Our unit collaboration is going very well so far. Kimberly and I have been able to discuss ideas and make plans through email communication. The unit planning is becoming more interesting as we delve deeper into our topic of financial literacy.
Financial Literacy Lessons
Our unit begins with an overall introduction to financial success and a pre-test to assess students’ prior knowledge. Kimberly has found some multimedia resources to add interest to the initial lesson. The next lesson will focus on possible careers, and students will locate information about the necessary educational levels and typical salary levels. After students choose one possible career, they will use it as a lens to guide their research and learning throughout the rest of the unit. The remaining lessons will follow our essential questions and tentatively include: wants vs. needs, checking and savings accounts, credit and debit cards, and types of investments. The culminating experience will incorporate technology skills, including a presentation using PowerPoint. A rubric that includes both financial and academic literacy components will be used to assess the students.
Role of the Media Specialist
As the media specialist, my role will include participating fully in the collaborative process. By being an active participant, I will be able to better assert my role as the media specialist. This will allow me to add ideas and information literacy skills to the unit as it is developed, allowing them to flow naturally and integrate with the lessons. The media specialist will be the key educator for instructing students on researching skills and gathering resources. The media specialist will also be responsible for teaching students how to evaluate the resources they find, especially online. The media specialist will guide students toward appropriate sources for their ability levels, helping to meet the individual needs of struggling readers, ELL students, and students with other specific circumstances. Assessment will be done by both the classroom teacher and the media specialist.
Meeting Student Needs
To meet the needs of all students, including those from historically underrepresented groups, students will be given the opportunity to choose any career that they are interested in researching. This allows students to find out about the educational and professional requirements of the career and the possibilities of following that career path. By incorporating print and multimedia materials and hands-on researching, students are able to learn the necessary concepts using their preferred learning style. Students will also have the opportunity to work together, which will be beneficial for students who are learning English or struggling with reading. Because being financially literate includes being aware of what is happening financially in other countries, as well as in the United States, we can introduce students to a broader spectrum of financial literacy and delve into issues that they may be aware of in other countries. We can also explore the economic differences that are affecting people here in the United States.
Financial literacy is a very important topic, and we are approaching it with the needs of the students at the forefront of our minds. I am excited to be moving forward with this unit, and I look forward to our continued communication and collaboration.
Financial Literacy Lessons
Our unit begins with an overall introduction to financial success and a pre-test to assess students’ prior knowledge. Kimberly has found some multimedia resources to add interest to the initial lesson. The next lesson will focus on possible careers, and students will locate information about the necessary educational levels and typical salary levels. After students choose one possible career, they will use it as a lens to guide their research and learning throughout the rest of the unit. The remaining lessons will follow our essential questions and tentatively include: wants vs. needs, checking and savings accounts, credit and debit cards, and types of investments. The culminating experience will incorporate technology skills, including a presentation using PowerPoint. A rubric that includes both financial and academic literacy components will be used to assess the students.
Role of the Media Specialist
As the media specialist, my role will include participating fully in the collaborative process. By being an active participant, I will be able to better assert my role as the media specialist. This will allow me to add ideas and information literacy skills to the unit as it is developed, allowing them to flow naturally and integrate with the lessons. The media specialist will be the key educator for instructing students on researching skills and gathering resources. The media specialist will also be responsible for teaching students how to evaluate the resources they find, especially online. The media specialist will guide students toward appropriate sources for their ability levels, helping to meet the individual needs of struggling readers, ELL students, and students with other specific circumstances. Assessment will be done by both the classroom teacher and the media specialist.
Meeting Student Needs
To meet the needs of all students, including those from historically underrepresented groups, students will be given the opportunity to choose any career that they are interested in researching. This allows students to find out about the educational and professional requirements of the career and the possibilities of following that career path. By incorporating print and multimedia materials and hands-on researching, students are able to learn the necessary concepts using their preferred learning style. Students will also have the opportunity to work together, which will be beneficial for students who are learning English or struggling with reading. Because being financially literate includes being aware of what is happening financially in other countries, as well as in the United States, we can introduce students to a broader spectrum of financial literacy and delve into issues that they may be aware of in other countries. We can also explore the economic differences that are affecting people here in the United States.
Financial literacy is a very important topic, and we are approaching it with the needs of the students at the forefront of our minds. I am excited to be moving forward with this unit, and I look forward to our continued communication and collaboration.
Susan,
ReplyDeleteSo far so good. I can't recall whether you will help develop the rubric but, if not, there are other opportunities for you to help assess student learning and show the impact that the library-specific instruction had on students ability to grasp concepts you want students to learn. For example, you might do an interest survey to see where students are in their understanding of some of the key concepts that will be taught in the unit. Then devise some sort of post test where you can chart the evolution of their understandings.
Also, you mention a few possible ways to tap into the cultural backgrounds and strengths of students, but you could go much farther. For example, many times the issue is that students from historically underrepresented backgrounds do not know about the many career opportunities that are available to them because these careers have been historically dominated by whites. Moreover, the traditional print resources on careers may not capture some of the more open-ended career tracks that these students may be more attracted to. I recently read a article on the plan about people's jobs in the White House in Obama's administration and there were a number of positions that I would never have thought of as a option because they have been historically occupied by whites. My point is that you can make a concerted effort in your unit to highlight people of color in high profile (and lower profile but high paying or great opportunities for networking) careers. This way, students who may feed constricted to what they see in mainstream textbooks can begin to think outside the box.
Prof. K.