As an elementary teacher, it is critical that teachers plan lessons based on the state standards. In my case, I use the Virginia Standards of Learning to decide what I will teach for each lesson.
My first artifact is a lesson plan, which is based on the Virginia SOLs as well as language objectives for English Language Learners. This is how I always plan lessons. It gives me a focus so that I know I am guiding students in the proper direction to teach them information that will be useful for them to know.
The second artifact is a grid that I created at the beginning of the school year. I made it so that I could coordinate the units I will teach in social studies (completely based on SOLs and suggested order of units from county curriculum guides) with my writing and reading units, as well as to plan projects and books we read. It has been very helpful for me to use my yearly plan each month to keep myself on track and to create more interdisciplinary lessons for each unit.
Teachers must always use the standards of learning as a basis for instruction. That way, students are guaranteed meaningful instruction.
Lesson plan: This lesson is designed for a mainstream classroom with all levels of English Language Learners and Native English Speakers. A prior lesson has been taught on the Eastern Woodland Indian clothing and shelter adaptations and vocabulary has been introduced in 2 previous lessons.
Essential Questions: What are some of the characteristics of Virginia’s climate? What are some ways Virginia’s American Indians adapted to the climate and interacted with their environment to meet their basic needs?
The student will describe how American Indians adapted to the climate and their environment to secure food.
Use prior knowledge to interpret pictures.
Read and explain own readings and drawings.
Produce simple sentences on the topic.
How will I activate prior knowledge?
1. Think about what you do when it is cold outside? How about when it’s really hot?
Warm-up activity: Students will examine 4 photos of Indians adapting to their climate and explain in a group to decide which photo goes with the correct season.
Model everything students are supposed to do.
Am I using reading/writing/ listening/speaking?
How will I teach this concept?
Review vocabulary and read information posted in their interactive notebook.
Students will work together to identify the main idea by putting a square around the words and put a cloud around any unfamiliar words.
Role-play the different adaptations to the seasons.
Go back and create illustrations and write about what they read in their interactive notebook.
Word Sort with pictures and words.
Homework: Draw a picture and summarize each of the four seasons and how they adapted to their environment.
How will I diversify instruction to meet the needs of all my students?
Advanced learners: Will be required to write in paragraph form to explain why they only hunted birds and animals in the winter.
New learners: Illustrate and use vocabulary words.
How will I close the lesson? The lesson will be closed by checking word sorts and allowing them time to glue it to construction paper for classroom display. Pair students to explain word sorts and then ask a few students to share with the whole class.
How will I assess the lesson? Through the word sort and interactive notebook.
Homework: 4 block adaptation worksheet.
Civil Rights + VA Govt.