EDSC 425 Mexico / Puerto Rico Unit

Unit abstract With the world becoming a "melting pot" of all different cultures and races, it is very important to recognize these different cultures and use the information learned to better students' educations and also to connect the lessons to the students' everyday lives. Through each lesson included in this unit, the idea of multicultural education is explored and discussed amoungst the students and teachers. By exposing the students to this multicultural education they become more aware of the world that is around them and gain respect and understanding for other cultures that surround them. The students can also take the lessons taught and apply the information and skills taught into their everyday life. Unit goals Theresa Giard Goals and objectives:
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Students will identify key words in Spanish and English through the use of a worksheet Students will explore the power of self expression in music by analyzing song lyrics Students will discover the history of colonialism in Puerto Rico

Eliza Rabinko Goals and Objectives:

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Given YouTube video explanations and visual examples, students will identify and describe the four different types of symmetry that exist using the language of geometry. o Transitional, reflectional, and rotational symmetry Given YouTube videos and photos, students will explain elements of traditional Dia de los Muertos festivities and history.

Given visual examples of sugar skulls, markers, posterboard and other materials, students will create masks to investigate the use of symmetry in the traditional Mexican sugar skulls. Luke Allen
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Goals1.) Educate Mr. Morrissey class on Aztec History Origin of Aztec Empire, Aztec technology, and the fall of the Aztec Empire

2.) Teach Mr. Morrissey class the meaning of the following terms Force, lever, incline plane, simple machines, work, fulcrum, load, effort, wheel, wedge Jason Morosky Goals: 1. Students are to gain an appreciation for the wide variety in Puerto Rican and Mexican Mythology 2. Students will learn about the complexity of the Aztec Deity structure and why they had so many different Gods. Objectives: 1. After viewing a presentation, students will draw what they believe a Chupacabra looks like based on the examples provided. Students will then share their drawings with the class describing why they drew the creature as they did. 2. After viewing a video and presentation, students will design their own Aztec deity. Students will then describe why they designed them and what the deity is for. (e.g. God of Life, God of Death) Allison Bullard Goals: 1) Students will discuss similarities and differences in the experiences of Puerto Rican Americans and Mexican Americans (Chicano) and make connections to their own cultural backgrounds. 2) Students will read and discuss a poem by Puerto-Rican American poets, Ending Poem, and use anaphora to write and/or perform their own poem of identity. Colin Pachucki Goals: To encourage discussion by presenting guided questions. Students will be able to participate in class discussion by using information from the presentation and their own experiences. Students will be be able to choose specific aspects of tourism and culture to illustrate in their brochure.

Objectives: Students will be able to improve their writing and reading skills through note taking and construction of a travel brochure. Students will evaluate the 6 topics discussed and explain some aspects they found important by writing them down . Kyle Erickson Goal Students will examine the origins of cultural collision between Europe, Africa, and the indigenous peoples of Puerto Rico Objective: Students will be able to identify the places and commodoties associated with the triange trade through a cooperative activity
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Steven Moore Goals: 1) Have students learn about a new sport (Ulama) in which they may have never heard of and make connections to other sports in which they may be familiar with. 2) Have students use the knowledge mentioned above and be able to make a blueprint of an Ulama field and make relationships to the mathematical concept of similar figures. Eric Latronica Goals: 1) Students will gather knowledge about evolutionary processes, being shown distinct examples from the Icacos Reef in Puerto Rico. Students will briefly explore the adaptations of symbyosis, body shape, the formation of now body parts, and camouflage. This will be done through an interactive presentation witha Prezi. 2) Students will create a visual representation of their own personal camouflage. Students will use this to explain ways in which they attempt to blend into their enviroment and ways they try to stand out. This will assist students in understanding the roles they play in their society. Angela Capolupo Goals: Students will understand the use of adobe bricks in Mexico and the reasons for the uses behind them.

Objectives: Students will be able to differentiate between building materials used in the United States vs. Mexico. Students will be able to give examples of characteristics of architecture in the United States vs. Mexico. Students will mold "adobe" bricks. Matt Berube Goals The students will partake in class discussion from topic to topic and add additional information to what we provided from their own past experiences. The students will be able to identify why brochures are important and what makes a brochure worth reading. Objectives The students will understand and regurgitate some similarities and differences of Puerto Rico and Mexico. Throughout the lesson the students will be working on their listening, note taking and discussion skills. The note taking will be used to create a brochure of either Mexico or Puerto Rico.

Unit Connection to Readings

When teaching our group unit in NBHS on Mexico and Puerto Rico, we were able to utilize important strategies and ideas from our text to guide the instruction and learning activities. Using strategies from the texts gives us new teachers tools to use for creating and teaching lessons. Teaching professionally can be accomplished by using effective strategies and taking ideas from successful teachers. Tuned in and Fired Up gave us an opportunity to pull ideas and strategies from Mr. Quinn. His unique teaching style and creativity worked for his class. His class was centered around students needs, interests, and personalities. Some ideas that we came up with that used ideas from tuned in and Fired up as a foundation were analyzing song lyrics, getting students outside

of the classroom for a lesson, using enthusiasm and dramatic effects to bring the lesson to life, connecting class material to the students such as students creating their own symbol, using poetry for students to express themselves, allowing students to write down or state their reactions to the material, setting up group activities where students can assist each other and work cooperatively. The textbook Turning on Learning was filled with new strategies and ideas on how to make a lesson pop. The after lessons were combinations of effective and interesting approaches to different subjects. Turning on Learning also integrated the importance of teaching to culturally diverse students. Exploring different cultures and belief sets is important to becoming an American citizen and is important to our group of teachers. We pulled many aspects form this book to strengthen our lessons. Some examples of how we used this book are using a lesson plan on finding symmetry, creating an opportunity for in depth analysis of a time period, single group study, connecting poetry to cultural heritage, describing culture and media differences, discussing the environment. The Differentiated Classroom text also provided helpful and effective strategies to use when teaching to a diverse group of students. This diversity includes ethnicity and learning abilities. Differentiation is going to be a challenge and extra work for the teacher. This requires more preparation and thinking in order to make sure that each student has an opportunity to improve themselves academically. Having an opportunity to teach in such a diverse nation is an honor and challenge. Some techniques that we used from this book were letting the students talk in Spanish or English, trying to recognize differences from assessments and make changes, using non traditional activities that include creativity, using visuals, allowing students their learning appropriate to their skill level and categorizing information.

Theresa Giard List of ideas from texts and readings: Tuned in and Fired Up- Allowing students to analyze song lyrics gives them the freedom to express themselves and the opportunity for student-led learning. Differentiated Classroom- By giving students the choice to work in either Spanish or English we are addressing the needs of a bilingual classroom.

Eliza Rabinko
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Turning On Learning pages 112-114 o Lesson Plan on Finding Symmetry

Tuned In And Fired Up pages 23-47 o Unconventional Activities; getting the students outside the mindset of the classroom o Using aesthetic to connect to ideas in the classroom

The Differentiated Classroom page 10 o The teacher attends to student differences and uses those to motivate the students as individuals Luke Allen
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ConnectionsOur lesson is going to be on Aztec technology and the building of their civilization using simple machines. What I am going to use from the reading in my lesson plan is what the book calls centers. The point of Centers is to address variable learning needs. In centers students are broken up into groups of activities which help teach, reinforce, or extend a particular skill or concept. We are going to use this in when we go over the different types of simple machines. There will be different centers with different types of simple machines. Then after everyone has been to each one the will reconvene to take what they learned to complete a task that the Aztecs face in building their cities. Another thing that we will use for the reading is chapter 5 from Tuned in and fired up. In this chapter there was a big emphasis on teachers who are enthusiastic. Mr. Quinn used dramatic emphasis to enthrall the class in the poems content. As a teacher we lecture page for page out of a text book, we should mix it up. Change our approach, instead of lecture maybe create a discussion, have student speak instead of you. We should show enthusiasm in what we teach in the way we speak and our body language. We need to show students our excitement for what we teach and as a result they will share the same enthusiasm. We will aspire to do the same when we present the creation and the building of the Aztec Empire. The finally from the turning on learned chapter 5 lesson allows for in depth analysis of histories time period through multiple approaches. We are still in the development stages, but we will try to incorporate as much these aspects that we can into our lesson for Mrs. Morrisseys class.

Michael DeLude
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Tuned In and Fired Up - The portion of this book that will be used is connecting the material to the student. The symbol activity will accomplish this by showing students that the Aztecs made their own symbols and assigned them a certain meaning; the same activity that each student in the class will be completing. Each student will choose a word/ideal/talent that means a lot to them and they will create their own symbol from this word.

Turing on Learning - This book offers many ways to circumvent the traditional classroom but the way in which this will be done in Mrs. Morrisseys class is by single group study. The Aztec represent a distinct cultural group within Mexico and by closely studying their culture students will gain greater insight into the history of Mexico and possible the rest of early Mesoamerica.

The Differentiated Classroom - Students will be able to embrace their creative side and escape the traditional activity which is representative of an idea within the book. In a more traditional classroom this type of activity would often be frowned upon but students in Mrs. Morrisseys class are not traditional learners therefore the learning process must take a different approach. This will easily be achieved through the create your own symbol activity. Jason Morosky
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1. Exceptional or Culturally Different 2. Multicultural Education Allison Bullard

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Tuned In and Fired Up: This lesson inspires students to use a poetry form to express their own experiences and gives students sufficient quiet time and space to write. "The Differentiated Classroom": This lesson uses visuals (videos) and both written and oral forms of content and expression to broaden the appeal of the lesson to students with different learning styles. In addition, the task of writing a poem is cloned along a ladder so that students can express their learning in a way appropriate to their skill level.

Turning on Learning: Students are asked to connect the poem they write to their own background and cultural heritage. Colin Pachucki Differentiated Classroom- page. 18 states that information that is organized around categories increases informations meaningfulness. Our presentation broke the information into 6 topics. The book also states that every child is entitled to the promise of a teachers enthusiasm, time and energy. We included all of those when preparing and teaching the lesson. Turning on Learning
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The Cultural Human Being Presentation was similar to our lesson. This was in the chapter of teaching the Culturally different. The after lesson asks students to describe

the media, cuisine, language and leisure activities of family member that lives in a different town, state, or country. Some of these same core cultural components were discussed in our lesson. The students were also asked to present their analysis to the class. The students shared correlations between their family and the unit, as well as personal experiences. o There was also a lesson on Environmental and Ecological Studies. Both of these topics adressed in the discussions. The students also described the importance of the envionment and natural feautures to these nations. The pollution of the locations will eventually destroy the wildlife if changes are not made. o Tuned in and Fired Up- pg. 75 when the class is reading poems and is relating them to their own experiences, Mia stated that the "poem gave an idea to understand things she feels and does." This relates to the way our presentation was able to ask students to include personal reactions and connections. The students drew similarities between Mexico, P.R. and New Britain CT. Steven Moore Text Connection: This lesson focused on single group studies with a similarity in regards to the lesson on Asian Rugs in the Turning on Learning text. I also focused on student interactions with one another from the Differentiated Learning Eric Latronica: Text Connection: My lesson pulled a lot from Turning on learning. I really tried to use biology and the setting to really get to know my students. By having the students create their own camouflage it tasked them with realizing their own role in the world around them. This is also reflected in turning on learning. By letting the students develop their own persona and sense of self their work will become stronger and more emotionaly charged. Angela Capolupo 1. Exceptional or Culturally Different 2. Multicultural Education Kyle Turning On Learning- The lesson focuses on the history and cultural development of Puerto Rico and thus utilizes a Single Group Studies approach to learning. The lesson also utilizes a human relations approach to learning because it incorporates cooperative learning and cross group communication. Tuned in and Fired Up- Allowing the students to assist each other in cooperative activities provides the opportunity for student lead learning. Skip to main content

Unit activities Angela Capolupo (Tuesday 4/9): Presentation on basic components of architecture (arches) & adobe houses.
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Students discuss what an arch is and why they are used Students discuss the properties of force that is put upon structures Students discuss real life situations of forces (earth quake situation) Explanation of adobe houses Students use moon sand to build sand bricks (representing the adobe bricks) Discussion of the capabilities of the adobe bricks and why they cannot be used in Connecticut as easily.

Colin Pachuki (Monday 4/1): Power point presentation on 6 topics for both P.R. and Mexico Guided questions to initiate discussions that will break up the presentation, on 3 out of the 6 topics. Description of travel brochure, ideas for designing it Construction of travel brochure with the assistance of Matt and I. We walked around the room going from student to student to compliment their work and provide guidance for them to continue their design. Each student will present their brochure and describe an important aspect of the design they wre particularly interested in.

Allison Bullard (Tuesday 4/2):

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Students watch videos on Puerto Rican American and Mexican American cultural identity and discuss questions of identity. Students discuss similarities and differences between the cultural identities, with chart on board. Students read "Ending Poem" and analyze vocabulary. Teacher introduces concept of anaphora, students use a graphic organizer to generate ideas for a identity poem using anaphora Teacher models using graphic organizer to write poem in free verse. Students write anaphora identity poems, and if desired, students practice performing or share poems with class.

Theresa Giard (Friday 4/12): The class will listen to the song La Borinquea. Students will use key vocab words (provided in a word box) to fill out a worksheet that has the songs lyrics. The lyrics will be provided in Spanish and English. The class will discuss the authors word choices and how this affects the overall sentiment of the song. The class will discuss self expression in song and how this particular song reflects the history of colonialism in Puerto Rico.

Eliza Rabinko (Thursday 4/4):

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Begin lesson with Prezi presentation giving students an overview of the different types of symmetry using definitions, examples and YouTube videos that give examples and explanations. During lesson, after each type of symmetry is introduced, students will be asked to look around the classroom and identify examples of each type in the room as well as in their daily lives. Transition into el Dia de los Muertos by showing a YouTube video describing the festivities, the history and some of the tradition that happens during the two day holiday. Ask what the students know already about el Dia de los Muertos and what they learned from the YouTube video, review the history of the holiday, what it means today, what the festivities entail, and review some of the most popular things people think of when they hear about el Dia de los Muertos. Bring everything together by connecting symmetry and el Dia de los Muertos. End lesson by having each student create their own symmetrical sugar skull, using supplies (heavy posterboard, scissors, pencils, markers, crayons, colored pencils) brought into the classroom. Have students share their skulls after they have finished and identify the types of symmetry used.

Luke Allen (Friday 4/12): Simple machine activity- Using centers from differentiating learning, student will go to different center to learn through hands on and verbal instruction about simple machines and how the work. For example three types Levers center, student will learn what and where a fulcrum is on common types of lever. Aztec Challenge For this challenge students will have to participate in a problem that faced Aztec people faced every day in the empire. And that problem was to Transport building materials to the capital city of Tenochtitlan to repair the temple. Student will have to use the skills that they have learned in the simple machine activity to move an Aztec building block from one point of the

room to the other only using simple machines that the Aztec had available. This is a group activity that everyone gets to participate in.

Michael DeLude (Friday 4/12):

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Prezi presentation on Aztec history and culture. Short quiz. Class discussion asking students what they think happened to the Aztec people. Students will create their own Aztec symbols and explain their meaning.

Jason Morosky (Tuesday 4/9): o Presentation on Chupacabra o Students discuss and draw their Chupacabra based on discusion and presentation o Presentation on Aztec Mythology o Students discuss and draw their Aztec Deity based on discussion and presentation Kyle Erickson (Friday 4/12):
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The teachers will pass out poster size maps of the Atlantic Ocean for Students to label and color(10min) Students will use string to trace the four voyages of Columbus.(10 min) The teacher will discuss various effects of Columbus discovery of the Americas(15 min) o Columbian exchange o Triangle Trade- scenario activity using map o Cultural integration Closure: Teacher will answer any question and give students the opportunity to make comments on the lesson(5 min)

Steven Moore (Wednesday 4/10): Students were initially engaged with a couple of videos concerning the sport of Ulama. Students also were asked to identify the rules of the game upon completion of the videos. After finding out what the rules were, students were then asked to participate in an actual game of Ulama. Students were ten finally asked to create their own unique blueprint of an Ulama field given their new knowledge of the sport and asked to present their artwork to the class.

Eric Latronica (Thursday 4/4): Students will first participate in an interactive presentation aided by Prezi. Students will be asked questions and be asked to give examples during the course of the presentation. Following the presentation (about 20 minutes) the students will work on drawing a visual representation of the camouflage they wear ( about 20 minutes). Once students whave completed their work we will all share our camouflage describing what we choose and why we choose it. Unit assessment Theresa Giard Assessment: Teacher will assess students participation by observing them fill out the worksheet. Students will be encouraged to participate in conversation and their understanding of the material will be gauged accordingly. Eliza Rabinko
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Students will be assessed based on their knowledge of symmetry from the classroom discussion of what symmetry is. The students will be asked to identify examples of the three types of symmetry around the classroom to show them that symmetry can be found anywhere, not just in the math classroom. (Formative)

Students will also be assessed based on the symmetry in their sugar skull design in the activity at the end of the period. (Summative) Luke Allen
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AssessmentVisual Quiz- After students have gone through the presentation there will be a visual quiz at the end that everyone will have a chance to participate. Centers- Students will be quizzed often in the center that they are in order to determine if they have grasp understand of centers material. Without understanding students are not allowed to advance to the other centers. Aztec challenge-How well the students completed this challenge (use of simple machines, team work) there will also be a reflection on the challenge.

Jason Morosky Students will be assesed on their participation in both the discussions and presentation/drawing of their Chupacabra and Aztec Deity.

Allison Bullard Formative and summative assessment: 1. Through class discussion, assess students ability to analyze and construct meaning from text and audio-visual material. 2. Identify appropriate use of anaphora and concepts of identity and cultural heritage in students poems or spoken-word performances. 3. From end of class exit slips, assess students learning and engagement in the lesson. Kyle Assessment: Teacher will assess student understanding formatively through participation in discussion and completion of mapping activity during lecture, and summatively through an activity where students must match commodities from the triangle trade with corresponding locations.

Steven Moore

Assessment: Students were assessed mainly on their participation throughout the lesson. Student blueprints gave the more summative assessment in order to show that students gained an understanding of what the fields looked like (should have been an I shape) along with an understanding of scale models and how these blueprints they made were in fact similar figures since they were not exactly the same size but persevered the shape along with the angles. Eric Latronica Assessment: Students will be assesed on two main facotrs. The first factor will be their participation in the discussions during the presentation. Students are expected to provide relavent and coherrent

feedback that is both well thought out and shows insight into the subject matter. Secondly students will be assessed on their feedback during their presentation of their own camouflage. Students are free to draw things they feel represent them as long as they can relate it back to the lesson in clear and meaningful ways. I saw several ways of doing that, all of which produced facinating and indepth results. Angela Capolupo Assessment: Throughout the lesson, students will be asked questions and asked to explain themselves. Assessment will take place in the actual discussions.

Colin Pachucki The first assesment was the quality of note taking that each student completed. These notes were essential to adding points to discussion, and to draw information from when constructing the brochures. The second assesment was the participation in the discussion, and the creation of brochure. The third assesment was the content included in the brochure, and the student presentation of important aspects of their brochure.

Matt Berube Assessment: How well the students listen and take notes. How well the students partake in class discussion. How well the students present their brochure to the rest of the class.

Unit lesson plans Theresa Giard List of ideas from texts and readings: Tuned in and Fired Up- Allowing students to analyze song lyrics gives them the freedom to express themselves and the opportunity for student-led learning. Differentiated Classroom- By giving students the choice to work in either Spanish or English we are addressing the needs of a bilingual classroom. Goals and objectives: Students will identify key words in Spanish and English through the use of a worksheet Students will explore the power of self expression in music by analyzing song lyrics Students will discover the history of colonialism in Puerto Rico Relevant Content Standards:
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World Language Standard 4: Cultures Students will demonstrate an understanding of traditions, products and perspectives of the cultures studied. Standard 7: Comparisons among Languages- Students will demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of that world language and their own. Activities/Procedure: The class will listen to the song La Borinquea. Students will use key vocab words (provided in a word box) to fill out a worksheet that has the songs lyrics. The lyrics will be provided in Spanish and English. The class will discuss the authors word choices and how this affects the overall sentiment of the song. The class will discuss self expression in song and how this particular song reflects the history of colonialism in Puerto Rico.
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Hand out worksheet and explain history of the song (2 minutes) Listen to the song with students (3 minutes) Ask for students interpretation of the song. Discuss. (5 minutes) Instruct students to read the lyrics and then fill in the appropriate words using the word box. (Students may choose Spanish or English lyrics. Omitted words will be the same in either language.) Suggest alternatives if a student seems stumped or has given up. Students may work in pairs if they feel more comfortable completing the activity that way. (15 minutes) Review the lyrics with the students and talk about the correct answers. (5 minutes) Ask students how the authors word choices affect th e overall sentiment of the song. Discuss. (5 minutes)

Closure: Ask students what they have learned about self expression and Puerto Rico. Discuss.(5 minutes) Assessment:
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Teacher will assess students participation by observing them fill out the worksheet. Students will be encouraged to participate in conversation and their understanding of the material will be gauged accordingly.

Eliza Rabinko List of Ideas/Concepts from Texts/Readings:

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Turning On Learning pages 112-114 o Lesson Plan on Finding Symmetry Tuned In And Fired Up pages 23-47 o Unconventional Activities; getting the students outside the mindset of the classroom o Using aesthetic to connect to ideas in the classroom The Differentiated Classroom page 10 o The teacher attends to student differences and uses those to motivate the students as individuals

Goals and Objectives:

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Given YouTube video explanations and visual examples, students will identify and describe the four different types of symmetry that exist using the language of geometry. o Transitional, reflectional, and rotational symmetry Given YouTube videos and photos, students will explain elements of traditional Dia de los Muertos festivities and history. Given visual examples of sugar skulls, markers, posterboard and other materials, students will create masks to investigate the use of symmetry in the traditional Mexican sugar skulls.

Content Standards:

CCSS.Math.Content.8.G.A.1 Verify experimentally the properties of rotations, reflections, and translations:

Procedure:
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Begin lesson with Prezi presentation giving students an overview of the different types of symmetry using definitions, examples and YouTube videos that give examples and explanations. (10 minutes) During lesson, after each type of symmetry is introduced, students will be asked to look around the classroom and identify examples of each type in the room as well as in their daily lives. (2 minutes/each symmetry: 6 minutes total) Transition into el Dia de los Muertos by showing a YouTube video describing the festivities, the history and some of the tradition that happens during the two day holiday. (3 minutes) Ask what the students know already about el Dia de los Muertos and what they learned from the YouTube video, review the history of the holiday, what it means today, what the festivities entail, and review some of the most popular things people think of when they hear about el Dia de los Muertos. (8 minutes) Bring everything together by connecting symmetry and el Dia de los Muertos. End lesson by having each student create their own symmetrical sugar skull, using supplies (heavy posterboard, scissors, pencils, markers, crayons, colored pencils) brought into the classroom. Have students share their skulls after they have finished and identify the types of symmetry used. (18 minutes)

Assessment:
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Students will be assessed based on their knowledge of symmetry from the classroom discussion of what symmetry is. The students will be asked to identify examples of the three types of symmetry around the classroom to show them that symmetry can be found anywhere, not just in the math classroom. (Formative)

Students will also be assessed based on the symmetry in their sugar skull design in the activity at the end of the period. (Summative) Jason Morosky
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Aztec Mythology and the Chupacabra (URL)

Luke Allen EDSC425 3/13/13 Step 4 Goals1.) Educate Mr. Morrissey class on Aztec History Origin of Aztec Empire, Aztec technology, and the fall of the Aztec Empire 2.) Teach Mr. Morrissey class the meaning of the following terms Force, lever, incline plane, simple machines, work, fulcrum, load, effort, wheel, wedge Activities Simple machine activity- Using centers from differentiating learning, student will go to different center to learn through hands on and verbal instruction about simple machines and how the work. For example three types Levers center, student will learn what and where a fulcrum is on common types of lever. Aztec Challenge For this challenge students will have to participate in a problem that faced Aztec people faced every day in the empire. And that problem was to Transport building materials to the capital city of Tenochtitlan to repair the temple. Student will have to use the skills that they have learned in the simple machine activity to move an Aztec building block from one point of the room to the other only using simple machines that the Aztec had available. This is a group activity that everyone gets to participate in. Connections-

Our lesson is going to be on Aztec technology and the building of their civilization using simple machines. What I am going to use from the reading in my lesson plan is what the book calls centers. The point of Centers is to address variable learning needs. In centers students are broken up into groups of activities which help teach, reinforce, or extend a particular skill or concept. We are going to use this in when we go over the different types of simple machines. There will be different centers with different types of simple machines. Then after everyone has been to each one the will reconvene to take what they learned to complete a task that the Aztecs face in building their cities. Another thing that we will use for the reading is chapter 5 from Tuned in and fired up. In this chapter there was a big emphasis on teachers who are enthusiastic. Mr. Quinn used dramatic emphasis to enthrall the class in the poems content. As a teacher we lecture page for page out of a text book, we should mix it up. Change our approach, instead of lecture maybe create a discussion, have student speak instead of you. We should show enthusiasm in what we teach in the way we speak and our body language. We need to show students our excitement for what we teach and as a result they will share the same enthusiasm. We will aspire to do the same when we present the creation and the building of the Aztec Empire. The finally from the turning on learned chapter 5 lesson allows for in depth analysis of histories time period through multiple approaches. We are still in the development stages, but we will try to incorporate as much these aspects that we can into our lesson for Mrs. Morrisseys class.

AssessmentVisual Quiz- After students have gone through the presentation there will be a visual quiz at the end that everyone will have a chance to participate. Centers- Students will be quizzed often in the center that they are in order to determine if they have grasp understand of centers material. Without understanding students are not allowed to advance to the other centers. Aztec challenge-How well the students completed this challenge (use of simple machines, team work) there will also be a reflection on the challenge.

Michael DeLude Teacher Name: Michael J. DeLude Class: Contained Classroom Grade Level: Various Topic: Aztec History

Date: 4/12/13

Essential Question: Who were the Aztecs and what led to their eventual downfall?

Learner Background: Students will have varying levels of knowledge but most will only be familiar with the name Aztec with little to no knowledge of their history and culture.

Standards:

Student Objectives:

Students will be able to demonstrate that they have a basic knowledge of Aztec history through a short written assessment. Students will be able to understand what happened to the Aztec people through a class discussion. Students will be able to understand the Aztec culture by participating in a creative activity.

Materials/Resources

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Prezi presentation of Aztec history Images of Aztec culture, architecture and religion/mythology. Markers and Paper so that students can create their own Aztec symbol.

Learning Activities:

Prezi presentation on Aztec history and culture.

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Short quiz. Class discussion asking students what they think happened to the Aztec people. Students will create their own Aztec symbols and explain their meaning.

Asessment:

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Students will complete a short quiz which will test basic Aztec terms. Students will create their own Aztec symbol using actual symbols as guides.

Course Text Applications:

Tuned In and Fired Up - The portion of this book that will be used is connecting the material to the student. The symbol activity will accomplish this by showing students that the Aztecs made their own symbols and assigned them a certain meaning; the same activity that each student in the class will be completing. Each student will choose a word/ideal/talent that means a lot to them and they will create their own symbol from this word. Turing on Learning - This book offers many ways to circumvent the traditional classroom but the way in which this will be done in Mrs. Morrisseys class is by single group study. The Aztec represent a distinct cultural group within Mexico and by closely studying their culture students will gain greater insight into the history of Mexico and possible the rest of early Mesoamerica. The Differentiated Classroom - Students will be able to embrace their creative side and escape the traditional activity which is representative of an idea within the book. In a more traditional classroom this type of activity would often be frowned upon but students in Mrs. Morrisseys class are not traditional learners therefore the learning process must take a different approach. This will easily be achieved through the create your own symbol activity.

Allison Bullard Chicano and Puerto Rican American Poetry of Identity Time: 2 class periods

Goals and objectives 1. After viewing video clips, students will discuss similarities and differences in the experiences of Puerto Rican Americans and Mexican Americans (Chicano) and make connections to their own cultural backgrounds. 2. After discussing Ending Poem, students will use anaphora to write and/or perform their own poem of identity

Course texts application Tuned In and Fired up: inspire students to use a poetry form to express their own experiences give students sufficient quiet time and space to write The Differentiated Classroom:
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use visuals (videos) and both written and oral forms of content and expression to broaden the appeal of the lesson to students with different learning styles clone the task of writing a poem along a ladder so that student s can express their learning in a way appropriate to their skill level

Turning on Learning: ask students to connect the poem they write to their own background and cultural heritage o working in small groups/pairs will allow students to get feedback on and practice sharing their poems Relevant Standards from Common Core & ELL Framework
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CC.9-10.R.L.6 Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature. 2:2-2.A.t (9-12) Interpret text. 2:2-2.A.v (9-12) Analyze, synthesize and construct meaning from text. CC.9-10.R.L.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). 2:2-3.B.f (9-12) Use context to construct meaning.

CC.9-10.W.3.d Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters. 2:2-3.C.p (9-12) Use elaboration and specific details. Procedure Part I (8:30-9:15) 1. Introduce self, co-teacher. Ask students to write and put name badges on and arrange chairs in semi-circle. Today, were going to be talking about identity, about identity in different cultures, and our own identity: who we are. selves with two I am statements lets start (5 min) 2. Watch video: Mexican American Cultural Identity (7:15). To introduce film I know you have been 3. Lead class discussionaround questions of identity: (5 min.) 1. What is identity or cultural identity (what makes you you?) 2. How do the women in the video feel about speaking Spanish and about speaking English? 3. What makes someone a Mexican American? 4. Are there things that you identified with in the film? 5. Do you feel connected or not to your parents culture? 6. Transition: There are a lot of different cultural groups in the US with their own identities, or who struggle to define themselves. One group that is well represented in New Britain is Puerto Rican Americans. A few years ago, a filmmaker set out to explore their lives and identities. 7. Watch video: Puerto Rican Passages (2:20) 8. Note that Puerto Rican American identity is similar to, but different from Mexican American identity. Discuss similarities/differences and make notes in table on board (5 min.) 9. Introduce poem, Ending Poem. This poem was written by a mother and her daughter who are poets of Puerto Rican Ancestry. Rosario, the mother, grew up in NYC, in the South Bronx. Aurora, her daughter was born in Puerto Rico, and her father was of Ukrainian Jewish descent. (1 min) 10. Distribute poems. Ask students to imagine the poets mother, Aram, daughter, me in their heads, when we finish reading the poem an idea of who those characters are, what they look like, etc. Read poem 1st time, alternating lines with Co-teacher, who will read the mothers lines (indented). Ask for student volunteers to read 2nd time. (5 min) 11. OK, now were going to take a closer look at the language. Ask students (in pairs/groups) to read a section (1-4) of poem and complete qs on worksheet(5 min). Ask to move desks for pair work. 12. Each group shares section and discusses qs (10 min) End 9:15 Part II 9:20-10:05

1. Warm-up activity (2 min) 2. OK, we looked at the poem on the level of meaning, now were goin g to look at some of the poetry elements. Introduce poetry term:anaphora, with example from poem I am. Ask students for examples of anaphora from songs, etc. Ask students to find examples of anaphora in the poem. (5 min.) 3. Have students use a graphic organizer to generate ideas for an identity poem using anaphora I am____________ with alternating lines for themselves and a relative (5 min.) 4. In pairs, students share the ideas generated with the graphic organizer (3 min). 5. Teacher shares personal graphic organizer, models putting 2 ideas in the form of free verse on whiteboard. Asks students to put 2 additional ideas in the form of free verse. (5 min). 6. Individually, students write anaphora identity poems (10 min.) 7. In pairs, students practice performing their poem. (5 min) 8. If desired, students share poems with class. (5 min) 9. Recap/finish for homework (2 min) 9:55/10 10. Evaluation slips (3 min) Formative and summative assessment. 1. Through class discussion, assess students ability to analyze and construct m eaning from text and audio-visual material. 2. Identify appropriate use of anaphora and concepts of identity and cultural heritage in students poems or spoken-word performances. 3. From end of class exit slips, assess students learning and engagement in the le sson. Materials
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Namebadges, markers Flash drive with: Video: Mexican American Cultural Identity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG1VwaPmpXs Video: Puerto Rican Passages (Puerto Rican Migration to Connecticut) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAH9msjEWKY (stop at 2:20) Copies: Ending Poem (w/ vocab) 2 Voices Graphic Organizer Starter poem prompt lined paper exit slips for evaluation Flipboard w/ sample graphic organizer Flipboard markers

Kyle

Goals and Objectives Students will examine the origins of cultural collision between Europe, Africa, and the indigenous peoples of Puerto Rico Course Texts and Applications
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Tuned in and Fired Up- Allowing the students to assist each other in cooperative activities provides the opportunity for student lead learning. Turning On Learning- The lesson focuses on the history and cultural development of Puerto Rico and thus utilizes a Single Group Studies approach to learning. The lesson also utilizes a human relations approach to learning because it incorporates cooperative learning and cross group communication. Relevant Content Standards Social Studies- Standard 2: Time, Continuity and Change Procedure The teachers will pass out poster size maps of the Atlantic Ocean for Students to label and color(10min) o Students will use string to trace the first two voyages of Columbus.(10 min) o The teacher will discuss various effects of Columbus discovery of the Americ as(15 min) o Columbian exchange o Triangle Trade- scenario activity using map o Cultural integration o Closure: Teacher will answer any question and give students the opportunity to make comments on the lesson(5 min) Assessment: Teacher will assess student understanding formatively through participation in discussion and completion of mapping activity during lecture, and summatively through an activity where students must match commodities from the triangle trade with corresponding locations.
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Steven Moore History of Ulama Math of Ulama

Angela Capolupo Chapter Ideas: Multicultural Education Exceptional or Culturally Different

Goals: Students will understand the use of adobe bricks in Mexico and the reasons for the uses behind them.

Objectives: Students will be able to differentiate between building materials used in the United States vs. Mexico. Students will be able to give examples of characteristics of architecture in the United States vs. Mexico. Students will mold "adobe" bricks.

Procedure: 1. Draw an arch on the board and ask students what they think it is. 2. Write up on the board the different ideas that the students may have. 3. Ask students what houses in the United States are mostly made of. Have a discussion about what kind of materials their houses are made of. ~What is good materials? ~What is good for certain areas? ~Do the material types make a difference? 1. Have students come up to the board and draw out different types of houses that they see every day. 2. Explain about adobe. ~Composition ~Uses

~Pros & Cons Have students discuss why or why not we could use adobe in Connecticut. Discuss where in the United States we can use adobe. Have students explain why many Mexican homes are made of adobe. Have students explain different characteristics of houses that can be replicated in an adobe house. 10. Using the sand have students construct "bricks". ~Have students explain how adobe is made (from previous discussion) ~Have students explain why just sand and water will not hold. ~Explain drying process. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Assessment: Throughout the lesson, students will be asked questions and asked to explain themselves. Assessment will take place in the actual discussions.

Teacher Name: Colin Pachucki Class: Mrs. Morrissey NBHS Grade Level: High School Topic: Mexico and P.R. culture, geographical features, and tourism Date: 4/21/2013

Essential Question: How are Mexico and Puerto Rico unique and what similarities do they have? Learner Background: Students have some personal experience with P.R. and some are from Puerto Rican descent. The students were mostly unfamiliar with Mexico. Standards: National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies, 1- culture, and 9- Global Connections Student Objectives:

Students will be able to improve their writing and reading skills through note taking and construction of a travel brochure. Students will evaluate the 6 topics discussed and explain some aspects they found important by writing them down . Materials/ Resources: Access to projector, power point presentation, paper, markers Learning Activities: Power point presentation on 6 topics for both P.R. and Mexico Guided questions to initiate discussions that will break up the presentation, on 3 out of the 6 topics. Description of travel brochure, ideas for designing it Construction of travel brochure with the assistance of Matt and I. We walked around the room going from student to student to compliment their work and provide guidance for them to continue their design. Each student will present their brochure and describe an important aspect of the design they wre particularly interested in. Assessment: The first assesment was the quality of note taking that each student completed. These notes were essential to adding points to discussion, and to draw information from when constructing the brochures. The second assesment was the participation in the discussion, and the creation of brochure. The third assesment was the content included in the brochure, and the student presentation of important aspects of their brochure.

Connections to Reading Differentiated Classroom- page. 18 states that information that is organized around categories increases informations meaningfulness. Our presentation broke the information into 6 topics. The book also states that every child is entitled to the promise of a teachers enthusiasm, time and energy. We included all of those when preparing and teaching the lesson.

Turning on Learning The Cultural Human Being Presentation was similar to our lesson. This was in the chapter of teaching the Culturally different. The after lesson asks students to describe the media, cuisine, language and leisure activities of family member that lives in a different town, state, or country. Some of these same core cultural components were discussed in our lesson. The students were also asked to present their analysis to the class. The students shared correlations between their family and the unit, as well as personal experiences. o There was also a lesson on Environmental and Ecological Studies. Both of these topics adressed in the discussions. The students also described the importance of the envionment and natural feautures to these nations. The pollution of the locations will eventually destroy the wildlife if changes are not made. Tuned in and Fired Up- pg. 75 when the class is reading poems and is relating them to their own experiences, Mia stated that the "poem gave an idea to understand things she feels and does." This relates to the way our presentation was able to ask students to include personal reactions and connections. The students drew similarities between Mexico, P.R. and New Britain CT.
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Matt Berube Goals: The students will partake in class discussion from topic to topic and add additional information to what we provided from their own past experiences. The students will be able to identify why brochures are important and what makes a brochure worth reading. Objectives: The students will understand and regurgitate some similarities and differences of Puerto Rico and Mexico. Throughout the lesson the students will be working on their listening, note taking and discussion skills. Procedure: Present PowerPoint presentation back and forth between 6 different topics of Puerto Rico and Mexico. Pre-assigned questions for 3 of the topics to help initiate in class discussion.

Explain the brochure and the concepts of how to design one efficiently to appeal to the consumer. Each student will choose either Mexico or Puerto Rico to construct their own brochure. Each brochure will consist of the 6 different topics discussed in the presentation. Each student will present their brochure that they have created and briefly describe each of the topics. Assessment: How well the students listen and take notes. How well the students partake in class discussion. How well the students present their brochure to the rest of the class. Eric Latronica: Lesson plan Goals: 1) Students will gather knowledge about evolutionary processes, being shown distinct examples from the Icacos Reef in Puerto Rico. Students will briefly explore the adaptations of symbyosis, body shape, the formation of now body parts, and camouflage. This will be done through an interactive presentation witha Prezi. 2) Students will create a visual representation of their own personal camouflage. Students will use this to explain ways in which they attempt to blend into their enviroment and ways they try to stand out. This will assist students in understanding the roles they play in their society. Procedure: Introduction to evolutionary adaptations in the form of a prezzi. Students will be expected to respond to prompted questions using scientific reasoning and personal experience (15 Minutes). Students will draw the "camouflage" they wear every day. There is freedom with this assignment. As long as students can explain how they use what they draw for camouflage in the discussion portion then their work is acceptable. (20 minutes). Students will present their camouflage describing what they drew and how it represents them. Students also need to describe how this reflects the biological necessity of camouflage. (10 minutes). Assessment:

Students will be assesed on two main facotrs. The first factor will be their participation in the discussions during the presentation. Students are expected to provide relavent and coherrent feedback that is both well thought out and shows insight into the subject matter. Secondly students will be assessed on their feedback during their presentation of their own camouflage. Students are free to draw things they feel represent them as long as they can relate it back to the lesson in clear and meaningful ways. I saw several ways of doing that, all of which produced facinating and indepth results.