Form: "*Designing Instruction Task*"

Created with: Taskstream

Author: Keziah Silva
Date submitted: 04/17/2017 7:22 pm (HST)
Before beginning this task, read the complete directions provided in the CTC TPA Candidate
Handbook.
Step 1: Academic Content Selection and Learning about Students
Directions:
An important step in planning instruction is to learn about your students. Select one class,
one content area, and the state-adopted academic content standards or state-adopted
framework (if your single subject content area does not have content standards) for this
task. Respond to the questions below about this class, unit of study, and how you learn
about the students.
A. Academic Content Selection
(REQUIRED) Grade Level
Third Grade
(REQUIRED) Content area
Music
(REQUIRED) Subject matter
Visual and Performing Arts/Social Studies/English Language Arts
(REQUIRED) 1. List the state-adopted academic content standards or state-
adopted framework that you will cover for this unit of study.
Lesson one: Visual and Performing Arts
VAPA.3.2.2: "Sing age-appropriate songs from memory, including rounds, partner
songs, and ostinatos."
ELD.P1.3.8.Br: "Analyzing language choices. Distinguish how multiple different words
with similar meanings (e.g. pleased versus happy versus ecstatic, heard versus knew
versus believed) produce shades of meaning and different effects on the audience."
Lesson two: Social Studies
CA Social Studies 3.4.6: "Describe the lives of American heroes who took risks to
secure our freedoms."
ELD.P1.9: Plan and deliver longer oral presentations on a variety of topics and
content areas.
Lesson three: ELA
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.5: "Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems
that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when
appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details."
ELD.P1.9.Ex: "Plan and deliver brief oral presentations on a variety of topics (e.g.,
show and tell, author's chair, recounting an experience, describing an animal).
Lesson four: ELA
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.4: "With guidance and support from adults, produce writing
in which development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-
specific expectations for write types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
ELD.P1.3.12.Br: Selecting language resources use a wide variety of general academic
and domain-specific words, synonyms, antonyms, and non-literal language to create
an effect, precision, and shades of meaning while speaking and writing.
(REQUIRED) 2. Describe the unit of study that addresses those standards.
This is a project based unit that involves four different lessons that will be completed in the duration of
three weeks. The driving question that this unit is based on is "What is the cost of freedom?". This
questions will be addressed uniquely in each lesson during the unit. This will all be leading to a
Veterans event at the end of the unit where students will invite veterans, parents and faculty to watch
the students honor veterans in their community. The first lesson is a visual and performing arts lesson
that will be focusing on music by having the teacher teach a song for the students to sing in honor of
veterans at the Memorial day event in the end of the unit. This lessons' objective is that students will
be able to sing the song "Thank you, soldiers" from memory. Since this lesson involves learning a
song, it will last the entire three weeks of the unit, allowing time for the students to memorize the
song. The second lesson is going to focus on the objective that is, the students will be able to describe
the lives of Americans who took risks to secure our freedoms by developing open-ended questions for
a guest speaker and recording the speaker's responses. The third lesson of this unit consists of
students being able to create a short poem and produce an audio recording that displays honor to
Veterans and fluid reading at an understandable pace. The product of this lesson, (the haiku poems)
will be played on a recording during the veterans day event. Lastly, the fourth lesson is going to be for
the students to compose a letter to a veteran, thanking them for fighting for their freedom. The goal
for this unit is to have the students create background knowledge to be able to produce meaningful
content in their letters to the veterans. It is also to help the students understand the cost of freedom
and how to be grateful for those who sacrifice themselves for our American freedom.
(REQUIRED) 3. What is (are) the academic learning goal(s) for this unit of study?
For this unit's academic learning goals, it is essential for the students to develop a deeper
understanding about the cost of freedom through the sacrifices made by veterans and how
they can honor veterans in their community. This learning goal will be obtain through the
students learning a song about thanking soldiers for all they do, by conversing with a guest
speaker who is a veteran and has experience to share with the children about the cost of
freedom, by having the students think creatively and create a haiku poem about honoring
veterans, using what they have learned so far as background knowledge to contribute to
their poems, and lastly, having the students write letters to veterans thanking them for their
service, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of these veterans.
Class Information
(REQUIRED) Age range of students
Age ranges from 8 to 9 years old.
(REQUIRED) Number of male students
There are 14 male students.
(REQUIRED) Number of female students
There are 11 female students.
(REQUIRED) Total number of students
There is a total of 25 students in this third grade class.
B. Student Characteristics
Linguistic Background
(REQUIRED) 1. What information that may influence instruction do you want to
learn about your students?

Before I start the unit, I need to learn specific information about all of the student's
linguistic background. Part of this is learning what language they speak at home with their
family. This also means learning what their first language is. This can influence instruction
greatly because the students may have a lack of academic vocabulary and fluency that is
necessary to achieve the learning goals for the unit. I would also need to conduct CELDT
tests for the students who speak another language at home to help identify students who
are English learners, to determine their level of English proficiency, and assess their
progress toward acquiring English proficiency. This will help when I am planning instruction
to make the appropriate modifications and accommodations for these students.
(REQUIRED) 2. How will you learn about your students? Describe the methods
you will use and why you have chosen to use those particular methods.
An effective way for me to learn more about my students would be to look into their
academic history. This includes past CELDT test, or other state tests. I could also speak to
previous teachers about their academic performance and learn what were effective ways to
teach the students and what areas I would need to focus on. Besides looking into their
academic background, I could also make sure that I am always collecting data on this in the
classroom. This includes keeping up with state tests and comparing them with past tests to
follow growth. Anther way to learn more about my students in the classroom would be to
keep communication with their parents to monitor growth at home and in the classroom.
These are all ways in which I would get more information about my students. These
methods work because they all have to do with learning about where they came from and
where they are now by monitoring growth and using the information that I learn to better
create effective instruction that reaches all students at all academic levels.
(REQUIRED) 3. How will you use this information in planning academic
instruction in your selected content area?

Based on the background information attained from the students, I will be able to see how
they learn best and which learning strategies they identify with the most. For example,
based on the CELDT scores, I will learn which students are considered EL's and which
students are struggling more on a linguistic level. Knowing this, I could adjust instruction
and make modifications while also using SDAIE strategies, to help these students be able to
achieve the learning goals set for the entire class. Another example would be learning about
the home lives of the students and which language they speak at home as well as what
language their parents speak mostly. Knowing this I would know which students are in need
for additional support at home or if they need to spend more time working in the classroom
to compensate for the time they do not work on academics at home.
Academic Language Abilities, Content Knowledge, and Skills
(REQUIRED) 1. What information that may influence instruction do you want to
learn about your students?
I would want to learn about what academic struggles they have in instruction in previous
grades and other classes. I also want to learn about the test scores the students got in the
standardized tests like the CELDT test and their DIBELS scores that will help determine
student progress.
(REQUIRED) 2. How will you learn about your students? Describe the methods
you will use and why you have chosen to use those particular methods.
In order to learn about my students, I would discuss with former teachers about any
academic difficulties they may have. I would also ask them about their progress through the
year and areas in which they have improved. I believe that this method is the most effective
way to learn about my students because it will help me track their progress from last year
through the current year to see if they are improving and reaching their academic goals for
the year. It is helpful to have their past teachers give you information and advice about
important things to keep track of in the students. That way, the students have their best
chance at personal and academic growth.
(REQUIRED) 3. How will you use this information in planning academic
instruction in your selected content area?
I could use this information to help in planning instruction for lessons in the classroom. For
example, if I know that there are students who scored low in their CELDT test, I can adjust
instruction by adding more visuals and reviewing new academic vocabulary. This will help
these specific students be closer to the academic level of the rest of the class, as well as
helping them reach their own learning goals.
Physical, Social, and Emotional Development
(REQUIRED) 1. What information that may influence instruction do you want to
learn about your students?
I would want to learn about any mental or physical health issues that they students may
have, as in ADD, ADHD, PTSD, or any physical disabilities that require special attention.
Included in these physical, developmental, and mental disabilities come difficulties in social
interactions and behavior. It is better to learn about these things in the beginning of the
year so that I may adjust the classroom environment accordingly to create a more safe and
effective learning environment.
(REQUIRED) 2. How will you learn about your students? Describe the methods
you will use and why you have chosen to use those particular methods.
To learn about the students with any of these disabilities, I will first communicate with their
parents and have them share about their students and what they know about their child's
either developmental difficulties or physical restrictions before conducting any type of
assessment on them. Once I do that, I will also communicate with their former teachers.
These methods help me get the most accurate descriptions about these students and what
they live with every day at home, and in the classroom.
(REQUIRED) 3. How will you use this information in planning academic
instruction in your selected content area?
Once I learn this information from the student's parents and former teachers, I will apply it
to my instruction planning and make the appropriate accommodations, whether that would
be to create flexible seating where the students can be better engaged and feel like the
classroom is a safe learning environment, or if it is to spend more time go over subject
matter to ensure that these students are achieving the academic learning goals made
especially for them.
Cultural and Health Considerations
(REQUIRED) 1. What information that may influence instruction do you want to
learn about your students?
I would want to have as much information about each students cultural and health
backgrounds. For the students cultural background, this would include their religious beliefs
that may challenge the way class time is run, or religious customs that must be respected
as a part of their daily life. When it comes to health, I would want to learn about any
restrictions they may have in their diet, or allergies that must be considered when food is
served in the classroom or even for other students to be aware of and careful of as well.
(REQUIRED) 2. How will you learn about your students? Describe the methods
you will use and why you have chosen to use those particular methods.
The way in which I will learn this information from the students would be by sending home a
general parent questionnaire which includes questions that give the parents a chance to
share about their home culture and their religion that they may feel like needs to be
respected and known by the teacher. This questionnaire also includes questions that address
any health concerns or considerations that need to be known and addressed by the teacher.
Once these questionnaire return from home to the classroom, the teacher will then make
the appropriate steps to communicate to the parents in a more specific way that addresses
any concerns they may have written in the form sent home. That way, the parents feel like
they have been heard and respected by the students teacher, which makes for a open and
safe classroom environment.
(REQUIRED) 3. How will you use this information in planning academic
instruction in your selected content area?
I will use the information from my students about their cultures and health to create a more
open, safe, and understanding classroom environment. I could do this by helping the
students understand and respect each others cultures. For example, if there is a practicing
Muslim student in the classroom, I might have a guest speaker come to the classroom to
talk about their culture and share what they believe in. Also, to maintain respect and open
communication with the parents, I would let them know of the guest speaker and the
intentions with having this individual come into the classroom, and allow the parents to
make a decision of whether or not they want their child participating or not. It will also help
me as the teacher to know what is appropriate to discuss or teach about in the classroom.
For example, if there is a student who's parents do not celebrate Easter, I would have to
make the appropriate accommodations for them that may or may not be in the classroom so
that, out of respect for their culture and their parents wishes, they would not be forced to
participate in any Easter themed activities.
Interests and Aspirations
(REQUIRED) 1. What information that may influence instruction do you want to
learn about your students?
In respect to the students interests and aspirations, I would want to learn about any
extracurricular activities they participate in, outside of school. I would also want to learn
about their own personal interests and what may excite them.
(REQUIRED) 2. How will you learn about your students? Describe the methods
you will use and why you have chosen to use those particular methods.
The things that I want to learn about the student can be acquired through some different
ways. I could create a classroom survey that they could fill out in more of a formal way. On
this survey, they would be able to share about what they are interested in and what they
may aspire to be when the grow up. I could also learn this information from the students in
"Getting-to-know-you" activities in the classroom, especially in the beginning of the year,
although it can be done throughout the entire year because you can never learn too much
about your students. This gives the opportunity for the students to share what they love and
what excited them to their peers, which will help them ease into the classroom
environment.
(REQUIRED) 3. How will you use this information in planning academic
instruction in your selected content area?
This information learned is what makes for a fun classroom environment. In order for the
classroom to be an effective learning environment, it also must be fun. This is a key way in
engaging the students to want to learn. By incorporating the students interests into
academic instruction, I make for not only effective lessons, but also meaningful lessons that
will end up remembering in the long run. Knowing what the students outside activities,
hobbies, interests, and aspiration are, I can activities that can make subject matter more
interesting and more fun to learn about.
Step 2: Learning about Two Focus Students
Directions: Select two focus students from the class you identified in Step 1. Select one
student who is an English learner and one student who presents a different instructional
challenge. Use some of the methods you described in Step 1 to learn about these two
students. Consider your selected content area and subject matter when describing what you
learned about the two focus students. Complete the section below. In each box include:
a description of what you learned about each of the students
an explanation of how the information will influence your academic instructional
planning.

Note: Single subject candidates for a credential in Languages Other Than English who are
delivering instruction in the target language may choose another student with a different
instructional challenge rather than an English learner.
Student 1: An English Learner
(REQUIRED) Gender
 Female
(REQUIRED) Age
8
(REQUIRED) 1. Why did you select this student?
I chose this student as a focus student because he is an English learner who had just
arrived to the United States one year ago from Mexico. I became interested in this focus
student because although he is new to the country, he is not shy about wanting to learn and
do his best in school.
(REQUIRED) 2. What did you learn about this student's linguistic background?
I learned that Spanish is his first language and that his family only speaks Spanish at home.
He is eager to learn, however his proficiency levels are below his grade level. His reading
levels are at a grade one level, and his writing levels are at a second grade level, but his
speaking and listening levels are both at fifth grade levels.
(REQUIRED) 3. What did you learn about this student's academic language
abilities in relation to this academic content area?
I learned that he speaks English well and is well liked by his peers because he has good
social skills, however he has difficulties with his reading and writing skills. He can speak
fluently but has trouble reading fluidly like in, for example, read alouds and in his
independent reading time. I noticed that he would frequently come up to me or his teacher
and ask for help pronouncing words in his independent reading. How
(REQUIRED) 4. What did you learn about this student's content knowledge and
skills in this subject matter?
Since he has issues with reading and writing at his grade level, he has trouble staying on
the same page as his peers when it comes to the lessons. There is a reading component in
the first lesson where the students have to follow along on a lyric sheet when they are
learning the "Thank you, Soldiers" song, as well as having to read the lyric sheet to help
memorize the song during the three week lesson. Since he has trouble reading fluidly, it
may cause a road block in learning the song at the same pace as the rest of the class.
(REQUIRED) 5. What did you learn about this student's physical, social and
emotional development relevant to this academic content area?
The focus students physical and emotional development is not different from the rest of the
class. One of the things that connects him to his peers is their mutual interest in playing
soccer. This also connects to his social development because he is not shy when making new
friends in the classroom, which makes him well liked by everyone in the classroom. Even
though he is not a strong reader and is below his grade level in his proficiency, he is not shy
when reading is not afraid to make mistakes. He actually will laugh it off and move on.
When it comes to his low proficiency levels in writing, it does not contribute to any social or
emotional development issues. As stated before, he is eager to learn and seems to enjoy
the learning process, which helps him in his social and emotional development within the
classroom.
(REQUIRED) 6. What did you learn about this student's cultural background,
including family and home relevant to this academic content area?
I learned from the focus students that his family is Mexican and live according to that
culture at home. Besides his parents and younger sister, he has his grandparents and uncle
living with them. He does not seem to get his homework done either on time or at all and it
is probably because there is not much help at home for him. His entire family is solely
Spanish speaking which causes some issues in communicating with the parents about the
focus students academic needs. When it comes to the content area about Freedom and the
cost of Freedom, the focus student does not have any background knowledge because he
has not been taught about American heroes, American holidays or even the American flag.
(REQUIRED) 7. What did you learn about this student's special considerations,
including health issues relevant to this academic content area?
There are no special health considerations that have been brought to attention or even been
considered. He demonstrates a normal healthy physique when playing during recess and
P.E., as well as always having a packed lunch from home.
(REQUIRED) 8. What did you learn about this student's interests and aspirations
relevant to this academic content area?
When it comes to the specific lesson plan, the focus student does not show much interest in learning
music. When asked about his background in music, he explains how in his old school in Mexico, they
would learn traditional songs that were not so much academic, but cultural. He sang one of the songs
for me, which showed me that he did have some interest in music, however not in learning music in
English. I say this because he expressed concern when told that he would be learning a song to honor
veterans. He did not think he would be able to do it. However, I plan on using his interest in cultural
music to show him how learning music can be fun as well as showing him some traditional songs that
Americans learn when they're young, just like he did in Mexico.

(REQUIRED) 9. Describe other information relevant to this academic content area

that you learned about the student (e.g., attendance, extracurricular activities).
The focus student rarely misses class, however he does arrive to class late at times. It
usually happens when his dad brings him to school. His extracurricular activities include
mostly soccer and playing club soccer. He tells me when his teams win soccer games and
when they have tournaments. His soccer team and soccer skills is something that he is
really proud of and enjoys sharing his victories to his peers as well.
Student 2: A Student Who Presents a Different Instructional Challenge
(REQUIRED) Gender
Female
(REQUIRED) Age
9
(REQUIRED) 1. Why did you select this student?
I chose to focus on this student because she is the only student in this third grade class that
has a 504 because of social and emotional development issues.
(REQUIRED) 2. How is the instructional challenge that he or she presents
different from that of the other student?
This students instructional challenges differ from the other students instructional challenges
because her challenges are based off an emotional trauma which caused a diagnosis of
PTSD. Her PTSD stemmed from physical and emotional abuse from her younger years, so
this presents different challenges in instruction than it does with the other student because
her challenges affect all aspects of her proficiency.
(REQUIRED) 3. What did you learn about this student's linguistic background?
This student is a native English speaker. She only speaks English in her home as does her
family. She is fluent in her oral speaking, but struggles in reading and writing. Her academic
proficiency levels are below grade level, where her reading is at a second grade level and
her writing is also at second grade level. She struggles with constructing complete
sentences and reading comprehension as well.
(REQUIRED) 4. What did you learn about this student's academic language
abilities in relation to this academic content area?
I learned from this student that she struggles to follow along when the class is reading a
text together, whether it is an expository text or something that is being read for fun. She
easily gets lost and shows anxiousness when asked to read out loud in front of the class or
orally present something. This relates to the academic content area because in the music
lesson, the students start by listening to the song they will be learning and following along
on their lyric sheets.
(REQUIRED) 5. What did you learn about this student's content knowledge and
skills in this subject matter?
She demonstrates lack of understanding in learning music, even though she goes to a music
class every other day during the week. She does not seem to identify how to learn music in
an organized fashion, rather than just listening to the song over and over again because she
enjoys the song. This lesson is focused on getting the students to learn the song in an
appropriate order and pace. This will help with memorization strategies. However, this
student does not show an understanding of how to utilize memorization strategies when
studying for tests, or having to learn passages. For example, when the class was working on
memorizing a poem, they would recite it everyday after the pledge of allegiance, however
when the rest of the class was following along with their poems and reciting it together, she
was not looking at her poem and had her head down on the desk, avoiding the task.
(REQUIRED) 6. What did you learn about this student's physical, social and
emotional development relevant to this academic content area?
This student seems to have emotional and social developmental problem because of her
past emotional and physical trauma. This student lived in a home with an abusive
grandparent that would put her through physical and emotional abuse starting from a young
age. She moved to the area three years ago, which was the first time that she lived without
her grandparent. She is now learning to live in a safe environment, however she
experiences PTSD when something triggers a memory of her difficult past.
(REQUIRED) 7. What did you learn about this student's cultural background,
including family and home relevant to this academic content area?
I learned that she comes from a trouble younger childhood home because she used to suffer
from abuse from a grandparent she used to live with. The content area discusses and
addresses conversation about veterans who sacrifices themselves for our freedom, which
many students may relate to their grandparents that used to serve in the military. Because
of the focus students negative background with a grandparent, this may trigger unpleasant
memories that may result in PTSD. Now, her mother is very involved in helping the teacher
create a safe and effective learning environment for her child. She is in constant
communication with the teacher and always giving suggestions and asking advice about how
to help her child achieve the academic learning goals set out for her.
(REQUIRED) 8. What did you learn about this student's special considerations,
including health issues relevant to this academic content area?
The only special considerations that this student has have nothing to do with her health. Her
physical health is not different from the other students, however her mental health is where
there is more special consideration being made. Some considerations would be to avoid as
much as you can extended conversation about abuse, bullying, violence, or grandparents.
These are topics that the teacher must be mindful about to maintain the goal of having
limited fits of PTSD occur in the classroom.
(REQUIRED) 9. What did you learn about this student's interests and aspirations
relevant to this academic content area?
One thing that I noticed is that the student enjoys art and drawing. It is something that she
does when she is feeling anxious or has too much toxic energy that may cause her to
experience PTSD. This relates to the content area because if there is something in the
lesson that may be a trigger for this student, then art would be a good way to distract her
from her negative emotions and use it towards something that could still contribute to the
content area. For example, if the class is writing a haiku poem about veterans and one
student mentions their grandfather who served in the army which causes the focus student
to feel anxious or begin to get upset, then that would be an opportunity for the teacher to
present a distracter of an art project (which follows the theme of the lesson) to work on and
use as an assignment they can turn in.
(REQUIRED) 10. Describe other information relevant to the academic content area
that you learned about the student (e.g., attendance, extracurricular activities).
She is rarely absent from school and arrives on time every day. She is not involved in many
extracurricular activities, however her mother encourages her to be a part of school events
or community projects that may help her make new friends. Since she loves to draw and
enjoys artwork, she has a dream to become a professional artist with her own gallery.
Step 3: Planning for Academic Instruction for the Whole Class
Directions:
Consider your academic content selection in Step 1 and what you want the students to
learn. As you begin to think about a lesson that falls within the selected unit of study,
respond to the questions below about your plan for academic instruction for the whole class.
(REQUIRED) 1. At what point in the sequence of the unit is this lesson? Put an X
next to one:
At the beginning of the unit of study
(REQUIRED) 2. List the state-adopted academic content standard(s) or state-
adopted framework you will address in the lesson.
These standards are for the Visual and Performing arts - music section of the unit:
VAPA.3.2.2: "Sing age-appropriate songs from memory, including rounds, partner
songs, and ostinatos."
ELD.P1.3.8.Br: "Analyzing language choices. Distinguish how multiple different words with
similar meanings (e.g. pleased versus happy versus ecstatic, heard versus knew versus
believed) produce shades of meaning and different effects on the audience."
(REQUIRED) 3. What is (are) your academic learning goal(s)? What specifically do
you expect students to know or be able to do as a result of the lesson?
The academic learning goal for this lesson is simply for students to be able to sing the song
"Thank you Soldiers" from memory (Blooms Taxonomy: Remembering). I expect for the
students to learn how to memorize age-appropriate songs to help them in creating different
memorization techniques to learn academic content in the future.
(REQUIRED) 4. How is (are) your academic learning goal(s) related to the state-
adopted academic content standards or state-adopted framework?
The standards speak about getting students to memorize an age-appropriate song, and the
lesson's objective is for them to learn how to memorize a specific song which has been sung
in many third grade classes across the country to honor veterans.
(REQUIRED) 5. How will the content of the lesson build on what the students
already know and are able to do?
This third grade class attends choir twice a week and are learning how to memorize simple
melodies and lyrics. This background knowledge will help in transitioning to this lesson
where the students must memorize a song to perform for veterans in an event on Memorial
day. Since Memorial day is on May 29, 2017, the students will have been practicing these
memorization skills for the majority of the year and should be prepared to know how to
learn a song and memorize it in a given time.
(REQUIRED) 6. How will the content of the lesson connect to the content of
preceding and subsequent lessons?
In this Freedom unit, the music lesson is the first lesson being introduced to the students.
The unit will begin three weeks before memorial day on May 29th, so the students will have
been in choir for the majority of the year, so they have the background knowledge needed
to do this lesson and memorize a song. This lesson will also occur during the entirety of the
unit plan because the students will be practicing the song and using their memorization
skills to learn the song during the three weeks, at home and in class. The other lessons in
the unit all have to do with Freedom and the cost of freedom. The assignments that they
need to complete for the lesson all contribute to the final Memorial day event at the end of
the unit, so they all compliment each other. The lyrics to the song that they students must
memorize lay the foundation to what this unit is about which will also help them in being
creative with the other assignments for the unit. For example, in the second lesson of the
unit, the students will be asking open ended questions to a guest speaker who is a veteran.
The song has lyrics that describe what a soldier does to protect the country which could give
the students ideas of what to ask the guest speaker. For the third lesson on the unit, the
students will write haiku's about honoring veterans, which their ideas can come from the
songs as well. In the last lesson of the unit, the students will be writing thank you letters to
the veterans that come to the memorial day event. If the students have a hard time
thinking about what they want to thank the veterans for, they could get ideas from the lyrics
of the song. The song "Thank you, Soldiers" is the glue that hold the lesson together.
(REQUIRED) 7. What difficulties do you anticipate students could have with the
lesson content and why do you think these difficulties will arise?
Some difficulties that I can see happening is that the students who are not musically
intelligent or who do not show interest in music or learning songs will not be engaged in the
lesson. I think that these issues may arise because some of the students in the class who do
not show interest in something tend to shut down or ignore instruction because they may
feel bored.
(REQUIRED) 8. What evidence will you collect during the lesson or at the end of
the lesson that will show the extent to which the students have learned what you
intended?
Since the lesson is three weeks long, I will conduct a formative assessment at the end of
each week, and a summative assessment on the final week of the lesson in the form of a
memory check. At the end of the first and second week of the lesson, the students will
conduct a self assessment of how they feel they are doing with memorizing the song while I
also informally assess them during their classroom practice time. At the end of the unit, the
students will sing the song in groups of five to the entire, with them already having the
rubric I will be grading them on for the entire last week of the lesson, and be graded on a
rubric which scores their melodic and lyrical memorization of the song.
9. Think about how you will sequence your instruction of the academic content to be covered in
this lesson. Describe your plan for instruction in the order in which it will be implemented.
Address each of the following prompts and provide a rationale for each of your decisions.
(REQUIRED) Communicating the academic learning goal(s) to the students
Instruction Plan Rationale

Before the learning goals are read, the
students are going to listen to the song
"Thank you, Soldiers" without a lyric sheet
and just listen to the song and watch a
video that goes along with it as an
introduction to the song. To introduce the
learning goals, they will be written on the
board and I will read them out loud to the
students. It will read "I will be able to
memorize the song "Thank You, Soldier".
The class will read the objective out loud as
well and then the lesson will begin.
I will communicate the learning goals in this
way because I want the students to put
meaning to when they read the learning
goal by listening to the song first. It is also
important that they learn how to memorize
age-appropriate songs because it will help
them in creating their own memorization
strategies that work for them. The
memorization strategies that they use to
learn the song will help them in the future
when they have to memorize other content,
whether it is music or any other subject
matter.
(REQUIRED) Instructional strategies
Instruction Plan
Open:
1. After I state the learning goals, I will
begin the lesson by repeating the song
once more for the students to listen to, but
this time I will pass and lyric sheets for
them to follow along. Before playing the
song I will say, "I will be asking you all
what you think the meaning of the song is,
so I want you to be paying attention to the
words while I play this song again."
2. After the students have listened to the
song with lyrics sheets for them to be able
to follow along, I will have the students
pair share for one minute with their elbow
buddies what they think the song is about.
3. After the minute is up, they will have the
opportunity to share what they think the
song is about. Once everyone has shared
their individual thoughts on the song, I will
share that the song is about thanking
soldiers who sacrifice their safety for our
freedom and to protect our country.
3. Before beginning the body of the lesson,
I will share with the students that they are
going to be performing this song in three
weeks for a memorial day event that will be
held to honor veterans who sacrificed
themselves for our freedom. This is also
where I introduce to the students to start to
think about anyone that they may know
who is a veteran or a family member who is
a veteran that would like to come to the
concert.
Body:
4. At this point of the lesson, the students
are ready to begin the learning process to
memorizing the song. I will begin to teach
the song section by section, playing the
notes that they will be singing while also
singing along with them, using the method
of call and response. For example, the
teacher will say "Class, repeat after me,
'When I lay my head down every night...'
(the class repeats)... and so on and so forth
with the rest of the first verse. The class
will only work on the first verse on the first
day.
Rationale
1. It is important for the students to read
along with the lyrics of the song to
familiarize themselves with the lyrics and to
get them thinking about the meaning of the
song.
2. Sharing what they think the song means
with their peers will help them come up
with organized thoughts and opinions.
3.It is important for the students to
understand the meaning of the song before
they learn the words. If they understand
the meaning of the song, then it will also
help them throughout the rest of the unit
because they will have some background
knowledge on why we thank the veterans
to contribute to their assignments like the
haiku they will be creating honoring
veterans, for example.
4. It is important to divide the lesson into
sections to make memorizing the song
seems less intimidating. It is also beneficial
to those students who are EL's in the
classroom. They will have plenty of practice
to help them keep up with the pace of the
rest of the class, as well as achieve the
same learning goals as the rest of the
students.
5. Providing the materials to have extra
practice at home is important especially for
the students who may have struggled in the
lesson that day. Practicing at home will give
them a chance to catch up with where they
rest of the class is in learning the song.
6. Dividing the song into parts makes it for
a less intimidating approach to learning the
song.
7. Providing daily practice will help the
students in memorizing the song and
finding out which memorization strategy
works the best for them.
8. The students should all be around the
same learning phase of this lesson.
9. Daily practice without the lyric sheet will
challenge the students to memorize the
song.
10. Having homework accountability will
help the students keep up with the learning
5. After the first day of the lesson is
complete, the students will take home a
link to the song on you tube that they will
need parent assistance to access to practice
singing the first verse.
6. This call and response learning process
will repeat for the next three days with the
second day being focused on learning the
chorus, and the third day being focused on
the last verse.
7. During the first week of the lesson, the
class will practice this song first thing in the
morning after the pledge of allegiance with
the assistance of the piano and in the form
of call and response.
8. By the end of the first week the students
should be able to sing the entire song,
using the lyrics, melodically correct.
9. In the second week of the lesson, the
students will continue to go over the song
every morning, after the pledge of
allegiance, only this time, they will start to
memorize the lyrics.
10. During this week, the students will have
a homework sheet sent home with a place
for each day of the week and a place for
their parents to sign that prove that they
practiced, and sang through the song AT
LEAST two times. I will model to the class
what their homework time should look like
by showing how the first time they go
through the song, they should be reading
along with the lyrics and singing out loud,
and the second time, they should be trying
to sing along with the recording without the
lyric sheet. (For students who feel like they
are unable to do this at home because of
lack of the appropriate technology to access
the recording or lack of parent support in
supervising them through their singing will
be allowed to do this part of their
homework during recess or after school
with the teacher supervision).
11. In the last week, the students will be
told that they have a memory check on the
last day of the week where they have to
have their songs memorized, melodically
and lyrically.
12. This week, the student will have a
chance to work with an assigned partner to
process and stay on track to achieving their
learning goals. It is also important to model
what is expected from them when the
teacher is not around at home to help them
to help create responsible individuals who
can work independently.
11. Keeping communication with the
students on when they should be
memorized and what is expected from them
is important in creating responsible and
independent students.
12. Working cooperatively is important in
this lesson because the students will be
responsible for helping each other reach the
learning goals. The students know that if
not each individual in the group is
successful, they no one is successful. They
understand that encouragement and
accountability is an important part of
learning as a group.
13. Having the students work
independently at home is important in
solidifying the memorization strategy that
they are using to learn the song. Once
solidified, the students can you this
strategy when having to memorize other
content for other subject matter.
14. Giving the students a rubric before the
day of the assessment is important because
they will know what is expected of them
and how they can prepare during
independent class time or at home.
15. Doing a memory check is important
because not only will I be assessing what
the students have been able to memorize
these past three weeks, but I will also be
able to provide them an experience of
performing to an audience after all their
hard work they put into memorizing the
song.
16. It is important to have the students
encourage and give words of affirmation to
each other to help make the experience of
performing for an audience a good one.
17. Having a final performance that will be
performed in front of actual veterans will
bring meaningfulness into what they
learned not only in this specific lesson plan,
but in the entire unit.
work on memorization during independent
work time. The students will be given
whisper phones if they do decide to work
on their songs, for sound control in the
classroom.
13. They will continue to have the same
homework assignment where their parent
must sign off that their child practiced
through the songs at least two times,
however this time, the student is not
allowed to use a lyric sheet at all.
14. Half way through the week, the
students will be given the rubric to use as a
guide on their memory check.
15. On the day of the memory check, the
students will be divided into groups of five
to sing in front of the class the entire song
"Thank you, Soldiers" from memory. I will
divide them in groups of five because first,
it is easier to assess the students when
they are in smaller groups, and second, for
the students to feel more comfortable in
singing as a group with an audience.
16. After each group sings for their memory
check, the rest of the class that is not
singing will be given the chance to share
some "stars" or compliments and
affirmations to their classmates with how
they feel like they did in their memory
check. Avoiding negative feedback because
they will each receive an individual score
from the teacher, explaining their strengths
and weaknesses.
17. To close the lesson, the students will be
performing their song as a part of their
memorial day concert for invited veterans
from the friends and family of the students
as well as from the community as well.

(REQUIRED) Student activities

Instruction Plan Rationale

1. The students will read the learning goals
at the beginning of the lesson so they are
aware of what they are working towards.
2. The students are listening to the song
"Thank you, Soldiers" while reading lyrics
and thinking about the meaning. Once they
listened to the song, they will discuss in a
pair share what they think the meaning of
1. Having the student know and understand
the lesson objectives and learning goals for
the unit is important in helping and
encouraging the students to perform their
best.
2. Having the students discuss with a
partner what the meaning of the song is
will help them organize their thoughts and
the song is and then share it out to the rest
of the class.
3. Students will participate in a call and
response activity with the teacher to learn
the melody of the song for three days,
learning each section of the song each day
and practicing the melody for the rest of
the week every day after the pledge of
allegiance.
4. In the second week of the lesson, the
students sing the song every day after the
pledge of allegiance, however this time,
they are trying to not look at the lyric sheet
as much.
5. In the same week, the students will have
homework where they must practice the
song two times at home with the recording
and have a parent sign their homework
saying that they have done it.
6. In the third and last week, the students
will be preparing for the memory check
they are going to have on the last day of
the week where they are being scored on
their memorization of the song, lyrically
and melodically.
7. During this week, the students will be
working cooperatively with an assigned
partner to help each other memorize the
song and encouraging each other through
the process using whisper phones.
8. Also during this week, the students will
continue to have the same homework
assignment, however they will not be
allowed to use the lyric sheet while they
practice.
9. On the last day of the unit, the students
will perform the song "Thank you, Soldiers"
in groups of five for the entire class as
they are being assessed on their
memorization of the lyrics and the melody
by the teacher.
10. The students who act as the audience
provide "stars" or positive feedback and
affirmation to the student who just
performed.
(REQUIRED) Student grouping
Instruction Plan
This lesson has a mix of individual work,
help them come up with meaningful
opinions.
3. Having students participate in a call and
response activity of the song, they will have
a model of what the song is supposed to
sound like and they will have plenty of
practice to get it right.
4. Having the students sing the song
everyday will help them practice their
memorization skills as well as help them
naturally memorize the song.
5. Having the students have homework to
be signed by their parents teaches them
how to be responsible with the work they
are supposed to do.
6. It is important for the students to
participate in a memory check because it
will give them a reason to work hard during
the unit to memorize the song and do their
best because they will be performing it.
7. Having the students work with a partner
helps them strengthen their cooperative
skills by teaching them that in order for the
both of them to succeed, they need to
succeed individually and help each other
achieve their goals.
8. It is important to keep the students
accountable with their practice time at
home by challenging them to not look at
their lyric sheet when practicing the song.
9. Having the students perform the song to
their peers will help give them the
confidence they need to perform in front of
the veterans at the memorial day event.
10. Having the students give words of
affirmation to their peers teaches them the
importance of encouraging each other and
uplifting each other during the learning
process.
Rationale
It is important to have a variety of student
and partner work. The students will be
working individually when they are given
the option to practice the song during
classroom independent work time. The
students will be working cooperatively in
two separate times of the lesson; (1) In the
beginning of the lesson where they pair
share to discuss the meaning of the song
"Thank you, Soldier"; (2) On the third week
of the lesson where the students work
cooperatively with an assigned partner to
help each other memorize the lyrics using
their own memorization strategies.
(REQUIRED) Materials, technology, and/or resources, including the use of
instructional aides, parents, or other adults in the room
Instruction Plan
There will be no assistance when it comes
instructional aides, parents or any other
adults. The materials needed for the lesson
are:
A keyboard
A projector and white board
Lyric sheets for the song "Thank
you, Soldiers"
you tube video of "Thank you,
Soldiers": https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=5pfBUUZNbFM
Audio recording of the same song
Chrome books
(REQUIRED) Progress monitoring of student learning
Instruction Plan
I will be observing the students' pair shares
about the meaning of the song to make
sure that they are on the write track. I will
also monitor the students progress by
formatively assessing the students progress
daily as they sing the song after the pledge
of allegiance. I will use a list of every
students name in the classroom and mark
the students who are not learning the song
at the appropriate pace. I will also collect
the homework sheets every day during the
grouping during a unit and even a lesson to
show importance in both. The students
need to learn how important it is to be
responsible for your own learning goals and
to work independently at home and in the
class to achieve those goals. On the other
hand, it is also important for the students
to be able to work cooperatively because it
will help them learn how to be responsible
for helping the members of their group do
their best work in order for the group to be
successful as a unit.
Rationale
The keyboard is important to have
especially for the first week of the lesson
because of the call and response activity.
Since I have played piano classically all of
my life, I am able to read music and am
able to play that notes of the melody to
help the students sing the song in the
correct melody. The lyric sheets will be
needed for the entire lesson until they are
not allowed to use them anymore on the
third week. The you tube video will be what
is going to be played in the beginning of the
lesson for the students pair share. The
audio recording will be what the students
access at home for practice and in the
classroom for practice. The chrome books
will be where they access the audio
recording during the independent work time
in the classroom.
Rationale
I chose to monitor the students' progress in
a variety of ways throughout the entire
lesson because I do not want the students
to get used to only one style of grading. I
also do not want the students to think that
their progress before the final summative
assessment is not being observed. When
the students know that their progress is
being monitored, they will tend to put their
best foot forward and present the best work
that they can.
second and third week of the lesson to
make sure they are practicing at home.
Lastly, I will use a rubric to score them on
their memory checks at the end of the unit.
On this rubric, there are only two sections;
(1)Students have memorized lyrics (2)
Students have memorized the melody.
(REQUIRED) 10. Given the difficulties you anticipate students could have with the
content, what additional steps would you take to foster access and
comprehension for all students?
Since the difficulties that I anticipate are all centered on the students who are not as
interested in music or are not musically inclined not being engaged, I need to make for a
more engaging lesson. In order to keep all of the students engaged, I will offer
reinforcements to the class as a whole. I will tell the class that if they can, as a whole,
memorize the lyrics entirely by the third week, they will have an ice cream party to reward
all of the hard work they did to memorize and prepare for the memorial day event.
Besides reinforcement, I will also try to incorporate other intelligence's in the lesson besides
just music. One that I would incorporate would be kinesthetic learning. Instead of having
the students stay in one place to independently practice the song, I will allow them to go
outside with their chrome books or to walk around with a partner while singing the song and
trying to memorize it. One thing that I will encourage in the students is to be creative in
choosing what memorization strategies they want to use. It will keep them engaged in
trying to find a way to help memorize the song better.
(REQUIRED) 11. How would you share the results of student academic learning
with students and families?
The parents and families will hopefully be in the audience of the Memorial day event where
they will perform the song "Thank you, Soldiers" by memory. The families will be able to see
all of the hard work practicing pay off in the performance where they honor veterans.
Step 4: Lesson Adaptations for the Two Focus Students
Directions:
Consider what you have learned about the two focus students in Step 2, along with the
implications for instruction that you identified for each of them. For the two students,
determine what adaptations you will make to this lesson you have planned for the whole
class. Describe those adaptations for each of the two focus students. If you determine that
no adaptations are needed for a part of the plan for instruction, indicate and explain that
decision. In each box below, include:
Your decisions about lesson adaptations
A rationale for these decisions
Student 1: An English Learner
(REQUIRED) 1. Academic learning goal(s) or your expectations of what the
student should know or be able to do as a result of this lesson.

Adaptation:
For this EL focus student, I will give him the same learning goals as the rest of the
class and will expect him to achieve it in as close to the same pace as the rest of the
class as he can. The accommodation that is going to be made will help him stay on
track with the rest of the class. Also the lesson is structured in such a way that is
helpful for an EL to learn how to read fluidly and sing; by learning the song section
by section and making practice a part of the daily classroom time. I am going to
teach everyone the song section by section using call and response which will give
the focus student exactly what he needs to succeed because he is having each word
pronounced clearly and correctly and all he has to do is follow along and copy my
vocal commands. The more we repeat the sections of the song daily, the more the
words will be clear for the focus student because of all the practice he is getting. The
accommodations that I will be making for him will begin with me moving his seat
closer to me during the call and response part of the lesson so that I may formatively
assess his progress and know if he is ready to move on, or if he needs additional
assessment. The main purpose of me moving his seat would be so that I can listen to
his fluidity when listening and following along with the song.
Rational:
I chose not to make drastic accommodations because of the way I structure the
lesson initially. This lesson plan is EL friendly because it is divided into sections and
repeated over and over. For EL's, practice makes perfect and the entire lesson is
focused on practicing every day as a class, and practicing individually at home with a
recording of the song to listen and follow along to. If he learns at the appropriate
pace set out for him in his own personal learning goals, he will be able to achieve the
entire class learning goals along with his peers.
(REQUIRED) 2. Evidence of student learning you will collect during the
lesson and/or at the end of the lesson.
As mentioned, I will be modifying the seating arrangement for the student to sit in
the front closer to me so that I may formatively check his progress and listen to
evidence that he is learning at the same pace as the rest of the class. Along with the
class, he will be self assessing at the end of each week as well as meeting with me at
the end of each week individually so that we could discuss his progress. This will
occur in order to reward him if he has made progress with positive reinforcement, or
provide extra help if it is needed.
(REQUIRED) 3. Communicating the academic learning goal(s) and/or
expectations to the student.
I will be communicating his individual learning goals and the learning goals set out
for the entire class at the beginning of the unit. I will meet with him individually to
first tell him that he is expected to follow along with the rest of the class during the
class time, but that he will have extra help available to him through, for example,
spending independent work time in the classroom listening to the song and following
along in the lyric sheet for extra practice. I will also give him the rubric for the
summative assessment earlier than the rest of the class so that he can have more
time to practice the areas that he will be graded on.
(REQUIRED) 4. Instructional strategies
In the actual instruction, I will make modifications in the seating during the first
week and have the focus student sit near me in the front of the class so that he does
not have any trouble hearing me in the call and response activity. Having him sit in
the front of the class will help me in formatively assessing him during the lesson and
making sure he is on track with the rest of the class.
For his homework assignments during the second and third week of the lesson, I will
allow him to do it during recess or after school and I will sign it if his parents do not
understand the lesson or now how to track if he is doing it correctly. This time will
help in strengthening any areas that he is struggling in the song by working one-on-
one with me for his homework.
During the memory check, I will score him in the summative assessment according
to where he is at in the learning progress. I will also work independently with him on
the song if needed after the summative before the memorial day event.

(REQUIRED) 5. Student activities

In the pair shares and assigned partner work, I will have him work with a student who has
high proficiency levels above his or her grade level to help him memorize the song. I will also
pick a student who may be ahead in memorizing the song. This will ensure that he is getting
the peer support that he needs.
In the first week of the lesson, he will sit in the front of the class near the teacher
and keyboard to help him get the most clear "call" so his "response" is as accurate as
it can be.
When he receives the lyric sheet to follow along with the recording, I will go over the
academic vocabulary with him individually to make sure he has a clear understanding
of what the words mean in the song.
(REQUIRED) 6. Student grouping
In the assigned partner groups, I will pair him with students who are at a higher
proficiency level than he is to help in solidifying the memorizing from someone who
already has the song mostly memorized.
I will also seat him near someone who is at a higher proficiency level during the pair
share at the beginning of the lesson.
(REQUIRED) 7. Materials, technology, and/or resources, including the use
of instructional aides, parents, or other adults in the room
I am not going to use any outside assistance in helping accommodate the student,
however I am going to provide a chrome books for him to use at all times if he needs
to define a word in the lyrics that he may not know. I will also have the student
record himself singing the song on the chrome book so that he can hear himself and
observe areas that he needs to improve in.
(REQUIRED) 8. Progress monitoring of student learning
I will monitor him a little more closely compared to the rest of the class. I will meet
with him biweekly to assess his progress and see what areas need to be focused on
and how to plan on helping him in the rest of the lesson. I will conduct the same
assessments on him as I do with the other students, however according to his
personal progress in the lesson, I will score his summative assessment differently,
focusing on areas that he has been individually working on, like fluidity, and scoring
on the progress of that rather than scoring on memorization of lyrics and melody
alone.
(REQUIRED) 9. Sharing results of the student learning with the student
and/or the family
He will share the results of his hard work in the same way as the other students in
the memorial day event at the end of the unit. His family will be invited and
encouraged to come and be a part of the school community as well.
Student 2: A Student Who Presents a Different Instructional Challenge
(REQUIRED) 1. Academic learning goal(s) or your expectations of what the
student should know or be able to do as a result of this lesson.
Adaptation:
For the student with a 504, I will expect her to achieve the same learning goals as
the rest of the class. Since she has PTSD, there are certain accommodations that
need to happen in the lesson for it to be more effective, however her developmental
levels are at the appropriate levels for her age, she just needs to be directed by the
teacher. I will make modifications that will tend to her needs but also challenge her
and help her grow along with the rest of the class. With these accommodations,
(listed below), she will be able to perform at the memorial day event at the end of
the unit along with the rest of her class.
Rationale:
I will not change the academic learning goals for her because she is capable of
reaching the learning goals set for the entire class with some help.
(REQUIRED) 2. Evidence of student learning you will collect during the
lesson and/or at the end of the lesson.
I will be conducting informal assessments throughout the entire lesson, but
especially when the students are working together in a pair share or in the assigned
partner groups. In these informal assessments, I will be listening for conversations
that are on task and engaging conversation. I will even encourage laughter and
enjoyment in working with a partner because that means that she is not retreating or
feels threatened in any way and is engaged in the conversation. I will also collecting
all homework sheets from her and following up with the parents weekly to see how
effective the independent practice is at home. If the practice is not effective, I will
provide opportunities for her to work with other students to memorize the song or
offer one-on-one support and practice if needed. At the end of the lesson, I will also
be assessing her in a group of five in the memory check, but I will score her similarly
to the EL students; I will monitor her progress and according to what level she is at
when the memory check arrives, I will score according to that.
(REQUIRED) 3. Communicating the academic learning goal(s) and/or
expectations to the student.
I will communicate the objective to this student by having her read it along with the
class when it is first introduced, as well as speaking to her individually about what is
expected from her short term (the first week) and long term (the last week-
summative assessment). This way she knows what is expected from her individually,
like engaging in the lesson, and not putting her head down and retreating when she
feels anxious, instead to voice her problem with the teacher and work together to
find a solution.
(REQUIRED) 4. Instructional strategies
The student will complete the instructional strategies that are set out for the entire
class, however there will be a reward system created. For each instructional strategy
that she shows that she is engaged in and/or participating in, she will gain a star.
She will have a goal for achieving five stars by the end of the day. For each star
achieved she will have a reward. For one star, she will be allowed five minutes of
drawing time. For two stars, she is allowed to be a line leader when the class is
making a trip somewhere. For three stars, she is allowed to feed the class pet. For
four stars, she will get a homework pass. For five stars, her parents will chose her
prize that has already been discussed.
(REQUIRED) 5. Student activities
In the call and response activity, the student will be challenged to be engaged in it
with the rest of her class. The only accommodation that will be made will be to move
her seat to an area where she will not be distracted and can also have clear eye
contact with the teacher.
In the memory check at the end of the unit, she will have to perform the song like
the other students, however she will be scored according to her progress monitored
so far.
(REQUIRED) 6. Student grouping
In the pair shares and assigned partner work, she will be sitting next to and working with
someone who can have fluid conversation. I will give her specific sentence frames for the pair
share so that she can answer the question of what the song means to the whole class. For
example, a sentence frame would be "I think that this song is about_________ because I
noticed that__________." This will help her be able to organize her thoughts.
(REQUIRED) 7. Materials, technology, and/or resources, including the use
of instructional aides, parents, or other adults in the room
I will not be asking for outside assistance from anyone to help in the classroom,
however I will keep constant communications with her mother because I want to
take advantage with how involved she is and how willing she is to making
accommodations at home if needed. The only other materials I will need is drawing
supplies and paper for if she is triggered by something and begins to experience
PTSD. When redirected to draw and use her creative energy, it calms her down and
prepares her mind to begin to learn again.
(REQUIRED) 8. Progress monitoring of student learning
I will be monitoring her progress similarly to the EL student, by meeting with her
biweekly and checking in on her understanding of the lesson and how she is feeling
personally with the lesson. The most important thing for this student is that she feels
like she is in a safe environment, so I will be monitoring her for how the lesson is
making her feel in regards to feeling safe in the classroom. I will also monitor her
practice done at home by keeping constant weekly communication with her mother
about how homework time is at home and if she has any concerns with her progress.
Lastly, I will be monitoring her progress in the final assessment of the memory
check. It will depend on how the the biweekly progress meet ups have been going
when it comes to how I will score her on the memory check. For example, if she has
been struggling to memorize the verses instead of the chorus, I will pay closer
attention to the progress made in the verse and, even if it is not perfect, score her
well if she has shown improvement.
(REQUIRED) 9. Sharing results of the student learning with the student
and/or the family
I will be inviting her family to the memorial day event along with everyone else's
parents to watch all of the hard work pay off in the performance that will be made in
honor of the veterans that sacrificed themselves for our freedom.
Step 5: Reflection on Connecting Instructional Planning to Student Characteristics
Directions:
Read your responses to the questions in Steps 1-4. Think about what you have
learned by completing this task, including the characteristics of the two focus
students, your instructional planning for the whole class, and your adaptations for
the focus students. Respond to the questions below
(REQUIRED) 1. What information that you collected for the whole class
and/or for the two focus students most influenced your planning for this
lesson?
In your response, describe how and why the information was influential and why you
found it to be so.
The information that was most influential in my lesson planning was the information I
learned from my two focus students. I learned about their background and what
journey they took that lead them to where they are now. It made me respect the
role of the teacher so much more. It is not only about making accommodations for
the students in the lesson and trying to fit them into the curriculum, which is still
important. Instead it is about the teacher being a part of the journey in the
classroom that helps them achieve their learning goals in the class and their personal
goals in life. When I look at these students, I yearn to be a part of the journey to
help them achieve their goals. That is when I invest in making the appropriate
accommodations that give them what they need and challenge them to be the best
version of themselves in the classroom. This is when I try to follow the TPE's,
especially TPE one that speaks about engaging and supporting ALL students in
learning. If I follow the elements of this TPE, I am achieving the goal that I have to
be an impactful teacher.
(REQUIRED) 2. How will you use what you have learned regarding
connecting instructional planning to student characteristics in the future?
Through planning this lesson, I learned that you are never done learning about your
students. We may have all the background knowledge from past teachers or parents
that bring in information about your students. However, the fact is that these
students are always changing. They will be different at the end of the year compared
to who they were in the beginning. They are coming into themselves and are
learning about the individual that they are wanting to be. So knowing this, you are
always learning about your students because they are always changing. For the two
focus students, they are both at a drastically different academic stage than they
were in the beginning of the year. They demonstrated academic and emotional
growth. If I had not been aware of this change in them individually, I would have
tried to make accommodations that are not appropriate to where they are at now.
Knowing this now, I will thrive to be a teacher that is always getting to know my
students, even at the end of the school year.