SophiaRenda

Unit1NarrativeReflection
Brainstormingthefirstweekofschoolunit,Irepeatedlycamebacktothekey
considerationthatwhatnorms,practices,interactions,andtoneswereintroducedthis
weekwouldshapetheclassdynamicfortheyeartocome.Especiallywithninthgraders,
orientingthemselvestoanewspaceinwhichtheypotentiallyknowfewothers,thefirst
weekstagesthevitaltaskoffosteringaclassroomcommunitythataccountsthemultiple
diversitiesofthestudentsandrecognizesthemasbothindividualsandpartofagreater
group.Planninghowtobuildthisclassroomcommunitymustincorporatearangeof
accesspointsforthestudentsbeforetheteacherevenknowswhothestudentsare.In
strategizingmymethods,IwanttoestablishthecomponentsthatI,informedaswellby
ourclassdiscussionsandreadings,thinkcontributetoapproachingasupportive,
equitablelearningcommunity.Thoughreinforcingthemthroughtheyearwillbevital,I
strivetohavetheclassactivelyengagethesepracticesduringthisfirstweek.
Afirsttenetofcommunitybuildingissettingnorms,whichrequiresboth
establishingroutinesandproceduresandalsomodelingandpracticinginterpersonal
relationships.Clear,explicit,andcollectivelyagreeduponexpectationsarecrucial.
Havingaknownsenseofregularityorhowthingsaredonemaydecreaseanxietyfor
certainstudents,anditwillalsohelpstudentstoselfregulateorpeermediatewhen
expectationsarenotbeingmet.Iwantedtoensurethattheseexpectationswerea
collectiveendeavorandalsoleadwiththeconceptofbelonging.Myfirstactivityhasall
ussittinginalargecirclearoundatrashcan.Weprivatelywriteordepictanegative
educationalenvironmentormomentwehaveexperiencedandthencrumpleupthepapers

andthrowtheminthetrashatthesametime.Itsgoofy,butdesignedtoreleasesome
stressandoverwhelmofthefirstday.Ontheothersheetofpaper,wedepictan
educationalenvironmentwherewefeltasenseofbelonging,andthendetermine
somethingaboutthatexperiencethatmightbetranslatabletoourclassroomcommunity.
Volunteersshareout(either/bothexperienceandtakeaway)andwefillinthegaps
together.Studentswhoperhapsarenotyetcomfortablespeakingtotheclassareinvited
toaddtheirdepictionstotheposterastheillustration.
Anaspectofthisactivityisacknowledgingthatweallhavepasteducationallives
andexperiences,bothpositiveandnegative,thatwenecessarilybringintoanynew
classroom.Thoseinformandshapewhoweareaslearners,buttheydonotdictateour
educationalfutures.Thisactivityaimstopromoteanddemonstrateagrowthmindset,in
thistrajectoryofCarolDweck,bynotmerelytellingthestudentstheyhaveachanceto
startover,butbylevelingwiththem,acknowledgingthattheirpastmatters,butthey
alsohaveagencyindeterminingwhattheychoosetobringintotheirfutureeducational
trajectories.Thisactivityhasstudentsbeginexploringnotionsofwhotheyareandwho
theymightwanttobeaslearners,withoutaskingthemtorevealtoomuch.Iconsidernot
forcingstudentsvulnerabilitybeforetrusthasbeenestablishedanotherkeyto
authenticallybuildingcommunitygradually.
Theseconddaychallengesstudentstobeginmorecriticallyexploringwhothey
areinthecommunity,andhowthewaytheseethemselvesmaybedifferentthanhow
theyareperceived.Thepostcardscrambleactivityhasstudentschooseanonhuman
imagethatrepresentsapartoftheiridentity,andthenscrambletofindanewpartner

eachtimeIplayasound.Theywillintroducethemselves(becauseitistheseconddayof
school!),answeralowstakesquestion(e.g.Whatwasthebestmealyouatethis
summer?)andthenrespectfullyexplainwhattheirimagerepresents.Inthesecondhalfof
thescramble,studentswhofeelcomfortablecanlettheirpartnerguesswhatthepicture
represents,andthepictureownercanthenexplainwhy/iftheyarerightorwrong.I
adaptedthisactivityfromtheguestteacherwehadbecauseIthoughtthatthepostcard
selectionandscramblingwouldbesomewhatsillyenergizersforall,andespecially
appealtothosestudentswholearnkinesthicallyandvisually.AccordingtoHoward
Gardner,wehavemultipleintelligencesthatinformhowwethink,process,andlearn,
andthesearedistributedtovariousdegreesamongstallofus.Therefore,incorporating
variouslearningactivitiesandassessmentsthatappealtotherangeofcontributestoan
equitablelearningenvironmentwheredifferentstrengthsarevaluedanddeveloped.
Awholegroupdiscussionfollowingwillexplorehowwhoweareismorethan
meetstheeye,andhowfirstimpressionsareoftenmisleading.Thisinvitesconnections
fromthepreviousnightsmediumflexiblejournalassignment,Whatkindoffirst
impressiondoyouthinkpeoplehaveofyou?Howisitaccurateandhowisitwrong?If
studentsdonotwanttosharetheirentries,theycandiscusstheactivity.Ifstudentshave
notcompletedthehomework,thereisstillanopportunityforthemtoparticipateand
engage.Thisdiscussionwillalsosetnorms:tyingpersonaljournalstoclassactivities
withoutmandatingpublicsharing,allowingcontributionevenforthosewhohavenot
completedhomework,andgroupreflectiononactivities(whydidwedothisandwhat
didwelearn?).Thisreflexiveemphasisisinformedbymyunderstandingofaculturally

relevantpedagogyasarticulatedbyGloriaLadsonBillings.LadsonBillingsdescribes
howtheculturallyrelevantteacherpushesbackagainsttherightanswerapproachby
enablingherstudentstoaskwhy,ortoseekthepurposebehindeachlesson(482).This
teachermotivatesthestudenttochallengeeducationtheycannotseethepurposebehind.
Thisdaytheywillalsoexplorethemutabilityofidentityfurtherinathinkpair
shareactivityrespondingtothequoteontheboard(agreeing/disagreeing/bothandwhy).
Anobjectivethisweekistoexposestudentstotypesofactivitiesthatwillberegularly
utilizedsothattheybegintofeelcomfortable(andtosavetimewhenIsaythinkpair
shareinthefuture).Thequote(Itseasytobecomeanythingyouwishsolongas
yourewillingtoforfeityoursoul.),whichstagesmyfirstessentialquestion,Howdoes
whoweareformandtransform?isdrawnfromtheirsummerreadingbookAmerican
BornChinese,butifstudentsdidnotreadit,theycanstillcontribute.Thejournal
assignmentgoingintoDay3furtherencouragesstudentstobeginthinkingaboutessential
questionsbyexplicitlyrespondingtooneofthemthroughapersonalexperience.This
offerschoice,anditdemonstratestostudentstheconnectionbetweenwhotheyareand
thecontentofthecourse,animportantnormIhopetocultivate.
Thethirddayiswhencontentismorerigorouslybroughtintotheclass,while
stillfosteringcommunityandaccountingfortheschooladjustmentsthatarestillvery
muchatplay.WhileIdonotstrivetogetintoheavyplotanalysis,Iwantthestudentsto
beginthinkingabouttheessentialquestionsoftheunitandconnectthistotheirsummer
reading.Asinthepreviousdays,Iamalsogatheringinformationaboutstudentslearning
preferences.Thestudentswillreceiveexitticketswhentheyentertheroom,each

featuringasymbol.Theywillhavetofindapartnerintheclasswhohasthesame
symbol;therearefiveorsixsymbols,sosomechoiceofspecificpartner.Withtheir
partner,theywillmovetooneofthestations.Iwillexplaintheconceptandrulesofa
gallerywalkandthattheywillberespondingtonotonlythepanelsdepictedontheir
sheet,butalsotothecommentsoftheirpeersastheymovearoundtheroom.Iwillstress
theclassroomexpectationsofrespectforthisactivity.Afterrotatingbacktotheiroriginal
stations,studentswillsummarizetothewholegroup,andthenreturntotheirseatsfora
discussion.Inthisdiscussion,thestudentswillanalyzenotonlythecontentofthe
responses,butalsotheirexperienceoftheactivity.Thiswillallowmetogaugewhatwas
orwasnoteffectiveaswellaswhatlearnersbenefitfromthistypeofactivity.
Atmysummerfieldsite,theWorkshopSchoolstudentsoftenemphasizedhow
foreachoftheirprojects,theywererequiredtoreflectextensivelyontheprocessand
howtheyaslearnerspursuednewskillsordemonstratedunderstanding(seeStudent
Interviewslink).Thisreflexivityallowedthemtoassesstheirownstrengthsaslearners
andtodevelopacriticalselfawareness.Ithinkhavingstudentspracticeidentifyingand
articulatingtheirlearningpreferences(aswellasareastoimprove)isacrucialskillthat
willallowthemtoeffectivelydemonstrateunderstandingandadvocateforthemselvesif
theyknowtheywillneedadditionalsupports.InIntegratingDifferentiatedInstruction
andUnderstandingbyDesign,TomlinsonandMcTighepromoteteachingthatcultivates
ametacognitiveawarenessofhowandwhyspecificskillsarebeneficialandwhenthey
arebestapplied(112).Ibelievethatpracticingthismetacognitiveawarenessiscrucial

notonlyintermsofskills,butindevelopingasenseoftrustthattheactivitiesandskills
weundertakehaveapurposeandapplicabilitybeyondthedurationoftheclass.
NextIwillintroducethePersonalVisualNarrativeProject,whichintroduces
studentstotheconceptofessentialquestionsandthatthesewilloftenrequirethemto
synthesizetheirpersonalexperiencesandclasscontent.Thisprojecthasthestudents
respondtoanessentialquestionthroughavisualnarrativedepictingapersonal
experience.InTheSilencedDialogue,LisaDelpitstressesthatWemustkeepthe
perspectivethatpeopleareexpertsontheirownlives.Therearecertainlyaspectsofthe
outsideworldofwhichtheymaynotbeaware,buttheycanbetheonlyauthentic
chroniclersoftheirownexperience(47).Thisassignmentinvitesstudentstobegin
takingonthisroleofthechronicler,andwillallowmetoplanfuturelessonsaround
whattypesofexperiencestheysurface.Thevisualnarrativemustadditionally
demonstrateanunderstandingofatleasttwoofthegraphicnovelelementsdiscussed,and
canbeinadigitalorapapermedium.Withthisflexibility,alongwiththetictactoe
rubricintroducedinourclassthissummer,Ihavebuiltinadegreeofchoice,buthave
alsomadeclearthatallstudentswillmeetcertainrequirements.
Beforestudentsleave,Iwillchecktheirunderstandingofvisualnarrativesand
classroomexpectationswithanexitticketaskingthemtodescribehowaclassroom
expectationmightbeexpressedthroughavisualnarrative.Thiswillserveasawriting
diagnosticaswellaschancetoseewhetherstudentsfeelcomfortableapplyingthe
conceptslearnedthatday.Thisisatypeofformativeassessmentthatwillallowmeto
potentiallyadaptmyinstructiontoclearupconfusion.Additionally,Ideliberatelydonot

assignnewhomeworksothatstudentswhomaynothavedonethepreviousnights
assignmentcancompleteitandbeonthesamepagetobegintheproject.
Thefourthandfifthdayscenteraroundconstructingthepersonalvisual
narratives.Thefirstpartofthedaywillbeajigsawresearchactivity,wherehalfthe
studentsexploreonevisualstorytellingplatformandtheothersadifferentone.They
compilepros,cons,andgeneralresponsesfollowingagraphicorganizer,andthenshare
backtotheclassontheirfindings.Duringtherestoftheperiodtheywillhaveachanceto
exploreanddecideupontheirmedium,brainstorm,andaskquestions/receivefeedback.
Anotherexitticketwillallowmetoseewheretheyareintheplanningprocess.The
homeworkistoplan/drafttheirnarratives,whichwillgivestudentsmoretimeand
independentspacetocreateanddeveloptheirideas.
Thefinaldayallowsformoreplanningandexecutingthevisualnarratives,
structuredpeerfeedbackaccordingtotheprojectrubric,andtheopportunityforthose
whoarefinishedtopresentandreceivefeedback.Iintentionallydonotrequireall
studentstopresentfortworeasons:Idonotwantthosewhofeeltheirnarrativeisvery
personaltobeforcedtoshareasitisstillthefirstweek,andIwantstudentswhowould
likemoretimetoincorporatefeedbacktohavetheweekendandpotentiallytimethe
followingweektomakefinaltouches.HavingvolunteerspresentFridaywillallowthe
classtopracticeassessingeachotherwiththestudentswhoostensiblyfeelmore
confidentsharingpublicly.
Thoughthelatterpartoftheweekdoesnotexplicitlyfocusonbuildingthe
classroomcommunity,Ihaveattemptedtobuildinarangeoflearningactivitiesthat

introducenorms,requiregroupparticipation,practiceclassexpectations,gentlystretch
comfortzones,andformpersonalconnectionsbetweenandamongstudents.The
classroomcommunityisaprocess,andwillcontinuetodevelopandevolvethroughout
theyear.However,theforegroundingofquestionsaboutperception,perspective,andthe
mutable/adaptablenatureofidentityseemcrucialtoestablishasthesewillcarrythrough
theyearandinformhowtheweaslearnersengageeachotherandmaterial.

QuestionsaboutImplementation:
Manyconcernsandvariablesweighedonmewhenconstructingthisunit,
particularlybecauseitisthefirstunitoftheyearandmuchisunknownaboutthestudents
intheclassandthedynamicsthatwillemerge.Nonetheless,Iattemptedtoconstructa
planthatcouldbeadaptableanddifferentiatedtoaccountfordiversegroups.
Oneofmymajorsourcesoftensionwasdetermininghowmuchcontentto
introduceinthefirstweek.Iwantedtofindabalancebetweeneasingstudentsintothe
yearanddemonstratingtostudentsthatweweredoingsomethingworthwhileintheclass.
PartiallyinformedbyaconversationIhadwithastudentattheWorkshopSchool,who
rolledhiseyesashedescribedfirstweeksofschoolinwhichalltheyseemedtodowere
thesameicebreakersoverandover,Igrappledwithhowmuchtodiverightinandhow
muchtosticktocommunitybuilding.IndeterminingmyessentialquestionsItherefore
attemptedtobringbothconsiderationstogether.Establishinghighexpectationswas
importantformeinthisweek,andthatincludingpersonal/socialexpectationsbutalso
academicrigor.Tothatend,Idecidedtoincludethesummerreadingtext,butonlyina

wayinwhichitcontributedtothegreatergoaloftheweekbuildingacommunity.In
thefollowingweeks,thetextcouldbemoredeeplyexplored.
Anotherdominantconcernofminewastiming,especiallyintermsoffitting
certainthingsintodaysinasequencethatmadesense.Withonly47minutes,
determiningwheretobreakthingsupandshufflethemaroundwasachallenge,
especiallyasIwantedtoincludearangeofdifferentactivitieseachday.Ialsoworried
abouttimeconsumingthingslikearrangingdesks,studentsshufflingaroundintransition,
etc.,asmanyofmydaysdoinvolvemovementorrestructuringoftheclassroomspace.
Morebroadly,IamconcernedaboutwhetherIhaveallocatedenoughtimeformostof
myactivities.IfeelasifIhavelittlesenseofhowlongcertainactivitiesorconversations
willreallytakewiththesestudents,andIdonotthinkIhaveaccountedforenough
buffertime.
OtherquestionsIhaveaboutimplementingthislessonhavealottodowith
schoolcultureandeducationalbackground.Arestudentsfastidiousaboutdoingtheir
homework?Whattypeofcomfortlevelsandexperiencedotheyhavewithassignments
thathavealotofchoicebuiltin?Wheredotheystandwithbringingpersonalexperiences
intotheclassroom?Whenitcomestothesequestionsofschoolcultureandeducational
background,Ihaveattemptedtomakeaccommodationsthataccountforstudentsvarious
levelsofcomfortorfamiliaritywithcertainideasormethods.AsImentionedinmy
narrativeabove,Ithinkpushingstudentstoofaroutoftheircomfortzoneinthefirst
weekwillbedetrimentaltoestablishingtrustintheclassroom.

WorksCited:
Delpit,L.D.(2006).Otherpeopleschildren:Culturalconflictintheclassroom.New
York:NewPress.
Dweck,CarolS.(2010).MindSetsandEquitableEducation.PrincipalLeadership.
Reston:Vol.10,Iss.5,p.2629.
LadsonBillings,G.(1995).TowardaTheoryofCulturallyRelevantPedagogy.
AmericanEducationalResearchJournal,32(3),465491.
MultipleIntellifencesOasisHowardGardnersOfficialMISite,(n.d).
http://multipleintelligencesoasis.org/
Tomlinson,C.A.,&McTighe,J.(2006).Integratingdifferentiatedinstruction&
understandingbydesign:Connectingcontentandkids.Alexandria,VA:Associationfor
SupervisionandCurriculumDevelopment.

10