Corinna Sech

Student Teaching 2018

Professor Gjoni

Validated Practices Project - Fallston Middle School

Table of Contents

I. Class Profile / Narrative

II. Alignment Table

III. Pre-Assessments

IV. Post-Assessments

V. Assessment Data Results

 Validated Practices Project Alignment Table

There was a lesson in between Lesson 2 and 3 that was not relevant to the VPP. It was on
Hammurabi's Code but it is not included in this alignment table - ergo the gap between the
dates of lessons 2 and 3.

District, State, Objectives Assessment Items Activities

and/ or National from Pre-and
Standards Post-assessments

Lesson 1 Expectation Students will Two maps will be VPP Pre-test

G6.2.1: ​Students determine given to students.
10/9/18 will examine how geography’s They will also be Warm-Up
physical and impact on displayed on the
human developing PowerPoint incase Geography
characteristics civilizations the maps do not print Challenge
shape the identity through a clearly.
of places and website Introduction to
regions and exploration. 1. What area is the Unit 2
influenced the map representing?
development of A: Southern Europe Mesopotamia
civilizations in B: The Middle East Padlet
early world C: East Asia
history. D: North America British Museum -
Geography of
2. Which of the Mesopotamia
following is NOT
city on the map? Exit Ticket
A: Haran
B: Nuzi
C: Kirkuk
D: Syria

3. What
geographical
features do you see
on this map?
Identify 3​​.
 4. Would a
civilization be able
to settle here? Why
or why not? Use the
geographical
features in your
answer.

Lesson 2 Expectation Students will No VPP assessment Warm-Up

S6.1.3.1 - ​Student classify will be given on this
10/10/18 will identify and examples of day. Cultural
use strategies to cultural Diffusion: Yes
monitor diffusion or No?
understanding and through an
derive meaning assortment Primary source
from text and activity. readings,
portions of text questions, &
(during reading). discussion
Indicator Students will
S6.1.3.4 - compare two Exit Ticket
Students primary
will look back sources for
through similarities and
the text to how those
search for similarities can
be connected
connections to cultural
between and diffusion.
among ideas.

Lesson 3 Expectation Students will Two maps will be Warm-Up

S6.1.1.1 - label a map to given to students.
10/12/18 Students will use apply their They will also be Map
geographic tools map reading displayed on the Labels/Skills
to locate places skills. PowerPoint incase (CC class only)
and describe the the maps do not print
human and Students will clearly. VPP Post-test
physical recognize that
characteristics in constant 1. What area is the Mesopotamian
early world invasions in map representing? Contributions
history. Mesopotamia A: Southern Europe reading/organize
led to cultural
B: The Middle East r
advancements.
C: East Asia
Students will D: North America Advertisement
identify the
advancements 2. Which of the
made by following is NOT
various city on the map?
Mesopotamian
culture groups. A: Haran
B: Nuzi
C: Kirkuk
D: Syria

3. What
geographical
features do you see
on this map?
Identify 3​​.

4. Would a
civilization be able
to settle here? Why
or why not? Use the
geographical
features in your
answer.
 Class Profile

The students are twelve or thirteen years old and are in the lower level (CC) class. There
are twenty-four students in the class; ten of the students are female and fourteen are male. Two
of the students are Hispanic and four are African American. The remaining students are
caucasian.

IEPs
● Student 2
● Student 5
● Student 9
● Student 11
● Student 22

504 Plans
● Student 10
● Student 3
● Student 21

Student Services Team (SST) Plans

● Student 15

Narrative
Topic:

Fallston Middle School (FMS) is a blue ribbon school in Harford County, Maryland.

FMS has 938 students enrolled. The majority of students are caucasian while there are some

African American and Hispanic students. The students in the class used for my Validated

Practices Project (VPP) are in 7th grade. The students are twelve or thirteen years old and are in

the lower level (CC) class. There are twenty-four students in the class; ten of the students are

female and fourteen are male. Two of the students are Hispanic and four are African American.

The remaining students are caucasian. Among these twenty-four students, five have
individualized education plans (IEPs), three have 504 plans, and one has a student study team

plan (SST plan).

Student 2 has an emotional disability resulting in an academic deficit. She requires

checks for understanding (CFUs) and to be encouraged to ask for assistance as needed.

Questions and instruction may need to be paraphrased to help with understanding and graphic

organizers may need to be given to help with reading comprehension. If needed, Student 2 may

use fidget tools. Student 5 has a specific learning disability impacting her writing. Due to her

disability in the areas of written language, mechanics, and written language expression, Student 5

requires CFUs to ensure she understands the writing prompt and to ensure she fully responds to

it. Sometimes she feels that she is slower at internalizing a concept but she has progressed and is

being tested in November to be taken off her IEP.

Student 9 has a specific learning disability and has deficits in working memory and

attention. He needs extended time, noise buffers, and CFUs. His attention and socialization

causes him to be off task and unable to complete assignments without support and reminders for

expectations. Student 11 has a specific learning disability with a weakness in phonological

processing and visual working memory skills. He requires chunking of material/information and

directions to be repeated or rephrased. Highlighters during instruction and on assignments are

helpful and allow him to identify important information. Student 22 has a delayed processing

speed which impacts his ability to quickly process and recall information. He was previously on

home and hospital due to his anxiety and depression.

Student 10 has hyptomia (a sensory issue), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

(ADHD), and a specified anxiety disorder. He has difficulty concentrating and learning. He
needs extra time and preferential seating away from distractions. Student 10 requires repetition

of directions and CFUs, visual and oral prompting, and copies of notes if needed. To help

Student 10 focus, he is allowed to listen to music or use noise-cancelling headphones if needed.

Student 3 has ADHD and should be seated next to positive role models and away from

distractions. He requires frequent reminders to start his work, to keep working, and to turn in

assignments. Student 21 has anxiety disorder resulting in difficulty learning, concentrating, and

thinking. He requires extended time and preferential seating. Student 15 has an SST plan and

was referred in 3rd grade due to concerns in reading, math, and writing. Some of these concerns

are still valid in 7th grade as he can become easily distracted and has difficulty organizing his

thoughts in writing.

For my VPP, I will be teaching students how to read and analyze maps. I will be teach

students how to read a map, determine geographical features, and based on maps, determine if a

civilization would be able to settle in the area represented.

Objectives and Curriculum Goals:

Lesson 1

Expectation G6.2.1: ​Students will examine how physical and human characteristics shape the

identity of places and regions and influenced the development of civilizations in early world

history.

Objective:

Students will determine geography’s impact on developing civilizations through a website

exploration.

Lesson 2
Expectation S6.1.3.1 - ​Student will identify and use strategies to monitor understanding and

derive meaning from text and portions of text (during reading).

Indicator S6.1.3.4 - ​Students will look back through the text to search for connections

between and ​a​mong ideas.

Objectives:

Students will classify examples of cultural diffusion through an assortment activity.

Students will compare two primary sources for similarities and how those similarities can be
connected to cultural diffusion.

Lesson 3

Expectation S6.1.1.1 - ​Students will use geographic tools to locate places and describe the

human and physical characteristics in early world history.

Objectives:

Students will label a map to apply their map reading skills.

Students will recognize that constant invasions in Mesopotamia led to cultural advancements.

Students will identify the advancements made by various Mesopotamian culture groups.

Each of these three lessons are in-line with the Harford County Public Schools (HCPS)

curriculum guide for 7th grade Ancient World History (Unit 2, Experience 1). Prior to these

lessons, students have completed Unit 1 and have knowledge on the Paleolithic and Neolithic

Eras. Before I began the VPP, students had learned the five characteristics of a civilization and

were aware of what civilizations needed to be successful. During my three lessons, I expanded
on these needs and students were asked to analyze a map for the pre- and post-test to determine if

a civilization would be able to settle in the area depicted. I chose to teach geographical map skills

because HCPS requires student to be able to interpret map and develop these skills.

Assessment Plan:

The pre- and post-assessments aligned with the objectives because it asked students to

analyze a map, determine what the map was representing, what geographical features the

students see, and if a civilization would be able to settle in the depicted area. The objectives

ranged from students determining the importance of geography and its effect on everyday life to

students learning how to read a map and decipher map labels.

I used various formative and informal assessment strategies throughout the lessons. In

Lesson 1, an informal assessment I used was the “Geography or Not?” challenge to determine if

students had prior knowledge of geographical terms. In the same lesson, I had students look at a

map to determine if Mesopotamian cultural groups could invade each other. This had students

analyze a map and its physical features to determine if invasions were possible. Students wrote

their responses on Padlet so I was able to assess what each student responded. In Lesson 2, the

formative assessment was the reading questions that followed the primary source comparison to

learn the key concept of cultural diffusion. In Lesson 3, the informal assessment was the labeling

of the Australia rainfall map. The students then took the post-assessment. Another formative

assessment was given to students after the VPP in which they created advertisements to represent

a Sumerian city-state or contribution.

Instruction:
 Before I began the first lesson, students were given the pre-test. After they handed in the

test, I started the lesson with having students answer the question, “​how does geography impact

our everyday lives?” a​ s a warm-up. I wanted to have students think about geography and the role

it plays in everyday life. Our objective for the lesson was: students will determine geography’s

impact on developing civilizations through a website exploration. As a motivational activity, I

had students work in partners and I gave each group a list of words. Students separated the words

and determined if they were considered geography or not. A worksheet was given to students to

write down the words as we went over them as a class. I gave explanations of each word and

how it is related to geography to help them grasp the concept. Then, we constructed a definition

of geography based on the examples that were given in the activity. Continuing with geography,

I showed maps of Mesopotamia. Students used their kindles to log onto padlet and respond to

the question: “​would it be difficult for various Mesopotamian culture groups to invade each

other: yes or no?​” while providing evidence to support their responses. I debriefed student

responses as a class while guiding students to the conclusion that due to the lack of natural

barriers within Mesopotamia, this region has been prone to invasions and is still a vulnerable

region. For our next activity, I passed out "The British Museum" worksheet. Students went to the

"Geography of Mesopotamia" page, found on ItsLearning. Students used the website to answer

the questions on the worksheet so students were able to describe the geography of Mesopotamia

and its impact on the civilizations that developed in the region. I closed the lesson by having

students answer the exit ticket: “​how does geography affect the settlement of civilizations?”​

The second lesson was focused on the concept of cultural diffusion. This lesson had two

objectives: 1. ​Students will classify examples of cultural diffusion through an assortment

activity. 2. Students will compare two primary sources for similarities and how those similarities

can be connected to cultural diffusion. I started the lesson with having students answer the

question, “​what do you recall from 6th grade about cultural diffusion?”​ as a warm-up. After

students shared their responses, I went over the definition of culture and cultural diffusion. After

this brief explanation, students were placed in groups and they sorted through sentence strips to

determine if they were examples of cultural diffusion or not. After, I passed out a worksheet and

students wrote if the examples are cultural diffusion. ​I then explained why cultural diffusion

could easily occur in Mesopotamia due to constant invasions brought in many new cultures and

the geography of the area made it easy for cross-cultural communication. As an illustration of

cultural diffusion, students compared excerpts from the ​Epic of Gilgamesh​ with the story of the

Great Flood in the Old Testament. I introduced the background of Gilgamesh and the Great

Flood before we began reading. In the epic poem, the Sumerians discuss a great flood, which is

similar to the flood story found in the Old Testament. ​Students ​first read Epic of Gilgamesh then

discussed with a partner what they read. Then students read the Great Flood and discussed with a

partner what they read. While reading the documents, students were encouraged to look ​for

similarities and think about how those similarities could be attributed to cultural diffusion. After

reading both sources,​ students went back to the readings and highlighted similarities between the

two excerpts. ​After students answered the questions on the back of the worksheet; we had a

discussion about the readings and their responses. ​I closed the lesson by having students answer

the exit ticket: ​“​how is our world impacted by cultural diffusion today?​”

In between the second lesson and this next lesson was a lesson on Hammurabi’s Code but

it did not related to the VPP. The final lesson of the VPP focused on map skills and
Mesopotamian contributions. To begin, students answered the warm-up question on their drill

sheets: “​pick one of Hammurabi’s laws that would be useful today. Explain why. Pick one of

​ ot​ be useful today. Explain why.” ​After students wrote down

Hammurabi’s laws that would n

their answers, I asked students to share some of their responses. Then I went over various map

skills and labels with students. Students had a worksheet to take notes on each map

characteristic. They then practiced labeling a map of the “Annual Rainfall in Australia.” Students

will then being with Mesopotamian contributions. Before beginning this activity, I went over

what a contribution is with students. Students read pages 60-62, 65-69, and 72-77 in the ​World

History​ textbook. They then used the graphic organizer to list contributions from each

civilization. The CC class took the post-test for my VPP after they completed this activity. The

other classes continued on with the advertisement assessment.

Analysis, Reflection, and Self Evaluation:

The average score of twenty-four students was a 5.63 out of 7 possible points. The

average percentile score was an eighty percent. Five students earned a hundred percent on the

pre-test. The lowest score was a three out of seven. This told me that students had some prior

knowledge as depicted by the pre-assessment scores. The scores on the post-assessment were

much better. Twenty-two out of twenty-four students earned seven out of seven points. The other

two students earned a six out of seven percent. The average percentage score was a ninety-nine

percent.

While student growth was phenomenal, I would change some things in my structure of

the lessons. I would have taught map skills on the second lesson and taught cultural diffusion on

the third simply because I think it flows better content wise. However when I shared with
students how well they did on the test that they were “so nervous” about, they were so pleased

and happy with themselves.

Regarding future instruction, the VPP has taught me many things. Two professional

learning goals I have are primarily, to constantly reflect on my lessons. I need to ask myself, “did

they really grasp the concept?” or even simply if the lesson went well. It is imperative that I am

constantly checking for understanding not only for my students but for myself. Secondly, I

believe a weakness of mine can be transitioning. I do not struggle with giving instruction but i

would like to work on connecting each activity to the next. I think this will also come with

mastering the content I will be teaching to make those connections but it is an area in which I

would professionally like to grow.