Planning and Preparation
Sapiens Unit Plan
This unit plan was created to teach the graphic novel, Sapiens, the summer text that all 9th grade students are expected to read at Newark Academy. The unit plan was shared with the teaching team in order to ensure that we were all teaching similar content, albeit in different styles.
Salem Differentiated Plan
This lesson plan on the Salem Witch Trials, created for US History at Paul Cuffee Upper School, shows some strategies that I use in my classroom to accommodate for learning differences and ensure that students are receiving a quality education regardless of their needs.
Essay Rubric
At Newark Academy I work with a teaching team, and it is important to ensure equity in grading. This rubric, borrowed from my mentor teacher at Paul Cuffee Upper School, was adapted by the 9th grade Humanities teaching team at Newark Academy and is now used to assess all essays and other writing in 9th grade.
Feedback to Students
At Newark Academy, report cards are accompanied by a narrative where teachers get to share with students and their families the specific contributions and successes—as well as areas for improvement—from class. For me, these comments are often an opportunity to remind students that they are brilliant and capable.
Feedback From Students
Every year, Newark Academy asks students to fill out the Student Experience Survey for each of their classes. This is the feedback that I received for Ancient World (9th grade) and Modern World History (11th grade). This feedback is important to me, as it shows me how I can better support my students.
Checking in on Students
I use this form in my advisory to ensure that I know how my students are doing, even if I don’t have a chance to check in on them every day because of how short advisory is. Students know that they can share as much as they feel comfortable, and there is no pressure to participate. They really like this form, and miss it when I forget to send it!