Building Strong Communication Skills

Jeanne Searfoorce
EdTech 503 Capstone Project
Building Strong Communication Skills
Dr. Ross Perkins
Fall 2013

2 | Page

Table of Contents
Synthesis Reflection Paper..
...Page 3
Part 1. Topic
1a.
Rationale
...Page 5
1b.
Learning
Goal(s)
...Page 5
1c.
Learning
Objective(s)
.Page 5
Part 2. Analyses Report
2a.
Needs
Analysis...
..Page 5
2b:
Learner
Analysis...
..Page 6
2c:
Context
Analysis...
Page 6
2d. Content Analysis.
....Page 6
Part 3. Instructional Content
3a. Instructional Strategy Narrative.
.....Page 7
3b.
Learning
Materials...
.Page 8
3c.
Motivation
plan.
Page 8
3d.
Delivery
mechanism.
...Page 8
3e.
Assessment
Plan.
.Page 8
Part 4. Formative Evaluation Plan
4b:
One-to-One
evaluation
plan...Page 9
4c:
Small
Group
evaluation
plan..Page 10
4d:
Field
Trial
evaluation
plan...Page 10
References
...Page 12

3 | Page

4 | Page

Synthesis Reflection Paper

examine
every
part
of
the
project,
shake
out
the
bugs,
and
the
turnaround
to
arrives
some
sooner
not
than
so
friendly
planned.
feelings
When
that
IIlack
accompanied
began
class,
my
past
IImy
was
position
forced
as
designer/graphic
a
web
designer
artist.
and
project
Due
to
manager.
the
infancy
IIpatience.
loved
of
this
being
role,
a
it
website
was
the
utopia
of
design
the
twist
and
of
new
website
technology.
design),
the
From
position
a
project
was
management
absolutely,
positively
perspective
(with
frustrating;
process
and
there
projects
was
were
an
utter
created
and
and
complete
recreated
until
of
project
the
client
had
the
ah
ha
and
moment
time
again.
and
However,
loved
the
The
design.
Frankenmodel
Groundhog
assignment
Day
ensued
allowed
time,
and
me
to
time,
revisit
derived
the
from
ghosts
text
of
which
management
IIcontent
would
be
comfortable
past
objectively
using
in
creating
a
new,
a
exciting
method
Design
career.
decent
somethhing
readily
to
useable
show
future
portfolio
for
the
when
students
IItidy,
venture
in
my
toward
school
a
as
position
well
as
in
Instructional
this
Design.
semester,
final
it
was
project
a
test
was
of
not
just
a
The
test
home
of
applying
stretch
was
within
knowledge
reach
base
and
for
suddenly,
a
considerable
Moodle
amount
would
not
permit
time
edits.
read
IImanagement
used
the
the
online
discussion
remove
all
threads
of
the
content
locating
from
similar
my
course.
if
not
identical
It
was
problems.
one
of
those
IIIIthrough
attempted
situations
to
where
my
loss
of
time
was
more
valuable
than
my
of
Moodle.
sense
away.
losing
IIbe
decided
time
to
when
copy
reality
my
has
been
from
magnified
the
course
and
(which
time
thankfully
continued
was
to
tick
still
(learn2talk.weebly.com/).
available)
and
created
While
a
Weebly
disappointed
site
to
house
is
my
least
favorite
content
word
and
it
complete
is
seldom
my
used
Moodle
in
my
course:
verbal
Building
vocabulary,
Strong
IIweb
was
Communication
disappointed
that
Skills.
IIit
could
There
not
were
hiding
parts
course
interface
content
so
IIemployers
was
it
was
struggling
neat
and
with
that
adding
IIthis
wanted
some
to
additional
conquer:
links,
time
to
adding
move
news
onto
the
or
other
goal
features
of
the
project
to
name
instead
a
few.
back-pedaling
As
a
designer,
for
it
was
my
the
own
Period.
edification:
the
project
needs
to
be
completed
in
a
timely
manner.
teacher
(and
IIthe
used
quotations
because
the
idea
of
technology
being
traditional
use
my
skills
seems
to
enhancce
pretty
ironic
my
instruction
given
its
birth
by
placing
in
the
1980s),
the
content
will
on
certainly
my
newly
minted
how
to
access
class
blog
lessons
(cattoschool.weebly.com)
in
an
online
learning
environment.
as
well
as
teaching
While
online
students
learning
should
is
prepared
not
currently
for
this
avaialbe
inevitable
in
the
learning
district
where
IIcourse
teach,
with
my
confidence.
students
technologist.
While
my
free-spirited
nature
is
part
of
my
charm,
is
also
sequential
my
order
heel.
to
The
start
design
a
project
process
from
has
the
helped
beginning
me
learn
and
complete
to
think
in
it
within
allowed
required
me
to
be
creative
parameters
and
and
free
project
thinking
scope.
which
The
balances
process
necessary
has
also
organization
has
allowed
me
which
to
dismiss
not
one
the
my
ghosts
innate
from
character
web
design
traits.
(and
Finally
project
the
process
management)
truly
expected.
past.
have
learned
much
and
enjoyed
this
class
more
than
Robert
Frost
writes,
roads
diverged
in
aenvironment
wood,
and
IITwo
took
the
one
less
traveled
by,
Taken)
The
examine
instructional
every
part
design
of
the
process
project,
is
shake
like
playing
out
the,
the
bugs,
Hokey
and
Pokey:
the
turnaround
you
to
revisit
arrives
some
sooner
not
than
so
friendly
you
planned.
feelings
When
that
accompanied
began
this
class,
my
past
was
position
forced
as
designer/graphic
aachilles
web
designer
artist.
and
project
Due
to
manager.
the
infancy
loved
of
this
being
role,
a
it
website
was
the
utopia
of
design
twist
and
of
new
website
technology.
design),
the
From
position
a
project
was
management
absolutely,
positively
perspective
(with
frustrating;
process
and
there
projects
was
were
an
utter
created
and
and
complete
recreated
lack
until
of
project
the
client
management
had
the
ah
ha
and
moment
time
again.
and
However,
loved
the
The
design.
Frankenmodel
Groundhog
assignment
Day
ensued
allowed
time,
and
me
to
time,
revisit
derived
the
from
ghosts
the
text
of
which
management
would
be
comfortable
past
objectively
using
in
creating
a
new,
a
exciting
method
Design
career.
decent
somethhing
readily
to
useable
show
future
portfolio
employers
for
the
when
students
venture
in
my
toward
school
a
as
position
well
as
in
Instructional
this
Design.
semester,
The
final
it
was
project
a
test
was
of
patience.
not
just
aloss
The
test
home
of
applying
stretch
content
was
within
knowledge
reach
base
and
for
suddenly,
a
considerable
Moodle
amount
would
not
permit
time
edits.
read
through
used
the
the
online
discussion
remove
all
threads
of
the
content
locating
from
similar
my
course.
if
not
identical
It
was
problems.
one
of
those
attempted
situations
to
where
my
loss
of
time
was
more
valuable
than
my
loss
of
Moodle.
sense
away.
losing
decided
to
when
copy
reality
my
content
has
been
from
magnified
the
course
and
(which
time
thankfully
continued
was
to
tick
still
(learn2talk.weebly.com/).
available)
and
created
While
a
Weebly
disappointed
site
to
house
is
my
course
least
favorite
content
word
and
it
complete
isrevisit
seldom
my
used
Moodle
in
my
course:
verbal
Building
vocabulary,
Strong
was
Communication
disappointed
that
Skills.
could
There
not
were
hiding
parts
course
interface
content
so
was
it
was
struggling
neat
and
with
tidy,
that
adding
wanted
some
to
additional
conquer:
links,
time
to
adding
move
news
onto
the
or
other
goal
features
the
project
to
name
instead
a
few.
back-pedaling
As
a
designer,
for
it
was
my
the
own
Period.
edification:
the
project
needs
to
be
completed
in
a
timely
manner.
teacher
(and
used
quotations
because
the
idea
of
technology
being
traditional
use
my
skills
seems
to
enhancce
pretty
ironic
my
instruction
given
its
birth
by
placing
in
the
1980s),
the
content
will
on
certainly
my
newly
minted
how
to
access
class
blog
lessons
(cattoschool.weebly.com)
in
an
online
learning
environment.
as
well
as
teaching
While
my
online
students
learning
should
be
is
prepared
not
currently
for
this
avaialbe
inevitable
in
the
learning
district
environment
where
teach,
with
my
confidence.
students
technologist.
While
my
free-spirited
nature
is
part
of
my
charm,
it
is
also
my
sequential
achilles
order
heel.
to
The
start
design
ayou
project
process
from
has
the
helped
beginning
me
learn
and
complete
to
think
in
itcontent
within
the
allowed
required
me
to
time
be
creative
parameters
and
and
free
project
thinking
scope.
which
The
balances
process
necessary
has
also
organization
has
allowed
me
which
to
dismiss
not
one
the
of
my
ghosts
innate
from
character
design
traits.
(and
Finally
project
the
process
management)
truly
expected.
past.
IIThe
have
learned
much
and
enjoyed
this
class
more
than
II
Robert
Frost
writes,
roads
diverged
in
a
wood,
and
IITwo
took
the
one
less
traveled
by,
examine
arrives
every
sooner
part
than
of
the
you
project,
planned.
shake
When
out
Ilack
began
the
bugs,
and
class,
the
Imy
was
turnaround
forced
to
as
aachilles
web
some
designer
not
and
so
friendly
project
manager.
feelings
that
Ipatience.
loved
accompanied
being
a
website
my
past
position
designer/graphic
design
and
new
technology.
artist.
Due
From
to
the
a
infancy
project
of
management
this
role,
it
was
perspective
the
utopia
(with
of
the
frustrating;
twist
of
there
website
was
design),
an
utter
the
and
position
complete
was
absolutely,
of
project
positively
process
ha
moment
and
projects
and
loved
were
the
created
design.
and
Groundhog
recreated
Day
until
ensued
the
client
time,
had
and
the
time,
ah
and
revisit
time
the
again.
ghosts
However,
of
The
management
Frankenmodel
past
assignment
objectively
allowed
creating
me
a
method
to
derived
from
Design
text
career.
which
IIcontent
would
be
comfortable
using
in
a
new,
exciting
decent
readily
useable
portfolio
for
the
students
in
my
school
as
well
as
somethhing
Instructional
to
Design.
show
future
final
project
was
IItidy,
venture
just
a
test
toward
of
applying
a
position
in
within
reach
this
and
semester,
suddenly,
it
Moodle
was
a
test
would
of
not
permit
The
edits.
home
IImanagement
used
stretch
the
was
online
knowledge
discussion
threads
base
for
locating
a
considerable
similar
if
amount
not
identical
time
problems.
read
IIpast
attempted
the
to
remove
where
my
all
loss
of
the
of
time
content
was
from
more
my
valuable
course.
than
It
was
my
one
of
of
those
Moodle.
situations
sense
losing
time
when
reality
has
been
magnified
and
time
continued
to
tick
away.
still
available)
IItook
decided
and
to
created
copy
my
a
Weebly
from
site
to
the
house
course
my
(which
thankfully
content
was
(learn2talk.weebly.com/).
it
is
seldom
used
in
my
verbal
While
vocabulary,
disappointed
IIaccompanied
was
is
disappointed
least
favorite
that
IIit
word
could
and
not
complete
were
parts
my
Moodle
interface
course:
IIemployers
was
Building
struggling
Strong
with
Communication
that
IIthis
wanted
to
Skills.
conquer:
There
hiding
links,
adding
course
news
content
or
other
so
features
it
was
neat
to
name
and
a
few.
adding
As
a
designer,
some
additional
it
was
the
time
own
edification:
to
move
onto
the
the
project
goal
of
needs
the
project
to
be
completed
instead
in
back-pedaling
a
timely
manner.
for
my
Period.
teacher
traditional
(and
seems
IIthe
used
pretty
quotations
ironic
given
because
its
birth
idea
in
the
of
technology
1980s),
will
being
certainly
use
minted
my
class
skills
blog
to
enhancce
(cattoschool.weebly.com)
my
instruction
by
as
placing
well
as
the
teaching
content
on
my
students
newly
how
learning
to
access
is
not
lessons
currently
in
avaialbe
an
online
in
learning
the
district
environment.
where
IIcourse
teach,
While
my
online
students
should
be
prepared
for
this
inevitable
learning
with
confidence.
technologist.
my
heel.
While
The
my
design
free-spirited
process
nature
has
helped
is
part
me
of
learn
my
charm,
think
in
is
also
sequential
required
order
to
parameters
start
a
project
and
from
project
the
scope.
beginning
The
and
process
complete
has
also
itcontent
within
allowed
organization
me
to
which
be
creative
not
one
and
my
free
innate
thinking
character
which
balances
traits.
Finally
necessary
the
process
has
management)
allowed
me
past.
to
dismiss
IIThe
have
the
learned
ghosts
much
from
and
web
enjoyed
design
this
(and
class
project
more
than
II
truly
expected.
Robert
Frost
writes,
ITwo
roads
the
one
diverged
less
traveled
in
a
wood,
by,
and
I-not
instructional
design
process
is
like
playing
the,
Hokey
Pokey:
you
examine
every
arrives
part
sooner
than
project,
you
planned.
shake
When
out
the
Ithe
began
bugs,
and
this
class,
turnaround
Ito
was
forced
time
to
a
web
designer
some
not
and
so
friendly
manager.
feelings
that
Iwhen
loved
being
a
website
my
position
as
designer/graphic
design
and
new
technology.
artist.
Due
From
to
the
a
infancy
project
of
management
this
role,
it
was
perspective
the
utopia
(with
of
frustrating;
twist
of
there
website
was
design),
an
utter
the
and
position
complete
was
lack
absolutely,
of
project
positively
management
process
ha
moment
and
projects
and
loved
were
the
created
design.
and
Groundhog
recreated
Day
until
ensued
the
client
time,
had
and
the
time,
ah
and
revisit
time
the
again.
ghosts
However,
of
The
management
Frankenmodel
past
assignment
objectively
allowed
creating
me
a
method
to
derived
from
Design
the
text
career.
which
would
be
comfortable
using
in
a
new,
exciting
decent
readily
useable
portfolio
for
the
students
in
my
school
as
well
as
somethhing
Instructional
to
Design.
show
future
The
final
employers
project
was
when
not
venture
just
aloss
test
toward
of
applying
a
position
content
in
within
reach
this
and
semester,
suddenly,
it
Moodle
was
a
test
would
of
patience.
not
permit
The
edits.
home
used
stretch
the
was
online
knowledge
discussion
threads
base
for
locating
a
considerable
similar
if
amount
not
identical
time
problems.
read
through
attempted
the
to
remove
where
my
all
loss
of
the
of
time
content
was
from
more
my
valuable
course.
than
It
was
my
one
loss
of
of
those
Moodle.
situations
sense
losing
when
reality
has
been
magnified
and
time
continued
to
tick
away.
still
available)
decided
and
to
created
copy
my
a
content
Weebly
from
site
to
the
house
course
my
(which
course
thankfully
content
was
(learn2talk.weebly.com/).
it
isrevisit
seldom
used
in
my
verbal
While
vocabulary,
disappointed
was
is
disappointed
least
favorite
that
word
could
and
not
complete
were
parts
my
Moodle
interface
course:
was
Building
struggling
Strong
with
Communication
that
wanted
to
Skills.
conquer:
There
hiding
links,
adding
course
news
content
or
other
so
features
it
was
neat
to
name
and
tidy,
a
few.
adding
As
a
some
designer,
additional
it
was
the
time
own
edification:
to
move
onto
the
the
project
goal
needs
the
project
to
be
completed
instead
in
back-pedaling
a
timely
manner.
for
my
Period.
teacher
traditional
(and
seems
used
pretty
quotations
ironic
given
because
its
the
birth
idea
in
the
of
technology
1980s),
being
certainly
use
minted
my
class
skills
blog
to
enhancce
(cattoschool.weebly.com)
my
instruction
by
as
placing
well
as
the
teaching
content
my
on
my
students
newly
how
learning
to
access
is
not
lessons
currently
in
avaialbe
an
online
in
learning
the
district
environment.
where
teach,
While
my
online
students
should
be
prepared
for
this
inevitable
learning
environment
with
confidence.
technologist.
my
achilles
heel.
While
The
my
design
free-spirited
process
nature
has
helped
is
part
me
of
learn
my
charm,
to
think
it
in
is
also
sequential
the
required
order
time
to
parameters
start
a
project
and
from
project
the
scope.
beginning
The
and
process
complete
has
also
it
within
allowed
organization
me
to
which
be
creative
not
one
and
of
my
free
innate
thinking
character
which
balances
traits.
Finally
necessary
the
process
has
management)
allowed
me
past.
to
dismiss
have
the
learned
ghosts
much
from
and
web
enjoyed
design
this
(and
class
project
more
than
truly
Robert
Frost
writes,
ITwo
took
roads
the
one
diverged
less
traveled
in
aenvironment
wood,
by,
and
ITaken)
path
Iexpected.
will
chose.
If
either
one
employs
instructional
design,
IIthrough
will
be
utterly
and
completely
The
instructional
content.
design
process
is
like
playing,
The
Hokey
Pokey:
you examine every part of the project, shake out the bugs, and the
turnaround time arrives sooner than you planned. When I began this class, I
was forced to revisit some not so friendly feelings that accompanied my
past position as a web designer and project manager. I loved being a
website designer/graphic artist. Due to the infancy of this role, it was the
utopia of design and new technology. From a project management
perspective (with the twist of website design), the position was absolutely,
positively frustrating; the design process was an incarnation of Ground Hog
Day which ceased when the client had the pop culture ah ha moment. I
must admit, I gained some valuable design skills as the client recreated the
artwork needed for their projects.
I too, would have my moment when completing The Frankenmodel
assignment. This assignment was a breakthrough because allowed me to
revisit the ghosts of project management past objectively creating a method
derived from the text which I would be comfortable using in a new, exciting
Instructional Design career. This learning experience allowed me to asses
my own project management style while maintaining the integrity of the
instructional design process.
The basis for my final project, Building Strong Communication Skills,
is three-fold. First, it is a personal quest to complete an online health
education course because there is virtually no centralized online curriculum
based health education anywhere. Second, I thought this would be an
interesting niche to explore since I prefer to create unique courses for the
purpose of trailblazing instead of reinventing the wheel. Third, in the
district where I teach there is a large high school dropout rate in the district
where I teach. My hope is that students can learn to build their confidence,
self-esteem and develop communication skills using these lessons in eighth
grade to prepare them to navigate the onset of mindless high school
drama and complete their high school education for a productive and
happy life.
The final project was not just a test of applying content knowledge this
semester; it was a test of patience. As I was completing the online portion of
the course, Moodle would not permit edits to the content I had posted.
Solving this problem seemed as simple as querying the online knowledge
base, locating discussion threads with similar technical difficulties (if not
identical problems) and executing a solution. This was easier read than
done. I attempted to remove all of the content from my course which was
unsuccessful. I also tried some of the other suggestions except they were for
Moodle administrators only (and this was a well thought barrier by Boise
State). I immediately decided to use a Weebly.com website to complete my
lesson. It did not make logical sense to waste time when the reality has

5 | Page

been magnified that Moodle was no longer a course design option.

I decided to copy my content from the course (which thankfully was
still available) and created a Weebly site to house my course content
(learn2talk.weebly.com/). While disappointed is my least favorite word and
it is seldom used in my verbal vocabulary, I was disappointed that I could not
complete my Moodle course: Building Strong Communication Skills. There
were parts of the interface I was struggling with that I wanted to conquer:
hiding my course content so it was neat and tidy, adding some additional
links, and adding news or other features to name a few. As a designer, it was
the time to move onto the goal of the project instead of back-pedaling for my
own edification: the project needed to be completed in a timely manner.
Period.
As I continue to fulfill my duties as a traditional technology classroom
teacher (and I used quotations because the idea of technology being
traditional seems pretty ironic given its classroom inception in the 1980s), I
will certainly use my skills to enhance my instruction by placing the content
on my newly minted class blog (cattoschool.weebly.com, circa September
2013) as well as teaching my students how to access lessons in an online
learning environment. While online learning is not currently available in the
district where I teach, my students should be prepared for this inevitable
learning environment with confidence.
The design process has helped me to become a better teacher and
technologist. While my free-spirited nature is part of my charm, it is also
my Achilles heel. The design process has helped me learn to think in
sequential order when planning and completing a project within the required
time parameters and project scope. It is also a reminder to save multiple
copies of my work in the event there are technical difficulties. The process
has also allowed me to achieve success by though creative and free thinking
and linear organization (which not one of my innate character traits). Finally,
the learning the instructional design in a formal education setting has
allowed me to bid farewell to the ghosts from web design (and project
management) past. I have learned much and enjoyed this class more than I
truly expected.
Robert Frost writes,
Two roads diverged in a wood, and II took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. (The Road Not
Taken)
Moving forward as a budding instructional designer, I am excited to see
which paths I will be presented with and ultimately which one I will chose.
With sincere confidence and excitement, I may just create my own path to
which I will be utterly and completely content.

6 | Page

Frost, Robert. The Road Not Taken. http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/theroad-not-taken/

7 | Page

Part 1. Building Strong Communication Skills

A. Rationale
The education-centered rationale for this course is to teach students to
become good communicators by learning about communication as well as
building confidence, self-esteem and core ethical values. Many students are
superstars in middle school and then lose confidence in high school making
poor, life altering decisions. The goal of these modules is to teach all eighth
grade students to feel empowered to make intelligent decisions, staying true
to their core beliefs so they will complete high school and pursue an
academic avenue that prepares them to lead productive lives and gainful
employment.
B. Learning goal(s)
There are three learning goals that are directly related to the New
Jersey Health Education Core Curriculum Standards. When studying the
Interpersonal Communication Skills module, students will, learn effective
Interpersonal Communication Skills which encompasses respect and
acceptance for individuals regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability,
ethnicity, socioeconomic background, religion, and/or culture. In the Short
and Long Term Consequences module students will, learn that every healthrelated decision has short- and long-term consequences and affects the
ability to reach health goals. In the final module (Core Ethical Values),
students will, learn how working together toward common goals with
individuals of different abilities and from different backgrounds develops and
reinforces core ethical values.
(http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/standards/2/2.pdf)
C. Learning Objective(s) and Sub-Objectives
Each module focuses on various areas where students can improve
themselves for the purpose of improving their communication skills. In the
Interpersonal Communication Skills module students will learn about verbal,
non-verbal, and listening skills. For the long and short term consequences
module, the content focuses on self-confidence, peer pressure, problem
solving, decision making and assertiveness. Learning these skills will help
students in various situations where students would need to be confident in
social situations where drugs and alcohol may be present. These skills will
also prove effective when negative comments are directed toward them.
Finally, the Core Ethical Values unit focuses on building self-esteem,
confidence, and personal empowerment when dealing with rejection.

Part 2. Analyses
A. Needs Analysis
i. Stakeholder(s): The primary stakeholders are eighth grade health
education students and their health education instructors.

8 | Page

ii. Data: Based on the New Jersey Health Education Core Content Curriculum
Standards, the material used in the modules are based on these standards
and the communication skills or lack thereof that I have witnessed that
warranted a lesson of this type.
iii. Constraints and Resources: In order for the course to be taken,
students will need a computer and word processing software. If they do not
have these available, the students will need to find access to these tools
which could be in a public library.
B. Learner Analysis
i. Students will be eighth grade health education students who live in the
state of New Jersey.
ii. As an inner-city teacher in the state of New Jersey, I have personally
witnessed poor communication skills between eighth grade students. For the
first five years of my teaching career, I was a middle school teacher and
witnessed these poor communication choices within my school in various
contexts which included my classroom, the hallway and lunch duty. Most
currently in my position as an elementary computer teacher, part of duties
includes middle school lunch duty and I have once again witnessed poor
communication between eighth grade students.
C. Context Analysis
i. This is a self-guided three-hour lesson where the student paces themselves
with a culminating written activity in each module to determine if the
content was learned successfully. The students written assignment is
performance evidence that the student understand the content and it has
made a personal impact with them.
ii. All of material is available on the Internet and can be view though a web
browser. The only part of the course that requires different technology is the
written component (word processing) and its means of submission (email).
Had the Moodle interface been available (due to technical difficulties I had to
take another route to complete the project), I would have included a private
online blog post as a written means of submitting the written assignment
and the means to upload the content using a word processing document.
Furthermore, I would have used other forums and the course would have
been organized in a traditional Moodle.
iii. Students assume that they will be better communicators and will have
more confidence and higher self-esteem making better choices as they
progress though life. Health education teachers assume students will take
the lessons seriously as a way to improve their current and future
relationships so they will make sound decisions.

9 | Page

iv. Even though this is primarily a self-study lesson, instructors should be

sure to review the written assignment submissions carefully and should
correspond with the students if the written assignments do not contain
material from the lesson. All of the written assignments should show that
the students completed the quizzes, read the material and watched the
videos. If the written assignments do not show this, the teacher can guide
the students with additional content via email to ensure they have acquired
the necessary skills to be a better communicator with more self-confidence.
D. Content Analysis
As a teacher who interacts with eighth grade students on a daily basis,
some of them have spoken with me about various things in their personal
lives even though I am not their teacher. In a kindergarten through eighth
grade school, it is important to understand that any student who speaks to
you and respects your opinion enough to ask questions and advice should
not be ignored.
Likewise, other staff members have spoken with me (as I have with
them) about the issues that arise with the eighth grade students. Moreover,
hearing about former students moving onto high school making further bad
decisions which may lead to them dropping out of high school is
disheartening. Was there some sort of instruction that could have taught
them to assess and react to situations differently?
For this reason, I thought that a unit which focuses on building strong
communication skills would help these students become more confident and
self-reliant before entering high school. They could react to peer pressure
better, interact with others more maturely and become excellent problem
solvers.

Part 3. Instructional Content

A. Strategy Narrative
For the Building Strong Communication Skills lesson, I decided to use
the Instructive Approach. In order for my lesson module to be adopted by
the state of New Jersey, I used the New Jersey Health Core Curriculum
Standards as the basis for this lesson. In the interest of keeping the lesson
within the constraints of three hours, this lesson only focuses on one
particular topic. Breaking the topic of communication into three sub topics
(interpersonal communication skills, short and long term consequence and
core ethical values) allowed me to show students how all of these area are
related to communication.
The learning outcomes are for students to learn to be better
communicators by reading the topics, watching a video and completing
several exercises. In each unit, there are quizzes to pre-assess their
knowledge about the topic, read the content, watch the videos and then take
a post-assessment quiz to see if their opinions have changed. Once they
complete the assignments, they can reference their feelings before and after

10 | P a g e

the assignment to create a writing assignment that has learning reference

points.
Content contained in the modules give the student the opportunity to
learn individually with the purpose of improving their communication skills
while building their confidence and self-esteem. When I created the content,
I thought about the way the course tone would resonate with the student.
Many of the topics have an initial negative connotation. For example, How
Do You Deal With Rejection?, does not being up positive feelings. In fact,
just the topics themselves can feel ugly and sad. However, everyone
encounters rejection, even if it is as simple as a forgotten, thank you. In
Core Ethical Values, I approached this topic though the concept of building
self-esteem and confidence so when rejection occurs, the reaction is made
with the foundation of better self-worth and the rejection is handled in a
positive way.
Students may or may not have prior knowledge about
communication. Many of them learn about communication though popular
talk shows which involve chanting or phrases like he is or isnt the
These shows exploit communication and with this course, students should
learn that there are better ways to express their feelings other than yelling or
pushing each other.
The Building Strong Communication Skills lesson uses the supplantive
strategy by presenting the material in a way that the students can selfassess and review their decisions they have made in the past. It also
discusses how students can change their thinking to approach situations
differently in the future by having better self-esteem and the tools when they
encounter difficult situations.
The structure of the lesson provides students the chance to do
(quizzes), think (assess and reflect as they read), watch videos (to reinforce
content), take a post-assessment quiz and complete a summative writing
assignment. Since most students like quizzes, I thought this would be a less
invasive way for students to assess themselves with a third party providing
an unbiased analysis of their responses. The assignments are meant to show
the students how they can positively learn from the experience and adapt it
into various social situations.
In each module, the student is asked to follow the course from the top
of the page to the bottom. While the student controls how they view the
content, viewing some of the content out of order may entice the students
seriously look further into material (if they were to view the videos first, for
example). However, students will realize that the assignments relate to the
content and in order to receive an acceptable grade will need to complete all
parts of the lesson.
B. Learning materials
Interpersonal Communication Skills

11 | P a g e
Quizzes: What do our body movements say to others?
(http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/body-language-quiz.htm)
What is your Interpersonal Communication Skills Style?
(http://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=2288)
Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGpjvE74Wy4,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h0V1YkccEE
Definition: Interpersonal Communication:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpersonal_communication
Post-Assessment: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ls/index.php/343479/
NJ Core Content Standards:
http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/standards/2/2.pdf
Short and Long Term Consequences
Definition: Consequences (Google.com)
Quizzes: Are you self confident? (http://www.cfoc.org/index.php/teen-guide/quizself-esteem/), Does Peer Pressure Control You?
(http://teenadvice.about.com/library/teenquiz/25/blpeerpressurequiz.htm)
Articles: Problem Solving (http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/problemsolving.html), Decision Making (http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/decisionmaking.html) and Assertiveness
(http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/assertiveness.html).
Quizzes: Situational responses (http://www.bodimojo.com/body-talk.htm),
Drugs (http://www.bodimojo.com/quiz/booze-and-you-how-much-do-you-know.htm)
and Alcohol (http://www.bodimojo.com/quiz/lighting-how-much-do-you-know-aboutsmoking.htm)?
Post-Assessment Quiz: http://www.bodimojo.com/quiz/whats-your-mojo.htm
NJ Core Content Standards:
http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/standards/2/2.pdf
Core Ethical Values
Definitions: Ethics: google.com, Hobby: google.com, Morals: Google.com,
Values: Google.com
Articles: Rejection and How To Handle It ,Self Esteem, Confidence, Personal
Empowerment
Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWZGg3h8kxM,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2uqfOltqqk
Post-test: http://www.cfoc.org/index.php/teen-guide/quiz-self-esteem/
NJ Core Content Standards:
http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/standards/2/2.pdf

C. Motivation Plan
AREA

STRATEGY DETAIL

ATTENTION
Pre-Assessment Quiz Students like taking online quizzes. This will appeal to hobbies.
While many students do not like to read, the content is minimal.
Reading Material

12 | P a g e

Videos
Post-Assessment
Quiz
Writing Assignment

Students like YouTube and can appeal to these short videos.

After going through the course, students can once again use the
quizzes as something fun.
Students can summarize their learning in a fun and creative way.

RELEVANCE
Pre-Assessment QuizStudents will have an idea of how the view particular problems and
Students
situations.need a way to learn about the content.
Reading Material
If students do not grasp the content, the videos will further explore
Videos
the content prompting them to re-read the content.
Students can evaluate their progress in each module which should
Post-Assessment
Quiz
show improved communication skills.
Writing Assignment Students can summarize their learning in a fun and creative way.
CONFIDENCE
Pre-Assessment Quiz Students can assess themselves privately.
Students can read the material reflecting on the pre-assessment
Reading Material
After
quiz. completing the pre-assessment and reading, students can view
Videos
the videos as a fun way to visually see the content.
Students can privately assess their progress.
Post-Assessment
Quiz
Writing
Assignment Students can summarize their learning in a fun and creative way.

SATISFACTION
Pre-Assessment QuizStudents
Students
Reading Material
Students
results.
Videos
Students
lesson.
Post-Assessment
Quiz
Writing
Assignment Students

can
can
can
can
can

see how they are viewed in various situations.

comprehend the material as they reflect on the quiz
review and enjoy the videos as additional content for
see how their communication skills have progressed.
summarize their learning in a fun and creative way.

D. Delivery Mechanism(s)
The content for my lesson is available through
http://learn2talk.weebly.com. I decided centralize the lesson to one site in
order to use the site as a portal. All of the content is delivered though the
Internet. Therefore, the content can be accessed thought a web browser on a
computer, iPad or tablet or phone (though this would not be recommended).
E. Assessment Materials
For my lesson, I decided to use three writing assignments to quantify if
the students understood the material. For the Interpersonal Communication
Skills lesson my writing assignment, write a one page script where two people
have a small verbal disagreement and how they will effectively resolve the
problem, (http://learn2talk.weebly.com/interpersonal-skills.html) . The way that the
disagreement is resolved will show if the students understood the lesson.

13 | P a g e
The Short and Long Term Consequences module assignment asks the student
to , write three paragraphs about good decisions you have made in your life.
Explain the situation, the decision and why it was a good decision. The purpose of
this assignment is to show the student that they are capable of making good
decisions to help build their self-esteem.
In the Core Ethical Values module, students are asked to, Make a list of 10
things you are proud of and/or make you a fantastic person (qualities). Write one to
two sentences about why you are proud of your accomplishment or why these are
excellent qualities you possess. This assignment gives the student the opportunity
to examine their core personal belifs to realize that they are valuable people who
have accomplished at least ten things in life for which they can be proud.

Part 4. Formative Evaluation Plan

A. Health Education Teachers
The first groups of course evaluators I would speak with would be health
educators. This group would have the content knowledge and experience to
evaluate the course objectively. While these individuals may or may not be tech
savvy is irrelevant. Their ability to review the course and materials used to
educate the students would be invaluable since they are familiar with the
curriculum.
B. One-to-One Evaluation
For the one-to-one evaluation, I would ask a tech savvy individual,
particularly a teacher to evaluate the flow and materials associated with the
modules. Since this is an online course, it is important that the technical
component is sufficient and flows well.
C. Small Group Evaluation
The final evaluators would be a small group of eighth grade students.
These students would take the class as a test group to evaluate the difficulty,
complexity and flow of the modules. I would also want the group to evaluate
the effectiveness of the content to ensure that they would actually have
improved communication skills.

14 | P a g e

References
Interpersonal Communication Skills
Quizzes: What do our body movements say to others?
(http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/body-language-quiz.htm)
What is your Interpersonal Communication Skills Style?
(http://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=2288)
Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGpjvE74Wy4,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h0V1YkccEE
Definition: Interpersonal Communication:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpersonal_communication
Post-Assessment: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ls/index.php/343479/
NJ Core Content Standards:
http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/standards/2/2.pdf
Short and Long Term Consequences
Definition: Consequences (Google.com)
Quizzes: Are you self confident? (http://www.cfoc.org/index.php/teen-guide/quizself-esteem/), Does Peer Pressure Control You?
(http://teenadvice.about.com/library/teenquiz/25/blpeerpressurequiz.htm)
Articles: Problem Solving (http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/problemsolving.html), Decision Making (http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/decisionmaking.html) and Assertiveness
(http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/assertiveness.html).
Quizzes: Situational responses (http://www.bodimojo.com/body-talk.htm),
Drugs (http://www.bodimojo.com/quiz/booze-and-you-how-much-do-you-know.htm)
and Alcohol (http://www.bodimojo.com/quiz/lighting-how-much-do-you-know-aboutsmoking.htm)?
Post-Assessment Quiz: http://www.bodimojo.com/quiz/whats-your-mojo.htm
NJ Core Content Standards:
http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/standards/2/2.pdf
Core Ethical Values
Definitions: Ethics: google.com, Hobby: google.com, Morals: Google.com,
Values: Google.com
Articles: Rejection and How To Handle It ,Self Esteem, Confidence, Personal
Empowerment
Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWZGg3h8kxM,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2uqfOltqqk
Post-test: http://www.cfoc.org/index.php/teen-guide/quiz-self-esteem/
NJ Core Content Standards:
http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/standards/2/2.pdf