Reflection

1. How did you address the UPLAN rubric categories (RELEVANCE, ALIGNMENT, SCAFFOLDING, DIVERSITY, CONVENTIONS)?

I believe that the relevance of the UPLAN is clear and very valuable to the classroom. The Old Man and the Sea and The Iliad are classic pieces of literature and within themselves hold value to our students because of the many challenges they bring. Students will need to show patience, determination, and critical thinking to understand the many layers of the texts. The very task of reading and comprehending these text have untold value in itself because they are major literary works and are unforgettable. In addition to the values of these books on their own, students will be able to learn and be actively engaged in the focus of honor. It is very important for young individuals to be able to assess their own values and be able to learn about what are some characteristics of a hero. Students analyzing the meaning of honor would be immensely beneficial for students and force them to reflect upon themselves. The hidden curriculum agenda that will pervade in the classroom is to help students grow and become better individuals with a sense of honesty and integrity. This unit is a two fold growth for students, first they will learn about classic literature while also assessing their own values and becoming a better person.

These two books shared a common theme of honor. This would be an interesting way to set up a unit because these are two books that are not usually tied together. The lessons are meant to slightly mirror each other from one book to the other so students will learn the material in similar fashion. So learning in a similar way while also keeping the major theme as our main focus, the students will have a guided path throughout the Unit.

The Unit is set up in a manner that each day builds on the next. The activities are varied throughout the Unit to have students work on many different skills but they are all highly engaging. Each lesson focuses on a specific part of the books but all require the students to read closely and think critically. The range of lessons differ greatly and appeal to the many different learners. Some lessons require students to work hands on and draw to show there understanding while others give the option for students to act out a scene. The variety of lessons give students ways to be excited about learning and also the ability to express themselves in many ways.

2. How did your work on the collaborative unit shape your planning of this individual one?

The collaborative unit has been so important to my growth as a future teacher. The amount of different lessons and the ideas from all of my peers has been so valuable to me and eye opening. The vast knowledge that others were able to bring allowed for a great atmosphere to try many different things within the classroom and evaluate how well they worked. The biggest influence that the collaborative teaching has had on my individual unit is that it gave me many ideas and also an understanding of what might work with students. I used some of the successful elements from the collaborative and tried to adapt them and fit them in to the individual unit. Students love a variety of tasks and different ways to express themselves so I took particular car in trying to give a variety of ways to format a lesson.

3. How did you incorporate feedback from your peers and from me?

The comments Dr. Sherry has made during the feedback process of the collaborative unit has been uplifting. At several points your comments on my teaching have been wonderful for me because I feel they were genuine and accurate evaluations and it was important for me to try and grow from them. The comments from the peers has also been supportive and helpful in recognizing what I wanted to do and offering alternatives that might be more effective. The mindset of this classroom has been very helpful because this is open forum for learning to collaborate with others and look closely at how to become a better teacher.