know how to use methods that create meaningful learning experiences for my students. By including many different writing strategies for students to use and taking each lesson day by day, I was able to create a learning atmosphere for students that helps them learn best and get the most out of the unit.

This artifact was created for a middle grades literacy class which I took in the spring semester of 2022. It includes a three week reading unit plan for a sixth grade class. There are five books which students will be reading throughout the unit. The essential question that is focused on is what it means to be a good friend and how we can show love and acceptance to others. It includes a letter to parents about the upcoming unit, the three week unit plan schedule, and five detailed lesson plans with some strategies for students to use while reading.

Through completing this artifact, I have met Illinois teaching standard 2B which states that the competent teacher, “understands major concepts, assumptions, debates, and principles; processes of inquiry; and theories that are central to the disciplines.” By using different processes in the unit, I was able to show my understanding of how students can learn from using small group discussions, large group discussions, comparing and contrasting, and other strategies in order to assist in their inquiry about the books that they read. By leading this unit, I showed my content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge about how to best facilitate learning.

I learned a lot through creating this artifact. I learned how intentional educators are when planning out their unit. Teachers must have read each book of the unit and have deep knowledge about the content and deeper meanings in order to create meaningful questions for students and to lead meaningful discussions. I learned how to use many strategies in order to ensure the lessons were not monotonous, but were varied and insightful.