Contextual Factors

Total Number of Students in the School: ​427 Students Grades 7-12

School Socio-Economic Make-Up (i.e., % free and reduced lunches): ​22% low Socioeconomic

Class Class Class Class Class

1 2 3 4 5

Grade Level/Subject Taught High School Jr High Band 5th Grade 5th Grade Brass 6th Grade Band
Band Woodwinds

Number of Students in Classroom 53 72 28 19 33

Contextual Information: Class Class Class Class Class Student Learning Adaptations:
(List the number of students 1 2 3 4 5 (Describe at least one example
identified in each class you teach and of a strategy to provide
identify the class in which you are equitable opportunities,
teaching your unit) accommodations, or
modifications you attempted
for any student identified
within each contextual
characteristic)

Female- Female- 31 Female- 20 Female- 4 Female- 16

Gender 30 Male- 41 Male- 8 Male- 15 Male- 17
Number of Females: Male- 23
Number of Males:
 52- White 1- Black 3- Hispanic 1- Black 3- Hispanic
Ethnic/Cultural Make-Up 1- Black 2- Hispanic 2- Black 18- White 1- Black
Caucasian/White: 69- White 17- White 33- White
African American/ Black:
Hispanic/Latino:
Asian/Pacific Islander:
American Indian/Alaskan Native:

1 ELL 2 ELL 2 ELL

Language Proficiency student students students
Number of English Language
Learners (ELL):

Below: 2 Below: 6
Academic Performance
Students Performing At or At or
Below Grade Level: Above: 51 Above: 66
Student Performing
Above Grade Level:
 Gifted: 1 Gifted: 3 Dyslexia: 1 Gifted: 2 With the gifted students, it
Students with Special Needs has been important for us to
Learning Disability: challenge them. These
Emotional/Behavioral students are exceeding
Impairment: during rehearsals so we find
Attention Deficit Disorder ways to keep them
(ADD): interested while improving
Developmental Disability: them as musicians. We ask
Intellectual Disability: questions to the ensemble
Speech/Language Impairment: sometimes that only those
Autism Spectrum: students could answer
Gifted: because of how developed
Blind/Visual Impairment (VI): their brains are. Also, we
Deaf /Hearing Impairment (HI): choose solo literature for
Physical Disability: these students to learn and
Other Health Impairment: challenge them with
literature that is difficult for
students their age. The
student with dyslexia has
never shown issues with
reading or playing music so
the only thing we do with her
is check in to make sure she
is doing our counting
exercises correctly by
standing next to her and
listening. I have never
noticed anything concerning
with her.

Military Connected Students 1 1

Student Characteristics:

Describe the developmental characteristics of students in your classroom.

(Cognitive, Physical, Emotional, Social).
Cognitive: There are many students who strive in the classroom and many students who struggle but there are also students in the middle who get by
with their level of knowledge with music.
Physical: There are differences in levels of technique the students have developed. Those who sight read well have an advanced ability with technique
but others struggle with technique. There is no level place these students are with technique, they are all just a little bit different. Certain things come
easier to some students and other concepts are tougher for other students.
Emotional: The students in this program are very supportive of others and they practice that through everyday rehearsals.
Social: The program is a great big family and they are all friends with each other where they can have fun through every activity they participate in.

Highlight the prior knowledge and interests of students in your classroom.

​ here are many students in 5-12 band who are also involved in sports as well as reading. The students who are also involved in sports are very close
T
friends with others who are in sports. These interests make them excited to stay in band because their friends who continue to play in band are also their
friends outside of band. I noticed in my 6th grade class that the majority of those students enjoy reading outside of band. One of the students said they
would rather read instead of watch television. At that age, this is a very important factor in their learning if they are already making these decisions to
read.

Describe the implications these characteristics have on planning and instruction.

(e.g. ​What instructional strategies will you use to meet the unique learning needs of all your students?​)
​Since many students are in sports, they understand new concepts better if I relate it to a sport. Using this strategy will reach all the students who
understand sports, and those who don’t completely understand sports can have an idea of what I would like them to do. Most strategies I use to relate to
sports is with teamwork. Even if you are not in sports, you have experienced some sort of teamwork before. We talk a lot about how in sports, if one
person isn’t doing their part in hustling down the court, practicing their jump shots or free throws, and are not being aggressive, the team suffers and are
not able to improve. It is the same thing in band that if someone is not practicing their music and not coming to rehearsal prepared, the band will not
improve.
With the students who enjoy reading outside of school, they are better at sight reading music. Including sight reading into everyday practice is a good
strategy to stretch these students and encourage others to practice this skill as well.
Environmental Factors:

Describe district, school, and classroom environmental factors impacting the quality of education for all of your students.
The students all have their own personal iPads. Although this is a great resource in the classroom, the students become distracted by these
devices and there needs to be expectations in each classroom in order to manage the use of the iPads. Having access to iPads really
improves their quality of education as they can do a lot of creating, researching, and recording in their own assignments that gives them
the concepts they need to create music in the classroom.

Describe community and family environmental factors impacting the quality of education for all of your students.
The community and families at Rock Creek are very supportive. The environment that student live in are very small towns so they don’t
have as much to do in places so they get to use their creativity in everyday life to find ways to have fun. With the supportive families, they
encourage their children to practice their instruments which is awesome. Like any student uses incentives as motivation, these students do
that so offering an award for practicing or improving on their instruments really helps them have a quality education because they are
practicing and don’t realize it as much.

Describe the implications these factors have on planning and instruction.

(What instructional strategies will you use to address the unique environmental factors impacting each student?)
Since each student has their own iPad, it allows for a lot of technology integration into the classroom. The iPads can be used for board
work, recording assignments in any location, the ability to research specific topics, and access to music which allows the students to not
need paper copies which saves money in the classroom.
 Focus Students Information

Provide information about the two focus students you selected from the class in which you will be teaching your unit that you feel would
benefit from modified instruction​. You MUST choose one student with exceptionalities or an English Language Learner as one of
your focus students. ​Complete the chart below referring to these students only as Student A and Student B. ​Do not use proper names​.

Describe this student Why did you select What did you find out about this student? Based on this information
using information this student? Address characteristics from the Contextual what are the implications
from the Contextual Information and Student Learning Adaptations for this student’s
Information and instruction?
Student Learning
Adaptations

Student Student A is a gifted I chose student A Cognitive When choosing solo literature
A student in the Sr High because he is at a high Student A performs above grade level in every for him to play, we chose a
Band who also has some level of learning in subject including band. He has been involved with song that would be more
hint of Autism as well as band and he stuck out Jazz Band since 7th grade and has taken a solo to complicated for a high
has struggled with anger to me. It is also contest every year in high school. He sits first chair schooler but at a level that
management. interesting to see him and has since he was a freshman. will challenge him but still has
work through his aspects that are easier to play.
anger management Emotional This will help him feel like he
while he is one of the Student A sometimes gets frustrated with his is challenged since the
highest playing playing and it takes him some time to calm himself literature we pick for the
students in the class. down and be able to play/ hold a conversation ensemble is below his level of
again. When he does this, we have to let him calm learning.
himself down without interacting with him.

Physical
 Student A has the physical technique needed to
play his instrument and plays at a high level.

Social
Sometimes struggles to catch social cues. The
student will make a funny comment but it isn’t the
correct time to make that comment and so he feels
uncomfortable that people do not respond the way
he would like them to.

Describe this student Why did you select What did you find out about this student? Based on this information
using information this student? Address characteristics from the Contextual what are the implications
from the Contextual Information and Student Learning Adaptations for this student’s
Information and instruction?
Student Learning
Adaptations

Student Student B is another This student became Cognitive This student needs to be
B gifted student in the Jr intriguing to me as he ​This student is cognitively beyond the other challenged by giving him the
High Band. is a very talented students as he is ahead in other classes as well as difficult part in band. He
percussionist but the knowledge beyond other percussionists in band. excels rhythmically and on
struggles to coach his keyboards so if a song has a
fellow percussionists Emotional challenging marimba part, he
when they can’t play Since he struggles to understand that others are not would be the student to play
something as well as as advanced as he is, he will still be growing in that it. I would also encourage this
him. He likes to do area. He hasn’t fully developed empathy for other student to participate in honor
things himself because students. bands and extra community
he believes that is the bands to continue to improve
way it will be done Physical himself as a musician.
correctly. He has the physical technique of a high school
student as he has advanced past the other students.
Social
I see this student sitting along a lot and doesn’t
have a lot of friends. I believe that since he is so
talented and beyond the other students, he struggles
to make friends because their cognitive level isn’t
as high as his.