Lesson Plan Portfolio and Analysis

Christina Slavin
Spring 2016
Penn-Delco School District
Placement 1: Kindergarten, Pennell Elementary School
Placement 2: 6th, 7th, 8th Life Skills/Intensive Learning Support,
Northley Middle School

1. Lessons: Building a Caring Community

of Learners
Lesson 1: Science: Inquiry Lesson (First Grade)- Lesson Taught
The objective of this lesson was for the students to work in groups together to design their own roller coaster that allowed a
marble to travel through it without falling out of the tubes. The students were given tubes, a marble and painters tape to create
their roller coaster. I demonstrated to the students how to tape the tubes on the wall and gave them the essential talks: to build
a rollercoaster out of the materials given. The goal was for them to problem solve as a team. Three out of the five first grade
groups were able to successfully create a rollercoaster with their table groups that kept the marble on its tracks. At the end of
the lesson, the students had to name their roller coaster as a group, and each independently write why their roller coaster was
so special.

Lesson 2: English Language Arts: Writing Lesson (First Grade) Lesson Taught
This lesson focuses on the students coming together as a class and recognizing why they are important while also working on
their writing skills. After the book, The Sneetches, by Dr. Seuss was read aloud to the students and we discussed what a
complete sentence is as a class, the students were asked to look at a quote. The quote stated, Star or no star, I like who you
are. The students discussed with a partner what that quote meant, and then the students had to write why they thought they
were special. They had to brainstorm with a partner why people would like themselves or think that they are special. They all
shared their writing pieces aloud and drew a symbol to represent themselves on the large cut-out Sneetch.

Lesson 3: Social Studies: St. Patrick's Day Culture Lesson (Third Grade)
This lesson is written to go in a unit plan: Cultures around the World. First, students discuss the meaning of culture to them and
what they know about their culture while sitting on the carpet. Then, the students learn about the Irish culture as a group
through an interactive read aloud. The teacher discusses the important vocabulary words with the word shamrock being one of
them. The students write one thing on each leaf of the shamrock that they learned about the Irish culture, and then draw
something on the back of the shamrock that they are lucky to have. Each student would share with the class what they learned
and what they are lucky to have in their lives. Finally, I would hang up their shamrock on the back of the bulletin board to
represent what the students are lucky to have.

Analyses: Building a Caring Community of

Learners

Lesson 1: Science: Inquiry Lesson (First Grade)-Lesson Taught

In my science methods class, I learned a lot about the importance of incorporating inquiry and group work into lessons. Howe, Tolmie, Thurston, Topping,
Christie, Livingston, Jessiman & Donaldson (2007) explain that, Classroom group work can usually be traced back to Deweys contention that pupils should be
encouraged to operate as members of communities, actively pursing interests in cooperation with others (p.550). Group work is important part of classroom
structure to ensure that every student has a voice. I wrote this lesson so that students would have the opportunity to learn through group work and learn from
one another. Howe et al. also states, The critical message is that group work in elementary science should be organized to maximize the proposal and
explanation of ideas in contests where teachers are relatively non-directiveproductive interaction can occur in cross-age, as well as single-age, classrooms, it
signals the power of interaction to create mutuality and equality in contexts. (p. 561). The first grade students learned through trial and error about what
made the marble stay inside the tubes a lot better than if I were to stand up in front of the classroom and teach them how to make the marble pass through
the tubes successfully. When asked to share how their group problem solved, they were able to compile responses that showed they worked as a team and
understood that height was a factor in the movement of the marble. My cooperating teacher at the time also said he will definitely use that lesson idea in the
in the future to introduce pushes and pulls to the students.

Lesson 2: English Language Arts: Writing Lesson (First Grade)-Lesson Taught

Throughout my college career, I have learned the importance of building a strong sense of classroom community. In building a sense of community, Hittie
(2000) explains in his article, Building Community in the Classroom, that the teacher needs to promote voice, friendship, respect and leadership in the
classroom. This lesson allowed the students to listen to their peers and understand why each of their peers feels special. It promoted empathy and allowed
students to see who had common strengths in the classroom as well as who had differences. I emphasized the importance of everyone being special in their
own way and that every student holds an important place in the classroom. My goal of this lesson was to increase the positivity and relationships in the
classroom. This lesson specifically focused on the friendship aspect of classroom community. Hittie (2000) writes, They can learn to respect and appreciate
differences and enjoy things that are the same. This adds a great deal to the feeling that we are a family of people here to learn together (p.3). I agree with
the author on the fact that young students can learn to appreciate differences in the classroom. The students were proud to hang up their writing piece and by
having the students share aloud their work, it increased the relationship bond between students in the classroom.

Lesson 3: Social Studies: St. Patrick's Day Culture Lesson (Third Grade)
This lesson allowed the students to view a culture that may differ from their culture at home. It also allowed the students to share something that they are
lucky to have with the class, which promotes diversity in the classroom. In the beginning of the lesson, there is time for discussion on what culture means to
students. During that time, students may share their culture with the class if they wish. I decided to open the lesson with a discussion on culture because it is
important for the students to understand that their peers come from different cultures and that all cultures are acceptable. I learned in my Engaging Learners
class that group discussion and sharing aloud are very important factors in creating a positive learning environment for students. According to Blount &
Napolitano (2014), Class discussions can enhance student understanding, add context to academic content, broaden student perspectives, highlight opposing
viewpoints, reinforce knowledge, build confidence, and support community in learning...Students will build their own support communities in this way. The
whole group discussion in this lesson increases the interpersonal connections between students in the classroom by allowing them to hear about their peers
personal lives and understand what culture means to others. The discussion supported the classroom community by reinforcing that every student in the
classroom has a voice.

Goals: Building a Caring Community of

Learners
My first goal is to create at least two lessons that involve team work at the students table
groups. I know that the math curriculum is very structured in the Kindergarten classroom, so I
intend on completing this goal during guided reading lessons, or during a science activity. I
hope to increase the students cooperation skills though activities that require the students to
work together to solve a task.
My second goal is to continue to strengthen the classroom community by creating activities
that involve sharing aloud and active listening during the designated morning meeting time.
I think by adding different activities to morning meeting, it will allow the students to get to
know one another through different modes and increase the student engagement in the
classroom. I want the students to view me as a part of the classroom community and that can
be accomplished by leading morning meeting and promoting respect.
3. My third goal is to incorporate open discussion during lessons that I implement. Although the
students are only in Kindergarten, I have already observed a lesson in my general education
placement in which the students participated in a detailed discussion about Martin Luther King.
I hope to increase discussion and allow students to guide those discussions, especially in
Language Arts. Open discussion will increase the relationship between the students in the
classroom and allow the Kindergarten students to promote their voice in the classroom.

2. Lessons: Planning and Teaching Content

Lesson 1: Math: Geometry (Fourth Grade)

This lesson started off with me previewing the knowledge of the students in the classroom related to symmetry. The class discusses what they
think symmetry is, and then participates in a mirroring/movement activity that describes symmetry. For the independent activity, students will
receive cut out shapes and they will have to identify the line of symmetry by folding the paper multiple times. Those shapes are reviewed as a
class and then each student will independently have to draw the other side of shape on a given worksheet that I created. At the end of the
lesson, students work in groups to determine how many lines of symmetry a given shape has. Their group has to teach to the rest of the class
how they came up with that number.
Standard: CCSS.Math.Content.4.G.A.3: Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such that the figure
can be folded along the line into matching parts.
Objective: (1)Students will be able to define symmetry; (2) Students will be able to identify lines of symmetry in a given shape.
Lesson 2: Social Studies: Arctic Transportation Creative Movement (Kindergarten)-Lesson Taught
This lesson allows the Kindergarten students to learn about the culture of the Inuit population in the Arctic and the types of transportation that
exists in their culture. The students are read the story, Artic Son by Jean Craighead George, that includes many references to Arctic transportation
such as sled dogs and snow boots. The book is used to introduce the lesson. For the main activity of the lesson, the students are guided through a
movement activity of putting on their boots and walking through the snow, riding on a snow mobile, and then dogsledding in a group. They are
hearing the definitions of the different modes of transportation for their vocabulary words, and performing the movement at the same time.
Standards: Dance Content Standard 7: Making Connections between dance and other discipline; 7.3.K.A: Describe how weather affects daily
life.
Objectives: (1)The students will be able to describe two types of transportation that the Inuit culture uses in the Arctic; (2) The students will be
able to describe two types of shelter that the Inuit culture uses in the Arctic.
Lesson 3: English Language Arts: Guided Reading (First Grade)-Lesson Taught
This lesson was taught to a small group of students in the advanced reading group of the class that was reading a non-fiction text titled, Sea
Turtles. The focus of this guided reading lesson was on finding the main idea and details in an informative text. Vocab was reviewed in the
beginning, just as it is in any other guided reading lesson. During reading, I have the students look at the features of the non-fiction text that
gives them insight on what the main idea is such as the headings, sub-headings and illustrations. A group discussion is held about the meaning of
main idea. They are given a worksheet to record the main idea of the text after they discuss it with their peers. They also need to record four
supporting details related to the main idea.
Standards: CC.1.2.1.G: Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas; CC.1.2.1.L: Read and comprehend literacy nonfiction
and informational text on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
Objectives: (1)The students will be able to identify the main idea and four details in the non-fiction story, Sea Turtles; (2) The students will be
able to summarize the story using their main idea graphic organizer as an aid.

Analyses: Planning and Teaching Content

Lesson 1: Math: Geometry (Fourth Grade)
I chose to teach this lesson on symmetry because it was appropriate for the fourth grade students as stated in the Common Core Math standards. I
decided to open the lesson with a movement activity to activate the students background knowledge and increase the engagement of the
students during the lesson. Koler (2014) explained that, In order to fully engage students in a mathematics lesson, teachers should get them up
and moving (p. 2). Math can be a hard subject for many, especially kinesthetic learners. By including the short mirroring activity, students were
able to act out the definition of a line of symmetry. Koler (2014) also states that, In addition to increasing brain function, movement has the
advantage of providing students with effective strategies for encoding information into the long-term memory (p. 8). Students will have the
memory of the movement activity to help them understand the definition of symmetry throughout the rest of the lesson activities.

Lesson 2: Social Studies: Arctic Transportation (Kindergarten)-Lesson Taught

This lesson is a part of a unit in which the theme was the Arctic. This was the social studies lesson of the thematic unit. As learned in my creative
movement course, movement can be incorporated in any subject to increase motivation in the lesson and to reach all learners in the classroom.
Students in the classroom, especially Kindergarten students, struggle with sitting and listening to lectures all day. As learned from Gilbert (2002),
These movement experiences are not meant to replace the traditional methods of teachingthey should be used along with these methods to
increase motivation and learning (p.3). Instead of just showing the students a PowerPoint of the different types of transportation, I incorporated
two content areas to describe the transportation to the students; dance and social studies. Gilbert (2002) also states, Piaget recommends that
the teacher provide a very active curriculumchildren at these ages need to work with and handle many concrete objects before they can readily
understand abstract verbalization (p. 7). In this lesson, students are utilizing jump ropes to active their knowledge about the dog sleds and
movement to gain understanding of the different transportation options. By including movement in this content area, students are truly getting an
understanding of how the Inuit population in the Arctic travel from place to place.

Lesson 3: English Language Arts: Guided Reading (First Grade)-Lesson Taught

The theme of the week in the classroom was determining the main idea. Knowing that the students were expected to read the text independently
on their own reading level, I knew I had to utilize the guided reading framework. Guided reading is appropriate because it allows the students to
work on the skill with other students on their reading level. Heston (2011) stated, Creating guided reading groups may make it easier for
elementary educators to diversify lessons and allow students to learn in a way that is best for them, which could increase their fluency, accuracy,
and comprehension(p.4). By working with this specific reading group, I could create an appropriate objective that will be able to be completed by
all four students in the reading group. Heston (2011) also explained, When provided with texts at their own guided reading level, students begin
to realize exactly what they are capable of and eventually develop an excitement for reading (p.4). I was able to guide the students thinking into
developing the main idea of the text and they were all very excited to share what they thought the main idea of the text was. The small guided
reading group allowed for the students to maximize their full potential and to use a text that was developmentally appropriate for them to master
the skill with.

Goals: Planning and Teaching Content

My first goal is to provide at least three opportunities to incorporate music and/or movement
into lesson plans that I teach while maintaining management of the classroom. I want to
utilize movement into math as well as language arts while continuing to connect the
movement activity to the content standards. Since the students in my classroom are five and
six years old, I think that incorporating movement will increase engagement in the lessons.
My second goal is to try to meet the needs of at least two different learning styles (Auditory,
Visual, Kinesthetic, Tactile) in my future lesson plans. I think it is important to provide students
with a variety of activities so that all learning styles are met. My cooperating teacher
mentioned that the Kindergarten students in both the a.m. and p.m. class are on very different
levels, and I want to meet the needs of all of the learners. I hope to get to know the students
as learners and understand how each student learns best so I can create appropriate lessons
for the class.
My third goal is to provide meaningful guided reading lessons for the Kindergarten students. I
hope to gain practice in assessing the students reading level and fluency so I can
appropriately plan the guided reading lessons. I aim to challenge each guided reading group
that I work with and differentiate to meet the needs of all of the readers. I want to establish a
positive association with reading and make the guided reading lessons creative and engaging.

3. Lessons: Utilizing Developmentally

Appropriate Strategies

Lesson 1: English Language Arts: Phoneme Segmentation (Kindergarten)

The goal of this lesson was for the students to be able to break apart sounds that they hear in words. This is a skill that helps
them read words as they continue to become a proficient reader. I would read them the book, How Rocket Learned to Read by
Tad Hills because in the story, Rocket learns how to read as well. I stop throughout the read aloud and point out different sounds
and practice making those sounds with the students. For example, I point out that rocket said, Grrrr! in the story. I point out
that most times, there will be more letters than there are sounds. I then move into the guided practice with the students as they
work on filling in sounds in the Elkonin boxes on the board. I use words that Rocket learned how to read in the story. For
independent practice, the students receive playdoh and blank laminated Elkonin boxes and they practice counting the sounds in
the words.

Lesson 2: Mathematics: Counting (Pre-K)- Lesson Taught

For this, I was working on having the students practice their 1:1 correspondence skills. The students have to place the
appropriate number of black circles on the ladybugs back. I drew dots on the ladybugs so the students knew how many dots
the lady bug needed to have. I modeled numbers 1 through 2 as a group, and they completed numbers 3-4 independently. After
the students mastered that, I gave them a blank lady bug. I would hold up a number card to a group (numbers 1 through 5) and
the students would need to place the appropriate amount of dots onto the ladybug.

Lesson 3: Science: Monarch Butterflies (Second Grade)

The students will each have their own Monarch Butterfly that they will observe over weeks. They have a journal titled, My
Monarch Butterfly in which they will record their observations about their butterfly. They will discuss their observations in their
groups. They will get to measure their caterpillar and take pictures using the ipads provided in the classroom. They will be
expected to record the monarchs growth as well as predictions that they may have. After the students have observed their
Monarch for two weeks and it is in the Chrysalis stage, the students write a creative story about their butterflies. At the end of
the lesson, the students will share their story about their Monarch, and report the growth of the Monarch by sharing their journal
and explaining the life cycle of their butterfly.

Analyses: Utilizing Developmentally Appropriate

Strategies
Lesson 1: English Language Arts: Phoneme Segmentation (Kindergarten)
I knew that students in Kindergarten are at the emergent stage of reading. I learned a lot about the different stages of reading during my reading
practicum experience. Ellery (2009) states that the emergent stage of reading is classified as the time when, students begin to make correlations
among oral, written and printed stimuliTheir understanding of the direct link of sounds to letters, pictures to words, and speech to sentences
clarifies this concept (p. 12). Because the emergent stage focuses on the students connection between sounds and letters, I concluded that
phoneme isolation would be an appropriate activity for the students to complete. It is a tool needed for them to help understand the sounds in words,
which will eventually help them sound out words when they become proficient readers. Ellery (2009) also explains in, Creating Strategic Readers,
that, Identifying phonemes is a strategy in which students focus on separate distinctions of initial, medial, and final sounds in words to recognize
their similarities and differencesIt provides students with a tool for reading as well as writing (40). This lesson was specifically created to help
students recognize the phonemes in words they were familiar with. The Elkonin boxes were used and directly related to the lesson so that the
students could visualize the amount of sounds within the word.

Lesson 2: Lesson 3: Mathematics: Counting (Pre-K)-Lesson Taught

I taught this math lesson to a group of three year old students that had been working on mastering one-to-one correspondence. As learned from the
lectures in my Preschool Field class, I know that Preschool-age students learn best with their hands, head ,and heart. Because of that, I decided to use
the black dots as manipulatives and incorporate an animal to get the students engaged and excited to learn. I decided to model placing the
appropriate amount of dots on the ladybug first because students can benefit from modeling at that age. Also, I knew that the students just began
object-counting and that it would be a difficult task for some of the students in the small group. Frye (2013) explained that, Teachers should model
one-to-one counting with one to three items-collections children can readily recognize and label-and emphasize or repeat the last number word used
in the counting process (p.17). Modeling the performance of counting using one to one correspondence was appropriate for the students at their
age. Providing the students with a task that allowed them to visually see how to utilize on-to-one correspondence was essential to their
understanding of the topic.

Lesson 3: Science: Monarch Butterflies (Second Grade)

I chose to utilize the method of science inquiry to teach the students about the monarch butterflies, rather then just explaining their life cycle on the
PowerPoint. According to Cobern (2012) Inquiry lessons were based on the Karplus Learning Cycle (1977), which involves three main phases,
Exploration, Concept Formation, and Application (p. 10). I decided while writing this lesson that I wanted the students to explore the life cycle of the
butterfly rather than just being told what it is. The students explored the life cycle of the Monarchs by collecting their measurements and data in their
observation journals. The students developed the concept through the discussion of their table groups about their Monarch and its growth. Their
knowledge is applied when they report their findings about their butterfly to the class. Cobern (2012) also stated that, It may be that interest is
sparked more by an inquiry approach, promoting positive attitudes toward science, which could lead to better performance (p. 27). When students
have their own caterpillar that they could watch grow into a butterfly, it is much more relative to them and it will increase their engagement in the
lesson. I also incorporating a creative writing piece to tie in writing into the lesson and increase its relevance to a different content area.

Goals: Utilizing Developmentally Appropriate

Strategies
Since I will be working in a Kindergarten classroom and have not taught that lesson, my first goal
is to incorporate that lesson into the classroom and meet the needs of all of my students in the
class. I observed in the Kindergarten classroom that they are learning how to break apart words
into sounds, so I think this lesson will flow nicely with the curriculum. I hope to maintain my
creativity as a teacher through the lessons while also staying true to the curriculum
My second goal is to incorporate modeling and think-alouds into my lessons. Since the students
are very young, they can benefit greatly from teacher-modeling and think-alouds for different
tasks. Think-alouds are very important to incorporate in all of the curriculum areas so students
know what they should be thinking when they are trying to solve a problem or break a part a
word into individual sounds. I think that the students will gain a deeper understanding of how to
solve problems, segment words, etc., if they can hear how I solve the problems in my head.
My third goal is to keep my lessons very hands-on without incorporating a lot of lecture. This
could occur through inquiry projects, guided group work, movement activities, or through the use
of manipulatives. I plan to incorporate a lot of my manipulative into my lessons for the
Kindergarten students because I know it is hard for young children to sit and listen for long
periods of time. Because of that, it is my goal to always make sure they are active learners.

4. Lessons: Responding to Differences and

Utilizing Technology

Lesson 1: Science : Arctic Animals-Music (Kindergarten )-Lesson Taught

In this lesson, students are introduced to the different types of Arctic animals that live in that habitat. To understand the animals that live
there, they are shown a PowerPoint slide of all of the animals including penguins, polar bear, and seals. I use the PowerPoint to point out
important features of the animals such as the Polar Bears furry coat or the seals flippers that keep them warm. After I go over the physical
features of the animals, we review the sounds the animals make through a song that goes along to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus. As
each sound of the animal is sung aloud, I hold up the picture of the animal. Instruments are passed around and each instrument represents
a different animal sound. The PowerPoint and music and able to help the auditory and visual learns in the classroom. As mentioned in my
differentiation section, students with hearing impairments could be provided with visual prompts of when to start singing and a hard copy of
the PowerPoint slide with more detailed pictures. Students with visual impairments could be provided with the song a week before class so
he or she can get familiar with the lyrics. He or she can also be provided a copy of the lyrics written in brail.

Lesson 2: English Language Arts: Compound Words (First Grade)- Lesson Taught
The lesson started off introducing compound words with a video shown on the smartboard. It was an interactive video that allowed students
to stand up and learn compound words using clapping to represent the compound words. One student in the class had ADHD, so I knew that
the interactive video would help her to move around and the kinesthetic learners to grasp the material. I read aloud, If you Give a Pig a
Pancake, by Laura Numeroff and they were following along with the text in their anthology. The students had to record the compound words
that they saw in the text on a worksheet. Then, they discussed the words as a class. As a closure activity, the students participated in a
smartboard activity in which the students had to drag and drop words into the appropriate spot on the board. Different students were
allowed to come up to the smart board to drag the word into the appropriate spot and read the word aloud to the class. I would assign
students words on the smartboard that I knew would be appropriate for different students based upon their reading level. It acted as a great
review for the lesson.

Lesson 3: Social Studies: Cinco De Mayo Scavenger Hunt ( Third Grade)

The students use their computers independently to complete a guided scavenger hunt activity. They learn the history of the holiday based
upon the websites that I send them to. While they are visiting the websites and reading about Cinco de Mayo, the students have to complete
a worksheet and answer questions that arise from the different websites. After completing the worksheet, the students have to define the
five vocabulary words on their own based upon the knowledge they gained from the reading. This lesson is great to differentiate because I
can send different students to different websites based upon their reading level and knowledge base.

Analyses: Responding to Differences and Utilizing

Technology
Lesson 1: Science : Arctic Animals-Music (Kindergarten )-Lesson Taught

As learned throughout my college career, Howard Gardner created multiple intelligences, explaining how different students learn best in different ways. By adding
music along with the visual aid, it reaches different intelligences in the classroom. Governor (2011) states in her article that, There are differences in how each
childs brain works, and in how people acquire and represent knowledge (p.21). In this lesson, the students have the song to follow, but also the PowerPoint
displayed on the smartboard, instruments, and lyrics to keep them focused. It reaches the needs of all learners. Governor (2011) also states, In one of the few
studies conducted in an education setting, researchers used songs as a teaching strategy in kindergarten, second and fifth grade classroomsthere were gains in
subject matter knowledge, and student participation in class activities increased, when content-based music was implemented as a teaching strategy (p.2). By
adding the song and visual aid, it allowed students to become more engaged n the lesson and remember the content being taught. The students will walk away
knowing the different animals that are present in the Arctic.

Lesson 2: English Language Arts: Compound Words (First Grade)- Lesson Taught
I decided to incorporate an interactive video and a smart board activity to engage the students in the lesson and to differentiate for some of the students in the
classroom. The article titled, Interactive Whiteboards and Learning, states, Educators continuously strive to develop strategies and tools that will reach students
with unique or diverse learning needs. Many of these learning styles-even the requirements of visual, hearing-impaired and other special needs students-can be
addressed when lesson delivery and learning activities incorporate use of an interactive white board (2006, p. 8). In this first grade class, there was a student
with ADHD, two students with a learning disability, and a student with Cerebral Palsy. I knew I had to meet the needs of all the students, and the smartboard
allowed me to accomplish that task. The article also mentions the following: Students with ADHD are better able to control impulsive and disruptive outbursts
when an interactive white board is introduced . Visually-impaired students benefit from the size of the interactive white board and, according to Cooper and Clark
(2003), when a teacher plays videos on an interactive white board, students who would not normally see images are finally able to see and interact with a
computer image (Interactive Whiteboards, 2006, p.9). The interaction with the smartboard motivated the students to want to understand compound words.
They viewed the smartboard activity as if it was a game, which motivated them to succeed with the activity more than if there was just a paper and pencil
worksheet.

Lesson 3: Social Studies: Cinco De Mayo Scavenger Hunt ( Third Grade)

During this lesson, the students took control of their own learning while utilizing the internet as their tool. When planning this lesson, I made sure to review all of
the websites first, ensuring that they are appropriate and provide correct information. I also had to decide which information I wanted the students to learn first.
Murphy, DePasquale & McNamara (2003) wrote, Children need to be taught how to use these stimulating and exciting tools in ways that promote learning and
social interaction so that they will become confident and skilled users of technology as they progress in their schooling and throughout life (p. 9). I decided to
incorporate the scavenger hunt into the lesson because I learned in my EGP 335 class that it is engaging to young students, and that it helps the students
become proficient in reading resources independently. Murphy et al. (2003) also wrote, Appropriate technology, including computer software, digital or web
content, cameras and other peripherals, can support and expand young childrens learning, including the learning of many children with disabilities (p.3).
Because students are working on the scavenger hunt independently, I have the opportunity to provide the students with different website thats are on their
reading level. Scavenger hunts help students get familiar with online recourses, engage the students, and provide them with accurate information through a
different pathway other than lecturing.

Goals: Responding to Differences and

Utilizing Technology
My first goal is to incorporate music and song into my lessons or during morning meeting. It
can be used to review a topic that the students already learned, or to introduce a topic as
an anticipatory set. I plan to accompany the song with a visual aid displayed on the
interactive white board to try to meet the needs of all learners. After the students are
familiar with the songs, I could send the lyrics home with the students so they can sing it
with their parents.
My second goal is to become familiar with Active Inspire, the program used in the PennDelco School District, and create at least three lessons using the program. I have observed
my cooperating teachers use it in both placements. The Kindergarten students are
especially excited to be able to write their answers on the board using the Active Inspire
Pen. It is a tool that I want to get familiar with using because I know that there is an
increase of engagement when technology is present.
My third goal is to create learning centers that involve the use of iPads or the classroom
computers. The students have time every week to play educational games on the computer
lab, so they are very adequate with their computer skills. There are a set of computers in
the back of the classroom that I could use to create a guided activity to do alongside with
the students. When the social studies unit in Kindergarten begins, I hope to differentiate
different web activities and/or apps to increase the students engagement in learning.

5. Lessons: Practicing Appropriate and

Responsible Assessment

Lesson 1: Science: Building Roller Coasters (First Grade)- Lesson Taught

This lesson tied in two content areas: writing and science. The students were expected to create a roller coaster with their friends through the science inquiry process. They
were given the essential task of creating a roller coaster with just tubes, tape and a marble that successfully allowed the marble to travel through it. The students were
assessed on their science inquiry and problem solving skills through observation and a 3-2-1 Rubric. I was looking to hear questions such as, How can we make this roller
coaster work? and other good teamwork. statements I will use that rubric to conference with the different groups after they share aloud how they made their marble
successfully travel through the tubes. To assess the students writing for the final activity, I also used a 3-2-1- rubric to mark off if they followed directions and used
complete sentences.
Standards: 3.1.B7: Science Inquiry; skills CC.1.4.1.B: Identify and write about one specific topic
Objectives: (1)The students will be able to participate in the science inquiry experiences centered on the construction of their own roller coaster; (2)The students will be able to demonstrate
appropriate group interaction skills when investigating their roller coaster through a science inquiry experience; (3)The students will be able to draw their roller coaster they created
accompanied with a name for their roller coaster and two sentences about why their roller coaster is special through a writing activity.

Lesson 2: Mathematics: Geometry (Fourth Grade)

This lesson focused on students working on finding lines of symmetry. Students follow along in a mirroring activity lead by the teacher and then work in groups to find lines
of symmetry. At the end of the lesson, each table group receives a shape that the class has not worked with and has to determine its line of symmetry. They will have to
explain how they came up with that number to the class and teach the class how to find their shapes line of symmetry. Before the students can leave class, they have to
submit an exit ticket which counts as the formative assessment. They are required to write the definition of symmetry in their own words, copy down a shape, and draw all
of the lines of symmetry that exist in that shape.
Standards: CCSS.Math.Content.4.G.A.3: Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such that the figure can be folded along the line into matching
parts. Identify line-symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry.
Objectives: (1)Students will be able to define symmetry; (2)Students will be able to identify lines of symmetry in a shape.

Lesson 3: English Language Arts: Before, During, After Lesson (Second Grade)
This lesson was based upon the book Pinduli by Janell Cannon. In the before stage of the lesson, I preview the theme of the story with the students and ask them to share with a partner about a
time when someone was mean to them or would not share and how that made them feel. Again, in the after section of the lesson, the students have to Think-Pair-Share again based upon a
question related to the book. The students had to discuss with their partner why Pindulis mother told her that she was the smartest hyena ever, even though she was bullied. For the
summative assessment, students are asked to respond to a writing prompt which relates to the theme of the story. For a formative assessment, students are asked to write there name on a postit note and write what they think the theme was and hang it on the bulletin board. I would then be able to read aloud the themes that were appropriate, and keep those post-it notes to keep as
progress data.
Standard: CC.1.3.2.A Recount stories and determine their central message, lesson, moral; CC.1.3.2.B Ask and answer questions such as who, what, where, when, and why, and how to
demonstrate understanding of key details in the text; CC.1.3.2.C Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges; CC.1.3.2.M Write narratives to develop real or
imagined experiences or events.
Objective: (1)Students will be able to understand how the theme of the story and how it relates to the problems that Pinduli encounters; (2)Students will be able to explain the challenges that
the main character, Pinduli, overcomes in the jungle; (3)Students will be able to write in Pindulis point of view through creative writing and discussions using the main ideas from the text;
(4)Students will be able to collaboratively give a detailed summary of the main events and actions that occurred in Pinduli.

Analyses: Practice Appropriate and Responsible

Assessment

Lesson 1: Science: Building Roller Coasters (First Grade)- Lesson Taught

For this assessment, students were graded using a rubric based upon their science inquiry skills and their writing piece that described their roller coaster. They were expected to work
as a team to complete the essential task and compose a two-sentence description. On my rubric, I created the following three categories: Does not meet expectations, meets
expectations, exceeds expectations. The three objectives that I created are directly tied to the expectations placed upon my rubric. I learned in my assessment course that objectives
need to be clearly tied to what is being assessed. For example, my first objective stated the following: The students will be able to participate in the science inquiry experiences
centered on the construction of their own roller coaster. The row on my rubric was titled, Science Inquiry experience and under the Meet Expectations column, the criteria stated,
Student conveys new knowledge built through investigation. The student hypothesized how to create a successful roller coaster through numerous trial and error runs. Because my
objectives are directly tied to my assessment, I know that my rubric is valid. Leonhardt (2005) wrote in her article, Using Rubric as an Assessment Tool in Your Classroom, When
student performance is assessed using rubrics, evaluation does not take students by surprise.a clear outline shows the connection between the demonstration of a skills level and
the expectation for attaining that skill (para. 21). In the assessment description in my lesson, I explained I would discuss the rubric with the student during a one-on-one conference. I
could then keep the rubrics and see how the students progressed through their use of inquiry, writing, and interpersonal skills.

Lesson 2: Mathematics: Geometry (Fourth Grade)

For this lesson, the end of the unit geometry test would count as the summative assessment, and the exit slips that were created for the students would count as the formative
assessment. Throughout the different courses that I have taken, I learned that exit slips are an effective way to check for understanding after a lesson. It would allow me to see who
understands the content that was taught during that lesson, and who needs more help with that specific topic. Sterrett, Fiddner & Gilman (2010) write, The use of math exit slips can
provide real-time, live, data and allow teachers and students to share ownership in ensuring greater academic success (p. 1). Sterrett et al. (2010) also mentions that exit slips can
be a great way to collect data by writing, On the spreadsheet, teachers indicate whether or not a student understands the particular strand. This data is organized to show what the
students are expected to learn, when the assessment is given, and how the students are performing (p.1). Sterret et al. helped me realize the importance of taking data and how
teachers should plan a variety of assessments to ensure students are reaching mastery of a given topic. Assessments are not just a measure to determine how well the students are
performing; instead, it is a measurement of how well the teacher is reaching his/her objectives. This exit split is especially appropriate for math since topics build off of one another, so
if the student answers incorrectly on the exit slip, his or her understanding could be clarified before the next lesson.

Lesson 3: English Language Arts: Before, During, After Lesson (Second Grade)
This lesson included a formative assessment and a summative assessment that tied directly to the objectives. The students had to respond to a prompt and write their response in
essay format as the summative assessment. For the formative assessment, the students had to write what they think the theme of the story is on a post-it-note as soon as I would
finish reading aloud the story. I chose to include the formative assessment so we could go over theme as a class once more before the students wrote their final essay on the theme of
the story. Bakula (2010) explains that, Teachers should use formative assessments to clarify what students are supposed to be learning, improve the instructional practices of
individual teachers, and allow for reteaching of concepts to reach struggling students (para. 5). If students were writing themes on the post-it notes that did not relate to the story at
all, then I would have went back to the carpet and discussed theme more explicitly; however, if students were able to appropriately write the theme, I would know they would be ready
to move on. Bakula (2010) supports the idea of re-teaching a concept if students are not grasping the content during a lesson by stating, Teachers must use the formative
assessment results to shape their teaching and create ways to reach their struggling students (para. 6). I observed one of my previous cooperating teachers using the post-it notes
during Language Arts, and I still think it is an effective way to collect tangible data and to provide a check-in with the students on their knowledge.

Goals: Practice Appropriate and

Responsible Assessment
My first goal is to create at least three rubrics in two different content areas to assess the
students upon. Based upon the articles that I have read, it seems that rubrics help
teachers reflect upon their success in meeting the objectives and they also help the
students understand what the teacher is looking for.
My second goal is to vary the amount of assessments that I use in the Kindergarten class
and in my second placement as well. I want the assessments that I use to be engaging
and authentic. I feel as though that formative assessments should not apply pressure on
the students because it is a way for me to see what I need to re-teach. Different formative
assessments I hope to use are post-it notes, thumbs up/thumbs down, surveys, etc.
My third goal is to ensure that my assessments clearly tie to my objectives. I only want to
assess what I expect the students to know. This will allow me to focus my data on my
objectives, and determine what objectives the students still need to reach. I hope to
collect data on my objectives to measure progress.

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