The Ability to Plan, Organize, and Prepare for Teaching is shown through the following competencies:

6. Plans lessons that align with local, state, and national standards

Reflection - During my training as a student teacher, my mentor, Dr. Moore, suggested that every lesson plan should consist of aligned content, objectives, instruction, and assessment.  In the state of Virginia we are governed by SOL's and guided by their requirements.  However, these tests are merely a bare minimum requirement for the students and I have far higher expectations for each of my students. 

Artifact - Every day I begin by posting the daily process and objectives on the board which I then announce before we begin.  However, in my lesson plans I actually have all of the related SOL's in English, related disciplines, and technology. (This artifact fulfills NCTE standards 1.1-1.3, 2.1-2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.4, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.5, 4.8, and 4.10)

7. Selects appropriate instructional strategies/activities

Reflection - The key to succeeding as a teacher is finding the means to convey knowledge to students or facilitate in their own construction of knowledge.  Every student does learn in their own special way so a teacher must find some way to differentiate the material to appeal to every student.  However, the instruction should also draw upon previous knowledge and establish relevance to students' lives.

Artifact - Rather than leading a mini-lecture on the Holocaust, I shared a slideshow of pictures I had taken while touring a concentration camp.  The images resonated with the students greater than any words could have.  Then we studied poetry from I Never Saw Another Butterfly to appreciate first person perspectives of the concentration camps. (This artifact fulfills NCTE standards 3.6, 4.3, and 4.4)

8. Selects appropriate materials/resources

Reflection - Sometimes the most obvious choice of materials is not always the best.  You must recognize who your students are and try to find materials and resources that will appeal to them.  My American Studies students respond eagerly to music so often I try to integrate both contemporary and older music into our lesson plans to reinforce themes and ideas.

Artifact - During our discussion of the Cold War, I used Nena's "99 Red Balloons" to explore the various tones and moods that surrounded that era in the arts.  The students enjoyed listening to the older, slightly techo music and they also appreciated the message of obsurdity and frustration. (This artifact fulfills NCTE standards 3.1, 3.2, 3.3.2, 3.3.3, 3.5.4, and 3.6)