Teachers are able to plan different kinds of lessons The teacher organizes and plans systematic instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, pupils, the community, and curriculum goals.
Evidence 1: Grant Project Assignment 1: Needs, Goals, Objectives, Activities and Outcomes
Rationale 1: This grant project was written and planned for my 4th grade Spanish students. The fourth grade curriculum was very dry and needed a pick me up! The idea of communicating with native Spanish speakers is just what was necessary to add some spice to an otherwise boring curriculum that was filled with grammar, grammar and more grammar. The lessons I planned were unique enough to catch the attention of the NEA Foundation, and I am excited to say that I was awarded the student achievement grant that I applied for. Now my students are actually communicating with students from Ecuador. They get to practice all of that grammar they have learned through authentic communication with native speakers! We are fulfilling the curriculum goals in a high interest way, and at the same time providing my school district, specifically my classroom and my students, with $5000 worth of technology to enhance the curriculum and our learning!
Writing this grant really helped me to realize that if I really want or need something, I can write a grant to help me get it. It was a really challenging experience, but I did it, and I was awarded the grant! I know I could do it again if I ever really wanted to. Receiving this grant will also truly help me develop as a teacher. I am going to have $5000 worth of technology installed in my classroom including a Smart Board, a document camera and more. I want to use this technology to the fullest! I have a lot of learning and lesson developing to do over the summer to prepare for next school year!
This grant project has had a great impact on my 4th grade students. This has been evident in their attitudes in class as well as by the survey I just gave to my students. I asked them how they felt at the beginning of the project when I told them they would be communicating with Spanish speakers from Ecuador. Most of the students said they didn’t really think they could do it. They didn’t think they knew enough to effectively communicate in Spanish, but now that their first written letters are done and have been sent, the students said they feel more confident in their communication abilities. Most of them even wanted copies of their letters to bring home to show their parents because they said they knew their parents would be so proud of them!
KSD
7.K.2 The teacher knows how to take contextual considerations (instructional materials; individual student interests, needs, and aptitudes; and community resources) into account when planning instruction that creates an effective bridge between curriculum goals and students’ experiences.
I knew that the 4th grade curriculum needed something to spice it up, and that communicating with native speakers would be just the thing to meet the curriculum goals while bringing in student interests and excitement. This is an experience none of my students have ever had before.
7.S.1 As an individual and a member of a team, the teacher selects and creates learning experiences that are appropriate for curriculum goals, relevant to learners, and based upon principles of effective instruction (e.g. that activate students’ prior knowledge, anticipate preconceptions, encourage exploration and problem-solving, and build new skills on those previously acquired). This grant project requires my students to learn about Ecuador, its people and customs, and then to communicate with native speakers from there. My students had very little prior knowledge about Ecuador, so we have had fun learning about this very interesting country.
7.D.2 The teacher believes that plans must always be open to adjustment and revision based on student needs and changing circumstances.
My plans have had to be revised and changed a little. The reason is because I never anticipated the difficulty in finding a partner school with which to fulfill my grant project. Once I found out I was awarded the grant, it took me a month of serious searching to find a teacher to do the project with. I reached out in a million directions and finally found a teacher in Ecuador who wanted to do the project with me and my 4th graders. As a result of so much time being spent on finding a partner school, my timeline for the project needed to be adjusted. We will also only be writing one letter instead of 2. The rest of our communication will be through the use of Kidblog and Skype. As a teacher, I have learned that flexibility in planning is a necessity. Things do not always go as planned.
Teachers are able to plan different kinds of lessons
The teacher organizes and plans systematic instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, pupils, the community, and curriculum goals.
Evidence 1: Grant Project Assignment 1: Needs, Goals, Objectives, Activities and Outcomes
Rationale 1: This grant project was written and planned for my 4th grade Spanish students. The fourth grade curriculum was very dry and needed a pick me up! The idea of communicating with native Spanish speakers is just what was necessary to add some spice to an otherwise boring curriculum that was filled with grammar, grammar and more grammar. The lessons I planned were unique enough to catch the attention of the NEA Foundation, and I am excited to say that I was awarded the student achievement grant that I applied for. Now my students are actually communicating with students from Ecuador. They get to practice all of that grammar they have learned through authentic communication with native speakers! We are fulfilling the curriculum goals in a high interest way, and at the same time providing my school district, specifically my classroom and my students, with $5000 worth of technology to enhance the curriculum and our learning!
Writing this grant really helped me to realize that if I really want or need something, I can write a grant to help me get it. It was a really challenging experience, but I did it, and I was awarded the grant! I know I could do it again if I ever really wanted to. Receiving this grant will also truly help me develop as a teacher. I am going to have $5000 worth of technology installed in my classroom including a Smart Board, a document camera and more. I want to use this technology to the fullest! I have a lot of learning and lesson developing to do over the summer to prepare for next school year!
This grant project has had a great impact on my 4th grade students. This has been evident in their attitudes in class as well as by the survey I just gave to my students. I asked them how they felt at the beginning of the project when I told them they would be communicating with Spanish speakers from Ecuador. Most of the students said they didn’t really think they could do it. They didn’t think they knew enough to effectively communicate in Spanish, but now that their first written letters are done and have been sent, the students said they feel more confident in their communication abilities. Most of them even wanted copies of their letters to bring home to show their parents because they said they knew their parents would be so proud of them!
KSD
7.K.2 The teacher knows how to take contextual considerations (instructional materials; individual student interests, needs, and aptitudes; and community resources) into account when planning instruction that creates an effective bridge between curriculum goals and students’ experiences.
I knew that the 4th grade curriculum needed something to spice it up, and that communicating with native speakers would be just the thing to meet the curriculum goals while bringing in student interests and excitement. This is an experience none of my students have ever had before.
7.S.1 As an individual and a member of a team, the teacher selects and creates learning experiences that are appropriate for curriculum goals, relevant to learners, and based upon principles of effective instruction (e.g. that activate students’ prior knowledge, anticipate preconceptions, encourage exploration and problem-solving, and build new skills on those previously acquired).
This grant project requires my students to learn about Ecuador, its people and customs, and then to communicate with native speakers from there. My students had very little prior knowledge about Ecuador, so we have had fun learning about this very interesting country.
7.D.2 The teacher believes that plans must always be open to adjustment and revision based on student needs and changing circumstances.
My plans have had to be revised and changed a little. The reason is because I never anticipated the difficulty in finding a partner school with which to fulfill my grant project. Once I found out I was awarded the grant, it took me a month of serious searching to find a teacher to do the project with. I reached out in a million directions and finally found a teacher in Ecuador who wanted to do the project with me and my 4th graders. As a result of so much time being spent on finding a partner school, my timeline for the project needed to be adjusted. We will also only be writing one letter instead of 2. The rest of our communication will be through the use of Kidblog and Skype. As a teacher, I have learned that flexibility in planning is a necessity. Things do not always go as planned.