Carusi Middle School

My name is Anne Carrel and I am relatively new to the teaching profession spending the last twenty years in business. I bring a wide array of experience to my teaching including a strong work ethic, organizational skills and a deep belief in the importance of a child’s education. I completed my undergraduate studies and graduated with honors from Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey where I majored in English and Education.

Philosophy of Education:

I believe students learn best when given choices. The philosophy of Spencer Kagan reaffirms how I feel about cooperative learning and I believe his approach is a must if we are to survive in the twenty-first century.

My personal philosophy of education stems from a belief that education is essential in obtaining knowledge, and knowledge is power. I believe in Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. I truly believe in his basic ideology and strategy for understanding the capabilities in all of us. Since one of the lessons I have learned in life is that most people strive for the same things but just have different ways to attain them. In order to reach/teach all children, we have to understand that each one has all seven intelligences but some areas need to be nourished more than others are.

My desire and passion for teaching goes back to when I was about 5 years old. I can still recall trying to organize a classroom, mimic a teacher by using the chalkboard and loving the idea of teaching something to someone else. I believe this passion along with an open minded attitude towards learning new things everyday, and giving children every benefit to learn will help me to accomplish my dream and realize that the best philosophy for teaching is to do what works best for the children. I also believe that if you practice what you preach in life, children will emulate you. A good role model in today’s society is probable one of the best gifts a teacher can give her students.

Overarching Understandings:

After completing the 7^th grade Language Arts course at Carusi Middle School, students will be equipped to read, comprehend and write an essay that incorporates the proper paragraph formation, punctuation, grammar and subject-verb agreement.

They will also have an understanding of the importance of reading and of establishing reading strategies. They will appreciate the art of poetry, and that reading is the key that will open any door, which they choose to walk through in life.

They will also leave my class appreciating the nuances of working together for a common goal and the belief that everyone can read but at a different pace.

Essential Questions:

In what ways will your cultural background give you a deeper understanding of literature?

To what extent can reading the newspaper affect your dreams of success?

How will your knowledge of world events contribute to your health, as you grow older?

How can a learner use life experiences to develop literacy?

How can a learner improve both as a reader and as a writer?

Assessment:

Students will demonstrate that they are meeting the standards by being able to identify and incorporate the appropriate standard to the particular piece of work that they are performing.

Students will use group discussions, projects, peer editing and evaluation, and rubric assessed essays and research papers. Students are given study guides, coaching rubrics, objective lists, and homework reinforcement so that there is a clear expectation of what is expected to complete assignments. Students are also part of the process of writing and evaluating a rubric.

If students fail to meet the standards objective, students are invited to retake a test, are given the opportunity to get extra help and are also given extra credit for specific work completed for each marking period. There is also help available after school every day from Monday through Friday from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. with a language arts teacher.

Content:

Topics to be covered are novels, both fiction and non-fiction. Different genres of literature, such as, poetry, drama, short stories, fiction, non-fiction, biographies, etc. They are also exposed to a wealth of research information available at the Carusi Library. They will read independently and also become acclimated with oral presentations. They will keep a daily journal and also a portfolio of writing assignments, posters, letters, narratives and research projects. They will be exposed to the Internet and be able to use technology in all aspects of Language Arts

The students are exposed to life skills throughout the course by their interaction with other students in a group setting. Their ability to complete peer editing and make fair and credible evaluations of peer work. Their exposure to standards set by myself in dealing with students in a fair and appropriate manner. There is also constant reinforcement by incorporating essential questions in their daily journal writing dealing with life skills and their personal feelings about the world around them.

Students will become better communicators through the writing process and by listening and reading that will benefit them in all other content areas. As students work in all content areas, they will be perfecting their knowledge of the essential mechanics of the English Language. At this grade level, we will specifically work on the paragraph. Students will understand how to communicate their ideas effectively in paragraph format. This will be evaluated in all content areas through Language Arts.

 

Skills To Be Taught:

Students will be able to recognize different genres of literature. They will have read at least ten novels, five independently and five during the course of the year. They will have an expanded vocabulary and be able to write a well-written sentence. They will have completed at least four essays including a personal narrative, a research paper, a cause/effect paper, and a fictious paper. They will understand and be able to incorporate specific reading and writing strategies into their work. They will have an understanding of poetry and also write their own poetry.

Students will be able to understand and write a rubric and be able to assess their own work based on a rubric.

Students will have a better appreciation of written language by writing in their journal on a daily basis.

Meeting Different Needs:

All students learn and respond to different teaching styles and techniques. Student understanding is met by incorporating different learning methods that emphasizes clear expectations and a purpose and objective for each task. This is established with a balance of activities over the course including unique lesson designs, classroom organization, and flexibility in completing tasks, reinforcement techniques, vocabulary and linguistic requirements and providing hands on tasks.

For example, I complete mini-lessons before each writing assignment to demonstrate how to complete different writing strategies, such as, a story web, composing, editing, reviewing and finally publishing. I incorporate visual cues, give out typed, clear expectations of upcoming assignments, students are given examples, students discuss topics in whole class discussion, and in cooperative groups. Students demonstrate understanding orally, in project format, through production, and also in written form. Students not meeting the standard are referred for additional assistance during MAC, before school, or after school.

Resources and Materials:

• Computer

• Internet

• Printer

• Library

• Media Center

• Textbooks

• Novels

• Web Sites

• L.A. Binder

• Student Planner

• Daily Journal

• Point breakdown of points assessed for each marking period for assignments