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3.1 Demonstrating knowledge of subject, academic content standards, and curriculum frameworks
Level of Development: Applying: Understands and explains the relationship between essential subject matter concepts, academic language, and academic content standards. Date: 9/21/17 Evidence: Curricular materials and supplemental resources used for the lesson align with the appropriate academic content standards. I follow the district provided pacing guide, but have changed it to align with both California State History Standards and the Common Core Reading and Writing Standards. Although I kept the same order and cover the same standards in the pacing guide, I expanded some units and shorten others to meet student needs. For example, our Africa unit is intended to be about 3 weeks. I expanded to be 3.5-4 weeks in order to include an introduction critical thinking activity on Mansa Musa, which more fully covered reading and writing standards. Attached is my Roadmap to Rigor (district provided pacing guide) from the 2016-2017 year which outlines the California State Standards. Though this is from the pervious year, the district did not provide an updated guide, but allowed teachers to use this one to adapt their own. In addition, I attached to the day-by-day lessons for my Medieval West Africa unit. The combination of these two documents link CSS and Common Core standards to student activities. | ||||
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3.2 Applying knowledge of student development and proficiencies to ensure student understanding of subject matter
Level of Development: Emerging/Applying: Teaches subject-specific vocabulary following curriculum guidelines. Adapts instruction in response to knowledge of student development and proficiencies to meet students’ diverse learning needs. Ensures understanding of subject matter including related academic language. Date: 9/21/17 Evidence: I have planned entry level assessments to determine students’ previous knowledge or skills. Our goal for the year is to increase critical thinking by effectively using language frames, especially among our English Learners. As a seventh grade team, we have formed a Professional Learning Committee that cycles monthly. Our goal for the 3 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas break concerns critical thinking. Goal: 75% of our EL students will effectively use a language frame with 75% accuracy. As of 11/9/17 69% of our EL students effectively use a language frame with 75% accuracy. I have been working on using language frames in critical thinking since early October as evidenced in my Mansa Musa CLOSE Reading activity. Our latest CLOSE Read concerned Confucius's Analects. Students completed the activity with more independence. This was my initial assessment. From this point I have planned shorter formative assessments to monitor student progress. This will continue for the next 2 weeks and will culminate in a critical-thinking based performance task about Japan. I have attached my initial assessment with language support and student examples of the most recent progress-monitoring formative. |
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| confucius_close_read_language_frames_.pdf |
| language_frame_formative_.pdf |
3.3 Organizing curriculum to facilitate student understanding of the subject matter
Level of Development: Integrating: Integrates knowledge of curriculum and resources to organize and adjust instruction within and across subject matter to extend student understanding.
Date: 9/21/17
Level of Development: Integrating: Integrates knowledge of curriculum and resources to organize and adjust instruction within and across subject matter to extend student understanding.
Date: 9/21/17
Evidence: I have connected historical events and figures to current events throughout my teaching practice. My classroom is a safe place in which students can ask questions about the political, social, and economic world climate. I welcome and encourage these questions informally as student interest peaks along with the world climate, historical content, and geography. As a world history teacher, however, I am in the unique position to create lessons that integrate current events into my lessons. For example, in the spring of 2017 I created a lesson comparing King of England Henry VIII and newly elected president Donald Trump. Students evaluated a secondary source to characterized Henry VIII. They then analyzed a speech by Donald Trump regarding the South Dakota Keystone pipeline. Students then answered guiding questions to make characteristic comparisons based on evidence. Making connections between these two controversial men, in addition to a headline event brought a realistic element to my medieval Europe unit.
| analyzing_world_leaders-_reformation.pdf |
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The curriculum is well sequenced and builds on previous instruction. I help students understand that disciplines rarely exist in isolation by the use of integrated lessons. I regularly make connections and comparisons between global societies, especially to help solidify the information we have learned. One example is our week-long lesson on Islamic influences on West Africa. This was a crossover lesson bridging our Islamic unit and our unit on West Africa. I have attached an introductory lesson from this unit. As a class we analyzed two images and determined the influence of Islam on West African religious practices and government.
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At Vista, we strive to incorporate the relationship between and among disciplines when planning curriculum and assessments. I am aware of other subject matter that is presented at the grade level and strive to make cross-curricular connections. Creating a consistent environment and working on goals in multiple classes helps students master skills. This is demonstrated in our quarterly performance tasks. Each task has a cross-curricular element. I usually incorporate ELA, but have been looking to expand into science and math in the upcoming year.
| mackey_pt_rubrics_2016-2018.pdf |
3.4 Utilizing instructional strategies that are appropriate to the subject matter
Level of Development: Applying: Selects and adapts a variety of instructional strategies to ensure student understanding of academic language appropriate to subject matter and that addresses students’ diverse learning needs.
Date: 3/21/17
Level of Development: Applying: Selects and adapts a variety of instructional strategies to ensure student understanding of academic language appropriate to subject matter and that addresses students’ diverse learning needs.
Date: 3/21/17
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Evidence: I have been able to engage students in content in a way that allows for student choice. Students are able to make choices daily in my class, but I regularly allow them to complete significant projects based on interest. I believe student engagement is key to success. Our quarter 2 and quarter 4 performance task projects demonstrate this value. Our quarter 2 task asked students to analyze an artifact from either medieval West Africa or imperial China. Students explored teacher-provided museum sites to find an artifact that peaked their interest. They then analyzed its purpose and what to says about that society. They then connected the artifact to what they've learned in class. Analyzing a variety of primary sources and comparing them to secondary sources is a key skill we are working on throughout the year.
Last spring at the conclusion of our Renaissance and Reformation unit, students were asked to choose a work of art to analyze as a primary source. I gave students 5 options from each category and asked them choose one. Students then pulled elements from the piece of art to create concrete claims regarding either the Reformation or the Renaissance based on evidence.
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3.5 Using and adapting resources, technologies, and standards-aligned instructional materials, including adopted materials, to make subject matter accessible to all students
Level of Development: Applying: Selects, adapts, and utilizes appropriate instructional materials, resources, and technologies for concept and skill development in subject matter. Resources reflect the diversity of the classroom and support differentiated learning of subject matter.
Date: 9/21/17
Evidence: My school supports current technology that is available and expresses a desire to increase technology resources for student use. Not only is our textbook completely online with additional activities that students can access 24 hours a day. As a individual members of a team, we became Google Certified and are working toward becoming a Google School. With this Google infrastructure, including the G Suite and Google Classroom both of which are used my classroom, students are actively engaged in new technologies. I regularly use Google Maps to take students on virtual field trips, which makes the places we learn about real to the students and helps them visualize the environment in which history took place. We are also looking to expand into Google AR, which is an augmented reality application. There are infinite uses for this technology across all subjects, but the one I was most interested in was the Renaissance art lesson and the lesson on DaVinci's inventions. Both of these would expand my Renaissance and Reformation unit in the spring to bring art, culture, and human experience in to a new light.
I also integrate Kahoot review games to my units. We play Kahoot after each chapter of content. Not only is it a fun way to review integral information and prepare for tests, but it also allows me to assess student progress. If students are not grasping a concept, I can use the statistics for the question to create a review warm-up or additional lesson. It also allows me to see individual student scores and ratings so I can target specific struggling students. The following are the links to the Kahoots I created during our Islamic Empire unit:
Origin and Spread of Islam Mini Kahoot
Islamic Practices Mini Kahoot
Islamic Inventions and Adaptations Mini Review
I have also used Nearpod as a way to add variety to notes, assessments and warm-ups. I don't use Nearpod as often as I use Kahoot, but it is a great way for students to warm up to material or preview a new unit. Nearpod allows me to direct students through interactive slides, with activities tailored to the lesson. Nearpod also takes students on virtual field trips though interactive images. Although they are not as clear or interactive as Google maps, they are a great structured way to add variety after I have used Google Maps. The following are some Nearpod activities I have used this year:
Exploring Islam
Africa Regions
Islam's Influence on West Africa
Who Would You Trust?
Commerce and Urbanization
Preview to Japan's Culture
Level of Development: Applying: Selects, adapts, and utilizes appropriate instructional materials, resources, and technologies for concept and skill development in subject matter. Resources reflect the diversity of the classroom and support differentiated learning of subject matter.
Date: 9/21/17
Evidence: My school supports current technology that is available and expresses a desire to increase technology resources for student use. Not only is our textbook completely online with additional activities that students can access 24 hours a day. As a individual members of a team, we became Google Certified and are working toward becoming a Google School. With this Google infrastructure, including the G Suite and Google Classroom both of which are used my classroom, students are actively engaged in new technologies. I regularly use Google Maps to take students on virtual field trips, which makes the places we learn about real to the students and helps them visualize the environment in which history took place. We are also looking to expand into Google AR, which is an augmented reality application. There are infinite uses for this technology across all subjects, but the one I was most interested in was the Renaissance art lesson and the lesson on DaVinci's inventions. Both of these would expand my Renaissance and Reformation unit in the spring to bring art, culture, and human experience in to a new light.
I also integrate Kahoot review games to my units. We play Kahoot after each chapter of content. Not only is it a fun way to review integral information and prepare for tests, but it also allows me to assess student progress. If students are not grasping a concept, I can use the statistics for the question to create a review warm-up or additional lesson. It also allows me to see individual student scores and ratings so I can target specific struggling students. The following are the links to the Kahoots I created during our Islamic Empire unit:
Origin and Spread of Islam Mini Kahoot
Islamic Practices Mini Kahoot
Islamic Inventions and Adaptations Mini Review
I have also used Nearpod as a way to add variety to notes, assessments and warm-ups. I don't use Nearpod as often as I use Kahoot, but it is a great way for students to warm up to material or preview a new unit. Nearpod allows me to direct students through interactive slides, with activities tailored to the lesson. Nearpod also takes students on virtual field trips though interactive images. Although they are not as clear or interactive as Google maps, they are a great structured way to add variety after I have used Google Maps. The following are some Nearpod activities I have used this year:
Exploring Islam
Africa Regions
Islam's Influence on West Africa
Who Would You Trust?
Commerce and Urbanization
Preview to Japan's Culture
3.6 Addressing the needs of English learners and students with special needs to provide equitable access to the content
Level of Development: Applying: Identifies language proficiencies and English learner strengths in the study of language and content. Differentiates instruction using one or more components of English language development to support English learners. Creates and implements scaffolds to support standards-based instruction using literacy strategies, SDAIE, and content level English language development in order for students to improve language proficiencies and understand content.
Date: 9/21/17
Level of Development: Applying: Identifies language proficiencies and English learner strengths in the study of language and content. Differentiates instruction using one or more components of English language development to support English learners. Creates and implements scaffolds to support standards-based instruction using literacy strategies, SDAIE, and content level English language development in order for students to improve language proficiencies and understand content.
Date: 9/21/17
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Evidence: The majority of my students are English learners and therefore much of my curriculum is tailored toward them. I am still working to balance these needs without scaffolding the material too much. I often work with students, scaffolding vocabulary into each activity both implicitly and explicitly. Many of my activities include fill in the blank portions and sections in which students can color or draw out their ideas. I am still working to scaffold for a variety of needs in the classroom.
I have attached our Ch.20: Heian-Kyo and the Golden Age of Japan Station Notes. Student spent about 12 minutes at each station, traveling around the classroom. My stations are EL friendly, in that they incorporate clear instructions and many opportunities to draw their ideas. I also provided individual scaffolding by giving targeted students language frames to increase comprehension. I am very fortunate to work at a school with a full-inclusive Special Education program. Students are in the classroom all day, every day, except when their accommodation them to be pulled into a separate environment for testing. I have 6 SPED students that meet a variety of needs and specific scaffolding. Two of my student receive fully scaffolded activities in which they highlight key information and fill in the blanks. One student uses dragon dictation to write in her activities. My other 3 students complete the activities with aided support and are given a key to check their answers as they work. |
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Technology Emphasis
3.4 Utilizing instructional strategies that are appropriate to the subject matter
Level of Development: Exploring: Selects and adapts a variety of instructional strategies to ensure student understanding of academic language appropriate to subject matter and that addresses students’ diverse learning needs.
Evidence: Attached above under 3.4 evidence is a student project based around Google technology (slides and docs; beginner materials) and student choice. When using technology in the classroom, choice is key. In order to create using digital resources, students need to be invested in what they are creating. According to the SMAR model, releasing control to students promotes digital learning, citizenship, and ownership. I realize that student choice in the topic is one small step to agency, and I need to give students more choices in the types of technologies they use. Additional technology options can be found on my Student Choice Menu on the Technology Competency page.
I have updated the project to make it more authentic. Not only will student analyze the artifact of their choice, but will compose an argument asking resident museum to lend their artifact to our local Bowers Museum. I have presented the assessment as a learning opportunity in which all the students are volunteer curators for the museum and it is up to them to bring new artifacts into our community. Additional information on this project can be found on my Technology Competency page under the Student Choice Menu as it is an option for students to choose for their end of semester Mastery Project.
ISTE Standards for Teachers: Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments: While analyzing artifacts, students are also exploring new places online they may not have the chance to see in the real world. Students are exploring the art of other cultures in their own nation, while participating in their local community.
Level of Development: Exploring: Selects and adapts a variety of instructional strategies to ensure student understanding of academic language appropriate to subject matter and that addresses students’ diverse learning needs.
Evidence: Attached above under 3.4 evidence is a student project based around Google technology (slides and docs; beginner materials) and student choice. When using technology in the classroom, choice is key. In order to create using digital resources, students need to be invested in what they are creating. According to the SMAR model, releasing control to students promotes digital learning, citizenship, and ownership. I realize that student choice in the topic is one small step to agency, and I need to give students more choices in the types of technologies they use. Additional technology options can be found on my Student Choice Menu on the Technology Competency page.
I have updated the project to make it more authentic. Not only will student analyze the artifact of their choice, but will compose an argument asking resident museum to lend their artifact to our local Bowers Museum. I have presented the assessment as a learning opportunity in which all the students are volunteer curators for the museum and it is up to them to bring new artifacts into our community. Additional information on this project can be found on my Technology Competency page under the Student Choice Menu as it is an option for students to choose for their end of semester Mastery Project.
ISTE Standards for Teachers: Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments: While analyzing artifacts, students are also exploring new places online they may not have the chance to see in the real world. Students are exploring the art of other cultures in their own nation, while participating in their local community.
NBPTS incorporation
CSTP 3.3: Organizing curriculum to facilitate student understanding of the subject matter.
NBPTS 3.3: Teachers Value Student Engagement
NBPTS: 3.5: Teachers Engage Students in the Learning Process
TLMS Domain 2a: Assists colleagues in accessing and using research in order to select appropriate strategies to improve student learning.
Evidence: Students in my class learn in a variety of ways. Some days we use structure, where they are teaching each other in a structured lesson. Other days I pull small groups (or allow them to choose to be in my small group) and have a looser structure to my room. Engagement is key in my room. I use many Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures. Students are consistently moving, speaking, listening, and, at times, playing to learn. Students have choices in their education in my classroom. In my curriculum this year I have been integrating much more student choice. Not only do students have the choice in topics, but how they present their topic.
Generally we start new topics using Kagan structures or classroom scavenger hunts to understand the basic information. Students then apply what they have learned to a project that applies to their real life. I have included the instructions for 2 projects students have worked on this year.
My Teacher Led Project this year is about Collaboration and Movement in the classroom. My peers have had the same training in collaborative learning as I have, but I decided to make it my area of expertise in the last year. Due to the special attention I paid to structures, I have had the opportunity to attend additional trainings and lead small group instruction on cooperative learning structures. My principal has identified me as a resource, earning me the nickname "Kagan Megan," and provided me with the resources necessary to share my love of collaborative learning with my peers. I have been working closely in the last year with out 4th grade teacher to incorporate collaborative learning into her classroom.
NBPTS 3.3: Teachers Value Student Engagement
NBPTS: 3.5: Teachers Engage Students in the Learning Process
TLMS Domain 2a: Assists colleagues in accessing and using research in order to select appropriate strategies to improve student learning.
Evidence: Students in my class learn in a variety of ways. Some days we use structure, where they are teaching each other in a structured lesson. Other days I pull small groups (or allow them to choose to be in my small group) and have a looser structure to my room. Engagement is key in my room. I use many Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures. Students are consistently moving, speaking, listening, and, at times, playing to learn. Students have choices in their education in my classroom. In my curriculum this year I have been integrating much more student choice. Not only do students have the choice in topics, but how they present their topic.
Generally we start new topics using Kagan structures or classroom scavenger hunts to understand the basic information. Students then apply what they have learned to a project that applies to their real life. I have included the instructions for 2 projects students have worked on this year.
My Teacher Led Project this year is about Collaboration and Movement in the classroom. My peers have had the same training in collaborative learning as I have, but I decided to make it my area of expertise in the last year. Due to the special attention I paid to structures, I have had the opportunity to attend additional trainings and lead small group instruction on cooperative learning structures. My principal has identified me as a resource, earning me the nickname "Kagan Megan," and provided me with the resources necessary to share my love of collaborative learning with my peers. I have been working closely in the last year with out 4th grade teacher to incorporate collaborative learning into her classroom.
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Your Trip to Japan Project was a way for students to apply the knowledge they gained in class about Japan to either a field trip plan they would submit to administration, or a Buzzfeed article they would submit to Buzzfeed. Students were given choices in creating their work, using technologies such as Canva and Google Tour Builder. Attached are the instructions to the project. To the left is a student example of the Buzzfeed article.
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In our most recent unit, students learned about the Renaissance using a variety of cooperative learning structures. They then completed a Bullet Interview about themselves and a Renaissance person of their choice. Students were then asked to apply what they discovered about themselves an their knowledge of Renaissance artistic ideals to create a poem and portrait of themselves. Attached are the instructions for the interview and portrait. To the right are students examples.
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