ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

I have concerns that my students need to leave my classroom with not only a working knowledge of important psychological concepts, but also the ability to find data, interrupt information, write summaries, and present material. Four years ago when I introduced segments of this project it was my first year teaching the subject. The initial assignment was designed to provide the opportunity to choose a topic of interest in which they would become the expert, write a short paper, and present informally to the class was they had learned. Now that I am more confident in my abilities and technological knowledge, my reflection is that this project lacks depth. I want to challenge my pupils to utilize technology not only to create a research report, but make it real through interpretation of a personal story of someone who has first-hand knowledge. The presentation will contain technology components and real-world audience application. This added challenge will help students to understand that psychological issues are all around them. Our school staff is currently reading “Classroom Instruction that Works” and working to implement ideas from this book. Robert Marzano and his co-authors stress the importance of summarizing, recognizing similarities and differences, assigning homework and opportunities for practice. During staff evaluations, our administration wants to be able to see student progress in areas that Marzano mentions. This project will allow students to practice these concepts.  We also have concerns about how our students have been performing on standardized tests. For example, Williston High School students are consistently performing lower than the state and national average in English on the ACT since 1996. Our students are also struggling with Reading Proficient levels on the North Dakota State Assessment. In regards to the North Dakota State Assessment, we are seeing yearly progress, yet are still not meeting the proficiency levels that are needed.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: 1. I want my students to understand that psychological issues play a role in the basic understanding of society and the human population.  2. They will also conclude that good verbal and written communication is essential to a successful adult life.
Goal(s):1. Students will become knowledgeable about the topic assigned.  2. Students will understand the importance of psychological issues in society. 3.  Students will prepare a research report, a personal summary, and an oral presentation.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: 1. What have you learned about this topic?  2. What is it like to live with this illnessdisorder?  3. When someone has this illnessdisorder, how is the brain affected?  4. What does the research say about this topic?  5. How can someone get treatment?  6. What options are currently available?  7. What is the probability that there are residents in our community with this illnessdisorder?
Objectives: 1. Students will use prior knowledge to identify the parts of the brain and explain how the assigned illness or disorder damages those brain functions according to the assignment criteria.  2. Students will research the assigned illness or disorder, establish understanding of what it is, draw conclusions about how the brain is affected, examine what life is like for someone who has it, and determine what treatment options are available.  3. Students will compose a research report and formulate a summary of a personal account based on the rubric criteria.  4. Students will prepare a presentation demonstrating their comprehension of the subject using multimedia based on the given criteria.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding?  Students will complete a progress worksheet with focus questions to help develop the content of the project.
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? 1.  Explain what you have found about your assigned illnessdisorder.  2. If someone has this illnessdisorder what is life like?  3. Do you know anyone who is dealing with this illnessdisorder?  4. Describe the treatment options that are available.  5. Which treatment option do you think is most affective?  6. Show me the research materials that you are using and explain why you think this information is worthy of inclusion.
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? 1.  Students will research the assigned topic and use that information to write a research report that explains the illnessdisorder to someone who has no understanding of the topic.  2. Students will write a summary of someone who has the illnessdisorder and explain what his/her life is like.  3. Students will present to the class their finding and a copy of the media presentation will be displayed in the hallway for the public to learn about the specific topics.
What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? 1. Students will use an open-ended rubric to self-assess the project requirements.  2. Students will also be assessed using a rubric for the research report, personal story summary, and class presentation. Students will be responsible for designing the elements of the presentation rubric.  4. Students will complete a progress worksheet to guide the research process and aid them in deciding what to include in the final product.  5. During the course of the library research time, I will have conference time with each student to informally observe his or her progress and help direct the student.

Instructional Strategies

The inquiry-based strategy will be used when student are preparing the summary of a personal account. Students will gather information to seek the truth about the person’s experience living with this illness/disease. Students will compile a list of questions they want to have answered, and then investigate to find the answers. Students will report the findings and make reflections about the material for the oral presentation. The project-based strategy will be utilized in the development of the research report and oral presentation. Prior knowledge about the brain functions will be used to attach understanding to the reality of this illness/disease and the therapy or treatment that is necessary to cope in the real world. This in-depth investigation will provide students will the knowledge that this illness/disease is within our community.