Hudson Tasks G-J

1 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional Unit

Bill of Rights UnitDecember 15, 2014

Henry Clay High SchoolAdvanced Political Science10th, 11th, and 12th Grades

Brian Hudson


Table of Contents

Cover Page……………………………………………………………………………………………...1

Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………………….....2

Task G: Design Learning Objectives and Assessments for an Instructional Unit………………...3

Task H: Design Instructional Strategies and Activities for your Instructional Unit……………….10

Task I: Analyze, Use and Communicate Unit Learning Results…………………………………..16

Task J: Reflect and Evaluate Teaching and Learning in Your Instructional Unit………………...23


4 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional UnitTask G: Design Learning Objectives and Assessments for an Instructional Unit

1) Kentucky Core Academic Standards to be addressed

SS-HS-1.1.2Students will explain and give examples of how democratic governments preserve and protect the rights and liberties of their constituents through different sources (e.g., U.N. Charter, Declaration of the Rights of Man, U.N. Declaration of Human Rights, U.S. Constitution).

SS-HS-1.3.1Students will explain and give examples how the rights of one individual (e.g., smoking in public places, free speech) may, at times, be in conflict (e.g., slander, libel) with the rights of another.

SS-HS-1.3.2Students will explain how the rights of an individual (e.g., Freedom of information Act, privacy) may, at times, be in conflict with the responsibility of the government to protect the "common good" (e.g., homeland security issues, environmental regulations, censorship, search and seizure).

2) Levels and categories of student performance expected

Knowledge

● Students will familiarize themselves with the first ten amendments to the

U.S. Constitution and the rights, liberties, and freedoms that they protect. Not

only is the Bill of Rights chronologically next in this class's historical approach to

the development of the American political system, but it is also important for

students to know their rights to prepare them for future discussion of topical

political issues.

Application

5 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional Unit● Students will use their acquired knowledge of the rights, liberties, and

freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights to acknowledge in which circumstances

the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution might be applicable. For

example, students will be asked to apply the Bill of Rights to scenarios such as

being charged with a crime or being censored for unpopular political beliefs.

Analysis

Students will analyze rights, liberties, and freedoms in the Bill of Rights in

order to identify possible reasons for the inclusion of those rights in the first

Constitutional amendments.

Synthesis

● Students will be asked to make additions to the Bill of Rights based on

their own perceptions of the shortcomings of the document. This involves an

understanding of the ways in which American society has evolved since the

original ratification of the bill in 1791.

Evaluation

Students will evaluate the Bill of Rights’s effectiveness at accomplishing its

intended goal of protecting the rights, liberties, and freedoms of the people of the

United States, identifying its strengths and weaknesses, and providing

suggestions for its improvement.

3) Key concepts/big ideas/essential questions

6 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional UnitAccording to the Kentucky Core Academic Standards’ expectations for Enduring

Knowledge, Understandings, Skills, and Concepts, the following big ideas will be

addressed by this unit.

Students will understand that:

all citizens of the United States have certain rights and

responsibilities as members of a democratic society.

individual rights in a democracy may, at times, be in conflict

with others’ individual rights, as well as with the responsibility of

government to protect the “common good.”

Students will:

examine issues related to the intent of the Constitution of the

United States and its amendments: investigate the rights of individuals to

explain how those rights can sometimes be in conflict with the

responsibility of the government to protect the "common good", the rights

of others, and civic responsibilities

7 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional UnitThough this is an elective course, and is therefore not assessed directly by the

Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP), there are several

students in this Advanced Political Science class that are taking it concurrently with a

United States History course, which is held accountable by K-PREP. Additionally, there

are some students who are taking this course as a replacement for the

Government/Civics course, which most in the Fayette County school district take in their

ninth grade year. Therefore, because the content addressed in this instructional unit is

aligned with the Kentucky Core Academic Standards, it will assist in the enrichment of

students' understandings of what Kentucky expects its students to know and be able to

do in both the History of the United States and Government/Civics.

4) Statement of learning objectives for a unit

1. I know and can identify the rights, liberties, and freedoms protected by the

Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution.

2. I can identify the origins of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution,

including historic inspirations and key figures in its creation.

3. I can interpret the text of the Bill of Rights and apply it to real-life

scenarios.

4. I can evaluate the effectiveness of the Bill of Rights at protecting the rights

of the people of the United States and make suggestions for further protection.

5) Learning context

Student/Community Context:

8 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional Unit Henry Clay High School is a very populous and diverse community with an

enrollment of 2,380 students. The school’s population is 63% White, 22% African-

American, 6% Hispanic, 5% Asian, and 4% “Other”. 36% of the students qualify

for free-and-reduced meals, and 3% are English language learners. Generally

speaking, the class composition of the students enrolled in Mr. Helton’s

Advanced Political Science courses is quite similar to that of the school as a

whole. The largest hurdle HCHS currently faces in terms of student achievement,

indicated by the School Comprehensive Improvement Plan, is closing the gap for

students with special needs.

Classroom Context:

The classroom layout is designed to encourage discussion, with desks

and tables angled in a way so that most all students can easily face the center of

the room. This also allows the instructor to keep most students within eyesight at

most times, and also gives the instructor space to move around and address

student needs personally. The classroom’s walls are decorated with numerous

photographs of Mr. Helton’s former students, photographs from student

organizations, and awards won by the YMCA Club which Mr. Helton sponsors.

This reinforces to the class the value that Mr. Helton places on every student who

enters the room.

9 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional UnitImplication #1: Considering the diversity of the students in this class, as well as

some hints that I have picked up on from previous classroom discussions, I think these

students will likely have had significantly differing experiences with law enforcement.

That being the case, I anticipate potentially heated discussion concerning the Fourth,

Fifth, and Sixth amendments as they pertain to law enforcement and the justice system.

Implication #2: Also considering the diversity of the students in these Advanced

Political Science classes, they are of widely differing proficiencies and motivations.

Therefore, for group assignments, I will be sure to group students in a way that places

students of greater proficiency and motivation with students of lower proficiency and

motivation.

6) Assessment Plan Organizer Table


Unit Learning Objective

Level or Category of Performance

Diagnostic Assessment

Formative Assessment

Modifications Based on Formative Assessment

Summative Assessment

Objective #1:“I know and can identify the rights, liberties, and freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights.”

Knowledge Pre-test Group presentations; 3-2 homework; note packets; class discussion

Considering the results of formative work, the instructor will review the material the next day to reinforce facts and ideas.

Unit Test

Objective #2:“I can identify the origins of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution, including historic inspirations and key figures in its creation.”

Analysis, Application

Pre-test Group presentations; class discussion; 3-2 homework; note packets


Unit Test

Objective #3:I can evaluate the effectiveness of the Bill of Rights at protecting the rights of the people of the United States, and make suggestions

Synthesis, Evaluation

Pre-test Class discussion


Unit Test


for further protection.”

Objective #4:“I can interpret the text of the Bill of Rights and apply it to real-life scenarios.”

Knowledge Pre-test Group presentations; class discussion


Unit Test


7) Description of Assessment Plan Organizer Table

The assessment plan for this unit is set up so that students will be demonstrating

to the instructor and their classmates that they are meeting the unit learning objectives.

The group presentations that this unit focuses on are to include information such as the

meaning of the amendments, interpretation and use of the amendments, and why the

amendment was proposed. The discussion that should accompany the presentations

should involve students sharing their evaluation of the amendments or suggestions for

improving them. How the presentations play out and how these discussions go will allow

the instructor to monitor the progress of students towards the learning objectives, as all

will be required to participate.

As for accommodating students with special needs, there does not appear to be

many pre-established needs for any of the students in this class. The couple of students

with IEPs have established a need for extra time on exams, and that will be taken into

consideration for both pre- and post-assessment exams. Aside from that,

accommodation may be provided as needed.


Task H: Design Instructional Strategies and Activities for your Instructional Unit

1) Context

The major factor identified in an analysis of school, community, and student

context that should have a particular bearing or considered implication on this

instructional unit is the matter of widely different student abilities and motivations. Some

students engage intensely with the material and class discussions, while others remain

distant and fade into the background or distract others. In response, since this unit will

involve group work, students will be intentionally grouped by the instructor into with

students of differing abilities and motivations. Placing some of the stronger students

with some of the less-motivated ones will hopefully inspire some engagement in the

typically disengaged students.

2) Pre-assessment1

1 Since the objectives for this unit are tiered, meaning that Objectives #1 and #2 must be mastered before the higher-order Objectives #3 and #4 can even be assessed, I first administered a pre-assessment over only knowledge of the amendments and the history of the document. If these two objectives were not already met, then assessment of application and evaluation of the amendments would be inaccurate or impossible.

14 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional UnitThe results of the pre-assessment over Objectives #1 and #2 were both very

clear and quite predictable. From the very start, it was quite evident that the students

did not know their Bill of Rights. The only amendments which were consistently

identified were the First, Second, and Fifth amendments, presumably because of how

commonly they are referenced in society. Aside from that, students did very poorly in

their identification of the ten amendments. Students did markedly better at answering

questions pertaining to historical figures attached to the document, but performance

was still largely inconsistent. The highest score was a 10/14 and the lowest score was a

2/14, with a class average of 5.6/14, or 40%. This means that the class needs to start

from the basics, solidifying understanding of the history of the Bill of Rights, and

discussing what the ten amendments even are before getting involved in any attempts

to apply or evaluate them.

3) Unit Instructional DesignDay OneInstructional Strategy/Activity & Related Objectives

Presentation over Bill of Rights history [Objectives 2 and 4] - Instructor has created a PowerPoint presentation over the history of the Bill of Rights to preface any further discussion of the bill itself. Students will take notes to be included in a semester-end notebook grade.

Begin group presentation activity [Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4] - The instructor has mixed the students into ten groups. Each group will be assigned an amendment at random. The groups will spend Days Two and Three working with the class set of laptops to create presentations to be presented to the class on Days Four and Five. Groups are given a checklist for evaluating presentations (included in Appendix).

Assessment(s) Related to Objectives 3-2 packets [Formative; Objective 1, 2, and 4] - Students will take home a

short homework packet with information about the amendment process to the Constitution. This provides some continuity to the class, as the cooperating teacher uses these packets regularly. They will be turned in on Day Six.

Group presentations [Formative; Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4] - These are in-depth, student-made presentations about the amendments of the Bill of Rights.


Day TwoInstructional Strategy/Activity & Related Objectives

Continue group presentation activity [Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4] - Students check out laptops from the instructor and use the hour working with their groups to research and create a presentation on their assigned amendment. The instructor manages the classroom, assists with the use of technology, and clears up any confusion on the assignment.

Assessment(s) Related to Objectives Group presentations [Formative; Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4] - These are in-

depth, student-made presentations about the amendments of the Bill of Rights. Observation [Informal Formative; Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4] - The instructor

will be moving about the classroom, observing student work-in-progress. This will allow the instructor to gauge what the students are and are not understanding.

Day ThreeInstructional Strategy/Activity & Related Objectives

Continue group presentation activity [Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4] - Students check out laptops from the instructor and use the hour working with their groups to research and create a presentation on their assigned amendment. The instructor manages the classroom, assists with the use of technology, and clears up any confusion on the assignment.


depth, student-made presentations about the amendments of the Bill of Rights. Observation [Informal Formative; Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4] - The instructor

will be moving about the classroom, observing student work-in-progress. This will allow the instructor to gauge what the students are and are not understanding.

Day FourInstructional Strategy/Activity & Related Objectives

Group presentations [Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4] - Students begin to present the work they have been creating for the past two class days. Using the instructor’s computer, which is connected to an LED projector mounted on the ceiling, students display their presentations to their classmates.

Class discussion [Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4] - Accompanying the student presentations, the instructor will ask questions of the rest of the class in order to stimulate thought concerning the presentations they just observed. These questions vary depending on the depth of the presentation, and could be about anything from technical details and facts to prompts for evaluation.


depth, student-made presentations about the amendments of the Bill of Rights.

16 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional Unit Note packets (included in Appendix) [Formative; Objectives 1, 2, and 4] -

Instructor-created handouts to guide student-notetaking. Students have previously demonstrated problems structuring notes and identifying key information. These note packets aim to alleviate that problem. These notes, like the ones from Day One, will be assessed for completion at the end of the semester as part of their notebook grade.

Day FiveInstructional Strategy/Activity & Related Objectives

Group presentations [Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4] - Students begin to present the work they have been creating for the past two class days. Using the instructor’s computer, which is connected to an LED projector mounted on the ceiling, students display their presentations to their classmates.

Class discussion [Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4] - Accompanying the student presentations, the instructor will ask questions of the rest of the class in order to stimulate thought concerning the presentations they just observed. These questions vary depending on the depth of the presentation, and could be about anything from technical details and facts to prompts for evaluation.


depth, student-made presentations about the amendments of the Bill of Rights. Note packets (included in Appendix) [Formative; Objectives 1, 2, and 4] -

Instructor-created handouts to guide student-notetaking. Students have previously demonstrated problems structuring notes and identifying key information. These note packets aim to alleviate that problem. These notes, like the ones from Day One, will be assessed for completion at the end of the semester as part of their notebook grade.

Day SixInstructional Strategy/Activity & Related Objectives

Synthesis lecture/discussion [Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4] - Informed by the quality of the previous days’ presentations and discussions, the instructor will engage the student in a lecture/discussion over all of the big ideas covered over the past week. There is intentionally much flexibility in this plan, so that the instructor can cover whatever concepts were least addressed in the presentations, as well as whatever material the students feel weakest about. This is the instructor’s time to fill in the blanks left behind by the presentations, as well as the students’ time to use the instructor as a resource to explore or revisit the learning objectives.

Assessment(s) Related to Objectives Discussion [Informal Formative; Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4] - As the class

progresses, the instructor, though not formally assessing the students based on any written or performed work, can gauge the students through the discussion and responses to questions posed to the whole class.

3-2 packets [Formative; Objective 1, 2, and 4] - Distributed on Day One. Collected here on Day Six.


Day SevenInstructional Strategy/Activity & Related Objectives

Post-Test [Objectives 1, 2, 3 and 4] - The instructor will administer the summative assessment for the unit. The instructor will remind the students how the GradeCam answer sheets work before distributing the answer sheets followed by the assessments. The instructor will then move about the classroom watching for questions or concerns from the test-taking students. When students finish their exams, they will bring them up to the instructor, who will be ready with the GradeCam app open on an iPad in order to give immediate feedback to students concerning their performance on the multiple-choice/matching/true-or-false portion of the assessment.

Assessment(s) Related to Objectives Post-Test [Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4]

4) Use of Technology for Instruction

This unit will heavily feature use of technology. Since technology use is not a

strength of the cooperating teacher, students may be slightly surprised by the sudden

influx of technology under the leadership of the technologically-inclined teacher

candidate, but they should adapt relatively quickly due to their experience with similar

technology in other teachers’ classrooms.

To begin with, technology will be used to design instruction for this unit. That is to

say that word processors and slideshow software will be utilized to prepare the lesson

plans and the instructor-created presentations of information. Furthermore, similar

software and a ceiling-mounted projector in the classroom will be used to present the

slideshows and other information to the students.

18 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional UnitStudents will also be using technology during the course of this unit. For the

creation of their presentations, students will have access to a classroom set of laptops

belonging to the Social Studies department through which they can access Microsoft

PowerPoint by logging into their student OneDrives through the Henry Clay High School

website. They will use PowerPoint to put together presentations on the Bill of Rights

amendments based on research performed on the Internet. Students will also use the

computer and projector in order to present their research to their classmates.

Additionally, the instructor will be using an iPad to grade and analyze the pre-

and post-tests with an app called GradeCam. This technology allows for instructors to

print off individual answer sheets for students to use during exams that can be quickly

graded by briefly holding them in front of the iPad’s camera. This only works for

questions that can be answered by filling in bubbles on a sheet, but it can also instantly

analyze the class’ answer data from those answers. This will be the first time these

students have used the GradeCam sheets in Mr. Helton’s classroom, but they have

some experience with them from other teachers’ classes, as this technology was

provided by HCHS.


Task I: Analyze, Use and Communicate Unit Learning Results

1) Pre-Instruction Assessment Analysis

As mentioned in the footnote concerning the pre-assessment in Task H, it was

determined that a pre-assessment including Objectives #3 and #4 would be appropriate

only if an assessment over Objectives #1 and #2 demonstrated at least moderate

proficiency. Objectives #3 and #4 involve higher-order thinking skills that require the

knowledge gained by addressing Objectives #1 and #2. Therefore, if students lack

proficiency in Objective #1, being able to know or identify the amendments in the Bill of

Rights, they will by definition be unable to meet Objectives #3 and #4 by applying those

amendments or evaluating their effectiveness.

That being the case, I first administered a pre-assessment that would assess

student knowledge (Objectives #1 and #2). It contained ten matching questions

assessing Objective #1, and four multiple-choice questions assessing Objective #2. In

total, the class averaged a 40% on the pre-assessment.2

2 Item Analysis charts are in the Appendix.

20 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional UnitThe only amendments which were consistently identified were the First, Second,

and Fifth amendments, presumably because of how commonly they are referenced in

common speech and news stories.

2) Formative Assessment Analysis

One such time where student response during the course of formative work led

me to modify instructional plans occurred on Day One of the unit. During the first of

three hours that I taught this lesson, when I arrived at the end of the presentation and

discussion of the historical context of the Bill of Rights, I began to explain the group

presentation project that would be forthcoming. The students quickly made it clear to me

that my explanations alone left them uncertain of my expectations for them. Therefore,

as a result, before the next Advanced Political Science class, I appended my

PowerPoint presentation on the Bill of Rights with my own brief example of a

presentation on Amendment I. This modification, modeling my expectations for their

group work to be done the next few days, appears to have worked rather well. There

were significantly fewer questions for clarification in the other two classes, and I showed

the example to the first class the next day to clear up any remaining confusion.

21 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional UnitIn a second instance, Days Four and Five included primarily student

presentations over their assigned amendments. Though the presentations were

generally aligned with expectations, they notably seldom addressed the idea of potential

“exceptions” to people’s rights. I asked the class about this trend, and it seems that,

despite my creation of an example presentation for Amendment I, there was still some

confusion concerning what was meant by “exceptions” to rights. Therefore, as a result

of this unexpected characteristic of this formative assessment, I shifted the focus of the

Day Six recap to include more discussion concerning when a person exercising their

rights might put them at conflict with the rights of others or the common good.

3) Post-Instruction Analysis

Whole Class

Overall, the class did quite well on the summative assessment. The highest

score was a 100% and a low score was a 40%, but the grade distribution was heavily

weighted in the 80%-100% range.

22 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional UnitStudents showed remarkable improvement in Objectives #1 and #2, which were

assessed in the diagnostic assessment. It is clear that their knowledge of the history of

the Bill of Rights and the contents of its amendments has been much improved as a

result of this unit. Because of that newly acquired information, students were able to

actually address Objectives #3 and #4 from a place of knowledge, something they

would not have been able to do with the poor knowledge figures obtained during the

diagnostic assessment. The data demonstrates this, showing the students achieving at

an average of 80% for Objective #3 and 90.86% for Objective #4.

Diagnostic Assessmen

t Summative AssessmentStudent # Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4

1 20.00% 25.00% 40.00% 7.50% 42.86% 57.14%2 10.00% 25.00% 90.00% 75.00% 28.57% 85.71%3 50.00% 75.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%4 30.00% 50.00% 100.00% 75.00% 85.71% 85.71%5 20.00% 0.00% 70.00% 62.50% 57.14% 100.00%6 60.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 85.71%7 50.00% 75.00% 100.00% 87.50% 85.71% 85.71%8 10.00% 25.00% 100.00% 62.50% 85.71% 57.14%9 30.00% 50.00% 100.00% 87.50% 100.00% 85.71%10 50.00% 50.00% 100.00% 87.50% 85.71% 100.00%11 40.00% 50.00% 80.00% 87.50% 85.71% 71.42%12 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%13 40.00% 0.00% 100.00% 75.00% 71.43% 100.00%14 60.00% 50.00% 100.00% 50.00% 71.43% 100.00%15 60.00% 100.00%16 60.00% 75.00% 100.00% 62.50% 85.71% 100.00%17 20.00% 50.00% 70.00% 62.50% 14.29% 85.71%18 50.00% 50.00% 100.00% 87.50% 100.00% 100.00%19 100.00% 87.50% 71.43% 85.71%20 0.00% 50.00% 80.00% 75.00% 71.43% 100.00%21 60.00% 50.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%22 30.00% 50.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%23 10.00% 50.00% 100.00% 75.00% 100.00% 85.71%24 30.00% 75.00% 70.00% 87.50% 100.00% 100.00%25 20.00% 50.00%26 40.00% 75.00% 100.00% 100.00% 85.71% 100.00%27 30.00% 50.00% 80.00% 87.50% 71.43% 100.00%

Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4Averages 35.20% 52.00% 91.20% 80.50% 80.00% 90.86%


If 74%, a C or higher, is a reasonable measure by which to judge achievement,

the class as a whole exceeded that measure in every learning objective. Individually, 21

of 25 students met that criterion for Objective #1, 19 of 25 met Objective #2, 16 of 25

met Objective #3, and 22 of 25 met Objective #4.

Gap Group

24 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional UnitFor this unit, I think the gap group of students that was performed at a

significantly different level than the rest of the class were the two English language

learners. In the chart above, they are students #1 and #17. An objective in which they

both scored particularly lowly was Objective #3, which is reasonable considering it is the

one objective that goes beyond basic knowledge and involves application of concepts.

The data suggests that, though the ELL students in the class are having difficulty

applying the class’ content knowledge. Both students made improvement in Objectives

#1 and #2, so they are learning the material. However, when it comes to applying the

knowledge to scenarios, there is some sort of misunderstanding. In the future, I should

talk to these students about this difficulty, or perhaps consider simplifying language and

scenarios for them as an accommodation.

4) One-page Report to Students and Parents

Dear Smith family,


Over the past two weeks, John and his classmates have completed a unit on the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution. We examined the history of the document, learned what rights are protected by it, discussed how to apply it, and students were asked to evaluate its effectiveness.

From the beginning of the unit, John has shown some growth, but I am concerned that he is lagging behind his classmates. John correctly answered 3 of 14 questions on the pre-test, and improved that to 12 of 28 on the post-test. He improved in his knowledge of the Bill of Rights and its history, and shows some ability to apply and evaluate it, but his growth is significantly behind that of his peers. Although John’s pre-test scores are not that different from those of his classmates, his post-test scores are what impel me to write you.

In the chart above, John’s performance in each objective is represented by the blue bars, while the red bars represent the class averages. Though roughly half of students necessarily score below average, I would like to speak with you about what might be causing John to score so far below the average, and, more importantly, how I can help him to succeed. I am sure we both want to see John do well in my class, so if there is any sort of accommodation or assistance that you believe John needs, I will do my best to provide it.

Please feel free to contact me. I am interested in working with you to help John grow and succeed.

Mr. Brian Hudson


Task J: Reflect and Evaluate Teaching and Learning in Your Instructional Unit

Overall, I am rather pleased with the way that my instructional unit played out.

This unit, though short and relatively hands-off from the instructor’s perspective,

resulted in some very clear improvement in the knowledge-based objectives,

consequently leading to high scores in the higher-order thinking objectives. Students

performed at at least 80% proficiency in all four objectives, which is remarkable

improvement in a content area where students averaged a 40% on content knowledge

alone in the pre-assessment.

Of particular note were the days that consisted mostly of student-led, technology-

infused presentation and learning. This class of students had never engaged in a

project like that in this class, many of the students had not used the involved technology

before, and it was all such a departure from the style of instruction that the class had

become used to under Mr. Helton. Therefore, I was counting on the students to be able

to adapt for me and rise to the occasion. They did, and I think it might be due in part to

the novelty of the experience. After some initial confusion with the Chromebooks on the

first of the presentation-crafting days, most students got to work, kept at it, and

produced good pieces of work which helped teach their classmates about the Bill of

Rights.

27 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional UnitOn the converse, though, is the unfortunate reality that is that group assignments

like the one contained within this unit have a tendency to be invested in

disproportionately by the groups’ constituent students. That is to say, some students put

a lot of work into their presentations, while some other students simply coasted through.

I have yet to devise a fair or effective way of regulating this. I had hoped that forming

student groups with mixed proficiencies might mean that the stronger students could

help the others meet the challenge, but my observation seems to indicate that it simply

meant that the stronger students did most of the work. This was disappointing, but

because I think that student-led instruction like the kind in this unit can be very effective

and helpful, I will continue to try to find a way to manage student group work that

encourages equitable participation by all students.

28 | Hudson Bill of Rights Instructional UnitIn general, the data seems to show that I was effective in guiding this class of

students to proficiency in all four of the four learning objectives I identified in Task G.

The pre-assessments indicated that students did not know the history or content of the

Bill of Rights; the post-assessments indicate that they now know that content and

history, and can also apply and evaluate the document based on that knowledge.

However, as I point out in Part 3 of Task I, I clearly did not effectively facilitate learning

for each and every student. The couple of English language learners in the class did not

fare so well in the post-assessment. I had not gotten any indication that they were

struggling with the material, so I need to learn to be more perceptive of the needs of

ELL students, even if their language skills are rather good, like the ones in this class.

Their poor performance could be related to an unmet need, or it could be a strictly

academic struggle, as one of the two ELL students did tell me he forgot to study for the

exam.

At the end of it all, I do feel like I have grown significantly from the experience of

planning, implementing, analyzing, and evaluating this instructional unit. I put into

practice some lesson ideas that I have had for a while, experimented with some new

educational technology, and manipulated assessment data in more detail than I ever

have before. This experience has also helped me identify some points for further growth

and professional development: accommodations for ELL students, preventing

inequitable group work, and a continued focus on classroom management. I will

probably use this unit again in my career as an educator. Although it has a lot of room

for growth, I think that its concepts and principles are sound, and it achieved its purpose

rather well.

Date post:	09-Feb-2017
Category:	Documents
Upload:	brian-hudson
View:	23 times
Download:	0 times

Hudson Tasks G-J

Documents