The

unit plan I have created, in its entirety, is effective for the goals it was

created. By the end, the students have not only a wider vocabulary, but also a larger
understanding and recognition of the language. I see them engage the language and
increase their confidence. Overall, the lessons are engaging and accomplish the task
of helping students heighten their comfort level with the language by building onto
the their vocabulary base.

As I constructed this unit plan, I found myself not only influenced by my

beliefs and values as explained in a previous section (Integration of Faith and

Learning), but also, I found myself leaning towards the ways in my learning that I
found affective as a learner. Looking at my lesson plans, I see similarities in what
activities I chose and the activities I remember enjoying or being helpful in my past
Spanish classes. I had to be careful that I was entering the unit planning with an
open mind and remembering all types of learners as I planned lessons. This
required research and brainstorming. Fortunately, these tasks are fun for me and
affirm my choice in teaching as a career.

As I taught these lessons, I found that I spoke more Spanish than the teacher

for which I am aiding. This shows that even in my implementation, my beliefs and
values show through. I taught from the perspective that the students simply needed
the most exposure to the language as possible. Thankfully, I have been taught how
to teach in a way that incorporates enough forms of representation that
comprehension is not solely dependent on audio understanding.

Even though this is not how Mrs. Dulmes normally taught, the students

caught on the effectiveness of my unit plan as a whole was not jeopardized. My focus

on acquisition rather than explanation highlighted the importance of listening and

contributed to students understanding not only Spanish, but also the art of
hospitality. I saw an increase in students speaking up in class to answer a question
so there seemed to be a heightening of their confidence level. In addition, students
successfully learned the new structures and used them in completion of
conversations, work sheets and in class understanding.

Overall, the experience of planning a lesson was very beneficial. I had the

opportunity to conduct the planning and teaching of the lesson. This allowed me to
see how my thought processes translates into concrete actions. The experience of
planning and enacting a unit plan was key for my professional development because
I gained the confidence to face a room of 8th graders and make learning happen
amidst the chatter.

On Halloween and Fridays I learned the importance of classroom

management and catching control before it is too far-gone. I experienced students

dragging me off topic, students asking a range of difficult questions and overly
simple ones. Being in charge of students learning gave me a taste of the
responsibility that each teacher holds to inspire or discourage learners. I felt the
strain of a classroom that holds many different skill levels and the balance of
creating lessons that target all learners.

As an aspiring professional, I truly value this experience because I feel I got a

view of many different aspects of the field and made learning happen in a happy
environment. I do not claim my unit to be perfect in any way. After each lesson, I
reflected on ways the 45 minutes of teaching could be improved, but I see the unit as

a success. I gained professional experience and the students progressed in their

knowledge of Spanish. Through out this unit, we learned together.