Standard 3-Knowledge of Content and Integrated Curriculum

Maria Sideri
EDU 448 Elementary Education Portfolio Development
Fall 2011
Wheelock College Standard for Educator Preparation Programs

Standard 3. Knowledge of Content and Integrated Curriculum

Educators should know, understand, and use the central concepts and tools of inquiry appropriate to the subject matter and age/grade levels they teach. They should be able to create meaningful learning experiences that develop children’s understanding of subject matter and increase their skills. Educators should plan integrated units of curriculum, instruction, and assessment based upon their knowledge of subject matter, curriculum goals, and developmentally appropriate practices among the families, communities, and cultures from which their children come.

3.1 Know, understand and use central concepts and tools of inquiry appropriate in subject matter and age/grade level.
3.2 Create meaningful learning experiences to develop children’s understanding of subject matter and increase skills.
3.3 Plan integrated units of curriculum, instruction, assessment based on knowledge of subject matter, curriculum goals, and developmentally appropriate practices among the children’s families, communities, and cultures.

One of the most exciting areas of teaching that I have experienced so far has been planning lessons and activities for the classroom. My creative personality mixed very well with my supervising practitioner for my practicum, and it is clear that she has inspired me to not be afraid to be creative with lessons. Therefore, I have many examples of creative and meaningful learning experiences that I’ve created for the students through lessons and activities. In addition to incorporating, art and activity into many of my lessons, I have also made sure that my lessons met the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks Standards and prove to be appropriate in subject matter as well as grade level. Also, this standard fits very well with my experiences as a student teacher, because I continuously teach lessons that integrate academic content. In fact, I can’t identify a lesson that I taught that didn’t incorporate more than one subject. Overall, standard three is a standard that I clearly believe I have met. To me, it is essentially the most important part of being a teacher.

It is crucial to make sure that lessons are age appropriate according to the students’ grade levels. Therefore, I continuously design my lesson plans with the Massachusetts Frameworks in mind, as well as the standards of my elementary school during my practicum. Referencing these standards truly made me understand appropriate material for certain grade levels. One particular lesson that I believe that was very appropriate in grade level and subject matter was my lesson about number lines in mathematics. In this lesson, the goal was to understand how to add using a number line in order to solve equations. Initially, I was just going to briefly discuss number lines, because I figured that the students already went over this in first grade. After discussing this with my supervising practitioner and looking up the Mass Frameworks, I came to the realization that they did not have previous experiences with number lines. I was excited that I had the opportunity to introduce the students to number lines and practice using them to solve equations. After the lesson was completed, I felt that the students truly understood number lines, and met my learning goal. Because I believe that the activity was completely appropriate in grade level, the students could comfortably engage with this math concept, and they were very successful. Artifact 3.1 is an example of a lesson that represents appropriate subject matter knowledge appropriate for my students’ grade level. The Massachusetts frameworks that this lesson meets and the learning goal of this lesson is highlighted in this artifact.

When analyzing part 3.2 of standard three, the first thing that comes to mind according to my student teaching experience is the Native American Crafts Unit that I created during my practicum. During the six lessons that I created for this unit, I felt as though the students were truly taking away meaningful experiences that enhanced their knowledge of Native Americans. One lesson in particular that the students enjoyed from this unit was my lesson on exploring Native American pottery, which is shown in artifact 3.2. This was a two part lesson where the first part involved sketching what they wanted their Native American pottery pot to look like and what it would be used for, and in the second lesson, we actually used terra cotta clay to create these pots in class. This not only enhanced their knowledge in the area of social studies, but it also incorporated art skills. Therefore, this lesson incorporated integrated curriculum. Integrated curriculum is important in the classroom because I believe it makes the students more well rounded and exposed to real life situations. Elena Alguilar delineates in her article, “Why Integrate?: A Case for Collating the Curriculum?” (2008), that integrating the curriculum, “…strengthens skills that students encounter in one content area but also practice in another, and it can lead to the mastery of those skills. It is also a more authentic way of learning because it reflects what we experience, both professionally and personally, in the world. And it can be a way to engage students who might otherwise check out when we introduce them to a challenging subject or to one they don't feel is relevant” (p. 1). students’ level of concentration and focus and their excitement before, during, and after the lesson was a testament to the meaningfulness of the learning experience and seemed to meet some of Alguilar’s (2008) points.

I found the The Inventory of Learners assignment in EDU 445, The Teaching and Learning of Elementary Education, incredibly helpful in helping me to learn about the different cultures and backgrounds of each student in the classroom. When it came time to assessing writing, I saw the bilingual students’ writing with a new lens, understanding patterns to their writing that were associated with the culture and language they used every day. Also the different activities and family traditions that the students would write about in their journal entries were very interesting to me and by reading, I began thinking of ways to incorporate this information into lessons. Children’s families and communities are very important to me, so for holiday festivities, my supervising practitioner and I talked with parents in the morning and after school noting if they wanted to share a winter holiday activity with the class one day. These discussions I consider to be artifact 3.3. We are now planning students to come in the week before the winter holiday vacation.

Overall, standard three is a standard that I feel confident that I have met. in several ways. It is one of my favorite aspects of teaching. Integrating curriculum is something I have discussed in many education classes, and feel I have a good grasp on when creating lessons and designing units. Also, I believe that every lesson should be meaningful, and all units should engage children and enhance their understanding of subject matter and increase skills.

References

Aguilar, E. (2008). Why Integrate?: A Case for Collating the Curriculum? http://www.edutopia.org/integrated-authentic