Master of Arts in Teaching; Elementary Education                                       
                                                                                         Licensure Anticipated 2019

 

Northwestern College                                                                         Bridgeview, IL

Certificate Paralegal Studies                                                                             2014

                                                                                                                                               

Elmhurst College                                                                                      Elmhurst, IL

Bachelor of Arts  Human Services Administration                                          1999

                   
College of DuPage                                                                                  Glen Ellyn, IL

Associate of Applied Science  Child Development                                        1997

 

 

     Also, when teachers realize that there has been a concept of “fixed mindset” for quite some time, it is important to help break those habits.  When students have a growth mindset, “… is that it creates a passion for learning rather than a hunger for approval.”  (Popova, M., 2014).  This is in stark contrast to the fixed mindset, which has found “…people with the fixed mindset see risk and effort as potential giveaways of their inadequacies, revealing that they come up short in some way.” (Popova, M., 2014.).  Showing students the value of learning in order to grow intellectually instead of just get grades and approval is a powerful way of helping them understand they are important and have control over their lives; both present and future.

                                                        References

           Dweck, C. 2015.  Carol Dweck Revisits the ‘Growth Mindset’.  Available here:        www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/09/23/carol-dweck-revisits-the-growth-mindset.html?cmp=cpc-goog-ew-growth+mindset&ccid=growth+mindset&ccag=growth+mindset&cckw=growth%20mindset&cccv=content+ad&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr9T7j5uS2QIVkrrACh3F7AQzEAAYASAAEgL2EfD_BwE 

 

Popova, M.  2014.  Fixed Vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives.  Available here: https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/ 

     Educational theories and practices have been invented and evolved over time to help students become more successful.  In a survey conducted by youthtruthsurvey.org, students from elementary through high school were asked various questions about how they feel about school.  Although many “students may feel challenged to work hard…only about 6 percent of students agree that their assignments help them understand the subject. … …data also found that as students progressed through the grade levels, a lower proportion feel supported in their learning.  When asked whether they learn a lot in class every day, 80 percent of elementary students answered positively compared to only 66 percent of middle school and 59 percent of high school students. …data also found that as students progressed through the grade levels, a lower proportion feel supported in their learning.” ( http://www.youthtruthsurvey.org/academic-rigor/ , 2016).  Although the percentage of elementary students is the highest, what about the other 20 percent?  Looking at what is missing in curriculums and classroom environments to engage students in learning can help teachers understand what needs to happen.  Providing rigorous assignments, activities and lessons cannot only help students learn, but provide opportunities for true student engagement.

     Meaningful lessons, activities, and other class work are an important part of creating a positive environment for rigor.  Expecting students, as a demand,  “…to learn and perform at high levels.” is key since “This requires instruction that allows students to delve deeply into their learning, to engage in critical thinking and problem-solving activities, to be curious and imaginative, and to demonstrate agility and adaptability (Wagner, a)…” (Blackburn, B. Williamson, R. 2010).  Leading students to be engaged in their learning can create a classroom environment that is relevant to students; giving them “…opportunities to demonstrate how they want to pursue their own learning and how they want to demonstrate what they know.” (Mason, C. 2013).  This means that students should have a say in what type of project/product they would like to be involved in (individually or in groups) to complete; being able to have a few choices such as surveys, research, interviews, or artwork.  Teachers can also give students some responsibility over creating “…feedback and evaluation criteria for assignments…”, adding to demands as well as qualities, since “The thought students put into designing the criteria may help them understand more about how to approach the tasks to demonstrate highest levels of understanding.” (Mason, C. 2013).  

  References

Blackburn, B. and Williamson, R. (2010).  4 Myths About Rigor in the Classroom. Available here: http://www.eyeoneducation.com 

Mason, C. (2013).  Realizing Rigor At Your School.  Available here:  https://www.naesp.org/communicator-may-2013/realizing-rigor-your-school

Your Truth: Learning From Student Voice: Academic Rigor (2016).  Rigor Has Become a Buzzword in Education- And With Good Reason. Available here: http://www.youthtruthsurvey.org/academic-rigor/ 

 | Lesson Overview
| Common Core (or other appropriate) State Standard(s): CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1  Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.4  Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area. 
| Rationale/Purpose:  To follow up readings of Stellaluna  with an informational text about real life bats, students will learn about real bats and be able to explain their characteristics. Students will learn about “facts” and “opinions” by writing and comparing sentences.  Engaging students in informational text, they will learn to organize information such as types of bats, sizes of bats, and other facts involving similarities and differences of different bat groups. 
| Objective/SWBAT: Students will be able to explain information about real life bats based on the Non-Fiction text by answering questions which require them to identify characteristics of bats. 
 | Summative Assessment of Lesson Objective(s): Worksheet questions at end of lesson will ask about type of text presented and information about author’s wording (“sweeping”) and phrases.   | Evaluation Criteria: Worksheet, met/not met with opportunities to strengthen skills during other lessons based on this text.  
 | Academic Language: Vocabulary: Fact, opinion, bats, non-fiction, cave, sweeping. | Academic Language: Function: Explain
 | Instructional Materials/Technology: Student and teacher texts Bats A-Z, student writing paper, pencils, dry erase and/or smartboard for class notes, worksheet summative. 
| Planned Supports: Accommodations/ Modifications: Struggling students may write one or two words instead of complete sentences and/or require dictation. Also, may have to read summative questions and answers to these students. Students who are more advanced may write more than one sentence and understand the vocabulary/phrasing quickly. 
 | Lesson Procedures (Including Formative Assessments)
| Opening: Explain: Now that we have read about Stellaluna, which is a fiction story, let’s think about what we think real bats might be like. 
 | Instructional Procedures: *Group students (about 3 to a group) and ask them to think about what real bats are like and write sentences about them. *Back to whole group – ask students to share their sentences about bats. *Review “fact” and “opinion” with students.  Ask students if they think their sentences are fact or opinion. *Keep sentences to work with throughout unit; sorting into “fact”, “opinion”, or “not sure”. *Read pages 1-7 of Bats A-Z, talk about the text, ensuring understanding. 
| Closing:  Summative worksheet questions, allowing students to use the text, then tell students we will continue to explore real bats throughout upcoming days. Questions:  “What kind of book is this?”    “Why do bats leave the cave at night?”   “On page 5, what does the word “sweeping” mean?”   “How long have bats been on Earth?”  Multiple choice.  

 

1.  Word Cloud: List words that you would use to describe bats and create a word cloud to share with your group. (Two sets of partners equals one group; one set of partners per computer.)  This activity aligns with ISTE standards because students must be good Digital Citizens, and develop skills as Knowledge Constructor and Innovative Designers during the process of deciding on vocabulary and how to create their cloud.

2.  Picture Finder: With a partner, search online for pictures of different types of bats and their names (search district approved sites only).  Students can experience being Creative Communicators when they attempt to state what is happening in the pictures.

3.   Question Your Class: With your partner, think of two questions to ask your classmates and teacher about bats (Microsoft Word). Digital Citizens will develop their knowledge while putting their ideas into words, learning more about bats.  They are also Global Collaborators; asking classmates and teachers questions that they may or may not know the answers to.

1. Partner Paragraphs:  Work with your partner, using your word clouds, to create a paragraph (3-4 sentences) about bats (Microsoft Word).  Being Global Collaborators, students will be able to express themselves while also being Knowledge Constructors with the subject matter of bats.

2. Alike and Different: Brainstorm ways in which the two groups of bats (“Microbats” and “Megabats”) are alike and different (Microsoft Word or Google Docs).  Knowledge Constructors will further their ability to classify bats based on specific attributes.  They will also become Computational Thinkers while figuring out what sorts of attributes belong in which category.

3.  Classify:  Use your “Alike and Different” list, as well as results from “Picture Finder”, and put pictures of bats into our two main groups (teacher(s) assist in teaching copy and paste between online searches and Microsoft Word or Google Docs).  Not only will students continue working with knowledge about bats, but also be Knowledge Constructors while learning to copy and paste with technology.  Becoming Innovative Designers and Creative Communicators will take place as students make decisions about how they would like their pictures to “look”.

1.  Nature Center Fieldtrip:Plan a fieldtrip to a Nature Center with an emphasis on bats.  Discover what bats (if any) live in your local area.  Find out how technology is used to help bats.  Students will be able to not only be Knowledge Constructors, but also Empowered Learners as they discover technology used at Nature Centers, perhaps for the first time.

2.  Explore the BatsLive website and write a short summary of what you enjoyed: Use this address: https://batslive.pwnet.org/resource/lesson_plans.php .  Contains many webcasts to watch about bats.  Empowered Learners will be able to choose from a variety of webcasts about bats and be Knowledge Constructors as they learn more about these animals.  Also, students will be Creative Communicators as they retell what they watched in their own way; perhaps writing or drawing about the webcasts.

3.  Online Virtual Tour: Watch the virtual tour at: https://batworld.org/virtural-tour-of-bat-world-sanctuary/to watch how bats are cared for.  Being able to see how bats are cared for during a virtual tour will allow the students to be Knowledge Constructors and Creative Communicators.