David Denogean

4/22/16
Guerrero
BLE 407
Reflection
Well this lesson plan format was quite intriguing and I dear say that I enjoyed it more than Direct Instruction as it was to the point in regards
how it is laid out. I was a bit frazzled when looking at this lesson plan format as it was completely foreign then the Inquiry or Direct format that has
been drilled into us since starting the program. This is quite nice when the two classes that this lesson plan is for can be unruly and if things arent to
the point it could be very difficult for a sub to go along with. However for me this was a rather straight forward lesson and went off without a hitch
for the most part. These classes since they are high inclusion tend to be difficult at times to stay on task. So I came up with how Id want the groups
to be and putting the students who talked often in groups with others they werent accustomed to working with. Fortunately the way her class splits
up is that there are more kids who do their work then dont and a majority of these students tend to sit in the same area so it was easy to split them up
amongst groups. Now since this exercise took up a majority of the time it required quite a bit of classroom management on my part as the students
that like to gab also have the tendency to wander around the classroom. It was safe to say that my classroom management skills had to be put into
overdrive and is one of the reasons that I put the participation grade in for these two classes as there are some students that no matter what Mrs. Tate
and I do refuse to do their work. This was to ensure that the students who did their work would get full credit while those that didnt would get 25%
of it taken away. To do this I would continuously walk around assess how the students were doing when going through the political cartoons, write
down my participation sore on a sheet that had their groups and names of the students in it. This although a simple solution I can see being difficult
for teachers as it requires them to constantly be looking around and making sure the students are on task. Eric unfortunately was one of those students
that lost points for not actively participating even after I spoke with him. Jessica on the other hand needed to be reminded to stay on task but after this

actively engaged her group. This was moderately refreshing thankfully and showed as example of an activity that can get a potential student like her
involved.
Overall I was quite pleased with how my lesson turned out and it allowed for great practice in classroom management. My students that I
wrote about performed okay and had to be put back on task at times. This format of doing lesson plans I do like as it to the point and although
peculiar I found a way that I can incorporate it into my lecture lessons. It has everything that is needed for a veteran of the program who has
experience with making accommodations as they arent explicitly stated. The one thing Id do to make sure that this is even more easily accessible is
to add a modifications sections as I struggled with basic lesson planning when I first started this program and couldnt imagine a student who isnt
familiar with lesson planning to attempt this. Overall though I think the program is right to go with this format as it is quite easy to input and will lead
to better quality lessons overall in my opinion.

Problem Based Enhanced Language Learning

Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University

Author Name:
Program: World
Class: 9th Grade
David Denogean
History
Title of Experience: Political Cartoons of the Scramble for Africa
Problem or Situation for Teacher Candidates to Identify Problem: What was
the opinion of the world in regards to the Africa and why Europe engulfed
Africa in a few short years?
Time Frame: 50 minutes
Standard(s): Arizona History Standards
PO 4. Analyze the effects of European and American colonialism on their
colonies (e.g., artificially drawn boundaries, one-crop economies, creation of
economic dependence, population relocation, cultural suppression).
1 Language Standard 3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions
in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully
when reading or listening.
Goals or Learner Outcomes: Students will be able to
Analzye why Europe engulfed the whole of Africa in a few short years.
Synthsize why this created one crop economies.
Identify the European attitude towards the neighbors
Defininng the White Mans Burden
Skills practiced: Students will be using their deducting and analyzing skills
on what message their political cartoons are conveying about the Scramble
fo Africa
Materials: A DBQ booklet that has
Operational Vocabulary
Vocabulary needed for the experience,
introduced prior to when it is needed.
1. Imperialism
2. Colonies
3. British Empire

Conceptual Vocabulary
Vocabulary that will be developed as a
result of the experiences.
1. 1 Crop Economies
2. The White Mans Burden
3. Social Darwinism

4. Sepoy Rebellion
5. Indirect Rule
6. Direct Rule

4. Berlin Conference
5. Boer War
6. Shaka Zulu

Engage:
Each political cartoon will have a theme and be depicting one of the vocabulary words
and it will be the students job in groups of three to four to determine which vocabulary
word the cartoon is describing.
Theyll also be tasked with each group writing a brief 4-5 sentence excerpt on how
they felt about the picture and what the author was trying to convey about the topic.
Explore:
Students will use their analytical skills to determine what the cartoon is about and
what vocabulary word the cartoon is trying represent.
If the student is unsure about which is which they will be able to use their deductive
reasoning skills to eliminate the obvious ones.
Theyll work in groups of 3 to determine which vocabulary word fits with which cartoon
and on how to craft their responses. This will also allow for any ELL to potential
engage in the material with their fellow students. Also since they are in groups it is a
group write up on what they have determined the pictures were trying to convey. This
allows for them to convey their thoughts on the topic, synthesize the information, all
without having to necessarily write them down and will each receive copies of the
group work for their notes.
Explain:
The students will be reflecting on the primary sources that tie into my lesson on the
Scramble Africa with visuals of the vocabulary words the teacher included in the
lecture. This gives them an idea of what the vocabulary words are as opposed to just
having a standard definition for the topic.
Sharing Strategies:
The students will be sharing their ideas with one another in their groups of three to
four on which vocabulary word the political cartoon is trying to convey. After theyve
decided on what vocabulary word connects to what cartoon theyll write what they
determined the author was trying to say about the topic in 4-5 sentences.
Elaborate:

The students will elaborate on the political cartoons and write a brief 4-5 sentences on
what they felt the author was trying to convey about the topic in the cartoon.
Evaluate:
The group will be evaluated on their paper that they turn in after the exercise based
on what they have discovered on the political cartoon which shall be from their 4-5
sentence ellaboration. The teacher is also to be tasked to walk around and make sure
students are actively participating in the discussion. These participation points acount
for around 25% percent of the total grade and the other 75% being determined by the
group work that is presented.

Identify and Describe an ELLs Language Learning Needs

Step #1: Narrative Description of Eric and Jessica
There are no ELL students in my class but since it is a high inclusion class there is high proponent of students who are on IEPs. The two
students I shall be working with are on IEPs for various reasons that the Special Education instructor has yet to divulge. However through dialogue
with my IMT and the students I have gotten a decent idea of how they are. One is named Eric who is 17 years old and a junior at Chandler high
school. He is first generation U.S. citizen who is the oldest of 4 siblings and happens to be Mexican American. He states that he often doesnt see the
point in school and is conflicted as to whether he should drop out or not to help is family.
The next student I shall be talking about is Jessica who is 16 years old and is a junior at Chandler high school. She is a 2nd generation Mexican
American student who happens to be the oldest of 3 siblings. I also come to find out that she has a 1 year old that often occupies most of her time.
She wants to drop out so she can attempt to support her child full time but her parents refuse to let her. There appears to be a bit of contention with
her and he parents. This is shown in her school work as she appears to intentionally not turn it in. The girl is bright based on the work she does turn in
but it is often rare that she turns it in.
Step 2: Data Chart
SKILLS
WRITING

Informal
Observations
Eric has quite a bit of
spelling mistakes,
grammatical errors,
poor sentence
structure, and often has
one too many run on
sentences. He often
struggles to portray his
ideas in the written
word. Turns in
homework either at the
end of the quarter or
every other day.
Jessica on the other
hand has little to no
errors with the

ASSESSMENTS
Homework
Tests
50%

40%

20%

60%

occasional spelling
mistake. She has no
trouble describing her
ideas like Eric.
However she rarely
turns in her homework.
READING

Eric appears to struggle

immensely with
reading as well. Far
below the average
reading level of the
other students.
Jessica appears to
struggle with certain
words but often is
concise when reading
aloud in class. Her
reading level appears
to be that of a
Freshmen.

ATENTIVENESS Eric often is

disengaged from the
class by either sleeping
or refusing to take
notes. Often has to be
railroaded back on task
multiple times
throughout the class
period.
Jessica is often is
mildly disengaged
from class but she does
take notes on occasion.
She however has the

tendency to wander the

classroom at times and
can often be seen on
her phone.

LISTENING

They both follow

directions to an extent.
The behavior that they
often are expressing is
correctable although
the teacher will have to
remind them multiple
times to take notes or
stay in their seat.

Step 3: Discussion of Findings

What I found through my analysis of the data:
Not having any ELL students really had me to look outside the box in regards to this assignment
but fortunately there are an influx of students on IEPs thanks to my IMT having all inclusion
classes. What was discovered with these students is that it isnt always so black and white when
it comes to behavior problems in class. When learning about these two students it became
abundantly clear to me that their lives outside of class mattered way more than that of in school.
To find out that one of your students are thinking about dropping out based on the fact that they
seek to help their families is a harsh reality that many teachers will face. However as teachers it
is our duty to at least help these students while they are in our class to hopefully be the best
citizens they can be.
What I discovered with Eric is that his disengagement stems from that he got used to just being
able to put in minimal effort and still pass as he stated that they would never fail him before he
made it to high school. Coupled with the fact that his parents are struggling it is no wonder that
he has other things on his mind then the Progressive Era. These two factors made it painfully
obvious that school is the furthest thing from his mind as all he appears to be concerned with is
alleviating the burden of his struggling parents. Coupled with the fact that he hasnt really had to
apply himself and just was merely passed along explains his apathy for school.
As for Jessica she is a bright student when she applies herself, however she too doesnt see the
point in school and wants to drop out for a completely different reason. She has a child that
appears to be on the forefront of her mind. When I had a dialogue with her she made it quite
clear that she wanted to drop out so she could care and provide for her child. However she stated
that her parents refuse to let her drop out as they see school as a way for her to provide a better
life for her child. She often will act out in class and try to get out of class. However when she is
in class and applies herself she is actually a competent student. However it is painfully obvious
that there is tension at home that is on the forefront of her mind and often will inadvertently
express these frustrations in class. It almost appears like she is rebelling against her parents a bit
and doing what she can to ensure that they will allow her to drop out.
How the students language needs are being met in the classroom:
These students needs are being met in regards to language as this class also has an aide that
specifically works with the students who are struggling or on IEPs. They also are given extra
time depending on the IEP for Mrs. Tates classroom as well as a bit of her leniency when it
comes to doing said work which unfortunately many students take advantage of. She also gives
the students notes in which they have to fill out when going along with her power points and this
does help them quite a bit to follow along during the lecture whilst also becoming more familiar
with their vocabulary for the class. Overall Id say their needs are being met for this class.
Step 4: Reflection
1.

How would you rate your ability to collect and analyze data/evidence and to use it to identify
ELLs language proficiencies and needs?

I think I did quite well as although I wasnt able to completely see the students grades I was
able to base my observations off of what I saw in class and the work that I was able to grade.
Their will always be room for improvement but overall I think I did a great job getting the data
that I needed and will further be able in my data gathering for when I have my own class so I
can meet the needs of my students.
2.

3.

What was challenging for you? How did you deal with the challenges?
The toughest thing Ive had is that there were no ELLs in the classes that I observed nor in the
other teachers class that I happen to observe in. However there are a high proponent of IEP
students and since these students have needs that would need to be met I pivoted and went to
gather information on these students to better fit their needs.
What have you learned through this process that you will use when you are teaching in your
own classroom in the future?
I think that this process will be an invaluable tool for me once I start to teaching as it will help
me better see to the needs of all of my students. It also showed me how to pivot on the fly with
lack of ELLs and assess other students that may have similar needs. Overall this was a very
productive exercise and shall use when I need to see what I can do to allow for my students to
succeed in my class.