Standards:

CC.1.1.1.E Read with accuracy and

fluency to support comprehension
CC.1.2.1.C Describe the connection
between two individuals, events, ideas,
or pieces of information in a text.
CC.1.2.1.H Identify the reasons an author
gives to support points in a text.
CC.2.2.1.A.2 Understand and apply
properties of operations and the
relationship between addition and
subtraction.
CC.2.4.1.A.1 Order lengths and measure
them both indirectly and by repeating
length units.

YouTube videos of West Africa

Informative texts and videos on
the importance of water
Picture books about Africa
Picture books about water
Videos of the water cycle
Plants (some given more water
than others) to demonstrate the
importance of water while using
math skills.
Guest speaker Nigerien

What

Asking the students what they are

interested in learning about.
Read alouds
Turn and talks
Hands on science experiments
Lecturing
Letting students share with the class what
theyve written, and other opportunities
for presenting
Independent seat work
Small-group and whole class discussions

Lesson

Why

How

Teaching Methods:

Knowledge of Students and Context:

Curriculum Materials:

I am teaching an inclusive first grade

classroom of 32 students at Powel.
Powel is one of the top performing schools
in the district.
Many of the students are racially black,
and a few are white or some other race.
Most of the students live in the
surrounding neighborhood, usually with
parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles,
and/or siblings. Many grew up in
Philadelphia.
The parents/guardians of the students
seem to highly value the quality of their
childs education as evidenced by the
commitment to bring their child to school
on time, talk to the teacher about their
childs progress, and buy classroom
materials paid for out-of-pocket.

Theories of Teaching and Learning:

Educational Philosophy and Beliefs

I firmly believe that every student in my class is an

indispensably valuable member of the universe, each
with much potential for intellectual and academic
growth that I will do my best to foster.
Equity is at the core of my philosophy. Ideally, every
child should be receiving what they need to succeed,
including all necessary attention and materials as well
as assignments and instruction that is appropriately
challenging for the individual student.
I believe assessments and data analysis are crucial to
providing students with meaningful feedback, and for
lesson planning.

Because students have

multiple forms of intelligence
(Gardner), instruction should
be varied to accommodate the
diversity of the classroom.
Teaching within the Zone of
Proximal Development
(Vygotsky) is beneficial for
creating an independent
student. After all, it is crucial to
teach students to be scholars
to be able to learn on their
own.
To be an effective teacher I
must understand the child not
simply as a student, but also as
a family member, a friend to
peers, a Philadelphian, and
ultimately a citizen of society
at large (Bronfenbrenner).