Post Reflection

When Martina and I first began collaborating on the Unit Plan, I felt overwhelmed by the number of tasks and activities we had to complete. I wasn't sure exactly how each step of the process was supposed to take place and felt a little lost at times. I can see now that the project was very open-ended and, after reading the other collaborative wikis, that resulted in each unit plan being very unique. At the end of the process, I am pleased that it went very smoothly and ended up being a positive experience. I am proud of the work we accomplished and feel like each lesson and activity is something that students would learn and benefit from. I am happy to say that none of the activities felt like "busy work," they all had a purpose. Martina did an excellent job in creating inquiry-based learning experiences in her lessons. I am also happy with the number of learning styles and cross-curricular subjects we addressed in the lessons.

One benefit of teacher/SLMS collaboration is that there is better focus as both contributors are working to achieve pre-determined goals. Working as a team in planning curriculum creates better structure and allows each person to use their strengths to provide the best learning experience possible. As a teacher, I always enjoyed collaborating with other teachers and knew that when two or more people are working on curriculum planning, there is greater creativity and a more well-rounded curriculum. Unfortunately, I, like most teachers, generally planned my curriculum on my own. This was usually due to time constraints or just a lack of someone to turn to. I can see now that consulting my school media specialist would have been a positive option, although I rarely considered it when I was a teacher.
Overall, I am very happy with what Martina and I were able to accomplish. I feel like I have a better understanding of the collaborative process and I am sure the experience would not have been as positive if I was working on the unit plan alone.

Assessment

Martina and I are coming to a close in our unit plan. It feels good to have all of the components in place and now just add or modify small details. I am very happy with the progress and the variety of assessment tools we used. Martina did an excellent job in incorporating evidence-based learning throughout the unit. Each first grader has a science journal to record observations, ask questions and complete small assignments. The science journals are used in the classroom as well as in the media center. At the end of the unit, a large group project and presentation are assigned and these are assessed by a rubric. Martina developed a multiple-choice online test using www.proprofs.com. I was not familiar with this website and I think it is an excellent assessment tool.

As far as displaying work for stakeholders, we decided to video record the student group presentations and put them on the school's website. We also decided to display the group posters in the media center, along with a book display about butterfly life cycles.

Mid-Planning

I feel like things are progressing well on our wiki. I have to admit, I have been very busy with midterms and haven’t added much to the wiki in the last week or two but yesterday, I was able to set aside a big chunk of time to work on the unit plan. Martina uploaded several lessons she has used in the past about butterfly life cycles. The lessons are excellent, they are full of inquiry-based learning. The lessons involve actually observing butterflies as they go through the stages of the life cycle. The children make predictions and log observations in a science journal.

I looked through Martina’s lessons and included modifications I felt she could use for English language learners and students with learning disabilities. I spent a lot of time trying to find practical modifications that could be easily incorporated in the lessons. I identified where Martina used AASL standard skill indicators and noted those in her lessons. Any notations or additions I made to her lessons I put in a violet color, to show that these were added in to the lesson by the SLMS.

I am currently working on two lessons to add to the wiki. Both will be lessons I could teach in the media center that connect to what is going on in the classroom. I am developing a lesson about The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert. This lesson would give the students the chance to share with me what they’ve learned about the butterfly life cycle and reinforce their learning. We will also be able to compare the two books and talk about similarities and differences.

Another lesson I am working on is a technology lesson, using an online resource that Martina has used with her students before called BrainPop Jr. The program has a short video that reinforces life cycle vocabulary and has several activities and games that relate to the video.

When it is finished, I feel like the unit is going to be very well-rounded and address most, if not all, of the AASL standard skill indicators. The lessons I’m working on will enhance and reinforce what is going on in the classroom and will bring in additional learning in literacy and technology.

Early Planning

I am very pleased with the progress Martina and I are making on our Unit Plan. Martina is an excellent partner and she has kept me on track as I’ve had a very busy month with traveling for family responsibilities and working on my three other classes. Martina and I decided to create a unit on the life cycle of the monarch butterfly. Martina teaches the first grade and I was very excited to develop a unit that she could use in her classroom. The unit may be science-based but has great potential for curriculum integration and for teaching information literacy.

We developed a set of driving questions that would encompass the unit plan subject matter.

1. Why is it important to stop, look, and observe clues in my world? (Characteristics of monarch Larva)
2. What are the characteristics of the monarch larva that help it grow and live?
3. What do monarch caterpillars eat?
4. What are the observable physical characterstics of the monarch pupa?
5. How many stages are there in the life cycle of a Monarch butterfly?
6. What is metamorphosis?
7. What is a chrysalis?
8. What are the observable physical characterstics of the Monarch Butterfly?
9. What functions do butterfly body parts serve?


We also created a set of driving questions to be addressed by the teacher and the media specialist:

Driving Questions for the SLMS
1. How do I teach students to locate information on a topic?
2. How do I use student time in the media center to further learning about life cycles?
3. How can I integrate technology resources?
4. Where do I find the best possible digital and print resources to assist teacher planning?

Driving Questions for the Teacher?
1. How can I get first grade students to understand the life cycle and metamorphosis of a butterfly?
2. How can I integrate Science and Literacy?
3. How can I assess student learning?


Martina created a list of roles and responsibilities for our unit plan. It is becoming evident that these roles will be changed and recreated as we comment and collaborate on each other’s work.

We are currently examining lesson plans Martina created for a similar unit in the past, adding new assessment strategies and goals from the AASL Standards. I am also attempting to add resources and adaptations for diverse learners, as this is one of my responsibilities in the collaboration.

I have no experience in creating wikis but I am beginning to like the format. It is fun to get online and see what Martina has updated and how I can add to or modify the information.

My main concern as the media specialist is finding age-appropriate strategies for teaching information literacy. My contact with first graders is limited and I will need to further research and consult with Martina to determine what this age group is capable of when it comes to research or computer skills.

Pre-Planning

Up until this point, I feel like I have given very little thought to the actual Unit Plan and spent my time on setting up. I am starting to become comfortable with the wiki and I already have some experience with blogger.com, so that shouldn't be a problem. My main concern at the moment is that I am not exactly sure what this project entails. I, like most students, love to have all the expectations spelled out for me but that generally does not happen. So, I will take it a step at a time.

I am very grateful that we are able to partner with another student in the class. I had a teacher partner selected but I knew she was going to be of minimal help on the assignment because she is so busy and she does not have the personal stake in the project that I do. I asked a few other teacher friends and their response was some variation of "okay, but don't expect too much." I am excited to work with Martina, I can tell she is dependable and hardworking.

I am also happy to be assigned as the school librarian (I am trying to use the "new" title). While I have no experience working in a media center, I am hoping to gain more knowledge about the profession through this project.

I have some experience in teacher/school librarian collaboration. When I taught high school in Las Vegas, the librarian was very helpful and knowledgeable. While we did not collaborate on specific items of curriculum, she was always interested in hearing about my student's assignments and quick to recommend library resources that would supplement my curriculum. She set aside library funds for teacher recommendations and worked with departments to choose new items for the library collection.

I have a good deal of experience in teacher to teacher curriculum collaboration. One thing I have learned is that educators are passionate about their profession and their ideas. It can be difficult at times to get everyone on the same page because teachers are used to being the final say on what happens in their classroom. I can think of many times when teacher collaboration ended in hard feelings and negative resolutions. One major asset is flexibility in these circumstances. I remember one instance when three art teachers in my department came together to plan the curriculum for beginning, intermediate and advanced art. Our goal was to make the classes build from one level to the next so students would have a uniform art experience, regardless of who taught the classes. This is a common for most academic departments but not always in the electives. It was particularly difficult because all three art teachers came from different backgrounds, generations and art specialties and had completely different views on how art should be taught. We were all convinced that our way was the right way! This collaboration went on for many weeks and was a good learning experience. I learned that our ultimate goal, to provide a sense of structure throughout the art curriculum, was worth the time and compromise necessary to accomplish it.

I have some reservations about the Unit Plan project. In my experience with group projects, the planning stages are always the most difficult. This is compounded by the fact that rarely do the group members actually talk or meet face to face. Most communication is conducted through email, making brainstorming a challenge. I am eager to work with Martina to develop an Unit Plan idea. My hope is that it will be something she can use in her classroom and will be beneficial to her students.

Kara and Martina's Collaboration

I am just in the preliminary planning stages, there will be much more to follow!