Curriculum Portfolio/Planning Project (CPP)
Share your thoughts, your reactions to doing each step of the CPP, the value in doing this assignment, and what you learned from it. Be as specific as you can.
Post by Wednesday, Jan. 6th and respond by Friday, Jan. 8th
(Class ends Thurs Jan. 7, but I wanted to give extra time if you needed it!!)
(Class ends Thurs Jan. 7, but I wanted to give extra time if you needed it!!)
Well it’s over. While doing this assignment I was very frustrated in technology. I started with looking at the grade level I hoped to teach which is first grade. I then looked through all first grade literacy standards to determine a topic I would like to focus on. Once the topic of first grade Key details in texts was chosen I moved on to finding warm-up/bell ringers. This was my favorite part of the assignment. I found so many bell ringers I used to partake in when I was in first grade. I also found there are many new and exciting ones out. The next step was to fill in the chart. I was nervous at how long the examples were because I didn’t think I had that much information however once I filled out the chart and found all the activities, lessons, and assessment to add to the portfolio it was obvious why the length was so long. While trying to find the lessons and activities I struggled because most I was finding were PDF files. I didn’t have a way to convert them into a portfolio file in Microsoft word and got to fed up that I just bought adobe editor. I found so many useful and resourceful pdf files that didn’t align with my CPP but I downloaded anyways just to have. The next step was to find the assessment. I got lucky and found that Common Core has assessments already created for teacher to use that align with their standards. I used as many of these as I could. These also helped me with reviewing my overall CPP because it stated exactly what the students should know so I knew I was on the correct track. The value of this assignment is to produce a unit plan with all components so when you are teaching it is an easy quick grab to use. I learned many things while doing this lesson. The first thing I learned is there are many resources out there for teachers you just have to find them. I also learned that many sites have lessons, activities, and projects that align straight to the standards. Overall this assignment was stressful and took a lot of time but in the end is rewarding that all the information is organized and together to quickly reference and hopefully one day use in a classroom.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed finding different bell ringers. I have found that over the years, there are newer warmups that are more exciting than I ever got to do as a student. Gonoodle is one that I use all the time when I substitute teach and the kids love it!
DeleteTechnology was a challenge for me too. Part way through I gave strong consideration to just doing in hard copy format and hand in. But I know for me electronic storage is so much easier to organize and especially if I need to pull something up quickly so I pushed through. I would think trying to get bell ringers and resources for 1st graders would be very hard. I have high schoolers and had a hard time making sure I wasn't going over their head on some resources. I am also nervous about my length compared to the examples. I did my unit on personal finance and that information changes (rates and statistics) so frequently that putting all the actual copies in my portfolio will get updated quickly so I used screen shots of the documents and then saved electronically. That way as I need to update the information to stay timely, I can just replace the individual file but I will have a visual that I can refer to of what I am wanting to replace and the format.
DeleteWow...
ReplyDeleteAfter all that work I am not even sure I can come up with the words for this blog post. (and Im not even done 100%)
With this type of project, I found it incrediably difficult to do as an online assignment and not being in a classroom there to ask quick questions and then move on. I found I was having to ask a ton of questions that are simple responses that I could have gotten quickly if I was in the classroom taking this class. The first step was a breeze... it was the million other steps after that. I couldn't decide on a topic and once I finally did it seemed like it should have been easier than it was. Coming up with my expectations went fine and then I got to the lesson part. I was very lucky and found a good site to use that had my lessons on them. It was VERY time consuming but not extremely difficult. I was able to find assessments and that went okay. I found the reflection to be kind of difficult but I think I have just been working for so long that I could just no longer think of anything. Even though this assignment was probably the hardest assignment and longest one I've done (even compared to nursing school) I think it went decent. I would have had a lot more luck being in the classroom setting but I learned my lesson for next time! I like the organization of this assignment and will definitely try to use it in my classroom. It is awesome to have this portfolio to have something to show for myself and maybe this will help in an interview!
I couldn't agree more with liking the organization of the project. Although it was hard at times and frustrating to keep asking questions these are the assignments that will help us in the real classrooms. I am thankful to have something like this as a quick grab if I ever need it.
DeleteI agree completely with you that this will be a tremendous sample for you to use in the interview process and resource in the classroom. It definately was a time consuming process but I think teaching is in general especially in the first few yeas from what I have been told. I am a part time teacher this year but am putting in 40 hours a week if not more. Quality lesson planning especially takes time and grading takes even more! So I think this assignment prepares us for teaching in more ways than one! However I'm excited about using the assignments. I also used a few assignments in this project that I used last semester but tweaked in the project and am curious how the changes are received this semester.
DeleteI too found this assignment challenging but I guess it wouldn't be a final if it wasn't! The hardest part for me was finding all of the Learning Standards, performance expectations, etc on DESE. However that also has been the most challenging part of teaching for me as a first year teacher. I have a bachelors in Educational Studies and a MBA and made a career change to teaching this year. I understand we need to have a purpose to teaching and objectives as well as measurables but I find that the information is not easily understandable or easy to find. Perhaps it is because I am not teaching a core subject? I am teaching Business Courses through the Career and Technical Education area. Or maybe this is covered in a course I have not had yet as I am working on my full certification? Plus we started back to school this week, so I have been very busy getting classroom organization done and have had a hard time catching my colleagues for assistance with this project as we are all consumed with the start of the new semester. However I'm very excited about using what I have found not only for this project but for our entire class with my students. I have implemented a few things this week and they seem to have positive benefits. My perspective also changed for my struggling students. I was required to call parents of students who would be receiving an F for semester grade. For some of the students this class made me wonder if their poor performance was more of a result of literacy issues rather than content comprehension, so I used that in my discussion with the parents asking if the students liked to read or had difficulty reading. It opened up more positive discussions with both the parents and I working towards a solution to help the student do better this semester. Another benefit I see of this assignment is having all of my unit information in one place to access for quick reference. It seems there is definately a shortage of time in teaching so anything to reduce steps and save some minutes is a lifesaver!
ReplyDeleteI am thankful for this assignment for exactly what you are talking about. When I start for real teaching and get into the craziness this portfolio with be a huge quick reference. I love hearing how you used information your learned in your class and see positive outcomes. One thing I have been nervous about since I started school was is this stuff really going to help and how to do it all. Seeing someone going through it now makes me understand its real life situations and this information is going to help.
DeleteI love how you used this assignment already in your classroom and applied what you learned to your own teaching. Although this assignment was difficult, it is going to be so useful and will help me do other assignments I will get just like this one.
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