Lesson Plans that Work

As I progress through the school of education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, I am daily in pursuit of becoming the best teacher possible for students who genuinely need me and it starts with realizing and understanding my passion to teach. Now that my passion is realized, I am now looking for methods to fluently transfer the required material to students...and in a way that they will enjoy and appreciate. Students are easily bored and I realize that if I do not capture their attention in the first 30 seconds I have risked losing them...scary, but true.

As education systems move forward, integration and equality is also moving forward. As a result of this, students with disabilities (in any for) are now presented with equal education opportunities! This is great!! Unfortunately, teachers have been accustomed to operating in classrooms that have separated students with disabilities from other students, and now the challenge begins.

Questions are asked: "How do I reach these students?" "What can I do in my classroom to fairly include everyone?"...and the list goes on!

That is where my search begins, surfing the net for exceptional lesson plans that include ALL students and list accommodations/modifications. So far my search has been difficult and I have been unable to find online unit/lesson plans that include accommodations. This is unsatisfactory to me, because it is unrealistic for a teacher to believe he or she will have a perfect classroom with perfect students who lack special attention.

My Research:

1. Visualizing Jazz Scenes of the Harlem Renaissance 
Overview: This lesson begins with a summary of the history and chronology of the Harlem Renaissance. Historical background consists of topics such as the northern migration of African-Americans, prohibition, postwar conditions and race relations. During this historical overview, students focus on Harlem as a "Mecca" for African American artists, musicians, and writers. Students read and respond to literary selections that either portray the Harlem jazz scene or were written during the period; they also listen and respond to relevant jazz pieces and view videotapes that illustrate the distinctiveness of the Harlem Renaissance jazz scene. Finally, students demonstrate their understanding of the Harlem Renaissance jazz scene by constructing an exhibit and producing written, artistic and musical interpretations.
    Although this unit fails to include accommodations/modifications, it makes up for the lack with the influx of differentiation and activities.  There is so much contained in this unit that all students should be able to engage in it and learn from it.

2. The Big Bad Wolf: Analyzing Point of View
Many students read without questioning a text or analyzing the author's viewpoint. This lesson encourages sixth- through eighth-grade students to question what they are reading by providing them with the language and skills needed to analyze a text. Students learn to look at the author's purpose, examine multiple viewpoints, and also recognize gaps in the text. By reading two versions of the same tale and completing an interactive Venn diagram, students recognize that there are not only different versions of a story, but also different viewpoints to consider when reading. Extension activities include debating a fairy tale using different character viewpoints.