Sherry LAE 4464

Option 2: INSIDERS – INStructIonal DEsign for a Real Student

Purpose
• To practice techniques for learning from your students how to teach them better.
• To practice designing instruction based on students’ interests and abilities.
Big Question: What literature should be read by young adults? Why? How?
Process
Assignment Checklist: Introduction, artifacts/analyses, instructional sequence
This assignment involves an interpretive
5 artifacts Analyses Instructional Sequence
process of gathering information, analyzing • Observation • Introductory • Rationale/Big Q
• Interview letter reflecting • Standards/Goals
that information, and writing about it in
(student) on what you • Assignment
order to create a case study that includes • Interview learned • 3+ Lessons
(teacher) • Analysis of o Objectives
artifacts, an analysis of each artifact, and • Interview each artifact o Materials
an annotated instructional sequence based (other) • Connections to o Activities
• Student work other artifacts o Assessment(s)
on what you learned about the student. o Modifications
• Annotations relating planning
to artifacts
Part I: Learning about a Student
For Part I, choose a student in your focal classroom who can teach you something: a student that you find puzzling, or
who seems different from you. Talking through this choice with the cooperating teacher or with a
partner may be helpful (partners should choose two different students). You may also need to
obtain verbal/parental permission from the student to become a focus. Decide on pseudonyms for
the student, teacher, and school and use them in all artifacts and notes.

Artifact 1: Observation of student

Write field notes about a focused observation of the student you choose. Negotiate with the host teacher how best to
observe the student. Try to see the classroom and its activities from this student’s point of view. Your objective is to
see and hear how the student engages with teacher and peers in the language arts classroom. Some activities may be
academic in nature, others may not. Make notes of your observations while in the classroom, and add details as soon
after leaving the classroom as you can. Use the following system to separate your observations from interpretations:
Time/Participants Observation Interpretation

Artifact 2: Interview with student

Further develop this “inside-out” view in a student interview that does not include the host teacher.
Use the interview as an opportunity to learn about this student’s life and home resources. What
resources for learning does the student bring to the classroom? What literate practices does the
student engage in outside of school? What are this student’s perspectives on school and on this
English class? What stories does the student tell about his or her life? If possible, interview the student in a quiet place
(like the school library) and audio-record the interview in order to later transcribe illuminating parts.
 Sherry LAE 4464
Artifact 3: Sample of student work
Collect a sample of representative student work. This should be a piece of work that is more or less
“typical” of this student. Consult with your host teacher to help you do this and be sure to remove the
student’s name from the work and replace with a pseudonym.

Artifact 4: Interview with teacher

Interview the host teacher, to gather further information about this student. Try to learn more about the teacher’s
perspective on the student. If possible, audio record the interview and transcribe illuminating parts of it.

Artifact 5: Interview with school or community person

Interview someone else in the school (not the teacher) or the community who knows and works with the student. Your
objective here is to gain yet another perspective on the student. This person might be a coach, guidance counselor,
teacher of another subject, or even a parent. Consider asking the student or the teacher for help finding this person.

Part II: Designing Instruction

For part II, you will use what you have learned about this student to design an instructional sequence. The sequence
should include the following parts (please see http://www.petersmagorinsky.net/Units/index.html for examples):
Rationale – Generally, how does your sequence relate to your artifacts? What text(s) have you chosen, and why?
Big Question(s) – What organizing inquiry have you chosen to address with this student, and why?
Assessment(s) – What tasks would provide evidence that you have addressed the Big Question?
Plans (at least 3) – How will you break the Big Q into objectives, address them in activities, and assess learning?
Modifications – What modifications might you make for this student (exceptionalities or basic learning styles)?
NOTE: You may use whatever format you prefer, as long as it includes Objectives, Materials, Activities, Assessments
Annotations – Specifically, which parts of your plans show how your artifacts inform your teaching of this student?

Putting it all together

The final step is to assemble a case study “portfolio” that includes each artifact, your analysis of it,
your annotated plans, and an introductory letter that synthesizes what you have learned through the
case study. You should include helpful organizers, such as a Title Page, a Table of Contents, and a
References page.

Assessment
Criteria 4 3 2 1 0
Aligned The case study The case study The case study The case study The case study
aligns with state- aligns with aligns its aligns its does not align
adopted standards state-adopted assessments, assessments its assessments,
at the appropriate standards in its lesson and lesson lesson
level of rigor in its assessments, objectives/activ objectives/ objectives/activ
assessments, lesson lesson ities, and activities ities, or
objectives/ objectives/activ potential potential
activities, and ities, and modifications modifications
potential potential
modifications modifications
 Sherry LAE 4464
Scaffolded The case study The case study The case study The case study The case study
sequences in a sequences in a sequences in a sequences its does not
coherent fashion coherent coherent lesson sequence in a
for a particular fashion its fashion its objectives/activ coherent, logical
audience its lesson lesson lesson ities, and fashion its
objectives/ objectives/ objectives/ potential lesson
activities, and activities, and activities, and modifications objectives/
potential potential potential activities, and
modifications, modifications, modifications, potential
based on prior info based on prior based on prior modifications,
about focal info about focal info about focal based on prior
student(s) student(s) student(s) info about focal
student(s)
Relevant The case study The case study The case study The case study The case study
explicitly connects connects connects connects does not
content to learners’ content to content to content to connect content
needs and interests learners’ needs learners’ needs learners’ needs to learners’
within and beyond and interests and interests and interests needs nor their
the classroom, within and within or within or interests within
based on prior beyond the beyond the beyond the and beyond the
info about focal classroom, classroom, classroom classroom,
student(s) based on prior based on prior based on prior
info about focal info about focal info about focal
student(s) student(s) student(s)
Diverse The case study The case study The case study The case study The case study
employs a variety employs employs employs does not
of materials, materials, materials, materials, employ a
activities, and activities, and activities, and activities, or variety of
assessments to assessments to assessments to assessments to materials,
elicit and address elicit and elicit elicit activities, and
information about address information information assessments to
learners’ diverse information about learners’ about learners’ elicit and
cultural/linguistic about learners’ diverse diverse address
backgrounds, ability diverse cultural/linguist cultural/linguist information
levels, or learning cultural/linguist ic backgrounds, ic backgrounds, about learners’
styles, including ic backgrounds, ability levels, or ability levels, or diverse
student(s) with ability levels, or learning styles, learning styles, cultural/linguist
IEPs and ELLs learning styles, including including ic backgrounds,
including student(s) with student(s) with ability levels,
student(s) with IEPs and ELLs IEPs and ELLs and learning
IEPs and ELLs styles, including
student(s) with
IEPs and ELLs
Justified The case study The case study The case study The case study The case study
explicitly draws on draws on draws on draws on does not draw
current research current research (e.g., research (e.g., on current
(e.g., NCTE position research (e.g., NCTE position NCTE position research (e.g.,
statements) to NCTE position statements) to statements) to NCTE position
justify selection of statements) to justify selection justify selection statements) to
curriculum, justify selection of curriculum, of curriculum, justify selection
assessment, and of curriculum, assessment, and assessment, or of curriculum,
instructional assessment, and instructional instructional assessment, and
 Sherry LAE 4464
practices instructional practices practices instructional
practices practices
Focused The case study The case study The case study The case study The case study
thoroughly and thoroughly or thoroughly and thoroughly or does not
specifically specifically specifically specifically address the
addresses the addresses the addresses the addresses the particular focus
particular focus and particular focus particular focus particular focus and related
related and related and related and related requirements
requirements (e.g., requirements requirements requirements specific to
writing course, (e.g., writing (e.g., writing (e.g., writing context (e.g.,
reading course, course, reading course, reading course, reading writing course,
ESOL course, course, ESOL course, ESOL course, ESOL reading course,
interdisciplinarity, course, inter- course, inter- course, inter- ESOL course,
etc.) in a way disciplinarity, disciplinarity, disciplinarity, inter-
appropriate to the etc.) in a way etc.). etc.). disciplinarity,
school context appropriate to etc.)
the school
context