Teacher’s Name: Ms. Kacey Griffin
School: Hay’s Middle School
Grade Level: Seventh Grade - Science
Year: August 2010 to May 2011
CWS Section I: Unit Topic or Title: Ecology – The Biotic and Abiotic Environment
CWS Section II:
Contextual Factors (from the LRP, key element 1.A)
A. Classroom description – This school is located in North Charleston, South Carolina and it a Title 1 school. The school’s curriculum not only focuses on the students’ needs, but is interwoven with the state standards and Charleston country school district’s curriculum. There are specialized classes that challenge students in the area of science. The majority of the students are African American and receive free or reduced lunch. There are about 13 students for every teacher and about 425 students who attend the school. Specifically in my seventh grade classroom there are ten students. There is one student who has a learning disability, one student who suffers from dyslexia and one student who recently lost her mother to an automobile accident. Another factor that will impact the overall student learning is the majority of the students are going through adolescence and puberty.
B. (Step 1) (I) - Identify Overall Classroom Demands
· Classroom Organization
o “The classroom will reflect me, my care for students, and my interest in learning” (Powell, 2005, p.142).
o Desks are organized in pairs that can easily be rearranged to fit the lesson or activity. There will be large tables in the back of the room with sinks, which will be used for labs or group activities. There will be smaller tables, which be used for one-on-one work for the teacher and the student or for small group activities.
o There are bookshelves with books about various science topics and literature, which will benefit the students when working on projects or activities. There will be a sitting area around the bookshelves to provide students with a relaxing area to do work.
o There are five computers with internet and up-to-date software and programs (Example: Google Earth, National Geographic, Encarta, etc).
o Wall decorations will include classroom rules, motivational sayings, posters appropriate for the unit topic, and students’ work.
o There will be multiple bulletin boards in the classroom with information regarding important dates and school events, one with student work, one with news articles related to the unit topic, and one that corresponds to what’s being taught (Powell, 2005).
o The classroom will be one that is inviting. The environment will say, “This is a place where you are wanted” (Powell, 2005, p.135). The students will feel safe, secure, and comfortable.
o There will be classroom expectations as well as individual student expectations, which will help the students see that I believe they can succeed.
o The following is the classroom rules that will be implemented as well as posted in the classroom:
§ Respect Others
§ Be prepared to learn
§ Follow instruction
§ Do your best
§ (Optional rule that students will come with as a class)
o The following are examples of a few specific procedures that will be implemented:
§ Bathroom Breaks – students will be allowed to use the bathroom during appropriate times such as individual or group time. Students will not be allowed to use the bathroom when the teacher is teaching or explaining assignments.
§ Missing Assignments – If a student is missing an assignment, he/she needs to schedule a time with the teacher for a meeting to discuss why they did not turn in the assignments. The teacher will make accommodations for the students depending on the situation.
§ Absences – If a student is absent, the teacher will remind the student to schedule a meeting to receive the missed assignments. The teacher will make accommodations for the students depending on the situation.
§ Class Disruptions – Instead of calling the student(s) out for disruptions, the teacher will put a note on the students’ desk to see her after class for a meeting to discuss the disruptions.
o Because time is limited in the classroom, the first five minutes and the last five minutes of class will be used to discuss important information and to answer questions. The rest of the class time will be broken into a warm-up activity, lesson, individual work, and a closure. However, this will vary depending on the lesson or activity. The daily schedule will be listed on the board, so the students know what to expect for the day.
· Classroom Grouping
o Students’ desk will be paired together for daily activities.
o There will be flexible grouping to fit the needs of the students such as readiness-based groups, interest-based groups, or student-choice groups.
o When working through a problem, the students will have time to work individually, work in pairs, and then the class will work together.
o Students will be able to work together to review as well as to teach each other.
o Students who need assistance will be paired with another student.
o There will be daily opportunities for students to express themselves through whole class discussions.
o Depending on the activity, the teacher will allow the students to form their own groups. This will allow the students to feel like they are given choice in the classroom. At other times, the teacher will form groups in order to meet the needs of all students.
· Instructional Materials
o Students will have a copy of the textbook that they can leave at home and there will be a class set that will be left in the classroom. This will benefit the students from not having to worry about bringing their textbook back and forth between school and home.
o Manipulatives and models will be used to help students “make connections between the abstractions often presented in school and the real-life products and situation these abstractions represent” (Friend, 2009, p.176).
o Students will make use of technology through the use of the SmartBoard, the computer, the Internet, video cameras, and other forms that will help further their understanding and learning.
o Students will sometimes use simulations, which will help to expose the students to real-life situations (Friend, 2009).
o The classroom will be stocked with a variety of materials for the students to use such as markers, scissors, rulers, erasers, colored pencils, glue, construction paper, magazines, newspapers, fabric scraps, and more. All materials provided will help the students with projects and activities.
· Instructional Methods
o Some instructional methods that positively affect students that will be used in the classroom are setting objectives and providing feedback, cooperative learning, generating and testing hypotheses, identifying similarities and differences, summarizing, reinforcing effort and providing recognition, and cues, questions, and advance organizers (Powell, 2005).
o The following are a variety of instructional activities that will be implemented in the classroom:
§ Lectures, demonstrations, questioning, brainstorming, note taking, enhancing vocabulary, shared vocabulary, role-play and simulations, projects, think-pair-share, jigsaws, graphic organizers, word wall, personal journals, and learning centers (Powell, 2005).
o Learning centers will be used to differentiate instruction (Friend, 2009).
o Students will sometimes learn through inquiry learning, which the students will be required to take the initiative in order to find things out for themselves (Friend, 2009).
o Scaffolding will be used to assist students who are having difficulties.
o Independent practice will occasionally be used and will only be used when it is for certain that students have grasped the concepts.
o Homework will be limited and will only be given in order to benefit the students’ understanding of the content. The average student should be able to complete the homework assignment in 20 minutes when assigned.
· Student Evaluation
o Assessment will be based on the students’ knowledge and understanding.
o Students will be given a diagnostic test at the beginning of each unit in order to see what the students’ knowledge and misconceptions are about the content.
o Students will be given formative and summative assessments (Powell, 2009).
o Students will be provided with feedback on assessments to help them know where they are in relation to learning goals (Powell, 2009).
o Assessment will not be based solely on tests and quizzes, but instead on an array of types such as projects, student responses, labs, participation, presentations, and projects.
o There will be opportunities for the students to improve their grades as well as opportunities to assess their own work and tell me how they felt did on assignments.
o Students will be given rubrics in order to know exactly what the expectations are for each assignment (Powell, 2009).
o Students will be “assigned appropriate work and will be graded on the basis of delineated criteria for quality of work on that task” (Powell, 2009, p.258).
o The students will each have a portfolio of their work that they will be able to keep at the end of the year. These portfolios will not only help the students review material, but it will be a way for them to show what they have learned and completed over the course of a year.
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