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Teacher Work Sample

Elizabeth Lucas Social Studies Unit: Symbols and Citizenship

I taught a Social Studies unit plan titled Symbols and Citizenship to a kindergarten class during my student teaching. The lessons were taught using the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol method of instruction. Data was gathered to evaluate the outcomes of teaching and student learning to help develop strategies to improve instruction. Dates of Lessons Lesson 1-February 26, 2014 Lesson 2- February 27, 2014 Lesson 3- February 28, 2014 Lesson 4- February 28, 2014 Lesson 5-March 3, 2014 Lesson 6, 2014-March 4, 2014

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Standard I: Contextual Factors

Class Demographics Differentiation/Accommodations

Standard II: Unit Plan Standard III: Lesson Plans

Lesson 1: How Symbols Unite our school. Lesson 2: Utah State Symbols. Lesson 3: United States Symbols. Lesson 4: The Pledge. Lesson 5: Being a Good Citizen. Lesson 6: Writing- Working Together.

Standard IV: Analysis of Student Learning

Student Performance Assessment Presented in Data Tables and Charts Summary of Individual Student Performance on Various Assessments Explanation of Pre-Assessment and Post-Assessment Findings Discussion of Validity of Assessments in Measuring Learning Informed Conclusions Concerning Each Subgroup's

Standard V: Reflection and Self Evaluation

DM1: Diversity DM2: Effective Pedagogy DM3: Subject Matter DM4: Environment DM5: Reflection DM6: Teaching Dispositions

Standard VI: Appendices

Appendix A: Reference List Appendix B: Pre/Post Test, Formative Assessments Appendix C: Assessment Examples From Below, On, and Above Grade Level Students

~3~ Standard I: Classroom Contextual Factors (DM1)

I am completing my student teaching in a Kindergarten classroom at XYZ Elementary School. Mrs. Rs class consists of students who are between the ages of five and six years old and all of the students attend class from 12:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and from 11:35 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Fridays.

Gender Distribution
20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Female Male Total Students 6 12 Female Male Total Students 18

Figure 1

Source: Mrs. R., classroom teacher

Figure 1 shows the gender distribution of the class. There are 18 students total with 12 male students and six female students. The male students outnumber the female students at a ratio of one female student for every two male students.

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Enthicity of the Students

1
1

Caucasian Hispanic Indian

16

Figure 2

Source: Mrs. R., classroom teacher

Figure 2 shows the ethnicity of the students in the class. There are 16 Caucasian students, one Hispanic student, and one Indian student. All of the students represented in figure two were born in the United States. The Indian students father is of Indian descent, his mother is Caucasian. The Hispanic students mother is Hispanic but was born in the United States and the ethnicity of his father is Caucasian.

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Language Proficiency

English Spoken as First Language

18

Figure 3

Source: Mrs. R., classroom teacher

Figure 3 shows the number of students in the class that are learning English as their first language. All 18 of the students were born in the United States and all 18 of the students are learning English as their first language and would be considered Level 5/6 or bridging on the World Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) level of English language proficiency standards for their grade.

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Individualized Education Plan

2

Students on IEP Students not on an IEP

16

Figure 4

Source: Mrs. R., classroom teacher

Figure 4 shows the number of students who are on Individualized Education Plans (IEP). Of the 18 students in the class, two students are on IEPs for speech. One of the students is pulled out every day and the other student is pulled out once a week for approximately 30 minutes. Both of these students are on grade level in all subjects.

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Exceptionalities
1 1 1 Celiac Disease and IEP for Speech IEP for speech 8 3 Students Below Level Twin and Below Level Asthma and Behavior

Twin and on level

1 1 2 HAL Students Other Students

Figure 5

Source: Mrs. R., classroom teacher

Figure 5 shows the exceptionality breakdown of all of the students in the class. This graph illustrates that a little more than half of the class have special needs. One student has asthma and behavior problems, one student has Celiac disease and is in on an IEP for speech, one other student is on an IEP for speech. Four students are below level in both reading and math, one of these four below level students is a twin, but his twin sister is on level in reading and math. Two students are High Ability Learners (HAL) and eight students are on level in reading and math.

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Social Economic Status

6 Free or reduced lunch Full Price Lunch 12

Figure 6

Source: Mrs. R., classroom teacher

Figure 6 shows the number of students in the class who receive free or reduced lunch. Six students would qualify for free or reduced lunch even though these students do not eat lunch at school. They would qualify based on the familys income and the number of dependents supported by that income. Mrs. R also identified these six students to be economically disadvantaged when compared to the other students in the class.

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60% 50% 40% 30% 4 (22%) 20% 10% 0% Level 1 (Below)

Developmental Reading Assessment

7 (38%)

Level 1 (Below)
Level 2 (On) Level 3 (On)

3 (16%) 2 (12%) 1 (6%) 1 (6%)

Level 8 (Above) Level 12 (HAL) Level 20 (HAL)

Level 2 (On) Level 3 (On)

Level 8 (Above)

Level 12 (HAL)

Level 20 (HAL)

Figure 7

Source: Mrs. R., classroom teacher

Figure 7 shows the results of the Development Reading Assessment given to each student on February 24-February 27, 2014. To be considered proficient, the students must be on level 3 of the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) by the end of kindergarten. As shown in Figure 7, there are four students indicated by the red bar graph, who are considered below level in reading, this is 22% of the class. There are 10 students in green who are either approaching or on level 3 and are considered proficient for the kindergarten grade and time of year, this is 54% of the class. There are two students in light blue who are above level but would not be categorized as High Ability Learners, this is 12% of the class. At XYZ Elementary School they do not test possible HAL students until 2nd grade, however, there are two students who have been identified by Mrs. R as excelling and performing beyond grade level core expectations, this is 12% of the class. These two students are indicated by the dark blue bar graph and are far above the level 3 expected by the end of Kindergarten.

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MyMAth Benchmark Assessment

16

14, 78%
14 12 10 8 6 4, 22% 4 Below level On

2 0
Below level On

Figure 8

Source: Mrs. R., classroom teacher

Figure 8 shows the results of the MyMath Benchmark monthly assessment given at the end of February. The MyMath benchmark assessment is aligned with the Utah State Common Core. To be considered proficient, the students need to score an 8 or above on the assessment. As indicated in Figure 8, four students or 22% of the class are below level in math and scored below 8 on the MyMath benchmark assessment. Fourteen students, or 78% of the class are on level in math and all fourteen of these students scored 10 on the MyMath benchmark assessment.

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Subgroups
Student Number Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Student 4 Student 5 Student 6 Student 7 Student 8 Student 9 Student 10 Student 11 Student 12 Student 13 Student 14 Student 15 Student 16 Student 17 Student 18 Figure 9 Gender F M M M F F F M F M F M M M M M M F Ethnicity Caucasian Caucasian Exceptionalities IEP (Speech) Celiac disease IEP (Speech) Twin Twin Learning Level On On Caucasian On Caucasian Below Caucasian On Caucasian On Caucasian Below Hispanic Asthma/Behavior Below Caucasian On Caucasian Above Caucasian On Caucasian HAL HAL Caucasian On Caucasian On Caucasian/Indian HAL HAL Caucasian On Caucasian Above Caucasian Below Source: Mrs. R., classroom teacher

Figure 9 represents all of the students in the class identified in subgroups by gender, ethnicity, exceptionalities and learning levels. The learning levels were determined by the Developmental Reading Assessment and the MyMath benchmark assessment with the results shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8. Based on the results of the previously mentioned assessments, I organized the students into three learning levels; below, on and high. For the purpose of this teacher work sample, I have chosen to analyze the students highlighted in yellow. The outcome of these students pre and post assessments will be compared to the aforementioned

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subgroups and analyzed accordingly. Student 4 is male, he is below level in both reading and math and is a twin. Student 16 is male, he is on level in both reading and math. Student 12 is male and would be considered a high ability learner in both reading and math. Originally, I chose student 8 and Student 3 as two of the three students I would like to analyze. I chose student 3 who is on level and has an IEP, however, while the unit plan was being taught, he was undergoing testing for speech and being evaluated for his IEP and he missed too much instruction time to collect sufficient data. The other student I originally wanted to analyze was student 8 because I could reflect on effective strategies for managing students with behavior difficulties. Unfortunately, he was absent for three of the school days during the unit and I was unable to gather the information needed to analyze learning. In the planning and development of the lessons for this unit, the accommodations I chose to implement for both of these students proved effective for all students.

Classroom Policies and Procedures

Mrs. R established the classroom policies and procedures for her class at the beginning of the year by having the students help determine the class rules. There are five classroom rules that were developed by the students and posted at the rug as a reminder and quick reference for the students. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Be nice! Take care of our classroom. Be ready to listen and learn. Follow directions. Do your best!

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When the students become distracted, are talking out of turn, or talking to their neighbors when it is time to listen, there are two cues I use to help the students get back to attention. I say, Class, Class, Class they say Yes, Yes, Yes. This is the quickest cue and the students respond immediately. I also say give me five, which refers to their five senses; eyes, ears, mouth, hands, and nose and is used as a quiet count down from 5-4-3-2-1 and then all students become quiet. This is effective if the students are busy getting journals out or otherwise occupied and need a little longer to comply. During Daily Five, the students are directed to clean up their materials with a bell chime. I ring it and they clean up and line up for recess. Every day I post a schedule of what we will be doing and move a butterfly to indicate which activity we are working on. The students always begin the day with seat work that last for approximately 15 minutes. This gives them time to settle in, turn in homework and listen to the announcements. Fast finishers start on the computer, read to themselves, or do another pre-determined activity until the rest of the class is finished. The procedure during seat work is for the students to raise their hand when they are finished with their seat work and other assigned work and wait for Mrs. R or me to circulate the room.

Differentiation/Accommodations
Based on the demographics of Mr. Rs class, I planned and developed my unit plan using the Sheltered Instructional Observation Protocol (SIOP) method of instruction, which is research-based instruction and makes learning comprehensible for all students including English Language Learners (ELL). Although my class does not have any ELL students, because of

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their age, all of the students are learning the English language and the language proficiency of the students varies. For this reason, I approach every lesson with the intent for them to practice reading, writing, speaking and listening throughout the entire lesson and as much as possible. Before teaching the unit, I used a formal pre-assessment to determine the readiness of the students. After teaching the unit, I performed a formal post-assessment to determine the learning outcomes. Throughout the lesson I consistently used multiple methods of formative assessments to monitor student comprehension and growth (See Appendix B). During the lessons, I provided a wide range of supplemental materials to help my below level students learn. These included explicit instruction of key vocabulary words, utilizing simple sentences and definitions, visuals, and body language with hand motions to clarify meaning. I modified the text of difficult literature to make the meaning comprehensible for all language levels. I used pictures to support stories, leveled maps to help students understand the difference between the community, the state and the United States. I used realia and objects from their everyday lives to help relate what they already understand and know about the world and connect it to new information. I allowed multiple options for how the students could complete their assignments. I considered the multiple intelligences of my below, on, and above level students in the delivery of the lesson and then modified the assessments to meet their individual needs. My below level students could draw pictures if they were unable to express themselves in writing, and I also provided sentence starters. Although I do not have any ELL students in my classroom these specific accommodations would be necessary for them to be successful on the assessments. My

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HAL students were able to stretch their thinking and given opportunities to reflect and respond to open-ended, high-order thinking questions. These were written into the lessons to ensure they were asked and answered throughout each lesson. In the delivery of the lesson, I used logical sequencing of information to help the students who are mathematical. The lessons followed the model I do, you do, we do, and you do alone, which helped scaffold learning. I used movement in the four corners game and hands on materials for students who learn kinesthetically. I also carefully considered transitions so the students would not remain stationary for long periods of time. Every lesson included technology and music or video with music to help the students who are more rhythmic and learn with music. I built on the students background knowledge and previous learning and allowed wait time for students who are more introspective. This was also necessary to help the students who are on IEPs for speech formulate their answers and think about what they want to say before they respond. To motivate all of the students to develop language skills, I gave them opportunities to interact with their peers throughout the lessons. I grouped them by ability but also considered how they work with each other. At the end of each lesson, the students were given opportunities to share what they had learned. To motivate excellence, the students who did their very best work were given the opportunity to share using a microphone. I called it rock star writer and reader. One of the most important modifications I made during my lesson was to be explicit in my teaching. I clearly stated and posted the objectives of the lesson, I used modeling, think a louds, and examples of students work to illustrate exactly what was expected. I also used

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read-a-loud literature that supported the main ideas of the lessons and used inflection in my voice to help comprehension. Most importantly, I was excited to teach and excited for them to learn. I stayed positive and encouraged my students throughout the unit, meeting individually with each one of them to provide encouragement, support, and feedback. All of these accommodations and modifications, including those specifically stated in the lessons plans, were utilized so all of the students would have an equitable chance of succeeding, no matter what level of learning they are on.