EDU 695 Week 1

21st Century Framework Revision

Running Header: 21ST CENTURY FRAMEWORK REVISION 1

Running Head: Unit Plan Assessment 1

21st Century Framework Revision

Introduction

The recognition of increasingly diverse learning needs in today’s schools has ushered in a new era in pedagogical practices for the 21st century. A rapid increase in cultural, lingual, and ability diversity in the modern classroom has become the catalyst for major changes in the ways that teachers approach content instruction. This means that lesson plans must encompass a great deal more than the content to be taught and a few learning activities as have been historically sufficient. Content must be taught through means that address the strengths, needs, cultural identities, and interests of a wide variety of students. Additionally, government and school districts have set forth more stringent learning standards and student outcomes toward meeting these goals. These new standards and outcomes must be incorporated in the planning of effective instruction as well. The Framework for 21st Century Learning addresses the content and skills students should be taught in order to meet these requirements and be successful in life and work (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2014). The following lesson plan has been revised to demonstrate what a modern lesson plan may look like in the context of the Framework for 21st Century Learning.

Modified Kindergarten Science Lesson on Animal Habitats

Learning Outcome: Students will understand that animals have specific habitats that meet the animals’ needs for air, water, food, shelter, and the right temperature. This aligns with Virginia DOE kindergarten science standard K.7.a: The student will investigate and understand basic needs and life processes of plants and animals. Animals need adequate food, water, shelter, air, and space to survive (Virginia Department of Education, 2010).

Materials Needed: You will need the big book titled DK Readers L1: Animals at Home about animal habitats, large pictures or computer images that can be projected onto a SmartBoard of animals in their habitats, a cut and paste habitat worksheet. You will also need reading journals, a pre-arranged field trip to the zoo, and instructions and materials for a habitat building project (animal and outdoor pictures and empty shoe boxes). Students will need access to computers for research purposes. You will provide them with a list of websites that they may access as resources for research material. For assessment and evaluation, a sufficient amount of index cards to provide 1 per student for each day of the lesson and a holistic rubric to evaluate the cooperative learning model habitat project.

Day 1

Introduction: The students will be introduced to the lesson via a teacher initiated discussion on the concept. You should make frequent pauses and encourage students to contribute to the discussion. This can be done by asking students to share experiences they’ve had with animals as well as what they know the animals’ homes. This lays a foundation for building prior knowledge and scaffolding. You should hold up pictures or project them onto your SmartBoard of various animals in their habitats in order to give visual context to the terms and concepts being introduced. Key terms will be written on the board as they are spoken so that the students can connect meaning to the terminology. The key words should remain on the board for the duration of the lesson as they can be used by the students as a reference later. The discussion will move outdoors so that students can observe animals in their habitats (i.e. birds in the trees). This is an opportunity for you to assess prior knowledge and students’ attitudes toward the concept.

Procedure: Once the discussion has concluded, the class will return to the classroom and record the key terms into their reading journals. The students will also be assigned to write sentences in their journals using the terms. Next, you will read the big book with the class stopping to discuss and record key details and facts on the board. Students should be asked to contribute to the list of details and facts on the board. For example, there is a section of text that says, “Animal homes are all shapes and sizes. They keep animals and their babies safe and warm,” (Lock, 2007). When the teacher comes to this section, he or she should pause and call attention to the purpose of animal habitats. After the big book has been read, students should have access to the book to re-read it as needed. The teacher should make a video recording of herself reading the book for students who may have reading difficulties. The video can be accessed on the classroom computer. This provides multiple modality support in the audio and visual modalities. Once the lesson has concluded for the day, you will distribute one index card to each student and provide the following writing prompt. “One thing that I learned about animal habitats is…” Collect these cards at the end of the day. This is known as the exit card strategy. It is an informal assessment that provides insight into the students’ grasp of the concept while sparking critical reflection (ReadWriteThink, 2014).

Day 2

Procedure: Today the class will take a field trip to the zoo. Field trips are good motivation for students to learn. Providing the students with an authentic experience is intended to motivate students to seek more knowledge and be a rich source of information in addition to the text. You should be sure to call details of the animals’ habitats at the zoo to the students’ attention. Additionally, you should also ask the students how they think that the zoo habitat might be similar to or different from the animals’ natural habitats. Specific details of what the animals need to survive should also be noted. Examples include what the animals eat, where they find water, how they breathe, and where they shelter themselves. This is also the time to plant the seed of thought as to how they might build their habitats in the classroom tomorrow. Upon return to the classroom, the exit cards will be distributed. Students will be given the prompt, “One thing that I want to learn or don’t understand about animal habitats is…” This will close the day’s lesson. The cut/paste worksheet should be assigned as homework. This worksheet is age and grade level appropriate. It is also an opportunity to assess what students have grasped and consider what adjustments may need to be made to the lesson plan.

Day 3

Procedure: The teacher will review the worksheet answers with the class while the students review their placements. You should note what the animals have in common as well as differences and how that affects their habitat needs during the review. After going over the worksheet, you should give clear instructions on how to use the materials and a list of requirements for the habitat building projects. The class will be divided into groups of 3 students. Each group will research a particular animal’s habitat and build a model of the habitat. One student in each group will be the researcher. Another student will be the scribe and write a description of the habitat that states what the animal eats, drinks, how it breathes, and where it sleeps. The third student in the group will be the presenter. Each student must add at least one picture or other element to the model habitat. These model habitat projects engage the tactile senses, and accommodates students who have difficulties with writing (Texas Education Agency, 2009, p. 16). You should monitor the students while circulating through the classroom and doing verbal assessments for understanding and providing any extra support students may need. The informal assessment coupled with a cooperative learning task address the assistance element of the PAR framework. This is a good time to recall knowledge from the trip outdoors during the introductory discussion, the facts on the board from the big book, and the field trip to the zoo. Recalling this knowledge extends learning and critical thinking. At the close of the lesson, you will distribute index cards for the exit slips and provide the following prompt. “I have learned ________ about animal habitats.” The students should give a detailed response as this information will be used to close any gaps in the grasp of the content.

Day 4

Procedure: Today’s lesson will begin with you covering any concepts that students have missed or still have questions about. This will be done via a detailed class discussion in which you reiterate the purpose and function of habitats as well as the specific survival necessities that they provide. Then, students will finish their habitat models. The teacher will assign the students to write one paragraph on animal habitats in class. The culmination of the lesson will be for the teams to present their habitat models to the class and tell about the animal that lives in it. This reflection on the concept of habitats enhances comprehension as well as retention of the concept while encouraging higher thinking. Each student will be individually evaluated and graded according to the rubric for the project.

Revisions

The revisions made to this lesson plan were incorporated to address and support 21st Century Student Outcomes. Each of them either incorporates supportive innovative technology, enhances critical thinking, and/or teaches information, media and technology skills. They also support student diversity. They support student strengths, needs, and accountability within the classroom learning community. These revisions address both academic and life skills that students in the 21st century need to master.

The first revision made was the incorporation of computerized research in the lesson plan. This revision supports the Framework for 21st Century Learning by teaching the students to access and use information creatively as well as apply technology effectively (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2014). This revision requires students to use technology in order to locate and access the necessary information. They’re also required to use that information creatively in a collaborative manner. This revision demonstrates mastery of the following Ashford University Master of Arts in Education program outcomes: “Analyze basic and educational needs of diverse learners within the context of a community, Identify and apply components of differentiated instruction within the classroom in delivering core content to multiple learning needs, and Analyze and implement assessment strategies for the educational setting and program improvement,” (Ashford University, p. 297, 2014). This is accomplished via the recognition and address of diverse student learning needs with the incorporation of technology, instructional differentiation via the provision of access to content that addresses a variety of learning modalities, and student use of technology to generate products of knowledge as evidence of mastery.

The next revision is the incorporation of SmartBoard technology. This is an innovative way to present material to ELL students and students who may be struggling with reading. Students are also likely to be more engaged because visual context makes the content more meaningful. Effective curriculum addresses the interests, learning needs, and experiences that students bring to the classroom (Burnaford & Brown, 2014).This incorporation of technology also addresses the student outcomes listed in the Framework for 21st Century Learning. By providing visual context clues to support listening skills, this revision to the lesson demonstrates mastery of the aforementioned Ashford University Master of Arts in Education program outcomes.

The third revision to the lesson plan was the addition of the exit card strategy. This strategy was added in order to provide a means for assessment as well as getting the students to think critically about the content that is covered. This exercise asks them to reflect inward and assess their grasp of the concept as well as think in more cognitively demanding ways about the topic. Adding this element to the lesson plan demonstrates mastery of the Ashford University program outcomes because it shows the ability to assess student need, differentiate instruction based on that assessment. Framework for 21st Century Learning student outcomes are addressed with this revision because critical reflection on learning is one of the frameworks components to critical thinking and problem solving (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2014).

Reflection

In reflection, the modification of this lesson plan was challenging. The most difficult task was linking the revisions to both the Framework for 21st Century Learning and Ashford University Master of Arts in Education program outcomes. This was largely due to the fact that the primary focus during revision was to address the students’ learning needs. Merging the two posed a significant challenge. This challenge was overcome through critical thought and reflection on previous coursework. That reflection brought about the realization that part of meeting the students’ learning needs is being properly educated and trained in identifying the most effective instructional strategies based on those needs. In other words, professional development and addressing lesson planning frameworks have a symbiotic relationship. Most often, frameworks for planning lessons are developed with specific student outcomes in mind. Educators learn these outcomes through professional development and education. So, the key to overcoming this challenge was more about recognizing the relationship between the two sets of criteria than incorporating one or the other in the lesson plan. Each revision was made with careful consideration and the purpose of enhancing student comprehension of the content to be taught.

Conclusion

Although the lesson plan seemed thorough upon its original completion, it was apparent that there were some gaps when viewing it in the context of the Framework for 21st Century Learning. The 21st century is the dawn of a new era in education where rapidly increasing student diversity has created a need for innovative pedagogical practices. Students are faced with more challenging tasks in order to prepare for higher education, success in the work force, and life skills. Students have a wide variety of learning strengths, needs, cultural backgrounds, and interests. The Framework for 21st Century Learning recognizes this diversity and the dramatic change in the knowledge and skills that students now need to be successful. Modifying lessons in the context of this framework will help teachers to fill in the gaps left in lesson plans that failed to account for modern learning requirements.

References