Reading Reflection #9

      It is important when starting any lesson or project to find out what prior knowledge your students have on the topic. You can find this information out by discussing with students and having them fill out a KWL chart.[K-what do you know? W-what do you want to learn? L-what have you learned?]
      All students are at different levels in learning and learn at different paces, so it is important to establish anchors. This will help you gain a sense of where each student is currently and what goals they should set for the year. When using project-based learning in your classroom, you are able to expand differentiated instruction with students and help them be successful.
     When assessing students you want to have a rubric that gives you feedback on your students and their learning. In the chapter, it discussed Paul Curtis and his classroom and how if you assign a project but the student turns it in late, they get a C. This system gives you no feedback on how they are doing and what they learned. Instead, you could try creating a rubric that grades content, written communication, work ethic, and critical thinking. These things help give you feedback on your students, their learning, and how you can make your teaching more effective. Other ways to assess students include, entering their projects in competition, publishing their work in the school paper or newspaper, have students create something new, create podcasts, or assess students work as it would be assessed in the real-world.
     This chapter relates to the topic of classroom kitchen/catering because we need to keep in mind our students' prior knowledge when creating lesson plans or projects. We also need to make sure our assessment is grading things like content,work ethic, and critical thinking, our students are learning, and that we are getting feedback from the work our students do.