Content

My unit was created for my CI 4000 Curriculum and Instruction class in Fall 2007. I was under the advisement of Dr. Lisa Gross. This unit was designed for fourth grade math according to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. The unit of study is Transformations with the focus on reflections, rotations, angles, and directional skills. I am in a Fourth Grade class that has ten girls and six boys. This class has a diverse set of learners. I am addressing the needs for these students by giving higher order thinking skills questions, pairing up them with cooperative learning groups to reteach with their peers, extended time for homework and test, picture cues, cues to stay on task, small groups, visual aids, and concrete and positive reinforcers. They are also served by Academically Gifted Specialist the Resource Specialist and the ESL Specialist.

Impact

This unit is designed to help the students acquire an understanding of transformations, focusing on reflections, rotations, angles, and directional skills. In this unit, I integrated Language Arts according to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for fourth grade. I have found two Picture Books to use as read a loud and three hands-on activity books. The hands-on activity books will allow the children to explore and learn in an independent learning setting.  The books that will be used as a read a loud will help the children visualize transformations.

These books will be available to the students throughout this unit. The use of these books will allow the children to have visual connections with transformations.

Alignment

NC Standard for Elementary Teachers Standard 7 – Elementary teaches use developmentally appropriate strategies to design and deliver instruction in all areas of the elementary curriculum.

Indicator 1 – Teachers develop and implement the pacing guide and alignment of curriculum that is consistent with the North Carolina Standard Course of Standard, LEA, standards and pacing guides, and national standards in all subject areas. I met this standard by meeting the requirements for Fourth Grade Math and Language Arts for my Unit of Study, Transformations. This unit is in the guidelines for the math curriculum for the school that I am completing my internship in.

Indicator 2 – Teachers understand and use an interdisciplinary approach to teaching by connecting and integrating language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, healthful living, and arts concepts and processes, with appropriate technologies to enhance their teaching. . I met this standard by meeting the requirements for Fourth Grade Math and Language Arts for my Unit of Study, Transformations. I used picture books, vocabulary, and writing to integrate Language Arts into the Math Unit.

Indicator 3 – Teachers promote new learning by using students’ prior knowledge, misconceptions, and interest when designing lessons. I met this standard by giving a Pre-Assessment, in which I developed to go along with this unit.  I also engaged the students with hands-on materials that aided them in understanding the unit.

Indicator 4 – Teachers implement a variety of teaching and communication strategies for instruction. I met this standard by using the overhead for visual learners, hands-on materials for kinetic learners, and thinking skills that engaged all students. The visual learners were able to see and participate along with the teacher as the lessons were being taught. The hands-on materials allowed the kinetic learners to physically hold and manipulate the materials as the lessons were being taught. The thinking skills were directed for all levels of student and allowed them all to participate. 

Indicator 6 – Teachers modify instruction and assessments to meet the needs of individual students. I met this standard by having different materials that challenge all students in various ways. I used books about transformations, toy transformers, mirrors, and tan grams to engage the students. These items helped in the understanding of the unit and allowed the students an opportunity to independently investigate own their own about transformations.

Indicator 7 – Teachers develop and use a variety of formal and alternative assessment strategies as an integral part of instruction and learning appropriate for assessing individual, peer, team, and collaborative skills. I met this standard by giving different types of assessments, that I constructed, at the end of each lesson. I also had hands-on materials and student oriented activities that allowed me to assess all learners.