“Halloween Night”: Performing Arts Lesson Plan Name:  Kristi  Shintani    

Grade:  4    

Date:  October  23,  2013    

Duration:  60  -­‐90  minutes    Materials  Needed:    1.) “Halloween  Night”  by  Marjorie  Dennis  Murray  2.) Voice  Cards  (assignment  of  volume  and  context  –  see  attached  form)  3.) Scene  Cards  (see  attached  form)  4.) Reflection  Handout  (See  attached  form)  Space  Set-­‐up:  The  desks  will  have  to  be  moved  to  the  sides  of  the  room  to  make  space  in  the  center  of  the  classroom.    Since  the  student’s  desks  are  split  up  into  4  groups,  I  will  have  each  group  move  their  desks  one  at  a  time  to  a  designated  area  in  the  classroom.    The  chairs  will  be  arranged  in  a  circle  in  the  center  of  the  classroom.    Plans  for  Videotaping:  I  will  bring  a  video  camera  from  home  to  use  for  my  lesson.    My  mentor  teacher  or  field  supervisor  will  help  with  the  videotaping;  a  tripod  is  needed.    Context  for  Learning:  From  my  context  for  learning  survey,  I  learned  that  I  have  a  few  students  who  like  drama  and  like  to  perform  in  front  of  others.    A  majority  of  the  students  like  to  act  and  do  fun  activities,  but  are  too  shy  to  perform  in  front  of  their  classmates.    I  am  going  to  teach  the  drama  elements,  VIBES,  to  encourage  students  to  try  new  things.    I  will  also  be  taking  notice  of  their  interests  to  make  the  activities  more  engaging.    I  will  also  be  sensitive  to  those  who  are  too  shy  to  perform;  I  want  all  the  students  to  feel  safe  in  the  classroom.    Background/Previous  Lessons:  My  lesson  will  be  an  introductory  lesson.    The  students  have  not  been  exposed  to  this  type  of  arts  in  school.    The  only  performing  arts  they  encounter  is  learning  to  dance  and  sing  chants  from  their  Hawaiian  studies  teacher.        Performing  Arts  Content  Area:  (pick  one)  

 Dance    Music    Drama    HELDS  –  Creative  Domain  

 

Integrated  Content  Area:  (pick  one  if  an  Integrated  Lesson)  

 Language  Arts    Math    Science    Social  Studies    Health    Visual  Arts    Other:_______________  

 Academic  Vocabulary  related  to  the  Performing  Arts  strategy:  (List  and  define  the  words  using  kid  friendly  language.)  Tableau:  A  tableau  is  a  freeze  frame  used  to  tell  a  story.    Actors  use  their  bodies  and  imaginations  to            Show  their  ideas  or  impersonate  a  certain  character.    Projection:  Projection  is  the  strength  of  speaking  or  singing  where  the  voice  is  used  loudly  and  clearly.  Vocal  Expression:  The  expression  of  emotions  through  voice.  Performing  arts  strategy,  elements,  skill,  or  knowledge:  I  expect  the  students  to  learn  the  elements  of  

drama,  VIBES  (voice,  imagination,  body,  ensemble,  and  story).    I  plan  to  integrate  this  lesson  with  a  language  arts  lesson  as  well.    This  is  useful  to  know  because  the  students  can  learn  different  ways  to  use  their  voices  and  bodies;  as  well  as  different  ways  to  express  themselves.    It  will  also  encourage  them  to  be  excited  about  reading,  since  I  am  reading  them  a  Halloween  story.    The  students  will  also  become  more  comfortable  around  each  other.      Big  idea,  understanding,  and/or  essential  question:  The  purpose  of  this  lesson  is  to  understand  the  elements  of  drama  and  the  different  ways  they  can  use  these  techniques  to  express  themselves.    Most  importantly,  I  want  to  students  to  learn  to  be  comfortable  in  their  own  skin  and  to  not  be  ashamed  of  who  they  are.    How  can  you  use  the  elements  of  drama  in  your  everyday  life?    

Standard/Benchmark Specific content area standard/benchmark – performance task gives students opportunity to demonstrate knowledge to meet the benchmark

FA.  4.3.1  Interpret  a  character’s  external  motivations.                  The  student  portrays  a  character’s  external  motivations  through  voice,  dialogue,  and  body                  Actions.  FA.  4.3.2  Use  the  voice  to  express  emotion.                The  student  uses  emphasis,  pace,  pitch  and  volume  to  show  the  emotions  of  a  character  as  part                Of  a  dramatic  scene  (e.g.  anger,  happiness,  sadness,  excitement).  SL.  4.1  Engage  effectively  in  a  range  of  collaborative  discussions  (one-­‐on-­‐one,  in  groups,  and  teacher                  Led)  with  diverse  partners  on  grade  4  topics  or  texts,  building  on  each  others’  ideas,  and                  Expressing  their  own  clarity.  GLO  #1:  Self  Directed  learner  GLO  #2:  Community  Contributor  GLO  #5:  Effective  Communicator    

Assessment Formative assessments applied appropriately throughout lesson Summative assessment includes checklist or rubric

Task:    I  will  have  each  group  perform  their  tableau  to  assess  whether  they  are  or  are  not  successful  in  recreating  a  familiar  story.    After  all  groups  have  performed,  I  will  have  a  short  whole  group  discussion  about  what  we  just  learned.    When  the  discussion  is  over,  I  will  hand  out  a  reflection  worksheet  where  I  will  assess  likes  and  dislikes  and  what  they  took  away  from  the  lesson.

ASSESSMENT  TOOLS    Formative  Assessment:  I  will  be  doing  a  short  discussion  and  a  reflection  to  see  what  the  students  have  learned.  

Evaluation  Checklist  (data  tool):  _______  Student  can  use  their  voice  at  different  volumes  and  emotions  _______  Students  can  use  imagination  in  a  pantomime  _______  Students  can  interpret  a  story  through  a  tableau  _______  Students  can  describe  ways  to  use  the  elements  of  drama  in  everyday  life      

Activities/Instructional Strategies    15  minutes    

 Introduction:    I  will  have  the  students  sit  in  a  circle  in  the  center  of  the  classroom.    I  will  introduce  the  lesson:  “Hi  class!    Today  I  will  be  introducing  the  elements  of  drama.    Does  anyone  have  any  experience  with  drama?”    They  answer.    “Why  do  you  think  it  is  important  we  learn  about  drama?    Suppose  you  don’t  want  to  be  a  big  movie  star  or  actress,  how  will  these  drama  skills  help  you  in  life?    …  We  will  discuss  more  about  this  after  the  lesson.”      

• “I  understand  that  you  are  not  the  best  actor,  I  am  not  the  best  actor  myself!    But  it  is  important  that  we  learn  about  drama  because  believe  it  or  not,  we  use  drama  in  our  everyday  lives.    For  example,  I  know  A  LOT  of  you  play  sports!    When  you  want  the  ball  from  your  teammate,  you  yell  their  name  really  loud!    Guess  what?    Voice  is  an  element  of  drama.    It  is  important  we  learn  drama  because  it  teaches  us  different  ways  to  express  ourselves  and  use  our  bodies.    So  everyone,  lets  give  it  try.”  

• Then  I  will  tell  the  students  what  I  will  be  teaching:  “I  am  going  to  teach  you  the  elements  of  drama!”    I  will  write  the  acronym  on  the  board.    “V  stands  for  voice,  I  means  imagination,  b  means  body,  e  is  ensemble  and  s  is  story.    I  am  going  to  teach  you  this  because  it  is  important  that  you  know  the  different  ways  you  can  use  your  body  and  voice  to  express  yourselves.”    

30  –  45  minutes    

2.  Main  Lesson    • First,  I  will  introduce  Voice  (10  minutes).    Introduce  vocabulary  words:  

Projection  and  Vocal  Expression.    I  will  have  them  split  up  into  five  groups  of  five  and  have  them  say  a  word  (as  a  group)  at  different  volumes  (soft,  medium,  loud)  and  with  different  emotions  (cold,  scared,  tired).      

1.) “HI”  –  Loud  –  Happy  2.) “Bye”    -­‐  Soft  –  Sad  3.) “Friend”    -­‐  Medium  (normal)  –  Tired  4.) “School”  –  SUPER  quiet  –  Surprised  5.) “Loud”  –  Loudest  you  can  –  Angry  

• Next  I  will  introduce  Imagination  (10  minute  miracle).    I  will  do  the  magic  box  activity.    “The  activity  we  are  going  to  do  next  will  be  in  pairs.    We  are  going  to  use  our  imagination  to  see  what  is  in  each  other’s  magic  boxes.”    I  will  demonstrate  what  is  in  my  box:  fishing  pole,  water  and  a  telephone.    I  will  

split  them  up  into  pairs  where  they  will  share  three  things  that  they  put  into  their  magic  boxes.    No  talking!        

• I  will  introduce  a  tableau  (5  minutes):  “So  a  tableau  is  a  freeze  frame  that  tells  a  story.”    Do  a  demonstration.    Ask  for  volunteers  to  do  a  baseball  game  scene.    Choose  3  students  to  be  the  umpire,  batter,  and  the  pitcher.    Explain  that  the  actors  cannot  move  and  cannot  talk.    They  use  their  body  and  facial  expression  to  show  us  which  character  they  are  portraying.    “So  in  groups,  you  are  going  to  work  together  to  recreate  a  story  that  I  am  going  to  read  to  you.    You  are  going  to  use  your  imagination  and  emotion  to  make  a  freeze  frame  that  will  tell  us  a  story.”      

• Read  the  story,  “Halloween  Night.”  (5  minutes).      • Group  the  students  in  5  groups  of  5  students  and  give  them  a  postcard  with  a  

scene  on  it.    “On  each  postcard,  I  listed  a  line  from  the  story.    Your  job  is  to  create  a  tableau  with  your  group  members  of  the  scene  I  gave  you.    I  will  be  walking  around  to  help  you  if  you  need  it.”    Give  them  10  -­‐  15  minutes  to  prepare  their  freeze  frame.      1.) Group  1:    Stiff-­‐legged  Zombies  awoke  from  the  dead,  as  moth  eaten  

mummies  arose  from  their  beds.  2.) Group  2:    The  pumpkins  all  grinned  with  ghoulish  delight,  as  little  green  

creepies  made  treats  for  the  night  (goblins).  3.) Group  3:  A  vampire,  a  mummy,  a  yellow-­‐eyed  cat,  a  fairy,  a  ghoul  and  

plump  little  rat.  4.) Group  4:  But  what  they  saw  on  that  shadowy  night,  made  each  little  

trickster  shiver  with  fright.  5.) Group  5:  From  the  ten  little  tricksters  came  ten  little  shrieks,  and  away  

they  all  ran  down  the  cobblestone  street.  • Have  everyone  perform  his  or  her  tableau  (2  minutes).      • After  the  performance,  have  the  students  sit  back  in  a  circle  and  begin  the  

short  discussion.    Remind  them  of  the  elements  of  drama  and  what  they  took  away  from  this  lesson.    1.) Why  is  learning  to  express  ideas  and  feelings  with  your  voice  important  in  

life?  2.) How  does  imagination  help  us  to  create  good  pantomimes?  3.) How  can  learning  about  drama  help  you  in  your  life?  

 15  minutes   3.  Closure:  After  the  activities  are  finished,  I  will  pass  out  a  short  reflection  for  the  

students  to  fill  out  (see  attached  form).    I  will  ask  the  questions:  What  did  you  learn  from  this  lesson?    How  will  you  apply  it  to  your  everyday  life?    What  did  you  like  and  dislike  about  this  lesson?    Draw  or  write  how  you  felt  performing  your  tableau.    Would  you  like  to  learn  more  about  drama?  

Differentiation Plan Differentiate the learning environment, content, process, or performance task for individuals or small groups (e.g., accelerated, ELL/MLL students). Identify the type of need (e.g., ELL/MLL, accelerated students, reading needs, 504

List the type of differentiation (learning environment, content, process, or performance task) and tell how

students, struggling learners, enrichment) you will differentiate ELL/MLL

NEP: provide clear instructions. Display instructions on the board for visual assistance.

FEP: provide clear instructions. Display instructions on the board for visual assistance.

Struggling Learners

Have the three students be in the same group. Provide extra assistance with their group. Have them verbally answer their worksheet questions.

Mentor Teacher or Educational Assistant will be available to help with their group.

                             

Performing Arts Lesson: Elements of Drama Reflection 1.) What did you learn from this lesson? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2.) How will you apply this to your everyday life? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3.) What did you like AND dislike about this lesson? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4.) Draw or write about one of the tableau you’ve seen. Explain how you know what character the actors were portraying. 5.) Would you like to know more about drama? Why or why not? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Performing Arts Rubric

Benchmark 1 (Well below)

2 (Developing proficiency)

3 (Meets

expectation)

4 (Exceeds

expectation)

GLO

#1:

Sel

f-Dire

cted

Lea

rner

I can act like a certaincharacter using my voice, words, and body actions. (FA. 4.3.1 Interpret a Character’s external Movements. A student portrays a Characters external Motivations through Voice, dialogue, and Body actions.)

- Group members do not use body movements at all - Group members do not work together to portray their character - Students tableau does not portray an accurate representation of the character

- Group members only use ONE part of their body to create actions - Only 1 or 2 people are contributing to the assignment - Students tableau does a mediocre job of portraying character

- Group members use half of their body to create expressive actions - Group members work together in a cooperative fashion - Student’s tableau represents the character

- Group members use their entire bodies to create expressive actions - All group members contribute ideas and express all the GLO’s - Student’s tableau accurately represents the character

GLO

#2:

Com

mun

ity C

ontri

buto

r

I can use my voice at different volumes and with different emotions. FA. 4.3.2 Use the voice to express emotion. The student uses Emphasis, pace, pitch and volume to show the emotions of a character as a part of a dramatic scene.

- Student is not engaged in the activity and does not speak assigned words - Student cannot express correct emotion - Student cannot use their voice at different volumes

- Student mouths the words and does not use expression - Students can recognize emotions but cannot express them -Student does a mediocre job of using their voice at different volumes

- Student participates in the activity and uses expression - Students express the correct emotion - Student can use their voice at different volumes with some help needed

- Student is fully engaged in the activity by reading the assigned words with great expression - Student expresses correct emotion - Student can accurately use their voice at different volumes

GLO

#5:

Effe

ctiv

e co

mm

unic

ator

I can effectively participate in different types of discussions and with different people. SL. 4.1 Engage Effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on Grade 4 topics and texts, building on each other’s ideas, and expressing their own clarity.

- Student does not participate in discussion - Student argues with classmate in a negative way - Student communicates in a disrespectful way by saying put downs and negative comments

- Student is listening to the discussion - Student can communicate thoughts but may need help with clarification - Student is disrespectful to the thoughts of the other students and the teacher

- Student contributes to the discussion by saying 1 or 2 things - Student can communicate thoughts in a positive way but may need clarification -Student is respectful and understanding to his/her classmates and the teacher

- Student is fully engaged in the discussion - Student can communicate thoughts in a clear and positive way - Student is respectful and understanding to his/her classmates and the teacher

Student Assessment Checklist

NAME Use voice at different volumes & emotions

Use imagination in a pantomime

Interpret a story through a tableau

Volume Cards

“HI”

Volume: LOUD Emotion: HAPPY

“BYE”

Volume: SOFT Emotion: SAD

“FRIEND”

Volume: Medium (normal)

Emotion: Tired

“SCHOOL”

Volume: SUPER SOFT Emotion: SURPRISED

“LOUD”

Volume: LOUDEST YOU CAN!

Emotion: ANGRY

Scene Cards

Group 1: Stiffed legged zombies awoke from the dead, as

moth eaten mummies arose from their beds.

Group 2: The pumpkins all grinned with ghoulish delight, as little green creepies (goblins) made treats for

the night.

Group 3: A vampire, a mummy, a yellow-eyed cat, a fairy,

a ghoul and a plump little rat.

Group 4: But what they saw on that shadowy night, made

each little trickster shiver with fright.

Group 5: From the ten little tricksters came ten little

shrieks, and away they all ran down the cobblestone street.

Final Performing Arts Lesson Reflection Questions 1. What happened in my lesson?

a) What went well during the instruction? What did not go as well during instruction? I think that overall, my lesson went smoothly. The students were really engaged in my activities; I was surprised at the level of participation I received! A majority of my students are extremely shy, so I was shocked to see that a lot of them volunteered to act in front of the others. The students were more excited than I anticipated, so I did not have their focus for as long as I thought I would. During the instructional time (where I had discussions or explanations), the students were too excited about the activity they did or were going to do that I did not have a lot of time to teach (without having to stop and redirect their attention).

b) What adaptations or modification did I make to my plan while teaching? I did not have too many adaptations; I mostly stuck to my lesson plan. But I did notice that when I split them into groups during the first activity (voice), a lot of them were arguing with each other. So during the tableau activity, instead of keeping them in the same groups, I had to switch the groups up to prevent fighting. When I was walking around to each group during work time, I noticed a lot of them needed didn’t have a plan ready in 10 minutes, so I had to extend the time limit for these groups.

c) What ideas do you have to improve your lesson or address problems? One change I would make is to have individual assignments for each student in a tableau group. As I was walking around, I heard one student say, “I wanted to be a pumpkin!” and another student say, “I don’t want to be the witch!” So to prevent these arguments, I would randomly assign each student a part in the tableau so they cannot fight over which character to portray. I also noticed a lot of questions about what to do for the handout reflection I gave. Next time I would go over what each question meant and what I expect. I also noticed some questions about the new terms I taught. For example, “What was a tableau again?” Next time I would display a power point or a paper on the ELMO, with the terms and definitions that I introduced so they won’t forget.

2. What evidence can I show about the learning of three contrasting students? Collect samples of their work and score the work according to the assessment criteria in your lesson plan. Be sure to copy your rubric or checklist to score each student

Student samples are attached at the end Student #1: Let’s call her “S.”

a) Describe what each of the three students learned as a result of instruction. In the reflection handout, I asked the question, “What did you learn from this lesson?” Student S responded by writing, “What I learned from this lesson was the Elements of Drama. I used my voice, imagination, body and story.” I was impressed that she wrote this because we learned so many new words and activities. She was able to write down what I discussed and which elements we used.

b) Discuss the learning needs for each of the three students. Use data to discuss your next steps for each student based on their individual needs.

Based on my prior knowledge of student S, I knew she was very shy. I mentioned in my earlier assignment that she speaks so softly that I need to put my ear by her

mouth to hear her. So I need to provide a safe learning environment for her so that she can open up and not be afraid to be herself. I think I did a good job of providing a safe classroom because she volunteered to demonstrate the baseball game tableau. As next steps for her, I would encourage her to do different activities and encourage her to try her best.

c) How effective was your assessment plan for getting information about the students’ learning?

I think my assessment plan was really effective for getting information about student S. As you can see, I selected meets expectations instead of exceeds expectations for standard SL.4.1 because she only contributed 1 or 2 things in the discussion. I know she is very quiet and is hard to hear over other students, so I think having a worksheet and checklist was more effective than a discussion assessment. She was able to write down everything she wanted too and she able to say her own opinions without worrying what her classmates would think. I also noticed that she wants to learn more about drama. So in next lessons, I will try to integrate to teach her more.

Student #2: Let’s call him “J.” a.) Describe what each of the three students learned as a result of instruction.

Based on my question, “What did you learn from this lesson?” Student J responded by saying, “I learned that we need drama in are life.” This was the main takeaway I wanted students to learn: that drama is critical in our lives. So I was proud that student J wrote this. He could have expanded more and wrote more details but I know he does not like to write or do assignments.

b.) Discuss the learning needs for each of the three students. Use data to discuss your next steps for each student based on their individual needs.

Student J is very outgoing and loves to talk. I had some difficulty teaching when he was talking to the students around him. But his data was very interesting to read. While I was watching my video, student J was very excited. He asked me if we could perform and do the pantomime in the middle of the circle. But on his worksheet he wrote, “I did not like that we had to go up and act. And I like that we played magic box.” Based on what he said, I concluded that he does not like it when he has to act a certain character (tableau); he prefers to choose what he acts out (like in magic box). So as next steps, I will do more activities where he has the freedom to choose what he wants to do so that he will become more comfortable. When he learns to be comfortable, maybe he will like acting out a character in front of everyone.

c.) How effective was your assessment plan for getting information about the students’ learning?

I think my assessment plan was okay in assessing student J. Based on what I learned from my previous lessons, I know he loves to talk and have fun, but when it comes to academics, he can have some difficulty. So I feel like a discussion would be better suited to get information from student J than a handout. I could have gotten better answers from this student.

Student #3: Let’s call her “A.”

a.) Describe what each of the three students learned as a result of instruction. Based on my question, “What did you learn from this lesson?” Student A answered, “I learned from this lesson is the Elements of Drama! I also learned what VIBES means. It means Voice, Imagination, Body and Story.” I was happy that this was her takeaway because it was the main portion of my lesson. She left out ensemble but I could have done better to explain what that was.

b.) Describe the learning needs for each of the three students. Use data to discuss your next steps for each student based on their individual needs.

Student A takes on a very strong leadership role. She likes to be in charge and tell people what to do. When she was telling her group partners which parts they have to play, I heard one group member argue back and say he didn’t want that part. So I would try different activities where she can play lead roles, as well as supporting roles. Based on previous lessons, I noticed she was very outgoing and eager to perform. So I would create activities for her to blossom and encourage her to learn more and improve her acting skills. As next steps, I would introduce harder acting techniques. She can learn different acting skills and have more opportunities to perform.

c.) How effective was your assessment plan for getting information about the student’s

learning? I think my assessment plan was effective for getting information about student A. She is outgoing but also takes great pride in her work. She writes slowly so she can think about exactly what she wants to say. So I think having the discussion was effective but I think the handout was just as effective as well.

3. What three (3) best practices did I use or wish I had used (e.g. create a safe learning environment.) Give supporting evidence from watching your video. Note: this does not refer to B.E.S.T. practices of dance but the best practices for teaching arts. 1. Best practice #1: Build a safe creative environment

I’ve been working on building a safe learning environment since my first lesson with this class. All throughout my lesson, I made sure to call on different people so that everyone would get a fair chance to talk. When I was watching my video, I noticed myself saying, “Good job” to some students while working in groups. This is important because as teachers, we need to encourage students and let them know we are recognizing their hard work.

2. Best practice #2: Practice and use management tools. I felt like this was the best practice that I improved on. I took note from my first lesson that the kids will be excited, so I need to step up my classroom management and learn to project my voice. I noticed that in my video I did just that. I learned to project my voice and practiced my attention getter, “1, 2, 3, all eyes on me!” I also said, “Okay! Voices off!” I am really proud that I am doing better with classroom management. I also decided to write this one because I feel like I could improve. I noticed my expectations and rules could have been clearer, so I feel like I also really need to improve on this best practice.

3. Best practice #9: Scaffolding I feel like I could have kept scaffolding in mind. I was too nervous about the

Formal observation that sometimes the student’s needs slipped my mind. For example, going into more depth about vocabulary for the children in special education. But I do feel like my 10-minute miracles were a good, simple strategy to teach for an introductory lesson. Next time I will learn to take a deep breath and take a look at everything I need for the classroom.

4. What was the impact of my lesson on diverse learners (ELL/MLL or SPED or Gifted or Multiple Intelligences or combination.) My lesson went great for all my diverse learners! I made prior rearrangements for the students in SPED to stay in the classroom so that they could experience my lesson. I thought my Halloween lesson was perfect for them! It was awesome that all my diverse learners knew about Halloween and the creatures that are associated with the holiday because it made it easier for them to be apart of the activity. It was fascinating too because the SPED students are away for a majority of the day, so it was nice to see them interacting with their classmates. I got to see a new side of the ELL students as well. Because my tableaus didn’t use voice, I saw them using their bodies to communicate with me instead. I saw all of my students laughing and enjoying the activities. I knew I made an impact on them because the day after my lesson, I heard one of the ELL students talking about it. He came up to me after recess that day and said, “Thank you for teaching me yesterday! It was fun!” It was really heartwarming. 5. In what ways did your lesson support Common Core Standards for Language Arts or for Math? Be specific. You may discuss the potential for addressing Common Core. My lesson supported the common core standards for language arts. Since I read a story to them, I was able to assess their reading comprehension and understanding when I had them do the tableaus. I also was able to assess their speaking and language common core standards (SL.4.1). Which states that students can engage in discussions about fourth grade topics and texts. During my discussions, I was able to see what students will say about my lesson. I was also able to assess their writing. As directions for the worksheet, I told them they had to write in complete sentences. By reading their papers, I was also to see their use of conventions and Standard English rules (L.4.1 and L.4.2). Since my handout was more of an opinionated paper, I could assess if they actually could write their opinions down on paper, addressing common core standard W.4.1. 6. What have I learned about my own teaching strengths and what is my personal goal for professional growth in performing arts education? I learned a lot about myself from my first actual lesson. I learned that I have the confidence and courage to get up in front of those 26 faces and do my lesson. I learned that they are just kids, I have nothing to be afraid of. I learned that I could dig deep and find my own teaching voice. I noticed in my video that I yelled quite a few times, which is so unlike me because I hardly raise my voice. Sometimes I feel like I will not be a good teacher, but I realize that it is just the beginning. I have so much more to learn! Its okay to make mistakes and its okay to lose track of where you are in the lesson plan, you just have to learn from your experience. My mentor teacher said she was really proud of me because she noticed great improvement from my first activity (context for learning). She was happy that I took her advice and showed her what more I can do. My personal goal for professional growth is learning to a role model in the performing arts. I am shy, I am not the best actor, and I’m not that expressive,

but I want to learn to change that. Kids love it when teachers are fun and expressive! I want to be a role model, someone who is not afraid to dance, sing, or act in front of students. This will be important because if I can learn to do this, my students will see that it is okay to be like this as well. We can do and learn so much in the performing arts.

Student Sample 1: “S”

Student Sample 1: “S” Rubric

Student Sample 2: “J”

Student Sample 2: “J” Rubric

Student Sample 3: “A”

Student Sample 3: “A” Rubric