Below you will find a collection of materials and lesson designs that I have created for use in my classroom. I strive to be creative and innovative in design engaging and meaningful learning experiences for my students. While some of the examples below were developed independently, many of these examples were designed in collaboration with my grade level colleagues. I consider myself to be a creative mind, but I find so much value in working with my team to discover even better ideas to help our students learn. The smartest person in the room, is usually the room.
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This is an example of a unit plan that was created with my team and adapted over the years. In this reading unit, we focused on nonfiction text, specifically understanding the five text structures: compare and contrast, problem and solution, cause and effect, chronological, and description. This unit plan shows a lot of what I do in the classroom: gradual release when introducing new topics, scaffolding to support low and ELL students, and differentiation to support and extend learning.
As a 5th grade teacher, I like to use a lot of interactive notebooks and note-taking strategies with my students in order to prepare them for middle school and sixth grade. I find students like the structure of taking scaffolded notes that they can then use on assessments. Please note I specifically choose not to include photos of my students due to privacy concerns, but most of my lessons involve students working together, either in small groups or with partners. You'll see a lot of this in the lesson portion of my unit plan. |
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Much like with reading, my teaching style involves lots of group work, hands on lessons, and interactive notebooks. In math I also try and teach my students several strategies for solving. For example, in this unit example I taught four different strategies for dividing. By teaching lots of strategies my students are able to use and find the right strategy that works for them.
In math especially, I commonly use dynamic small grouping in my classroom. Rather than having static small groups in math I strategically use formative assessment frequently to assess student learning as we go. Then based on the needs of the students, I'll pull small groups and either reteach the same topic or back up in the scope and sequence of standards to review a foundational concept that is creating a learning gap. Please note that this unit lesson plan is based on our current district-adopted curriculum (enVisions: Common Core) and how I use that curriculum in my classroom. As you will see, when needed I will adapt the curriculum lesson to the needs of my students and my teaching style. |
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One of my favorite things to do each year is spend time creating and designing my classroom. The students and I spend so much time together in this space, it's important to me that the environment is inviting and engaging right from the start. From light covers, to student groupings, I love creating a positive and imaginative space while still leaving plenty of wall space to feature student-centered work and academic materials.
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