Implementation Report

This was implemented into the music class and it was a 2 month long project. Since the building I work in has serious attendance issues, I wanted to make sure that students were going to have enough time, didn't feel rushed, and I wanted them to be proud of their end product. I would often joke around with them that I wanted to hear Grammy's by the end of the project. 

At first there was resistance to the project, which is something that I did not anticipate, I thought that the students would be excited to use laptops, and to be able to use the software. A lot of them thought that it was too difficult to do all by themselves, and I felt very pressured to change the project and make it easier, but I stuck to my guns and kept pushing through. 

The student learning outcomes that I want to implement were simple, I wanted students to appreciate the music that they hear on the radio. I felt that they were taking the music world as if it was so easy for an artist to create a song. I wanted to challenge them.  I have many students in my class that have IEPs, and to make the project fair to them their song didn't have to be as long as the other students (I had asked for everyone else to make a 3 minute song, there's just had to be a minute, but if they wanted to make it longer than they were more than welcome to). I also allowed these students to create their song using only loops. 

I had a few times where classroom management was a problem. I still haven't found if this is because of the classroom I have (which is auditorium seating) or if it was because of the students lack of desire to work on the project. As the project progressed, they seemed to get more into it, and the lack of desire to work changed into a drastic run to the finish. I'm pretty sure that was also due to the fact that they wanted to get good grades on their report cards. But I'll take that if it means they are completing the project. 

A big question that the students asked was why they had to do the project, and a lot of them seemed very against it and had this "we aren't artists" attitude towards it. I didn't like it, and I told that them if that was the mindset that they were going to have that they weren't going to have a good time with the project. 

The students didn't have a difficult time during the implementation process, after they got over the "we aren't artists" part of the project everything has gone swimmingly. The project is going to be over on Wednesday, and the students have been having a ball with it. The students are eager to get into the closet and record their songs, they have really gotten into the whole project. 

If I were to do this project again, I'm not sure if I would have given the students as much time as they got. I think I would have given them less time to complete it so we could have more time to review each others work.

Week 13

Where in your school or the school that you are observing are the characteristics of best design most likely to be seen in action? In what programs and subject areas would we most expect to see these characteristics, compared with other programs or subjects? Are there any patterns, If so, why?

After a study of sample units, and one of your own designs, edit or amend your list of characteristics of the best designs, as appropriate. 

Thinking back on my experiences as a learner, the best in school experience I had was in High School. I think this was one of the best learning experiences I had because I remember it the best. It was my senior year of high school and I was in an English class that was designed around New York City. We read stories that took place in New York, and then we went on a few weekend walking tours. It was fantastic to see my teacher so involved, and get so excited about the topic that learning was almost contagious. I think one of the reasons that the class was so exciting was because it was about our city. It was fun to learn about the way that the city has changed, and the people who influenced the change. 

Personally, it's very hard to see a good design at my school, it's not because of the teachers, but because of the students. Our school is comprised of a lot of "Newcomer" students the academy is called. These newcomer students are just that, new comers. They come from different countries, and they speak little to no English. They are put into regular classes, and it becomes difficult to differentiate the class when the teacher doesn't speak the language, and they are spending more time getting someone to translate than teaching the class. I feel that the classes that usually have the best design as classes where the students are able to express their learning in the best way they can. I would love to have a classroom that is a flipped classroom, and the everyday the students would be able to show me what they have learned and apply it into the music classroom. 

I still believe that students learning using PBL benefit the most out of regular classrooms. I believe that during PBL units they really jump in and the outcomes are greater than when you give them a set list of instructions and specific criteria that they must meet. 

Keystone Project

During this course I gained a better understanding of curriculum design and development using the UbD framework. I firmly believe that it is much easier to teach a student a topic when you already know what you want them to learn. As music teacher, not only do I want my students to leave with a love of music, I also want them to be able to produce their own works. By knowing what I want my students to create I can not only better plan my lessons, but I can make the lessons more engaging. It is also beneficial for a teacher to have an end in mind because it keeps them on track for what they need to plan for the students to do.

            I feel that curriculum design is easier using the UbD framework, especially as a music teacher. We don’t have regents to prep our students for, so we create our own curriculums. Our end tends to be our concerts and sometimes NYSSMA (New York State Scholastic Music Association) where the students get graded on their playing ability. When we are picking out the music for our students to play our end in mind is that they are going to be able to perform their parts well.

            After going through the course, I believe that music performance is one of the easier subjects to create a curriculum for using the UbD framework. If a teacher keeps in mind that having their students perform a piece of music as a cohesive group, than they already have their whole curriculum planned. A music appreciation teacher  has a slightly harder time creating their lessons, because they are the ones designing what they want their students to learn by the end of each semester. I’ve had to do this, and I’ve found it very stressful because I wasn’t sure in what was are the best ways to engage all the students so that they are learning. I used the UbD framework to come up with their units to make sure that each student is able to not only explain, interpret, and apply the skills that they’ve learn, but to also be able to have their own perspective, and have a self-knowledge of a software and topic. 

Interview a teacher to find out how they plan the curriculum and lessons.

I interviewed Mr. Budhu who teaches History at my school. He shared with me his lesson plans and how he uses the same template for every lesson because it helps him when creating new ones. Each lesson has a title, so he knows what topic he’s teaching, aim, do now, objective, goals, procedures, and standards.

He explained to me that because he has to teach to the regents, he needed to know what exactly the regents focuses in on every year so that he can gear his lessons towards it. He uses the Cornel Note Take method so that he can make adjustments to his lessons for the following days, and so that he can make sure that his students are fully understanding the materials they are given.

The curriculum, from what I understand, is set forth by the assistant principal of History, and they are supposed to have taught specific topics by set dates.  However, they get to pick how they teach it. Mr. Budhu is lucky to be on the classrooms which has a working projector with a projector pen, which he incorporates into all his class lessons.

Design and implement a mini-lesson integrated with technology, under cooperating teacher’s supervision.

Aim: How can we start using GarageBand for our second project?

Do Now:  What are some rules we should have while using the laptops?

Goal:

• Students will be able to organize information about rules for using the laptop
• Student will be able to analyze information about rules for using the laptop
• Students will be able to synthesize information about rules for using the laptop

Objectives:

• Students will create a list of computer rules
• Students will begin to use the application GarageBand

Procedure:

• Students will create an appropriate computer rules list.
• Students will exhibit proper use of the rules while handling the laptops
• Students will work in pairs to see begin exploring GarageBand

English Common Core

W.11.12-4

W.11.12-5

W.11.12-6

ISTE Standards

1.b

2.a, b, d

4.b

5.b

6.a, b

Music Blueprints

- Use music technology to create music.

- Utilize instruments and technology to create and present original work.

- Create and perform an original piece of music that employs standard notation using composition software.

Week 11: Google Earth Assignment (Social Studies Lesson Plan)

Where is Class 227??

Grade: Any

Time: 45 minutes

Subject: Social Studies

Materials:

- Interactive whiteboard or display facility

Aim: Where in the world is Class 227?

 

Do Now:  If you were dropped off in the middle of no where, what are some clues you would look for to figure it out? How can those clues help you?

Goals:

Students will organize information using context clues to find what country they are in

Students will analyze information the country they are in and how context clues helped them come to their conclusion

Students will synthesize information about the country they are in and how context clues led them to that country

Objectives:

Students will be able to use context clues use Geogessr.com to figure out where they are in the world

Procedure: 

- Answer Do-Now

- Teacher demonstrates how geoguessr.com works

- Students will break into groups of two and use one laptop per group

- Students will take turns using geoguessr.com and try to find out where they are.

- Students will compare and contrast the two places that they found. 

- Exit Slip 

Essential Questions:

- How well do you know the world?

- How can we use technology to learn more about our surroundings?

- How can we use technology to learn more about the surroundings in other countries?

- What can we use to identify different places?

Assessment: 
-   Student discussion and participation
- Hand-out collected

Standards: ISTE
1.a
2.a, c, d
3.b
4.d
5.a, b, c, d
6.a, b

(geoguessr.com is powered by google earth)

Week 10: Assignment 2

My teaching philosophy when it comes to technology is that the more the students get to use it the better. In the world where technology is continually growing and taking over a majority of the time that children spend using it, not having any in the classroom is almost primitive. By having students exposed to technology in a more professional setting, we are preparing them for the "real" world. It's in the classrooms that they can learn the proper way of using the computer for a scholarly way, compared to using it as purely a source of entertainment. It's difficult to show a student at home why the wiki that they have decided to source isn't a reputable, but in the classroom you can show not just one student, but the whole class how to pick proper websites for research.
Since bullying is at it's all time high, and with social media playing a big part in not just physical abuse that a student might encounter, but for verbal abuse as well, integrating technology and constantly demonstrating what it means to be a good digital citizen, and starting at a young age is a good thing. Especially when the teacher can censor what goes on, and can address could be problems and diffuse them before anyone gets hurt or suspended.
What I'm most interested in, as a music teacher, is that students are being creative. We use a lot of technology in my class, and I always tell them that I just want THEM to be proud of what they've created. I want all my students to walk away with something that can say they made, without any help of the teacher. Music is universal, but it is not universally liked. So if they like it, that's all I care about.

Week 9: Assignment 2.

 Lesson Plan #1

Music Theory

Aim: How can we create a drum beat for our second project?

Do Now:  What do you want the drum beat of your song to sound like?

Goal:

• Students will be able to organize information about different types of drums
• Student will be able to analyze information about different types of drums
• Students will be able to synthesize information about different types of drums

Objectives:

• Students will discuss what they want their drum beats to sound like
• Students will use the application GarageBand to create drum beats
• Students will take turns creating drum beats using the Hip Hop Kit or the Rock kit in GarageBand

Procedure:

• Students will discuss with their group members what they want their drum beat to sound like
• Students will work in pairs to create a demo drum beat
• Students will begin to understand how to use better use the application GarageBand

English Common Core

W.11.12-4

W.11.12-5

W.11.12-6

Lesson Plan #2

Music Theory

Aim: How can we record our Auras and present our rhythms to the class?

Do Now:  Practice clapping out you rhythm with your partner if you have already recorded your poem. If not, practice reciting your poem for the recording.

Goal:

• Students will be able to organize information about the poems and how to create an aura.
• Student will be able to analyze information about poems and how to create an aura.
• Students will be able to synthesize information about poems and how to create an aura.

Objectives:

• Students will be able to create Auras using the iPad
• Students will create original poems about a famous composer

Procedure:

• Collaborate with partner 
• Students will recite their poem
• Students will create an Aura using the iPad
• Students will clap out their assigned rhythms using ta

English Common Core

W.11.12-4

W.11.12-5

W.11.12-6

Lesson Plan #3

Music Theory

Aim: How can we create a poem for our “Auras”

Do Now: Brainstorm ideas with your partner on what you want to write about for your poem on your composer

Goal:

• Students will be able to organize information about the poems and form
• Student will be able to analyze information about poems and form
• Students will be able to synthesize information about poems and form

Objectives:

• Students will be able to identify rhyming schemes and stanzas
• Vocabulary: Stanza, Rhyming scheme

Procedure:

• Collaborate with partner  (5 minutes)
• Reading of a poem (5 minutes)
• Mini Lesson on rhyming schemes and stanzas (10minutes)
• Students will begin writing their poems (20  minutes)
• Exit Slip (5 minutes)

Filled, with sound, only of the soul.
Thou, purest of thought shall whole.
Through, tones of life,
Thy story shall be told.

Surrounded by life's purest of melodies, 
and the wretched stench of dark wasteful weight.
Thou, shalt grasp with all strength, 
To try and seize a, pure, hope-filled fate.

Deaf, no sound, except ringing of the ears,
Similar to the bells of hell.
To cry! Such sorrow filled tears,
for so many long years!

Yet, the beauty of light will always return,
especially when, 
Thou, is in thy worst of turns.

The peace that is felt, 
And the sanity that is held,
Will be the guiding light,
When, Thou, cannot see.

The dark forces will not prevail, 
as to a conquering triumph of hell.
Thou, shall prevail!
Through, purity and sound.

OH, the pain thou has suffered!
Tormented!, Mutilated!, Humiliated!
What souls feel in hell,
Thou shalt feel in a life.

Though, the blessings received,
Far exceed,
Any waste! Any weight! Any pain!

Through the tones of life,
All beauty shall be found,
And, in the end,
All beauty will be sound!

English Common Core

W.11.12-4

W.11.12-5

W.11.12-6

 Lesson Plan #4

Music Theory

Aim: How can we add instruments to our drum beats?

Do Now: When you think about the end product of your song, what instrumentation do you hear?

Goal:

• Students will be able to organize information about what types of instruments will work in their songs

• Student will be able to analyze information about what types of instruments will work in their songs by

listening to loops/creating their own melodies

• Students will be able to synthesize information about what types of instruments work with their songs to

complete their projects

Objectives:

• Students will understand what instruments work with their drum beat

• Students will apply their previous knowledge of loops to add different instrumentation

• Students will apply loops/ create melodies to the songs they are creating in GarageBand

Procedure:

• Students answer the do now individually

• Students collaborate with their group and share out what instrument they think will work best with the song

and why.

• Students will use the laptops to demonstrate what instruments they think should be incorporated with their

song

Questions to ask while walking around:

- What was your thought process when you decided on that/those instruments?

- How has adding that instrument helped with the overall sound you are looking for?

- How have your ideas about your end product changed between last week and this?

- Has adding a new instrument helped with your creative process or has it caused you to change your mind

about how you want your song to sound? Why?

-

ISTE Standards

1.b

2.a, b, d

4.b

5.b

6.a, b

Music Blueprints

- Use music technology to create music.

- Utilize instruments and technology to create and present original work.

- Create and perform an original piece of music that employs standard notation using composition software.

Lesson Plan #5

Music Theory

Aim: What are loops?

Do Now: What problems are you facing while creating your drum beat?

Goal:

• Students will be able to organize information about loops in GarageBand

• Student will be able to analyze information about loops in GarageBand

• Students will be able to synthesize information about loops in GarageBand

Objectives:

• Students will understand what loops in GarageBand are.

• Students will learn how to use the loops in GarageBand

• Students will apply loops to their songs they are creating in GarageBand

Procedure:

• Students will discuss with their group members the problems they are having creating

their drum beats in GarageBand

• Students will add loops to their songs to help create their original songs

• Students will add a layer on top of the loop they have chosen in order to keep the sound

original.

ISTE Standards

1.b

2.a, b, d

4.b

5.b

6.a, b

Music Blueprints

- Use music technology to create music.

- Utilize instruments and technology to create and present original work.

- Create and perform an original piece of music that employs standard notation using composition

software.

Week 7: Assignment 1

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results:
What essential Questions will be considered?
-What plants do you see around your neighborhood?
-What plants do you have in your house?
-What different types of plants exist
-How to plants form?
-Are seeds living things?
-What is pollen?
-What is the role of pollen?
-Do plants have "parents"?
-What are the layers of a seed?

Students will understand that . . .
-There is a plant life cycle.
-Each stage is important to the life cycle of plants
-The importance of a seed.
-The way a plant reproduces.
-Compare the similarities and difference between a plant life cycle and an animal life cycle

Students will know . . .
-Plant life cycle.
-The importance and role of pollen.
-How plants can exist in different temperatures.

Students will be able to . . .
-Identify the different parts of a plant.

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence:
What evidence will show that students understand?
Students will dissect a seed, to learn about the different parts of a plant. After they understand the layers of a seed they will then plant their own seeds. They will keep a daily log of their plant. They will start with how much soil they used, how deep they rooted the seed, how much water they feed the plant and where they placed it. After that, they will be in charge of their plant. Making sure that they water it. During the experiment, they will have to log what they observe. Are there days when the soil is dryer than others? Why do you think that happened? Does different amounts of water effect the plant growth?

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences:
After about a month, and hopefully the plants have started to grow, students will be put into pairs. They will compare and contrast their notes between their friend to see if there is a different. Did on e plant grow faster than the other. Why? What did your peer do differently than you?
Students will chart their data in the way that they think is best. And then the class will walk around and review what the other students have done.
Afterwards, the students will take part in a whole class discussion, and share their findings. 

Week 8: Rubric as an Assessment Tool

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1618692/

(I apologize for being so far behind, I'm hoping to be caught up with everything by Monday the latest)

Rubrics in a K-12 setting are very important. Not only for a teacher, but for the student as well. I know that I have often gotten excited about a project and strayed from what the teacher was looking for, and having a rubric is what brought my projects back on task. I find that they are also helpful for when parents are reviewing their child's work, and helps them understand the grade their child received at the end.
I like how this article referred to a rubric more as a checklist, making it more understandable to students that they have to go through their work and check to make sure that they have all of them in order to receive the highest grade. It also is very clear cut what the teacher is looking for. The article makes reference to the idea of a "private curriculum" or that "hidden curriculum," having a rubric means that a teacher cannot grade a student on things that aren't on there.
It also brings out that a teacher can use a rubric to not only grade a student on what they have learned, but what they already knew about the topic at hand.

"In this case the prompt is a challenge in which students are to respond to the statement, “Plants get their food from the soil. What about this statement do you agree with? What about this statement do you disagree with? Support your position with as much detail as possible.” This assessment prompt can serve as both a preassessment, to establish what ideas students bring to the teaching unit, and as a postassessment in conjunction with the study of photosynthesis."

What I find is a benefit of a given students assignments instead of exams, is that you can properly assess what they know. A test is only geared towards the good test taking students, where as a assignment with a rubric allows students to express what they know in the best way they know possible. As a teacher we want to see specific understandings reached, but who are we to judge HOW a student can show that. Rubrics give students just enough freedom, without letting them run wide. The only downside is that it takes time to grade everyone on what they have learned, whereas the exam is straight cut and dry and can be graded by a scantron machine. 

Week 7: Assignment #2

Design your own Science lesson plan using current science learning standards: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/scirg.html. Your lesson will need to determine a grade level and choose specific standards when designing your lesson. Please include learning materials (links or book titles, or helpful resources) and rubric for evaluation (if you mention one in your lesson).

Lesson Topic: Learning the Density of an item
Grade Level: 7
Materials: Cylinders, Honey, Oil, Vinegar, Water, Peanuts, Corn Kernels, Marbles

Aim: How can we determine the different densities of liquids and select items?

Do Now: What do you think have the highest density and what do you think has the lowest density out of the following: Water, Oil, Honey, and Vinegar. Why do you think that?

Goal:
Students will analyze information about the density of liquids and select items (peanut, corn kernel, marble).
Students will organize information about the density of liquids and select items (peanut, corn kernel, marble).
Students will synthesize information about the density of liquids and select items (peanut, corn kernel, marble) through experimentation.

Objective:
Observe and describe properties of materials, such as density, conductivity, and solubility.
Determine the density of liquids, and regular- and irregular-shaped solids

Procedure:
Go over Do Now
Introduce the different liquids.
Pour liquids into a long tube and have students see how the different liquids will separate to show the different densities. (High density sinks)
Students will work in pairs to determine the different densities of items given to them. 
Students will share out their findings to the class. 

Science Standards:
3.1a Substances have characteristic properties. Some of these properties include color,
odor, phase at room temperature, density, solubility, heat and electrical conductivity,
hardness, and boiling and freezing points.
3.1h Density can be described as the amount of matter that is in a given amount of
space. If two objects have equal volume, but one has more mass, the one with more
mass is denser.
3.1e Aliquid has definite volume, but takes the shape of a container.
 
 

Week 5: Backwards Design Stage 3: Learning Plan

How are students "smart" in different ways? How can teachers use multiple intelligences in the classroom?

Students are "smart" in different ways, in that they all learn differently. One student can learn very well visually, but his friend sitting next to him learns best orally. I find this to be a rather difficult task when I'm teaching sometimes, especially since a student won't raise their hand and say "Ms. Bracco, I'm an visual learning, can you go over that again?" or "Ms. Bracco, I don't understand the drawings, I'm more of an oral learner". A way that a teacher can use multiple intelligences in the classroom is by having students with different styles of learning sit together. This way, every student is introduced to someone else's way of learning, and it allows them to see another way of coming to the same conclusion. 

Week 2: Anticipatory Questions

1. My current understanding of curriculum and instruction are that we are to follow a set course which will prepare students for the tests they are required to take. Instruction is how the teacher is presenting the information to the students so that they will understand it. I am familiar with these terms.
2. I have written my own lesson plans for the coming year, and I also created a whole semester curriculum for my students. On a typical lesson plan I have the grade level, the date, the unit in which the lesson takes place, objective, procedure, materials, standards, and assessments.
3. I think Backward Design is planning a curriculum or a unit with the end in mind, and working backwards accordingly.
4. I am currently teaching a music appreciation class to grade 9 - 12. I am using the Music Blueprint standards

(Sorry, I had posted this on the discussion board, I didn't realize it needed to be on the blog as well)

Week 4: Backwards Design Stage 2: Determining Acceptable Evidence

• Explain how you identify the desired results, how you come up with essential questions and determine what understandings are desired.

When I am trying to determine my desired results from a class, I will usually pick one outcome per lesson per week.  Going back to the ELA essential goals:

 Established Goals: 

RI.6.3 - Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g. through examples or anecdotes)
RI.6.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
RI.6.6. - Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
RI.6.7. - Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

I know that making sure that I incorporate every one of these goals into one lesson and having the students fully comprehend the work is going to be very difficult. Instead, I will incorporate one main idea per lesson, and then slowly add the other essential goals as the week goes on. 

I'm not 100% familiarized with the ELA standards, but the music department has started to make it our goal to improve the ELA regents, so I'm slowly getting acquainted with them. 

• Explain how you determine what knowledge and skills that students should acquire as a result of learning (connecting to college and workforce readiness)

Since we are forced to differentiate our lessons, I feel that student assessments should also be differentiated. I believe that the students can do whatever type of project they would like to do, as long as they are making sure that they are meeting the requirements of the rubric. I also have very different assignments that I give in order to make sure that they still understanding the music aspects of music. One project that I think is a good example of this, is that I'm having my kids work in groups to create their own songs. The song has to have lyrics, different instruments, and some type of beat. While I can see this being viewed as the same assignment, those are the only rules I've given them (besides the lyrics having to be clean and school appropriate). They are allowed to use any instruments they wish, as well as deciding as a group with genre they can work in the best. This project is great for getting them college and workforce ready because they are going to have to work with people that they may not know, and they are going to have to learn how to come to compromises with each other in order to be successful.