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.