The artifact that I chose to illustrate Standard 2: Content Area and Pedagogical Knowledge was a science lesson I created

with two other classmates that we implemented with small groups of kindergarten and first grade students. The lesson was developed around a set of objectives created with applicable standards in mind. These objectives targeted the skill sets and interests of the children, ensuring that the lesson would not only engage the students hearts, minds, and bodies; but also be a lesson in which they could succeed. During the implementation of the lesson, my cooperating teachers and I worked to ensure, through differentiation, that each individual students was working to meet the goals and objectives outlined in the lesson. The artifact I selected encompasses Knowledge Indicator A: Understands theories and philosophies of learning and human development as they relate to the range of students in the classroom because, through anticipated student responses found in the lesson outline, you can see my ability to anticipate and appropriately respond to a range of student abilities, needs, and interests. This is seen through my understanding that not all students have the same math ability level and my willingness and flexibility through instruction to change the way I present the material to individual students while still making certain the goals of the lesson are met. Furthermore, this artifact addresses Performance Indicator: Uses a variety of explanations and multiple representations of concepts that capture key ideas to help each student develop conceptual understanding and address common misunderstandings because within the artifact, I have outlined potential misunderstandings, questions, or concerns that the students may have and then have also included an explanation as to how I will assist the student in overcoming these issues and continuing to learn successfully in the lesson. This artifact shows my professional development as a novice teacher because through the planning and instruction of this lesson I am demonstrating my full understanding of the subject matter. Furthermore, I am also showing my ability to adapt standardized goals into engaging lessons for young learners while still maintaining the academic importance of lessons.