ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

In completing an analysis of need for this instructional unit, I identified gaps between “what is and what needs to be” in my classroom. Upon administration and review of a variety of standardized assessments, I was able to identify several areas where students were performing below the proficiency level, or the 50th percentile. These areas include reading, reading comprehension, mathematics, and written expression, with general reading being the lowest scoring area. Another area that needs great improvement in my classroom, based upon psychological scales and reports, interviews, and observations, is the area of social skills. According to the “North Dakota Standards and Benchmarks: English Language Arts Curriculum Framework: Content Standards”, standards 2, 3, and 4, students should be engaging in the reading process, comprehending literature, and engaging in the writing process. All of these standards, when compared with 2002 CTBS assessment scores and the 2003 North Dakota State Assessment, are also below the proficiency level. Based upon data obtained from informal questionnaires, student and teacher interviews, and observations, another area of need in my classroom is technological integration. Because of the level of learning many of my students are at, they are not comfortable using a variety of technological instruments. We live in a world where technology plays a key role in both higher education and the work force: therefore, I feel it is important for my students to be exposed to and become comfortable with a variety of technological tools. I will design my unit to combine social skills and technology with the other areas in which my students scored below proficiency level.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: I want the students to know that reading is an important way to understand the cultures of others. I also want them to understand that reading is connected with a wide variety of other disciplines and activities. Goal(s): Students will understand the importance of reading as an informational source. Students will understand the connections between reading and other disciplines.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: What cultures did we learn about by reading this story? What did we learn about other cultures? How were the cultures we learned about the same and how were they different? How are the cultures the same as our cultures today and how are they different? How can we use this knowledge in the future? How did we use this story to learn in other subject areas? Objectives: Students will be able to discuss the wants and needs of other cultures using accurate information after reading about those cultures with the group.Students will be able to discuss the similarities of other cultures using accurate information after reading about those cultures with the group. Students will be able to discuss the differences between other cultures using accurate information after reading about those cultures with the group. Students will be able to accurately identify 2 of the other disciplines that were connected to this reading unit upon completion of the unit. Students will be able to give 1 example of an activity in another discipline that could be done in connection with this story upon completion of the unit.

Assessment

What quiz and test items e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer will provide evidence of understanding? No formal quizzes and tests will be utilized in this unit of instruction. What academic prompts e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding? Throughout the intial reading of the story, “Amazing Grace”, a variety of question types will be used to check student comprehension and incorporate students’ critical thinking skills. Throughout this unit, students will be grouped and given a variety of topics to discuss with their peers. These discussions will actively involve all students in the lessons and showcase student understanding of the topics. What performance tasks and projects e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding?  Students are grouped and must discuss topics using respect for others’ opinions. Students will use research techniques to better their understanding of the world. Students will be put into situations where they will be required to collaborate with others to create a final product. Students will learn about democracy when they are put into a situation where they will vote and tally those votes to show a group consensus. Students will create a visual advertisement and market it to their peers. Students will use a checklist to evaluate the work of others. What other evidence e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? Throughout this unit, I will be collecting work samples from the students, observing the students as they work, participating in and observing discussions, asking questions of individual students, obtaining students’ self reflections, and reviewing final products to provide evidence of student understanding.

Instructional Strategies

Students will use a combination of inquiry-based, problem-based, and project-based strategies in this unit. Inquiry-based: Students will be guided in story comprehension by open-ended questions that will require them to use prior knowledge and higher order thinking skills. They will be required to discuss these questions with their peers. Problem-based: Students will gather, record, and discuss information about other cultures and share found information with their peers in this investigative process. They will gather this information using approved sources of their choice. Students will then discuss similarities and differences in cultures. Project-based: Students will develop and create products to incorporate and share what they have learned about other cultures.