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.
  

"The New Vision" How will we teach the "New Age" thinkers & learners?

Educators throughout the nation are searching for ways to make their teaching environment one that will encourage learning.  But realistically, this is hard. What happens when students have different learning styles—and better yet, learning disabilities? Teachers, hence, struggle with implementing all 4 learning styles, as expressed in Bernice McCarthy’s “About Teaching,” in their classrooms. Realistically, each teacher has a distinct learning style as well, which affects how they are able to effectively teach the class.

So where do we go from here? Unlike the educators who have become comfortable in their lecture- based instruction,  “new vision” educators—such as myself—want more for our students! We want learning to transpire that will last a lifetime. We aim to leave a lasting impression. So, immediately when we think “new teaching styles” we think technology, technology, and…technology!!! But is technology the sole answer? I say no way, but is it necessary? Yes way!!  So how do we incorporate technology as a means to enhance learning and not produce lazy scholars? This is a question that we educators struggle with because with the easy accessibility to information students fail to think of technology as a way of solving difficult problems—why—because it is all too easy. We, as "new age" teachers will have to stay up to date with technology. This idea is inspired based on the "Did You Know 4.0" youtube video that uniquely demonstrates the impact of technology on not just the United States, but on the World! 

Check this out: Did You Know 4.0

Thankfully, for the technology challenged, there are other methods of creating integrated learning environments. According to Gloria Ladson-Billing’s article “But That’s Just Good Teaching!” pedagogy needs to be culturally relevant. Billing’s defines culturally relevant teaching as “a pedagogy of opposition not unlike critical pedagogy but specifically committed to collective, not merely individual, empowerment.” This idea sounds GREAT but when attempting to put it into action—ITS HARD! How do I include each student’s culture in my unit plan? How do I make it relevant to what I am teaching? For example, how do I make Shakespeare and Dominican cultural views correlate? Although I do not have an answer to my own questions, I know it can be accomplished with research and a passion for making it happen.  Allowing and encouraging students to be culturally relevant will in turn make students “engage the world and others critically,” which is without a doubt necessary for survival in today's society (Billings). In high school, I remember that it was vitally important to me that my teacher related the content taught to my personal world. It just was not okay for me to read the Scarlet Letter; I needed to know how Scarlet's life and my life as an African American teen correlated. Students need to feel like they can, in some way, connect to the material we force them to sit and listen to. Although in this "new vision" of thinking, I encourage not just sitting and listening, but moving about, interacting, or even jumping around the room (if it's necessary to get the point across)!


Source: But That's Just Good Teaching!


Partnership for 21st Century Skills adds another element for teachers to ponder on. This idea centers around that fact that 21st century children learn in a 21st century way. Although this idea seems direct and quite obvious, the amount of 21st century learning techniques are slight to none in the classroom. Why? Possibly fear, or better yet comfort zones inhibit the allowance of change; but as for me no more! Enough is enough! The standards of the 21st century skills idea presents learning as a community wide task. Therefore, we as teachers cannot limit learning to the confines of a classroom or in the click of a button. We have to integrate this world in which we are "preparing them for" during the preparation stages.  How do you prepare someone for something they have no clue about, or no real life experience in? You cannot; that is why we go through extensive training to even teach these eager minds. So including critical thinking about current events will potentially stimulate learning and interaction of students according to this source, and I whole-heartedly agree.  See: Partnership for 21st Century Skills


All throughout now I constantly hear a ringing in my ear of this new catchy phrase, "Collaborative Teaching." This approach suggests the including of other disciplines in order to explain one discipline in a better manner. This is a "new" concept that fuels off teachers that are willing to study and research. It also calls for teachers of all subject matters to work together. It can be done, and appears to be effective, but are teachers willing to take on the load?  According to Edutopia "Teaching in such a contextual manner promotes collaboration, critical thinking, and knowledge retention." Edutopia seeks, hence the name, a learning environment of which a utopia is reached. In order for this to manifest I agree with Edutopia that the following MUST be enforced: "comprehensive assessment, integrated studies, project-based learning, social & emotional learning, teacher development, and technology integration."  For more: www.Edutopia.com 


Several concepts and ideas have been addressed through this post, which may or may not have created an eager rush within to start making "21st Century Learning" happen in classrooms across the United States. 


Collaboration in Teaching and Learning was the best source I could find to sum up essentially what is needed to create a long-lasting positive learning environment. This link, that essentially centers around collaborative teaching, also incorporates other key elements necessary in the classroom. There are eleven things, according to this video, that are considered vital to reaching today's youth and they are as follows: "emotional support, shared pedagogical understanding, constructivist philosophy, at least four computers per classroom, help to access appropriate material, just-in-time tech and skills support, reliable infrastructure, access to professional development, links to school from home, leadership, and TIME." 


To see video: Collaboration in Teaching and Learning


With the idea's of a "New Vision," or "21st Century Approach" we cannot go wrong, and will not fail our students. The key is to remain open-minded and willing to venture out and take RISKS to REACH! By no means should we forget the teaching styles of the past, for they are our foundation, but we must foresee that our young people are driven by what is before them, and before them is a new wave of thinking and acting--we MUST catch up and ride the wave with them or we will loose them.


--The Learning Liasion