Cottonwood  Elementary  School  is  made  up  of  approximately  350  students.    We  are  a  small  school,  with  a  big  heart!                                                                    

 

I  teach  a  3rd  grade  classroom  at  Cottonwood  Elementary  in  the  Millard  Public  School  District.    I  have  a  class  of  20  students.    This  year  I  have  had  to  implement  more  behavioral  strategies  than  any  other,  but  doing  that,  along  with  this  class,  has  helped  me  become  a  stronger  

more  effective  teacher.

I  have  been  a  teacher  for  7  years.    I  have  taught  1  year  of  2nd  grade  and  6  years  of  3rd  grade.    I  am  currently  working  towards  my  Master’s  Degree  in  Elementary  Education  with  an  

endorsement  in  Library  Science.    Personally  I  have  a  new  baby  that  I  am  crazy  for  and  love  to  

run,  play  golf,  and  read  books.

 

 

   

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Cottonwood  Elementary  School,  in  a  coordinated  effort  with  home  and  community,  will  provide  innovative  educational  experiences  that  recognize  and  promote  diverse  abilities  to  guarantee  achievement  of  each  student’s  

personal  and  academic  best.    

Each  of  my  lesson  plans  targets  our  school’s  mission  statement  by  providing  “innovative  educational  experiences”  through  the  use  of  technology  and  new  experiences  to  learn  the  curriculum.    

 

 � To  help  Bradley  redirect  his  energy  to  see  his  potential  

academically  and  as  a  leader.  � To  help  Bradley  find  connections  to  the  material  and  make  

learning  more  meaningful  to  him.  � To  help  him  find  intrinsic  motivation  to  do  his  work,  and  

do  it  well.  

  My  Reasons  for  choosing  “Bradley”  as  my  focus  student:   One  of  my  biggest  challenges.    Being  in  a  small,  primarily white,

middle class school I’ve had little exposure to black culture.   In  his  few  short  years  he  has  lead  a  life  that  most  other  students  

have  not  had  to  experience.    The  death  of  his  father,  unruly  siblings,  and  being  one  of  the  few  minorities  in  a  predominately  white  school  has  made  life  more  difficult.  

 

 

               

 

                     

   

� As  a  class  we  read  Suki’s  Kimono,  discussed  story  elements,  and  Japanese  culture.  

� After  learning  how  to  use  the  Culture  Grams  database,  students  were  asked  to  synthesize  information  from  it,  a  website  specifically  about  the  culture  of  Japanese  children,  and  their  personal  experiences  to  create  a  Venn  diagram  comparing  and  contrasting  the  two  cultures.    

� Students  were  then  required  to  compose  a  paragraph  conceptualizing  what  they  learned.      o What  do  you  feel  more  appreciative  of  in  our  own  culture?    o Would  you  like  to  live  in  their  culture?  

 

 

Students  will  be  able  to  identify  and  conceptualize  how  two  different  cultures  are  alike  and  different,  as  compared  to  knowledge  of  their  own  culture.    They  will  show  this  by  completing  a  Venn  diagram  with  at  least  

5  differences  and  similarities  of  the  two  cultures  and  composing  a  paragraph  sharing  their  own  thoughts  of  the  two  cultures.    

 

 

     

 

 

     

“The collaborative reading workshop process…involves reciprocal interaction between teachers and students and deep engagement with

texts through student-generated questions and connections, generating inquiry around issues that the students genuinely wonder about in relation to the texts they are reading” (Meyer, 2010, p. 501).

Millard  Stan

dards • LA  S  03.1.6  Use  narrative  or  

informational  text  to  develop  a  multi-­‐‑cultural  perspective

• LA  S  03.1.6  Build  and  activate  prior  knowledge  in  order  to  identify  text  to  self,  text  to  text,  and  text  to  world  connections  before,  during,  and  after  reading.

AASL

 Stand

ards

• 1.1.2  Use  prior  and  background  knowledge  as  context  for  new  learning.

• 2.1.4  Use  technology  and  other  information  tools  to  analyze  and  organize  information.

• 2.3.1  Connect  understanding  to  the  real  world.  

 

   

 Cooperation  and  Engagement  while  diving  further  into  the  text!  

   

 

� As  a  class  we  read  Goodbye,  382  Shin  Dang  Dong  and  discussed  plot  and  sequence.  

� Review  how  to  write  a  letter.  � Discuss  how  it  feels  to  be  a  new  student.  � Write  a  letter  to  the  main  character.  � Edit  and  revise  with  partner.  � Type  in  an  email  and  send  to  Jangmi  (aka  the  teacher)  

     

   

Students  will  compose  an  email  in  proper  letter  format  depicting  their  understanding  of  Good-­‐‑bye,  382  Shin  Dang  Dong  and  their  own  school.    They  should  have  a  minimum  of  three  reasons  why  Jangmi  will  enjoy  her  

new  school,  and  at  make  at  least  one  connection  to  her  old  country.  

 

 

   

Collaboration?    

It  was  important  to  work  with  our  school  librarian  to  teach  the  students:  

1.  How  to  use  their  email.  2.    Internet  safety  

3.    Email  safety  and  rules    

 

Providing students with choice increases their intrinsic motivation and promotes engagement in their writing (Newman & Bizzarri, 2011, p. 275).

Sharing and peer discussion are important when crafting writing pieces…it was important for students to talk to one another as they generated ideas, as this promotes breadth and the depth in the students’ writing (Newman & Bizzarri, 2011, p. 277).

Millard  Stan

dards • LA  S  03.2.1  Writing  Process:    

Apply  the  writing  process  to  plan,  draft,  revise,  edit,  and  publish  writing  using  correct  spelling,  grammar,  punctuation,  and  other  standard  conventions  appropriate  for  grade  level.

• Technology:    Network  Awareness  –  Communicates  effectively  through  email A

ASL

 Stand

ards

• 2.1.6  Use  the  writing  process,  media  and  visual  literacy,  and  technology  skills  to  create  products  that  express  new  understandings.

• 2.3.1  Connect  understanding  to  the  real  world

 

� As  a  class  we  read  The  Statue  of  Liberty  and  discussed  story  elements  and  new  concepts.  

� Reread  for  important  details.  � Compose  a  narrative.  � Locate  a  picture  of  the  Statue  of  Liberty.  � Upload  picture  to  blabberize.com  and  make  her  “talk”  using  

the  narrative  as  a  script.  � Share  with  teacher  and  a  small  group.  

 

Students  will  compose  a  written  script  as  if  they  were  the  Statue  of  Liberty  telling  her  story,  and  find  a  picture  online  of  her  to  use  at  

Blabberize.com.  They  should  include  a  minimum  of  5  important  details  about  her  history,  at  least  2  of  which  should  be  about  the  immigrants  

during  that  time.    

 

…technology does not stand alone. It integrates with all subjects both in the content areas as well as art (Sterling, 2009, p. 42).

Educational games are experiential exercises in a virtual world where learners apply knowledge and skills in the execution of their assigned roles (Qing, 2010, p. 429).

Millard  Stan

dards • LA  S  03.2.1  Writing  Process:    

Apply  the  writing  process  to  plan,  draft,  revise,  edit,  and  publish  writing  using  correct  spelling,  grammar,  punctuation,  and  other  standard  conventions  appropriate  for  grade  level.

• Technology:    Network  Awareness  –  Communicates  effectively  through  email

AASL

 Stand

ards

• 2.1.6  Use  the  writing  process,  media  and  visual  literacy,  and  technology  skills  to  create  products  that  express  new  understandings.

• 2.3.1  Connect  understanding  to  the  real  world

 

These  lessons  have  helped  Bradley  to:  

� Focus  his  energy  towards  school  work  � Enjoy  his  work,  because  of  the  technology  use  � Feel  proud  of  his  finished  products  � Reign  in  his  behavior,  while  focusing  on  his  tasks  � Improvement  of  social  and  academic  skills  

 

These  lessons  have  helped  my  Class:  

� Feel  more  excitement  to  do  their  classwork  � Learn/practice  required  skills  in  new  ways  � Relate  to  our  weekly  texts  more  personally  � Retain  more  knowledge  of  the  story  details  � Better  test  scores  

 

These  lessons  have  helped  me:  

� Make  learning  more  genuine  � Enjoy  the  learning  process  more  � Increase  engagement  and  understanding  � Better  get  to  know  my  students’  strengths  � Stretch  them  further  and  get  them  to  really  think  about            the  text  

 

Meyer, K. (2010). A collaborative approach to reading workshop in the middle years. Reading Teacher, 63(6), 501-507. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier.

Newman, T. H. & Bizzarri, S. A. (2011). Friday letters: Connecting students,

teachers, and families through writing. Reading Teacher, 65(4), 275-280. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier.

Qing, L. (2010). Digital game building: Learning in a participatory

culture. Educational Research, 52(4), 427-443. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier.

Sterling, J. (2009). Multimedia landscapes. Arts & Activities, 145(3), 42-52.

Retrieved from OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson).