Assignment 4A: Cross-Disciplinary Content Standards-based Lesson (MashUP)

For this assignment, we have been asked to create a cross-curricular learning activity which is a CCSS-based engaging plan that incorporates critical thinking and active learning strategies. The lesson should incorporate at least two different content areas. This should be a multi-day lesson that requires students to demonstrate what they have learned through the completion of a project or demonstrating a solution to a problem-based task. 

The lesson I have designed is a research assignment that combines middle school English Language Arts and Social Science. 

The goal or purpose of the lesson: What students will be able to know and demonstrate by the end of the lesson

Learning Outcome(s): What will be included in the lesson that will enable students to reach the goal and/or purpose 
Students will work in groups to research a historical event of a violation of basic human rights.
Students will learn how to identify credible sources in the forms of print and Web that pertain to their topic.
Students will learn how to cite their sources in the MLA format.
Students will create a PowerPoint presentation that covers their historical event.
Students will develop a research paper that covers their historical event.

Content Area Standards (content area, number, and full statement from each discipline)

English Language Arts

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.

7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.

8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Social Science
Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills
Research, Evidence, and Point of View
2. Students distinguish fact from opinion in historical narratives and stories. 3. Students distinguish relevant from irrelevant information, essential from incidental information, and verifiable from unverifiable information in historical narratives and stories. 4. Students assess the credibility of primary and secondary sources and draw sound conclusions from them.

Lesson delivery type: Face-to-face; Blended; Online

Face-to-face

Pre-Assessment - What have students already completed prior to this lesson?
Students have begun reading Lois Lowry's The Giver. The class has discussed themes of the novel, focusing on equal rights as a main topic.
They are now ready to apply this theme from the novel to a historical event in which it can relate to.

Your instruction plan - describe the lesson layout. 
Students will be taken to the library and will be divided into groups of 3 to 4. At each of their tables, I will have two books and a handout of a few websites that pertain to a specific historical event in which people suffered for their basic human rights, such as the Holocaust, Japanese Internment camps, Nelson Mandela, etc.
I will provide each student with an outline of MLA citation samples of different media. For their print sample, they will use one of the books on their table to fill out the citation. I will walk around the room to guide them through this process.
Each group will then use their computers (library or class set) to look up one of their Internet sources provided on their handout. They will use the information on the site to fill out their Web citation sample.
After checking out more books and searching for more websites or scholarly articles, each group will conduct their research, focusing on the who, what, how, and why of their topic, while taking Cornell notes on each source.
Each group will design a PowerPoint presentation using Google Slides or Prezi to present their research to the class.
Each individual student will write a research paper in which they cite evidence from their sources.  

Post-Assessment - This is to be a product or project. No quizzes or exit tickets!
PowerPoint and Research Paper

Teaching Reflection - What do you need to be aware of in order to effectively plan the lesson?
I need to be aware of any exceptionalities present among my students to ensure that information is accessible for them and that they are able to participate equally. This might include websites that include videos or audio books.
If there are any English Learners in my class, I can provide translation of text or place them in a group with at least one bilingual student.
I should also make note of students who work well together and students who do not, and plan their groups accordingly. 

Assignment 4B: Reflection

There is so much that I have been able to take away from this course. Dr. G introduced us to a plethora of technology tools and resources that would be extremely valuable in the classroom for both educators and their students. Most of these resources were new to me, making me realize that I should really make more of an effort to expose myself to new tools that could be useful.

I feel that I was exposed to newer thoughts and ideas rather than having previous thoughts and ideas confirmed. The first that stood out to me was the concepts presented by Mark Prensky. Before, I saw technology as too much of a crutch for our students. I considered their preference of technology over print and lecture to be an indication of laziness and lack of intellect. Prensky made me realize, however, that I should understand that today's younger students were born into a technology-rich world that they are now accustomed to. It is what it is, and I have to learn the effective ways to adapt and to apply this to my teaching practice.

Google offers plenty of applications that I would love to incorporate into my own teaching. Google Docs and Google Slides would be of great use for different assignments. Google Hangouts would be an excellent collaborative tool for group assignments. I also really enjoyed exploring Google Earth. I was thrilled to find “Hemingway’s Hangouts,” in which I was able to virtually tour author Hemingway’s favorite restaurants, bars, and cafes to visit in various locations from Paris to New Orleans. I would like to expose my students to work by Hemingway, mainly because of his particular writing style. I could assign a project in which students work in groups to research the author.

I enjoyed this course very much. While we were presented with a wide range of material each week, the assignments never felt overwhelming. The collaborate sessions were very helpful and Dr. G was quick to respond to any questions or concerns. She also provided detailed feedback for each assignment, which I very much appreciated.

Assignment 3B: PowerPoint and Beyond

Part 1: PowerPoint as an Instructional Tool

A great PowerPoint presentation includes an effective, yet subtle use of color, text, graphics, and design. Text should be large enough to read from a distance and should remain limited. Too much text in a PowerPoint can be overwhelming for an audience. Information should be provided in a clear and simple manner, and text should cover only the main points of what the presenter is speaking about.
Basic design rules include a font size no smaller that 24, animation effects that do not distract the audience from the content, and colors that are easy to see and compliment other colors used in the presentation.

Part 2: Classroom Ideas and Best Practices Incorporating Digital Storytelling

How to Create the Perfect PSA

For a high school level English class, I thought this would be a great project. This resource provides a step by step process on how to create a Public Service Announcement, as well as some recommended dos and don'ts.
For this assignment, I'd have students work in groups of about 4 to create their PSA. Their topic can be any idea they feel is important to share with their audience, their peers. Together, each group will choose a topic, research it, create a script, and create ways to capture their audience's attention. storyboard the script, and film and edit their PSA.
I would give the students two weeks to complete this assignment. I would allow some class time for students to collaborate and for me to monitor their progress, but this assignment would definitely require them to collaborate with their groups outside of the classroom.
Students will submit and present their PSA and will be required to complete a reflection afterwards which will cover their thoughts on how the assignment worked for their group. The creation of the project will engage the students while the reflective portion will empower them by allowing them to express their thoughts on the assignment.

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/artsandhumanities/How-to-Create-the-Perfect-Public-Service-Announcement.html

Frazel: High School DST Point of View Project

Although this covers a history topic, point of view writing assignment would be a great exercise for an English class as well. As a future English teacher, one of my goals is actually to incorporate as much history into my lessons as possible. I love both of these subjects and love when they can be combined for an effective lesson.
For this lesson, students would watch clips from the documentary Traces of the Trade: A Story From the Deep North. They would engage in discussion and develop a written position on the idea of reparations for the descendants of slaves in the U.S.
This assignment would only cover one class period in which students will watch the documentary, discuss with their classmates, and begin developing their written position. Their writing can be completed for homework and turned in the following class period. The class discussion will engage the students while the written position will empower them by allowing them to state and express their point of view.

http://www.pbs.org/pov/tracesofthetrade/lesson-plan/

Mobile Learning Resources

For week 2 of MAT671, we have been exposed to a great variety of learning resources apps for education. I have created a Symbaloo of some of my favorites.

http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/mobilelearningresources2

Introduction

Hello there!

My name is Jacqueline Mendez. I am from Riverside, California. I am 28 years old and am currently working on my single-subject teaching credential for English. I graduated from Cal State Fullerton in Spring of 2015 with a Bachelor's degree in Art History and began the Credential/Masters program with National University in the Fall of 2016. I have had plenty of experience working in education. For 2 years, I worked as an AVID tutor for AVID students at the high school and middle school level. For 5 years after that, I worked as an instructional aide for an elementary level RSP program. Currently, I am working as a substitute high school/middle school teacher. This has been my first year working as a substitute teacher and so far it has been a wonderful learning experience.

I have created this blog as a requirement for one of my Master's courses through National University, MAT 671. The title of the course is Applied Best Practice Strategies in Classroom Instruction. Throughout this course, I will be introduced to several teaching resources that I will share weekly on this blog. This is my very first blogging experience! I look forward to everything it has to offer.

Thank you for reading.

Jacque