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Section 1: Biographical Sketch
Education has always been a large part of my life. Before coming to the University of Michigan for my undergraduate degree, I attended an accelerated high school in Grand Rapids, MI called City High/Middle School. There, I feel in love with history and teaching by way of a few very talented, enthusiastic and hard-working teachers. However, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to teach at the secondary level. Instead, I had my eye on academia and being a historian, and perhaps even teaching in college.
With these pursuits in mind, I applied to the University of Michigan, knowing that it was a great institution and also that I would get a great education. Here, I was drawn to two departments: history and psychology. A lot of people think that these two disciplines have little in common, but I disagree. History, above all, is a study of peoples and how they interact, their experiences and their environment. Psychology, I believe, can also help us to understand these same things. I thought that I wanted to explore the link between these disciplines via a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. But then, something changed. I became aware that research was a little more of an abstract pursuit than I wanted. History at the college level is already great – my classmates and I were thinking critically, investigating the world around us and engaging with the subject. I thought to myself, “why can’t this sort of thing happen at middle and high schools around the country?” I remembered many of my high school classmates who thought that history was boring, useless and irrelevant. I knew that if I could learn about how to educate students that I could help to change this perception of history and give middle an high school students (many of whom will not continue to college) the experience of playing with and engaging in history.
This is what led me to the MAC (year-long Master's Degree & Secondary Certification) program. I wanted to be highly qualified, so the idea of a master’s degree appealed to my love of scholarship and my respect for academia. However, I also wanted some real world experience, which is exactly why the student teaching and teaching certificate portion was so enticing. The opportunity to be in the same classroom for an entire year was exciting. The prospect of getting it all done in one year was daunting, but I was up for the challenge. I was also excited to be remaining in Ann Arbor for another year, as this place has become home to me for the past four years.
As far as my non-academic life goes, I have been dating my boyfriend, Andrew (pictured above) for the past 5 years and we live together here in Ann Arbor. He is also a student of history and is looking forward to attending Columbia Law School this coming fall. We will be moving together to New York City. I am incredibly excited to be moving to another state and to such an amazing city. Although there are many challenges associated with this move, I am beyond excited to start a new chapter in my life and live outside of the great state of Michigan for the first time.
With what little free time I have, I love to go back to Grand Rapids, MI to visit my family. I have two younger brothers: Dan who is a 20-year-old culinary student and John (18) who is a graduating senior and a wonderful musician. My dad, Rob, is a gigantic Michigan fan (in addition to being an awesome person) and always tries to come down for a few football games, which means that he is very excited that John will be attending the University of Michigan. My mom, Kelly, is the matriarch of the family and is someone who I can always rely on to help me figure things out. I am extremely proud of my family, particularly my little brothers, both of whom found their respective passions and I know they will do great things. I hope one day that my whole family can go on a cruise to Alaska, which is something we have always wanted to do together.
As for my own personal pursuits, I love to read, particularly presidential biographies and whatever I hear is good. I’m also an avid movie-watcher and it is my quest to see all of the Academy Award winners for ‘Best Picture.’ I have always wanted to be a movie critic, and would love to review historical movies in particular. My dream is to write a textbook centered on primary sources for use in secondary classrooms. I also have aspirations to travel and see the history of the world. But as for now, I am excited by the opportunity to be a teacher and to incorporate all of the things I love about history into my own classroom.
Section 2: Teaching Philosophy
Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to cultivate a solid teaching philosophy. However, rather than one singular idea, this philosophy encompasses a variety of different ideas regarding the education profession. Therefore, I have outlined five rules by which I must live by in order to be a successful teacher. In these five rules are my convictions about my students, my peers and the general educational environment. I have written this section in such a way as to be a reminder to me about what I truly believe to be the most important aspects of teaching.
1) Teach Every Child
Allow yourself to experiment with different methods, exercises, and activities to reach all different learners. Each child is different and although the current educational environment does not allow ample time for individual instruction, it is still possible to employ different strategies to make sure each student has the opportunity to learn. Do not fall into the trap of believing that every student learns the way you do or likes the same things as you. Realize that they may not be as excited about content as you are. At the same time, realize that students are inherently curious and it is your job to entice this curiosity out from within and encourage it to grow. Do this by showing all students that history is everywhere. Show them by incorporating the things they use and see around them everyday in the classroom. Above all, give the students an authentic learning experience, whether through utilizing technology, popular culture or referencing current events. Finally, allow yourself to see the brightness in each student. Do not allow yourself to dwell on the negative and instead treat every student as if they were one of your younger brothers. Would I want my brothers to be ignored, discouraged or ridiculed? Ask yourself these questions constantly to make sure each student is given an environment in which they can succeed.
2) Be a Skill-Builder
Many will tell you that your duties are to teach content: the first half of World History, US History from Reconstruction or Current Events. But realize that at the same time you are teaching this important content, you must cultivate certain skills in your students to prepare them for success in the classroom, the work environment and the world. Content must be taught within the context of skills. Teach every one of your students to be a persuasive and confident writer, a critical and strong reader and, above all, an independent and opinionated thinker. Students are not machines in which information is deposited. As a result, they should be asked to do more than simply regurgitate content. These skills can make the content they learn useful, just as the content can make skill building exciting and relevant. Keep in mind this delicate relationship between skills and content and never lose sight of the idea that you are creating active thinkers and learners and not simply depositing knowledge into passive minds.
3) Build Relationships
Be involved in every part of school including your students & their parents, your colleagues, professional development and extra curricular activities. Your students and their parents are each different and deserve to be respected. Do not be afraid to talk to them and create meaningful relationships. Parents and students know more about themselves and each other than you may ever know, and are therefore the best resource for information. Another valuable resource is the teachers around you.. Be humble and take advice from those around you, but do not be afraid to share your insight. Being a contributing member of a team means knowing how to both lead and follow and having the wisdom to figure out when to do so. Lastly, take the time to be involved in developing your practice and seeing your students and colleagues in new environments. Be reflective of your practice and expose yourself to new ideas and activities. Realize that there is a wonderful, amazing world outside of your wonderful, amazing classroom. Build and maintain relationships in order to improve your teaching, create a support and to learn more about your school and the world in which you live.
4) Encourage Life-Long Learning and Lead by Example
It is crucial to continue to learn throughout your life and to encourage your students to do the same thing. If you look at the big picture, you have your students for one year (and sometimes less) out of their entire lives. If you wish to have a lasting impact, you must make sure that you teach your students how and why to learn outside of the classroom. The best ways to do this are to lead by example and give your students opportunities to explore the world around them. Give assignments in which students analyze the newest movie, said to be ‘based on historical fact’ and have them think critically about it. Make sure that you stay up with current events, so that your teaching of history remains relevant. Above all, keep learning and let your students know that you are learning right along with them. Remember that at the beginning of this year, you were intimidated by being asked to teach students about Latin America, Africa and Asia, areas of the world with which you had little experience. However, once you dug into the interesting and important content, you saw a plethora of teaching opportunities. You also broadened your own horizons and became a more intelligent human being. Rather than being ashamed of your ignorance, you told your students about all that you had learned. Because they could see that it’s okay to explore and become more familiar with a new area of the world, they were more receptive to opening their eyes to these parts of the world. In this sense, the classroom truly became a learning community.
5) Have high expectations
Maintain high standards for yourself and for your students. Little is gained from low expectations, especially in the world of education. Do not fall victim to the passive attitude that ‘nothing can be done.’ You would never let someone give up on our younger brother, so do not give up on a student. Do not let them fail because of your lowered expectations. Do not do something because it is easy, do it because it is right. The preceding rules will be, at times, quite difficult to uphold. However, they are important and worth striving for. Hold high expectations for your students and let them know that they are so much more than simply bodies in a room. They have thoughts, feelings, opinions and beautiful minds and it is their job to share them with the world. Encourage them to show the world that they are intelligent and thoughtful people and accept no less than this. Realize that many students simply want to show you their brilliance and it is your job to listen. Respect your students, yourself and your world.
Section 3: Description of My Placement
Ann Arbor Pioneer High School is a unique place. One of the largest high schools in Michigan, Pioneer is home to over 3,000 students. The majority of these students are Caucasian, but there are substantial numbers of Asian, Hispanic and African American and Middle Eastern students. Because of the proximity to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is a very socioeconomically diverse city. Many of my students live in subsidized government housing, whereas many live in large mansions. Some of my students are Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or Jewish and many also speak a primary language other than English. Although such a diverse student body can be challenging to teach, the exciting learning opportunities presented by this diversity have far outweighed the challenges.
These diversities of experience and heritage have made the teaching of World History meaningful and relevant. When the year began in September, my mentor teacher Karla Hitchcock and I were teaching four classes of Early World History and one final Western Civilizations class. Due to new graduation requirements, Western Civilizations was being replaced with World History. Whereas Karla had taught this course for 10 years, she and I were now being asked to conceptualize an entirely new course. Because of these new requirements, Pioneer had decided to split the World History course into two sections: Early (beginnings to 1600) and Modern (1600 – present). We would teach Early World History first semester and teach it again second semester. This offered a unique opportunity to teach a new course and then perfect it the second time around.
Because this was a new course, and was the material was somewhat unfamiliar for both my mentor and I, I had the privilege of creating and teaching brand new units on Latin America, Africa & China and helped to design units on Greece, Rome, World Religions and Europe. Because Pioneer is fortunate to have many different types of technology, I was able to utilize a set of laptops, music software, and a projector for class. This helped me to create interesting and exciting units that incorporated the Internet, art and popular culture. Because of all of these factors, teaching at Pioneer has been a unique, enjoyable and extremely valuable experience.
Section 4: Introduction to the E-Portfolio
This e-portfolio will discuss a variety of issues I have encountered as I have progressed toward becoming an effective teacher. Being an effective teacher means accomplishing a variety of different standards and benchmarks, all while figuring out a teaching style and philosophy. A lot has changed about my teaching as I became more comfortable in the classroom, learned more about the teaching profession and made progress toward meeting the Secondary MAC Standards and Benchmarks for effective teaching (Peters, 2007).
Portions of this e-portfolio will address these standards in detail. Section 5 will discuss Standard 1: Planning and Preparing for Instruction. In this section, I will discuss the lessons I have learned from the trials of planning and preparing lessons and units. Section 6 will discuss Standard 2: Designing and Using a Variety of Assessments. This section will focus on how my assessments have changed over time and the lessons I learned from creating and implementing assessments. Section 7 will discuss the 3rd Standard: Implementing Instruction. This section will focus on the actual teaching of lessons and units and the wealth of knowledge I have gained from different methods of implementation. Section 8 will discuss Standard 4: Creating a Positive Classroom Environment. I will analyze my experiences and the lessons I have learned through my efforts to create an optimal learning environment. Section 9 will discuss the final benchmark: Relationships Within and Outside of School. This section will discuss the plentiful lessons I have learned from both my students and colleagues. The final section, Section 10 will discuss the concept of High Leverage Practice. In this section, I will demonstrate how I have progressed in creating instances of High Leverage Practice and the lessons I have learned while doing so.
The entirety of the e-portfolio will focus on a central question: How much progress have I made toward becoming an effective teacher? As progress often takes many forms, I will discuss many different ways I have grown and will demonstrate my progress with a variety of artifacts and records of practice. The majority of the progress I have made in becoming an effective teacher has taken place over the last year in my placement. Thus, the artifacts and records of practice within this e-portfolio are a collection of the lessons I have learned over the past year.
Section 5: Standard 1 - Planning and Preparation
Careful planning and preparing of lessons and units is a crucial aspect of effective teaching. When I first began teaching, I found planning to be incredibly difficult. How long should each lesson take? Am I allowing enough time for my students to discuss this reading? Have I provided enough scaffolding and support for them to be successful? Am I doing all I can to reach as many students as possible? Is this assignment too easy or too hard? Perhaps the most difficult question of all was choosing what concepts to cover, particularly in a course like Early World History. Over this past year, I have wrestled with each of these questions and have been able to figure out answers to all of them. As a result, I have become an effective planner, which has influenced my practice in a variety of ways. This section will cover the lessons I have learned while planning and preparing a variety of lessons, units and activities.
Choosing what to cover is an incredibly challenging objective. There are a variety of ways to come up with an answer: by using the textbook, other teachers, state standards, your own personal convictions and so on (Zevin, 2000). I have found it useful to use a combination of these factors. First, I carefully examine state standards. Rather than finding them a hindrance, I have always found these to be extremely useful as an outline of what to cover. In particular, the new Michigan Content Standards and Expectations were incredibly useful in helping my mentor teacher and I conceptualize an entirely new course. In the document below, you can see exactly how I incorporate standards into the planning of a semester course. This document is a rough, working outline of an entire semester of Early World History. To help focus my efforts, I have copied and pasted from the Michigan Content Standards and Expectations (MCS&E, 2007). This helps me both to organize my own units and lessons, but also to make sure that I am preparing my students for what they will see on the state assessment (Benchmark 1.1).
Unit 1: Intro to World History/Ancient Civilizations
Syllabus - signed
Get-to-know-you game
Consent Form – signed
Why study history? Lecture
Rise of Civilizations
Evolution of law
Mythology
Map work
Study guides
Guns, germs & Steel
Open-note quiz
Test
Unit 2: Greece, Rome & China - MCS&E - 3.1-3.5
Rise & fall of Spartans video/response
Essay on Julius Caesar
Should power be given to one individual? Essay
The Greek Ideal Lecture
Troy Extra Credit
Alexander Lecture
Philosophy
Story of Rome Lecture
Engineering an Empire –Rome
Rome, the series (rent)
China – lost civs
Group Project: Han
Ancient China
Test
1 - Geography Habits of Mind – intro map work: MCS&E 3-4
3 – Growth and development of World Religions: MCS&E 4.1-4.4
Intro/Geography/Ancient Civs – 2 weeks
Rome & Greece – 3 weeks
World Religions – 1 week
Trade (land & sea routes) – integrate with religion? Something else?
Growth of Islam (Muslim Empires) – 1 week
Mongols – Integrate with China
Plague – integrate w/ Western Europe
Africa to 1600 = 1.5 weeks
America to 1600 = 1.5 weeks
China to 1600 = 1.5 weeks
Western Europe to 1500 (post-Rome/Greece) = 2 weeks
Unit 1: Intro/Geography & Ancient Civilizations: 2 weeks
Unit 2: Rome, Greece, Early China: 4 weeks
Unit 3: World Religions/Islam/Trade: 2 weeks
Unit 4: America/Africa: 3 weeks
Unit 5: Later China and Europe/Plague/Renaissance/Reformation: 5 weeks
(World History second semester unit brainstorming & organizational document, January 2009)
However, because the standards often only represent a general outline of what to cover (i.e. Africa to 1500), it is up to the teacher to ultimately decide which information is most important and relevant. For this reason, I have found using Backward Design techniques incredibly helpful in conceptualizing units on Latin America, Africa and China (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998). In these units, it is also possible to see my expertise in designing and sequencing units. The document below is a unit calendar and extended overview of a unit on Latin American history. I have incorporated a variety of different activities and lesson topics. This is to account for the diversity in experiences and preferences of my students (Benchmarks 1.4 & 1.5). In addition, it is possible to see a rough outline of how I have scaffolded this unit. Smaller, more informal activities all contribute to helping students do well on the more formal summative assessment – an essay (Benchmark 1.8). By creating unit calendars like this one, it is possible to see how each activity fits in with another and whether or not the unit as a whole will make sense to students (Benchmark 1.7).
Unit calendar:
Day 1 – Introductory lecture on ancient Latin American Civilizations and discussion of the ‘Nazca Lines’ Reading (given in-class).
- Give informal assessment: Reaction to ‘Nazca Lines’ Reading (in notebook).
Day 2 – Video on Maya and discussion of it.
- Give informal assessment: “How are the Maya like the Romans?” (in notebook).
Day 3 – Interactive lecture on Maya with video clips.
Day 4 – Interactive lecture on Aztec with video clips.
- Give informal assessment: “How are the Aztec similar to the Maya?” (in notebook).
Day 5 – “Art as Primary Source” activity.
- Give informal assessment: Worksheet about Maya and Aztec art.
Day 6 – Interactive lecture on Inca with video clips.
- Give performance assessment: CD assignment (due on Day 10).
Day 7 – Concept formation activity: Civilization.
- Give informal assessment: Reaction to the process of forming of the concept (in notebook).
Day 8 – Discussion/Lecture on comparisons between Latin America, Africa and China.
- Give informal assessment: “Is Latin America more similar to Africa or China? Why?” (in notebook).
Day 9 – Quiz and Review of the differences between the Maya, Aztec and Inca.
- Give formal assessment: Open-note quiz.
Day 10 – Collect performance assessment and discuss essay question and organization.
- Give out formal assessment: essay question
Lesson catalog:
Day 1: Introductory lecture on Early Latin American Civilizations & Nazca Lines Activity (55 minutes)
See Elaborated Lesson #1
Day 2: Video on Maya and Discussion (55 minutes)
The video I will be showing is an excellent summary of the Mayan civilization and is quite interesting. I will show the 40-minute video and then leave 15 minutes for discussion of it’s major points. The discussion will center on the following questions: What was most important to the Mayans? Why do you think the Mayans relied heavily on their calendar? Do you see any similarities between the Mayans and the Romans? The students will then record their opinions about the last question in their notebooks in the last 5 minutes of class.
Day 3: Interactive lecture on Maya with video clips (55 minutes)
The students will take notes on an outline I provide for them about the Maya Civilization. This lecture will supplement what they have seen in the video and will provide a more in-depth study of the Maya. The video clips are all 5-10 minutes long and focus on the technological achievements of the Maya. Students will be expected to participate by taking notes on their outline, by answering questions aloud that I provide and by giving their reaction to the video clips.
Day 4: Interactive lecture on Aztec with video clips (55 minutes)
The format of this lesson will be very similar to the previous day. The students will get an outline to take notes on and will be expected to participate in the lecture. The video clips focus on the creation and fall of the Aztec Empire and also on the technological advances of the Empire. For the last 10 minutes of class, the students will write in their notebooks about the similarities between the Aztec and the Maya.
Day 5: “Art as Primary Source” Activity (55 minutes)
For this activity, students will begin by analyzing a few pieces of iconic American photography. With my guidance, they will attempt to answer questions about the subject of the photograph, the feeling of the photograph, and what we can know about American society based on these pieces of art. Then, we will look at a few pieces of Aztec and Mayan art and discuss the same questions. The students will then attempt to analyze a few pieces of Aztec and Mayan art on their own with a guided worksheet, which they will turn in at the end of class.
Day 6: Interactive Lecture on Inca with video clips (40 minutes)
Students will be given an outline with which to take notes and will be expected to participate verbally in the discussion of a couple of video clips about the Inca. This will be similar to the lectures on the Aztec and Maya. However, the last portion of class (15 minutes) will be devoted to explaining and brainstorming ideas for the CD assignment (the performance assessment).
Day 7: Concept Formation Activity: Civilization (55 minutes)
See Elaborated Lesson #2
Day 8: Discussion/Lecture on comparisons between Latin America, Africa and China (55 minutes)
This lecture will be much like the ones on the Inca, Maya and Aztecs, but will be primarily discussion-based. I will supply an outline, but rely on students to help with filling it in. For the last portion of class, the students will be expected to write in their notebooks about whether or not they believe Latin America is more like Africa or China (based on their opinions about the discussion/lecture in class).
Day 9: Quiz and Review of the differences between the Maya, Aztec and Inca. (30 minutes)
Students will first take a 10 question objective quiz in which they can use their notes to help them answer the questions. The quiz will be graded in class and then discussed, if the need arises. The last portion of class will be devoted to a review activity in which the characteristics of the Aztec, Inca and Maya are put on the board for the students to contribute to and copy down. This activity will help them in forming ideas for the essay handed out the next day.
Day 10: Collect performance assessment and discuss essay question and organization. (30 minutes)
Class will begin with students turning in their performance assessment and a few volunteers presenting their songs and CD cover. The majority of class time will be devoted to the explanation of the essay assignment and a short lesson about how to write an essay, in which I will present tips and information for the students to copy down. Then, for the remaining portion of class, I will come around and individually answer questions about the organization of the essay.
(Latin America Extended Unit Calendar, November 2008)
Backward Design is also helpful in selecting objectives for students. I have often found that starting with a measurable objective helps me to focus my lessons and truly gauge how much students are learning. Establishing objectives ahead of time also helps to organize lessons and ensure that students are using all types of cognitive and knowledge dimensions of learning (Benchmark 1.2). Also, when purposeful objectives are established, it is possible to incorporate prior knowledge into lessons and units (Benchmark 1.3, Vacca & Vacca, 2008). I found that when I wrote lesson plans, many of my objectives had to do with comparisons to areas of the World we had already studied or to student’s lives as Americans. As an example, the following lesson plan is written with clear objectives and different ways to measure them. Also, because the lesson focuses on comparisons between the Roman Empire and the United States, students have the ability to use some of the knowledge they have from living in this country to aid in their efforts.
Length of lesson: 55 minutes
Title of lesson: Rome vs. The US
Context of Lesson: Over the past week, the students have been learning all about ancient Rome, and before that, ancient Greece. We have just finished talking about Julius Caesar and the technological advancements of Rome and we are in the process of finishing up a lecture about the rise and fall of Rome. This lesson is the culmination of the unit on Rome.
Overview: This lesson talks about the comparisons between Rome and the United States. The students have read an article about these comparisons, which we will be discussing as part of this lesson. We will begin with a general discussion about the reading, then move into students’ opinions and judgments of it. The second part of the lesson asks students to apply what they have learned in our discussion by creating a political cartoon or by writing a letter to President Obama. Both of these activities require the student to shed some light on the comparisons we will have talked about in class.
Objectives:
1) Students will be able to compare and contrast the Roman Empire and the United States.
2) Students will be able to create their own political cartoon
OR
3) Students will be able to create their own letter to President Obama
Anticipated student conceptions or challenges to understanding: I anticipate that a few students will have had difficulty reading this article because it is more sophisticated than the normal textbook reading they do for this class. I am hoping that the reading questions I have given them will help them to think about the important aspects of the reading, but I also intend on talking about those important aspects in the first part of the discussion to make sure they all have a good base of information. I also anticipate that some classes will want to talk less than others, so I will have a PowerPoint with pictures that I can use to do more instruction, until the students are comfortable doing more talking.
Materials/Evidence/Sources:
1) Article Rome, AD… Rome, DC by Jonathan Freedland (attached)
2) Questions to ask students (attached)
3) PowerPoint presentation
4) Worksheet for in-class activity
Assessment: The major assessment of this lesson will be the worksheet that the students complete in-class in which they draw a political cartoon or write a letter to President Obama. Students’ knowledge of the entire unit on Rome will be assessed by the open-note quiz that will end the unit. Additionally, I will informally assess the discussion as it is happening and also as I watch the videos of the discussions after the lesson takes place.
Instructional Sequence:
1. Welcome students/take attendance/collect homework (2-3 minutes)
2. Give explanation/timetable of the rest of the unit (1-2 minutes)
3. Discussion/explanation of PowerPoint (25 minutes)
4. Students complete in-class activity (25 minutes)
5. Wrap-up class/collect activity (1-2 minutes)
Attachments:
Questions to ask during discussion:
1) Start by going over the main points
a. Who is Freedland?
b. What is his objective?
c. What are the similarities he talks about? (write on board)
d. What are the differences he talks about? (write on board)
2) Get opinions/thoughts from the class
a. What did you like about this reading?
b. What do you think about the similarities?
c. Are there any important similarities that you think Freedland left out?
d. What do you think about the differences?
e. Are there any important differences Freedland left out?
Instructions for In-class activity:
Draw your own political cartoon that compares the US and Rome. Use this as an opportunity for you to express your opinions about whether or not the United States is more similar to or more different from Ancient Rome. Below your cartoon, write 3-5 sentences explaining what your cartoon is about and why you chose to draw this cartoon.
OR…
Write a letter to president Obama describing your thoughts about the comparisons between Rome and the United States. Explain to him what he needs to know about the similarities and differences between Rome and the US to avoid encountering the same fate that the Romans did. Your response should be 2-3 paragraphs in length.
(Rome/US Comparisons Lesson Plan, March 2009)
A crucial part of planning and preparing lessons is sorting through what resources and technology to use to make it come to life. In my placement, I was fortunate to have a lot of technology at my disposal. In addition, through the Internet, talking with classmates, other teachers and professors I have found great resources for giving lessons more impact and substance, making them more interesting to students and creating motivation to learn more about the subject (Benchmarks 1.6 & 1.9). One of the resources that I was fortunate enough to use was a cart of 30 Macintosh laptops for in-class use, as can be seen in the picture below.
(Picture of Social Studies Computer Cart, January 2009)
I used this cart in a variety of ways, by having students create podcasts, search for information on the internet and show pictures to students. In the clip below, I am conducting a lesson on Aztec and Mayan art by asking students to first interpret American art and then apply those same principles of interpretation to Aztec and Mayan art. By using these resources, students are motivated to be involved in their learning and activating prior knowledge (Benchmarks 1.3 & 1.6). Even at the end of the clip, when it is about 30 seconds until lunchtime, the majority of students are actively participating in the discussion and coming up with some great ideas. These students in particular were motivated by the use of technology in the classroom (Benchmark 1.10). The lesson plan for this lesson is posted below the video for reference.
(Clip from Aztec & Mayan Art lesson, April 2009)
Length of lesson: 55 minutes
Title of lesson: Art and Society: The Aztec and the Mayans
Context of Lesson: This lesson comes in the middle of a unit on South America and Central American cultures, which emphasizes how these cultures relate to each other and other societies we have studied. We have had introductions to these societies and now want to dive a little deeper into each of them.
Overview: This lesson will center on a discussion of Aztec and Mayan art. The lesson will start off with a discussion about art in general and it’s role in society and also it’s role in history. It will begin with a free write activity about an American photo. Then, we will move on to a highly interactive exercise in examining pieces of art. We will move from how we should go about interpreting art to actually breaking down Aztec and Mayan art. Then, the lesson will end with students attempting to go about analyzing a piece of art on their own and determining whether or not these art pieces are a good way to go about understanding Aztec and Mayan culture.
Objectives: SWBAT analyze art of the Aztec and the Mayan civilizations.
SWBAT compare art of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations.
SWBAT evaluate the use of art as a source for understanding the Aztec and Mayan societies.
Content standards referenced:
P1.2: Analyze point of view, context, and bias to interpret primary and secondary source documents (MCE: World History & Geography, p.20).
P2.3: Know how to find and organize information from a variety of sources; analyze, interpret, support interpretations with evidence, critically evaluate, and present the information orally and in writing; report investigation results effectively (MCE: World History & Geography, p.20)
4.3.2: The Americas to 1500 – Describe the diverse characteristics of early American civilizations and societies in North, Central, and South America by comparing and contrasting the major aspects (government, religion, interactions with the environment, economy, and social life) of American Indian civilizations and societies such as the Maya, Aztec, Inca, Pueblo, and/or Eastern Woodland peoples (National Geography Standard 10, p. 203) (MCE: World History & Geography, p.23).
Anticipated student conceptions or challenges to understanding: Students may find it difficult to look at a piece of art and determine what about it is important and how we know if it is important or not. Students may also have a difficult time determining what stories can be told by looking at artwork and how we can learn about a society based on their artwork. I hope that I will be able to clear up any confusion by explaining the importance of art in the discussion of the first photo. I also will model and encourage the students to really break down what is important in the first photo. My hope is that once we get to the Aztec and Mayan art, they will feel more comfortable with the activity. If not, I will take a more active role in the discussion to make sure it accomplishes my objectives.
Materials/Evidence/Sources: The pictures I will be using in the lesson are attached at the end of this document. I will also be using the projector I have in my classroom, along with my computer, where I will have a few PowerPoint slides that have the pictures on them.
Assessment: I will be assessing the students’ prior knowledge about art by asking them to share what they have written for the introductory free write activity. While the students will not be asked to hand in the free-write, they will be informed that this free-write will help them in formulating their thoughts and that I may call on some students to share all or part of what they have written. Through discussion of this writing and discussion of the pictures of the art, I will be assessing whether or not the students are able to analyze the Aztec and Mayan art. At the end of the lesson, I will give them one piece of Aztec art and one piece of Mayan art for them to try to analyze on their own. I will ask them to write their response on a sheet I will hand out and also to answer a few more questions on the sheet. There will be time in class to complete this assignment.
Scripted Introduction: Hello class! I want to welcome you all today to class and invite you to take a look at the photo on the projector. Today we are going to be talking about art and how art can be a great historical source. We’re also going to be looking at Mayan and Aztec art in particular and how their art can show us what is important to them as societies. This type of art has great significance because this is one of the only ways we know something about these people. Their art has truly stood the test of time. But, I know that analyzing ancient art can be a daunting task, so I want to start out slow. We’re first going to take a look at a piece of American photography to help us outline some ideas about art and society. So, right now, take a few minutes and write down a few ideas about this photo: what is it portraying and what does it say about us as Americans? And, how do you know what is important in this picture? I will ask you to share your ideas, so please be prepared.
Instructional Sequence:
1. Introduction and free-write about the photo on the projector (5 minutes)
2. Discussion of first photo and explanation of how to think about analyzing art (10 minutes)
- Ask the students:
1) What is important about this picture?
2) How do you know it is important?
3) Does this picture tell us anything about American Society?
4) Why should we take this piece of art seriously?
3. Discussion of photos of Aztec and Mayan art (20 minutes)
- Present the first picture: Aztec Art and ask the following questions
- Then, present the second picture (Mayan Art) and ask the following questions
- Ask the students:
1) What aspects of this picture are important?
2) How do you know they are important?
3) Does this picture tell us anything about Aztec/Mayan Society?
- After the students have seen and analyzed both pictures, ask:
3) Are there any similarities/differences between these two pictures?
4. Hand out worksheet and give time for students to complete in-class assignment (15 minutes)
5. Wrap-up and conclusion to lesson (5 minutes)
Scripted Conclusion: As you walk out of the door today, I would like you to hand me your worksheet. I think our discussion went really well today and I want you to keep thinking about how art can teach us about a society. Artwork can be a really useful primary source and I look forward to reading about whether or not you think this artwork in particular was a good source for learning about the Aztec and Mayan people.
(Aztec & Mayan Art Lesson Plan, April 2009)
Section 6: Standard 2 – Designing and Using a Variety of Assessments
Over the past year, I have created and implemented a variety of assessments. I have informally assessed classroom discussion, administered tests and written assignments intended to help students develop content literacy. Through my efforts, I have learned that many students want to show you what they have learned and thus assessments should really be a venue in which students can demonstrate what they have learned, and not necessarily what they have not learned. One way of doing this is to design and use different types of authentic assessment. Also, if assessments are designed with a clear purpose and expectations are not a mystery for students to figure out, they respond better to the assessment and thereby produce better results. This next section will explore in depth what I have learned by designing and grading different assessments.
Designing assessments is a tricky process. However, it can be made easier by creating assessments first using Backward Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2001). I have found that it is also easier to get better results by designing the assessment and then scaffolding lessons and units to make sure that every student is able to complete the assessment. Initially, I thought that this could be considered ‘teaching to the test’ and would be detrimental to students’ education. As the year went on and I planned my own lessons and units, I began to see assessments as a way to measure whether or not students had achieved the ‘big idea’ or the enduring understandings of your unit (Benchmark 2.1). This can be seen in the following document, which is a test I administered on Latin America and Africa. Because one of the big ideas was how these two areas could be compared, the essay question reflects that objective. Also, the test assesses the students’ knowledge of Africa and Latin America in a variety of ways: objective questions, geography identification and essay.
Early W H and G Name ____________________
Mrs. Hitchcock
4th Unit Test
Latin America and Africa (75 points)
True and False (1 point each)
1. T F The Nazca people lived in Mexico and are remembered for
the huge heads they carved
2. T F Africa is a place of little geographic diversity -- deserts and mountains only.
3. T F Mansa Musa converted to Christianity early on in his reign.
4. T F Animism is a belief in which the spirits of nature are
important
5. T F Maya civilization declined because of the coming of the
Spanish around 1200 CE.
6. T F No one in ancient Africa ever learned to make iron.
7. T F The Spanish arrived in South America guided by the lines
drawn by the Nazca people.
8. T F Eastern Africa's development was influenced by Arab culture.
9. T F Aztec religion incorporated elaborate ceremonies of
human sacrifice
10. T F The Inca utilized terracing to deal with the geography of the
Andes
Multiple Choice (1 point each)
11. Which of the following goods were traded primarily by the kingdoms of West Africa?
a) potatoes and tomatoes c) porcelain and silk
b) gold and salt d) fish sauce and grain
12. Why is the Bantu language important?
a) it shows the influence of Latin
b) many African languages are based in Bantu
c) it was the main language of the Silk Road
d) it was the first written language
13. Which civilization settled in parts of Mexico around 1200 BCE?
a) Inca c) Olmec
b) Ghana d) Nazca
14. A civilization where religion and government intertwined was the:
a) Aztec c) Maya
b) Inca d) all of the answers are correct
15. Which of the following is most true about migration?
a) people always move toward better weather.
b) the reasons can be grouped into economic,
environmental and political causes
c) hunting brought people to new areas
d) it is not a factor in the history of Africa
Matching (1 point each)
A. - Match the description on the right with the place, term or individual on the left.
16. _________ Machu Picchu a) Oldest African city south of the Sahara
17. _________ Monte Alban b) Incan mountain top estate
18. _________ Timbuktu c) major trade city on the Niger River
19. _________ Adulis d) chief sea port of Aksum
20. _________ Djenne-Djeno e) giant Zapotec urban center
******* ****** ****** ******
21. ________ Inti a) Emperor of Mali, devout Muslim
22. ________ griot b) King of Aksum, became Christian
23. ________ Ezana c) Incan sun god
24. ________ Mansa Musa d) Incan record keeping system
25. ________ quipu e) West African story teller
Map (1 point each)
Name the places on the map according to the number.
1. ________________________ 6. __________________________
2. ________________________ 7. __________________________
3. ________________________ 8. __________________________
4. ________________________ 9. __________________________
5. ________________________ 10. FREE
Word Bank for Map:
Andes Mountains Mesoamerica Tikal
Tenochtitlan Central America Niger River
La Venta Monte Alban Yucatan Peninsula
Chichen Itza Valley of Mexico Teotihuacan
Cuzco Macchu Picchu Dejenne-Djeno
Meroe Timbuktu Adulis
Red Sea Nile River Nubia
Essay (40 points)
Write your answer on a separate piece of paper.
What are the similarities and differences between Latin America and Africa?
Your answer should have an introduction, 2-3 body paragraphs with specific evidence from both Latin America and Africa, and a conclusion.
(Latin America & Africa Test, May 2009)
To help students perform well on this test, I administered many smaller and less formal assignments to help them gauge how well they were picking up the material, thereby having them engage in self-assessment (Benchmark 2.6) Additionally, if formal and informal formative assessments are done throughout the lesson, this can inform your practice, so that students can perform better on the summative assessment (Benchmark 2.3, Garrison & Ehringhaus, 2009). As a formative assessment, I routinely give students open not quizzes, like the one below. The point of these quizzes is to make sure students are keeping good notes and staying organized. Also, it is useful for providing my students and I with a measure of how well they are doing with the material. After the students have taken the quiz, we go over it in class to make sure that students knew which questions they had gotten wrong and why.
INSERT LATIN AMERICA QUIZ
(Example of Student Work – Latin America Open Note Quiz, April 2009)
Making the study of world history relevant to my student’s lives has been a challenge. My students struggle with trying to conceptualize the lives of people who lived thousands of years ago without imposing modern rules and ideas on their actions. For this reason, I have tried to get my students to really dig into the lives of the people from early history and attempt to empathize with them, but also to understand how different their lives were from their own. In addition, I have also shown them how the ancient world has influenced the modern one, so that they can grab hold of these comparisons and relationships. What I have just been describing is making assessment authentic. What I have learned is that many students are truly ready to play with historical content and discussing people’s lives is something in which the students are incredibly interested. This becomes a way to make the study of history personal, to each and every student (Benchmarks 2.2 & 2.6, Newman & Wehlage, 1993). For that reason, over the course of this past year, I have incorporated more and a variety of examples of authentic assessments in the classroom and have received some wonderful work from students as a result. I have attached three of my favorite authentic assignments below, complete with some wonderful student responses. The first of which is an assignment in which students had to create a faux CD for the Inca, Aztec or Mayan empires. They were to make a cover design on the front and create a list of song titles on the back. In class we talked about how to do this by talking about some of our favorite musicians and how we can get a good feel for their style simply by looking at the cover and song titles on their CD. I encouraged them to try to do the same thing with this CD assignment. I received so many wonderfully creative assignments that it was difficult to choose the one below.
INSERT DAN JIANG CD ASSIGNMENT
(Example of Student Work – Latin America CD Assignment, May 2009)
The next assignment is one that the students completed by doing Internet research on some aspect of Africa History with the use of the in-class laptop cart. Because the majority of my students use the Internet everyday, I think it is important to make sure they know how to use it academically. Before completing this assignment we went over basics about how to search the Internet and how to evaluate Internet sources. Then, the students were asked to write a journal entry or letter about the topic of their choice in which they would share what they had learned about it. Here is one great example of a journal entry about Timbuktu:
INSERT JOSH TIMBUKTU ASSIGNMENT
(Example of Student Work – Africa I-Search Activity, May 2009)
The final examples I have are from an authentic assignment on the Black Death. Students were given the opportunity to explore some primary source documents about the Black Plague in Europe and were asked to fill out a few questions about what they had found. Then, after we had a discussion and interactive lecture about the Plague, the students had to try to imagine what life was like in Europe in 1350. Each of these students did a great job. The first took on the role of a child and the second gave a wonderfully creative description. I included both of these pieces of work because neither of these students is particularly involved in class on a daily basis and the second student is an English language learner who often struggles in class. She told me how much time she had spent on this assignment and how proud she was of her work. She said that doing it was fun and challenging. To me, it does not get any better. Through experiences like this, I have found that making assessments authentic is a great way to get all sorts of students involved in content and to help achieve content literacy
(Vacca & Vacca, 2001).
