INTASC principle one is all about content knowledge. Not only knowing the content for each class, but the teacher must also be able to plan a variety of activities in order to make the content meaningful to the students. This principle stresses the “knowing” aspect of teaching. By this I mean, being able to think fast in order to answer questions and if the teacher does not know the answer to the question then they should know where to go to find the answer. The teacher should plan a variety of activities using visual and audio resources in order to get the content knowledge across to the students and make it meaningful to them as well. In the classroom I would show my knowledge of this principle by planning a lesson using various learning techniques, such as a video clip for those who learn visually, and an audio clip who learn better by sitting and listening. I would also prepare for the class by making sure that I know everything I should in order to teach the lesson and I would make activities that are interactive so that the students learn the material and so that they find what they are learning meaningful to them. For example, while completing my middle school internship I was able to relate the content about the Black Plague by using the song "Ring Around the Rosie". The students were surprised and intrigued by the idea of the childhood song being related to the content they were learning in their seventh grade social studies class. This principle is very important because if the students do not care about what they are learning, then we as teachers will not know if the student is truly struggling with the content or if they are struggling because they are not paying attention. Relating the content to the students lives is a good way to try and keep the students attention throughout the whole lesson. It is important for the students to find the information meaningful and it is the teachers job to show the students that the content is important and meaningful.
Artifact A is from my methods class at Towson University. The artifact is a unit plan that I designed for the Executive Branch unit for ninth grade government. Included are the lesson plans for all twelve days of instruction, the handouts and the summative assessment for the end of the unit. The artifact demonstrates my proficiency in this principle because I was able to demonstrate my knowledge of the content in social studies. The artifact displays my expansive knowledge of the executive branch at the not only the national level, but the state and local level as well. The artifact starts out with the formal and informal qualifications to be President of the United States, then moves into the process of being nominated and elected to office including the Electoral College. The artifact then has the students look at the roles of the President, and the Cabinet of the Executive Branch. After spending a few days on the President of the United States, the students would then focus on the Governor and the County Executive. This artifact had a positive impact on student achievement. To assess comprehension of the concepts and the impact of learning, I have constructed several different ways to assess the students. Some days the students would complete a short wrap up activity at the end of class assessing what they learned that day. Other days students will use their writing skills to show me that they learned the concepts for that day. At the end of the unit, the students would be assessed by a summative assessment that is made up of matching, multiple choice and BCR questions. This artifact demonstrates the “assessing prior knowledge” aspect of the Planning-Teaching- Learning cycle because I used my knowledge of the curriculum to know that the students would already know about the US Constitution and the Legislative Branch in order to know that they were now ready to learn about the Executive Branch. This artifact demonstrates various instructional strategies and assessment options.
Artifact B is the unit plan attached above that was designed for a ninth grade government class that would be learning the Executive Branch. Included in this artifact are the lesson plans, handouts and assessments necessary to teach this unit. This artifact demonstrates my proficiency in this principle because I planned a variety of activities to make the learning experience meaningful for everyone. Throughout the unit I have planned hands on activities, small group activities, and activities that would be completed individually. For example, for the students to demonstrate their knowledge of the qualifications to be President of the US I have the students create a Help Wanted Ad for an imaginary Presidential candidate. I have also been able to relate the content to the student’s lives. This artifact will have a positive impact on student achievement. By making the content meaningful and relevant to the student’s lives they will be more apt to want to participate and do well on the assignments. I have incorporated many different types of assessments throughout the unit plan as well to cater to the different type of students I may encounter while teaching. This artifact demonstrates the “planning” aspect of the Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle because throughout the unit I planned activities and assessments to make the content meaningful and relevant to all students.
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Artifact A is from my methods class at Towson University. The artifact is a unit plan that I designed for the Executive Branch unit for ninth grade government. Included are the lesson plans for all twelve days of instruction, the handouts and the summative assessment for the end of the unit. The artifact demonstrates my proficiency in this principle because I was able to demonstrate my knowledge of the content in social studies. The artifact displays my expansive knowledge of the executive branch at the not only the national level, but the state and local level as well. The artifact starts out with the formal and informal qualifications to be President of the United States, then moves into the process of being nominated and elected to office including the Electoral College. The artifact then has the students look at the roles of the President, and the Cabinet of the Executive Branch. After spending a few days on the President of the United States, the students would then focus on the Governor and the County Executive. This artifact had a positive impact on student achievement. To assess comprehension of the concepts and the impact of learning, I have constructed several different ways to assess the students. Some days the students would complete a short wrap up activity at the end of class assessing what they learned that day. Other days students will use their writing skills to show me that they learned the concepts for that day. At the end of the unit, the students would be assessed by a summative assessment that is made up of matching, multiple choice and BCR questions. This artifact demonstrates the “assessing prior knowledge” aspect of the Planning-Teaching- Learning cycle because I used my knowledge of the curriculum to know that the students would already know about the US Constitution and the Legislative Branch in order to know that they were now ready to learn about the Executive Branch. This artifact demonstrates various instructional strategies and assessment options.
Artifact B is the unit plan attached above that was designed for a ninth grade government class that would be learning the Executive Branch. Included in this artifact are the lesson plans, handouts and assessments necessary to teach this unit. This artifact demonstrates my proficiency in this principle because I planned a variety of activities to make the learning experience meaningful for everyone. Throughout the unit I have planned hands on activities, small group activities, and activities that would be completed individually. For example, for the students to demonstrate their knowledge of the qualifications to be President of the US I have the students create a Help Wanted Ad for an imaginary Presidential candidate. I have also been able to relate the content to the student’s lives. This artifact will have a positive impact on student achievement. By making the content meaningful and relevant to the student’s lives they will be more apt to want to participate and do well on the assignments. I have incorporated many different types of assessments throughout the unit plan as well to cater to the different type of students I may encounter while teaching. This artifact demonstrates the “planning” aspect of the Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle because throughout the unit I planned activities and assessments to make the content meaningful and relevant to all students.