Although knowledge of the content to be taught may support good
instruction, it is also imperative that I demonstrate commitment to my students and their learning. To do this, I must understand
my students’ background in addition to the subject matter while I select and align learning goals. I must design or
select appropriate activities and instructional materials and sequence instruction in ways that will help students to meet
short- and long-term curricular goals. In addition, I must design or select appropriate assessment or evaluation strategies.
All of these processes should take into account the diverse needs represented in my class. I should never lose sight of the
variety of knowledge and experiences that students bring to class.
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Artifacts
Images of the Great Depression
The "Images of the Great Depression" activity demonstrates that I understand how students develop and learn.
My PAPAs students require concrete visuals of unfamiliar concepts.I designed a lesson using posters and prints from the
Great Depression that asked to students discuss and write about what they saw in the pictures and what feelings the pictures
illustrated. They completed this activity in the midst of the research project. The placement of this activity within the
research project helped the students visualize their topics and familiarize themselves with the effects – extreme poverty
and racism – of this era.
Click here to view worksheet.
FAQ: Faith Cabin Libraries Model
The FAQ: Faith Cabin Libraries model demonstrates that I set quantifiable
learning outcomes for students and hold the students accoutable for meeting those objectives.
I designed a research project based on an article from NCTE's
English Journal that asked the students to pick a research topic from list of suggested topics about the Great Depression.
The final product of the project was an FAQ -- Frequently Asked Questions document containing questions and answers from the
students' research. Because many of my students were not familiar with an FAQ, I created a model FAQ about
my great-uncle, Willie Buffington, who created a library system for African-Americans during the Great Depression.
Click here to view model.
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