Alyssa Supple

Professor Suk
Educational Field Experience EDUC 230-13
Spring 2015
Rationale Statement Unit Plan NJPTS Standard Eight
Statement of Standard Eight:
Instructional Strategies.The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional
strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their
connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways (NJPTS, 2014, p.
33).
Name of Artifact: Unit Lesson Plans
Date of Artifact: March 12, 2015
Course: Education Field Experience EDUC 230-13
Rationale Statement:
To incorporate every aspect of Standard Eight into my three-unit lesson plan
would be impossible, but the understanding of each performance, essential knowledge,
and critical disposition, as presented by the standard, significantly shaped the way in
which I went about composing this artifact. In retrospect, I realize the disposition around
which my lesson plans were significantly based is that which states: The teacher is
committed to deepening awareness and understanding the strengths and needs of diverse
learners when planning and adjusting instruction, (NJPTS, 2014, p. 35). The purpose of
my lesson was not only to teach my students about poetry meter, but also to make the
material relevant to them by teaching them new methods of understanding that will make
them better learners, as well as better thinkers.
As a student myself, I can relate to the animosity many students feel towards
learning about poetry, but from my experience, I have learned that the way in which a

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teacher goes about teaching a lesson strongly impacts ones feelings about the subject.
When it comes to meter in poetry, instead of just having students memorize the different
types of meter and apply it absentmindedly to an assignment, I found it best to adopt a
full-body method of teaching that strongly impacts student understanding of the material.
Meter is rhythm around which our lives revolve, and to be able to appeal to the different
learners in the class be they more inclined to musical, linguistic, or logical methods of
learning makes the material of greater relevance. Standard Eight alludes to this concept
as it states: The teacher provides multiple models and representations of concepts and
skills with opportunities for learners to demonstrate their knowledge through a variety of
products and performances, (NJPTS, 2014, p. 33). In this way, I presented the material
through many different means and media, and I furthermore had the students take the
material and mold it into something unique and personal by having them compose their
own poetry. If I were to redo these lesson plans, I would probably spend more time
having students actually performing in the class, or I would conclude the unit with a
performance that allowed for the students to showcase their understanding and to reflect
on how each lesson has built up to a cohesive end result. This would appeal to Standard
Eight Essential Knowledge point four: The teacher understands how multiple forms of
communication (oral, written, nonverbal, digital, and visual) convey ideas, foster selfexpression, and build relationships, (NJPTS, 2014, p. 34). But, in the end, it comes
down to how the student feels about the classroom, and it is the teachers job to
[value] flexibility and reciprocity in the teaching process as necessary for adapting
instruction to learner responses, ideas, and needs, (NJPTS, 2014, p. 35).

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Completing this artifact has shown me how, no matter how in-depth you make
your lesson plans, there are always going to be changes occurring in the classroom.
Through numerous corrections and reevaluations, I still see room for alternative methods
in, and different interpretations of my lesson, which means my students will be able to
see these, and even more. But, the better prepared I can be with these lesson plans, the
easier it will be to make accommodations on a daily basis. I cannot physically write out
all of the different strategies I am going to implement on any given day teaching, as you
never know when you will be presented with one of those teachable moments that
occurs off-the-cuff, but the way in which this exercise has opened my mind has proven
invaluable preparation for my future career.
I plan to use lesson plans such as these in my future, but I am willing to reevaluate
the pace of my lessons to better suit the learners in my classroom. As a lifelong learner
myself, I look to grow from my experiences as a teacher completing exercises such as
this, as I aspire to grow alongside my students.
References
Professional Development in New Jersey. (2014, August 4). Retrieved from New Jersey
State Department of Education: http://www.state.nj.us/education/code/current/
title6a/chap9c.pdf