Proficiency D

Advanced Achievement Level

Demonstrates knowledge of instructional resources that assist in such activities as writing and updating curriculum, creating lesson plans, and organizing data regarding student performance.

Instructional Management

I use instructional resources to organize, plan, and manage the classroom.

Uses tools to organize and achieve professional work.

I use many instructional tools to organize my classroom and my units. As my partners and I prepare for the school year, we plan our units and align them with the Michigan Core Curriculum. In order to do this, I use Excel or MS Word to prepare a spreadsheet in which we make a unit plan calendar. In order to complete the calendar, we use the MI Climb website to organize the standards and benchmarks for each unit. We then refer to the National Technology Standards website to integrate technology standards into each unit. The calendar is printed and saved to our desktop for future reference.
I have also used Excel to create comparison charts. One such chart shows several reading selections my reading group had read. Students used it to compare literary components of each selection.

Uses specialized software to achieve professional work.

While I do not use one type of software consistently, I refer often to several websites to help me develop tests, puzzles and maps. One way I’ve used puzzles is to create a crossword puzzle activity which assessed student understanding of measuring concepts we covered in a math lesson.
Through the Avant Go program, I have Map Quest installed on our handheld computers to use with students. Last year and I created a tour of the community, "Home, Sweet Home", which required the students to locate landmarks in the community using their handhelds. I also used Power Point to show historical locations in our community.

Regularly tests and evaluates new tools for improving classroom management.

As I become more familiar with handheld computers, one goal of mine this year is to purchase a program that will allow me to make informal and formal records of my students, as well as record grades, seating charts, etc... I am currently researching possible applications and plan to apply for a grant from a local organization, the Plainwell Education Foundation, to make the purchase for next year.
I am interested in using an on-line grading program and was pleased to learn that our district would begin using the Pinnacle grading program in the high school and middle school this year. It’s success will be evaluated and hopefully installed in each of the three elementary buildings next year.