Setting and Context
The School Community
The school where I am working for this course is Fort Collins High School. It is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, and is one of eight high schools in the Poudre School District. This school is on a unique schedule including periods one through eight on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays and four period block days on Thursdays and Wednesdays. The culture of this school is based on tradition. Homecoming, spirit week and sports events are a big deal at 'Collins'. The Lambkin spirit fills the Fort Collins packed hallways as they move from class to class. The classes are taught by exceptional teachers who include a diverse use of teaching strategies to engage students. There are a vast amount of opportunities for students to be involved in programs, activities and resources available. These programs include ACE, Advanced Placement, Bioscience Career Academy, Concurrent Enrollment, ELA, FRCC, Gifted and Talented, Outreach, PaCE, Teen Parent, and Transition Academy. The majority of these programs are in place to help students be successful in their education. Some support appropriate student behavior and other push the students to reach higher and strive for a goal. The students' parents are involved in many of these programs and other areas in Fort Collins High School. The overall learning climate is set expectations to help students succeed. I believe there is a lot of effort expressed in a Collins classroom, both form the students and teachers. Fort Collins is home to what they call the Pillars of Excellence. These are known expectations for students throughout the school and they include: acceptance, pride, integrity, respect, and responsibility. The mission of the school is, "Fort Collins High School is rich in tradition, where excellence is expected, and where we educate every child, every day – the Lambkin way."
Students and Classroom
The photography 1 class in 2nd period consists of 22 students. This class contains a variety of grade levels. There are eight freshman, two sophomores, five juniors and seven seniors. Many of the students in this class are interested in art and photography. Two of these students are on IEPs. One of these students needs specific accommodations including extra copies of notes, extended time for assignments, and needed a calculator for math. The class culture is open and hardworking consisting of mostly work days. Many students work together in the darkroom sharing advice and tips when they are stuck and not sure what to do before asking myself or Mrs. Lanterman. The physical environment of the classroom consists of six large groupings of desks each with 3-6 students. The dark room entrance is adjacent to the entrance to the classroom. There is a curtain covering the dark room entrance which leads to a small room with two doors. The room to the left of it is the room for developing film with tables for rolling film and a large sink to pour chemicals. The room to the right is for making prints. There are about 18 enlarger stations, each equipped with an enlarger, negative carrier, glass, and instructions if needed. In the middle of the room there is a large sink area where the tubs of chemicals are places to move the printed images along the line to develop prints of photos.
Topic and Rational
In the photography class they have already learned how to take photographs using traditional processes, including 35mm single lens reflex cameras, black and white film and darkroom equipment to develop film and images. They have also been taught how to use to the basic settings for a digital camera and have done a series of tutorials using photoshop to learn tools they may use when editing their digital photos. The lesson I am teaching will allow students to use their previous knowledge of both using a digital camera and editing images in a thoughtful way. The assignment they are being given through this lesson takes it a step further in learning about and emulating a well-know and successful photographer and their unique style. After exploring a photographer's style they will discover their own style and express it using their known skills. The instructional strategy I will be using during this lesson is lecture with student involvement. I choose this instructional strategy because it is a good way to introduce a new topic and assignment.
The school where I am working for this course is Fort Collins High School. It is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, and is one of eight high schools in the Poudre School District. This school is on a unique schedule including periods one through eight on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays and four period block days on Thursdays and Wednesdays. The culture of this school is based on tradition. Homecoming, spirit week and sports events are a big deal at 'Collins'. The Lambkin spirit fills the Fort Collins packed hallways as they move from class to class. The classes are taught by exceptional teachers who include a diverse use of teaching strategies to engage students. There are a vast amount of opportunities for students to be involved in programs, activities and resources available. These programs include ACE, Advanced Placement, Bioscience Career Academy, Concurrent Enrollment, ELA, FRCC, Gifted and Talented, Outreach, PaCE, Teen Parent, and Transition Academy. The majority of these programs are in place to help students be successful in their education. Some support appropriate student behavior and other push the students to reach higher and strive for a goal. The students' parents are involved in many of these programs and other areas in Fort Collins High School. The overall learning climate is set expectations to help students succeed. I believe there is a lot of effort expressed in a Collins classroom, both form the students and teachers. Fort Collins is home to what they call the Pillars of Excellence. These are known expectations for students throughout the school and they include: acceptance, pride, integrity, respect, and responsibility. The mission of the school is, "Fort Collins High School is rich in tradition, where excellence is expected, and where we educate every child, every day – the Lambkin way."
Students and Classroom
The photography 1 class in 2nd period consists of 22 students. This class contains a variety of grade levels. There are eight freshman, two sophomores, five juniors and seven seniors. Many of the students in this class are interested in art and photography. Two of these students are on IEPs. One of these students needs specific accommodations including extra copies of notes, extended time for assignments, and needed a calculator for math. The class culture is open and hardworking consisting of mostly work days. Many students work together in the darkroom sharing advice and tips when they are stuck and not sure what to do before asking myself or Mrs. Lanterman. The physical environment of the classroom consists of six large groupings of desks each with 3-6 students. The dark room entrance is adjacent to the entrance to the classroom. There is a curtain covering the dark room entrance which leads to a small room with two doors. The room to the left of it is the room for developing film with tables for rolling film and a large sink to pour chemicals. The room to the right is for making prints. There are about 18 enlarger stations, each equipped with an enlarger, negative carrier, glass, and instructions if needed. In the middle of the room there is a large sink area where the tubs of chemicals are places to move the printed images along the line to develop prints of photos.
Topic and Rational
In the photography class they have already learned how to take photographs using traditional processes, including 35mm single lens reflex cameras, black and white film and darkroom equipment to develop film and images. They have also been taught how to use to the basic settings for a digital camera and have done a series of tutorials using photoshop to learn tools they may use when editing their digital photos. The lesson I am teaching will allow students to use their previous knowledge of both using a digital camera and editing images in a thoughtful way. The assignment they are being given through this lesson takes it a step further in learning about and emulating a well-know and successful photographer and their unique style. After exploring a photographer's style they will discover their own style and express it using their known skills. The instructional strategy I will be using during this lesson is lecture with student involvement. I choose this instructional strategy because it is a good way to introduce a new topic and assignment.