Identification of Learning Problem

Problem: Basic writing skills (writing words from phonetic spelling and adding detail) for
beginning writers.
Target Audience: The target audience is students in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten that are
in the beginning stages of writing, just learning letters and letter sounds and beginning to write
words and sentences using phonetic spelling.
Describe: Students who are beginning to write do not have the skills needed to add in details. If
students are taught from the beginning how to add details to their writing they would have a
greater chance of keeping these skills later in their schooling. The problem was identified
through general observation walking through Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten hallways and
observing the work in the halls. Students will need writing skills throughout their schooling, this
will help them when they begin writing in other grades. The discrepancies between the current
and desired states are as follows: Students in Pre-Kindergarten are using word cards to practice
writing, but not writing on their own using phonetic spelling. Students in Kindergarten are
developing writing skills using phonetic spelling but do not include many details in their writing.
Goal: At the end of instruction students will be able to write at least one sentence, using phonetic
spelling, using details to describe a given picture.
Learner Analysis
1. Introduction
Students in grades Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, ages ranging from four to six,
who are working on developing writing skills in the classroom. Information has been gathered
using data from a writing assessment given to first graders during the first month of school.
Students in the first grade will each be given a writing assessment to gauge their level of detail.
Students will be given a rubric and an explanation of what is expected one to two days prior to
being assessed. Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and First Grade Teachers are interviewed to
ensure all test data collected is accurate and learner analysis is correct.
2. Entry Skills and Prior Knowledge
Teachers begin the year teaching basic skills to students as the assumption is students
come into school with a small amount skills and prior knowledge of the subjects being taught in
school. Students begin school with a small vocabulary, limited to vocabulary they are exposed
to inside the home and in daycare. Very few students have been taught skills such as counting,
the alphabet, knowledge of letters and letter sounds. Students who are in Pre-Kindergarten and
Kindergarten may have computer skills, however many who are not exposed to computers, or
who are not able to have one in the home do not have knowledge of computers.
3. Attitudes Toward Content & Academic Motivation
Most students in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten are highly motivated and have a
positive attitude toward learning. Most of these students are eager to begin their journey in the
classroom, while a few are less eager and would like to be back home with their parents instead
of at school learning. Students in these grades tend to repeat phrases that are said by adults
because they want to gain the vocabulary to speak as adults do. Learning descriptive words and
having the ability to write are important to Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students. Starting
in Pre-Kindergarten students begin to use their writing skills and mimicking adults in the
classroom writing down lists and taking attendance. Throughout the year these students become
more interested in what they are writing and want to be able to describe different items in the
classroom and write about them.
4. Educational Ability Levels
Ability levels differ from no prior knowledge to some students knowing all letters and
letter sounds that will be helpful with the writing process. The students also have varying levels
of vocabulary skills. Those with a home environment rich with language have a larger
vocabulary compared with those students who have not had the exposure to a large language
base. These students without prior exposure to a rich vocabulary will potentially struggle to find
the words to describe pictures in detail.
5. General Learning Preferences
The Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students are kinesthetic learners. Students learn
best through active participation in the lessons, not by lecturing. Typically these students need to
have tasks demonstrated to them, allow time for them to attempt the task, then need further
instruction on improvements to their performance.
6. Attitude Toward Teachers and School
Currently these students have a positive attitude towards teachers and school since their
prior experiences have not allowed them to have negative feelings towards school. Many
students who have older siblings look forward to attending school, as they have seen their
siblings do prior to them. A few students, however, do not want to attend school since they have
not previously been in a school setting. Students who have not previously been to daycare or had
any experience being cared for by someone other than a family member feel anxious and scared
being away from the familiarity of home.
7. Group Characteristics (including social characteristics and relevant cultural information)
These students tend to be talkative and friends to the majority of the class. The students
are from similar backgrounds being in the rural part of the county. The families at our school
tend to be some of the poorer families from the community, but are very involved with their
childrens schooling. Many of the students in the school are relatives of other students in their
grade level or in the school in general. 85% of children in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten
are on the free and reduced lunch program. Students who have access to a computer outside of
the school is limited to only 65% of students in these grades. Pre-Kindergarten students are also
limited inside the school for computer access as they are not scheduled computer lab time and
share computers within the classroom, which is 2 computers for 22 students.
Task Analysis
I conducted both a topic analysis and procedural analysis to ensure all concepts were
covered for student learning. Most of the learning will be content related instead of procedural,
but will also include procedures. I sat down and thought about the content to be discussed and
what was important for students to know about the subject. An outline was created to include
necessary content and procedural information necessary for the lessons.
As the Subject Matter Expert, I thought of all the ways the students will be using the
information they will learn throughout the module and what are the best ways for the students to
learn that information. We also have to look at the prior knowledge students have coming into
Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten. The SME is a Pre-K teacher with one year experience as a
teacher and one year experience as a paraprofessional in this grade level. She is able to identify
prior knowledge students entering Pre-Kindergarten have as well as the level of knowledge these
students will enter Kindergarten with.
Task Analysis Outline
1. Descriptive Words
a. Used to describe a noun (person, place, thing, or idea)
b. Used to describe a verb (action word)
2. Details
a. Added to writing to give a person a better idea of the image portrayed
b. Added to pictures to give a person more information
3. Computer Usage
a. Login to computer
i. Find username located on the computer and enter it
ii. Find password under the username and enter it
b. Find the appropriate icon on the screen
i. Double click to enter appropriate program
ii. Enter given username and password
1. Each student will have their own username and password
c. Read directions on screen and follow instructions.

Instructional Objectives
Terminal Objective: Students will be able to write using descriptive words.
Objective 1: At the end of the module the student will be able to label a picture with a phrase
containing at least one descriptive word. Cognitive Domain
1. The student will match the picture to the correct phrase when given multiple choice
answers.
2. Describe a picture given with using at least one descriptive word, (ex. tall boy, versus
boy)
3. Given a descriptive phrase the student will draw a picture to match.
Objective 2: At the end of the module the student will be able to label a picture with a sentence
containing multiple descriptive words. - Cognitive Domain
1. Given a picture the student will find a sentence that corresponds to the picture containing
at least two descriptive words.
2. The student will write sentences containing descriptive words.
3. Given a sentence the student will draw a picture to match the sentence.
Objective 3: At the end of the module the student will be able write a short paragraph, containing
three to five sentences, to explain a picture. Cognitive Domain
1. Students will draw a picture and write descriptive sentences about the picture.
2. Students will read a paragraph and draw a picture using the descriptive paragraph.
3. Students will find a picture online and write at least one sentence to describe the picture.
Classification of Instructional Objectives:

Content
Performance
Recall Application
Fact
Concept 1 1, 2, 3
2 1, 2, 3
3 1, 2, 3
Principles
Procedure 1, 2, 3 1 3, 2 3, 3 - 3
Interpersonal
Attitude

Relationship Between Instructional Objectives and Standards:
Instructional Objectives Common Core Standards
1 1, 2, 3 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.2 Use a combination
2 1, 2, 3
3 1, 2, 3
of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose
informative/explanatory texts in which they
name what they are writing about and supply
some information about the topic.
1 1, 2, 3
2 1, 2, 3
3 1, 2, 3
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.5 With guidance and
support from adults, respond to questions and
suggestions from peers and add details to
strengthen writing as needed.
3.3 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.6 With guidance and
support from adults, explore a variety of digital
tools to produce and publish writing, including
in collaboration with peers.

Assessment
Lesson 1: An
Introduction to
Descriptive Words
Lesson 2: Writing
Sentences to Describe
Pictures
Lesson 3: Writing
Descriptive Paragraphs
Goals Students will know what
a descriptive word is and
be able to give a phrase
containing one
descriptive word to
describe a picture.
Students will be able to
write a sentence
containing descriptive
words.
Students will be able to
write a paragraph to
describe a picture.
Objectives Objective 1: At the end
of the module the
student will be able to
label a picture with a
phrase containing at least
one descriptive word.

1A. The student will
match a picture to the
correct phrase when
given multiple choice
answers.

1B. Describe a picture
given with using at least
one descriptive word,
(ex. tall boy, versus boy)

1C. Given a descriptive
phrase the student will
Objective 2: At the end
of the module the
student will be able to
label a picture with a
sentence containing
multiple descriptive
words.

2A. Given a picture the
student will find a
sentence that
corresponds to the
picture containing at
least two descriptive
words.

2B. The student will
write sentences
containing descriptive
words.
Objective 3: At the end
of the module the
student will be able write
a short paragraph,
containing three to five
sentences, to explain a
picture.

3A. Students will draw a
picture and write
descriptive sentences
about the picture.

3B. Students will read a
paragraph and draw a
picture using the
descriptive paragraph.

3C. Students will find a
picture online and write
draw a picture to match. 2C. Given a sentence the
student will draw a
picture to match the
sentence.
at least one paragraph to
describe the picture.
Assessments Quiz Quiz Writing Assessment
UDL Multiple Means of
Representation and
Action and Expression
Multiple Means of
Representation and
Action and Expression
Multiple Means of
Representation, Action
and Expression, and
Engagement
Assessments in document labeled BarnardA_KA1
Instructional Sequence
Sequence Description Objective
1 Label pictures with at least one descriptive word. 1
2 Write a sentence about a picture containing descriptive words. 2
3 Write a short 3-5 sentence paragraph about a picture. 3

Lesson 1: An Introduction to Descriptive Words
Objective 1: At the end of the module the student will be able to label a picture with a phrase
containing at least one descriptive word.
1A. The student will match a picture to the correct phrase when given multiple choice
answers.
1B. Describe a picture given with using at least one descriptive word, (ex. tall boy, versus
boy)
1C. Given a descriptive phrase the student will draw a picture to match.
Motivational Strategy: The lesson will begin with a short video of students who are discussing a
new puppy. The video will be made prior to beginning the online lessons. One student will be
informing their peer of a new puppy they received for their birthday. The other student will ask
questions about the puppy, but the only response the student will be able to give is, its a
puppy! Seeing how the student is not able to give details about the new puppy will encourage
students to want to learn more about giving a description to someone. For differentiation I will
have a story that students can choose to read instead of watching the video.
Initial Presentation: Students will be given an example to click through to see what is expected of
them during the instruction. Students will be given a picture and then a list of words that could
describe the picture. The students will choose the correct descriptive word and submit their
answer. Feedback will be given immediately to show if they chose the correct answer. For
differentiation the instructions will be on screen for students to read as well as spoken aloud for
students to hear. They will be able to press the repeat button as many times as needed to hear the
directions.
Generative Strategy: Students will be given multiple pictures (one at a time) to choose the
correct descriptive word. These will start out as one picture with a choice of two words to
describe it. As the child is progressing through the lesson, these will become more difficult
giving up to five words to choose from. The students will progress into being given a picture
they will have to type a word in a box to give as a description. The student will then submit the
answer and will be given a list of possible answers to see if theirs is a match. To differentiate the
lesson multiple pictures will be loaded and students will be able to skip through pictures they are
having difficulties with. Each student will be able to skip through five pictures, but will need to
have correct answers to advance to the next level. Each student is able to progress at their own
pace, with students who answer correctly with 95-100% advancing to the next stage, those with
85-95% are able to choose if they want to advance or remain in their current level and obtain
more practice. Those who are not answering at least 50% correctly will step back down to a
lower stage or remain at their stage with the chance to review the examples again.
Lesson 2: Writing Sentences to Describe Pictures
Objective 2: At the end of the module the student will be able to label a picture with a sentence
containing multiple descriptive words.
2A. Given a picture the student will find a sentence that corresponds to the picture containing
at least two descriptive words.
2B. The student will write sentences containing descriptive words.
2C. Given a sentence the student will draw a picture to match the sentence.
Motivational Strategy: Students will be shown a new video consisting of a group of students who
are discussing the class pet. A new student is asking questions about the class pet, but is only
receiving answers in short phrases and not in sentence form. For example the student asks,
What does our class rabbit do when you let him out in class? In response another student will
say, He hops around. Another says, Our rabbit is very energetic he likes to hop all over the
classroom, and sometimes he sits next to us so we can pet him. Given the two responses the
students will be able to see the difference between using descriptive words and not using them.
For differentiation students will be able to choose to read a script from the story instead of
watching the video. Students will be given the chance to re-watch the video if they want to for
more clarification.
Initial Presentation: Students will be given an example of how to choose the correct sentence to
describe the picture given. Students will have a few practice problems before starting the work
alone. Examples will also be given of how a student will form their own sentences using a think
aloud strategy as the student forms the sentence. These will be available for review throughout
the lesson to aid students with their work. To differentiate the lesson these will be given in both
written format for students to read and audible for students to listen to.
Generative Strategy: Students will proceed through the lesson by first matching the correct
sentence to the given picture. These like the first lesson will start off with two choices and
extend to five choices before the lesson is complete. After mastering the concept of matching
sentences to the pictures, students will develop their own sentences to describe pictures. They
will monitor their own progress through this by reading some example sentences after submitting
their own to determine if their sentence is comparable. Students will also be given a choice of
sentences to draw their own picture to see how the descriptive words are important when
drawing an image. For differentiation students will be able to progress through the lesson at
their own pace as well ask skip through pictures that may be difficult to them, completing a set
number of problems.
Lesson 3: Writing Descriptive Paragraphs
Objective 3: At the end of the module the student will be able write a short paragraph, containing
three to five sentences, to explain a picture.
3A. Students will draw a picture and write descriptive sentences about the picture.
3B. Students will read a paragraph and draw a picture using the descriptive paragraph.
3C. Students will find a picture online and write at least one paragraph to describe the
picture.
Motivational Strategy: Students will be shown a think aloud video of what they will be doing.
The video will contain a child looking at the details of a picture to write a paragraph about the
picture. After thinking aloud about the details of the picture the student will then write the
paragraph explain the picture. For differentiation students will be given a choice to watch the
video or read a story and will be given the chance to view the video multiple times for review.
Initial Presentation: Students will be given an example problem to show how they will begin the
process of matching pictures to paragraphs. This will start out by given the student one
paragraph, the student will then be given pictures to match to the paragraph. Multiple examples
will be given for practice before the student begins working alone. For differentiation students
will be given the choice to read the paragraphs to themselves or listen to them being read aloud.
Generative Strategy: Students will start by reading or listening to a paragraph, the student will
then be given two pictures to choose which one best matches the paragraphs description.
Students will have an increasing number of pictures to choose from with the pictures containing
similarities and needing the student to pay attention to details when choosing. The next stage
will allow students to draw their own picture to correspond with the paragraph that is written. A
picture will be shown to them to show what someone else saw when reading the paragraph, they
will look at the similarities and differences to see how important description words are. The last
stage in the lessons students will look for a picture online and write a paragraph to describe the
picture for practice. For differentiation students will be given the choice to read or listen to
paragraphs that have been written. Students will also be allowed to skip up to five problems if
they are having a difficult time with them.
Resources
DiPierto, M. (2010). Virtual school pedagogy: The instructional practices of k-12 virtual school
teachers. J. EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING RESEARCH, 42(3), 327-354.
Morrison, G., Ross, S., Kalman, H., & Kemp, J. (2013).Designing effective instruction. (7th ed.).
United States of America: Wiley.
Design of Instruction
Lesson 1: An
Introduction to
Descriptive Words
Lesson 2: Writing
Sentences to Describe
Pictures
Lesson 3: Writing
Descriptive Paragraphs
Goals Students will know what
a descriptive word is and
be able to give a phrase
containing one
descriptive word to
describe a picture.
Students will be able to
write a sentence
containing descriptive
words.
Students will be able to
write a paragraph to
describe a picture.
Objectives Objective 1: At the end
of the module the
student will be able to
label a picture with a
phrase containing at least
one descriptive word.

1A. The student will
match a picture to the
correct phrase when
given multiple choice
answers.

1B. Describe a picture
given with using at least
one descriptive word,
(ex. tall boy, versus boy)

1C. Given a descriptive
phrase the student will
Objective 2: At the end
of the module the
student will be able to
label a picture with a
sentence containing
multiple descriptive
words.

2A. Given a picture the
student will find a
sentence that
corresponds to the
picture containing at
least two descriptive
words.

2B. The student will
write sentences
containing descriptive
words.
Objective 3: At the end
of the module the
student will be able write
a short paragraph,
containing three to five
sentences, to explain a
picture.

3A. Students will draw a
picture and write
descriptive sentences
about the picture.

3B. Students will read a
paragraph and draw a
picture using the
descriptive paragraph.

3C. Students will find a
picture online and write
draw a picture to match. 2C. Given a sentence the
student will draw a
picture to match the
sentence.
at least one paragraph to
describe the picture.
Assessments Quiz Quiz Writing Assessment
UDL Multiple Means of
Representation and
Action and Expression
Multiple Means of
Representation and
Action and Expression
Multiple Means of
Representation, Action
and Expression, and
Engagement

Evaluation
At the end of the module students will be given a chance to evaluate the lessons. These
evaluations will be done with confidentiality so that students will give their honest opinions of
the module. The SME, in this case a Kindergarten teacher who will be using the module, will be
given access to the online module for review. The SME will have access to the module prior to
student use for review of the module. The SME will be interviewed after reviewing the module.
Survey for Learners
1) Do you feel like you have learned about how to use descriptive words through this online
module?
2) What did you like best about the lessons?
3) What did you like least about the lessons?
4) What would you suggest we do in the future to improve the lessons?
Interview for SME
1) Do you feel that all the necessary information was covered in the module? If not, what
other information would you include?
2) Would you use this module for your own classroom? If not, please list any improvements
that could be made so that you would use the module with your classroom?
3) Do you have any suggestions to make the module more diverse for different learners?
4) If your students have completed the module have you seen any improvements with their
writing skills?
5) Any additional suggestions or comments?
The information gathered in the learner surveys will be used to change the modules to suit
the needs of the learners. If students do not feel they have learned from the module and have
suggestions to improve them, the SMEs will review the suggestions and implement the most
feasible options. All answers on the surveys will be read and identities are confidential. The
SME interview will be conducted in a one on one setting between the SME and the Instructional
Designer. As the interview is conducted the Instructional Designer will take all answers into
consideration when making adjustments to the online module. Both the SME and ID will work
together to make improvements based on suggestions by the SME and student achievement and
suggestions through the surveys.