Teacher Work Sample

By: Stephanie Porter

Spring 2015
Grade 2

Contextual Factors
Mauldin, a city of only about nine square miles, is located in the upstate of South Carolina. According to a 2012 census, the
population was approximately 24,000 people with an average household income of roughly $52,000 per year. While around ninety
percent of residents aged twenty-five or older have a high school diploma and thirty-five percent have a Bachelors degree or higher,
an estimated eight percent of the population live at or below the poverty line. The ethnic makeup of Mauldin is as follows: sixty-five
percent Caucasian, twenty-two percent African American, seven percent Hispanic, two percent Asian, three percent other, and less
than one percent Native American.
Mauldin Elementary School caters to students from K4-5th grade, with an enrollment of over 900. It is equipped with two
playgrounds, a science lab, a butterfly garden, and promethean boards in all classrooms. There are two administrators, forty-five
teachers, and thirty-one support staff. Educational programs include Lexile Reading Levels, SEEDS, AIMS Web, RTI, Beta Tutoring,
and Challenge for grades 3-5. Some of the extracurricular programs offered there include jump rope club, safety patrols, student
council, and battle of the books. Mauldin Elementary is made up of approximately 478 Caucasian students, 282 African Americans, 67
Hispanics, and 122 Other. In the 2013-2014 school year, there were 488 female students and 461 males. Nearly 400 students receive
free or reduced lunch.
My clinical classroom is made up of twenty-three second graders with an age range of 7-8. There are twelve boys and eleven
girls, whose ethnicities are ten Caucasian, nine African American, two Hispanic, one Asian, and one Indian. Four speak English as a
second language. Nine students are considered to be at grade level, with six above and eight below. There is one student with a hearing
impairment, two with speech impairments, one physically impaired, and three gifted. There are four student computers, an extensive
classroom library, and jobs that are rotated each week, giving each student a place in the classroom community.
The students are on an average level in cognitive abilities and their readiness to learn as well as their physical sizes and energy
levels. They seem to have a concrete grasp on the security of their place in the class, but need many reminders about structure and
routines. Overall they are slightly immature on an emotional level. It is a very social group of second graders, but they do not seem to
be affected by peer pressure as they are fairly comfortable with self-concept. The students are mostly excited and confident when
introduced to new concepts and information, though a handful express anxiety and reluctance.
Upon administering two surveys, one for multiple intelligences in the primary grades, the other for learning styles, the results I
collected are as follows:

Learning Styles

12%

17%

9%
15%

15%
17%

14%

Visual

Kinesthetic

Auditory

Verbal

Interpersonal

Intrapersonal

Logical

Multiple Intelligences
Naturalistic

Intrapersonal

Interpersonal

Logical

Visual

Musical

11%

Verbal

14%

15%
16%

16%

13%
14%

The highest scoring learning styles were visual and logical, with the lowest being interpersonal. Students with logical learning
styles recognize patterns and connections easily and work through problems in a systematic way. Students with a visual learning style
prefer using images, pictures, colors, and maps to organize information and communicate with others. To accommodate this, I will use
visual aids in my teaching, such as videos, pictures, and PowerPoints. I will also work with them on becoming more comfortable
working in groups or partners by providing opportunities that can ease them into this type of learning. For multiple intelligences, all
the scores were practically even, but logical and intrapersonal edged out a small lead. Students who are strong in logical intelligence
are good at reasoning. These individuals tend to think conceptually. They also generally like conducting scientific experiments and
solving computations. Intrapersonal intelligence is characterized by being aware of emotions, feelings, and motivations. These
students tend to enjoy self-reflection and analysis. To cater to this, I will present lessons in a logical order and give them chances to
work alone and use their journals. The lowest score was in musical intelligence, so I plan to work music and rhythm into my teaching
whenever possible so they will feel more at ease using this as a way to learn.

Learning Goals for Geometry Unit (Grade 2)

Learning Goal 1: Students will be able to identify and create shapes having specified attributes.
Learning Goal 2: Students will be able to recognize triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes.
Learning Goal 3: Students will be able to divide a rectangle into rows and columns of same-size squares.
Learning Goal 4: Students will be able to divide circles and rectangles into two, three, or four equal shares.
Learning Goal 5: Students will be able to describe equal shares using the words halves, thirds, and fourths.
Learning Goal 6: Students will be able to use addition to find the total number of objects arranged in rectangular arrays and write an
equation to express the total as a sum of equal addends.

Standards
2. G. A. 1: Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes, such as a given number of angles or a given number of equal faces.
(Sizes are compared directly or visually, not compared by measuring.) Identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and
cubes.
2. G. A. 2: Partition a rectangle into rows and columns of same-sized squares and count to find the total number of them.
2. G. A. 3: Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, or four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, thirds, half
of, a third of, etc., and describe the whole as two halves, three thirds, four fourths. Recognize that equal shares of identical wholes
need not have the same shape.
2. OA. C. 4: Use addition to find the total number of objects arranged in rectangular arrays with up to 5 rows and up to 5 columns;
write an equation to express the total as a sum of equal addends.

Blooms Taxonomy Levels

Learning Goal 1identify and create (1)

Learning Goal 2recognize (1)
Learning Goal 3divide (2)
Learning Goal 4divide (2)
Learning Goal 5describe (2)
Learning Goal 6use, write, and express (3)
The learning goals stated above are considered substantial, diverse, and stimulating because they are aligned with South
Carolina academic standards and hold students to high expectations. They also clearly state expectations of the students and allow
results to be calculated and measured. This creates an appropriate and attainable long term goal for each student in the classroom.

Assessment Plan for Geometry UnitGrade 2

Learning Goal

Assessment Type

Assessment

1, 2

Formative

Scene Sketch

Formative

Quadrilateral Lotus

1, 2

Formative

Venn Diagram

1, 2

Formative

Go Math Workbook
pages 525-528

Differentiation/Addition
al Assistance
Phonetic spelling is
acceptable
Some students require
additional help with
writing; this will be
provided
Some students require
additional help with
writing; this will be
provided
Assist students still
having difficulty
distinguishing between

1, 2

Formative

Go Math Workbook
pages 518-520

1, 2

Formative

Cube 3-2-1!

1, 2

Formative

Designing a Cake

polygons. Give them

various instructions to
follow to demonstrate
their understanding of
two-dimensional shapes,
such as draw a shape
with six sides.
Assist students who
cannot correctly
determine the number of
sides or angles. Provide
children with cutouts for
a triangle, quadrilateral,
pentagon, and hexagon.
Prepare a set of cards
with the names of the
shapes and the
corresponding number
of sides. Have children
work as partners to
match cards with shapes.
Assist students not able
to count faces, edges, or
vertices. Restate key
vocabulary and explain
as needed.
Assist students having
difficulty forming
arrays. Draw a rectangle
partitioned into 4 rows
and 2 columns. Have

3, 6

Formative

Dividing Rectangles
Worksheet

3, 4

Formative

Go Math Workbook
pages 530-531

3, 4, 6

Formative

Candy Shop

3, 4, 6

Formative

Array War

2, 5, 6

Formative

Go Math Workbook
pages 161-163

4, 5

Formative

Go Math Workbook
pages 547-548

students use colored tiles

to model drawn
rectangle.
Assist students having
difficulty forming
arrays. Allow use of
colored tiles.
Assist students having
difficulty forming
arrays. Allow use of
colored tiles.
Assist students having
difficulty forming
arrays. Students will
work with partners.
Assist students having
difficulty forming
arrays. Roam the
classroom to check for
understanding.
Assist students having
difficulty forming
arrays. Roam the
classroom to check for
understanding/needs for
further explanation.
Assist students who are
struggling/saying a
shape has fourths even
when the pieces are not
equal. Give students grid

4, 5

Formative

Go Math Workbook
pages 538-539
Go Math Workbook
pages 542-543

1-6

Summative

Unit Test

paper and allow partner

work.
Assist students having
difficulty determining
thirds. Give cutout
models showing both
equal and unequal parts.
Encourage students to
describe what they say
using correct
vocabulary.
Some students will have
each problem read aloud
to them; some will take
it in a small group
setting.

Pre- and Post- Assessment will be Geometry Unit Test from Greenville County Schools Rubicon Atlas.

Scene Sketch: Students will draw a scene from home (bedroom, living room, etc.) and label the shapes they see. This activity
will be assessed.
Quadrilateral Lotus: Each student will be given a piece of construction paper and instructed on how to fold it into a lotus (six
sections). After watching a video, Quadrilaterals, from the website www.mathisfun.com, students will create different
quadrilaterals on their geoboards as each is discussed. They will then add these to their lotus and list its attributes. The
completed lotus will include square, rectangle, rhombus, parallelogram, and trapezoid. This assignment is graded.
Venn diagram: Students will complete a Venn diagram comparing a square and a rhombus. This assignment will be assessed.
Workbook 525-528: Students will use the number of sides and angles to sort two-dimensional shapes. This will be graded.

Workbook 518-520: In this assignment, students will write the number of sides and vertices on examples of various shapes and
draw more sides onto half-drawings to make the shape listed. Shapes include pentagon, quadrilateral, hexagon, and triangle.
This assignment is assessed.
Cube 3-2-1: Students will summarize the lesson by listing three things that make a cube special, two ways that it is different
from a square, and one interesting thing they learned. This will be assessed.
Designing a Cake: Students will create cakes with 12 colored tiles on grid paper. They will also draw each cake/array and
label them. This will be assessed.
Dividing Rectangles: Students will count rows and columns in already partitioned rectangles, as well as follow instructions to
partition their own. This will be graded.
Workbook 530-531: Students will find the total number of same-size squares that will cover a rectangle. This will be assessed.
Candy Shop: Students will use colored tiles and grid paper to create candy boxes. They will work as small groups and need to
be able to explain their thinking. This will be assessed.
Array War: Each pair of students gets a set of cards (found on Rubicon). Students shuffle the cards and take turns choosing.
They will then use colored tiles to build their array. Then they will draw their array and write an addition sentence to go with it.
The player with the higher sum gets a point.
Workbook 161-163: Students will use addition to find the total of an array. This will be graded.
Workbook 547-548: Students will draw diagrams to help solve problems about equal shares. This will be assessed.
Workbook 538-539: Students will determine if a shape shows halves, thirds, or fourths. This will be graded.
Workbook 542-543: Students will find halves, thirds, and fourths of whole shapes. This will be assessed.
Unit Test: This culminating assessment will be graded.

Instructional Design

Pre-Test Results
Test Question
Number

Number of Students with Correct Answer

Learning Goal Assessed

1, 2

1, 2

11

1, 2

1, 2

22

1, 2

16

1, 2

13

1, 2

1, 2

10

11

12

13

14

14

15

4, 5

16

20

4, 5

17

21

4, 5

18

3, 5

Based on these pre-test results, my students are the most comfortable with questions about cubes and equal parts, but this only covers
learning goal four. The most apparent struggle is questions with arrays.

Unit Overview

Day

Standard/
Indicator

Learning
Goal

Instructional
Activities

Formative
Assessment

Technology

Differentiation

EEDA

Materials and
Resources

2. G. A. 1

1 and 2

-Show United
Streaming video
Discovering Math:
Beginner Geometry
-Have students
complete Movie
Review Sheet
-Pass out geoboards
for exploration and
creation of shapes

Scene Sketch

Promethean
Board and
Video Access
(Internet)

-kinesthetic
-visual
-auditory

-communication
skills

-United Streaming
Video
-Promethean Board
-Copies of Movie
Review Sheet
-Geoboards
-Rubber Bands
-Construction Paper
(for homework
assignment)

2. G. A. 1

1 and 2

Quadrilateral
Lotus

Promethean
Board and
Video Access

-visual
-auditory
-intrapersonal

-study skills

-Promethean Board
-Construction Paper

2. G. A. 1

1 and 2

Go Math
pages 525528

None

-visual
-auditory
-kinesthetic
-linguistic
-interpersonal

-communication
-cooperative
learning

-The Greedy Triangle

-Geoboards
-Rubber Bands
-Go Math Workbooks

2. G. A. 1

1 and 2

-Create lotuses with

construction paper
-Watch
Quadrilaterals
Video from Math is
Fun website
-Read The Greedy
Triangle by Marilyn
Burns
-Discuss how the
shape changed by
adding or gaining a
side each time
-Allow students to
make these shapes
on geoboards and
discuss attributes
with a partner
-Watch Compass
video What Shape

Go Math
pages 518-

-Promethean
Board

-interpersonal
-visual

-cooperative
learning

-Promethean Board
-Compass video

Am I?
-Pass out geoboards
and have students
create shapes based
on teacher
description
-Pair students and
have them create
shape riddles for
their partners to
solve using the
geoboards

520

-Video Access
-Compass
Learning

-auditory
-interpersonal

-communication
-cooperation

-Geoboards
-Rubber Bands
-Go Math Workbooks

2. G. A. 1

1 and 2

-Show students
Cube 3-2-1!
Mystery Bag
(brown paper bag)
with a cube inside
-Give each student a
post-it note
-Give students clues
about the shape that
is in the bag and
have them write
their guess as to
what it is; they will
write this on the
post-it
-Pass out cube net
sheet from Rubicon
Atlas and have
students write a
number 1-6 on each
square
-Demonstrate how to
cut and fold the net
to make a cube
without using the
word cube
-After students are
finished, discuss
attributes (6 square
faces, 12 edges, and
8 vertices)
-Reveal mystery

None

-visual
-interpersonal
-auditory

-communication

-Brown Paper Bag

-Cube-shaped object
(large dice)
-Post-It notes
-Cube Net Sheets
-Scissors
-Tape

object and review

attributes

2. G. A. 2
2. OA. 4

3 and 6

-Have students
imagine they work
at a bakery
-Pass out 12 colored
tiles to each student.
Tell them they are
cake pieces that
have been cut apart.
As bakers, they need
to find all the
possible ways to

Dividing
Rectangles
Worksheet

None

-auditory
-visual
-kinesthetic
-logical

Problem solving
skills

-colored tiles
-grid paper
-dividing rectangles
sheet

2. G. A. 2
2. OA. C.
4

3 and 6

2. G. A. 2
2. OA. C.
4

3 and 6

2. G. A. 3

4 and 5

make a rectangular
cake using 12 pieces
-Pass out grid paper
-Have students
create and discuss
-Give each student a
piece of grid paper.
Todays challenge
will be for students
to create candy
boxes
-Give each pair of
students a set of
colored tiles (40
total) and allow
them to work as
independently as
possible, drawing
their created boxes
on Candy Shop
sheet
-Watch Compass
video titled An
Array of Arrays
-Pass out array cards
and colored tiles
-Students will play
the game Array
War, building and
drawing their arrays
-Play video titled

Candy Shop
Sheet,
Roaming
Conferences,
Go Math
pages 530531

None

-visual
-tactile
-interpersonal
-logical

-cooperative
learning
-communication
-conflict
management

-colored tiles
-grid paper
-candy shop sheets
-workbooks

Go Math
pages 161163

Promethean
Board and
Compass
Learning video

-interpersonal
-logical
-tactile
-visual

-problem solving
-communication
-cooperative
learning
-responsibility

-workbooks
-array war cards
-colored tiles

Anecdotal

Promethean

-interpersonal

-problem solving

-square sheets

and
10

11
and
12

2. G. A. 3

4 and 5

13 Ways to Look at
a Half from PBS
Kids
-Pass out sheet with
6 squares on it
-Students will work
with a partner to
draw six different
ways to divide the
squares in half
-Each pair will share
their best model
and discuss
-Play game (at end
of video)
-Repeat activity with
rectangles
-Follow up with
circles (halves are
always the same2
ways)
-Pass out geoboards
and rubber bands.
Have students form
a large rectangle.
-Have them partition
it into fourths.
Remind them about
equal shares.
Discuss similarities
and differences of

notes and
observations

Board and PBS -logical

video
-tactile
-visual

-communication
-cooperative
learning

-video
-promethean board

Go Math
pages 547548

None

-problem solving
-cooperative
learning
-perseverance

-geoboards
-rubber bands
-copy paper
-workbooks

-interpersonal
-tactile
-visual
-logical

13
and
14

2. G. A. 3

4 and 5

student creations
-Have students form
two rectangles; one
big and one small.
Again, have them
partition into
fourths. Discuss.
-Pair students and
give each student a
piece of paper. Have
them fold it into
fourths. Challenge
students to find
different ways to do
this; allow them to
use geoboards first,
if necessary
-Read Taking Shape
and discuss
vocabulary.
-Pair students,
giving some pairs
precut circles and
some precut
rectangles.
Challenge pairs to
find as many
different ways as
they can to show
thirds. Students may
fold or draw lines on

Go Math
pages 538539; 542-543

None

-interpersonal
-logical
-tactile
-auditory
-visual

-problem solving
-cooperative
learning
-communication

-precut circles and

rectangles
-Taking Shape
-Cuisenaire rods
Workbooks

15

All

All

the shape cutouts.

-Have students share
and discuss.
-Give student pairs a
set of Cuisenaire
rods. Model activity
and then have them
find combinations to
make thirds, halves,
and fourths.
Students will
complete unit posttest

Test

None

-small groups
-one on one
testing

Study skills

Unit Tests

Activities
1. Quadrilateral Lotusesthe content of this activity was based on what students would need to know to achieve learning goals 1
and 2. Being able to recognize and create two-dimensional shapes as well as knowing their attributes is very important to an
understanding of this geometry unit. Most of my students are visual learners, so through creating the lotus blocks as well as
having them as a reference not only matches this, but also helps them to build study skills through continuous use of the lotus.
No technology is needed, though it is planned to use the Promethean Board for modeling. The only materials needed for the
students is construction paper and pencils. These are to be taken up for a grade, corrected, and then returned to students for use
throughout the unit.
2. Candy Shopthis activity stems from learning goals 3 and 6, partitioning rectangles and writing addition sentences to
accompany them. Many students struggled with this section of the pre-assessment. In addition to that, my second graders grasp
concepts well when given manipulatives to use. Materials needed for this activity are small colored tiles (20 per student), grid
paper, copy paper, and pencils. Students will be assessed through roaming conferences/observation by the teacher.
3. 13 Ways to Look at a HalfThis lesson teaches to the learning goals 4 and 5, partitioning shapes and using appropriate
fractional wordshalf, third, fourth. Again, my students are very visual, so playing the video at the beginning will grab their
attention. This also allows for partner-work, which some of my students struggle with. The goal is to make them feel more

comfortable working together as partners as well as whole group (in playing the game). Materials and technology include the
Promethean Board, access to the PBS Kids website, pencils, and copy paper with squares.
Technology
Throughout this unit, technology will be used frequently. As a team, the second grade teachers plan lessons through Rubicon
Atlas and Google Drive, both of which are online resources. In teaching, the Promethean board will be used for flipcharts and videos
(Math Monsters, PBS Kids, BrainPop, etc.). I also discovered and downloaded an app for our classrooms iPad mini that is a
simulation geoboard.

Classroom Environment
Philosophy & Beliefs
My personal educational philosophy begins with the belief that a teacher should be prepared to educate students not only in a
classroom setting, but in real-life situations as well. A good teacher can impact a community with strong skills and lessons that
children will remember. In the classroom, a teacher should have high expectations for each student. He/she should be ready to help
every child reach their full potential. I believe students learn best through experience and trial-and-error. When a teacher takes a book
and turns it into a weeklong adventure, children remember that. When a teacher allows students to conduct science experiments based
on their own hypotheses, they will remember that and learn what to do differently and/or the same. My goals for my students are to
develop persistence, patience, social skills, and knowledge in our areas of study. I want them to believe in themselves and push their
own limits. I believe an effective teacher should be kind, patient, knowledgeable, organized, and enthusiastic. All children can learn;
they just do it in their own way. A teacher owes their students understanding and patience while they discover who they are. A teacher
owes their students the gift of knowledge and experiences. Mostly, a teacher owes their students a safe place to learn and grow. My
goal is to be this kind of teacher.
I feel that my teaching is in a facilitator/activity style. I strive to promote self-learning and help my students develop critical
thinking skills to retain knowledge. I encourage my students to ask questions and help them develop the skills needed to find answers
and solutions through exploration. According to educational theorist A. F. Grasha, Facilitators place strong emphasis on the teacherstudent relationship. Operating under an open classroom model, there is a de-emphasis on teacher instruction, and both student and
educator undergo the learning process together. Student learning is guided by the teacher and is focused on fostering independence,

hands-on learning, and exploration (Grasha, 1996). I believe that my students reflect what I give to them and it is up to me what that
is.
In order to create and maintain a positive climate for learning, I begin with a focus on building relationships from the
beginning of the school year. The quality of these relationships can be seen in how much everyone helps and supports each other, both
teacher-student and student-student. I also do my best to make it easy for my students to grow as learners and fulfill their potential, as
well as maintain high expectations and standards for behavior and achievement. This ensures that my students enter a culture of
learning and success every day when they come into my classroom.
Transitions
Examples of transitions I use in my classroom are:
Hand-clapping patterns
Lights out
Model FredFred is a friend we introduced at the beginning of the year. We have a picture of him and the students know
that modeling him mean hands are on the table, feet are on the floor, mouths are closed, and eyes are on the teacher. It works
fantastically in a countdown (Model Fred in 5-4-3-2-1!)
Setting a timer
Displaying a timer on the Promethean board
Expectations
Behavior expectations for my classroom are fairly simple as they fall under three categoriesrespect yourself, respect others,
and respect your environment. Just about any misbehavior can be linked to not following one of these expectations and the students
know that they are required to explain how it wasnt a good choice and how they can make a better one. These are communicated to
students through daily reminders, as well as a poster we created and signed that is hanging on the wall. Parents were informed at the
beginning of the school year and notes are sent home (positive or negative) on a regular basis. We communicate with administration
weekly about any changes or needs we have.
Monitoring
Classroom behavior is monitored by the teacher maintaining an active role in all aspects of the day. We use a clip chart for
behavior monitoring, where all students start on greenready to learnand may move up or down throughout the day. They are
responsible for coloring in their agenda calendar what color they are on at the end of the day and have it signed by a teacher so that

parents remain aware of classroom behavior. Most negative behavior can be stopped with a simple clip down, but sometimes a short
one-on-one conversation is required. Harmful behavior isnt tolerated and students are sent to an administrators office. Many
behavior issues are preventable and we try our best to be proactive rather than reactive.
Arrangement
Classroom Map and Description can be viewed by clicking

Instructional Decision Making

One example of an instructional modification I made while teaching this geometry unit was during the Cube 3-2-1
lesson/activity. Up to this point, we had only looked at two-dimensional shapes, learning about sides, angles, and vertices. On this day,
my students were asked to think about the cubea three-dimensional shape with six faces, eight vertices, and twelve edges. There was
immediate confusion as I began explaining faces. As I tried to explain more, the 23 faces looking back at me were more confused.
Seeing that my lecture of what a cube is was not going to work, I walked over to the cabinet and got out a Kleenex box. We passed it
around and examined it while I again talked about faces, edges, and vertices. The tactile aspect as well as seeing a cube was an
immediate help. We then explored number generators and discussed how they have six numbers because they have six faces.
A second example of instructional modification I made was after introducing the cake designing activity. The colored square
tiles for manipulating were new for them, and I was expecting them to go right into the geometry of the activity, but quickly realized
this was not going to work. They were curious about the new materials and were immediately stacking and arranging them into their
own creations. So, I took a step back along with a deep breath and asked them to freeze. They did and I explained they were going to
get five minutes of exploration time and then we would revisit the activity that needed to be completed. They agreed and I set a timer
for five minutes. When the timer beeped, they were ready. The rest of the lesson and the other ones that followed using the tiles went
quite well.

Analysis of Student Learning

Post-Test Results

Test Question
Number

Number of Students with Correct Answer

Learning Goal Assessed

18

1, 2

19

1, 2

15

1, 2

19

1, 2

23

1, 2

18

1, 2

17

1, 2

19

1, 2

14

10

15

11

16

12

15

13

15

14

20

15

17

4, 5

16

16

4, 5

17

23

4, 5

18

16

3, 5

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Whole Group Analysis

Student

Pre Assessment Score

Post Assessment Score

Improvement (in
points)

73

85

12

78

95

17

73

90

17

48

63

15

88

100

12

48

53

60

84

24

73

95

22

73

78

10

80

89

11

80

95

15

12

53

83

30

13

78

95

17

14

63

58

15

60

78

18

16

63

98

35

17

68

93

25

18

55

88

33

19

75

90

15

20

80

98

18

21

83

100

17

22

93

98

23

65

95

30

Pre- and Post- Test Score Comparisons

23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

10

20

30

40

50
Pre-Test

Column1

60

70

80

90

100

The information in this graph tells me that the implementation of this unit was an overall success. 22/23 students had an
improved score. On the pre-assessment, 43% of the students earned a failing grade. After the post-assessment, only 13% of students
(three) did not earn a passing grade. Three students improved one letter grade, ten improved two letter grades, three improved three
letter grades, and three improved four letter grades (FA).

Subgroup AnalysisGender
I chose to analyze boys vs. girls as subgroups so that I could better see how their performances might differ.
Learning Goal 3
Assessed through test questions 9-12
Number answered correctly
Gender

Test Question

Pre Assessment

Post Assessment

Increase from
Pre-test to Post-test

10

Boys

11

12

10

11

12

Girls

This data tells me that the boys outscored the girls on questions 9 and 11, while the girls outscored the boys on questions 10
and 12. Questions 9 and 10 were creating arrays while questions 11 and 12 were calculating rows and columns of given arrays. As the
different genders outscored one another with one of each question, it is difficult to determine if that was a factor contributing to
correctly answer any of the four questions being analyzed.

Individual AnalysisStudent 4 and Student 5 (Same Gender, Different Ability Levels)

Both student 4 and student 5 are female. Student 4 is nine years old, an English language learner, and is currently repeating the
second grade. Student 5 is eight years old, Caucasian, and has already tested into the challenge program for third grade. Student 4
reads on a level H, while they are expected to complete second grade on a level M. Student 5 reads on a level P. She entered our
classroom on a level M. Reading abilities have a noticeable impact on these two students grades, as student 4 shows much less
ability to read with comprehension. Even with the test read aloud, student 4 struggles with vocabulary and spelling, as well as
understanding what a question is specifically asking.

Reflection and Self Evaluation

Upon reflection, I feel that I did a good job teaching my second grade classroom about geometry. The scores of the students
show a commendable improvement, as do the notes and observations done during implementation of the unit. If I taught this unit
again, I would spend less time on the shape portion and focus much more on arrays. This is what my students struggled with on both
the pre- and post-assessment. I believe that I made good use of manipulatives, literature, and technology during this unit.
Reflecting on the expectations I set for my students, I am proud of the fact that each time something new was being introduced,
I told them exactly what the expectations were and therefore lessened the chance of problems during teaching. I believe that this
practice will be useful in the future of my teaching career as I grow to be more proactive, preventing a need to ever be reactive.

In reflecting, I have also seen how deep my emotional attachments to my students run. When they hurt, I hurt as well. When I
am away from the classroom, I miss them. I worry about them. I pray for their safety and good health. I am happy to see them each
and every morning, no matter my mood. I strive to set the tone of a safe environment and an exciting day of learning.
In self-evaluating, I believe I have grown the most in professionalism. Many lessons on this road have been hard, but
challenges are sometimes the best way to learn. I have grown to accept constructive criticism with a more open mind and to try and
apply suggestions for improvement into my daily teaching. I feel that my strengths are in caring for the students and being able to
provide them with instructional content in a meaningful way. But it is too easy to forget that this is not the only goal of education.
While I am teaching my students standards-based content, I must also help them make real-life connections and show them how to be
good citizens. I must teach them respect and kindness. I must work with other teachers and administration to develop more effective
ways to reach all students.
I also must keep open lines of communication with parents and families. This includes families that speak other languages,
families that do not have a home computer (cant just send them a quick e-mail), families that are non-traditional, families that are
VERY involved, as well as families who are almost NEVER involved. I must remain kind and understanding even when I cant get a
response for a conference or a chaperone for a field trip. I have to be flexible and adaptable in every situation.
I must advocate. I must keep the passion that I have burning for years to come. This cannot be temporary if I am to make a
long-term difference. I cannot be a teacher that leaves the profession within the first five years. I will expect problems and I will

overcome them. I will use what I have, do what I can, and strive to be of value. Either I will find a way, or I will make one. Too many
students are failing at something because they dont have a cheerleader. I can be that. I can give them a pat on the back, a hug, a
listening ear, or a shoulder to cry on. My self-evaluation and reflection leads me to this: I was created to teach. It is what I do best. I
will continue to learn and grow in the profession so I can be the best possible version of me. I may fall seven times, but I will stand up
eight.