Title: Content Area Literacy Lesson Plan Date: 10-14-13 Artifact Description: My artifact for this experience is a lesson

plan I (along with other group members) designed for my Content Area Literacy course. I took the course in the Spring of 2013. The lesson was designed for a grade 9 or 10 class. The general topic was current events, and my group chose the specific topic of tensions with North Korea in the Spring of 2013. Alignment Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment This experience best aligns with standard seven of the Wisconsin Teacher Development and Licensure Standards which states: The teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals. This experience aligns with standard seven because a lesson plan is the summation of the planning process described in the standards language. Evidence can be seen in the lesson plan document that, while planning my lesson, I took into account my subject matter (social sciences/current events), students (grades 9 and 10), and curriculum goals (specific outcome goals and objectives that are aligned with Wisconsin Common Core Standards). My competency in the area of instructional planning can be seen in the lesson plans thoroughness and detail. UW-Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Statement Alignment this experience best aligns with KSD1.e. of the UWP School of Education Knowledge, Skill, and Disposition statements which states: The candidate, with appropriate student input, has the ability to develop relevant, goal-directed, engaging, clear, and varied learning activities that progress coherently and produce a unified instructional setting that reflects recent professional research. This experience best aligns with this KSD because it shows that I can generate a goal-directed, engaging lesson based on demonstrably beneficial principles. In the goals and objectives portion of the plan I align my intended outcomes with the Wisconsin Common Core Standards. In order to attain the intended outcomes I employ methods based on the principles of the constructivist paradigm of learning. This paradigm promotes active schema building through social learning and critical thinking exercises and is proven to be very effective for information retention and the development of higher order operations. Secondary Alignments KSD1.a. - Demonstrating Knowledge of Content KSD1.c. - Selecting Instructional Goals KSD1.d. - Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources KSD2.c. - Managing Classroom Procedures KSD3.c. - Engaging Students in Learning Reflection What I learned about teaching/learning:

I learned that planning a lesson is a critical component to effective instruction. Effective instruction doesnt happen spontaneously; rather, it happens through a combination of planning and delivery. Thorough planning not only makes the lesson itself more focused and effective, it makes the delivery of the lesson more focused and coherent. What I learned about myself as a prospective educator: I learned the virtues and benefits of thorough lesson planning. I have strong social skills and am naturally comfortable in front of groups of people. This is a strength in many ways, but it can also lead to a tendency to neglect proper planning. I learned that my lessons are much more focused when I can refer to specific items in my lesson plan, such as my goals or assessment techniques. A good lesson plan can also come in handy as a crutch when my skills in front of a class fail me. Through thorough planning I can bolster and focus delivery skills that I tend to be more natural at.