Unit Lesson Plan

November 2014

Artifact Description
The following artifacts are components of a Chapter plan on the Thirteen English Colonies. The
first two items are the weekly lesson plans. This outlines the various types of assessment that is
included within the unit. The chart included in the artifacts is a class KWL chart. As a class we
went through what the class already knew about the early colonists. Then, as a class we went
through what we wanted to learn about the colonists and the colonies. The last section on the
chart is what we learned throughout the chapter. These points are the main ideas of the chapter.
The final artifact are three comprehension checks that I included to assess student learning for
each section in the chapter. The Chapter covers the initial founding and later success of the
British colonies on the East Coast of North America. The purpose of the various activities is to
aid the students in their understanding of the people and their predicaments at the time. The
lessons also comprehensively act as a foundation for future teachings of the American
Revolution and following constitutions. I taught this material in five American History classes
of approximately 25 students each, in the second nine weeks of my student teaching experience.
Wisconsin Teacher Licensure Standard Alignment
This experience best aligns with standard eight of the Wisconsin Teacher Development and
Licensure Standards which states: The teacher understands and uses formal and informal
assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical
development of the learner.
This experience aligns with standard eight because I used my understanding of different types of
assessments in order to incorporate them into and throughout my Unit plan. My knowledge of
the students in my classes, how they learn, and what they know has helped me to incorporate
assessment that helps me to gauge their learning and comprehension. The various activities that
are present throughout this plan are ways for me to assess how much the students are grasping of
each concept. The KWL chart and the class discussions help me to formatively assess what the
students understand. The combination of these types of assessments guide me in modifying my
plans and the way I teach in order for the students to have an optimal learning experience. I have
combined classroom interactions, different forms of questioning in our whole class discussion,
and my analysis of their work in order to comprehensively assess the student understanding of
the content. I have included several summative assessments at the end of each section. Those
are in the form of a re-teaching worksheet. The combined formative and summative assessments
served two purposes. The first purpose was to ensure the students are understanding content in
order to understand that time during history. The second purpose was to understand the broad
concepts that will effect events in more recent history.
As a result of this experience, I am more competent in this standard because I incorporated
different assessments to identify the students strengths and points the students might need

covered again. By doing this, I felt I was able to promote student growth in social studies and in
self-assessment of their understanding. I was able to effectively observe students as they worked
in order to assess if they were going in the right direction and if they needed help on any of the
major concepts being covered.

UW-Platteville Knowledge, Skill, and Disposition Alignment

This experience best aligns with KSD1.f. Assessing Student Learning. This KSD states: The
candidate understands, is committed to, and can develop assessments that are clearly stated and
congruent with instructional goals. The students are aware of how they are meeting the
established standards and are involved in the goal setting process.
I have incorporated various types of formative assessment into the Unit plan according to the
content covered by the chapter. The different formative assessments are in line with the major
concepts, while leaving some room for the students to freely express their current understanding
of the material. The students are involved in showing their comprehension of the material. By
giving the students several ways to do this, they all get a chance to show their comprehension.
The summative assessments in the plan, including reading comprehension, act as a way to
determine if more coverage of the material is needed.
I am more competent after this experience because I can integrate various types of assessment in
order to promote student progress. I have been able to clearly outline my expectations in the
activities the students complete. The other class activities involved class discussion and reading
comprehension in order to bolster the activities and the ideas they present.
Secondary KSDs
KSD1.b: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content
KSD3.d: Providing Feedback to Students
KSD4.b: Maintaining Accurate Records
Reflection What I learned about teaching/learning
As a result of this experience I have learned teaching is about more than teaching material and
giving the students a test. I can better see the progress the students are making by continually
assessing them throughout the chapter. I have also learned when and how modifications need to
be made based on those assessments. The assessments dont do much good if they dont change
the way I, as a teacher, am teaching. The cooperation of assessments can also be an effective
way to teach the material. The different activities the students do are learning mechanisms as
well as assessment tools.
What I learned about myself as a prospective educator
As an educator, I have learned about how vital assessments are in order for me to teach
effectively. I find myself naturally working assessments into the lesson plans in order to make

sure my instruction is coherent and accurate. In order for me to make sure I am being effective
and the students are learning the concepts I am teaching, assessments of all kinds are important.
I also find I enjoy the types of assessment I have worked in because I enjoy when students do
well and understand the concepts. I also learned about the amount of effort and time it takes to
make adjustments when modifications are required. Sometimes it takes me a while to make
effective adjustments to the material, while other modifications are easier to make.