Rationale
At times my students think war is glamorous especially given what they see in certain video games, movies and music videos. They are not informed in detail about the ramifications and long term effects of war, such as the wounds, innocent individuals affected and the diseases associated with war. The purpose of this curriculum unit is to integrate all academic content areas with the primary focus being the impact of diseases during of the Civil War. Being a middle school, special education teacher, I want to create a unit where my students will envision how social studies relates to math, science and language arts.
When I create lessons or units for my students I tell them why it is important for them to learn a particular concept. I want my students to know the purpose of the content in their life and how it could impact their future. Having awareness of the purpose of knowledge gives my students power over their learning. For reasons out of their control, some of my students deal with community issues that I have never imagined. As a result some of my students yearn for control or power over something in there life and when they come to school they attempt to gain control by exhibiting inappropriate behaviors, which unfortunately has manifested into behavioral issues that hinder them from appropriately associating with peers and school staff and at times it gets in the way of their academic attainment. Thus when lessons are presented they are told why and how it is important so they will want to learn the new concept and connect it to a previously taught objective. I also encourage students to ask questions and make connections about information that is presented. As a result, when this lesson is presented students will be reminded of their enjoyment of a previously taught unit on discernment of a hero, victim, warrior and ignoramus. During that unit they learned and explored the implications of war in the lives of children. For this unit they will explore the impact of disease on the Civil War.
During this seminar I felt behind my peers because I was not trained in biology or as a science teacher. However I felt the need to step outside my comfort zone to learn something new so that I could have something new and exciting to teach my students. When I learn something new from a workshop I inform my students that with the hopes that they will become lifelong learners. I encourage them that it is never too late to learn or try anything new. When I attend professional development I always share with my students the following day what I learned and they are excited for me to come back and share.
I teach in Charlotte, NC which is the largest county in the state and the twenty-fifth largest school district in the United States. My school district has over 180 schools and I teach in one of two separate schools for students exclusively with Exceptional Needs. My school is a public separate school for children primarily with Behavioral and Emotional Disabilities in grades kindergarten through twelfth. 95% of the students receive free and reduced lunch, and the entire school population is ensured a free appropriate public education per individualized education plans. Although the primary disability is Behavioral and Emotional Disabled, we provide services to students with the following disabilities as well: Autism, Other Health Impaired and Intellectual Disabilities. The racial breakdown for the students served is 72% African American, 23% Caucasian, 2% Hispanic and 3% other.
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