Lesson Planning Assessment
Matthew Walker
George Mason University
EDCI 519 – Methods of Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners
Woomee Kim, Ph.D.; Manqian Zhao, Ph.D.
October 12th, 2023
Reflection: Impact on Student Learning
Section 1: Classroom Context
My first period Civics and Economics class is comprised of twenty-five students. Thirteen of these students are multilingual learners (MLs), speaking six different languages, including Amharic, Farsi, Krio, Pashto, Spanish, and Turkish. There is one ML who has graduated the ESOL program but is still on monitor status. In addition to their second language, English, this student speaks Kazakh. Usually, I only teach seventh grade students. In August of this year my supervisor asked if I would consider teaching an eighth-grade section as well, which is this class described above. I have the benefit of previously teaching eighteen out of the twenty-five students last year in my seventh-grade class. As such, I already knew many student’s strengths and weaknesses, language abilities, and general classroom behavior. These factors have provided great foresight into what instruction works for these students and what should be adjusted. Some examples will follow.
All fifteen MLs in this class have arrived in the United States sometime within the last three years, approximately. They did not attain background knowledge on the United States Constitution or other Civics subjects in elementary school. Therefore, I know, that approaching content with basics and background context is important to help my students develop a comprehensive understanding of the material. This led to the selection of a simple graphic organizer for the direct instruction piece. Further, I know several of my students, especially the WIDA level one and level two students, struggle with reading comprehension and basic research skills when doing research on a topic. This is why I have guided these students to a simplified, differentiated reading passage in a lower Lexile, offering them attainable information for the research assignment.
This is just a sampling of knowledge I have about these students and how it has affected instruction. It is important to note that all instruction should be affected by what we know to be true of our students. Learning is best done in a local context with educator’s having the autonomy to choose the pedagogical strategies that work best for their students in that specific setting. This idea is known as Postmethod Pedagogy (Rashed, 2021).
Section 2: Planning for Instruction
My lesson follows the Civics and Economics content standard CE2.d, which states that students will be able to explain the process for amending the Constitution of the United States (Virginia Department of Education, 2016a). It includes the process for amending the Virginia State Constitution, but we will learn that later in the year. Civics and Economics, as a course, contains an abundance of new vocabulary for students. There are new words for students to learn, as well as words that take on new meaning in the context of the study of government. It is important to place an emphasis on content vocabulary in this course for all students, but ML students have the added hurdle of learning a new language altogether at the same time as the vocabulary. This is why I chose the QSSSA strategy for the bellringer (see Appendix A), as it is meant to emphasize vocabulary as well as force students to use the new vocabulary in a sentence (Seidlitz & Perryman, 2021). The stem guides students with what to write, so they must write the vocabulary once and then speak it once to their neighbor. Several students will also be called at random to share their answer, receiving additional practice speaking with the content vocabulary.
After the bellringer, the teacher will guide students into a brief direct instruction piece, discussing the amendment process to the United States Constitution. Students will fill in the blanks on the graphic organizer (see Appendix B) through a discussion led by me. This direct instruction piece is designed to be a highly scaffolded instruction piece offering access to all learners. The graphic organizer will serve as a guide for the next assignment. Students will need to use their new knowledge of the amendments process, how one starts, and how amendments are ratified, in order to problem-solve an amendment that failed.
Next, the amendments research assignment gives students an opportunity to research the Nineteenth Amendment and the Equal Rights Amendment. I will point a select group of students, including level one and two WIDA MLs, to a scaffolded reading that will accomplish the research for them. There will be a link posted in Canvas to this. The others, whom I have previously determined have the requisite research skills, will proceed to the internet. While I wish to give the former group practice with Google, I do not want them to find themselves in a situation where they have an overly complex reading and fail to practice using their graphic organizer in order to judge the success or demise of the amendments. To me, practicing Google skills should be a separate activity, for this reason.
Students need to use an important skill, problem solving, in order to distinguish why one amendment passed and the other one failed. Problem solving is a vital skill for students to develop and contributes to a higher order learning process (Walqui, 2010). If students can look up the votes accrued on both the congressional side and the state side and then decide whether an amendment has met the requirements to become fully ratified, then students can explain the requirements for any amendment that may come up in their lives. More importantly, they get real practice applying a set of rules to real life situations, a skill that can be developed and used for a lifetime (Walqui, 2010). In addition, this will serve as further practice for future learning. Several times throughout the course students will receive a set of rules or powers and must decide whether a violation has taken place. For example, after learning the powers of the president, students will have to decide if specific actions overstep these powers or not and provide rationale for their decision. This assignment can also serve as a formative assessment, as I can roam the classroom and gather casual data on how students are faring with the assignment.
Finally, the closing activity is a think, pair, and share activity where students will explain to their table partners why an amendment passed or failed. There is a stem for this activity, so students will write down their answer first. The stem is as follows, and students are directed to answer exactly like this: “The ____________ Amendment passed/failed (choose one) because it _____________________________________________________________________________.” They will write their answer silently first, then signal when they are done by putting their hand on their head. Then they will be directed to share with their table partner. Finally, a new set of random students will be called on to share their stem. This will only be two students because we only researched two amendments this time. This process again follows an intentional process to utilize classroom vocabulary and content knowledge, as seen in 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Classroom (Seidlitz & Perryman, 2021). This will again serve as another formative assessment as I can casually gather more data as I roam the room and look at papers and listen to conversations. Following this, I will have one more formal formative assessment where I ask students to display a number on their hand between zero and five. This concept is known as the Fist of Five from Teach Like a Champion and will serve as a final indicator on where to proceed the next day in terms of instruction, review, and further practice (Lemov, 2015).
Section 3: Instruction and Assessment
Below I will lay out exactly what will be said and done by me to facilitate this lesson.
Welcome
Say: Welcome, class! Today we will be learning about the amendment process. Please take out your bellringer journal and complete this question and stem.
Do: [wait for bellringer journals to be brought out].
Bellringer
Say: [Read the bellringer question and stem] (see Appendix A). “The Constitution is a document explaining how the government is allowed to work and it lists the rights of the people (citizens). The Constitution has been amended (changed) 27 times in our country’s history. The Student Code of Conduct and Handbooks explain how the Ronald Reagan Middle School works and what students can and can’t do. What is one amendment (change) you would make to RRMS’s rules (other than the cell phone policy, please)?”
Say: Please write your answer exactly like this. [Point to Stem]. “If I were to make an amendment to the RRMS handbook, it would be _______________________________________________.”
My note: I did this example so the content can be tied directly to students’ lives. This is meant to be a hook to get their teeth into the subject and have their interest piqued. This also develops their vocabulary well.
Do: [Wait two to three minutes, walking around the room and quietly discerning when most students will be complete. When all or almost all students are complete, say the signal below.
Say: “When you are done, put your finger on your nose.”
Say: “Whoever has the brighter colored shirt on at your table, please share first. Then switch.”
Do: [Wait for students to finish sharing with one another. Walk the class to hear responses.]
Do: [Use the name selector from Classroom Screen to choose a student at random to share their response.]
Say: [Call on that student and ask them to share].
Do: [Repeat three to five times]
Say: “Ok, great job everyone. So, the word amend clearly means to make a change. Now we will look at how we make changes, or amendments, to the United States Constitution.”
Direct Instruction
Do: [Pass out direct instruction handout] (see Appendix B)
Say: “I am passing out a graphic organizer to you on the Amendment Process for the US Constitution.
Say: “Ok. As you see on your paper, there are two steps to amending the Constitution. The first step is propose. What does it mean when someone proposes to another person?”
Do: [Call on a raised hand. Guide to correct answer regarding marriage].
Say: “Great. Often times the word propose has something to do with asking someone to marry you. However, words often have more than one meaning. It also means to suggest something as an idea. In this case, talking about amendments, the propose step is suggesting something as an idea, specifically suggesting an idea to change part of the Constitution. The change is called the Amendment.”
My note: It is important that we should point out when words have multiple meanings, especially when they take on a new meaning in our specific classroom discourse.
Say: “Almost always, Congress votes to pass a proposed amendment. Two thirds of both houses of Congress vote YES to the amendment. Let’s write that down. Two over three.” [Write on smartboard projection of graphic organizer]. “Another way is a Congressional Convention, which has never been used to pass an amendment. But the same number applies here, two thirds.” [Write].
Say: “After an amendment is proposed, each state must decide if they want to pass it or not. This step is called the ratify step. Ratify means to approve something. For a state to approve an amendment, their law-making body, or legislature, must vote on it. They can pass it simple majority yes vote. But three fourths of all states must pass it for the amendment to be ratified. Let’s write that down. [Write]. We will learn about the Special State Convention another time, but it is the same vote required here, three fourths. [Write].
My note: I explained this rather simply, but the main thing I wanted them to get out of this was the two steps and the fractions involved with each step. The rest will be reinforced with practice.
Say: “Ok, the first step to the amendment process is called what? Shout it out. [Wait for responses]. That’s right, propose! The second step is called what? [Wait for responses]. Ratify! Ok, which one requires a two thirds vote? Raise your hand this time. [Choose a hand.] Great. The Ratify step requires three fourths. Quickly, turn to your neighbor, and explain the amendment process from start to finish.
Do: [Wait to finish]
Say: “Ok switch. Other person, explain the amendment process from start to finish.”
Say: Great. Let’s look at two amendment scenarios.
Amendments Research Assignment
Say: “Ok I am passing out an assignment. Go ahead and get out your computer. You are going to research these two amendments using Google.” [Pass out handout, wait for students to get computer.] Please leave your computer closed until I tell you to open it.
Do and Say: [Read the directions]. Continue, stating “you will be researching these amendments on your computer. You will need to answer the questions and figure out how much of Congress voted on the proposal and how many states chose to ratify it. Do the math and decide if the amendment passed or not, and explain why. Work with your table. Ready, get set, go.”
[Do] Roam the room and provide on-the-fly scaffolds and help to students who need it. Quietly direct previously selected students to the simplified research reading linked in Canvas, a Ducksters website (see References). Continue roaming and helping students as needed. When it is the last eight minutes of class, regroup, close computers.
Think/Pair/Share – Formative Assessment
Say: “On the back of your handout, please complete the following stem.”
Do: Display stem. “The ____________ Amendment passed/failed (choose one) because it ________________________________ _______________________________________________________.”
Say: “Complete quietly. Go.”
Do and Say: [Wait]. “Whoever has the taller socks on, please share your answer first you’re your table partner. Then switch.” [Wait again and roam the room the room, listening to answers.]
Do: [Randomly select two people who did not share earlier to share their answers now.]
Do: [Provide feedback if answers are incorrect regarding the amendments.]
Do: Quickly review answers to handout, if time allows.
Fist of Five – Formative Assessment
Say: “Ok. Put your hand up, and hold up a number between zero and five. The number you hold up should represent how well you think you understand the amendment process, with five being you mastered it and zero meaning you do not get it at all. Go ahead.” [Quietly collect mental data on hands.] “Thank you everyone! Put your materials away and please pack up.”
Section 4: Reflection: Impact on Learning
This lesson went well with my students. The bellringer was engaging because it was exciting for students to think about something they would want to change, or amend, about their school experience. The direct instruction also went well, most likely because it was short! I despise talking from up front as I want my students to be experiencing learning or collaborating on a task, but it feels necessary in Civics to give basic foundational knowledge. When I asked students to turn and explain the amendment process to their neighbor, nearly all the students seemed to understand as I roamed the room and listened.
The handout went well. The differentiated research strategy worked well. However, in hindsight, it seems it might not have been necessary. Other students had no issue finding the vote numbers on both the ratify and propose sides of the amendment process. I had to guide some students on the Equal Rights Amendment, because a thirty-eighth state did pass it (Virginia), but it was way too late. Several students needed help on the math questions. Reviewing how to come up with a percentage with them helped. I helped many of them put the numbers into the Google calculator. Students seemed to enjoy the multistep research and trying to figure it out. This assignment might have been better with researching four to seven amendments instead of just two. Or, perhaps, a ten question scenario extension activity may be appropriate for the next day’s lesson.
Planning this lesson came easily to me. I enjoy a quick direct instruction followed by a fun scenario activity. Creating these is fun for me. Coming up with good stems can be hard for me. Sometimes it is difficult to implement it with a vocabulary word perfectly, especially in Social Studies. The vocabulary word “amend” was an easier one, but sometimes it is harder when the vocabulary is a noun, such as the Declaration of Independence.
At the end of class, many students successfully completed the stem with correct answers. Several students did this correctly because of feedback received during the assignment from their partner or me. With these scaffolds and help, nearly all students were correct on the stem, roughly twenty out of twenty-three with two absent. This formative data is helpful, however more data is certainly needed on an independent practice assignment. The fist of five was also helpful, as there were some twos and threes held up. Despite having correct stems, students do not necessarily feel confident about the amendment process as it is new to them.
The learning I drew on from this course was mostly the Postmethod Pedagogy. I felt liberated to utilize what I think would work best for my learners, including several turn and talk pieces, collaboration, and guided practice with real life scenarios. I drew a lot from the spring course, specifically ideas from Aida Walqui. I thoroughly enjoyed his ideas on collaboration, learning as social, and high quality instruction (Walqui, 2010).
Overall, I think this lesson went well. I learned many students are likely better at research than previously thought. I learned my students can grasp a new concept very quickly. I also learned some of my students struggle with percentages in math. Prior to this lesson, I was not sure how much more time I would spend on this concept. However, it is important for me to have my students feel confident in what they are learning, so I decided to complete an additional day on this topic. I think starting with a longer, extended practice would have made this lesson stronger, even if it continued into the second day. Further, converting the practice into a station’s activity could have been a more engaging way to complete the research, with several pre-selected research pieces displayed around the room about several amendments. The QSSSA and stem strategies worked well, however, as students clearly grew comfortable with the word amend and had a complete and total understanding of the word by the end of class. This lesson was a positive experience, with my students learning the concept well, as I learned more about my students.
References
Ducksters. (2022). United States Government: US Constitution amendments. https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_constitution_amendments.php
iCivics. (n.d.). Anatomy of the Constitution. https://www.icivics.org/teachers/lesson-plans/anatomy-constitution
Lemov, D. (2015). Teach like a Champion 2.0: 62 techniques that put students on the path to college. Jossey-Bass.
National Council for Social Studies. (2013). College, career, & civic life C3 framework for social studies state standards. https://www.socialstudies.org/system/files/2022/c3-framework-for-social-studies-rev0617.2.pdf
Rashed, D. (2021). Chapter 3: Postmethod pedagogy and its role in contemporary English language teaching. In Contemporary Foundations for teaching English as an additional language pedagogical approaches and classroom applications (pp. 47–55). essay, Routledge.
Seidlitz, J., & Perryman, B. (2021). 7 steps to a language-rich interactive classroom (2nd ed.). Seidlitz Education.
Virginia Department of Education. (2016). Civics & Economics: History and social science standards of learning curriculum and framework 2015. https://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching-learning-assessment/k-12-standards-instruction/history-and-social-science/standards-of-learning
Virginia Department of Education. (2016b). Mathematics 2016 standards of learning: Grade 7 curriculum framework. https://www.doe.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/3008/637982464443000000
Walqui, A. (2010, February). Scaffolding success: five principles for succeeding with adolescent English learners. Language Magazine, February 2010, 24–29. Retrieved from https://www.languagemagazine.com/LangPages/AidaWalqui_LM_Feb10.pdf.
Appendix A
QSSSA Warm-Up
Appendix B
Direct Instruction Graphic Organizer
Appendix C
Amendments Research