Post-Reflection

Now that all of the work is done, all I can say is "whew." That was a lot of work, but I learned so much from it at the same time. I really enjoyed working on this unit plan and had a lot of fun exploring things. Although I did not lay out all of the small details, like the worksheets I would use with the students, I was afraid of bogging down the unit plan with minor details. Using the worksheets would be another way to assess my students and their knowledge of historical fiction, as well as the their knowledge about the book. I wanted to leave space on the unit plan for all of the large assignments that I would like to accomplish with my students. I feel as though the assignments that I did create could not only be further expanded on over time as I found new resources to use with my students, but could also inspire additional lessons as I work with my students.

I think one thing that was somewhat difficult for me was not actually being able to implement or try these lessons out now. I think it would have been great if I could have taken the lessons I created and tried them out with students, so that I could tweak them even further if I did not like the way they work. However, when I do get the chance to implement this unit plan, I at least have a jumping off point.

Although I enjoyed working with Kirsten, I still would have liked to have worked with an actual classroom teacher. It would have been great to get their input and get their perspective on what I could have done for a historical fiction unit plan. On the other end of that though is the fact that all of the work would have fallen on my shoulders mostly so it was nice to share that responsibility with another person.

As my classmates go on and evaluate the unit plan, I am left with several questions. One: did I include everything that I could have included? Two: is there something that would have worked better than historical fiction? Three: is this really a unit plan that someone could use? Four: when will be the chance I get to use this unit plan? Finally, what did I learn from this experience? The first three questions are not really questions that someone can answer. I am a perfectionist and therefore, I don't know if I will ever be completely satisfied with my work without getting the chance to implement it. In regards to the fourth question, I can only hope that one day soon I can put this unit plan in motion in my own classroom. For the final question, I think I learned a lot, not only about myself, but about working with others. I learned that I am more than capable of completing a unit plan, and one that I can be proud of. I learned that I really do enjoy language arts and all the different things you can do with literature. I relearned that I do have a tendency to procrastinate at times, but when push comes to shove, I will put 110% into my work and get it done, and done well. Finally, I learned that working with another person can be hard, especially when not given the chance to see one another in class. I do much better at partner work when I can work one-on-one with another person. However, I discovered that I can be successful at working through emails.

In conclusion, this has been a great experience. I can't wait to get the chance to create a unit plan again, hopefully next time will be the time I get to actually use the unit plan!!

Assessmet

As this unit plan is coming to a close, we still have some work to complete. Although we have several lessons created, we seem to be using the same type of assessment, a KWL chart. As beneficial as a KWL chart is, I am hopeful that we might be able to find additional ways to assess what our students have learned. Kirsten did create a rubric for the interview assignment, and I have a lesson in the works for the summation of the unit that will require me to grade the students in a variety of ways. The students will have to provide proof of their understanding of the book and the time period. I am also working on another lesson that will require the students to keep a journal that records their feelings about the book in general and the projects that we are requiring them to complete. Also, we have to rearrange the layout of the lessons. The way in which they are set up now does not flow as well as I would like. Kirsten and I have agreed that we should move the lessons around, and that will be something we have to discuss as a collaborative team.

I am extremely confident that we will end up with a wonderful collaborative unit that could be used within a middle school language arts classroom. Between the two of us working on different lessons, it has allowed us each to use things we already know, and it has given us a chance to work within a new capacity. I have to agree with several of my classmates that finding the time to work on this assignment has been difficult, but I fortunately have some time off this week that will allow me to devout a lot of my time to this unit plan.

Kirsten discussed the ways in which she, as the school librarian, could communicate what the students had learned by writing a short narrative within a school newsletter, and about discussing with the other staff members the effectiveness of the collaboration within a staff meeting. I think these are great ideas for the school librarian and I completely agree with her choices. As the teacher, I would like to be able to post and/or display the student's interviews that they conducted in some fashion. This could be done by loading them onto either the teacher website, media center website, or the school website. With the culminating assignment, I would love to be able to have the parents, administrators, and other staff members be a part of the presentations. This would not only encourage the students to do their absolute best and create a worthwhile project, but it would also give the community a chance to discover what the students are learning in school. Finally, I would like to create a poetry wall with the students. In one of the lessons the students will be asked to draw upon on of their journal entries to write a poem about the time period, or the characters. These poems will be displayed in an area that will allow those coming into the building to see them and take a moment to read one or more of them.

Giving the students a variety of ways in which to showcase what they have learned allows them to take ownership of their work and learning. In addition, it allows the teacher and school librarian to find new ways to assess their students. Ultimately the goal is to make the students feel successful and feel as though they have truly learned something new and exciting.