Since this is a unit that is focused around The Hunger Games, the reading portion of the lessons is rather obvious, as students need to read and comprehend the book to be successful. They are also asked to read various articles and interpret texts in order to respond thoughtfully and appropriately to discussion and writing topics. Since the reading aspect of language was covered, I tried to focus on the importance of incorporating the remaining three language skills – writing, speaking and listening – while creating this unit.
I did this by paying special attention to ensuring that discussion and dialogue were abundant to allow students the opportunity to not only share their own ideas but also listen to their peers’ opinions and gain additional insight from that. This is done through whole class discussions, but | believe the most beneficial discussions happen during partner and small group work, which provides students the chance to meaningfully collaborate with their peers and offer their interpretations in a much more intimate and safe setting.
The language arts lesson that is centered on a peer-graded group discussion obviously includes speaking, but really focuses in on critical listening. Students must understand the rubric they are presented with then mindfully listen to a peer and evaluate their participation based on the criteria in front of them. Writing is seen in all the lessons, often multiple times. Exit tickets give students the chance to summarize and boil down what they gained from the lesson while also providing me with insight into their comprehension and potential areas of confusion.
Students are also asked to write multiple papers (argumentative, rationale, reflection) building on the topics discussed in class, offering them an opportunity to create meaning from and additional connections with information presented. Student Abilities/Levels Differentiating instruction means tailoring lessons and activities to meet the needs of individual students through differentiating content, process, products, or the learning environment as well as the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping.
This method of instruction hinges on teachers understanding and responding to the variance among learners and making a conscious effort to adjust their teaching to students’ specific strengths and needs. One way that I integrated differentiated instruction in my unit is through an abundance of partner and group work. By mindfully grouping students by interests, topics or ability, I provide them the opportunity to work together and build on each other’s knowledge to successfully address class content and activities while also giving them the chance to gain insight from their peers to help in their overall understanding of the material.
Another benefit of extensive small group work is the time and opportunity it provides to give students more individualized attention and instruction. By teaching a mini lesson, then allowing students to work on target activities and ask questions in a more personal and intimate setting, I will be able to clarify misunderstandings and questions from individuals as well as get a better sense of the class’ overall comprehension of the lesson content. Differentiation is also evident in the projects that students are assigned in the lessons and the choice that they have in what they want to do to meet the requirements.
This gives students the chance to play to their strengths and interests while also requiring them to take more responsibility for the outcome. Finally, as I mentioned in the lesson plan, students who need additional time or help with the final Language Arts unit test will be accommodated as necessary through additional time or instructor support. Aligned with AZ College & Career Standards Objectives serve as a beacon for lessons, helping to focus explicit instruction and activities to allow students to explore content and gain knowledge in the most time-effective and useful way possible.
It is, therefore, essential to take the time to clearly and completely identify and understand both long- and short-term objectives for specific lessons and units. When creating lesson plans it is important to be realistic about what students can conceivably achieve and how they will get there; something that is heavily influenced by our growing knowledge of researched-based instruction. Research-based instructional strategies, or strategies that are based in scientific evidence. bring the best teaching approaches and programs to the forefront of the education field.
By building lesson and unit objectives and activities around such practices, children are more likely to be challenged by and interested in topics and concepts covered in the classroom, setting them on a path to success both in school and in life; one way to do this is through integrated curriculum. Integrated curriculum is meant to lessen the fragmentation that students face in a traditional departmentalized curriculum by focusing on the same theme, subject or project across multiple content areas, allowing students to create meaningful connections between key pieces of information.
This allows academic material to serve as a vehicle for learning and building understanding, rather than a series of seemingly random pieces of information. Additionally, the repetition of material in multiple subjects is essentially eliminated, allowing students to gain more knowledge throughout the school year. Diverse Students Meeting the needs of a variety of students can be extremely difficult; the reality is, however, that it is an inevitable hurdle that all teachers must overcome.
The main strategies that I used to ensure students’ needs are being met include explicitly teaching vocabulary, using multiple forms of assessment, extensive group work, planning for student accommodations on testing and giving students choice in their projects. By integrating a lot of discussion during class then asking the students to put to work their understanding in an artistic or written form, students get the chance to express themselves in a way that is comfortable for them.
Through and understanding that people communicate best in different ways, and giving students access to varied communication methods, I can get a better sense of what students are comprehending and capable of. This also gives me important insight into where students need to focus their work and improve skills, which will help me support them in their academic endeavors. Group work, at its most basic level, gives students the chance to practice their speaking and listening skills.
Since the number of participants is so limited, each child has more of a responsibility to engage and participate in helping the group be successful. This also allows for students who are at a lower level to collaborate with their higher-level peers and potentially gain insight into their thought processes or understanding, which can help with future information. The higher-level students will benefit from this as well, having the chance to solidify their knowledge of concepts and ideas by teaching them to others.
Finally, by giving students choices in the projects they are assigned and pairing artistic works with a written component, students are able to take control of their learning and choose something that is interesting or inspiring to them while also being able to communicate their meaning in multiple ways. This gives students a sense of responsibility for their learning and helps to keep them engaged and motivated to work hard and produce the best work they can.