Narrative Reflection on Exploring Identity, Rules, and Consequences Unit Plan

Narrative Reflection on
Exploring Identity, Rules, and Consequences Unit Plan
Jessica Schneider
University Of Pennsylvania
Graduate School of Education

Narrative Reflection on Exploring Identity, Rules, and Consequences Unit Plan

Narrative Reflection on
Exploring Identity, Rules, and Consequences Unit Plan
While I have never formally taught, I have created several lesson plans in my work with
students. I have held small group tutoring sessions, lead an afterschool class and even stepped in
as a permanent substitute figure in a classroom before. Each time I would create a lesson plan, I
would always think about what fun games and creative activities we could do and then try to
formulate a lesson around that. Sometimes it worked and other times it was clear that the
learning activity was the main focus on the lesson and that the objective of it fell flat. I assumed
that I just didnt have enough experience in lesson planning, which is why some of my lessons
were unsuccessful. I had never considered approaching lesson planning in a different way until I
was exposed to Backward Design, which as Tomlinson and McTighe (2006) describe as
(planning) backwards with the end in mind (p. 138). The three steps of Backward design are
first to identify the desired results, then to determine acceptable evidence of student learning
and finally to create learning activities and experiences along with instruction (p. 141-142).
This was the first lesson I have ever planned this way. When I decided I wanted to create
a lesson involving figurative language, it was hard to resist the urge to plan according to all the
great ideas I had: figurative language bingo, figurative language jeopardy, or gallery walks
involving student made figurative language posters. As a teacher, it can be very easy to focus on
trying to make learning fun with activities, games, drawing and group work, but if these
activities arent coupled with essential questions, measurable goals and a clear idea of where you
want students to end up, it can be hard to tell if the students truly learned. Creating a lesson with
the backward design template challenged me to think about what the true goals and objectives
were for my lesson and how I was going to ensure that my students were achieving these goals.

Narrative Reflection on Exploring Identity, Rules, and Consequences Unit Plan

While establishing goals first, prior to activities, isnt all that unheard of, what was really
surprising to me about the backward design method was creating an assessment prior to the
learning activities and instruction. This was so foreign to me, but as I went about planning my
unit plan, it made so much sense. Establishing a final performance task first held me much more
accountable for making sure everything I planned would help students truly learn and
understand. While being introduced to the backward design method changed the way I thought
about lesson and unit planning, there were many other theories of teaching and learning
considered when planning this unit.
This lesson was created with the intention of being implemented in the first week of
school. As a cohort, we have discussed the importance of setting clear and high expectations and
being transparent and consistent with our students on classroom procedures and consequences.
During my summer placement with Leaders of Change (LOC), I had the opportunity to speak
with recent high school graduates who all cited that their best teachers to have been clear about
what they wanted and made sure to set the bar high. This is why it was very important for me to
find a creative and democratic way to establish rules, expectations and consequences within the
first few days of class. Along with setting high standards, the students of LOC expressed their
disdain for teachers who only assigned worksheets and expected them to be quiet for an entire
period. The LOC students were also responsible for reading Habermans (1991) piece titled
Pedagogy of Poverty, which prompted many of the students to tell horror stories of teachers
relying solely on independent class work to teach students. Haberman criticized the behaviorist
ideas that many urban teachers and schools have around teaching in saying, the teaching acts
that constitute the core functions of urban teaching are: giving information, asking questions,
giving directions, making assignments, monitoring seatwork, reviewing assignments, giving

Narrative Reflection on Exploring Identity, Rules, and Consequences Unit Plan

tests, reviewing tests, assigning homework, reviewing homework, settling disputes, punishing
noncompliance, marking papers, and giving grades (p. 290-291). While all of this has its place
in a classroom, when I created this unit plan I tried to veer away from standard behaviorist
teaching. By incorporating as much group work as possible, I am hoping to establish the idea that
students can be resources for each other, and recognizing that I, as the teacher, am not the only
source of knowledge in the classroom. Its important for students to partake in reciprocal
learning, where they have the opportunity to lead discussions, ask questions of one another, and
feel as if the information and knowledge they already possess is important to share. Allowing
students to work together on day 2 to create figurative language visual aids will not only allow
them to view each other as resources, but by having them present their posters to the class puts
them in a leadership role and allows them to teach their peers about something new.
Not only is reciprocal learning important for establishing students as resources for one
another, but also a great way to cultivate a growth mindset within students. Having a growth
mindset is essentially when a student feels as if they are capable of rising to academic challenges
and that they are capable of learning, despite any difficulties, while a student with a fixed
mindset might believe they cannot grow academically and if they are challenged by something it
is because they are not good at it and never will be (Dweck, 2010, p. 26-29). Establishing early
on in the classroom that all students have knowledge can help those who are in a fixed mindset
believe that this is a space for them to grow. Helping students understand their strengths and their
ability to contribute to the classroom will show them that, despite any previous challenges, this is
a space where their knowledge is respected and they are encouraged to share it.
In LOC, I met students with fixed mindsets and have witnessed how detrimental this is to
their performance in a class. Toward the end of the class, many students managed to grow

Narrative Reflection on Exploring Identity, Rules, and Consequences Unit Plan

academically and were able to recognize their own ability, but it was very jarring at first to see
the amount of self-doubt in many of these students. I was left wondering how Claude Steeles
(1997) idea of stereotype threat played into their fixed mindset. Steele defines stereotype threat
as the threat that others' judgments or their own actions will negatively stereotype them in the
domain (p. 613). She cites examples of women performing poorly on math tests when they are
being compared to men and African American students performing poorly on academic tests
when they know their scores are being compared to their white counterparts. (Steele, 1997, p.
613- 623). All of the students in LOC were students of color and many openly admitted to
feeling stereotyped or boxed into assumptions made about them. In my classroom, I want all
students to feel welcomed, safe and able to succeed, regardless of any part of their identity. This
is why I think the concept of culturally relevant instruction and culturally relevant pedagogy is so
important to student success (Ladson- Billings, 1995, 465- 491; Delpit, 1995, p. 21-46). The idea
behind culturally relevant teaching is to allow students to bring their own culture to the
classroom and incorporate the culture of students into instruction. In my unit plan, I have created
space for culturally responsive instruction and dialogue. I hope to see this done in the Oops I
goofed activity, where students are encouraged to share a time they broke the rules. I want
students to not only explore rules in schools, but also rules in their home lives and to discuss how
different the expectations might be at their home versus at their school and how the definition of
fairness might be affected by culture. Students discussing their interpretations of rules, both in
and out of school, will expose them to the culture of others and will help build community within
the classroom. By allowing students to discuss their familys rules and expectations of them, and
using these stories to create a classroom set of rules, hopefully students will recognize that their
culture, their family and their identity are valued within this classroom. I also plan on allowing

Narrative Reflection on Exploring Identity, Rules, and Consequences Unit Plan

English Language Learners (ELLs) or any other student who might speak a different language at
home to incorporate their native language into their storytelling. This will not only show an
appreciation of their culture, but also show students how capturing native language in written
dialogue and in personal narratives is an effective way of storytelling and of expression.
Allowing ELLs to utilize their native language in their written assignment is not only an
example of culturally relevant teaching, but also of Tomlinson and McTighes (2006) idea of
differentiation in the classroom. Differentiation is a way for teachers to assess the needs of
individual students and respond to those needs by modifying instruction, assessment and activity,
with one of the key principles being a need to address student readiness, interest, and learning
profile (p 138). Differentiation can be a bit difficult to maneuver, especially within the first
week of class. In order to differentiate assignment for students, there needs to be a good class
community built around high expectations for everyone but also a respect for individual identity
and need. Within my first week, I am hoping to start building that community. I also plan to
focus on one of the key principles of differentiation by allow(ing) students appropriate options
for showing what they know (p 139). In my very first learning activity, students are asked to
create a nameplate with a description of their identity using a simile or a metaphor. I will also ask
students to make sure the meaning behind their description is clear, for example, a student cant
just write Jon is like a cheetah; the student must explain why. This can be done through
writing, illustration or any other way they feel can clarify. These nameplates will be collected
and used to create student work groups. Ideally, I would be able to tell a little bit about each
student by not only how they chose to describe themselves, but also in what way they chose to
explain themselves. The students groups would have a mix of students who hold different
identity values and can articulate their understandings in different ways. In another part of my

Narrative Reflection on Exploring Identity, Rules, and Consequences Unit Plan

lesson, I have student anonymously submit post-it notes with examples of ways in which they
express themselves, which will allow introverted students to still have their voices heard in class.
Using groups and student led discussions can also be a way to differentiate teaching. This allows
students to take leadership but also allows myself, as the teacher, to assess their understandings,
their enthusiasm and ability in order to help me cater further learning to each students individual
strengths. Finally, in the performance task, students will be allowed to select the audience in
which they write their personal essay to. The options will be writing for a teacher, writing for an
editor of a magazine, writing for a friend and writing for a child. Each one will have different
stipulations, some will have word limits, some will use photos or illustrations, and some will
have requirements around language and vocabulary. This will allow students to chose what
audience they believe they will best be able to articulate their understanding of personal essay,
their own story, and figurative language. In my opinion, an important step in differentiating the
assignment is to highlight the difficulties of each one; this will show students that no assignment
is inherently easier than the other. The most important aspect of differentiation of my final
performance task is choice. Students need to learn that not only is there more than one way to
communicate understanding, but that this may look different for them depending on the topic,
their interest in it and their experience with it. Allowing them to choose how to express their
understanding will only give them more agency in their education.
While I have truly put a lot of thought not only into this lesson but how it aligns with
what I have learned about teaching and learning, there will always be concerns, questions and
room for improvement. One of my greatest concerns in implementing this lesson is time. While I
have, in my mind, scheduled enough time for everything I want to cover, there is little time for
anything else. And as I have experienced both in LOC and my previous work in schools, things

Narrative Reflection on Exploring Identity, Rules, and Consequences Unit Plan

that diverge from the lesson plan arent always bad. I am worried that I wont have enough time
to really discuss the culture of my students as it relates to identity (their descriptions of
themselves), rules and consequences. I want to be sure not to squander any class community
building conversations for the sake of what I have planned for the lesson. This raises another
concern for me because we have discussed in class how important classroom community is when
trying to differentiation teaching and assessment. Without a good understanding of my students
need, a well-built trust, and a good relationship between students, differentiation can easily feel
like making things easier or simplified for students, while others are held to a different
standard. I have many questions relating to whether or not my students will actually be able to
answer the essential questions I have posed and if my activities line up completely with what I
am asking of my students. In my mind, its very easy to say they do, but I wont truly be sure
until I see it in the classroom. While there are concerns and questions raised during my planning
of this unit, many of these issues will depend on my flexibility as a teacher. With everything I
have learned about effective teaching and engaging students in their learning, one of the most
important things I have learned, through observation and conversation, is the value of flexibility.
I believe my lesson is a comprehensive look into identity, culture, rules, consequences, and
effective writing, with clear goals and proper evidence of learning. I have created space for
diversity in learning and understanding and I have made time for student conversation and
community building. But as prepared as I may feel, when I actually get into the classroom, its
most important to be flexible and work around the needs of my students, which truly captures
everything I have learned about being an effective teacher.

Narrative Reflection on Exploring Identity, Rules, and Consequences Unit Plan

References

Haberman, M. (1991). The Pedagogy of Poverty versus Good Teaching.

Phi Delta Kappan, 290-294
Delpit, L. (1995). The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People's
Children. In Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom (pp. 21-46).
New York: New Press.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy.
American Educational Research Journal, 465-491.
Steele, C. (1997). A Threat in the Air: How Stereotypes Shape Intellectual Identity and
Performance. American Psychologist,52(6), 613-629.
Tomlinson, C., & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating differentiated instruction & understanding by
design connecting content and kids (pp. 138-142). Alexandria, Va.: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Dweck, C. (2010). Mind-Sets and Equitable Education. Principal Leadership,
Vol. 10, Iss. 5, 26-29.