As I was taking over a larger portion of instructional responsibility during my teaching

internship, I discovered that I had a major problem. I was wasting time at the beginning of units
because I had not properly gauged what my students already knew. While planning a unit, I
would review the previous years learning standards and student specific test data to determine
their prior knowledge. I assumed the data would provide me with a valid starting point. My
assumption, as it often is in life, was my error.
I am a strong believer in backwards design. Based on Wiggins and McTighes
Understanding by Design model, I begin planning a unit by determining what big ideas I want
my students to obtain. Next, I determine how the students will demonstrate this desired
understanding, and finally I begin to plan lessons and activities to achieve the previous two
goals. The piece of the puzzle that I had unintentionally overlooked was the starting point. What
do my students really know about the topic? I neglected to make sure that the unit began within
their zone of proximal development.
My unit planning focused on the end goal and the formative assessments that I would
need to administer in order to monitor progress, but I did not take the time to find the right
starting place. Nothing will disengage a group of students faster than teaching a lesson that they
already know how to do or one that is well beyond their present abilities. The simple and
obvious solution to my problem was the pre-assessment.
I had always thought of pre-assessment as something that would be done on the first day
of a unit, but in reality the first day of a unit is way too late. I reengineered my planning process.
I added the pre-assessment component of planning between my original first two steps: big ideas
and how the students will demonstrate their understanding. I would administer pre-assessments
well in advance of teaching a unit. I would include them as part of morning work, homework,

and exit tickets. The most important piece of pre-assessment data that I would collect would be a
simple student survey at the end of the assessment: check how you feel (I got this, I sort of know
this, or I have no clue what you are talking about).
In the data based decision making world of our current educational system, we must
collect information before, during, and after a unit takes place. For our students to reach their
ultimate potential, we must assess their prior knowledge and understandings so that we can
realize their ability to apply, analyze, and synthesize their knowledge across content areas.
Beyond data and design, there is only one classroom component that is more critical to student
success: knowing who you and your students really are.
In order to effectively teach a group of diverse students, I must first be consciously aware
of my own system of values and norms. Culturally responsive teaching requires an
understanding of the differences in the norms, values, and communication styles of various
groups of students (Weinstein & Romano, 2015). The most important thing to remember with
regards to culturally responsive teaching is that difference does not indicate deficit.
Students need to feel that they are valued members of the classroom community. The
myriad of differences that our students bring to the classroom should be received with open arms
and be used as anchor for meaningful instruction. Teachers must develop a solid rapport with
their students and their families in order to understand and address the individual needs of each
child in the room. Once a student feels that they are an important part of the classroom and
school community, they will be more receptive to the academic, social, and emotional goals that
will be set before them throughout the year.

References
Wiggins & McTighe (2005). Understanding by design. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Pearson Education
Weinstein & Romano (2015). Elementary classroom management. New York, New York:
McGraw-Hill.