Edpr 432 Unit Analysis-3 Final

University of Illinois College of Education Spring 2014
Name __Christina Lantero _____________ Grade Level(s) _____6th__________

Unit Title/Content Area ____Community Collaboration: Language Arts_____
University Supervisor __Lucinda Vriner_______ Date__Spring 2014_
As part of the EDPR 432 student teaching experience, student teachers are required to analyze,
enhance, plan, teach, and reflect upon an existing unit taught in their placement. The following
requirements must be completed and assessed by a university supervisor and/or instructor.
Students must earn a satisfactory grade (S) in all categories listed below to earn a satisfactory
grade in EDPR 432 and to be recommended for licensure.
The purpose of this assignment is for student teachers to think critically about how to plan and teach a
unit of study for each specific learner in their care. As student teachers begin their placement, they should
sketch out long-term plans with their cooperating teacher and decide which unit(s) they will be teaching
throughout the practicum either in part or in whole. Ideally, the student teacher would be teaching at least
one content unit during his or her full takeover and it is one of these units that would be most suited to
this assignment. A unit may be in any content area or across content areas. Some examples include:
Mathgeometry or measurement
Writingpoetry or non-fiction stories
Sciencehuman body or animal habitats
Social Studieshistory of Illinois or westward expansion
Readingauthor study or fractured fairy tales
Most schools and districts have prepared units planned in the district curriculum or textbook; however,
prepared units must be analyzed and adapted to meet the needs of individual learners in a class. This is
where a teachers work, research, creativity, and individuality come into planning for instruction! Using
the prepared unit as a guide and foundation, the student teacher should consider additional resources,
more specific lesson plans, adaptations, and assessments that reflect the talents and needs of learners in
his or her specific class.
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EDPR 432 UNIT ANALYSIS
Unit Analysis Grading Table
For this assignment you will need to:
Meet with your coop and decide which unit(s) you
will be responsible for planning and teaching
throughout the semester. Decide which unit(s) will be
taught during full take over. Review this unit analysis
grading table and add any additional categories for
which you need feedback from your cooperating
teacher and/or university supervisor.
Date
Completed
Grade Earned
(S or U)
Student
S
supervisor
Part I Introduce the unit to be taught. Identify and
describe the learning needs of the students in your
classincluding all students pulled out for parts of
the day or supported in the class with an aide.
S
Part II Analyze how the unit currently addresses
needs of each learner in your class, without any
additional resources added. Complete a
semantic/concept map.
S
Part III Research and gather additional resources
needed to address the needs of each learner in your
class. Revise the plans for 5 lessons enhancing the
structure of the current unit with your additional
resources addressing individual students needs. Plan
2 additional lessons that would take the unit further
or deeper in content. Provide a calendar or listing of
dates for each lesson.
S
Part IV Teach the unit, including your 5 enhanced
lessons and the 2 additional content lessons.
S
Part V Compile Work Sample sets from the
students.
S
Part VI Reflect on the learning of your class as a
result of your planning and teaching of the unit.
Conclude the assignment by reflecting on your
personal growth as an educator as a result of your
planning and teaching of the unit.
S
Part VII Assess yourself using this table; grade
yourself satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U).
Resubmit any unsatisfactory portions until you can
assess yourself satisfactory. Submit final assignment
with all parts to your university supervisor and/or
instructor by due date.
S
Additional items for feedback:
2
Submitted Assignments
Part I. Introduce the unit, identify and describe the learning needs of your class
In this section of the assignment, student teachers should name the unit, content area(s), and elaborate on
any background of the unit. To elaborate on the background of the unit, students should speak with their
cooperating teacher about ways the unit has been traditionally taught, how the unit came to be part of the
curriculum, and investigate any controversy or politics surrounding the units implementation or
acceptance among teachers/students/parents. Students should understand how their cooperating teacher
views the strengths and weaknesses of the unit (the coop is likely to have taught the unit in prior years). If
the unit is new to the coop, discuss what the coops hunches are about how and what students will learn as
a result of the unit.
Also, identify groups and individual students with specific learning needs and talents. Perhaps the class
has a group of ELLs, students that are pulled out or have aides pushed in for SPED, students with
speech/language delays, low-income students, students with special talents, students that learn best
working with a partner, students that learn best working alone, students with behavior issues, etc. You
may name students using initials only, so they may be referred to in lesson planning and reflection
while keeping anonymity.
Once you have identified the variety of learning needs in your classroom, comment on your
understanding of those needs. Get beyond just the label and describe how these needs influence your
planning for the class dynamic as a whole. This section of the assignment should be between 5-6 pages
(double spaced).
One Example:
In my class I have a group of three English Language Learners (ELLs). Two of the students have been at
the school for over a year and are both Spanish speakers. One ELL student recently came to the US from
China and speaks limited English. The two Spanish-speaking students have some friends, but tend to
work together on most projects and play together at recess. I noticed that my coop pairs the student from
China with a non-ELL in the class and as they work together, the ELL student can copy or get
clarification from the partner. I know that using visuals is an important strategy for working with my
ELLs and also teaching the big idea from the lesson should be my focus.
Part II. Analyze the unit as it currently addresses learning needs of students in your class
Consider the specific ways the unit has or has not been designed to address needs of all learners. The unit
may specify strategies for differentiation or offer alternative assessments or the designers may assume
you teach everyone the same way at the same time. Look for both explicit and non-explicit ways the unit
in its current layout addresses the needs of learners in your class. Complete a semantic/concept map
illustrating the concepts to be presented in the unit and the ways you will develop logical thinking and
study skills by revealing connections between knowledge. Talk with your coop about your analysis and
get his or her feedback. Prepare a chart showing:
the strengths of the unit
the needs of the learners in the classroom
how the current unit addresses those needs
how the enhanced unit will address the needs of learners not addressed in the original unit
Part III. Research and gather additional resources needed to address needs of each learner in your
class
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A substantial amount of time in unit preparation is spent seeking out and evaluating resources that support
the content to be taught. You have begun with an understanding of who the learners are in your class and
you have an idea about how the unit will help those learners be successful. Where are the gaps and how
do you plan to fill them? For example, if there are no hands-on lessons in the unit and you have
kinesthetic learners, you need to support lessons from the unit with hands-on activities. If you have a
student with a learning disability who requires a notes page, you must plan for this ahead of time. If you
have students with behavior management issues and the pressure of learning a lot of new content might
escalate their behavior, you might plan to pre-teach ideas in smaller chunks and scaffold for these
students to be successful. If you have students who already know the content from previous study or who
will grow bored quickly because the content is too easy or just not interesting to them, you need to plan
ways to entice these learners and make learning interesting and motivating.
Some resources to consider include: multiple levels of trade books, websites, alternative
assignments/assessments that include same content or modified assignments/assessments that include the
same content, visuals, technology as a tool, grouping strategies, guest speakers, hands-on experimentation
with manipulatives, etc.
What background knowledge about the content of the unit do you need to review before teaching the
content to your class? What additional information will you read as background to support your
understanding of the content?
Prepare a list of diverse resources you will use to support yourself and the students in your classroom.
You should list each resource (and where you find it), write a short paragraph describing each resource,
and offer a justification for why you would use it to enhance the content to be taught. Plan to evaluate at
least 8 different resources in a 4-5 page document (double spaced).
Use the approved lesson plan template from the university to plan and enhance five lessons from the
original unit and two additional lessons that would take the unit further. Be intentional and specific in
your planning to provide for the needs of all learners in your class. You should not have add-ons at the
end of your lesson for specific learners, but rather plans for all learners throughout your lesson. Delineate
the sections of the lesson that you enhance and planned differently for (based on your understanding of
your class and the resources you have collected) in italics. Provide a calendar or listing of dates for each
lesson.
Part IV. TEACH
Teach the unit, including your 5 enhanced lessons and the 2 additional content lessons.
Part V. Compile Work Sample sets from the students
Include a work sample set (pre and post samples) that reflects the successful learning of a variety of your
students. You might consider submitting work from a student in your lower, average, and high range
ability groups for the content area. You might submit work highlighting students with two very different
learning styles who were both successful based on the additions and modifications you made to a lesson.
You should write a 2-3 page (double spaced) reflective statement beginning with a paragraph defining
how you as an educator positively impact student learning, followed by a paragraph about how the work
sample set you selected provides evidence of your positive impact on student learning. Next address what
you have learned from this sample that will improve your future teaching of the lesson/unit and your
future teaching overall. Copies of this sample can be included in your Work Sample Set section of the
Common Assessment Portfolio.
Part VI. Reflect on the learning of your class as a result of your planning and teaching of the unit.
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Conclude the assignment by reflecting on your personal growth as an educator through your
planning and teaching of the unit
In this section of the assignment, discuss how your class successfully learned or did not learn the content
of the unit. Link this learning to the unit both as it was originally planned and with your additional
resources. Be specific and include anecdotal notes of class conversations or descriptions of your teaching
and student learning. Ask your class what they learned from the unit and talk with them about how your
teaching helped or hindered them. Ask for their feedback about their own learning and relay some of this
feedback in your writing.
How has your teaching been impacted by this assignment? What have you specifically learned about
planning and teaching a unit and how will this inform your future practice? What was the most
challenging or most rewarding aspect of the analysis? What have you learned about the needs of your
students and how will you address these types of needs as you enter the field of education? This
reflection of the assignment should be between 4-6 pages (double spaced).
Part VII. ASSESS YOUR PERFORMANCE
Christina Lantero
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EDPR 432 Unit Analysis
Part 1:
In my sixth grade classroom I will be teaching a nit called Commnity Collaboration!
"he content areas addressed within this nit are social stdies# writing# reading# listening# and
s$eech! I decided to tac%le this nit with my sixth grade class becase they are &st beginning
their middle school years# which bring a lot o' changes to their class and school commnity
en(ironments! I wanted to discss commnities with them to o$en their minds to the nances and
distinctions between their commnities! "he way the nit is de(elo$ed also allows 'or them to
com$are and contrast commnities and cltres# (iew commnities 'rom otside $ers$ecti(es# as
well as# get in(ol(ed in their own commnity# learn how it 'nctions# and wor% to im$ro(e it!
"he stdents ha(e bac%grond %nowledge on their own commnity 'rom $rior ex$eriences# and
growing $ in the area! "hey ha(e ex$erience with the set $ and dynamics o' many o' the
lessons we will be com$leting in terms o' $artici$ation and basic elements# althogh the material
itsel' will be new!
"his nit has ne(er been taght be'ore becase this is my coo$erating teacher)s 'irst year
teaching middle school! *he had $lanned on com$leting a nit on commnities# and we
researched and 'elt the boo% Seedfolks by Pal +leishmann wold be an a$$ro$riate no(el to
accom$any the nit! ,e wor%ed to de(elo$ some o' the materials together# althogh I $lled
most materials mysel' and then shared them with her 'or a$$ro(al be'ore mo(ing ahead! "his
nit 'its well into the sixth grade crriclm as it deals with many o' the literary and writing
standards# as well as im$ortant social and emotional isses rele(ant to the stdents) li(es! -y
teacher 'elt that nit on commnities wold be (ery a$$licable to the sixth graders li(es# that it
wold 'oster $artici$ation among all o' the stdents and that stdents wold embrace the
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conce$ts with o$en minds!
,ithin my classroom I ha(e three di''erent $er'ormance.based gro$s o' learners/ a high
$er'orming gro$# a middle $er'orming gro$# and a low $er'orming gro$! "hese gro$s are
decided $on by sing the di''erent test scores 'rom standardi0ed tests as well as 1arterly
assessments# and in class obser(ations and wor%! In addition to those gro$s# we also ha(e many
E*L stdents within the class that are scattered throghot all three gro$s# di''ering in ability
le(els between reading and writing! All o' my E*L stdents are *$anish s$ea%ing# exce$t 'or one
o' my stdents whose 'amily comes 'rom 2igeria! I ha(e se(en $rimary *$anish s$ea%ing
stdents in my class and one 3asa s$ea%ing stdent! -ost o' my E*L stdents ha(e been
s$ea%ing# writing and reading English 'or long enogh where it is di''iclt to see that it is their
second langage# bt I ma%e accommodations 'or them by incor$orating (isals# adios# as well
as written instrctions# discssing assignments com$letely# $ro(iding rbrics and 'eedbac% on all
assignments# wor%ing in small gro$s or $airs# and wor%ing in a 4I do# we do# yo do5 cycle that
allows 'or a gradal release into whate(er to$ic we are wor%ing on!
In addition to E*L learners# I will wor% to accommodate my gided le(eled gro$s# by
co$ying my coo$)s methods o' mixed gro$ings! "he stdents sit in mixed small gro$ings
arond the classroom! ,e wor% in these small gro$s throghot lessons# and it allows 'or all
stdents to gi(e in$t and share thoghts while $shing all stdents to $rogress into the next
academic le(el 'or critical thin%ing! 6y mixing my stdents in a$$ro$riate gro$s# it 'orces
stdents to thin% in a di(erse 'ashion# 1estioning their own thin%ing and hel$ing each other to
$rogress! ,e also will ha(e many whole gro$ discssions! All stdents %now that it is their dty
to $artici$ate in these discssions# and that I call on them 4randomly5! 3owe(er# I tailor the
1estions I)m as%ing to the stdents who I %now will be able to answer them! "his allows me to
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chec% stdent nderstanding# and also di''erentiate 'or my di''erent stdents! +inally# I also am
wor%ing to incor$orate many di''erent adio# (isal# and text de$endent resorces throghot the
nit# to meet the needs o' all o' my stdents! 6y tili0ing as many di''erent modems 'or learning#
I will be able to reach all le(els in my classroom to $rogress their learning!
I also ha(e one stdent in this class with se(ere AD3D! In order to meet his needs dring
the lessons# I ha(e incor$orated text# adio# and (isal tas%s 'or all o' the stdents! 6y tili0ing
all o' these di''erent resorces he stays more attenti(e and on tas%# becase more o' his senses
are being tili0ed! 3e also has a warning system in $lace 'or beha(ior with a stri%e system! 3e is
a (ery tal%ati(e stdent as well# and so I will be sre to call on him to answer 1estions dring
or whole class discssions so that he can gi(e his o$inions and stay 'ocsed on the tas%s at hand
and not distract those arond him!
We do not have any classroom aides or students who are pulled out for special resources
during this class period. This has created a very closely-knit classroom community, where
everyone feels free to express their thoughts. Because we do have so many ESL students, this is
also a very vocal class, as it is easier for them to express their ideas verbally, then in written
form. Because of this we will work a lot on writing during this unit, while also continuing our
critical discussions, that allow all of the students to share their thoughts and feelings.
Part 2:
The Strengths of the
Unit:
Needs of Learners: Addressing those
needs:
Needs not addressed
in previous unit
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-Text/Audio books
-Community
Awareness/
Multiple communities
addresses
This will address the
needs of all of my
students with ESL
barriers, ADHD, and
leveled learning
groups.
This will address the
needs of all of my
students from
different parts of the
community.
This method will
address those needs
by allowing ESL
students to follow
along within their
own copy of the book
while listening to the
fluency and
vocabulary being used
in the story, will help
my student with
ADHD, as it will
capture his attention
through different
modalities of the text,
and will meet the
needs of all of my
reading groups, as
they are able to both
listen to the dialect of
the speaker, as well as
read the book for
themselves, aiding all.
CPS is one of the
largest school districts
in the country, and my
students commute to
my school everyday
from all parts of the
city. This unit will
help them to learn
about their own
community and that
of their peers from
different perspectives
and will help them to
keep and open mind
about the their
communities and what
they offer.
N/A: this is the first
time a unit like this
will be completed in
my classroom. I have
designed the unit with
the help of my
cooperating teacher,
as this is her first year
teaching middle
school students.
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-Text-self connections
-Writing practice for
argumentative styles
-Analysis of
characters points of
view, and the points
of view of others
This will help to relate
to all of my ESL,
ADHD, leveled
learners, and all social
configurations within
my class
This writing style will
be extremely
beneficial to all of my
students, as it is a
major part of the
curriculum, but will
also help my ESL
students who need the
extra push when
writing, as well as, all
of my different levels
of learners, as they all
need help with the
argumentative style.
This will help my
ESL students as well
as my leveled learners
By being able to see a
representation of
themselves within the
text, students will be
able to connect their
learning and
understanding directly
to their own day to
day experiences. The
novel has many
different points of
view that will allow
all students to find
one character or
another to relate to,
and our group
discussions will help
with this as well.
Practicing
argumentative writing
will help my ESL
students, as it will
push them to transfer
their ideas on to
paper. It will also help
all of my different
levels of learners, as it
is a writing style that
they all struggle with
in different ways, and
will allow us as a
class to practice our
peer editing skills.
Exploring points of
view is a CCSS
middle school
standard, and it helps
all of my students
explore the
importance of
character
development and
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critical thinking skills.
Part 3:
1. Seedfolks paper text by Paul Fleishman:
This book was chosen among many options as it discusses the importance of community
building, allows students to explore the importance of different perspectives and their impacts on
their own community, and is an appropriate level for the diverse group of learners within my
classroom. There are many different options for how to relate this text from the classroom to the
students lives, and it was for this reason that made the book and this unit the most appealing to
me. Our school community is composed of a very diverse group of learners, and this book is
helping our sixth grade class work through their differences, build a tighter in school and out of
school community, and motivates the students to act within their own community. In addition to
these lessons, the students are exploring the differences in indirect and direct impacts they can
have on individuals and on their own community, all due to this one novel.
2. Seedfolks audio CDs:
We decided to use the audio version of the book during class in order to allow students to hear
the different dialects and accents of the characters, without always a teachers accent or voice.
The audio also allows students to follow along as they are reading, and therefore greatly helps all
levels of learners in my classroom to understand some of the words they might not have
otherwise understood. There are many different examples of dialect and even some vocabulary
words from different languages that by listening to the audio version come across as more
accurate then if I was reading the text aloud, and it differentiates the different perspectives for
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each of the characters for the students, since the accents and intonation changes with each
chapters new character.
3. Seedfolks Dissucssion Questions:
The questions were created to both help the students further comprehend the text itself, as well as
working on their text dependant answers. They required the students to critically reflect on the
different themes and messages throughout the text that the author was providing. Many of these
themes were not easily grasped without discussion and the specific critical thinking questions,
that prompted the students to dig deeper.
4. Character Pyramid Chart
These charts were assigned to the students to help them to understand the different backgrounds
the characters were coming from, as well as, help them to notice the complexity of each
characters person, and explore the ideas of dimensionality.
5. ext dependent !ritin" rubric
This rubric was created to help students to realize what they would be being assessed on during
the text dependant questions. Without the knowledge of this rubric, there would be no way to
formally assess the students ability to pull text support during both written and oral questioning.
It helped the students too to realize what they needed to include in their responses.
#. Seedfolks $eanin" and %oots !or&sheet:
This worksheet was an important artifact to include at the end of the unit as a check for
understanding and to conclude the study of the novel. The students were required to fill out this
worksheet in order to show their own connections they formed with the novel throughout our
study of the characters and their community. It also further helps us to explore the idea of
themes, and what those major themes throughout the novel were.
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'. Seedfolks Character chart
This material helped students to stay on task through out the study, as well as, helped them to
keep track of the many different characters. It was not always easy to remember the different
characters traits and impacts in the community through out the book, as each chapter introduced
a new character with a completely new perspective. Many times other characters were also
mentioned throughout the novel by the narrator for that specific chapter, causing us to pause and
reflect on which character the narrator might be talking about. This chart helped the students to
keep all of the different characters straight, and was an easy chart to quickly glance at to remind
us of the impacts and differences between the characters.
8. Victory Gardens reading
This was an introductory reading we completed in order to learn some more about community
gardens outside of this novel, and where they have existed before. We were able to complete a
close reading of this article, and discuss the importance and effect community gardens have in
real life, and how they have impacted many different communities. We were also able to explore
whether or not our own communities could benefit from such a garden and why or why not. This
article led to much debate, discussion, and real life applications.
(. )ordle !ebsite:
This website was used as an introductory tool for the students to introduce them to what it means
to be a part of a community. The students all wrote down different words that they related to the
concept of communities and what it meant to be a part of one, and then we typed in the different
words and repetitions. Once all had been typed in, it composes a collage of the words,
highlighting the most repeated words in larger fonts. This helped the students to visualize the
different things that they associate with communities, and what it means to be a part of one.
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1*. )al&in" Field+trip
This field trip was planned with the help of the internet and google maps, and was a great
resource for students to get them out and about in our own community. It was an important
aspect to this unit, as it allowed the students to explore our own community, and then compare
that with the community we had read about within Seedfolks. These comparisons then helped us
to find improvements and suggestions for where we can improve our community in the future.
Without getting out to see the positives and negatives within our own community, it would have
been difficult for any of the students to be able to compare their community with the book, and
decide if there were any things we needed to work to improve.
11. ,etters to the -lderman:
These letters were a great resource for many different reasons. First off, they allowed the
students to express their newly gained knowledge on their own community and what needed to
be improved. It also wrapped up our argumentative writing unit, by allowing the students to
compose sandwiches using their text support to defend what they thought needed to be
improved upon in the community, and what was already thriving.
LESSON PLAN 1
Name: Christina Lantero
Date: 3/6/14
Grade Level/Subject: Sixth grade/ reading and writing
Prerequisite Knowledge: classroom rules and expectations; whole class, partner and independent work
expectations
Approximate Time: ~75 minutes
Student Objectives/Student Outcomes: Students will be able to
1. -ns!er and complete comprehension texts about the boo& Seedfolks
2. -ns!er and complete critical thin&in" /uestions about Seedfolks
3. Participate acti0ely in !hole class and "roup discussions
4. Critically analy1e their o!n communities
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5. Compare and contrast the community in Seedfolks !ith their o!n communities
Content Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from
the text.
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a
summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the
characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and
contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an
audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they "see" and "hear" when reading
the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.
Materials/Resources/Technology:
1. )ritin" 2ournals
2. Personal copies o3 Seedfolks by Paul Fleishman
3. -udio recordin" o3 Seedfolks
4. Seedfolks pac&et
5. )ritin" 4tensils
#. ,aptop
'. )ordle
Implementation:
I will make sure the students are complying with their previously set standards for behavior and if I see
them misbehaving or not following the established routine I will remind them to be on task, or if severely
misbehaving they will be asked to move their seat. They understand the pre-set classroom behaviors and
expectations and will be held accountable for their behaviors according to those standards.
Time
2:15 Opening of lesson: (Objectives, hook, behavior expectations)
I will open the lesson by discussing the new novel we will be beginning, called
Seedfolks. The students will be introduced to the concept of communities and what
they mean to us and how we are affected by them.

2:17
2:20
2:25
Procedures:
1. 5 !ill pull up the po!erpoint 5 ha0e created 3or Seedfolks.
2. )e !ill discuss !hether or not any students ha0e read the boo&6 and ma&e
Inferences about what we think the book may or may not be about.
3. )e !ill then play the 78i0e 9ne6 8et 9ne: !ord "ame. Durin" this "ame students
will need to write down as many words as they can think of that have to do with
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2:50
3:00
3:10
3:15
communities. When they have completed this, they need to then go around their small
groups and place a check next to any repeated words, and then add any new words to
their groups master list.
4) As they are doing this I will pull up the Wordle wesbite.
4. )e !ill then "o around the room and 5 !ill type in all o3 the students; lists into
the website and create our Wordle as a whole class. They will then be able to see
all of the different parts that make up a community according to our class.
5) Next, we will discuss the results from the Wordle and why we think those words
were chosen multiple times over others.
5. )e !ill then discuss the ideas o3 communities and address the /uestions in the
Powerpoint to give our opinions one the definition of a community. What
Communities we are a part of, and how one person can affect a community: positively
And negatively.
#. Finally6 !e !ill close by 3illin" out a <), chart on the po!erpoint about !hat
We know about communities, what we have learned, and what questions we still have
About what communities are composed of.
3:30 Summary/Closing: I will thank the students for listening and praise them for their hard
work and then have them clean up their materials, pack-up and line-up
Student Assessment:
Observe student participation during discussions, check notes, and check questions
LESSON PLAN 2
Date: 3/10/14
expectations
#. -ns!er and complete comprehension texts about the boo& Seedfolks
'. -ns!er and complete critical thin&in" /uestions about Seedfolks
=. Participate acti0ely in !hole class and "roup discussions
(. Critically analy1e their o!n communities
1*. Compare and contrast the community in Seedfolks !ith their o!n communities
Content Standards:
16
the text.
=. )ritin" 2ournals
(. Personal copies o3 Seedfolks by Paul Fleishman
1*. -udio recordin" o3 Seedfolks
11. Seedfolks pac&et
12. )ritin" 4tensils
13. laptop
Implementation:
Time
I will open the lesson by reviewing the differences between an individual and a
Community with the students.
17

2:17
2:50
3:20
3:30
Procedures:
1. )e !ill be"in !ith discussin" the 3ollo!in" /uestions:
-What is the difference between an individual and a community?
-What do we know about communities?
-What conflicts can occur between an individual and his/her community?
-What are some examples from your own lives?
-What are some aspects of your own personal community?
2. 9nce !e ha0e completed those /uestions !e !ill play the 74 corner;s acti0ity For
this acti0ity 5 !ill read the 3ollo!in" /uestions outloud6 and the students !ill
need to go to either the strongly disagree, disagree, agree, or strongly agree corner
for these questions: It is easy for an older person to make a difference in their
community. One person can make a difference in his/her community. People who do
good things always know exactly who they will affect. People listen to each other and
respect each others opinions. It is easy for you to make a difference in your school.
3. -3ter !e ha0e played the "ame and discussed6 each o3 the students !ill recei0e a
Copy of the A New Crop article discussing the community gardens in San Antonio, TX.
4. -3ter they ha0e read and annotated this article !e !ill complete a comprehension
Check for students by questioning and clarifying the material and reading.
Student Assessment:
LESSON PLAN 3
Date: 3/12/14
expectations
18
Content Standards:
the text.
14. )ritin" 2ournals
1#. -udio recordin" o3 Seedfolks
1'. Seedfolks pac&et
1=. )ritin" 4tensils
1(. laptop
Implementation:
Time
I will open the lesson by bringing up the students prior knowledge on the topic of
communities and how individuals can impact their communities in both positive and
negative ways.
19

2:17
2:30
2:32
2:55
3:15
3:25
Procedures:
'. 5 !ill as& students to ta&e out their !ritin" >ournals 3rom the other day and !e !ill
Share and discuss some of their writings.
2) I will transition by reminding students of the 5 part paragraph and will read them the
argumentative prompt Can a community be influenced by one individual, why
or why not?
3) We then as a class, using text support, will come up with a thesis, and will compose
a five part paragraph together as to why a community can or cannot be influenced by
one individual.
5. ?ext6 !e !ill read the next chapter in Seedfolks usin" the audio recordin". )hen that
chapter is 3inished !e !ill 3ill in our character chart and "o throu"h the /uestions.
5) If there is time, we will listen to the next chapters audio recording and then we will
complete the character chart as a group.
6) If there is still time, they will work in their small groups to answer the next characters
questions
3:30 Summary/Closing:
I will tell the students that the homework for the night will be to complete their own 5 paragraph
essay about their own communities and whether or not they think they can affect their
communities.
I will thank the students for listening and praise them for their hard
Student Assessment:
LESSON PLAN 4
Date: 3/17/14
expectations
1#. -ns!er and complete comprehension texts about the boo& Seedfolks
20
1'. -ns!er and complete critical thin&in" /uestions about Seedfolks
1=. Participate acti0ely in !hole class and "roup discussions
1(. Critically analy1e their o!n communities
Content Standards:
the text.
2*. )ritin" 2ournals
22. -udio recordin" o3 Seedfolks
23. Seedfolks pac&et
25. laptop
Implementation:
Time
I will open today with reminding students about the homework task from last night.
21

2:17
2:40
2:50
Procedures:
1. o be"in6 5 !ill allo! students !ho !ould li&e to share their !ritten pieces about
How they have impacted or seen someone else impact their community come up
To the front of the room and share with the class
2. -3ter all o3 the students ha0e shared6 !e !ill discuss some o3 the common themes
And how individuals our age can truly impact their communities.
3. hen !e !ill continue !ith the audio recordin" and readin" alon" in our boo&s
4. he students !ill listen to the chapter and then !e !ill 3ill in the character chart6
And answer the discussion questions as a full group. For each question orally
Answered, the students will be required to follow the directions in the rubric to answer
The question using text evidence.
5. )e !ill continue !ith this process 3or the rest o3 the class period6 and "et throu"h
As many chapters as possible.
3:30 Summary/Closing: I will assign the students some reading and questions for homework.
I will thank the students for listening and praise them for their
Hard work and then have them clean up their materials, pack-up and line-up
Student Assessment:
Observe student participation during discussions, check notes, check homework essays
and check questions
LESSON PLAN 5
Date: 4/29/14
expectations
22
Content Standards:
the text.
2#. )ritin" 2ournals
2'. Personal copies o3 Seedfolks by Paul Fleishman
2=. -udio recordin" o3 Seedfolks
2(. Seedfolks pac&et
3*. )ritin" 4tensils
31. laptop
Implementation:
Time
We will begin by finishing the last chapter of Seedfolks, and the epilogue
23

2:17
2:30
2:45
3:00
3:10
3:20
Procedures:
1. 5 !ill play the last chapter o3 Seedfolks 3or the students and !e !ill 3inish
Answering the questions together, and filling in the character chart. And we will
Review the epilogue from Seeds to Seedfolks
2) We will then play the four corners game again, with the same questions
and see what there answers are now that we have finished the book.
3) Next, we will go through one of the Character Pyramids together, and I will assign
the next one for hw, as it is important for them to continue to their study on perspectives
4) The students will then break into their small groups and discuss the questions
on page 22 of their packet. They will discuss and fill in the questions about the
common themes throughout the book.
#. )e !ill then come to"ether as a class to discuss these ideas and combine them
Together as a group.
'. Finally6 !e !ill end the day !ith !atchin" 4 short clips o3 indi0iduals a33ectin" their
Own communities and fill in the last page of the packet while watching the videos
3:30 Summary/Closing: For homework tonight they will have the character chart
In addition to writing a piece about something they would like to achieve in their
own community.
Student Assessment:
Observe student participation during discussions, check notes, packets
and check questions
LESSON PLAN 6
Date: 5/5/14
expectations
2#. -ns!er and complete comprehension texts about the boo& Seedfolks
2'. -ns!er and complete critical thin&in" /uestions about Seedfolks
2=. Participate acti0ely in !hole class and "roup discussions
24
2(. Critically analy1e their o!n communities
Content Standards:
the text.
32. )ritin" 2ournals
33. $ap
34. )al&in" shoes
35. elephone numbers o3 businesses
3#. Prepared /uestions
Implementation:
Time
I will explain to the students that today we will be going over the procedures before
Our field trip at the end of the week.
25

2:17
2:20
2:40
3:00
3:30
Procedures:
1. For this lesson !e !ill re0ie! the po!erpoint 5 ha0e made on the @uc&to!nA )ic&er
Par& nei"hborhood. )e !ill discuss many o3 the di33erent issues that our nei"hborhood 3aces
2. )e !ill then !atch some clips o3 di33erent inter0ie!s and discuss the di33erent types 93
lan"ua"e and /uestionin" used in these types o3 /uestions. -re they
based on Facts or opinionsB
3. )e !ill then relate these /uestions to our o!n community and come up !ith
A few examples of different questions we could ask of our own community members
4. hen 5 !ill sho! the students some in3ormation on the di33erent places !e !ill
Be visiting on our upcoming field trip. They will be assigned a place we are visiting to ask
questions at. They will then work in their individual journals to then
Come up with a list of at least three good questions for the place they have been
Assigned. I will explain that once those questions for the assigned people have been
Asked, they will then be allowed to ask more questions if they wish too and we have
Enough time before we need to leave.
5. 5 !ill explain to them that they !ill need to brin" their noteboo&s !ith them on
Our field trip, so that they can take notes on what the community members say
During our visits and they can use that research later on to then complete their
Final project.
#. his Friday !e !ill "o on our )al&in" Field rip around the @uc&to!n+)ic&er
Park neighborhoods and explore the different areas.
3:32 Summary/Closing: I will remind them of the behavior expected on the filed trip and
The importance of the information they will be collecting.
I will thank the students for listening and praise them for their hard
Student Assessment:
LESSON PLAN 7
Date: 5/12/14
expectations
26
Content Standards:
the text.
3'. )ritin" 2ournals
3=. Personal copies o3 Seedfolks by Paul Fleishman
3(. -udio recordin" o3 Seedfolks
4*. Seedfolks pac&et
42. laptop
Implementation:
Time
Today we will be discussing what we learned during our field trip. And I will explain
That we have been called to action as a class.
27

2:17
2:30
2:32
2:55
3:15
3:25
Procedures:
Today during class we will be discussing what we learned on our field trip.
1. )e !ill compose a class list o3 the many pros and cons in our o!n community6 and
then discuss the di33erent !ays in !hich !e can !or& to impro0e our community.
2. hen the students !ill !or& to compose their o!n letters to our nei"hborhood
-lderman: Ccott )a"uespac& D32
nd
district..
3. 9nce the students ha0e 3inished their letters6 !e !ill hold a peer editin" !or&shop6
-nd !ith the help o3 a partner the students !ill edit and re0ise their
letters.
4. 5 !ill then record the students readin" some o3 the su""estions to the -lderman6
and )ill send this 0ideo to the parents so that they can see !hat !e ha0e been
!or&in" on.
5. Finally6 5 !ill let the students &no! that their letters !ill be sent to the -lderman6
and that !e !ill hope3ully recei0e a reply shortly.
Student Assessment:
Observe student participation during discussions, check notes, and check questions. Students
letters will also be taken as a final assessment for the unit.
CALENDAR:
March: 6
th
: Lesson one 10
th
: Lesson 2 12
th
: Lesson 3 17
th
: Lesson 4
April: READING
BOOK
29
th
: Lesson 5
May: 5
th
: Lesson 6 9
th
: Field Trip; 12
th
: Lesson 7
28
Part V: Work Samples
Through our unit on community, I as an educator positively impacted my students in
multiple ways. I helped them to learn more about the community their school is located in. I
helped them to work on their interview, critical thinking and research skills. I introduced them to
many different perspectives and cultures, and aided them in exploring the positives and negatives
of their own environment and find ways to work to improve it. We also worked on their reading
and writing skills through drafting and peer editing and close reading sessions. They worked in
groups compiled of many different students within the classroom, improving our classroom
atmosphere, and they worked to reflect on their own roles in the community and how they can
impact their community both directly and indirectly.
The work set that I compiled of my students assignments is a good representation of the
diversity within my classroom. I chose to use a beginning and ending assignment from each of
my students, and included one assignment from a high, middle, and low range student to show
the differences between students in my classroom. These assignments also show the impact I had
on my students, as they show the self-reflection and the research skills gained by my students
over the course of this unit. By the end, the letters the students wrote show a well developed
awareness of their own community and the impacts individuals can have on their community.
The letters also show how by conducting this research the students were able to offer a
suggestion of how to improve the community to an official in power. We discussed multiple
times throughout the unit the connection between educating and motivating, and after they had
educated themselves, they were called to action. For this final assignment, it was their duty to
educate the Alderman about what they had learned about their community, and then call the
Alderman to action to improve an aspect of the community that they felt was lacking.
Through the creation and implementation of this unit, I learned much about myself and
29
my students that will help me in the future. I plan to use this unit plan in the future, as it has
taught me how to differentiate to meet all of my students needs, and how to come up with fun
and engaging activities for an entire unit of reading. I also learned how to develop creative
assessments that help the unit move along, and tell me where my students are at in order to
continue to move forward. When I do teach this unit again though, I would be sure to measure
out the chapters we were to read each day more specifically. The unit took much longer than I
thought to complete, and I would need to readjust my calendar to make sure we had enough time
to finish everything planned. I also would make sure to create a rain check date with all of the
shops on the field trip so that if the weather was bad, we would have an alternative and not have
to scramble to make adjustments. I also hope to have more technology resources available in
order to make the students do more of the research for themselves, instead of having to provide it
all to them.
Work Sample Sets:
All available on ** http://christinalanteroportfolio.weebly.com under the impact on
learning example 1
Part VI:
30
Reflection:
This assignment has impacted my learning and teaching in many different ways. My
teaching adjusted over the course of the unit in order to accommodate the pace and abilities of
my students. At the beginning of the unit, I was a little too ambitious about how much material
we would be able to cover in a day. I was so concerned with getting everything done everyday to
stay on schedule with my lessons that I wasnt allowing my students enough time to process and
discuss the material. This changed over the course of the unit though as I conferenced with my
supervisor, cooperating teacher, students, and recorded and watched my own lessons being
taught. I realized what was happening, and altered a few of the things I was trying to fit into one
day. I also adjust a few of the assignments so that they could be used as progress checks and be
assigned for homework, instead of needing to be assigned in class.
Another major change I made while teaching this assignment was my student talking
time versus my teacher talking time. At the beginning of the unit I realized I was talking too
much and feeding/leading the students on with too much information, instead of making them
work for it and discuss. I realized the major cause of this behavior was due to the amount of
material I was attempting to fit into each lesson everyday. Once I realized this behavior, I
worked in more discussion time for the students in both whole class and small group forms. I
created discussion and close reading questions for the students to use as a guide while discussing
the book and the different research in the community. I also allotted time for them to share out
their findings, and report them to the whole class so that we could learn together as a whole class
community.
Furthermore, I worked on my wait time for students to answer questions. At the
beginning of this unit, as mentioned before, I was prompting the students too much with
31
information, instead of letting them think enough about topic and develop their own opinions.
Throughout the course of this unit, I worked hard at allowing the students adequate time to really
think through their answers, and would call on students to share who I thought would be able to
give comprehensive and well thought out answers. I worked on calling on every student at least
once throughout the course of the lesson, to allow each and every students voice to be heard,
and we discussed the importance of everyone participating due to their differing perspectives on
communities and their unique and important additions to our discussions.
I will use all of these observations and methods when teaching in the future, as they are
all behaviors that will directly impact my future teaching style, no matter the grade level or
subject. I learned invaluable lessons about methods and practice while teaching this lesson that
will help me with my pacing and questioning with my future students. I have learned to allow
enough time and flexible periods for these larger units, in order to ensure that we have enough
time to engage in meaningful and critical discussion and reflection. By using these observations
and records, I will be able to positively impact my future students.
The most challenging aspect of teaching the unit was differentiating the material for all of
my students. My classroom contains a large variety of learners, and it was a priority of mine to
try to reach all of those students. I achieved this differentiation by finding a complex text, with
lots of critical thinking possibilities, but that relatable, accessible, and level appropriate for all of
my students. I also created a range of writing assignments to allow them to choose how to write,
and I provided those rubrics so that they knew exactly what they were being graded on.
Furthermore, I worked to find different research articles for all of my students so that they were
able to conduct the research with appropriate reading materials that were level appropriate. They
then would discuss those articles, so that they were all learning the same information, but were
32
able to decipher it using their unique abilities.
The most rewarding aspect of teaching this unit was the students enthusiasm for the
topic. I was told everyday of the unit how much different students enjoyed the research and
learning more about their communities. They all engaged in the discussions about the book, and
were thrilled to be able to connect the content to their own lives and communities. They enjoyed
sharing their connections and writing memoires about their personal experiences with
communities and how they could make differences. Because of this enthusiasm, it made
planning and teaching this unit incredibly fun, as everyday I was excited to see what they would
come up with and connect with. I loved hearing about their personal experiences, and seeing my
students inspired to impact their own communities, and learn about how they may have already
impacted the communities both indirectly and directly. Finally, their discussion of educating and
motivating over the course of the unit, and their own calls to action, allowed me to see that they
were really grasping the content and applying it to their real lives, as they used their critical
thinking and problem solving skills.
I think it is essential for students to complete a study on their own communities. They
need to know what makes their community function, and find ways to help make it better as
citizens of that community. By making them aware of their communities, they become
responsible and aware of their own actions in and out of the classroom, and work harder to help
improve the community that they live in. It gives them a role and a purpose outside of school,
and educates them on the workings of the real world. I found all of these aspects to be very
apparent during our classroom discussions, as the students explored their own power to make a
difference, and expanded their knowledge of the education-motivation cycle.
After interviewing my students on what their favorite parts of this unit were, they
33
discussed how much they enjoyed researching and exploring their school community. They said
they really liked the opportunity to interview community members and business owners when
out on our field trip, and then use that new knowledge to then try to make a difference. Many of
my students also explained that this unit has inspired them to try to make a difference in their
own communities.
After completing this unit, both planning and teaching, I learned a lot about my role as an
educator to make sure I am meeting all of the needs of all of my students. I always knew how
important differentiation was within the classroom, but had not realized how many different
ways it was possible to differentiate using. I also never realized how difficult it can be to create
and plan for an entire unit, and how much adjustment goes in to adapting the lesson to meet the
uniqueness of every classroom. Everything I learned during this unit will be applicable to my
own classroom and students in the future.
34

Edpr 432 Unit Analysis-3 Final

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University of Illinois College of Education Spring 2014

Name Christina Lantero _________ Grade Level(s) _6th________

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