Standards:

(Standards are written out on the following pages.)

English Language Arts (CCSS)
Reading:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2, CCSS.ELALITERACY.RI.3.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.2,
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.5, CCSS.ELALITERACY.RI.3.7
Writing:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2 (A-D), CCSS.ELALITERACY.W.3.3 (A-D), CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.7,
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.8
Speaking & Listening / Language:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1 (A-D), CCSS.ELALITERACY.SL.3.2, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.4,
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.1, CCSS.ELALITERACY.L.3.2

Curriculum Materials:
Class curriculum available
-Investigations, grade 3 (math)
- Horizons: People and Communities, grade 3 (social
studies)
-Trophies, grade 3 (reading)
-Implementation of CLI (literacy)
Other materials to be used
-Promethean board
-Class set of 20 laptops
-Floor map
-Anchor charts
-Student writing response journals
-Non-fiction and fiction read-aloud texts, art, music,
videos, etc.
-Web resources (ex. Google Earth, Newsela, etc.)
-Classroom supplies
-Graphic organizers for note-taking

Social Studies (PA SAS & NCSS)

PA SAS:
7.1.3.A, 7.1.3.B, 7.2.3.A, 7.3.3.A, 8.4.3.A, 8.4.3.B, 8.4.3.C
NCSS:
D1.1.3-5, D1.5.3-5, D3.3.3-5, D3.4.3-5.

Science (PA SAS)

PA SAS:
4.3.3.A, 4.3.3.B. 4.4.3.B

Teaching Methods:
-Provide multiple access points for students to engage with the
material
-Present content in a variety of formats to accommodate multiple
intelligences (multimodal: technology, pictures, video, music,
simulations)
-Utilize think-pair-share to ensure all students are involved in the
conversation
-Give students opportunities to work in groups, to collaborate
with each other, and to use each other as a resource
-Ongoing informal assessment
-Provide students with authentic and differentiated means of
demonstrating their understanding
-Connect to the big idea by posing essential questions for each
lesson
-Incorporate student self-reflection
-Rephrase and revoice to make discussion accessible to all
students
-Encourage and build in various forms of participation

What

Knowledge of Students and Context:

-The entire school is taking part in a thematic unit on West
Africa this semester, with each classroom having a specific
country of study
-Out of 25 students, 11 students have IEPs and 1 student has a
504 Plan; one of the students with an IEP is also an ELL
-The schools special education teacher spends the majority of
the school day in our classroom
-Our school day is very structured, and students rely on the
consistency of this schedule
-Our classroom schedule allows for substantive time for students
to work with a teacher in targeted, differentiated, small groups
(utilizing guided reading, guided math, and literacy strategy
groups on an almost daily basis)
-The students get excited about videos and hands-on activities
-Differentiation is absolutely essential in this classroom given the
diverse range of students
-Students are extremely motivated by the classroom ticket system
(tickets awarded for good behavior, participation, and academic
performance can be used every other Friday in the classroom
store)
-Students across all levels eagerly participate in class

Why
Nigeria
How

Educational Philosophy and Beliefs

-Fair does not mean equal, fair means each student gets what they
need
-Students need multiple, scaffolded experiences with the content in
order to master it
-Teachers expectations affect student performance and achievement
-In order for students to engage with the material in a meaningful
way, it must be both relevant to their lives & interesting to them
-The most accurate portrait of a childs understanding comes from
ongoing, formative, informal assessment
-Students voices should be an integral component of the classroom,
and their contributions should be appropriately validated
-Not all students learn, or demonstrate their learning, in the same
way; thoughtful instruction takes individual differences into account

Theories of Teaching and Learning:

Dweck: Intelligence is malleable and
constructed (growth mindset > fixed
mindset)
Gardner: Theory of multiple intelligences
Tomlinson: Differentiation is essential to
educational equity
Denton & Kriete, Carini: Responsive
teaching begins with knowledge of your
students
Weinstein: Influence of student choice on
engagement
Calkins: Bring students lives into the
classroom
Hiebert: Students opinions of a subject are
informed by the types of tasks they are asked
to perform
Kohn: Balancing feedback with grades
(assessment)
Vygotsky: Zone of Proximal Development

Standards:
English Language Arts (CCSS)
Reading
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2. Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral
and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.2. Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.5. Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic
efficiently.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.7. Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of
the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).

Writing
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.A. Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.B. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.C. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of
information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.D. Provide a concluding statement or section.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear
event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.A. Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.B. Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the
response of characters to situations.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.C. Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.D. Provide a sense of closure.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort
evidence into provided categories.

Speaking & Listening / Language

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners
on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. (Including sub-standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1 A-D)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.2. Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats,
including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.4. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking
clearly at an understandable pace.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Social Studies (PA SAS & NCSS)

PA SAS
7.1.3.A. Identify how basic geographic tools are used to organize and interpret information about people, places and environment.
7.1.3.B. Identify and locate places and regions as defined by physical and human features.
7.2.3.A. Identify the physical characteristics of places and regions.
7.3.3.A. Identify the human characteristics of places and regions using the following criteria: population, culture, settlement, economic activities, political
activities.
8.4.3.A. Identify the elements of culture and ethnicity.
8.4.3.B. Identify the importance of artifacts and sites to different cultures and ethnicities.
8.4.3.C. Compare and contrast selected world cultures.
NCSS
D1.1.3-5. Explain why compelling questions are important to others (e.g., peers, adults).
D1.5.3-5. Determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions, taking into consideration the different opinions
people have about how to answer the questions.
D3.3.3-5. Identify evidence that draws information from multiple sources in response to compelling questions.
D3.4.3-5. Use evidence to develop claims in response to compelling questions.

Science (PA SAS)

4.3.3.A. Identify the natural resources used to make various products.
4.3.3.B. Identify local natural resources.
4.4.3.B. Explain how agriculture meets the basic needs of humans.