Running head: CONTENT KNOWLEDGE COMPETENCY

Content Knowledge Competency

Victoria Edwards
Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2015

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Content Knowledge Competency
One of the most important resources I used during my student teaching was the
Virginia Department of Education(VDOE) website. Anytime I was not sure if what I was
planning aligned with what the students needed to know, I would check the standards
using the VDOE website. After all how could I teach a standard if I did not know the
standard. Once I knew my standard I would look up information and activities that
aligned with my standard. To show that I have knowledge of the content I taught I chose
A money unit I planned and a corresponding money book and PowerPoint that I made to
go with it. The lesson included the standards from the VDOE website and the activities I
chose to do to teach the standard. I believe it is important to know where you are going
before you decide how to get there.
Rationale for Selection of Artifacts
The money unit I planned clearly shows that I knew the standard for money. The
standard was math standard 1.7 and is stated on the lesson plan. The lesson plan stated
all information the students needed to know about each coin and the different ways that I
taught them about the money. I taught the standard through songs, videos, worksheets,
and filling out the money book, which is the second artifact. I made the money book to
help the student be able to have something to study with and fill out to help them
remember the facts. In addition I made a PowerPoint to go with the money book. All the
facts in their money book are in the PowerPoint. The PowerPoint also included a poem
for each coin to help the students remember the coins. Everyday the students have to fill
out a page for a new coin. If I did not know the content I would not have been able to
plan. I had to start with the objectives and goals before I planned how I would teach.

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Reflection on Theory and Practice
It was really important that I knew the information I was teaching before I taught
or planned anything. The first step is to check the VDOE website and know the
corresponding standard that was being used to plan the lessons. Once I knew the
standard I had to figure out my goals and what I wanted the students to know or get out
of the lessons. According to Grant and McTighe, These standards provide useful
framework to help us identify teaching and learning priorities and guide our design of
curriculum and assessments (McTighe, 2006, pg.14). They compare a teacher to other
designer professions and emphasized the importance of knowing where you are going
before you decide how to get there and this concept has shaped how I plan. I used this
concept of understanding by design to plan my lessons. I always started with the standard
and broke down the standard, then taught myself anything I did not know. After I was
able to figure out what my students needed to know and be able to do. It was not until
that point that I decided what the students would be doing or how they would be taught.
This has been invaluable in my teaching and will continue to be how I plan in the future.
In conclusion, to teach standard I must know the content. I have learned a lot
through my student teaching and through my classes at Regent University. Mostly being
that my students are the most important thing to keep in mind when planning. That being
said It would have been an injustice to my students if I had not known the content that I
was teaching. The money unit along with the PowerPoint and the money book are great
examples of how I knew my content before teaching. It is also a great example of what a
unit can look like when using the concept of understanding by design. Planning is
something that I will continue to grow on, but one thing is for sure I will not teach what I

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do not know. I will always prepare myself and teach my self what I need to know so I can
teach my students to the best of my abilities.

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Reference
McTighe, G. W. (2006). Backward Design. In G. W. McTighe, Understanding by Design
(2nd ed., pp. 13-14). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, U.S: Pearson Education,
Inc.