Analysis+of+Learners

//__General Characteristics __// Young High School is home to 1,147 students in grades 9-12. In my classroom, there are 31 students: 18 females and 13 males. My tenth grade classroom mostly has students who are 15 years old with seven students who are 16 years old and two who are 17 years old. 15 students in my classroom are Hispanic, 12 are White, 2 are Black, and 2 are Asian. Students' interests vary from culinary arts to basketball, from Advanced Placement Spanish to drama, and from dance to chess club. Most learners come to class with a positive attitude, although outside drama creeps into the classroom on many occasions. A small group of students are very difficult to motivate and enjoy sleeping in the back of the classroom.

//__Specific Entry Competencies __// Students prior knowledge consists of a basic understanding of literary terms such as foreshadowing, plot, setting, theme, symbolism, climax, characterization, and so forth; students will have received this information during their English courses in sixth through ninth grade. I do not expect students to be completely accurate in their understanding of all literary terms that will be presented to them throughout the lesson, but having heard about the terms prior to the lesson will be very beneficial and evident. Learners need to be able to read with comprehension, write down their ideas, and discuss readings to fully benefit from the lesson; students will have received this information during their English courses beginning in elementary school through the ninth grade. It will be most helpful if students know the basic features of Microsoft Word and how to perform simple research on the Internet; a skill that has been learned during ninth grade and a bit in middle school. Discussion between both small and large groups of students will occur, so students should be willing to share ideas with each other; students will have received information on how to properly conduct and carry out both small and large group discussion in middle school and ninth grade, but I will give a refresher to all students at the beginning of the year to maximize the discussions' effectiveness. Encouragement between students and between the teacher and students will be taught at the beginning of the year.

//__Learning Styles __// The expected learning styles in my classroom deal with social interaction, discussion, writing, technology, and reading literature. Most students will not be completely thrilled about the literature, but motivation tactics will be set in place to help students maintain excitement and motivation throughout the novel. Students are able to remain in their seats for about 25 minutes at a time, but then a bit of movement is required to keep students awake and interested before sitting down again for a period of about 20 minutes.