Student Success Team Reflection (511)

By attending SST Meetings at both San Marcos Elementary School and Mission Hills High School, I learned about the purpose of a SST Meeting and the roles and responsibilities of SST members. At the meeting, I took notes, based on my observations. I also created a chart that identifies the roles and responsibilities of those who attended the SST Meeting at San Marcos Elementary. In addition, I also created a “Benefits” list and a list of strategies to use for future SSTs, which lists the advantages of an SST Meeting.

Role	Responsibilities
Counselor	Facilitated meeting between teacher and parent. Also had interacted with other teachers who had taught student previously. Had met the student and interacted with him before. Spoke both English and Spanish fluently.
Mother	Provided information about the student’s background, such as health, allergies, home life and behavior outside of school. Discussed student’s behaviors, development, doctor reports, and previous teacher comments relevant to the current issue.
English-Spanish Translator	Translated to aid communication between the English-only speaking (Teachers) and Spanish-speaking (mother) attendees at the meeting.
Student’s 2nd Grade Teacher	Discussed what student’s strengths and weaknesses were. Identified problem. Discussed specific strategies she had used previously. Provided documentation and evidence to support her statements (e.g. student work, test scores, notes from meetings with other teachers that had previously taught student).
Secretory	Documented what was said at meeting. Typed report on spreadsheet projected on overhead for all attending meeting to see. Printed reports for those attending meeting to keep.
Special Education Teacher	Provided background information based on teacher observations about student’s social behavior and interactions with other peers.

 

 

Benefits:

·       The student’s problem is identified early-on.

·       Information is gathered from several perspectives: school counselor, teachers, and parents.

·       A team of professionals meets to come up with a well-reasoned, educated action plan that is specific, doable, broken into steps, and goal-oriented.

·       The student receives immediate help without having to wait to qualify for additional programs.

·       The student remains mainstreamed in her regular classes and activities at her school.

·       The student has several options (tiers) of action plans and steps that can be taken before special education is considered.

·       Special education testing is not the goal. Instead, the student’s best interests are first and foremost.

Identify the procedure for an SST:

·       Welcome the parents.

·       Come prepared with documentation and evidence (student work and test scores; dates of disciplinary action taken and consequences).

·       Identify problem and strategies I have already taken to try to help student overcome challenge (with documentation).

·       Rehearse what to say beforehand.

·       Don’t forget to start with student’s successes and achievements.

·       Stay positive. State things positively.

·       Ask specifically what I can do, as the student’s teacher.

 

By observing SST meetings at both my site and San Marcos Elementary School, I learned how educators worked as a team to understand what the student’s strengths and weaknesses were and how they design strategies to implement in order to help the student succeed. The chart and lists I have comprised above (my evidence) will help guide me in participating in future SST meetings.

Although observing the SST meetings helped me understand more about SSTs, there is still a lot I need to learn. For instance, since I have little experience participating in SSTs, I would like to become more familiar with how to master my role as a teacher in an SST meeting in the future. Practicing how to carry out an SST by conducting a “mock SST” with my colleagues in class was particularly helpful in teaching me how to do this. In addition, I have identified a student in one of my classes, who is a candidate for an SST. I will recommend her for an SST to learn the process of how this is done.

This assignment partially meets the TPE 6D, “Appropriate Practices for Special Education”.

Reflection on Collaboration at my School Site

The Science teachers in my pod are very supportive, and we often have lunch together. I talk with other science teachers in my pod on a daily basis. There are two pods with science teachers, classrooms, and resources, but there is little collaboration or communication between the two pods, outside of our weekly team meetings. However, whenever I go over to the other pod to ask for assistance, the teachers are very helpful and supportive.
The Science Department at my site meets for an hour every week before school. Although I think the frequency of these meetings is helpful, the focus of these meetings is often on district-appointed and administrative-directed topics, which can be frustrating for some of the teachers. It seems like there are a lot of heated feelings, complaints and disagreements at every meeting, directed towards the team leader. The team leader seems to be a major connection between the teachers of the Science Department and the administration team. I don’t think the teacher’s feel that their voices are being heard. Often, the meetings are focused on vague, abstract topics like defining “rigor” or setting a goal to raise benchmark scores by 2 percentile points next year. Most meetings rely heavily on discussions and analyses of benchmark scores, which is how the districts evaluate teacher performance. The teachers feel this evaluation is inaccurate and unfair and forces them to “teach to the test”.

Unit 3, Lesson 6--Photosynthesis and Cell Respiration

1. TITLE OF LESSON

Unit 3; Lesson 6—Photosynthesis & Cell Respiration

   

2. CURRICULUM AREA & GRADE LEVEL

9^th grade Biology

Dr. Rachel Richards

 

3. STUDENT INFORMATION

A. English Language Learners

All ELL students are CELDT level 4. There are 4 in period 5 and 6 in period 6 for a total of 10 ELL students. See Unit 3; Lesson 1: Introduction to the Cell for more detail.

   

B. Students with Special Education Needs

There are 4 students with IEPs or 504s in period 4 and 4 in period 6 for a total of 8. Learning disabilities include ADHD (2), anxiety (1), autism (2), specific learning disability (e.g. reading comprehension/memory retention) (2), and mild cerebral palsy (1). See Unit 3; Lesson 1: Introduction to the Cell for more detail.

4. RATIONALE

A. Enduring Understanding

Plants get their energy by converting sunlight into sugar through a process called photosynthesis. All living organisms break down glucose (from food or sunlight) into ATP for energy in a process called cellular respiration. Photosynthesis requires CO2 and sunlight to begin, while cell respiration requires oxygen and glucose. CO2 is a by-product of cell respiration, and oxygen is a by-product of photosynthesis so the two processes are interdependent. All of the oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere that we breathe in order to carry out cell respiration comes from photosynthesis. If there were no plants (and phytoplankton) or sunlight, we would not be able to breathe the air around us. In addition, although there are key differences between cell respiration and breathing, the two processes are closely connected. In fact, breathing brings oxygen to the body, which is one of the necessary reactants to start the cell respiration process in our cells.

B. Essential Questions

Compare and contrast photosynthesis and cell respiration.

 

C. Reason For Instructional Strategies & Student Activities

My classes are composed with freshmen. Most of them don’t like biology, as evidenced by an informal poll on the first day of class. Therefore, my classes are very hands-on and activities-based. In addition, I design my intros, presentations, and activities to be fun, engaging, and thought-provoking. The use of multiple resources and teaching styles will help my diverse class understand the key points of this unit, regardless of whether they learn through visual, auditory, and/or kinesthetic modalities. These various strategies will also help the ELL students and students with special needs in my class learn the new material by being exposed to it in different ways.

 

5. CONTENT STANDARD(S)

1. Cell Biology: The fundamental life processes of plants and animals depend on a variety of chemical reactions that occur in specialized areas of the organism’s cells.

1. Cell Biology: The fundamental life processes of plants and animals depend on a variety of chemical reactions that occur in specialized areas of the organism’s cells.

f. Students know usable energy is captured from sunlight by chloroplasts and is stored through the synthesis of sugar from carbon dioxide.

g. Students know the role of the mitochondria in making stored chemical-bond energy available to cells by completing the breakdown of glucose to carbon dioxide.

i. Students know how chemiosmotic gradients in the mitochondria and chloroplasts store energy for ATP production.

6. ELD STANDARD(S)

Listening & Speaking (Cluster 9; EA): Prepare and deliver brief oral presentations on a problem and solution, or cause and effect.

                 

7. LEARNING GOAL(S) – OBJECTIVES (all cognitive; some psychomotor (lab))

After being presented with content on cell respiration and photosynthesis, students will be able to construct and present a poster comparing and contrasting the two processes.

8. ASSESSMENT(S)

A. Diagnostic/Entry Level:

3 students will be called on randomly to share their summaries from their notes on ATP (previous lesson). In addition, before launching into new content about cell respiration and photosynthesis, I will ask them to share their definitions of related vocab words (which should be completed). For cell respiration, these vocab words include: cellular respiration, glycolysis, electron transport chain, and Krebs cycle. For photosynthesis, the vocab words include: photosynthesis, light dependent reactions, chlorophyll, stroma, thylakoid, and Calvin cycle.

B. Formative – Progress Monitoring:

Students will asked to share their answers every 2-3 slides when presented with content on cell respiration and photosynthesis. I will circulate as students create their posters to informally check for understanding.

C. Summative:

Students will construct and present a poster comparing and contrasting cell respiration and photosynthesis. Students will take a quiz on this material and a unit exam at the end of the following week (both are multiple-choice).

              

9. EXPLANATION OF DIFFERENTIATION FOR ELL & STS W/ SP ED NEEDS

A. English Language Learners

1.) Content: Students are arranged into heterogenous groups of 4 according to current grade so those who need help with note-taking can look at the notes of a partner next to them. I pause to ask for questions to ensure everyone is ready before I advance a slide.

2.) Process: Students are arranged into heterogenous groups of 4 according to current grade so those who need help have others who can provide peer-tutoring (worksheets, labs, poster activity). I circulate as they look through the microscope to provide assistance. Finally, I check for understanding frequently through random Q&A. Students have frequent opportunities to hear other student explanations, as well as being randomly assessed.                                       

3.) Product: Following oral instruction of the poster, students are given a handout with guidelines and written instructions (attached). Students can rely on others and see me for assistance in demonstrating and explaining osmosis after observing swelling in hypotonic solution and shrinking in hypertonic solution. I circulate to assist them while they write their answers on the lab worksheet (attached).

          

A. Students with Special Education Needs

1.) Content: Students with IEPs or 504s are accommodated, as directed. Some students are placed in different seats for better visual access to the whiteboard. Students are arranged into heterogenous groups of 4 according to current grade so those who need help with note-taking can look at the notes of a partner next to them. I pause to ask for questions to ensure everyone is ready before I advance a slide.

2.) Process: Students are arranged into heterogenous groups of 4 according to current grade so those who need help have others who can provide peer-tutoring (worksheets, labs, poster activity). I circulate as they create their posters to provide individual assistance, if needed. Finally, I check for understanding frequently through random Q&A. Students have frequent opportunities to hear other student explanations, as well as being randomly assessed.                                      

3.) Product: Following the oral instructions of how to make their posters, students are given a handout with guidelines and written instructions (attached). Students can rely on others and see me for to aid in comparing and contrasting photosynthesis and cellular respiration. I circulate to assist them while they write their answers on the lab worksheet (attached).  

                                      

10. INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

A. Intro (10 min):

Students summarize their notes on ATP from the previous lesson. The, I will call on students to share their definitions for words related to cell respiration and photosynthesis (which should already be completed). For cell respiration, these vocab words include: cellular respiration, glycolysis, electron transport chain, and Krebs cycle. For photosynthesis, the vocab words include: photosynthesis, light dependent reactions, chlorophyll, stroma, thylakoid, and Calvin cycle.

*Note—I would do a demonstration (discrepant event) with two clear containers, both with a lit candle underneath. One of the containers would have a small plant inside as well. Students would be guided to respond to inquiry-based questions in order to think about what the fire is consuming (oxygen) and why the candle in the container with the plant stays lit longer.

B. Instruction (35 min each; 2 days): I will instruct them to open up a fresh page in their spiral notebooks for note-taking. I will then present content on photosynthesis and cell respiration, over the period of 2 days, periodically stopping to ask questions and check for understanding (ppt attached). For photosynthesis, these questions include:

n  Which organelle does photosynthesis?

n  What are three parts of a chloroplast?

n  What are the reactants in photosynthesis?

n  What are the products?

n  What part of the chloroplast does the light dependent reactions?

n  What part does the Calvin Cycle?

n  What temperatures might slow down photosynthesis?

n  If a plant has an unlimited amount of reactants, will photosynthesis speed up forever?

n  What can stop photosynthesis?

For cell respiration, these questions include:

     What is the equation for cellular respiration?

     How is it similar to photosynthesis?

     What is the first stage of cellular respiration?

     What does the cell check for to see if it should continue cellular respiration?

     What is the second stage of cellular respiration?

     What is the third stage of cellular respiration?

     How much ATP is made by cellular respiration?

C. Guided Practice (Block Day—90 min): After distributing the poster handout, I will go over it with the class. Students will be instructed to break into their lab groups. Then, I will circulate and answer questions as students prepare their posters.

D. Independent Practice (30 min): Students will be instructed to present their posters in groups (3 minutes each).                                       

                                                         

11. STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Students will summarize their notes on ATP from the previous lesson and share responses with the class. Then, they will share definitions for related vocabulary words. For cell respiration, these vocab words include: cellular respiration, glycolysis, electron transport chain, and Krebs cycle. For photosynthesis, the vocab words include: photosynthesis, light dependent reactions, chlorophyll, stroma, thylakoid, and Calvin cycle.

B. Instruction (35 min each; 2 days): Students will take Cornell-style notes on the content presented. Periodically, students will respond to questions embedded in the Powerpoint presentation.

C. Guided Practice (Block Day—90 min): Students will create their posters in groups and prepare for their presentations.

D. Independent Practice (30 min): Students will present their posters to the class (3 minutes each).                                       

12. RESOURCES

PowerPoint presentations “Photosyntheis” & “Cell Respiration” (2)

Poster handout

Link to my blog for more resources on Cells (Unit 3).

http://www.drrichardsbiology.blogspot.com/p/unit-3-cell.html

Link to resources in Google Docs:

https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0BxAJgJ5OqE-GQkRKVllVOXJKTkE/edit

 

Week 11 Log

What was a positive highlight in your teaching week?

After my experience on Wednesday (see below), I was very firm with the class on Friday. At first, students weren’t listening to my instructions. I recently changed the seating arrangement as I always do after the grading period. Several students were simply sitting wherever they wanted and just working with their best friend. I finally stopped the entire class and firmly discussed the rules and following my instructions. Students were much better after that.

What was your biggest challenge this week?

The students were very challenging on block day (Wednesday). I was very tired and weary and did not have a lot of energy to lead the class. The students sensed this and used it to their advantage to get distracted and socialize. I didn’t feel like I had control of the class and felt frustrated by the end. Mr. B. and I discussed strategies to improve for next time. I am going to focus on getting 100% of the students to listen to me when I’m speaking. Mr. B. will sit in the back of the room, and when someone is talking while I’m talking, I will stop and wait for 100% of the class to be silent. Mr. B. will stand up when I do this. When everyone is listening, Mr. B. will sit down so I know that I’ve waited long enough (I don’t wait long enough when I stop).

What aspect of teaching do you hope to work on or refine next week?

I want to continue to work on classroom management. The biggest thing I am working on is making sure the students pay attention to me when I’m speaking to the class. The second thing is getting students to stay on task when they are given student-centered projects or assignments.

Reflection:

The 571 syllabus indicates I am to write a reflection on the use of standards at my school site (this was for last week). We follow the California state standards for biology. Our curriculum is centered around that, as well as ensuring students score highly on the CST.

The 571 syllabus also requires a reflection on the use of instructional techniques (this week). My co-teacher and I use a variety of instructional techniques in our classes. The material is always taught first through short, PowerPoint presentations. To check for student understanding and keep students engaged, questions are included throughout the presentation, where I stop and randomly call on 3 students to share their answers. Following every new lesson, there are also instructional techniques to help students understand how to apply the new learning and use it independently. This is done through different types of structured activities, including: labs, posters, modeling, hands-on manipulatives, and other types of group work.

Week 9 Log

What was a positive highlight in your teaching week?

I effectively led Period 6 on Thursday (block day), a class that I’ve been having some classroom management problems with. At the beginning of class, I used a timer to add up the amount of time it took for students to begin the warm-up activity after the bell rang. Then, I wrote the time (1:20) on the board. I had a little talk with the class about the importance of time and efficiency, adding that they owed me 1:20 at the end of class. Then, I gave them opportunities to “make up” the time to me during each activity. Before each activity, I told them how they could earn back the time (working quietly, listening, not talking over me when I’m talking, etc.). They were very motivated and respectful. It was a very productive class, and my master teacher was impressed!

What was your biggest challenge this week?

Tuesdays are tough for me because of the rough transition from Monday at CSUSM to Tuesday and student teaching. It’s hard because I miss a day of class and then have to jump in and lead the class, carrying on where they left off on Monday. I hope to smooth this out by maybe communicating with my master teacher via e-mail the night before.

What aspect of teaching do you hope to work on or refine next week?

I want to continue working on classroom management, specifically enforcing that students do not talk while I’m talking. The timer tactic discussed above worked very well. I can also move students’ seats, send them out of the room, talk with them after class, and/or call their parents. Anticipating what sorts of problems I will encounter in each class, and how I will enforce consequences ahead of time greatly helped me carry out my plan.

Reflection—Class blog and website at my site:

My master teacher has a website, set up for him by the school, that he has designed for his AP Biology classes (http://www.smusd.org/page/8419). It has the PowerPoint lectures, readings, and assignments. I definitely plan on using a website as an additional resource for my students when I begin teaching my own class next year. At this time, I’ve been designing a biology blog for students and teachers to help organize the information, activities, and videos I have been using in my lesson (www.drrichardsbiology.blogspot.com). This should help me immensely next year when I begin teaching my own classes since I’ve organized every lesson according to unit. I will have greatly reduced lesson planning next year.

Week 8 Log

What was a positive highlight in your teaching week?

I’ve been leading the classes every day, and they are quickly becoming “my students”. Every day is a learning process, but I am getting more comfortable as the role of teacher, gaining confidence, and learning from my mistakes.

What was your biggest challenge this week?

Many students in period 6 were distracted, not listening, talking to each other, and did not want to pay attention when I was speaking to the class, despite proximity control and several verbal warnings. I need to be ready to back up my warnings with consequences for students who are disrespectful.

What aspect of teaching do you hope to work on or refine next week?

I’ve been taking the lead more and more, which has been challenging and rewarding at the same time. I try to think about how to improve after each lesson. The one thing I would like to focus on is getting 100% student attention when I’m speaking, and requiring that students listen to their peers when a student is sharing during class discussions.

One, I am practicing becoming silent when a student starts talking while I’m talking. I refuse to talk over them. If I have to wait, I time the amount of time they owe me on the board. They have to earn that time back by working hard on in-class assignments. Also, when I call on a student to share with the class, I move to the opposite side of the room, where my proximity prevents most students from the temptation to talk to neighbors. I can also present the class with a tough assignment at the beginning of class, which can be modified to a shorter and/or group assignment if the class works hard. I like this last option because it is structured to be a positive reward, rather than a negative one.

For repeat offenders, I can separate the talkers by moving one of the students (the one who’s talking more) to a quieter, preferably more isolated, area of the room. I can also give the student a “time-out”, talk to them one-on-one after class, and/or call home, as needed. Thinking about these consequences ahead of time will make me feel more confident in requiring that students listen to whoever is speaking to the class.

Week 6 Log

What was a positive highlight in your teaching week?

My original goal was to start presenting lectures this week. Instead, I got to sub for all of Mr. B.'s classes on Thursday and Friday! I absolutely loved the opportunity to try it out on my own. I had a lot of fun, and learned a lot. It’s much harder to run five classes, most of which are back-to-back. I asked the subs for feedback both days. Both said they loved my energy, passion, and enthusiasm for the material. I made the subject matter entertaining, and I switched up the lesson and activities a lot so students had little chance to become bored. They both said that I need to work on firmer classroom management skills, but that was normal for beginning teachers. I completely agree. When students start talking when I’m talking, or when another student is talking, I need to stop and be silent, as opposed to raising my voice louder, and louder. This was helpful feedback, and I’m going to start practicing that next week.

What was your biggest challenge this week?

Teachers are critiqued and evaluated based solely on their students' standardized "benchmark exam. I've always thought this was an unfair practice. Teachers compare scores with each other question-by-question to see who "dropped the ball" and who needs to "pick it up" in specific areas. Schools compare schools. No wonder, my master teacher is always in a bad mood afterwards. How can you evaluate teacher performance based on a single standardized test? The worst is that teachers are told to compare their scores to previous years. There are just too many variables in such a small sample size. One class can be vastly different from the next. One year is not enough time to implement and evaluate the true, long-term effects of a change. Yet, teachers are encouraged to make changes every year, based off last year. Many assumptions are being made, and false conclusions are being drawn from poor data.
I lived this frustration today. My students took their first benchmark exam and averaged D-. It was like a punch to the gut. I had tried so hard to teach them. We used activities, labs, discussions, assessments, etc., etc., etc. I stayed after school and skipped lunch to tutor students. To make it worse, my MTs 4th period Bio, which he taught solo, averaged an entire letter grade higher. I was desolate. I feel like it's my fault.
My MT was very comforting and supportive, but it's hard to shake off. I know I should expect to perform like an inexperienced teacher, but it's a slap in the face when your student performance suffers because of it, despite your best efforts. I suggested that maybe my students weren't able to demonstrate their knowledge because they don't have enough practice with the multiple-choice format. We're going to use a practice M.C. test to help them review. Having a possible solution to the problem, one that I can actually use and measure, made me feel better, even if it doesn't work. At least I have a plan of action.
At the end of the day, I love being in the classroom. I love the students. As long as I focus on that, I will be okay. 

What aspect of teaching do you hope to work on or refine next week?

I want to continue gaining experience in leading the class for lectures and labs. After asking for feedback from Mr. B., I need to work on slowing down the speed of my speech. That’s the biggest thing I want to work on right now since I naturally talk fast. I also want to work on my classroom management skills, especially ensuring that 100% of the class is paying attention when someone else is speaking (silence, eye contact, proximity control).

Unit 4, Lesson 5: Translation

1. TITLE OF LESSON

Unit 4; Lesson 5: Translation

   

2. CURRICULUM AREA & GRADE LEVEL

9^th grade, College-Track Biology

Dr. Rachel Richards

3. STUDENT INFORMATION

A. English Language Learners

All ELL students are CELDT 4 and have been identified as “English proficient”. There are 4 students in Period 5 and 5 in Period 6 (11 total). See Unit 4, Lesson 1 for more information.

B. Students with Special Education Needs

6 students in 5^th period and 4 in 6^th period. See Unit 4, Lesson 1 for more information. All students have mild-to-moderate disabilities that enables them to learn in an inclusive classroom with some support.

C. Other At-Risk Students:

These are students who are not ELL or SN students but are earning a “D” or lower in the class and have been targeted for intervention (phone call home and mandatory lunchtime tutoring). 3 students, not listed above, are in 5^th period and 3 in 6^th period. See Unit 4, Lesson 1 for more details.

4. RATIONALE

A. Enduring Understanding

Students should understand how DNA in the nucleus of their cells codes for genes, which give rise to our physical characteristics and traits. In this lesson, students will learn how proteins are synthesized on ribosomes through a process called translation.

B. Essential Questions

How does a gene coded in the DNA become a protein? What are the steps?

C. Reasons for Instructional Strategies & Student Activities

My classes are composed with freshmen. Most of them don’t like biology, as evidenced by an informal poll on the first day of class. They learn the most from group projects, labs, and hands-on activities, as well as class discussion. I have incorporated an activity or lab following new content to engage students. In addition, students are fascinated by how DNA codes for their individual traits. They also are interested in diseases that occur when mutations occur. Finally, they want to learn about mutations since they’ve been exposed to the concepts of “mutant” and “mutation” in media and entertainment (X-Men, Spiderman, comics, movies, etc.). I will link student backgrounds and interests to this material to help students realize they already understand a lot about DNA already.

           

5. CONTENT STANDARD(S)

1. Cell Biology: The fundamental life processes of plants and animals depend on a variety of chemical reactions that occur in specialized areas of the organism’s cells.

            d. Students know the central dogma of molecular biology outlines the flow of information from transcription of RNA in the nucleus to translation of proteins on ribosome in the cytoplasm.

6. ELD STANDARD(S)

·       Use the Writing Process (7ES—Advanced): Use strategies of notetaking, outlining, and summarizing to structure drafts of clear, coherent, and focused essays by using standard grammatical forms.

                 

7. LEARNING GOAL(S) – OBJECTIVES (cognitive)

After introducing students to new content about translation and creating a poster, students will be able to describe the steps of protein synthesis.

8. ASSESSMENT(S)

A. Diagnostic/Entry Level: Students will begin with a warm-up where they summarize their notes from the previous lesson. Three will share their answers with the class. In addition, I will also ask students to informally share their definitions of key vocabulary words, such as translation, mRNA and tRNA.

             B. Formative – Progress Monitoring:

I will check for understanding by calling on students to answer questions embedded in my PowerPoint presentation. I will circulate as students complete their chromosomes worksheets to check for understanding, which will be graded at the end of class.

             C. Summative:

Students will have a Unit 4 multiple-choice test at the end of the unit (3 weeks).  I will also grade their spiral notebooks at this time.

              

9. EXPLANATION OF DIFFERENTIATION FOR ELL & STS W/ SP ED NEEDS

A. English Language Learners

1.) Content: Students are arranged into groups of 4 according to current grade so those who need help with note-taking can look at the notes of a partner next to them. I pause to ask for questions to ensure everyone is ready before I advance a slide. New words are put up on a “Word Wall” alongside each unit to help students learn new vocabulary.

2.) Process/Based on Readiness, Learning Profile or Interest: Students are arranged into groups of 4 according to current grade so those who need help with note-taking can look at the notes of a partner next to them. Students are provided with a handout and worksheet to go along with the notes from the PowerPoint presentation and reinforce new ideas. I circulate as students work to informally check for understanding and make sure students are on track.                                      

3.) Product/Based on Readiness, Learning Profile or Interest: Students can see me for assistance in completing their worksheets. They can also rely on each other since they are allowed to work in pairs. I also circulate and check notebooks periodically before they are due to make sure the notes are being taken correctly and content written is accurate.

A. Students with Special Education Needs

1.) Content: Students are arranged into groups of 4 according to current grade so those who need help with note-taking can look at the notes of a partner next to them. I pause to ask for questions to ensure everyone is ready before I advance a slide.

2.) Process: Students are arranged into groups of 4 according to current grade so those who need help with note-taking can look at the notes of a partner next to them. I circulate as they complete their worksheets to give guidance and one-on-one assistance. Finally, I check for understanding frequently through random Q&A. Students have frequent opportunities to hear other student definitions in this way, as well as being randomly assessed.                                          

3.) Product: Students can see me for assistance in completing their worksheets correctly. I also circulate and check notebooks periodically before they are due to make sure the notes are being taken correctly and content written is accurate. During the quiz, students may ask me to read a question orally, or ask me for a definition of a non-vocab word that they don’t know (e.g. “abundance”). Students with IEPs may have extra time on tests, or work in a quiet room in the back upon request.

                                     

10. INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

A. Intro (5 min): Students begin by summarizing their notes on DNA replication from the previous lesson. Three students will be called on randomly to share their summaries with the class. I will present students with the learning goal of the lesson, which they will add to the table of contents in their notes. 

B. Instruction/Through (30 min): I will teach students new material about translation using a PowerPoint presentation. I will stop every few slides and call on students to orally respond to questions embedded in the presentation. The questions include:

•        What type of nucleic acid has codons?

•        What type of nucleic acid has anti-codons?

•        What type of nucleic acid has genes?

C. Guided Practice/Through: I will assist students as they work in their lab groups to complete a worksheets where they have to decode DNA into mRNA, tRNA, and the amino acids. Afterwards, students will work in their lab groups to create a poster, illustrating the steps of translation.

                                     

11. STUDENT ACTIVITIES

A. Anticipatory Set/Intro: Students will write summaries from their notes on transcription as a warm-up. Three students will share their summaries with the class. Students will listen to the learning goal and add “Translation” to the table of contents of their notes.                                   

B. Instruction/Through: Students will take Cornell notes on translation. Students will answer questions embedded in the presentation orally to the class.                                       

C. Guided Practice/Through: Students will work in pairs to answer questions on a worksheet about translation. They will decode DNA into mRNA, tRNA, and the amino acids. Then, students will work in their lab groups to create a poster illustrating the steps of translation.

                                                      

12. RESOURCES

·       PowerPoint on translation.

·       Link to my blog with 2 short videos of translation: http://www.drrichardsbiology.blogspot.com/p/4-dna-rna.html

·       Worksheet on Translation

·       Handout for Translation Poster