#9 Twenty-first Century Skills
This is the result of many hours of writing and creating to make my own personal memoir. I designed my memoir as a collection of CD jackets with lyrics to a song that represents that memory. Each jacket contains the lyrics to a favorite song, a caption to a personal picture, and personal reflections about my life.
Context
This project came from the instruction of Dr. Frye in RE 5130, Teaching the
Language Arts. In this class we focused our efforts on providing meaningful
opportunities for students to explore reading and writing. Most of the projects
in this class involved creating a writing product and inviting my students to
complete a similar product. Through this class, I gained numerous new ideas on
the research and practice teaching reading and writing to my 4th graders.
The particular project is one very close to my heart. I spent a lot of time brainstorming and remembering and crying over my personal memoir. Because I am so emotionally invested in this project, it is one I hope to show to my students and invite them to imitate for their own writing. Writing a personal memoir is an excellent way for students to build confidence in writing, because they are able to focus on what they already know. This will help prepare them to write for the NC end-of-grade writing test which is either a personal narrative or an imaginative story.
Alignment to Standards
Principal A: Instructional Expertise--The candidate
demonstrates instructional expertise by applying the theoretical,
philosophical, and research bases for educational practice in P-12
settings to improve student learning.
I use this project to link curriculum to the personal lives of my students
and their various writing ability levels and to create a learning environment that
supports student success. Practical theory states that students must write what
they know. What do they know better than their own lives?
Principal B: Knowledge of Learners--The candidate incorporates knowledge
of the nature of the learner, learning processes, variations in learning
abilities and learning styles, and strategies for evaluating learning
into the planning, delivery, and evaluation of instruction.
This artifact meets the learning styles of all learners, because students
get a choice about how to design their own memoir. It also allows students to
understand each other and learn with each other better.
As the students write and ask questions, I will evaluate their learning and
provide appropriate instruction to improve their writing ability.
Principal D: Content Knowledge--The candidate demonstrates advanced depth and breadth of knowledge and
skills in the academic discipline and in education.
My personal memoir demonstrates my own desire and ability to write
creatively and practice current trends in education. I will use this artifact as
a model for my students to imitate.