Description

Artifact I is a comprehensive 5-day unit plan with learning targets aligned with SOL 4.6a from the Reading Strand of the Curriculum Framework for English. This product was developed for EDIS 5030 Designing Effective Learning Environments course. The learning content was developed for 4th-grade ELA students and integrated support for ESL learners. In a class of 18 students, eight are English language learners (ELL). I selected the content and designed the unit with my clinical internship in mind. There are no ESL classes offered. ELLs learn in mainstream classrooms and ESL teachers “push in” and “pull out” learners as needed to provide instructional support services. The learning targets include relevant UKDs aligned with the SOL standards.

Artifact II, Identifying Sensory Words in fictional texts, blends big ideas about language and ESL into one 50-minute, 4th-grade ELA students at my placement site. The lesson addresses VA SOL 4.5 a-g, as required by Albemarle County Public Schools. The content is part of the 4th-grade reading strand that includes genre, plot, theme, and narration outlined in the Virginia SOL for Reading. Each activity addresses and uses sensory words, onomatopoeia, and interjections, which can be linguistically enlightening for ELLs and for all students. The student activities and assessments are designed to inform on teaching effectiveness and appropriateness. Unfortunately, this lesson was never delivered due to inclement weather but it served as an opportunity for me to gain invaluable practice designing a flash-card game, an instructor-guided read-along, a think-pair-share, and an exit ticket to check for understanding. I used the UBD framework to guide my instructional design. 

Analysis

Both artifacts demonstrate proficiency in instructional planning. The EDIS 5030 Unit Plan lays out a thoughtful 5-day agenda covering SOL social studies content with social justice and critical thinking components. The plan strives to connect the content to the bigger ideas reflecting diversity, equity, and inclusion themes. Both plans express clear, actionable learning targets and demonstrate proactive and systematic planning through an array of activities and formative assessments.

Both plans employed rubrics, performance tasks, visual organizers, and exit tickets to check for understanding. The lesson reflects the theme of social justice through the content, readings, and ideas covered in the discussions and base groups. Moreover, the designs strive to induce critical thinking to reinforce the big ideas.

The selected evidence reflects explicit instructional plans aligned with clear, actionable learning targets as demonstrated in the engaging, viable, and culturally responsive learning path. I try to approach ESL instructional planning proactively and systematically through a reflective and iterative action research process. I plan to use the observational and evaluation data collected to inform my teaching.

Reflection

Revisions I would make to improve learning would include the integration of voice-recorded audio in the form of sound files through a streamlined workflow using school-backed resources or free online tools such as Vocaroo. I believe access to user-friendly, archivable, and retrievable student voice recordings further strengthens the validity and effectiveness of instruction and assessment for ESL and world language lesson and unit plans.

My strengths related to instructional planning come largely from my creativity and inspiration. I am able to draw from a rich palette of educational and career experiences and I approach teaching with tremendous motivation and purpose.