Diagnostic Teaching

Jennifer Cornelius
Topic: Individualism and Inventiveness
TEKS:

History/Social Studies: 2.4

Language Arts: 2.24, 2.25, 2.26, 2.27

Accommodations:
Dyslexia - for dyslexic students I would allow them to record their questions,
thoughts and findings on the iPad, along with a transcript made with a dictation
app. This way they would be free to think about the content of their project instead
of being consumed with the writing aspect, and they would also have a written
transcript to compare with the auditory questions to help strengthen their reading
skills.
ELL - I would encourage ELL students to choose a person who exemplifies
individualism or inventiveness from their home country, or someone who has come
to America who once spoke their home language. I would also encourage them to
find a partner who could cover this same person in English. This serves many
purposes. One, it allows the ELL student to conduct their research in a language
that they are more familiar with, so that they can come up with deeper level
questions because they wont be hindered by the language barrier. It will also serve
as an example to both the ELL student and the rest of the class the value of other
cultures. I would also provide a copy of the rubric in the students home language
so that they would know what is expected of them in regards to the project.
First Person Experiences
To introduce this project, I would show a clip from Ever After: A Cinderella Story,
where Danielle is locked in a cellar before the ball, and Leonardo comes to help her.
One of the servants says, but the door is locked! At this point I would stop the clip
and ask the students what they think he will do, or how they think he could open
the door. After a short discussion I would restart the clip which shows him leaving
the door locked and removing the hinges.
Individualism and inventiveness are both ways of looking at a situation
differently. People who exemplify individualism do not allow their integrity, or doing
what they know is right, to be changed by what the people around them are doing.
Inventiveness is looking at a problem, and thinking outside of the box to come up
with a unique solution. Who thought that Leonardo was going to take the door off of
the hinges? The servants didnt. They would have sat there for a very long time
trying to think of a way to open the door. However, Leonardo demonstrated his
inventiveness by approaching the problem in a new and different way. In this
project you are going to be researching people who are good models of
individualism or inventiveness. After you have conducted your research, you will

create a project as if you were this person. For example, if I were researching
George Washington, I would research his life and the time period that he lived. I
would find out as much as I could about him. Then I might write a letter to Martha,
his wife, as if I were George. After this I would hand out the project rubric and
allow the students time to look it over, and ask any questions that they might have.
1. Select and inquiry focus: Keep the rubric in mind as you choose the person
that you would like to research. Remember that to get the best score on the
rubric you will need to show several ways in which the person you are
researching exemplifies individualism or inventiveness. In this first session
with your group members, you are going to discuss which person you are
contemplating for this assignment, and why you think they are a good
candidate for this project. I will allow the students to meet with their groups,
while walking around the room noting which students have a good grasp on
the project and who might need help choosing an appropriate topic person. I
will also make sure that group conversations are on track and project
oriented.
2. Consider what you want to know about the topic and develop a research plan:
Last time you gathered in your groups, you chose the person that you would
research for your First Person Experience. Today as you gather with your
group you should discuss what you would like to find out about your person
during your research. Think of several questions that you would like to
answer, and then discuss those questions with your group. Did anyone think
of a question that you did not think of? Do you have deep thinking
questions? Remember that your deeper level questions are going to make
your research more interesting. It is the stories behind the facts that make
history fascinating. After the student break into their groups, I will walk the
room making sure that the students are on track and developing critical
questions. If students are only coming up with surface level questions, I will
help scaffold them into deeper level questions.
3. Choose a presentation format: Today discuss with you group how you are
going to present your First Person Experience. This is your time to bring your
creativity to your project. I mentioned at the beginning of the project writing
a letter as the person that you are researching; however, you can do anything
that communicates how your person exhibits individualism or invention.
Letters and journal entries are effective ways to communicate what your
person may have felt or thought, but put some creativity into your project.
Mostly at this time I will just make sure that the students stay on topic during
their group times. I want the project to be personal to them, so I want to
guide only when they are lost and need direction.
4. Use multiple resources for your topic: Today we are going to be working on
finding topic for your project. Remember, according to your rubric, you will
need several different sources to get full points on this section. Look for
quality sources. Who wrote the information? How do you know that the
information that you have found is true? Has it been published by someone?
Is it from a school or a reputable agency? Talk to your group, and see what
kinds of sources they are using. Are the sources similar or different? Are all

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of your sources the same type, or do you have varied types of sources?
Come ask me if you have a question about your sources, and I will help you
analyze the sources that you have. For this session I will be at the desk, and
allow the students to work in their groups as long as they are staying
engaged in their projects. I will help students analyze their sources, and
make sure that they are finding quality information.
Participate in class inquiry workshop sessions: You have been working on
your group projects for several sessions now. Today you will be discussing
your projects with your group members. Do you have any questions or hangups that they might be able to help you with? Are you able to help them with
issues that they have been having with their projects? As the students work
on and discuss their projects, I will walk the room and note how the students
are working with their groups. I will add these notes to the notes that I have
been making about the students workshop participation from the previous
sessions.
Schedule progress conferences: During the group workshop I will call each
student to come back and schedule a progress conference to give them a
chance to ask any questions or discuss any problems that they are having
with the project.
Engage in self-evaluation by completing project rubric: At the beginning of
the workshop I will hand out copies of the rubric. Today you are going to
grade your project based on the project rubric. Look over each section of the
rubric and see how many points your project has earned so far. Remember,
there is still time to change things that you feel are not quite where you want
them to be. If you want to, you can find a partner from your group and you
can walk through your projects together, and see if they find issues that you
have missed. This part is optional.
Practice and present the inquiry-based investigation: While the students
make their final presentations I will take notes to help me give an accurate
score when filling out the rubric. After the presentations I will fill out a copy
of the rubric with any notes that I have taken about the students
performance throughout the course of the project.