Providing access requires me to demonstrate my ability to use and select from a spectrum of specific teaching strategies and instructional materials to effectively teach a balanced, differentiated and comprehensive curriculum based on state academic standards. This includes prioritizing and sequencing strategies according to purpose and content, and taking into account the current levels of achievement of multi-level learners.  Academic skills, the range of soft applied skills, and use of technology skills should be modeled and taught along with content, and ongoing individual student level of achievement. Student comprehension/product  should be documented and used to dictate the form, direction, differentiation accomodations and pace of lesson plans.

        The primary artifact I have attached along with many others is a language arts lesson plan  designed to combine the benefits of many SDAIE teaching and  learning strategies. A variety of other artifacts demonstrate my ability to implement ELD considerations, learning and physical impairment considerations, the use of technology in student activities, and self-monitoring and goal setting practices., etc.

        The Language Arts/Science Lesson Plan  include : teacher modeling of a dialectical journal for the purpose of meta-cognitive development and scaffolding for students to bridge prior knowledge and previous learning to new content; inter-disciplinary critical thinking to compel students to make science and language arts academic language and structural organization analogies as a tool for literal, inferential and evaluative comprehension skills practice, and general use of academic language; contextualization and limited choice with prior sensory science lab experience to encourage recollection of  clear detail, thus engage the student via the senses in order to motivate and trigger flow of content for their writing project; literal text re-presentation using analogies along with the prior knowledge and practice of recognizing, categorizing and forming  analogies, and which is part of students’ daily warm-up agenda; schema-building by helping students connect broadly  familiar  information with new content in comprehensible pieces in the form of lab elements and the first three basic elements of a story. Students will outline and begin to write in class and finish at home. Their lab : story will be pier-edited and discussed in pairs and revised in the next class meeting, after which a similar lesson will be to do the same thing with the last three elements of their favorite lab written as the climax and resolution of a story as independent practice, which allows me the opportunity to work one one or with small groups to facilitate literal, inferential, and evaluative skills practice in the writing process.

        I have learned through the careful preparation, and analysis of this lesson plan that inter-disciplinary content is compelling, thus engaging and calls for the use of many teaching strategies. These strategies along with selective flexible grouping strategies and close monitoring should ensure a high level of student engagement, and understanding. This lesson plan offers me a variety of formal and informal assessment opportunities for continually checking for understanding. A dialogue journal can document  student process and product along with my input for future goal setting in writing, listening, and speaking. Please see the following artifacts that demonstrate my broad understanding of making content accessible to students.

       The primary artifact I have selected to represent my ability to actively engage students is an 8^th Grade Physical Science ‘Hands-on’ Lesson Plan for teaching the concept of density and it addresses Standards:  8a- Students know density is mass per unit volume; 8b- Students know how to calculate the density of substances from measurements of mass and volume; 9b- Investigation and Experimentation standard: Evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of data. This lesson includes: clear communication of the lesson objective; ensures active and equitable participation and engagement of multi-level learners; an effective and tenacious process for student engagement/re-engagement and academic goal comprehension and guided self-monitoring; encouragement of student input, application, use of community resources toward recognizing relevancy; evokes meaningful questions and requires critical thinking.

         My approach throughout is differentiated for diverse student needs. The essential questions to be answered by the lesson and the lesson objective will be spoken by me in basic language, as well as boldly posted in the classroom along with the standards they address, thus  the clear objective and the standards are part of the direct instruction and introduction to the lesson. The essential questions asked in this lesson are: “How do we describe the different properties of a substance?; What is density?; How do we determine the density of a substance?” The stated learning objective is: Students will be able to determine the different physical properties of a substance, define density, and calculate the density of various liquids.

       In this lesson plan, all types of learners are accommodated and detailed examples are provided for: mainstream students, students classified in an ELD or ELL level, and also included are specific developed examples for a student with a specific learning disability (dyscalculia), and a student with a specific physical disability (orthopedic manual dexterity limitations) as well as for students who are Gifted and who may have different propensities. (see all included accommodations matrices). As such, this lesson plan elaborates on how all students are engaged and accommodated with close monitoring, productive grouping, and differentiated procedure and product requirement accommodations that address their specific needs and goals which will be documented as a routine practice for progress monitoring and goal revision. Fascinating and captivating websites are referenced and thought-provoking every day items are used for the ‘hands-on’ learning activities in exploring density.

      Included as a separate attachment to demonstrate student engagement in detail is a direct instruction script and a PowerPoint that both demonstrate how and when and with what modalities the teacher will guide the students through a ‘hands-on’ density exploration process, a density concept introduction and definition and a density concept application and further exploration process. Sequential worksheet handouts completed by individuals in carefully selected, supported and productive groups with embedded differentiation are also included a separate attachments. This worksheet handout comprises data collection scaffolding, 2 quick writes and a calculation sheet that serve assess student understanding of the concept of density. 

        Engagement of all learners is accomplished with thoughtful sequencing, pacing and careful group and individual productivity monitoring of exploration, introduction and application activities. These activities include careful and complementary grouping and free hands on exploration and free small group discussion which includes the required individual completion of a physical property data sheet product. This is followed by a clear concept introduction which is followed by intermittent posing and fielding of questions and large group discussion and which requires the production of a ‘quick write’ explaining what is density. This is followed by close teacher monitoring during specific individual application calculation activities which includes the production of specific detailed and explicit density calculations using worksheet scaffolding. This is followed by a captivating and colorful liquid layering ‘hands on’ activity which includes the production of another quickwrite that demands a detailed written explanation of the density aspect of the outcome of the liquid layering activity using academic language and the d = m/v equation in the written explanation. Careful teacher engagement modeling, monitoring, grouping and pairing, spot-lighting, specifically assigning, stimulating questioning, and one-on-one attention based on specific student needs will ensure re-engagement of off task or struggling learners. Please review the following artifacts: What is Density?: A ‘Hands-on’ Lesson Plan; What is Density PowerPoint  and lesson delivery script, and Density exploration and application worksheets. 

Also, please view the various other attached artifacts that offer evidence of my ability to engage and monitor students for learning and continual assessment.

       Striving to Provide an ongoing optimum opportunity for academic achievement and progress for  diverse learners grade 4-8 requires that I know how to address California Content Standards, basic skills development, provide intensive support for learning and progress, monitor and teach time-management responsibility, and instill a willingness to take intellectual risks in the classroom. The key is student-centered lesson planning, and harnessing the energy of students to drive the learning  process, and set goals.

          The following artifacts demonstrate my ability to achieve this in my long and short range lesson planning and considerations, and data organization and application.  The following artifacts include an Adaptable Spanish level I & II Lesson Plan: Cultural Comparisons.This is a lesson plan in which students compare their culture to various and broad hispanic cultural aspects. It includes a large group discussion and intermittent brief readings considered in comprehensible pieces for scaffolded level I & II English and Spanish language and culture analysis.

          Also included is an introduction to 4th Grade Unit Plan on fractions. This is a Math lesson that shows my ability to engage with a continuum and variety of tiered math learning activities designed to accommodate diverse learning needs and strengths. These activities are down and upgradeable for multilevel learners.  Also included is a  brief essay that describes how I will implement literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension skills practice that may adapted to any content area, center activity and age. I have also included several other artifacts that demonstrate my ability to apply this Teacher Performance Expectation in my lesson planning, and activity design. 

       These artifacts also demonstrate my  systematic way of monitoring and engaging to guide students in self-monitored goal setting, and my ability to  implement scaffolding and tools that allow students to  take charge of their comprehension skills practice in any content  area, reflect on it, and apply it.  I will include comprehensive student-centered planning in my future classroom. Please view the attached artifacts.

     Implementing developmentally appropriate teaching practices requires that I demonstrate I can challenge grade 9-12grade students intellectually, and continue to instill literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension skills practice in a way that empowers students to take charge of  their learning progress. As such, Students must have an explicit way to do well in my class. This can be provided with structure, predictable routines, and a variety of inroads to success, and  in a way that students can reflect, and set goals with my guidance based on what they have been able to produce. Students must be made aware of the competitive, and global aspect of the world they live in, and that their education is the key to options and success in the future. At the same time, I must facilitate student learning of the idea that  individual and cultural differences among peers must be addressed with tolerance and appreciation, and recognize that tolerance and appreciation is the key to progressive and productive change in the future.

        The Following artifacts demonstrate my appreciation of and ability to convey these ideas. They include a Spanish/English cultural comparison Lesson Plan that analyzes a broad spectrum of Hispanic social and cultural similarities and differences, and a History-Social Science Lesson Plan that addresses human rights and reform in 19^th and 20^th Century American History. These topics are presented in a way that is engaging to 9-12 grade students.

       My future classroom will include the variety of group and individual work options, support, and engagement strategies represented  in these lesson plans which are designed to effect 100% participation and opportunity for broad student input and expression that contributes ideas for future lesson planning.

        In my research and interviewing process for the Orthopedic impairment section, I learned from various parents, counselors, and teachers that the key to equitably engaging students who may have an ever changing diagnoses of perhaps any number of impairmnets is: to pro- actively approach IEP meetings by bringing a multitude of ideas to the table; at these meetings, keep abreast of the specific details of a particular student's impairments, and how they may be changing; design adjustable accomodations of process and/or modifications of content to specifically address these specific details; cultivate a caring and actively communicative and informative relationship with the student, parents, counselors and aide on your IEP Team.

       The following artifacts demonstrate my ability to use flexible, supportive grouping, and a range of visual, auditory, kinesthetic and interdisciplinary and multi-level accommodations for learning activities to address diverse strengths and needs in my classroom. They include several lesson plans, and a variety of teaching and learning strategy descriptions designed to effect 100% inclusion and engagement toward academic achievement.

       I plan to use this approach to teaching in a classroom with students who have impairments. Also I plan to explicitly implement an all-inclusive general approach to teaching in a classroom which will undoubtedly have students with broadly varying abilities, interests, strengths and needs. I will use a versatile multi-modal, inter-disciplinary approach to teaching to  increase my ability to engage diverse students, and always seek to learn more about and monitor my students particular needs, abilities and interests. These wil be diverse in todays classroom, and will serving them will serve to enrich learning for all in my classroom.

        As a teacher, I must cultivate my insight and appreciation of a middle level students social, intellectual and physical developmental challenges. Realities and continual change in society require teachers to apprehend and pro-actively contribute to the developing philosophy behind responsive middle school programs, and make use of them in many organizational settings toward the academic achievement of their students.  As a teacher I must initiate a consistent dialogue with school support staff, and school-community liaisons to student advocate programs at the school and in the larger community in order to facilitate the appropriate recommendations for accommodating myriad student needs with equity and as a pro-active, cooperating and contributing member of an effective school site team.

         The 1^st attached artifact is an interview with an adolescent based on one full school day of ‘shadowing’ and observation interspersed with interview questions. This interview reveals my ability to pay careful attention to student behavioral nuances: they notice and respond positively when you are really paying close attention as a professional responsible engaging adult, and it gives them confidence and builds their confidence in you. Cultivating and maintaining a caring and productive relationship is a teacher's primary objective as part of a caring, engaging and nurturing school community. Professional, caring and productive teacher-student relationships pave the way for cognitive functioning and learning and will foster academic achievement.

     The initial artifact I attached for this teacher performance expectation is a reading response to Vatterott, Cathy. (2007). Becoming a Middle Level Teacher: The Student Focused Teaching of Early Adolescents. <st1:State><st1:place>New York</st1:place></st1:State> : McGraw Hill. (Ch. 3). It reveals my ability and insight toward understanding the nature of many of the pressures and challenges that face today’s adolescents. I have included several other artifacts that demonstrate my ability to appeal to these in my lesson planning.

        In my future classroom, I will continue to cultivate a sharp insight toward recognition and appreciation of each of my students’ social, intellectual and physical developmental changes and challenges, and I will initiate a consistent dialogue with school support staff, and school-community liaisons to student advocate programs at the school and in the larger community in order to accommodate their ever-changing needs with positive engaging and caring solutions. 

     Engaging all students and all levels of English learners requires that I present all content in comprehensible representations for multi-level, and diverse learners in my classroom, and monitor and support specific individual and group work proficiency area goals toward content comprehension. This can be accomplished by: routine individualized proficiency area goal tracking that includes timely teacher feedback and that is driven by student input; implementing continual assessment that reveals specific student strengths and weaknesses and guides future instruction; habitually/routinely offering explicit posted instruction using basic language and checking for understanding; developing a flexible, fairly predictable rhythm and routine of sorts that supports student driven activities that support content-based student learning; incorporating the range of SDAIE teaching and learning strategies, and teacher behaviors in lesson and activity design; selecting and designing activities that address and sequentially target the content standards with sufficient coverage and depth; engaging to monitor, assess, plan and prepare to always be ready to provide specific individual and diverse learning needs modification scaffolding toward accommodation and inclusion, as well as address specific individual student strengths, weaknesses and learning preferences concerning explicit differentiated content, process and product expectations; documenting, corroborating and guiding self-monitored goal-setting; initially sharing with all students the purpose and rationale of all implemented teaching and learning strategies.