Standard three of Appalachian State University's Middle Grades Education standards states that, "middle level teacher candidates plan interdisciplinary curriculum based on core and elective curricula that are relevant, challenging, and exploratory. They understand and apply the major concepts, principles, theories, and research unique to effective middle level instruction and assessment, and they employ a variety of developmentally responsive strategies to meet the varying abilities and learning styles of all young adolescents." By producing each artifact provided and described above, I have successfully demonstrated my ability to meet the expectations set out in standard three. 

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The Integrated Unit Plan was based on interdisciplinary curriculum that is relevant, challenging, and exploratory. The plan focused on one topic, World War II, and each team member was assigned to complete a unit plan relevant to their their discipline and the topic. The disciplines that created individual units were math, science, social studies, and English language arts. I was assigned English language arts for my discipline. The unit plan was relevant in its ability to incorporate four separate disciplines to align with a specific topic. Relevancy was also reinforced through the exploratory activities that were provided throughout the unit's timeline. For example, to begin the unit, we created a model activity where a guest speaker, who was alive and impacted by circumstances during the time period of World War II, presented their life experiences to students. This "kickoff" activity was relevant to the unit's topic and prepared student to further explore World War II through each subject area. The unit plan also challenged students in presenting one topic in four different perspectives. With each subject area exploring one topic, students were pushed to make connections in order to deepen their understanding of what was being explored. This project provided me with the experience of working in a team to create interdisciplinary curriculum that provided a foundation for meaningful and engaging opportunities for all students. 

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The Analysis of Student Learning provided me with the opportunity to break down the various elements that go into providing valuable feedback. The analysis helped me to understand and apply the major concepts, principles, theories, and research unique to effective middle level instruction and assessment. One of the most influential elements of effective middle level instruction is dependent upon effective feedback. There was a breakdown provided in the analysis that enforced the idea of effective feedback when looking at a written assignment. With this breakdown, I was able to reflect upon what expectations and instructions were set for the assignment provided by the students. After understanding what the assignment prompted or entailed, I was able to give effective feedback to student work. A part of student feedback that is essential is to provide both strengths and areas for growth. This feedback is essential for all students, even those with higher scores. This assignment opened my eyes to the idea that all students have the ability to be challenged by their work, yet the challenge may be measured in different ways dependent upon the level in which the student is currently producing. After providing all students with effective feedback, the last step was to use my feedback to inform instructional practices. An additional necessity to providing feedback to students is to use feedback to gauge strengths and areas for growth in instruction. All participants in the classroom are learners, including myself as the educator. Applying these steps to assessment in my future classroom is of utmost importance as I strive to meet the challenges of providing effective instruction and assessment. 

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The Standards-Based Field Reflection allowed me to reflect upon my experiences at one of my earlier internships and analyze the instructional practices I had observed during my time at the placement. While reflecting on my observations, I made it a goal to contemplate if the practices aligned with the expectations set out by standard three. It is essential to employ a variety of developmentally responsive strategies to meet the varying abilities and learning styles of young adolescents. When creating instructional practices, it is essential to provide students with choice so that each individual learner will, at some point, feel truly engaged in the topic of conversation. I was analyzing the instructional practices of my clinical educator that aligned with a class reading of the book To Kill a Mockingbird. While this story is a timeless tale, it is also one that sparks much controversy today. The reflection highlights my desire to implement conversation about how the story is perceived today to ensure instruction to be relevant to student lives. The main objective of this observation was the importance behind aligning instruction to the expectations of creating developmentally responsive instructional practices for all student learners. 

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Curriculum, assessment, and instruction are elements that, when utilized effectively, create a domino effect of academic success for all students. Meeting students where they are academically throughout each step ensures equal opportunity for students to be engaged in meaningful experiences within the classroom. Academic experiences are what students remember when they look back on their time in middle school, and it is my ultimate goal as an educator to enforce effective practice so that students look back to a positive experience when reminiscing on their time in my classroom.