Ronilyn Aquino EDUG 805

Final Growth Statement EDUG 805

11/22/13 Fall 2013

The course, Integrated Learning: Social Studies and Language Arts for the At Risk / Disabled Student, otherwise known as EDUG 805 was another course that I was fortunate enough to take as a part of the graduate program at Manhattan College. During the thirteen weeks of this course I have been able to get a better understanding of how to efficiently integrate highly effective planning strategies into Social Studies as well as literacy with the Common Core Standards. This course was especially useful due to the fact that most of the skills, strategies, and techniques modeled in class can be applied to all other content areas very efficiently as well. During Education 805, we were provided with ample opportunities to take ownership of our learning as well as the integration of strategies within social studies and literacy by working in small groups as well as individually. While the individual and cooperative group learning took place, we worked diligently to align key skills, assessments, understandings, ideas, and content in the areas of both Social Studies and Literacy to apparent expectations within grades as well as across the grade level bands. As the course unfolded, the class worked together in order to focus on the use of a variety of texts through article critiques as well as texts provided by the professors in order to further our knowledge of the content area. We also used the texts provided to implement into activities, lessons, and units that we have designed and differentiated for students. The implementation of non-fiction texts into the curriculum is one of the major requirements of the common core

standards, and thus was extremely useful and relevant to see these strategies and techniques carried out in our classroom. Aside from the analysis of non-fiction texts, as a class were exposed to data sources and technology in order to motivate our thinking, engagement, discussion, as well as implementation in our own lesson, units, and overall classroom or future classroom environment. At the beginning of the course, the professors introduced the Danielson Framework as well as the Shared Path to Success. After breaking down, analyzing, and explaining each of the two, we learned how to tie every task following the introduction of these two documents back to them. This is extremely useful due to the fact that the schools in the city are more focusing more and more heavily on these two documents and in order to be highly effective teachers we need to not only be aware of the two, but also make conscious efforts in our classroom environments to making their contents evident. As a concluding assignment of the course, we were to create a unit plan. Using the Danielson rubric in conjunction with the extensive amount of strategies an techniques covered throughout the semester in EDUG 805, we created unit plants that could be efficiently presented to all learners. Instruction was both data driven and scaffolded and differentiated to each and every students specific needs. The unit plan, which acted as a culminating activity was an essential piece of the course. To create the unit plan we worked hand-in-hand with our peers in collaboration just as teachers in the field would do. At the beginning portion of each class, we were all encouraged by our professors to share our experiences that we have had during our week apart. During

this time we were able to share successes and areas where we needed advice and support. Each individual in the course, teachers and students, were so willing and ready to support each other it was a great thing to see collaboration. As each class came to a close we reflected upon our learning experience. I really appreciated this journal entry type assignment because it helped me collect my thoughts and reflect on how I can use the content learned and apply my newly formed knowledge to my future classroom. This course made me excited and confident to teach Social Studies in conjunction with literacy in my future classroom most efficiently.