PART ONE (20 points) Suggested length: 1-2 pages
Select one small group topic as the basis for the rest of the assessment. Review the slides AND read the article recommended by the small group participants (Both are found in FILES on ELMS in the Small Groups folder. You may pick any one of the 7 small group topics EXCEPT the group in which you were a member.
1. Identify the topic you will address in your response.
2. Summarize the article selected by the small group participants in one paragraph.
3. Analyze the topic from the perspective of a child development theory*. Choose between:
a. Socio-Cultural Theory (Vygotsky);
b. Constructivism (Piaget); or
c. Social-Learning Theory (Bandura).
*Describe how the child’s growth and development with respect to this topic would be viewed from this second theory (remember, all topics have already been discussed from the Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner) perspective, so do not use Bronfenbrenner again).
PART TWO (20 points) Suggested length: 2-3 pages
Your school principal has asked you to design a short (one hour or less) professional development workshop for teachers to help them understand this topic and why it is important. You will present this during a professional development day for teachers in your grade level. In this section, it is expected that you go above and beyond what was presented by the small group, either by a more in-depth examination, or a focus on a different aspect of the topic.
1. Identify the public school where you will be teaching (no private school settings): This is a hypothetical school, but you certainly may model it after a placement or a setting where you aspire to teach. Include the following:
a. grade level (must be Preschool-Grade 3);
b. demographics of the children attending the school, including:
i. race/ethnicity;
ii. location (urban/suburban/rural);
iii. economic and linguistic/cultural profile of school population.
iv. identify at least two children in the classroom who have a disability. (Listing child as having an IEP/IFSP is not sufficient: identify the disability. English Learner (EL) is NOT considered a disability, although of course a child who is an EL may also have a disability).
2. Provide an overview of the topic for your peer teachers. What do you want them to know about the topic and why is it important?
3. How might this issue be supported for children with and without disabilities?
4. Include at least one “hands on” or small group activity in which teachers may participate. (**Note that this is an activity for the teachers, not the children!)
PART THREE (20 points): Suggested length: 2 pages
Design the initial sections (identified below) of a language arts/literacy lesson plan for your grade level (from Part Two) based on some component of the topic.
Note: Think broadly about the topic when choosing your standard. The topic likely will not be directly part of the standard. For example, the content might be about how women are portrayed in fairy tales, but the standard would be a broader literacy standard. For the MCCRS standard, please use this link (standards are listed by “grade band” on left hand side of the page): https://mdk12.msde.maryland.gov/INSTRUCTION/StandardsandFrameworks/ela/Pages/EnglishHomePage.aspx
The lesson plan must include the following components.
Use the information from the EC/ECSE lesson plan instructions and template, but DO NOT use the template or complete any sections other than the ones identified below:
a. Content/Subject area
b. Central focus/context
c. How will children be grouped, and approximate length of lesson plan activity
d. Standard (use MCCRS standards link above)
e. Learning objective (be sure to include some means to measure achievement of the objective and criteria for success).
f. Accommodations for children with disabilities identified in PART TWO above. Be specific.
PART FOUR (5 points):
Be sure to include references.
