Teacher Quality Standard 1

Teachers demonstrate mastery of and pedagogical expertise in the content they teach. The elementary teacher is an expert in literacy and mathematics and is knowledgeable in all other content that he or she teaches (e.g., science, social studies, arts, physical education, or world languages). The secondary teacher has knowledge of literacy and mathematics and is an expert in his or her content endorsement area(s). 

Element: A

Teachers provide instruction that is aligned with the Colorado Academic Standards and their district’s organized plan of instruction.

Evidence Outcomes

  • plans lessons that reflect: CAS and other relevant standards

  • plans lessons that reflect: relevant instructional objectives

  • plans lessons that reflect: the mentor teacher's instruction & curriculum

  • plans lessons that reflect: relevant university coursework

  • aligns lesson to formative an/or summative assessment results

As provided by my mentor teacher, the scope and sequence for each grade were given to me before completing lesson plans for each grade. The standards for sixth grade visual arts in Littleton Public Schools are in the far left column, and the breakdown that my mentor teacher and her PLC have created are reflected in the next two. For my mini-unit, I chose to address collage and texture, combining two of the “quarter skills” needed for sixth graders to achieve.

In order to fulfill the texture aspect of my mentor teacher’s scope and sequence, students created studies of found textures in their environment using the technique of creating rubbings. Students studied contemporary artists Kim Beck, who creates rubbings as record of the world around her- focusing on textures that may go unnoticed by most. Students then titled each of their rubbings based off what each texture reminded them of-much like how paint chips or nail polish colors are titled.

In order to complete the collage aspect of my mentor teacher’s scope and sequence, students were asked to create a collage using the texture samples they had collected. Students were asked to consider how the texture could be used to create an object or image completely different from what the texture was originally sampled from.