Final Project

Before beginning, I had to search for a new lesson plan similar to that of the ones I used in ELL/Inclusion. Unfortunately, I was not able to use one directly from those classes, as I had taken them during a previous semester. After searching, I stumbled upon this lesson about Kandinsky, which focuses on the elements and design principles of art, which can be seen here. I believe this would be a suitable lesson, as there are appropriate NJCCCS Standards and also portions which line up with standards from the NETS-S.

 I began by figuring out the main goal of the lesson and then worked off of the “4 Steps to Standards Integration”. Based on the lesson, what is my curriculum goal? With a general knowledge of the standards, I was able to conclude that my main goal was to increase students’ understanding of the elements of art, and to do this, they would look at famous works of art, such as Kandinsky, and be able to apply what they’ve learned through these examples to create their own, original work of art. Technology would help not only aid them in the process of understanding what the elements were, but also transforms the lesson—rather than using just older ways of creating art, like the Masters used, (painting, etc.), students would use technology for a more modern take on art. Rather than being forced into the lesson, the technology plays a vital role in helping the students achieve the standards.

 After writing the curriculum goal, I looked back at the technology inventory I had created with my group. This was simply a refresher for me, as I didn’t want to write down the standards and teaching strategies without the appropriate technology, as we couldn’t add more than what already exists in our group list. I found that to be the most challenging aspect of this final project. After a general understanding of what I could use, I began the Standards section of the lesson. I broke down the lesson into sections, such as “analyze”, “evaluate”, and “produce”. Then I went through the list of standards suitable for grade level 2, and was able to fit them into the correct categories. For example, the “Produce” section would incorporate the NJCCCS standard labeled “performance”, and the “communicate” section incorporates the standard section labeled “critique methodologies & aesthetic responses”. After this portion was done, I went back over the list and began to identify the correct NETS-S for each category.

 For the strategies section, I began by making a list of various strategies mentioned in past readings, in Domine’s 4 Steps to Standards Integration, and the examples given in our “Final Project” description. Once this list was compiled, I re-read the standards I had chosen in column 1 and found appropriate teaching strategies based on what I visualized the class doing. For example, I believe that it’s a good idea to start a lesson off with lecture, some Q+A, and small group work. I found these to be appropriate for the first standard or two. I did this same process working my way down the standard list: What would be most effective for the students now? How do I make sure I use enough teaching strategies to “get through” to each student and their specific way of learning? The lesson begins with group work, both teacher and student oriented, then becomes more student oriented and individual, and back to more group work with varied student/teaching oriented activities. It is important to have a variety.

 Last, I went back to the technology tools listed in the group list. The way my group broke up the tools into sections, such as “instructional”, etc. really helped me figure out what they would be suitable for. I worked backwards as much as possible—I tried to figure out if the technologies listed would go with the strategies, and then most importantly, that these two ideas would help the student achieve the standard. I did this for each row. I also tried to vary the instructional tools as much as possible, so that not each teaching strategy would use the same tool as the activity before it.

 I found Vanessa Domine’s article to be extremely helpful in the process, and it was numbered and provided vital information and the steps towards making this project successful. Without this article, I would have been more lost in the process in creating my own spreadsheet, even though we’ve created a similar one for a previous assignment. This project took a lot of preparation and deep thought in order for everything to align.