Crucible Connections
Sara A. Barlow
April 28, 2009
1
EDU 327: Teaching to the Standards
Daemen College,
Spring 2009
District and School
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2
Placement District: North Tonawanda
Placement School: North Tonawanda
High School
Cooperating Teacher: Mrs. Stawisuck
*This information can be found on p.2 of the written L.E.
Grade Level/Ability of Students
3
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Level: Regents English 11
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Ability: Wide range of ability (Since there
are no Honors sections provided in NT’s
curriculum, all students are grouped into
the Regents courses, in all subject areas. )
*This information can be found on p.5 of the written L.E.
Additional Student Information
4
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Special Needs: No additional
modifications were necessary other
than those on the modification table.
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Number of Students: 3 sections of
Regents English 11, 72 students total,
22 students in the class represented by
the data in this Learning Experience
*This information can be found on p.5 of the written L.E.
Time Frame
5
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Planning: 3-4 hours
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Implementation: 3 days
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Assessment: about 15 minutes per student
for all 3 assessments together
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Schedule: This L.E. makes up the last 2
days of a five-week unit on The Crucible.
*This information can be found on pp. 28-29 of the written L.E.
Goals/Purpose
6
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To have students understand
McCarthyism.
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To have students be able to express the
connection between their own
experiences and those in The Crucible
and McCarthyism through structured
written response.
*This information can be found on p. 4 of the written L.E.
Objectives
7
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Explain in verbal and written form an
understanding of McCarthyism
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Express orally and compositionally a
solid understanding of how
McCarthyism of the 1950s relates to
The Crucible, set during the Salem
Witch Trials of the 1600s
*This information can be found on p. 4 of the written L.E.
Essential Questions
8
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How does The Crucible relate to both
McCarthyism and life today?
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How can your new knowledge of
McCarthyism help you to understand
why Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible?
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What is the importance of making
connections with literature?
*This information can be found on p. 4 of the written L.E.
Enduring Understanding
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9
Students’ understanding of both The
Crucible and McCarthyism can be used
as motivation to become an independent
thinker, one who thinks for him/herself
and is not easily influenced by those
around them.
*This information can be found on p. 4 of the written L.E.
Alignments
Standard Area: English Language Arts
New York State Learning Standard: ELA
Key Idea: Writing
Standard: (1) – Students will read, write,
listen, and speak for information
and understanding.
Performance Indicators: (▪a) Use both
primary and secondary sources of
information for research
10
*This information can be found on p. 3 of the written L.E.
Alignments Continued
(▪b) Analyze and integrate data, facts, and
ideas to communicate information
Standard: (2) – Students will read, write,
listen, and speak for literary
response and expression.
11
Performance Indicators: (▪c) Use
resources, such as personal experience,
knowledge from other content
areas,
and independent reading, to create,
literary, interpretive, and responsive texts
*This information can be found on p. 3 of the written L.E.
Additional Alignments
New York State Learning Standard: Social
Studies
Standard: (1) History of the United States
and New York
12
Key Idea: (3) Study about the major social,
political, economic, cultural, and religious
developments in New York State and
United States history involves learning
about the important roles and
contributions of individuals and groups.
*This information can be found on p. 3 of the written L.E.
Additional Alignments Cont’d
Performance Indicators: (▪b) research and
analyze the major themes and
developments in New York State and
United States history (e.g., colonization
and settlement; Revolution and New
National Period; immigration; expansion
and reform era; Civil War and
Reconstruction; The American labor
movement; Great Depression; World Wars;
contemporary United States)
13
*This information can be found on p. 3 of the written L.E.
Students’ Tasks
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14
Before Day 1:
– Complete McCarthyism Pre-Test in
class
– McCarthyism Research Assignment
*This information can be found on p. 17 of the written L.E.
Students’ Tasks Cont’d
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15
Day 1:
– Research-based Discussion
– The Crucible/ McCarthyism
Comparison Group Activity
Day 2:
– Personal Connections Discussion
– Reflection Essay
*This information can be found on p. 22-25 of the written L.E.
McCarthyism Pre-Test
16
*This information can be found on p. 12 of the written L.E.
McCarthyism Research Assignment
17
*This information can be found on p. 14 of the written L.E.
McCarthyism Research
Assignment Rubric
18
J. Twist
Daemen College, 2008
*This information can be found on p. 15 of the written L.E.
McCarthyism Research
Assignment Rubric Continued
19
*This information can be found on p. 15 of the written L.E.
Teacher Exemplar
20
*This information can be found on pp. 16-17 of the written L.E.
Student Work- Distinguished
21
*This information can be found on pp. 36-38 of the written L.E.
Student Work- Distinguished
22
*This information can be found on pp. 36-38 of the written L.E.
Student Work- Proficient
23
*This information can be found on pp. 39-40 of the written L.E.
Student Work- Proficient
24
*This information can be found on pp. 39-40 of the written L.E.
Student Work- Developing
25
*This information can be found on pp. 41-43 of the written L.E.
Student Work- Developing
26
*This information can be found on pp. 41-43 of the written L.E.
Assessments
27
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Pre-Assessment: McCarthyism PreTest
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Formative Assessment: McCarthyism
Research Assignment
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Summative Assessment: Reflective
Essay
*This information can be found on pp. 10-11 of the written L.E.
Congruency Table
28
*This information can be found on p. 7 of the written L.E.
Congruency Table Continued
29
*This information can be found on p. 8 of the written L.E.
Assessment Scores- Pre-Assessment
30
*This information can be found on p. 13 of the written L.E.
Assessment ScoresFormative Assessment
31
*This information can be found on p. 18 of the written L.E.
Assessment ScoresSummative Assessment
32
J. Twist
Daemen College, 2008
*This information can be found on p.
20 of the written L.E.
Pre-Assessment / Post-Assessment
Comparison
33
J. Twist
Daemen College, 2008
*This information can be found on
p. 21 of the written L.E.
Sample Modifications
34
*This information can be found on p. 27 of the written L.E.
Reflection
35
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From this Learning Experience, my
students now understand, and some
appreciate, that The Crucible is more than
a story about the Salem witch trials.
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Compared to the pre-test scores, the
scores on the final assessment show
complete success.
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Thank you to my Peer Review group!
*This information can be found on pp. 29-31 of the written L.E.
Student Quotes
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36
One boy said, “While you were teaching, I
definitely did not show you what kind of
student I really am. I think that despite
all the things [assignments] I’ve failed, this
quarter I’ve learned more about a book
than ever before.”
Another student said, “…you made me
look at things in a different way, not just
the same way every time.”
*This information can be found on p. 30 of the written L.E.