IL Professional Teaching Standard 1 Artifact: Media/Visual Literacy

The purpose of this lesson was to teach students in grades 6th-7th about the concepts of media/visual literacy and how to “read images”. In this lesson, students were given pre-selected ads chosen from various magazines with the copy concealed behind paper. The students were then asked to discuss their impressions of the images and the meanings derived from them. We discussed the importance of being able to interpret the messages communicated via images and through the media---with or without additional text. The students then shared their thoughts with the class. This artifact was chosen because I believe it reflects this standard as it utilizes a medium (magazines) that students are familiar with and connects the idea of visual literacy to their everyday experiences and interests. The most significant lesson I learned from this activity is that the students needed guided questions to help facilitate critical thinking. When conducting this lesson in the future I will add a rubric to help students "think it through" and give students the opportunity to apply this new knowledge toward creating an ad of their own.

IL Professional Teaching Standard 2 Artifact: Media/Visual Literacy (Please see the attachment at the end of this page)

When conducting the lesson on media/visual literacy, I noticed that some groups of students were more productive than others in analyzing the images presented. To this end, a rubric was created and distributed to students to help guide their discussions. In addition, the students were provided with the opportunity to use pre-selected images to create their own "ads". During the ad creation portion of the lesson a special needs student with an IEP was given the task of adding decorative touches and designs to the ad to assist his group with presenting their ideas for the “ad”. After conducting the lesson without the rubric I now understand the importance of using guided questions to achieve a desired response. While I wanted to keep teacher input minimal to facilitate independent thinking and ensure student creativity, I now realize that there is a “happy medium” in which student creativity and critical thinking can thrive with guidance.

IL Professional Teaching Standard 3 Artifact: Understanding and Combating Plagiarism

I developed a unit on plagiarism using music to highlight instances of intentional and unintentional plagiarism. Students heard excerpts of songs and were then instructed to identify the common thread present in them. I then presented information about plagiarism via a PowerPoint presentation. We discussed the ways to avoid plagiarism and focused on paraphrasing as a way to integrate their research into their papers. The paraphrasing exercise began as a group exercise in which students were shown examples of good and bad paraphrases before practicing on their own.   I believe this lesson plan recognizes and targets the diverse learning styles of students through the use of audiovisual equipment. However, the lesson did not connect as well as I had hoped because this particular set of students either did not know or had vague recollections of the hip hop music used during instruction. The most important lesson I learned from students' initial response to my attempt to connect the lesson to popular culture is the importance of currency when selecting the elements of "their culture" to use.

IL Professional Teaching Standard 4 Artifact: Understanding and Combating Plagiarism (Please see the attachment at the end of this page)

After conducting the initial lesson plan, I adjusted the music selection and images used for the PowerPoint presentation/lecture portion of the lesson to gain and sustain student interest. In addition, I consulted with the freshmen English teachers to discuss student ability and ways to meet the needs of the students and teachers. After several days of observation and interacting with the students I was able to obtain and use popular music and images that resonated with them which in turn not only made the lesson more meaningful but increased retention as well. Hip hop music (and the specific songs) was chosen because of its popularity with the students at this particular high school. I learned the importance of doing "research" to find out information about the students' interests and the curriculum goals of the cooperating teachers in addition to having a firm understanding of the subject being taught.

IL Professional Teaching Standard 5 Artifact: Porquoi Tales

I began this lesson by reading two brief porquoi tales to students in grades 4th and 5th. To maintain control and interest in the lesson, I began by explaining the objective in my initial greeting at the door. Students were then directed to their seats, attendance taken and explicit instructions given. After reading two short porquoi tales as examples, students were then guided to their assigned tables where the worksheets, assigned animals and research materials (encyclopedias) were already set-up for use. The students then worked in pairs or groups of three to research an assigned animal and create a porquoi tale based on the research obtained. The students were to decide between them who would be the author and who would be the illustrator. The students were given the opportunity to share their stories once completed. This artifact was chosen because it is reflective of the positive social interaction and collaboration referenced in this standard. Using positive feedback for behaviors such as listening and sharing (and modeling those behaviors) kept the students motivated and excited about their work. I have gained significant growth in time and classroom management through the facilitation of this lesson. By setting up the materials and informing students of the objective for their class I was not only able to keep students on task but motivated to do a good job and productive as well.

IL Professional Teaching Standard 6 Artifact: Beat Biter!  Lesson Plain on Fair Use

This lesson was created for my school librarianship class taken during the spring of 2009 and was intended to be a collaboration between the language arts and music teachers as well as the school librarian.  The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the concepts of copyright, fair use and plagiarism.  The anticipated outcome of this lesson would be a socially responsible student body who will apply the knowledge gained from this activity to later lessons when writing papers, speeches and other documents.  I believe this lesson plan reflects this standard because it provides opportunities for me to "vary my role as an instructor, facilitator, coach, or audience" through the presentation, discussion and research components.  Alhough I have not implemented this lesson plan yet  I understand the importance of varying my role to give students an active part in the learning process.  As an audience member and facilitator I will be able to provide students with the opportunity to learn how to effectively communicate their ideas in a constructive environment in which they are not only heard but respected.