You are on page 1of 8

Hunter Richardson

4/29/15
LT 3120
Learning Environment Portfolio

Learning Environment: For this unit, the Civil War will be discussed. As this is an eighth grade
history class, the state of Georgia requires that eighth graders are taught Georgia history. This
subject is important to the learning environment because it changed the face of America and so it
is necessary for the students to learn about this topic.
Physical Environment: Within my classroom, there arent many learning centers due to the fact
that I am only teaching one subject throughout the year. I have utilized two separate media areas
for the classroom. One to the left is where the physical computers will be located and there
should be enough space for three computers. The round table to the right of the class will be
where the students will utilize their school issued iPads to complete some of their assignments. I
have grouped the students desks into groups of four so that if there are any group assignments
that can be done, the desks will already be set up and prepared for the students.

Unit Plan: The unit should last one week. The goal of the unit is to not only discuss the Civil
War and the Civil War as it relates to the State of Georgia but to cross teach and to include a
historical medical lesson about the Civil War. A majority of the lessons will be individual lessons
until it is time for the students to come together to work on their group projects.

Within my classroom, I have twenty students. The students live in the Metro-Atlanta area
and many were raised in the area. The most common learning styles within the group is
the audio/visual and Hands-on so this group will prove much more easier for myself to
connect with and teach.

Lesson Plans:
Lesson Title:

Medicine in the Civil War

Grade Level:

7th

Subject:

Biology

Description of Learning Goals, Standards, Objectives, and Assessments


GPSs:

National Technology Standards:

S7CS1. Students will explore of the importance of curiosity,


honesty, openness, and skepticism in science and will exhibit
these traits in their own efforts to understand how the world
works. a. Understand the importance ofand keephonest,
clear, and accurate records in science. b. Understand that
hypotheses can be valuable, even if they turn out not to be
completely accurate.
1. Creativity and innovation
a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or
processes
b. Create original works as a means of personal or group
expression
2. Communication and collaboration
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or
others employing a variety of digital environments and media
b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple
audience using a variety of media and formats

Cultural Context and Learner


Characteristics:
The students in my class are of varying ability levels. There are

Diversity:

a few with learning disabilities such as attention deficit and


hyper activity as well as dyslexia. This is an urban-light school
in the metro-Atlanta area (not located downtown) with 50%
African American, 25% Hispanic, 20% Caucasian, 5% Asian.
There ages are 12-13 with 52% female and 48% male. Many of
the students speak a 2nd language and are 1st generation
American citizens.

As 7th grade students, many are dependent learners that


require scaffolding and structure until they are comfortable with
the assignments. They tend towards auditory and visual
learning and communication styles.

Learning Styles:

Background Knowledge:

Long-Term Learning Goal or


Outcome:

At this point in their educational careers, the students have


learned about the Civil War so there is a basis of information
unto which the teacher will build upon by giving more in-depth
details about different medical ideas that occurred within the
Civil War.
By the end of the unit, the learner will be able to craft a
presentation about a particular medical idea that occurred in the
Civil War through the use of a video presentation and will
upload the video to YouTube.
They will be able to use appropriate technology to locate
information, create and present their projects.

Observable Objectives or Outcomes:

Objective: The students will be able to work together in


groups and complete assignments that are given in a
timely manner.

Assessment Plan:

Formative Assessment:
Students will complete a written test and link to YouTube video
Key for test and video presentation.
Description of Activities with Technology and Materials

Activity Design:

Class opening: What do we as a class know about medicine in


the Civil War? What was the reasoning behind these medical
advancements?

Class starter and lesson connection:

Day 1: Students will spend five minutes on individual


brainstorming about anything pertaining to the modern

medicine.

After their five minutes, the students will share within their
groups for three minutes. Within these three minutes, the
students will designate a group leader that will come to the
board and will write what their ideas and topics were that were
brainstormed.
Teacher and student activities:

We will then have a class discussion and comparing and


contrasting what they think could have been medicine back
then.
Teacher will then lecture about the topic which will include
An Introduction to Civil War Medicine:

Diseases that were very prevalent during the Civil War


time
Different medical events that occurred during the Civil
War
How modern medicine benefited from the
advancements during the Civil War.

Ending Activity: Students will complete a short essay on what


was learned in class, and comparing the lecture to todays
medicine.
This assignment will in turn also count as a homework
assignment

Day 2:
The students will gather in their own groups to prepare an
account of what is was like in a civil war hospital.

Using Civilwar.org students will gather an idea of what


is was like in those times being in a battlefield hospital.
The students will create an civil war persona, and
create an account or journal of what their persona went
through.
This will count as an in class assignment, and a quiz.

Internet usage (teacher and student-use)

Use of computers and iPads for research purposes


Technology Connection:

Use of cameras on school-issued iPads


Appropriate websites that give information about the topics that
the students

Materials and Resources:

www.CivilWar.org
Reflection on Lesson Design

Design:

As a teacher, I built on their prior knowledge of the Civil War


and their own understandings of what they have been taught
prior to the subject being taught in class. I used student
grouping to facilitate knowledge and idea sharing then I used
whole class instruction as well as individual instruction to
facilitate learning.

Cultural Relevance:

As an educator, I was able to employ culturally relevant


teaching by creating a learning environment that honors all
students knowledge and understandings. I asked students to
discuss their own understanding of the Civil War and this is a
topic that can have a different outlook about the topic
depending on where the person is from and what their cultural
background.

Actions :

As an educator, I will take more time to locate resources for my


students. I will take the time to find primary source documents
that can be displayed in class for the students

Lesson Title:

Surgery in the Civil war

Grade Level:

7th

Subject:

Biology

Description of Learning Goals, Standards, Objectives, and Assessments


GPSs:

S7CS6. Students will communicate scientific ideas


and activities clearly. a. Write clear, step-by-step
instructions for conducting particular scientific
investigations, operating a piece of equipment, or
following a procedure. b. Write for scientific purposes
incorporating data from circle, bar and line graphs,
two way data tables, diagrams, and symbols. c.
Organize scientific information using appropriate
simple tables, charts, and graphs, and identify

relationships they reveal.


National Technology Standards:

1. Creativity and innovation


a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas,
products, or processes
b. Create original works as a means of personal or
group expression
2. Communication and collaboration
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers,
experts, or others employing a variety of digital
environments and media
b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to
multiple audience using a variety of media and
formats

Cultural Context and Learner Characteristics:


Diversity:

Learning Styles:

Background Knowledge:
Long-Term Learning Goal or Outcome:

The students in my class are of varying ability levels.


There are a few with learning disabilities. This is an
urban-light school in the metro-Atlanta area (not
located downtown) with 50% African American, 25%
Hispanic, 20% Caucasian, 5% Asian. There ages are
12-13 with 52% female and 48% male.

As 7th grade students, many are dependent learners


that require scaffolding and structure until they are
comfortable with the assignments. They tend towards
auditory and visual learning and communication
styles.

At this point in their educational careers, the students


have learned about the Civil War so there is a basis of
information unto which the teacher will build upon by
giving more in-depth details about different events that
occurred within the Civil War.
By the end of the unit, the learner will be able to craft
a presentation about the medical practices of the Civil
War and present the assignment to the class.
They will be able to use appropriate technology to
locate information, create and present their projects.

Observable Objectives or Outcomes:

Objective: The students will be able to work

together in groups and complete assignments that


are given in a timely manner.
Assessment Plan:

Formative Assessment:
Students will turn-in essay for feedback and complete
a written test over the information covered inclass
Rubric for essay and presentation.
Description of Activities with Technology and Materials

Activity Design:

Day 3:

Class starter and lesson connection:

Class opening: What do we as a class understand


about how surgery is performed today?
Students will spend five minutes on individual
brainstorming about anything pertaining to todays
Surgeries
After their five minutes, the students will share within
their groups for three minutes. Within these three
minutes, the students will designate a group leader
that will come to the board and will write what their
ideas and topics were that were brainstormed.

Teacher and student activities:

Teacher will then lecture about the topic which will


include

The surgery standards of the Civil War


Reasoning behind spread of diseases
Hospital and Medical knowledge
Amputation as a typical means of survival for
soldiers

Students will gather in their groups and will being


working on a presentation about medical conditions in
the Civil War battlefield which they will present
through a live skit.

This presentation will be catered to a middle


grades level
Amputation will be censored

Students will have two days to work on presentation in


class and then will present the following Tuesday to
allow the groups time to regroup and know their lines.

Over the weekend before the presentation, the


students will complete a two page writing assignment,
which will serve as their script about the topic and turn
the essay in on the following Monday.

Internet usage (teacher and student-use)


Technology Connection:

Use of computers and iPads for research purposes


Use of cameras on school-issued iPads

Materials and Resources:

Appropriate websites that give information about the


topics that the students

Reflection on Lesson Design


Design:

As a teacher, I built on their prior knowledge of the


Civil War and their own understandings of what they
have been taught prior to the subject being taught in
class. I used student grouping to facilitate knowledge
and idea sharing then I used whole class instruction
as well as individual instruction to facilitate learning.

Cultural Relevance:

As an educator, I was able to employ culturally


relevant teaching by creating a learning environment
that honors all students knowledge and
understandings. I asked students to discuss their own
understanding of the Civil War and this is a topic that
can have a different outlook about the topic depending
on where the person is from and what their cultural
background.

Actions :

As an educator, I will take more time to locate


resources for my students. I will take the time to find
primary source documents that can be displayed in
class for the students

You might also like