The Electrochemistry of Cell Phone Batteries

This past March 2015, the School District of Philadelphia released the blueprint for its future success titled Action Plan 3.0.[1] It is a description of the District’s current and planned work priorities. According to the foreword called “Superintendent’s Message”, we are employed in a time of diminishing resources which require a greater commitment to equity. The commitment to equity which the District has committed itself to in regard to the evaluation of Educators is the Danielson Framework for Teaching.[2] Danielson’s Framework is not discipline specific so it applies to all subjects. It is propositioned upon what Danielson calls The Four Domains Of Teaching Responsibility. These domains are:

Domain 1 – Planning and Preparation

Domain 2 – The Classroom Environment

Domain 3 – Instruction

Domain 4 – Professional Responsibilities

Too often, Educators labor over lesson plans and curriculum units which recite at length, all the wonderful learning task our learners will experience once a curriculum unit is complete and we forget that the School District of Philadelphia is not evaluating us on the platform of learner achievement via an individual curriculum unit.

The purpose of this curriculum unit is to make you; the School District of Philadelphia Educator meet the third of four action goals specified in Action Plan 3.0 – and that is 100% of schools will have great principals and teachers. To be considered a great Educator, you will have to be highly rated on a scale of 1 – 4 in the four domains described by Danielson. This unit will focus on Domain 2 (The Classroom Environment) in addition to specific learner outcomes. Domain 2 is primarily concerned with observable evidence that learners are able to work independently of educators as evidenced by educator interactions with learners and learners’ interactions with other learners. The tactics we will use to achieve our goals will be lessons based on oxidation, reduction and electrochemistry. It is my intention to captivate the learners by making connections between the lessons on redox reactions and the chemistry of their cell phone batteries.

The overriding idea is that if you implement this curriculum unit, you will demonstrate to an observing ratings officer that you have carefully planned and prepared a unit geared towards the success of your learners and that the instructional climate in which you deliver the Instruction (Domain 2) is exemplary!  Throughout the writings of this curriculum unit, I will emphasize tactics and techniques geared towards satisfying the requirements of Danielson’s Framework For Teaching and, ultimately, securing you a higher score on your annual teacher evaluation which is based upon Danielson.