Kathleen Tsai

July 28th 2017

Final Performance Task Narrative

Lesson planning to address content and students

Lesson planning should simultaneously consider content delivery and student identity.

My unit plan teaches scientific measurement. In addition to content, I intentionally build in

opportunities for teachers and students to get to know each other during the first week of school.

Students learn through small group work, project based learning, and backwards design in order

to intentionally reach larger content-based goals. My unit plan also attempts to connect learning

to real world scenarios in order to make science feel relevant and cross disciplinary.

Learning environments depend on more than just interactions between teachers and

students. Race, gender, socioeconomic background, disability status, and language status are just

some identity factors that affect student learning (Oakes, 2013, p.11). These identity factors do

not exist in isolation; rather, they intersect and operate together (Oakes, 2013, p.11). Students

do not leave their identities at the door, but rather their identities affect learning in intersectional

ways. Capturing the whole intersectional picture of student identity requires intentional

integration of identity into lesson plans. It is not enough to address identity or multiculturalism as

a sidebar topic. My placement at the Migrant Education program did not include icebreakers or

name games in the first week. As a student teacher, it was harder to foster authentic relationships

with students without knowing their names or backgrounds right away. The class as a whole also

lacked a sense of coherence. Even the students did not know each others names. This made

small group work difficult.

My unit plan considers the centrality of student identity by incorporating icebreaker

activities on the first and second days. The this or that activity on the first day gives students a
low risk opportunity to share about themselves (first in pairs and then with the whole class if

they wish). The snowball activity on the second day is a fun way for students to get to know each

other in a more involved way. With regard to inclusion and respect for student comfort, students

also have the option to not share openly. In both activities, the teacher encourages students to

share and use names. Since knowing (and pronouncing correctly) a students name is the first

step towards integrating identity, it is crucial for the teacher to master names in the first week of

class. Paying attention to student identities also promotes positive teacher-student relationships.

When it comes to classroom management most problems of disorder in classrooms can be

avoided if teachers foster positive student-teacher relationships (Weinstein, 2015, p.7). My unit

plan uses icebreakers and the get to know you homework to open channels of communication

and foster senses of respect and caring. As a teacher, I would also use the icebreakers and get to

know you homework to begin pinpointing areas of student learning needs (such as ELL

students, students with learning disabilities, and student mindset towards learning science).

Understanding student identity is the first step towards creating opportunities for

inclusion within a lesson plan. English Language Learners and students with diverse learning

needs provide opportunities for intentional inclusion strategies within a lesson plan. I noticed that

students at the Migrant Education program work best in small groups due to language needs. In

small groups, students can translate for each other and clarify understandings without adult

guidance. When teaching English Language Learners, it is important to provide a safe welcome

environment for language risk taking (Weinstein, 2015, p.119). My unit plan allows students to

work in self-selected groups, which allows students to communicate in languages they are most

comfortable in. Day two and four emphasize collaborative over individual work. Student directed

group work benefits English Language Learners and students with disabilities by allowing
students to benefit from each others strengths (Weinstein, 2015, p.120). Finally, lessons that

emphasize doing rather than telling encourage students to learn from experience, a method that

(unlike teacher driven methods) relies less on language skills (Weinstein, 2015, p.120). During

the microwave brownie activity on day three, instead of the teacher telling students why accurate

measurements are important, students work in groups to discover for themselves. On day four,

students work in groups to discover for themselves how measurements can provide interesting

information beyond just a number. Given the success of small group work at the Migrant

Education program and research on the benefits of group work for students with diverse learning

needs, this unit plan intentionally includes project-based group learning.

I also used backwards design to intentionally center lessons on objectives and essential

questions. Understanding by Design (UBD) requires the capacity to think like an assessor

(Tomlinson, 2006, p.165). The need for assessment means that lesson planning should begin by

defining desired student outcomes. This unit plan begins with objectives and essential questions

that guide learning activities. For example, students explore the essential question of why

accurate measurement is important during the microwave brownie activity. Exit tickets and

observation of small group work help the teacher assess and direct student learning towards the

essential question. UBD also has a concern for authenticity in learning activities (Tomlinson,

2006, p.165). Authentic learning draws on student knowledge from everyday life. Authentic

learning is also cross-disciplinary. For example, the lesson plan teaches the importance of

accurate measurement by connecting science to baking (a topic that feels more relevant to

students). Students can apply their everyday knowledge of baking to a new discipline. The unit

plan also has students measure meaningful everyday objects such as pennies. Through small

group work, students take scientific measurements to learn why pennies before 1982 and after
1982 have different compositions. Not only do students learn to take accurate measurements with

a balance, but they also create meaningful cross-disciplinary knowledge in the history of why the

composition of pennies changed from copper to zinc in 1982. Connecting knowledge across

disciplines and relating science to everyday life also encourages growth mindsets. Teachers

foster growth mindsets by leading students to believe they can grow their basic abilities

(Ferlazzo, 2012). If students realize that scientific measurement relates to baking and that

measurement reveals interesting facts about pennies, students will think of themselves as able to

succeed in science. Making science familiar can ease student anxiety around thinking

scientifically. This is especially true for students with fixed mindsets who see themselves as

inept in science. Finally, UBD centers on a blending of facilitative and directed teaching

(Tomlinson, 2006, p.165). The unit plan uses teacher directed mini lessons and facilitation to

scaffold small group, project based learning. Discussion questions like Which brownies look

and taste better, the ones measured with or without measurement tools? Why? guide students to

the answer without giving the answer away. The teacher guides students in creating their own

knowledge rather than directly giving facts and answers.

Lesson plans that use the UBD framework encourage students to develop meaningful and

enduring understandings. At the Migrant Education program, students are sometimes unsure of

learning objectives. For example, one lesson about college readiness required students to

complete a career survey. When I asked students which college majors they were interested in,

several students did not understand how the career survey related to college. The lessons

objective of teaching the importance of college to secure high paying jobs was not made clear to

the students. Student learning could have been improved if the instructor taught students how

college relates to employment. The first step in the WHERETO framework states that students
should know what they will be learning and why this is worth learning (Tomlinson, 2006,

p.121). Lesson plans should begin with the what and why of learning. Additionally, teachers

should convey rationales and objectives to students. Each lesson in my unit plan begins with a

stated, written objective where the teacher tells students the lessons learning goals. Each lesson

centers on essential questions that focus teaching and learning activities towards the target

learning objectives. When lesson plans make learning objectives clear, students are more likely

to develop higher levels of understanding. My lesson plans also help students reach higher levels

of understanding through student directed group work. Lesson plans should also use assessment

to monitor whether students are reaching learning objectives. Evidences of deep understandings

include the abilities to interpret, apply, predict, and explain knowledge (Tomlinson, 2006,

p.117). Teachers should encourage students to develop and demonstrate these understandings

through assessment (Tomlinson, 2006, p.117). My unit plans assessments measure

understanding rather than superficial knowledge. Instead of taking tests, my lessons ask students

to explain and interpret their findings through lab notebook entries and exit tickets. My

assessments also ask students to apply their learning by formulating their own scientific

questions and predictions.

Though I have attempted to build a unit plan that is inclusive, rigorous, and structured

within a UBD framework, I wonder about strategies for differentiating my lesson plan to

accommodate diverse student needs. Will I have a significant English Language Learner

population in my classroom? If so, I will create extra supports such as vocabulary sheets and

group students according to language needs. Will I have students with IEPs in my class? If so, I

will integrate their needs expressed in the IEPs into my lesson plan. In general, I will adjust or

add supports to homework and classwork in order to support students with specific learning
needs. However, since I do not currently know who my students are, I cannot anticipate the best

accommodations at this moment. Beyond IEPs and ELLs, I would constantly adapt my lesson

plans in order to be responsive to student learning. I can infer how students respond to my lesson

plan by observing the students and assessments. I would adjust my teaching according to what I

learn from formal student assessments. Besides observations and assessments, how else will I

gather student feedback? A responsive teacher assesses student learning like a researcher.

Researching in order to respond and adapt is a messy process that involves analyzing, writing,

and reflecting right from the beginning (Hubbard, 2004, p.xix). When teachers view themselves

as researchers, they are more able to integrate opportunities for responsive instruction in lesson

plans. I wonder how I would implement my lesson plan while formally and informally collecting

and responding to student feedback like a researcher. Finally, how can I create a science

curriculum that integrates student identity and multiculturalism beyond just icebreaker activities?

I hope the baking activity sparks conversations about different foods that students make at home.

Integrating multiculturalism in science curriculum is less intuitive. Therefore, I would need to

more intentionally create opportunities for students to express their identities in later lessons

throughout the year.

 References

Ferlazzo, L. (2012, October 15). Response: Classroom Strategies to Foster a Growth Mindset.
Retrieved August 10, 2017, from
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2012/10/response_cl
assroom_strategies_to_foster_a_growth_mindset.html

Hubbard, R., & Power, B. M. (2004). The art of classroom inquiry: a handbook for teacher-
researchers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Oakes, J. (2013). Teaching to change the world. Boulder, CO: Paradigm Pubishers.

Tomlinson, C. A., & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating Differentiated Instruction &

Understanding by Design: Connecting Content and Kids. Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development.

Weinstein, C. S., & Novodvorsky, I. (2015). Middle and secondary classroom management:
lessons from research and practice. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.