Amanda Silic Reflection Journal #1 Description: A few weeks into my time at King High School a student asked if they

would be getting their last test back soon. My mentor teacher reminded her that he was grading 150+ tests, plus the in-class and homework assignments that he collects everyday. He said that he has approximately 600 papers to grade. The students will have another test at the beginning of next week. We also have not returned any of the homework that we have done prior to this test, including the lab on microscopes that is the only source of information about the microscope parts (we did not have them take notes on this topic, but it will be on the test). Interpretation: In several of our classes already, we have talked about the importance of a quick turnaround on graded assignments. This allows students to assess their knowledge and have things to study from for a test. In Never Work Hard Than Your Students, chapter six made the point of quality over quantity. None of our homework has been particularly cognitively challenging and it seems to me that we've been giving quite a bit, even though many students are already falling behind in turning it in. It's very similar to the situation on page 157 in Never Work Hard Than Your Students. We immediately expected them to start acting like high school students, being able to juggle six classes without any hand-holding. I'm not sure, especially after discussing cognitive development in our Adolescent Psychology class, if our students were ready for that much work with so little structure so early in the year. Application: I think this moment was so meaningful to me because I was wondering the same thing as the student. If we, as teachers, are expecting students to turn in assignments on-time, they should be able to expect to receive them back in a timely manner. Since the students don't have books to take home and might not have access to the online version, their notes and old assignments are all they have with which to study from. I hope that as a teacher, I will be able to stay on top of my grading by doing some every day before I even leave the building. This will also allow me to properly assess their mastery and adjust the curriculum and activities as needed. If I wait too long, the time for remediation will have passed.

Amanda Silic Reflection Journal #2 Description After about two weeks in my classroom, a young man attempted to call me over for assistance by saying hey baby. When I asked excuse me? he repeated his question without the baby but when I asked if he had just called me baby his neighbors said that he had. I asked the student to come out in the hallway with me. He followed me out into the hallway, but seemed to get a little awkward and fidgety as I was informing him that was not an appropriate way to address a teacher. I asked him if he talked to his grandmother or mother like that, wiggling around and avoiding eye contact and smiling. He straightened up and said no, ma'am. So I told him that he needed to treat me the same way he would his grandmother and then we shook hands. Since then, I have been impressed with his behavior. He's a pretty wiggly and impulsive young man, but he's also pretty smart and wants to do well. We put some projects up on the wall today and his was one of them (it had one error on it, but it was also extremely neat and well done). I saw him halfdragging one of his friends down the hallway today in between classes in order to show her that his work was up on the wall. Interpretation I'm really glad that so early in my time in my room, I decided to handle the situation that way. It would've been easy to overreact or, alternatively, to ignore it. I think that this relates to the things we've been discussing in our classes since the summer. Ultimately, the way that you, as a teacher, run your classroom determines how all of the students will interact with each other. We have had problems in that class period since the beginning of the year with being polite and respectful, not only to myself and Mr. Stewart, but to each other. I think that by pulling him out of the room and have a calm and rational discussion with him, rather than aggressively confronting him (which probably would have made him embarrassed and aggressive himself) I was able to diffuse the situation and resolve it quickly. It was an authoritative response, rather than an authoritarian response. Application The reason it was important to me was because I really could've made an enemy of him pretty early in the year. I've talked to enough students since that moment to know that they hold grudges against teachers that they think are disrespectful to them. In Raising Black Students' Achievement Through Culturally Responsive Teaching a teacher was quoted as saying "If you care, they will perform for you. The way into their minds is through their hearts. And I refuse to be yet another adult that expects them to act like adults one minute, then treats them like a child the next. I don't demand respect from my students; I demand politeness, not just to me, but to everyone. Of course, when I'm alone in my classroom, this situation might be more difficult to deal with because I would also be responsible for the entire classroom. I would not have been able to pull him into the hall, instead I would probably have a quiet conversation in a corner of the room. But I have found that trying to embarrass a student or shout at them does nothing except make them angry and defensive. And that's no atmosphere in which to teach and learn.Amanda Silic Reflection Journal #3

Amanda Silic Reflection Journal #3 Description Today was the second day of notes on Mendel and Genetics. My mentor gave the notes during first and third hours, I took notes and then gave the notes during fourth and sixth hours. We moved some students around this week and while fourth hour used to be the problem hour, they were fantastically well-behaved today. Sixth hour on the other hand, which was a bit out of control. We have about five really talkative boys in the class now and towards the end of the notes, the whole class had gotten really antsy. I had to stop several times and raise my voice to get their attention. Interestingly, two of my female students that are usually pretty talkative were completely engaged. I'm not sure if we are making good use of our class-time. We gave about 20 minutes of notes today (Tuesday) and I'd guess from looking at the notes from yesterday that they were about 20 minutes as well. The students only had about five minutes to do the classwork before we had to send them on their way with homework that's due on Thursday. They need the book in order to complete the homework and while we have the passwords for the online version of the book, I'm not confident that a large percentage will complete the assignment. The only way to get better at Punnet Squares is to practice them and I'm worried we're not giving enough practice before we test them. Interpretation Asking high school students to sit still and listen for an hour (which essentially is what we do: they walk in the door, do the Bellwork, we go over the Bellwork, do the notes, they work individually on their classwork) is the equivalent of asking adults to sit through the same for three hours. At least that's what we've been told in two our classes. In our graduate classes, we are given time to discuss things in large groups, small groups, pairs, or are given time to reflect and critically think about the information we've been given. But I had jury duty a few weeks ago and I had to sit through about two hours of closing arguments, which I realized was pretty close to listening a lecture. It was painful. I got uncomfortable, bored, and distracted (and this was something that I knew was important). In our classes, we've been told to use a variety of instructional techniques and that a long lecture just isn't effective for learning. And yet we primarily use lecture to give the information. Even the most attentive students inevitably get antsy, especially after having to sit still and focus on the teacher for 35 minutes. Application This is part of the reason why I am so intrigued by the idea of the flipped classroom . By shifting the informative part of the lessons to a video watched a home, students can watch at their own pace, rewatch if they get distracted or confused, and always have the information available to go back to at any point. Then we would have more class-time available for discussion, application, and elaboration of the material. I will have the time available to assist students in small groups and as individuals. I have already spoken to other teachers that are currently doing a flipped classroom about their success rates and it seems that while it doesn't appear to help the students that weren't completing their homework in a regular classroom setting (the students that were doing nothing continued to do nothing) but the students that were struggling to keep their grades above a C, that were trying to do the work, but still missing some of the ideas, improved. There's also more time in a class period available to have discussions with the students who are not doing their work and work out a plan to improve their productivity.

I think that at the very least, I plan on doing more small-group or pair activities, even if it's just a thinkpair-share. I tried to do a think-pair-share with our Health class the other day and they were uncomfortable, so I'm not sure how much experience they have with these activities in their other classrooms. If it's not much, I will have to be conscious of the fact that this is very different from the way my students are used to doing things in classes. So they might struggle with being engaged or they might get too excited and rowdy. So I will definitely have to take constant pulse checks of how they are doing when I introduce these sorts of activities.

Amanda Silic Reflection Journal #4 Description Today my mentor teacher was absent, so I was essentially in charge. I had a substitute, but she had been an English and Social Studies teacher, so if we wanted to get any science done, I was going to have to do the teaching. I had to do a lot of shouting to get and keep their attention. Since I don't spend as much time in front of first and third hour, they were actually more rowdy than the normally rowdy fourth and sixth periods. The girls in third hour were even more heinous to me than usual (which is why I had preferred to stay with fourth even though they were generally louder). I definitely lost my cool several times during first and third hour. It was a big challenge to hold students to standards that either weren't in existence or were not consistently implemented. Since we don't have a set plan for bathroom passes or dismissal, the students figured that they could do whatever they wanted. I had about five students per class ask me for a bathroom pass, and if I said no, then I wasn't being consistent with our usual way of doing things. When I told them that they had to sit down or I wouldn't let them out when the bell rang, they said that Mr. Stewart lets them line up or sometimes leave before the bell (which he does sometimes). So it was tricky. I also had no idea where the detention slips were, so I couldn't even menacingly place them on the table or walk around with them. Interpretation This is why I want a specific plan with regards to bathroom visits, entrance, and dismissal. I also want a behavior policy that has an intermediate step between verbal warning and detention. In my Classroom Management Plan, I had a Behavior Reflection sheet that had students dissect their behavior into what caused it and what the effects were from it. We've talked, in probably all of our classes, about how classroom management is the most important aspect of teaching and I feel that a large part of that is setting clear expectations with clear repercussions, something that we do not currently have in our room. I also think that involving the students in the creation or elaboration of these rules will show them what behavior is acceptable and unacceptable. By having a plan, I will also be able to hold myself responsible to consistency: a student knows that if he/she does not have a bio bucks ticket, they will not be able to go to the bathroom, and if they do have a ticket, I will always allow them to use the bathroom at the appropriate time (school policy is no passes in the first or last ten minutes of class). Application I plan to spend the first two weeks in my classroom not only reviewing the prerequisite concepts of biology, but also driving home the expectations for behavior and the consequences for not following them. We will practice entrance and exit procedures, remind students of the bathroom policy, and model good behavior. This day only confirmed my belief that putting in the effort up front is worth it in the end. It's much more difficult to teach behavioral expectations when we are also up to our necks in science objectives and lessons. And I certainly can't teach behavioral expectations in a day. This was my first time alone for an entire day with my students. The substitute was great in that she helped me monitor the students once they were doing their classwork, but let me take the lead. It was definitely trickier in the classes in which I don't have as much face-time. Third hour is usually pretty good for Mr. Stewart, but they were really terrible to me. We don't have a high value on polite behavior, so while it's a standard of personal decency, it's hard to hold them accountable for something that we

haven't set as an expectation for behavior. But in my own classroom, being polite will be a posted rule and I will not tolerate impolite behavior towards myself or any of the students. By setting the expectation up front, I can then hold the students accountable for following it. When I'm in my own classroom, it will also be vital that I stay on students not only about their grades, but about their behavior. I need to intervene as soon as possible when aberrant behavior occurs and have a conversation with the student about how to correct it, in addition to them filling out the Behavior Reflection.

Amanda Silic Reflection Journal #5 Description I assisted proctoring the MEAP test for about 30 ninth grade students in social studies. The students were allowed to enter the building at 7:00AM and were expected to go to their testing room at 7:30AM. When I entered the room at about 7:40AM (I was doing one of my assignments where I had to observe the front door procedures) my mentor was telling students to remove their sweatshirts. I was told to begin writing students on the seating chart despite about one-third of the way through realizing that we had more students than desks. The students without desks stood outside the room with chairs while they waited. We ended up getting one additional desk and the remaining students were moved to another room (they might have been in the wrong place to begin with). At 8:00AM, a woman, a teacher or administrator came in and sternly told the students that they needed to be seated and quiet. However, it wasn't until 8:30AM when we actually passed out the test sheets/books and had the students begin filling in their information. The students were reminded that the test was very important for the school and that if King was turned into an EAA school, they would be in session until 5PM every day and school would last until August 15th. I tried to give them some last minute strategies such as taking time to read the question slowly or read it a few times and look for key words like not, always, or never. They had about an hour to answer 30 questions, then a five minute break, and another hour to answer the second set of 36 questions. To be honest, I glanced through the test booklet and I'm not sure if I knew the answers to those questions when I was in 9th grade. I have noticed in my time in the classroom that my students did not all receive the same level of middle school science education. I imagine that goes for all of the subjects. I asked a few of my students after school if they had learned the information on the test. They implied that they really hadn't, but one student said that he was able to figure out many of the answers based on common sense and his ability to use test-taking strategies. Interpretation In our Adolescent Psychology class, we talked about the development of critical thinking skills. In order for someone to develop these skills, they must have the opportunity to practice them. If these standardized tests are going to be the way that we decide how competent a student, a teacher, and a school is than we need to develop a way to teach these test-taking strategies to our students. And what is the point of telling a room full of students that have been at King High School for a month that their school will get turned into an EAA school if they don't do well on this test? What do they care about this school? I went to my high school for four years, the only one in the city I grew up in, and someone could have turned it into a kennel for all I cared. I think it's expecting quite a bit to ask a student to be so emotionally involved in a school they can barely navigate in yet to do better on the test than they would otherwise. I found the whole process of test-day to be very disheartening. I could have tolerated and understood the disorganization better if it hadn't included yelling at the students for not sitting silently for what would've been over an hour. If I had known that there was going to be that much down-town, I could have done a better review of test-taking strategies. Even better, if I had known the schedule the day before, I could've planned something to fill the time that would have been beneficial to the students and not so agitating to the already tense administration.

Application I feel like this is event just goes to show how important it is to keep the students in mind. It's them taking the MEAP, not the teachers or the administrators. It's our job to prepare them for the test, both in terms of the content (the job of their middle school social studies teachers) as well as the confidence and ability to take a standardized multiple-choice test (the job of everyone in education). As I said above, if we are going to consider these tests to be the ruler by which we measure the students (not even taking into consideration the scores effect on teachers and schools) then we better make absolutely certain that we've given them every opportunity to succeed. Not everyone inherently knows the tricks behind taking a multiple-choice testjust as everyone does not inherently know how to critically think. Not having these things doesn't make someone stupid, but that is what gets reflected on these sorts of tests. For students in high-needs school, I think that these skills are even more vital. Students in high-poverty situations get a swiss-cheese education. Whether it's because they move around a lot, they have a lot of truancy, or simply that other things in their lives interfere with their ability to learn in the classroom, they might be lacking the content knowledge that will allow them to do well on a test such as the ones that we currently give to students. But by providing opportunities to perfect their critical thinking and test-taking strategies, we can give them a chance to figure out the correct answer from the facts presented. This, of course, is a far more useful skill than the ability to memorize information.

Amanda Silic Reflection Journal #6 Description Every day without fail, a few students walk right by the Do Now sheet, sit down at their seats and begin talking. Most students do take the sheet, but very few actually sit down and get started on it quickly. Some don't have writing utensils, and some, even though we sometimes give as many as eight minutes to complete four fill-in-the-blank questions, don't even attempt to complete it. Interpretation When I started with this program and was first introduced to the idea of a Do Now, it was very enticing. Thinking back, I can't remember what my teachers in high school did to get us seated and ready to learn when the bell rang. But having seen it in action for the last three months, it seems to be far more work than it's worth, at least the way I've seen it done. All of the books we've read and the lectures we've have had praised the idea of a Bellwork assignment to get the students seated and ready to work. But in reality, I have not seen it successful in practice. Application I don't know if the students have figured out that we don't regularly grade the Do Nows or if they are just sick of doing them. I believe it's a requirement of all of the teachers to have a Do Now at the beginning of class. If the point of a Do Now is to get the brain of the students churning, then we are not doing our jobs in my classroom. Our questions tend to be rote and the answers come straight from the notes. There is no attempt to instigate critical thinking or application of the knowledge. Additionally, the Do Nows aren't usually graded or even looked at, so they're not being used for formative assessment purposes. If only a few students seem to know the answers, my mentor teacher moves on; there is no remediation for those students that are lost. I am hoping that when I begin student teaching, I can figure out how to better use the Do Nows to evaluate for understanding, encourage high-level thinking skills, and get the students interested in getting to their seats and start their work. I plan to try using a combination of interesting science questions and questions about the students to train them into sitting down and getting started at the beginning of class.

COMMUNITY OBSERVATIONS DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMUNITY: People Students waiting for buses, walking home, Man urinating on an empty building and being picked up People going in and out of businesses Students at football and band practice People walking and driving Housing nicely maintained New condos/townhomes/apartments (to the Senior housing complex being built by the west and south of the school) river Older homes to the east: some poorly Many senior living complexes on East maintained, some burned down or abandoned, some Grand Blvd Support for Specific Populations Curb cuts Transportation Buses Bicycles Cars Taxis Public/Other Institutions Marcus Garvey Academy Detroit Public Library Elmwood Park Branch Bunche Elementary School St. Bonaventures Miller Middle School New Liberty Baptist Church Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences Judah Temple COGIC Health and Social Service Agencies Meldrum (Capuchin) Soup Kitchen Pharmacy and Medical Center Earthworks Urban Gardening Pro Care Health Plan Open Door Rescue Mission Concerta Urgent Care Gleaners Food Bank Henry Ford Medical Center Clinic Detroit Community Action Service Center AIDS Partnership Ennis Center for Children Burke Clinic Riverfront Land Conservation Association Many pharmacies on Jefferson Commercial and Industrial Buildings MNP corporation GM UAW (HR building) Pawnshop Riverplace Hotel Mr. Fish 5/3rd Bank UAW Chrysler Chase Bank Ralph Vigliotti Realty Chevy Dealership Trader Way Maracci Temple #13 (bar) Fudruckers Many gas stations Harbortown Market Many fast food restaurants Landromat Many liquor stores Kirlin Company Many mini-markets Recreational Indoor Sports Center Many small parks with tables and benches Butzel Community Center Belle Isle Coleman A. Young Community Center Many gyms

Riverwalk Chene Park (free summer concerts) Campau Park Elmwood Central Park Mt. Elliot Park Protective Services Detroit Fire Department Department of Homeland Security Billboards/Signs Billboards for a program for learning employable skills Environmental factors Many vacant/abandoned/burned down homes to the east of the school Many empty lots to the east of the school Street-lights on Mt. Elliot just north of Lafayette were out on Wednesday,

St. Aubin Waterloo Park (tennis courts, baseball) Lafayette Plaisance Park (tennis) Play structures in residential complexes Segway tours

Detroit Police Department Many billboards on Jefferson September 26 in the morning Clean streets and well-maintained areas to the west of the school Local library branch is about a half mile away from the school

King is in a unique position as a Detroit high school. It's not a true neighborhood school like Osborn, but nor is it a true application school like Cass Tech. Students in the neighborhood must walk by abandoned houses and empty lots in disrepair to get to school every morning. Sometimes whole blocks of streetlights are dark. I believe that the vacant, abandoned, and burned out houses and buildings are the biggest issues facing this community. Our students have to walk past these dangerous and frightening structures every morning and afternoon. But I think that more importantly, it's what these homes and buildings represent. As far as these students are concerned, nobody seems to believe in Detroit anymore. Yes, there are community organizations and programs for skills training, but there is still a sense of hopelessness. But these same issues are also the things that King High School can use to show its students how to be socially aware citizens. The difficulties faced by Detroit can also be viewed as opportunities: the open lots are potential parks, gardens, and homes, the soup kitchen and food bank as potential volunteer opportunities. King is in an interesting location. To the south and east, there is growth. There are definitely assets in the cultural opportunities available at the Riverwalk, Chene Park, and Belle Isle. And there are assets in the recreational opportunities in the many gyms, community centers, and parks surrounding the school. As I stated previously, many of the difficulties can also be viewed as opportunities for change, given a change in attitude as well. I didn't realize that the area around King High School was so diverse. I live on the northeast side of the city, near Osborn High School, so I expected the vacant and abandoned homes, but I suppose I didn't realize that King was so close to downtown and therefore, so close to the urban renewal. As I drive down Gratiot every morning, I pass by students, probably some of my own, standing at bus stops under street lights that are occasionally not working. I think that one of the most important things that I need to remember as a teacher is that some of my students have to go through a lot every morning just to get to my classroom. But I am also realizing that Detroit has a lot of good things happening. Being so close to a city has plenty of advantages. Obviously, I can use these assets to plan field trips: to the Riverwalk to examine biodiversity, to the water plant to learn about water quality, or to the Belle Isle Aquarium to

learn about freshwater habitats. There are also many urban gardens popping up on the vacant land throughout the city. We could even leave the city and go an hour south to the Enrico Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant to begin a discussion on alternative energy sources. More importantly, I can direct students to the local library branch (only a 10 minute walk away) to finish typed assignments, check out reference material, or just for a quiet place to study. I can show them the many volunteer opportunities available at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and Gleaners Food Bank, or any of the youth programs available at the local community centers. As a teacher, I think the most important thing I have to realize and embrace is that Detroit, as is the world, is changing. Our city was merely the first domino to fall many years ago when we failed to transition from an industrial to a technological society. Cities like Pittsburgh and Flint, other cities that relied very heavily on industry in the past, are right behind us. Detroit has a unique opportunity to be a living example of how to turn a struggling metropolis around. As an educator in this city, it's my responsibility to share this vision with my students and give them the confidence and knowledge to be a part of the change. These young people have dreams and aspirations, just like any other young person, and I must not allow those dreams to die under the weight of what is going on now, I must show them to look to the future that they will help create in this city, and help them to develop the confidence and skills to do so. I have been trying to get to know my students over the few weeks that I have been at King. It is definitely challenging, as there are so many of them. I think that just paying attention is one of the best ways to learn more about my students and their families. Additionally, I can spend time not only talking to the parents of the students that are struggling in my class, but also making sure to call and praise students that are doing really well. The easiest way to learn more about this community, or any community, is to spend more time in it. I can start by going to events posted on bulletin boards at the school or joining groups that will send me emails about community events. Personally, I live close enough that spending time down there on a weekend or after-school doesn't really interfere with anything else I have planned. I can start attending sporting events, school functions, and simply spend more time at the local spaces in the neighborhood around the school. Doing these things will allow me to learn more about the community in general as well as the students and their families. By being aware of the resources available in the community in which I teach, I can be a resource myself to the students and families. I think it's about maintaining a balance of being aware of the difficulties faced by the community, but also to know what organizations and people are doing something about it. There is a lot of hope in the city, but it hasn't reached critical mass quite yet. It's difficult for a young person to see beyond what's right in front of him or her, so as a teacher, it's my job to show them what possibilities lie ahead. In doing that, we can form a bond that goes beyond teacher and student or teacher and parent, but to citizen and citizen, all working together to make our community a better place. After a year of clinical experience at King, I now know that if I am to be a member of the school community, I need to be very intentional about doing so. Things like planning field trips take time and forethought to be successful. The drive to fulfill all of the content expectations while handling interruptions to the flow of the curriculum and individual student issues can be overwhelming. Something that I would really be interested in doing at the beginning of the year in the future would be to reach out to parents as part of the syllabus and in addition to asking for contact information, asking if they had any knowledge or experience to contribute to our classroom. I also plan on reaching out to other teachers, both at my future school and elsewhere to co-plan trips and experiences for our students. I think that we could get so much more accomplished by working together just a little.

CURRICULUM ANALYSIS Opening King High School is a member of the Detroit Public School District. It is approximately 98% African American, with a 52/48% split between males and females. Approximately 82% of the students at King qualify for a free or reduced lunch. King has not met AYP and is in Phase 7 which includes Comprehensive School Audit by External Team - Restructure Plan. School must continue choice, transportation, and supplemental services and implement restructuring plan; mandatory assignment of coach; Wayne-RESA technical assistance funding options; recommendation to district on status of school; intermediate school district intervention. (King High School Profile Report, http://detroitk12.org/schools/reports/profiles/529.pdf) The curriculum is used at the district level. Goals The goal of the district curriculum is to enable students to use and connect knowledge as scientific critical thinkers successful in the 21 st century (Curriculum Instructional Sequence and Pacing Chart, page 6). Furthermore, I can infer that some additional goals to be to give strategies, activities, focus questions, and assessment items in order to fulfill the content expectations. The district curriculum does not suppose that the prerequisite material has necessarily been covered and chooses to include relevant HSCEs as part of the curriculum. It is designed with an overarching outcome which is split into smaller objectives that line up with the HSCEs. The district goals appears to be very similar to the state goals: to prepare students for life in the 21st century. The state standards also state, students who have useful and connected knowledge should be able to apply knowledge in new situations; to solve problems by generating new ideas; to make connections among what they read and hear in class, the world around them, and the future; and through their work, to develop leadership qualities while still in high school (Science HSCEs, http://detroitk12.org/admin/academic_affairs/science/docs/HSCE_Biology.pdf, page 3). The ideal focus seems to be on critical thinking skills, problem-solving, and interpretation. The curriculum gives a variety of activities and assessment strategies designed to reach the maximum number of students. Suggested activities and assessment for Outcome 12 (explain how cells move essential materials into/out and maintain a stable internal environment) include building a model of a plasma membrane, doing research on the effect of burns on skin, and compare how fish, humans, and bacteria breathe. The instructional materials include the textbook, hands-on activities, puzzles, labs, and Powerpoint slides. There is a variety of ways that students can receive the material as well as display mastery. Content The district outcomes are divided into 20 categories, with the expectations that students will be able to do these things. The state standards have five broad categories. I have used a chart below to show how these standards align with each other. State Standard District Core Outcome Inquiry, Reflection, and Expected to the interwoven throughout all outcomes and standards Social Implications Organization and 11. compare and contrast ways in which selected cells are specialized to

Development

carry out life functions 12. explain how cells more essential materials into/out and maintain a stable internal environment 14. describe how photosynthesis and respiration produce products used to synthesize macromolecules 13. classify living organisms based on structural, embryological, and biochemical similarities/compare and contrast living organisms based on structural, embryological similarities 1. identify types of energy transformation in an ecosystem and predict the cause and effect relationships 2. describe and explain for living organisms the energy transformations and changes in matter and energy involving heat (i.e. Photosynthesis, respiration, fermentation, calories, kilocalories, temperatures) 3. describe and draw the various types of food webs found in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and relate these to habitat and niche adaptation, showing the flow of energy/predict changes when one or more organisms are removed 4. describe soil nutrients essential for ecosystem maintaince and explain the distinction among critical biochemical cycles (i.e. nitrogen, phosphorous, carbon and chemical reactions of these cycles and microorganisms that conrol these pathways) 5. describe how climates and other physical factors affect biomes and the distributions of life forms 6. describe and discuss aspects of succession, looking at primary and secondary succession models/understand the recovered ecosystem will be similar to the original one 7. discuss the effect of human population on natural resources 8. describe some implications of human activity and technology on the balance of ecosystems and related issues in bioethics 9. investigate and analyze the role of agriculture, manufactoring, and human activities as they relate to the atmospheric considitions in ecosystems 10. make information judgements related to global environmental issues, based on critical analysis of available information

Interdependence of Living Systems

Genetics

15. describe what happens to the genetic material as cells reproduce sexually and asexually 16. discuss the mechanisms of inheritance and predict that outcome of various genetic crosses 17. explain how new traits may arise in individuals through changes in genetic material (DNA) and environmental factors

Evolution and Biodiversity

18. describe evidence of evolutionary relationships among living organisms 19. explain the processes of natural and artificial selection and relate these to

the process by which new traits arise and become established in a population 20. use fossil evidence to trace the origin of modern humans to Africa In both the state and district standards there is a heaviness of standards under the Interdependence of Living Systems category and a relative lightness of expectations in Evolution and Biodiversity. Assessment The curriculum provides assessment tools such as MindJogger VideoQuizzes, constructing models, doing presentations or papers based on research, and, of course, doing standardized test strategies (either from the book or using ExamView Pro CD to generate tests). Of the three tests that the students have taken at my placement, they have been in the standard multiple choice format with some matching and fill-in-the-blank questions. The format of the tests are the same: multiple choice. The MME consists of three parts: the ACT, WorkKeys (a job skill assessment) and Michigan-developed assessments in mathematics, science, and social studies (http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-14022709_35150---,00.html). I could not find any sample questions of the Michigan-developed assessments, but the sample questions from the ACT show a high regard and interest for critical thinking skills and scientific methods as opposed to memorized knowledge. Unfortunately, these higher level critical thinking skills don't seem to be being addressed in our classroom. Conclusion At King High School we are playing a high stakes game and the students know it. One of the first things that my mentor teacher said to his class was relating to the MME scores and the threat of becoming an EEA school looming over our heads. He even mentioned it again while proctoring the social studies MEAP test. But it seems that even though we know that these tests are trying to access critical thinking, we are not encouraging it in the classrooms. The students are being spoon-fed information rather than an inquiry-based exploration of the topics designed to encourage these skills. As we have been learning in our Adolescent Psychology class, people do not reach formal-operational thinking without the opportunities to practice using it. The teachers are being held accountable to teach the standards as well critical thinking skills, but it seems that much of the time, we are in such a hurry to hit all of the objectives that we fall into the same old lecture-worksheet format. Unfortunately this tends to not only not teach any critical thinking skills, but also tends to only teach the information superficially and temporarily, if at all. As a teacher, I need to know that taking the time to help students develop these skills will not only benefit them on the standardized tests, but in life as well. Ultimately, if I want to create scientists, it's in my best interest to focus on the how of scientific discovery rather than the memorization of facts. Not that some memorization isn't important, but if I want my students to love science, then I need to engage them in a way that shows how this scientific thinking is relevant to their lives as well as interesting. And knowing that the standardized tests are more focused on theses skills, rather than remembered facts, I can justify taking the extra time to model them for my students and teach them how to interpret questions and use what they know to decide the best possible answer on a test. I think that this is why I am so excited about the Next Generation Science Standards. By

reducing the content expectations, shifting the focus to skills, and spiraling the curriculum to enhance these skills every year in every science class, students will learn that knowledge is more than just memorizing facts, but being able to apply information to solve problems. The challenge with the content expectations is that people interpret them differently and will ask different questions to test student understanding. As it stands, I'm going to have to do a heavy review geared towards asking the questions that I now know are important for the students to do well on the semester post-test. Since beginning my student-teaching semester, I have started working with my students on interpreting and strategizing on multiple-choice questions. It's very challenging since the questions from the test-bank (and hence, the questions that will be on the post-test and the type of questions that will be on the MME) were sometimes awkwardly written. Additionally, there's the added confusion between what is on the pacing chart/priority content standards and what is the students will be answering on the post-test that will ultimately determine how effective I was at teaching them. With so little time left, I have to decide which is more important.

Amanda Silic Classroom Management Plan Research and Theories We have read many books over the course of our two semesters so far in this program. I have found that, for the most part, the research and theories have borne out what I had already suspected. When I was City Year, one of our mottos was that All peopleespecially young peopleneed the same eight things: meaning, adventure, community, power, respect, structure, challenge, and opportunity. It took me an appallingly long time to realize that somewhere along the line, I had` internalized this quote and had based many of my own personal theories about teaching on it. Thankfully, the research has agreed with these statements. In an effort to be more concise and clear with the research, theories, professional standards for teachers, and my own teaching and learning statement, I am going to include them following each sub-section of my Management Plan. Strategies to Build a Community of Learners To me, I think that greatest strategy to build a community of any kind must involve communication. From the very beginning, I plan to engage with my students on how we should conduct ourselves in our classroom and give them opportunities to suggest things like the music we will play during the Do Nows (I will, however, require that the requests be made in writing and convince me that the song is inspirational and/or that the artist has proven a dedication to education, higher-learning, or another philanthropic venture). The Do Now questions will feature a combination of questions related to the topic at hand, questions designed to glean more information about the student, or questions designed to make student think deeply about themselves. For the questions designed to provide information, I will ask students to volunteer to give answers and I will also provide my answer to the question. As I learn more about my students, they will learn more about me. At the beginning of the year, I will also give each student a multiple intelligence/learning style test so I am aware of what learning styles are best for him or her. I am also becoming more interested in the idea of providing assignment choices for students. By allowing them some choice in what sort of activity that they do, I am showing them that I think of them as individuals and that I care about them learning the material. I plan to spend the first two weeks not only introducing them to the subject of biology, but showing them how to take good notes, how to critically read in the book or in an article. I will tell them that the point of this class is not to have them memorize terms, but to build critical thinking skills. I also believe that my classroom atmosphere will be designed to build a community of learners. In the quote from the beginning of my Management Plan, I listed things that all people need. I plan to build a classroom culture that allows for respect, power, and opportunity by giving them the chance to have a say in how the classroom is run. Not in the important things like safety and the rules dictated by the school (though I believe that nearly all of the students would agree with those rules if we only thought to ask them) but the things that they care about: respect from me as their teacher, the power to have some control over their classroom, the opportunity to make their own connections to the material through class discussions, rather than class lectures. Doing these things will ultimately create the community that my students need to be successful students. If you show students that you care about them, they will work for you: Raising Black Students Achievement Through Culturally Receptive Teaching; Qualities of Effective Teachers; Lecture Notes TED 6350. The importance of critical thinking skills: Raising Black Students Achievement Through Culturally Receptive Teaching; MDSTA conference sessions; Teaching with Poverty in Mind;

Lecture Notes EDP 5480 Accommodations By allowing students to choose the way they can show mastery, I can provide accommodations without being very obvious about it. Additionally, students that don't necessarily qualify for an IEP are also free to choose from a menued list of activities or work to demonstrate their skills. I will be providing Powerpoint versions of my notes on my class website for all notes, plus video lectures for many of the topics. This will allow absent students as well as those that might need the information a second time to keep us. Students will even be able to pre-watch the presentations before we cover the topic in class. At the very beginning of the year, I will reach out to the special education teachers at my school and get the relevant information (IEPs, BIPs) for all students enrolled in my classes. I will be aware of what students might need additional time or shortened assignments and reach out to them and their parents. If I give out a homework assignment that I think should take 30 minutes, I want the parents and students to know that so they can limit the amount of time that the student spends on it. Realistically, I want all of my students to know that if they are really, truly struggling on a homework assignment, they should put it aside and ask for help in school the next day. They should never stay up all night or stress themselves out over homework. Ultimately, I want to get to the point where the lectures are, for the most part, watched at home and the thinking and working is done in the classroom, where I am there to help. By using menus with tiered skill levels, they can find something that is challenging, but not overwhelming. Having the opportunity to succeed is important to everyone, especially young people. Truthfully, I find the lack of this to be the most frustrating part of my student-teaching experience. My sister has a learning disability and she had an IEP all throughout high school. Her accommodations were simple: she was allowed extra time for homework and tests. Her IEP was followed and, while she didn't get the world's best grades, she was able to attend community college and now Baker College where she's spent two semesters on the Dean's List. I find the implication that a student with an IEP just needs to have his or her grade altered at the card-marking so they get a D to be truly appalling. Everyone should have the opportunity to succeed, with an appropriate amount of structure and challenge to help them actually learn, rather than just skate by. Provide ALL students with the assistance that they need to succeed. It's not about holding their hands or spoon-feeding them, it's about giving them the tools they need to succeed on their own: Teaching With Poverty in Mind; Lecture Notes TED 6370. Menus and posted lecture notes/videos: MDSTA conference sessions; previous research; Qualities of Effective Teachers; http://theeducatorsroom.com/2013/01/differentiatinginstruction-stretching-all-learners/ Rules and Consequences 1. Be prompt. 2. Be prepared. 3. Be positive. 4. Be productive. 5. Be polite. General Consequences: Inability to follow these rules will result in the following order of consequences: verbal warning, behavior journal (see attached)/conference with student, detention/call home, conference with parents and student. The except is #2: Be Prepared. But if a student appears

unwilling to consistently arrive to class prepared, the same procedures will be used and the first instance of unpreparedness will count as the verbal warning. When I introduce this rules, we will discuss what these rules mean to us and what they look like in action. We will also talk about what consequences are appropriate for each rule. I will alter the consequences and post them if they are different from the ones I've outlined above. I will also ask the students to tell me what they need from me to be successful and from those I will make a set of teacher rules that I will be held to in addition to the classroom rules. Again, I believe that this relates to my teaching and learning statement in that I am giving some of the power and meaning to the students. If they have a part of making the rules, they are more likely to follow them. I am also showing them that I respect them enough to want to know what I can do for them. Rules should be written in the positive, reasonable, and enforceable: Qualities of Effective Teachers; previous experience working with children; Teach Like a Champion The punishment must fit the crime/logical consequences: Never Work Harder Than Your Students; Lecture Notes EDP 5480; Lecture Notes TED 5160. Procedures and Routines Beginning of class: Everyone will enter the classroom promptly and politely and immediately begin answering the Do Now question that will be posted on the board. On Monday, students will pick up the weekly Do Now sheet and answer the questions that are posted each day on that sheet. They will turn in the sheet on Friday and receive a raffle ticket the following Monday if the questions have been completely answered. After 3-5 minutes, we will review the answer or take a few volunteers to answer if it's a personal question. At the beginning on every class, students should have their binder with weekly Do Now sheet, all of their notes, homework, raffle tickets, and blank paper as well as a writing utensil. Collecting/returning papers: There will be a two-pocket folder on each table, one side labelled turn in and the other labelled graded. When I ask students to turn in an assignment, they will pass all of their papers to one student at their table (it will rotate) and that student will put them all in the pocket. I will collect the folders at the end of the class period. To return graded assignments, each student may flip through the assignments within the folder and remove only theirs. I will put the grades at the bottom of the assignments so nobody will accidentally see each others grades. End of class: When I indicate that there are five minutes left in class, each table will decide what question(s) they still have and write that question(s) on the mini dry-erase board that is on the table or I may ask a question for the table to answer as a group on the mini board. Students are to stay seated until I dismiss them. I will use the information from this activity to determine what we need to review the next day. Campfire: Leave the classroom better than you found it. Regardless of whether it's yours or not, pick up and throw away any trash and put away any materials. The classroom should look better when you leave than it did when you came in. Supplies: Students may redeem a raffle ticket for a pen/pencil or five sheets of lined paper. If a student does not have a raffle ticket, they may put up some sort of collateral to borrow a pen/pencil for the class period.

Bathroom: Students may redeem a raffle ticket to use the bathroom during class. On the backside of the pass, they are to write the date and time and quietly bring it up to me to sign. When they return, the pass will be thrown away. Raffle tickets: Raffle tickets will be given out for completing the weekly Do Now sheet and at my discretion (ie for a well-done homework assignment, being a good citizen in the classroom, or helping to clean-up/set-up for an activity or lab) Raffle ticket reward system (redeemed for bathroom passes and supplies): Lecture Notes TED 6350; Lecture Notes SCE 5070; conversations with current teachers Do Now/Exit Cards: Lecture Notes TED 6350; Lecture Notes TED 6370; Teach Like a Champion Roles of Teacher and Students I am at my happiest in the classroom when I am able to walk around and assist students. The give-a-lecture-then-work-individually-on-classwork system is something that I really abhor. I want an interactive class, where I am not the dispenser of knowledge, but the one that helps my students to make sense of the information and learn how to apply it. I want my students to be independent critical thinkers who enjoy knowledge that helps them to make sense of the world. They obviously won't be at that point when they arrive in my classroomcognitively, they are still childrenbut part of my job as a teacher is guiding them through the process of thinking for themselves, both in relation to science as well as in life. Cognitive development: Lecture Notes EDP 5480; Teaching with Poverty in Mind Guide on the side, not sage on the stage teacher roles: MDSTA conference sessions; previous research on flipped classrooms Communication with Parents/Caregivers I will begin my communication with the families of my students from the very beginning of the year. I will have an approved syllabus read and passed out to the students in the first week of class. The syllabus will include the schedule, rules and consequences, and background on myself, but will also have all of the relevant passwords to access the online book, and information regarding my webpage (which at this point I suspect will be on edmodo.com). Since I plan to post video versions of many of my lectures, I will include an introduction video for the parents and students to watch together. There will be a place on the syllabus for parents/guardians to sign, indicate how and when they would like to be contacted, and their contact information. This part will be returned to me within a few days or I will contact the parents/guardians myself. I will continue parent/guardian contact throughout the year via the medium of their choice. If a students grade drops below a C, I will request a meeting with the students and their parent/guardian to figure out a way to improve their grade in the class. I will also be sure to contact the parents of students that are showing improvement or doing a good job in my class and post a Student of the Week on my edmodo.com website for each class period. Parent Communication: Lecture Notes TED 5160; Qualities of Effective Teachers; visitation to Detroit International Academy for Young Women

Description and Diagram of Classroom My classroom will have a combination of science and inspirational posters. The desks will be organized in cooperative groups with a supply basket in the middle of the desks. The basket will contain the dry erase boards with markers or crayons, a mini-three hole punch, and other items necessary for whatever we are working on. Additionally, depending on the needs of my classroom, the baskets might also contain small balloons filled with flour that can be used for squeezing when a student needs some stimulation. There will also be a folder per table, per class used for handing in and passing back papers. Each student will be required to have a three-ring binder used exclusively for this class. They will occasionally turn it in and will be graded on the completeness of information. At the front of the binder, the students will keep their copy of the syllabus and behind that, a table of contents that they will fill in as we add notes to the binder. At the back, they will keep track of their returned homework and their points they have received so far in the class. Binders: Lecture Notes 5160 Space to walk around, science posters on walls: Lecture Notes 5160, Lecture Notes SCE 5070 An example of a poster:

Other things I plan to use as posters, quotes to reflect upon, etc. are here: http://pinterest.com/funkypork/school/ Classroom Diagram Attached as a pdf file. Note: Each rectangular desk represents a pair of large science tables (like we have in our room at King) or something similar. Each of these will seat four to five students, depending on the size of the class. The bulletin boards will have student work. The desk at the back will be available for students that need to make up tests or finish up projects. The desk at the front of the room can be pulled out to the center in order to do demonstrations. The bookcases will contain reference materials (both my own and those belonging to the school).

Update: I would like to implement a version of the Interactive Science Notebook in my classroom. I think that it will hopefully help students be more organized and intentional about how they organize their notes and work. It will also take the mystery out of their grade, as they will keep track of their scores on assignments and tests and I can show them and their parents exactly how they are faring in the class by pulling out the notebook. I've also possibly changed my mind about classroom procedures involving supplies and bathroom passes. I'm considering giving out a finite number of passes at the beginning of each quarter to each student. I suppose it depends on the policy of the school I'm at though, because I feel like each teacher at King handles passes differently and I'm honestly not sure which is the official policy.

Final Summary I believe that all of this reflection has prepared me to fulfill my role as an effective urban educator in the city of Detroit. I have gained the skills to be reflective by being challenged to think through everything that I think and do in the classroom many times. I have been able to explore opinions from teachers at my placement as well as all over the world via the internet to help me figure out the kind of teacher I wish to be. I have built and rebuilt my classroom management plan, used strategies that worked well and that fell apart and had to be altered for the next class. By recording these things in my journal, I am able to now go back and separate reality from fantasy. Some of the things I originally thought would work well (the behavior journals, for example) failed pretty miserably. Even still, I think that if introduced at the beginning of the year and modeled better than how I did it in April, it could still be successful. By being able to look at my original classroom management plan, I recalled the reasons why I liked the journals and why I thought they would be effective. If not for that recollection, I might have considered them useless and not worth trying again with some changes to how I introduced them. I've had similar experiences with many of the teaching strategies I've found in the various books I've read since beginning this program. By going back and looking at my original intention of using them, I was able to figure out the problem with my implement, rather than deem the strategies useless. The concept that I've struggled with since the beginning was the idea of innovation. To me, being innovative meant creating new things and having unique ideas. Now I realize that it's more of a make it work for you-type situation. In terms of both classroom management and lesson planning, there isn't a one-size-fits-all system. I realized very quickly that trying to emulate my mentor teacher would just end in disaster for me; I had to find strategies that fit my personality and style in the classroom. Thankfully, there are plenty of strategies to choose from and through trial and error (and reflection) I am in the process of figuring out what works best for me. I've embraced making phone calls home and speaking to the parents and guardians about student behavior, but I still feel uncomfortable confronting a student as aggressively as I've seen other teachers do, not because I feel unsafe, but I feel like it causes an escalation of anger that nobody can back down from. I want to encourage students to exhibit good behavior not because they will be rewarded, but because it is in their own best interest to be engaged in what we are doing in class. I think one of the biggest divides in competency I've seen has to do with technology. We tend to think of this younger generation as being digital natives, but just because they use Instagram and Twitter does not mean that they can build a graph in Excel or can type 30 WPM. So it's important as a teacher to understand that these skills need to be explicitly taught. I think it's especially important in the sciences, where the ability to interpret graphs is vital to understanding information. And of course, the biggest divide we see in the classroom is the reading levels of the students. Figuring out how to understand and differentiate in these challenging situations is something that I am aware that I will be spending much of my near future attempting to work out. Again, since the sciences tend to be written at a very high level with tricky vocabulary, it can be a battle for students that don't even understand the non-technical parts of a text to parse through and comprehend what they are reading. I have found that ultimately, these journals and assignments allowed me to feel comfortable with trying new things and examining my ideas within the context of the classroom and school reality. Both within these journals, in my own mind, and in conversations with my classmates and teachers, I have been able to examine these things and in true buffet-style, take what works and leave the rest (at least for now, I can always re-examine when I'm in my own classroom and can start from scratch).