Steve's Teach-Now Journey

In this lesson we were asked to target InTASC Standards 4 and 5. This video comes from my ELL (English Literature and Language) 201 course. This class is composed of high achieving grade 11 students and low to high achieving grade 12 students. In this lesson, as well as targeting the InTASC standards 4 and 5; I was also targeting the CCSS  RL.9-10.3. Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. The content that I used to target these standards was  The Great Gatsby . We will use this novel to target 6 different standards over the course of eight weeks. This novel presents some challenges to ELL learners as it requires not only a high level of English fluency but also an understanding of American history and culture.  I hope that you enjoy this lesson, and continue to watch the next two recorded lessons. Lesson Plan 1: ...

 In this lesson we were asked to target InTASC Standards 1, 2, and 3. This video comes from my ELL (English Literature and Language) 201 course. This class is composed of high achieving grade 11 students and low to high achieving grade 12 students. In this lesson, as well as targeting the InTASC standards 1, 2, and 3; I was also targeting the CCSS  RL.9-10.3. Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. The content that I used to target these standards was The Great Gatsby . We will use this novel to target 6 different standards over the course of eight weeks. This novel presents some challenges to ELL learners as it requires not only a high level of English fluency but also an understanding of American history and culture.  I hope that you enjoy this lesson, and continue to watch the next three recorded lessons. Lesson Pla...

This is my first recorded lesson for the final module of my Moreland University teacher's certificate course. In this video we were asked to set a baseline for our teaching. While this is of course not the greatest video in the world, I do believe that it shows the fundamentals that I have mastered over the past nine years of teaching (as of 2021). I was also targeting the CCSS: RL.9-10.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyse in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. The content that I used to target these standards was  "American History" by Judith Ortiz Cofer . We will use this short story only for one week to target the above standard.  I hope that you enjoy watching the video, and I look forward to you seeing my growth in the following four videos. Lesson Plan: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IIP-c6I1quNQ9EV_qDzyy11hZD...

  As I started my work on this assignment I was a bit confused on which direction I wanted to go in. I began my work using the project that my group created in module 3. As I was working I realized that I didn't have a lot of passion for this project. Instead I used my winter homework and project to complete this assignment. I'm not sure if this meets the project requirement, but I do know that it has (and will) benefit my students immediately and measurably.  The students in my grade 10 Pre-DP Language B class are mostly high achievers with English levels that are high for their grade in our school, but would be considered average in most IB schools. For the winter holiday the will be working with the novel Hatchet. While this book may seem easy, it will be the first English language novel the students read for class, and I didn't want them to experience failure at a time where I cannot offer them direct support. The project is broken up into six parts culminating in each ...

 Over the past 6 (7 including the holiday) weeks myself and my cohort have been entrenched in Module 5. This module had a major focus on student behavior management, which culminated with each cohort member creating a full student behavioral management plan. If you have a chance take a look at my complete behavioral management plan:  Steven Wood's Behavioral Management Plan While the behavioral management plan, and all of the new knowledge and information that we have learned has been of great value; I found a supplementary video sent by Buffi Burk our instructor extremely valuable. The name of this video is "No Such Thing as Naughty" by Peter Nelmes. This video details the reasons why students are "acting out" in class, and what is the true reasons why they are acting out. This video has helped me approach my class and students with a new mindset. I have seen this mindset pay-off with some students who were troublesome that I have tried to connect with more. If...

Well, here it goes. Not only is this my first blog post for the Teach-Now program, but also my first blog in general  My name is Steve. I'm from America, and to be specific I am from Maine the most North-East state. I am currently based in Beijing, and have been here for over nine years. I came in 2010 to get my master's degree in economics. After graduation I ran into visa issues with the analyst job that I was offered, and decided to pick up an English teaching gig so that I could stay in China. Fast-forward nine years, and here I am; hopefully much wiser and definitely filled with an appreciation for education that I never I had.  I have attached my video on laws and policies that affect my school and teaching. The feedback I received on the video referenced the fact that I didn't give a lot of information on my own classes, and that was valid criticism. I didn't give as much information about how these policies affected my teaching mainly because they didn't aff...