SEC-355 Assignment Explanations & Samples

The syllabus is not always easy to understand so I created this page with explanations and samples.  As a reminder, please refer to rubrics before beginning your assignment, as all assignments are graded from that gradebook rubric.  If this webpage hasn’t addressed your question or concerns, please call or send me a message Thanks!

 

Week 1 assignment: Curriculum Design Models Week 1 has a two-part assignment.

 

The Part I is Curriculum design models assist teachers with planning relevant and meaningful learning experiences for students. Teachers must carefully consider the curriculum model to meet the students’ needs and help make meaningful connections to the content.

Create a four-column table analyzing two separate curriculum design models (e.g., subject-centered, learner-centered, problem-centered). Include the following columns:

 

Design Model

Key Characteristics

Content Area Student Achievement

Aligned Activity

Resources Needed (worksheets, text, novel, technology)

Subject Centered

 

 

 

 

Learner-Centered

 

 

 

 

 

 Part II is to analyze InTASC standards 6, 7, and 8. Respond to the following in 250-500 words:

·         Identify key themes that run through the InTASC standards.

·         Hypothesize why the key themes are reflective of effective teaching practices.

·         Explain how the models described align to or are reflective of elements of the InTASC standards.

HINT: Download the InTASC Document from the Instructor add-ons. View page 23 and connect the pertinent themes that connect to Standards 6, 7 and 8.  Support your assignment with 2-3 scholarly resources. For help using the GCU Library, please visit this page for 2-3 peer-reviewed articles that support your claims:   http://www.gcu.edu/Student-Affairs/Library/Tutorials.php  

While APA style format is not required, I will be following your references and in-text citations. Please refer to the resources I provided on my “College Life” webpage and Instructional add-ons.  Remember that strong writing includes a thesis statement in the introduction and tied to the conclusion.

 

Helpful Resources –

InTASC Document – This document is on the Instructor add-ons, but I’ve attached here because many students don’t bother reviewing this document.  This document is the secret sauce to get an A.

 

SEC 355 Class Webpage

 

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Week 2 – Constructs of Curriculum

This assignment may be a more fun as you are asked to make a power point or prezi on cognitive (thinking), affective (feelings and emotions), and psychomotor (kinesthetic) domains.

Imagine you are a first-year teacher that has completed training in cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning. You have been tasked with sharing information about this training with your content team. Create a 10-15 slide presentation that covers various aspects of curriculum in your content area. Your presentation should include:

·         A description of the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains.

·         At least one example of how each domain can be integrated into your content area curriculum.

·         At least one example of how each domain can be assessed in your content area.

·         A description of how a current educational policy and its outcome can affect one of the domains in your content area. (For example, the former No Child Left Behind Act left many administrators feeling they needed to reduce physical education time, which is the psychomotor domain, in the school day to provide more content area instruction.

·         Presenter’s notes, a title page, and a reference slide.

Use the GCU Library to research a minimum of 2-3 peer-reviewed articles in support of your analysis. While APA style format is not required, however, a reference page and  in-text citations and references should follow APA guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

 

Please review week 3 assignment as you will create a lesson plan. Think of including cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains in your student’s learning.

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Week 3: Curriculum Aims, Goals and Objectives

Use the "Modified COE Lesson Plan Template" to create a lesson plan in your content area that is aligned to your state standards. This lesson plan will be expanded upon in Topic 5 to include differentiation. Once you receive feedback and suggestions from me please revise and keep so you can use with your week 7 assignment.

 

The syllabus asks for SMART objectives and I have provided instruction on using ABCD objectives. Either way is fine with me, I am more concerned if the objective is measurable.  I also focus on:

·         Aligned to your standards

·         The number of your standard and fully written out to ensure alignment

·         Integration of technology

·         Varied instructional strategies

·         Varied formative and summative assessments (be sure to mention a pre-test in the Anticipatory Set). The pre-test can be your summative assessment so you can compare scores.

At the end of the lesson plan template, write a 250-500 word rationale justifying the choice of standards and how they support cross-curricular learning as well as how the chosen technology enhances student learning and creativity. Explain how the formative and summative assessments described in the lesson plan, accurately (validity) and consistently (reliability) assesses students’ learning.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

 

Please do not use a lesson plan you submitted in a previous class. It is important for you to get as much practice as possible on creating lesson plans before you start student teaching. You are required to submit this assignment for plagiarism. The percentage may be a little high considering you are using the COE template. I take the template and common terminology into consideration. However, I can determine the difference between a copied lesson plan versus an original lesson plan.

 

Helpful Resources

Sample Week 3 Assignment

COE Lesson Plan Template

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Week 4: Development of Middle/Secondary Curriculum

 

Clinical Field Experience A: Class Profile for Unit Planning has two parts:

Educators must differentiate instruction for a variety of student needs, including those listed on students’ IEPs and 504 plans, those of gifted students, and those of ESL students.

Allocate at least 2 hours in the field to support this field experience. Focus on differentiated instruction and instructional strategies that are used. Work with your mentor teacher to gather student assessment data and to learn how assessment data is used to differentiate instruction.

THINKING AHEAD: Before recording your lesson plan delivery in Clinical Field Experience C, review the "Video Recording Permission Requests." Work with your mentor teacher to have the permission form signed by the student’s parent/guardian by Topic 6.

Part I – Follow up with your mentor to ensure he/she receive the Clinical Field Experience Verification Form.

I provided a sample for this assignment below.  You can create a table or a chart in Excel.  The main goal is to set up a chart of your mentor’s class.  You can use pseudo names because I am mainly looking at the other characteristics to get an idea of your class dynamics.  In your table/chart include the following:

·         Course and grade level (i.e., 11th grade English)

·         A list of ALL the students with pseudonyms (do not use their names)

·         Gender Labels

·         (gifted, ELL, Spec Ed, 504) with explanations as to the modifications made for those identified areas

·         Characteristics (likes/dislikes of the ALL student, work ethic, etc.)

·         Test scores (any classroom, school, district, state test scores)

·         Current grade in course

 

Part II – Share your lesson plan from Topic 3 with your mentor teacher. You will submit the fully revised lesson plan in Topic 5. Ask your mentor for advice on the following:

·         Differentiation strategies that could be effectively included in each section (representation, engagement, and expression)?

·         What suggestions does the mentor have to improve the lesson plan?

·         Spend any remaining field experience hours observing and assisting your mentor teacher. 

 

Write 250-500 words refection regarding your observations and what you learned from your mentor about differentiation. Your refection should address the following:

·         Summary of lesson plan feedback from mentor teacher.

·         Describe differentiated instruction based on what you observed and discussed with your mentor.

·         Describe instructional strategies you observed and discussed with your mentor and how the diverse needs of individual students are addressed.

 

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

 

Helpful Resources

Sample week 4 assignment

 

I want you to be proactive on the video assignment due in week 6. As many of you may be a little nervous or apprehensive about doing a video.  Believe me it won’t be difficult, different but not difficult. You may want to practice running some videos and view the links on publishing the file below so you can be proactive.

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Week 5 - Curriculum Design

This week is another 2-part assignment. Now is the time to put your lesson plan to the test. 

Clinical Field Experience B - Allocate at least 2 hours in the field to support this field experience.

Part I – Teach a Lesson

Teach a lesson of your mentor teacher’s choice to a small group of students, preferably including the three students with identifications from the class profile created in Clinical Field Experience A. Afterward, discuss your lesson delivery with your mentor teacher, seeking feedback on your performance and the effectiveness of the lesson.

 

Write 250-500 words reflection addressing the following based on your experience teaching the small group of students:

·         Briefly summarize the objectives of the lesson, the instructional methods you used, and the response or engagement levels of the students.

·         What went well in the lesson delivery? What would you do differently?

·         What do you need to work on before your lesson delivery in Clinical Field Experience C?

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.

Document the locations and hours you spend in the field on your Clinical Field Experience Verification Form. The Clinical Field Experience Verification Form is due week 8.

 

Part II – Lesson Plan Revision

Consider my comments, your mentor teacher’s feedback and your reflections. Revise your lesson plan from week 3, including the assessments (formative and summative). In addition, be sure to consider the class profile created in week 4, mentor feedback, and your experiences.

Submit your revised lesson plan along with 250-500 words discussing your rationale and justifying your revisions of how they will better meet student needs.

APA format is not required. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment. You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please note, I understand the percentage will be high considering this will be a 2nd submission.

 

Week 6 is a video of yourself teaching one of these lessons. If your mentor will not allow this, please let me know so we can make alternative arrangements. If you are able to video your instruction, make sure parents/guardians have submitted the "Video Recording Permission Form" for their student. If any have chosen not to sign the form, plan to work with your mentor teacher to ensure these students are not in the recording you make in Clinical Field Experience C.

 

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Week 6: Curriculum Structures

The video assignment has two parts. Many of you may be a little nervous or apprehensive about doing a video.  Believe me it won’t be difficult, different but not difficult.  You can use a cell phone, video camera or laptop to create the video. 

 

Clinical Field Experience C: Video Review

Part I

Use one of the following programs to upload your video file:

OneDrive – Through you GCU Outlook email account.

YouTube - https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/57407?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en

Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/join  (you need to create an account.  Be proactive and start working on this now).

Loom - https://www.useloom.com/login?redirect_after=%2Fmy-videos

 

·         Save the video as “Unlisted” if you prefer, however, if you save it as “private”, I will not be able to access it. Test your link out prior to sending it to me.  Send it to a friend to make sure it works for someone besides you. 

·         Paste your URL on your reflection document.

·         Now you may ask, what do I need to do on this video.  Just give me 10 minutes of you teaching one of your lesson plans.  If possible, doing the video in front of a class is best, however, I understand the constraints, if you are unable to video your instruction, please let me know so we can come up with an alternative.

·         Be sure to use an exit ticket to receive feedback from your students.

·         Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  I think you will find this to be a fun project and definitely a great learning experience.

 

Part II

After viewing your taped lesson segment, write 500-750 words that reflects on your instruction by responding to the following questions:

·         How do you feel about the lesson you delivered? What did you learn about yourself as an educator?

·         What was successful? How do you know?

·         What improvements could be made? State one goal for yourself.

·         How will you use this experience in your future professional practice?

·         What feedback, advice, and suggestions did your mentor teacher provide regarding your delivery and the effectiveness of your instruction?

·         Based on student responses in the exit tickets, how will you adjust your instructional strategies in the future?

Be sure to include your video URL in your reflections so I can view it. Cite 2-3 scholarly resources to support recommended changes for effective instructional strategies. Prepare this assignment according to APA formatting.

Document the locations and hours where you conducted field on your Clinical Field Experience Verification Form.

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Week 7: Curriculum Evaluation and Aligned Assessments

Benchmark Assessment has two parts and worth 300 points - Allocate at least 2 hours in the field to support this assignment.

 

Part 1: Mini-Unit Plan

Educators usually plan instruction across units rather than as individual lessons in order to scaffold instruction, and guide students in developing knowledge and skills that build upon one another.

Using the “5 Day Unit Plan Template," create a unit plan for the students in your field experience classroom. The lesson plan you revised in Topic 5 may be one of the lesson descriptions for your unit.

Complete the unit plan and focus on the following:

·         In the “Multiple Means of Representation” section: Instruction that addresses students’ learning strengths and needs.

·         In the “Multiple Means of Representation” section: Instructional strategies incorporating the use of technology to create appropriate sequencing of concepts.

·         In the “Multiple Means of Engagement” section: Opportunities for students to use technology to demonstrate their learning in different ways.

·         In the “Multiple Means of Expression” section: Formative and summative assessments, at least one of which involves the use of technology that verifies learning and minimizes bias.

In 250-500 words, write a rationale that explains how the unit plan’s instruction and assessments were designed to meet the needs of the students in your field experience classroom.

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. I understand the template will cause the percentage to be a little high. I will use my discretion and contact you if necessary.

5-day Unit Plan Template

Sample Feedback on 5-day Unit Plan

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Topic 8: Assessment Types - Clinical Field Experience Verification Form must be submitted so GCU can ensure you have completed all practicum/field experiences hours.

 

It is important for teachers to understand the various types and purposes of district, state, national, and international norm-referenced standardized assessments for middle and secondary education students.

 

Create an informational brochure for families and students that describes two federal and/or state standardized assessments for middle and secondary education students. Include at least one assessment that is required for your state. Examples of such assessments include, but are not limited to the following:

·         State standardized assessment such as AZMerit

·         One of the government-funded common assessment consortia assessments (e.g., Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), The National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC), Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM))

·         The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

·         One of the International Study Center’s assessments (e.g., TIMSS and PIRLS)

·         The American College Test (ACT) or Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)

·         An Advanced Placement (AP) Exam

To start a brochure open Word, click File new, in the template search bar type in the word “brochure”. You will be able to choose from their templates. Of course, there are many others available for free online, but this is a good starting point. The main point here is that I want a brochure not an essay with some clip art. As a teacher you may be asked to create some marketing materials, this is your time to experiment.

 

For your chosen assessments, include:

·         A description of this assessment and its purpose.

·         A description of the test accommodations made available by the test publisher for students with disabilities.

·         A description regarding how the results are scored, and how and to whom results are communicated.

·         How teachers might use these results to inform instruction and curriculum planning.

Support your findings with 2-3 scholarly resources.

While APA style format is not required in-text citations and references should be presented using proper APA guidelines.

Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.  Again, many of these tests and terms will be flagged. I will use my discretion and contact you if necessary.

One thing to remember is not to do this as an assignment to me but rather an informational source to students and families

Sample Week 8 Brochure

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Description automatically generatedThank you for a wonderful journey! Your self-learning starts from here! “It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end”. – Ursula K. Leguin

Updated 6/12/2022

Email Address:         Cindy.Barnes@my.gcu.edu or barnes.gcu@gmail.com
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