EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

Evidence of Student Learning

Leah Gruber
Towson University

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

Part A
My Evidence of Student Learning project took place at West Towson Elementary
School in Towson, Maryland. West Towson Elementary is made up of five hundred and
three students and the average class size is between twenty one to twenty four students.
There are twenty-nine classroom teachers at West Towson and twenty-seven classrooms.
The schools enrollment by race/ethnicity is 78% White, 6% African American, 6%
Asian, 4% Hispanic, 1% American Indian or Alaskan Native, and 5% two or more other
races. I taught my unit in a General Education fourth grade ELA (English Language Arts)
class. My class has twenty students in it, ten boys and ten girls. There are no IEPs
(Individualized Education Program) in the class. One male student has a 504 Plan for
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and OHI (Other Health Impairment)
and another male student is monitored quarterly through the SST (Student Support Team)
process for classroom teacher concerns, academics, and his ability to follow directions.
The student who has the 504 Plan has accommodations for behavior and
instructional supports such as reduced distractions, a privacy wall when prompted,
encouragement to initiate tasks, general reminders, opportunities for frequent movement,
chunking, and preferential seating. There are three ELL (English Language Learners)
students in my class, two males and one female. One of the males is the student who has
an SST, and was originally born in China. He came to the United States when he was
about six or seven and his parents speak Chinese at home. The second male student was
born in Albania and came to the United States last year. He speaks Albanian at home but
speaks and writes in English at school. The third ELL student is a girl who is originally
from India and speaks Gujarati at home. All three students performance is at an average

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

level during class and when they turn in assignments but they all show signs of struggling
with grammar.
The MCCRS (Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards) that this unit is
aligned with is L1.b which states that students will form and use the progressive (e.g., I
was walking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb tenses. The standards and the
Essential Skills and Knowledge from the MCCRS that are aligned with this are that
students will:

Differentiate between past, present, and future tenses

Explain the role of auxiliary verbs.
Identify progressive verb tenses in text presented in a variety of formats.
Demonstrate the use of progressive verb tenses in oral and written language.
Analyze writing models for correct use of verb tenses.

The objectives that I have written for each lesson are measurable and obtainable for
students and align with these standards. Each objective is in student friendly terms and is
presented at the beginning of each lesson. Students will demonstrate the knowledge they
have gained through actively participating and completing at least one formative
assessment per lesson. Both the pre-assessment and summative assessments will be
worksheets and will be similar in content.
Part B: Assessment Plan
The pre-assessment that I decided to give to my students was a worksheet that
was used to identify students prior knowledge about action verbs and their tenses. I gave
this pre-assessment prior to starting the unit because I wanted to base my instruction off
of the results. The worksheet was completed independently by students at their desks and
had two parts to it. Part A asked the students to circle the sentence that was in the present
tense and Part B asked the students to circle the correct verb tense and identify it on the

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

line provided. From this pre-assessment information, I was able to get an idea of where
my students were with their knowledge of the basic verb tenses. In order to move on
with the unit, I needed to obtain this information to see if I had to focus one of my lessons
on this topic. The pre-assessment and summative assessments were similar because they
both focused on verb tenses and identifying the correct tense. I decided to not give my
students an exact form of the summative assessment because I knew that they were not
familiar with the progressive verb tenses yet. If I had given my students a pre-assessment
on the progressive tenses then I would not have been able to get a proper read on their
prior knowledge of the concept and I would not have been able to plan my unit and
lessons in a constructive and meaningful way. The scores of this pre-assessment varied
between students scoring 100% and under 50% which was why I decided to spend my
first lesson on action verbs and their tenses as a review for the students. I gave the preassessment that Friday before starting my unit on Monday.
The summative assessment for this unit that I used focused on verbs, their
progressive tenses, and changing the sentences to fit the verb tenses provided. It was a
worksheet that was to be completed independently by students and had two parts to it.
Part A of the summative assessment asked students to circle the verb in each sentence,
then rewrite it using the correct verb tense in the parentheses provided, and Part B asked
students to circle the sentence with the subject-verb agreement. It is aligned with the
selected MCCRS because it asks students to form and use the progressive verb tenses,
and for students to identify verb tenses and demonstrate the use of them in writing. This
summative assessment covered the goal of this unit and tested students knowledge about
the verb tenses and their abilities to change the sentences based on the tense provided. It

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

also showed the students understanding of the differences between the regular verb
tenses and the progressive tenses.
Throughout the unit, I used formative assessment strategies that were varied,
demonstrated the students knowledge, and determined whether the objective was
reached. I informally observed the students during each lesson by taking notes and paying
attention to the examples they were giving, the discussions they were having, and the
questions they were asking. I also assessed them on who volunteered multiple times and
who kept to themselves during each lesson. I tried to incorporate a lot of games and
online activities because I knew that this was the learning environment that my students
reacted to best.
Some of the formative assessments were in the form of an exit ticket, and some
were done by using materials such as white boards and post-it notes. Each formative
assessment was individualized for each lesson and went along with the objective. I made
sure to check for understanding throughout each lesson by asking the students questions
about how they would change a given verb tense into a different verb tense. For example,
if the sentence was in the present tense, I often asked the students what it would look like
if they were to change it to the present progressive tense, future progressive tense, or
even the past tense. We discussed multiple variations of sentences as a class and from
these discussions I was able to assess the students gradual understanding of the
concept(s). I scored my students assessments by giving them an overall percentage score
for each paper/activity.
Part C: Instruction

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

The objective for each lesson was clearly stated at the beginning of the lesson on
the ActivInspire in student-friendly terms. I started each objective with the phrase Wise
Westies Will because West Towsons mascot is a westie. I made sure to change the
objective based on the lesson I had planned for that day. Every lesson had a new
objective that pertained to the concept(s) we were going to be going over. The students
were presented with this objective at the beginning of class to read and discuss together.
Based on the pre-assessment that was given, I could tell that most of my students needed
a review of the verb tenses, which was why I decided to start my unit with this.
After every lesson, I looked at the formative assessment data and my own notes to
decide whether or not the students were ready to move on to the next lesson. I used the
formative assessments as a pre-assessment tool for my next lesson. These assessments
gave me significant information about which students needed extra help and which were
more comfortable with the content. I made sure each one of my objectives was significant
and appropriate for the upcoming lesson and for my students. I motived and engaged my
students throughout this unit by including many games, online activities, and discussions.
After spending a few weeks with my students, I learned that this group stays interested
when there are interactive activities involved in a lesson.
Throughout these lessons I wanted to introduce new knowledge and content to the
students in a fun and inviting way. An example of how I did this was that I made a
Progressive Forms chart for my students that included the progressive tenses and
guidelines for how to change any verb into the progressive tense. The students were able
to use this chart as a reference and it was a fun way for them to remember the rules of the
progressive tenses. I also used multiple ways to introduce the new content to the students

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

through ActivInspire, group discussions, partner conversations, and direct modeling of

games and samples sentences. Throughout my instruction, I made sure to check for
understanding as I went by asking the students questions to encourage critical thinking
and monitor their progress.
At the end of each lesson I made sure to go over the objective with the students
and summarize the important points of the lesson that we had gone over. I asked the
students follow up questions to facilitate critical thinking about how they could use these
skills in their every day tasks and why it was important. I gave my students the formative
assessments based on the content of the lesson and the level at which they were
performing. I wanted to make every lesson different and build on the students prior
knowledge, making sure that each formative assessment wasnt too overwhelming. I
differentiated each lesson by paying attention to the learning needs of each student. I also
included small scaffolding groups to re-teach when needed. During these grammar
lessons there was language development occurring in every student. When the students
finished the lesson, I gave them feedback in a positive and constructive fashion. At times,
there were students who did not follow the directions on the worksheet or during the
activity, which resulted in them losing points.
About This Lesson
DESCRIPTION
1 Teacher; 1 Student Teacher; 20 students; No students have IEPS. One student has a 504
and one student is monitored through the SST process.
PREREQUISITES
Students must understand what a verb is.
ESTIMATED TIME
30 minutes
Potential Use
PURPOSE:
Classroom Instruction

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

GRADES:

4
CONTENT AREAS:
English/Language Arts
COMMON CORE:
English Language Arts
Language

Conventions of Standard English

o
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1 (grade 4): Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Knowledge of Language
o
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.3 (grade 4): Use knowledge of language and its
conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
Goals
INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS
Students need to recognize, identify and create action verb sentences in the past,
present, and future tense.
OBJECTIVES

Wise Westies Will form and use the simple verb tenses while identifying action
verbs in a sentence.

VARIABILITY
There are no IEPs in the class. There is one student with a 504 Plan and one who
is monitored quarterly through the SST process for academics and behavior.
These two students are required to do the same amount of work at the same level
as the rest of the class. No one in the class is provided with any type of
accommodation.
The students who struggle most with grammar are the ELL students. These
students will most likely need to be in a scaffolding group after the lesson, or have
brain breakfast activities to do in the morning.
Assessments
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
Before closing:
Students will be given post-it notes to independently record their answers to the exit
ticket and hand it in at the end of class.
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
There is no summative assessment for this lesson.

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

Instructional Methods
OPENING
When class starts, we will begin with a GoNoodle.
I will show the students the objective after the GoNoodle.
After we have gone over the objective as a class I will ask a student to read the
definition of what an action verb is from the ActivInspire that will be up on the
board.
DURING
Direct Instruction
Once a volunteer has read what an action verb is and we have discussed it as a
class, I will ask the students to give me examples of action verbs.
As the students give me examples I will write them on the smart board using the
post-it note tool and drag each response to the middle of the screen.
After all of the examples have been put up on the board for the class to see, we
will talk about the verbs as a class.
I will give them examples of how to use the action verbs in a sentence such as
"He ran down the street
Guided Practice
After we have gone over the concept of action verbs I will ask the students: "Who
has heard of the past, present, or future tense?"
I will take volunteers and we will discuss these tenses as a class.
After we have gone over what the tenses mean, I will show them my own
examples of action verbs in the past, present, and future tense.
Once we have gone over action verbs, and verb tenses, I will play the "Grammar
Song".
I will tell the students to listen for a topic or repeating patterns in the song. After
the song has finished they will turn and talk to their partners about what they
heard or noticed.
We will then share as a class.
Independent Practice
After the discussion about the video we will play 2-3 rounds of the action verb
tenses game.
I will send the students back to their desks after we have played a few rounds of
the game together.
As an exit ticket, the students will write the answers independently to the next
round on a post-it note.
The students will turn this into me before they leave for specials.
CLOSING

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

10

I will refer back to the objective that we went over at the beginning of class and I
will ask: Why is knowing the tense of a verb important? and When would this
be helpful in your writing?
Materials
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES
"We're Verbs" video (Reading Wonders Unit 3, Week 1)
Grammar: Action Verbs game (Reading Wonders Unit 3, Week 1)
Post-it notes
RESOURCES INCLUDED

Verb Tense Worksheet

0

| Last Updated: February 18

Pre-assessment given before the 1st lesson:

Formative:

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

11

About This Lesson

DESCRIPTION
1 Teacher; 1 Student Teacher; 20 students; No students have IEPS. One student has a
504. One student is in the process of an SST.
PREREQUISITES
Students must understand what an action verb is.
Students must understand the verb tenses past, present, and future and how to use them in
a sentence.
ESTIMATED TIME
30 minutes
Potential Use
PURPOSE:
Classroom Instruction
GRADES:
4
CONTENT AREAS:
English/Language Arts
COMMON CORE:
English Language Arts

Language

Conventions of Standard English

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1 (grade 4): Demonstrate

command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.

Knowledge of Language

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.3 (grade 4): Use knowledge of

language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
Goals
INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS
Students need to understand the difference between a verb that is in the present
tense, and a verb that is in the progressive present tense.
OBJECTIVES

Wise Westies will form and identify sentences using the progressive present tense
form of an action verb.

VARIABILITY

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

12

There are no IEPs in the class. There is one student with a 504 Plan and one who
is monitored quarterly through the SST process for academics and behavior.
These two students are required to do the same amount of work at the same level
as the rest of the class. No one in the class is provided with any type of
accommodation.
The students who struggle most with grammar are the ELL students. These
students will most likely need to be in a scaffolding group after the lesson, or have
brain breakfast activities to do in the morning.
Assessments
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
I will be assessing students while we do the review activity throughout the class
as we come up with sentences and as they answer the sentences I provide to
them.
Students will write three sentences using present tense action verbs that I will give
them. They must make these present tense action verbs into progressive present
tense. Their sentences must be thoughtful and longer than three words.
Once students have finished writing their sentences we will continue the rest of
the class by rotating in small groups.
I will have a small group for students who need extra help on this concept. The
other two groups will be for Middleberry (Spanish) and Writers Workshop who
will conference with Mrs. Kerrigan.
Through scaffolding, I will work in a small group made up of students who I feel
need more reinforcement with the concept(s).
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
There will be no summative assessment for this lesson.
Instructional Methods
OPENING
After GoNoodle I will show the class the objective and we will discuss it as a
class.
Once we have gone over the objective I will do an activity/review with the
students from last class. We will play the review game "present, past and future
tenses-show quiz"
Once students have finished the review, I will show them the ActivInspire
containing the vocabulary we will be going over that day.
DURING
Direct Instruction:
I will ask for a volunteer to read the definition of a present tense verb and a
progressive present tense verb.
We will discuss these as a class and the differences between them

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

13

I will show them the progressive present tense verb key words and we will
discuss them as a class.
After the students have an understanding of progressive present verbs, we will
make sentences as a class and I will write the examples on the board.
Guided Practice:
I will put up some sentences that are in the present tense and some that are in the
progressive present tense.
As a class we will determine which sentences are progressive present and which
are just present tense.
Students will be able to come up to the board to write their answers on the lines
provided.
Independent Practice
After the students have seen the examples of both present tense sentences and
progressive present tense sentences I will send them back to their desks to
complete an exit ticket for the day.
I will give students three action verbs, all present tense. (help, watch, and play)
Their job is to write three separate sentences using these three present tense action
verbs but changing them to the progressive present form.
CLOSING
I will refer back to the objective and ask the class if they feel comfortable using
progressive present tense verbs. Whats the difference between a present tense
action verb sentence and a progressive present tense sentence?
Materials
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES
ActivInspire Flipchart
Jeopardy Game
RESOURCES INCLUDED

Powerpoint
Presentation
0
0
| Last Updated: February 22

Game
0

| Last Updated: February 22

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

Small Group Samples:

14

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

15

About This Lesson

DESCRIPTION
1 Teacher; 1 Student Teacher; 20 students; No students have IEPS. One student has a
504. One student is in the process of an SST.
PREREQUISITES
Students must understand what an action verb is.
Students must understand the verb tenses past, present, and future and how to use them in
a sentence.
Students need to have a basic understanding of how to change an action verb into the
progressive form in a sentence.
ESTIMATED TIME
30 minutes
Potential Use
PURPOSE:
Classroom Instruction
GRADES:
4
CONTENT AREAS:
English/Language Arts
COMMON CORE:
English Language Arts

Language

Conventions of Standard English

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1 (grade 4): Demonstrate

command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.

Knowledge of Language

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.3 (grade 4): Use knowledge of

language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
Goals
INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS
Students need to understand the difference between verbs that are in the past tense
from verbs that are in the progressive past tense.
Students need to understand the difference between verbs that are in the future
tense from verbs that are in the future progressive tense.
OBJECTIVES

Wise Westies Will form and identify sentences using progressive past and
progressive future tense verbs.

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

16

VARIABILITY
There are no IEPs in the class. There is one student with a 504 Plan and one who
is monitored quarterly through the SST process for academics and behavior.
These two students are required to do the same amount of work at the same level
as the rest of the class. No one in the class is provided with any type of
accommodation.
The students who struggle most with grammar are the ELL students. These
students will most likely need to be in a scaffolding group after the lesson, or have
brain breakfast activities to do in the morning.
Assessments
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
Before closing:
Students will write their answers to the sentences and hold them up. I will use this
information to informally assess them on who needs more help in a small group
setting.
Once students have finished writing their sentences we will continue the rest of
the class by rotating in small groups.

I will have a small group for students who need extra help on this concept. The
other two groups will be for Middleberry (Spanish) and Writers Workshop who
will conference with Mrs. Kerrigan or publish their work.
While students are in writer's workshop they will be adding verbs and different
verb tenses to their writing.
Through scaffolding, I will work in a small group made up of students who I feel
need more reinforcement with the concept(s).

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
There will be no summative assessment for this lesson.
Instructional Methods
OPENING
After a GoNoodle I will ask the students: Who remembers what we did
yesterday? What was the new word we learned?"
Students should answer: progressive
After I will say: If we did present progressive verbs yesterday, what other verb
tenses do we have left? They should answer past, and future.
As a review, students can come up to the large white board and take turns writing
sentences using the colored markers. Their sentences need to be either present
tense or progressive present tense.
We will go over these sentences as a class. I will also add my own sentences and
explanations during the review.

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

17

After the review I will hand out the "Progressive Forms" chart.

DURING
Direct Instruction:
After the students have all gotten a copy of the chart we will go over it as a class.
I will take any questions and I will go into more depth about the chart.
After we have gone over the chart we will go over the vocabulary as a class.
Guided Practice:
As a class we will complete the "Form the Progressive Verb Tenses" activity
online.
This will go over how to use past progressive, present progressive and future
progressive verb tenses in a sentence.
I will type the answers into the answer key as we decide and come up with them
as a class.
Independent Practice:
After completing the activity I will send students back to their desks with white
boards.
On the SmartBoard I will have sentence examples.
The examples will either be past, past progressive, future, or future progressive.
The students will write their answers to the sentences on the whiteboard and hold
them up one at a time.
CLOSING
I will refer back to the objective and ask if students feel comfortable using and
identifying these progressive forms of past and future tense verbs.
I will say: "Who can tell me the difference between a progressive past verb and a
past tense verb?" and "Who can tell me the difference between a progressive
future tense verb and a future tense verb?"
Materials
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES
Progressive Verb Chart
ActivInspire
Online Activity
Whiteboards/ markers
RESOURCES INCLUDED

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

18

Chart
Document

Game
Web Page
0
0
| Last Updated: February 22

Powerpoint
Presentation
0
0
| Las
Updated: Febr

t
uary 23

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

Which students
assessment

19

got the formative

questions incorrect:

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

20

Brain Breakfast Samples:

About This Lesson

DESCRIPTION
1 Teacher; 1 Student Teacher; 20 students; No students have IEPS. One student has a
504. One student is in the process of an SST.
PREREQUISITES
Students must understand what an action verb is.
Students must understand the verb tenses past, present, and future and how to use them in
a sentence.

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

21

Students need to understand the difference between present progressive, past progressive,
and future progressive action verbs and how to identify and change them to the correct
forms in a sentence.
ESTIMATED TIME
30 minutes
Potential Use
PURPOSE:
Classroom Instruction
GRADES:
4
CONTENT AREAS:
English/Language Arts
COMMON CORE:
English Language Arts

Language

Conventions of Standard English

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1 (grade 4): Demonstrate

command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.

Knowledge of Language

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.3 (grade 4): Use knowledge of

language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
Goals
INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS *
Students need to be able to construct and identify sentences in the progressive form.
OBJECTIVES
Wise Westies Will form and identify sentences using the progressive present, progressive
past, and progressive future tenses of verbs.
VARIABILITY *
There are no IEPs in the class. There is one student with a 504 Plan and one who
is monitored quarterly through the SST process for academics and behavior.
These two students are required to do the same amount of work at the same level
as the rest of the class. No one in the class is provided with any type of
accommodation.
The students who struggle most with grammar are the ELL students. These
students will most likely need to be in a scaffolding group after the lesson, or have
brain breakfast activities to do in the morning.
Assessments
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
Before closing:

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

22

As I walk around the room I will be assessing students when they work in
partners to complete the review activity. I will also be assessing them during the
game we play as a class.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
The students' summative assessment will be the worksheet they hand in at the end
of class to me.
I will use this assessment to determine their growth and to decide what steps to
take next from this information.
Instructional Methods
OPENING
After GoNoodle I will show the class the objective and we will discuss it as a
class.
Once we have gone over the objective I will put students in pairs to do a review
activity. I will pick these partners by using the colored sticks.
Students will get a worksheet between the two of them to fill out on identifying
and re-writing sentences in the correct verb tense. This worksheet also asks
students to re-write sentences in the progressive form for some questions.
DURING
Direct Instruction:
I will go over the worksheet that the students have completed in partners.
I will have the worksheet up on the SmartBoard and will write the answers and
explain the reasonings as the students volunteer.
We will discuss this worksheet as a class.
After we have gone over the worksheet the students will come to the carpet.
Guided Practice:
As a class we will play the "GRAMMonster" game from ReadingWonders Unit 3,
Week 2, Day 5.
I will allow the students to come up with the answers and come up to the board to
pick the answer, then launch the verb monster.
Independent Practice:
After the game, students will be sent back to their seats to complete a summative
assessment on verb tenses.
CLOSING
I will refer back to the objective and I will ask the students: "Who can tell me
without looking at your chart what key words you may need to make a present
tense verb a progressive present tense verb in a sentence?"

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

23

I will also ask the same question pertaining to a past progressive tense verb and a
future progressive tense verb.
Once students have answered these questions I will ask them if they feel
comfortable with the concept, if they have any questions, and why knowing this
skill is important.
Materials
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES
ActivInpsire
GRAMMonster Game
Summative Assessment worksheet
RESOURCES INCLUDED

Summative Assessment
Document
0
0
| Last
Updated: February 23

Powerpoint
Presentation
0
0
| Last
Updated: February 23

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

Part D

24

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

25

Throughout my unit lessons, my students showed signs of improvement and an

understanding of the concept(s). From the pre-assessment, percentage scores ranged from
100% to under 50% in accuracy. By the summative assessment, most of the students had
had a percentage of increase compared to the pre-assessment, even if they didnt pass.
The two lowest scores of the summative assessment were two students who got a 54%.
The scores of the summative assessment varied because a big factor of the worksheet was
following directions which some students had trouble doing. Compared to the preassessment, only eight students got between 100% and 85%, and after the summative
assessment there were fourteen that got between 100% and 85%. The student population
who scored below 80% also decreased as well. On the pre-assessment, there were twelve
students who scored below an 80%. On the summative assessment there were only six
students who scored below an 80%. After looking at these numbers, and the students
work samples from the formative assessments and scaffolding groups, I realized that
there was a gradual increase of student achievement.

Pre-Assessment Data

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

26

Formative Day 4

Student

Pre-Assessment

Post Assessment

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
Student 19
Student 20

100%
100%
100%
95%
90%
90%
90%
85%
80%
80%
65%
60%
55%
50%
50%
50%
40%
30%
25%
15%

100%
100%
92%
100%
92%
92%
100%
85%
62%
77%
85%
100%
85%
100%
85%
92%
62%
54%
54%
77%

Percentage of
Change
0%
0%
-8%
5%
2%
2%
11%
0%
-22.5%
-3.75%
30%
66%
54%
100%
70%
84%
55%
80%
116%
413%

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Pre-Assessment to Summative-Assessment
Below 80%

100%-85%
Scores
Below 80%

100%-85%

From the first lesson and the formative assessment given, my students showed
evidence of achievement through their scores. There were seventeen students in the class
who got a 100% on the assessment, one student who got a 66%, and two students who
got a 33%. Since the formative assessment was three questions, I decided to form a
scaffolding group with the students who scored a 33% on the assessment because they
seemed to be struggling with the topic more than others. While the rest of the class was
working on Middleberry or Writers Workshop, I took the two students into a group
where I re-taught and re-assessed them in a more private setting. From this extra

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

28

instruction, the two students both scored 100% on their scaffolding worksheets.

Formative Day 1

During the second lesson, two of the ELL students got a 0% on the formative
assessment because they did not follow the directions. These students did not use the
verbs provided in any of their sentences. Since the formative assessment was out of three
questions, the four students who got a 66% obtained that score from getting only one
question incorrect. The majority of the class, twelve students out of the eighteen that were
there that day got a 100% on the assessment. After looking at this data, I decided to create
a scaffolding group for the students who were still struggling while the class was rotating

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

29

between Middleberry and Writers Workshop. In this scaffolding group I worked with the
two students who got a 0%, the four who got a 66%, and I re-taught the lesson to a
student who was absent for the first half of class. I split these students up by their scores.
The two students who got a 0% worked separately with me along with the student who
missed the lesson, and the students who got a 66% worked in the second group. I did this
because I knew that the students who got a 0% and the student who missed the lesson
would need more time and reinforcement with the concept than the students who only got
one wrong on the assessment. From the small scaffolding activities I did with the two
groups, the group of four students all got a 100% by the end of the class. The student who
I re-taught also got a 100% on the scaffolding activity and a follow-up activity I provided
for her after the group work. One of the students who got a 0% on the formative
assessment increased his score to an 83% after the group work activities, and the other
student increased his score to an 80%.

Formative Day 2

Before the third day and the third lesson, I decided to leave brain breakfast
activities in homeroom for my students who I thought needed extra help. These

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

30

worksheets were given out to four students who I had been working with in the
scaffolding groups. I began to learn that these students understood the lesson and the
content better when they were able to review it ahead of time. On these brain breakfast
activities, which ranged in difficulty based on their previous assessment scores, two
students got a 60%, one got an 85% and one got a 100%. The two students who got the
higher scores were the ELL students who I was able to work with in the scaffolding group
previously. Since I could see their improvement, I made sure to pay attention to how they
did on their formative assessments after the third lesson.
From the third assessment I gathered my data by keeping notes about who got the
questions incorrect. There were five questions asked on the assessment and fifteen
students got 100% of the questions correct. There were four students who got 83%
correct, and one student who got 50% incorrect. This student has the 504 Plan and
sometimes has trouble with remembering information and following directions if he is
not reminded. This was one of the only days that this student really struggled with the
content.

Formative Day 3

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31

During the fourth lesson, the students were partnered up and were asked to
complete a worksheet between the two of them. On this worksheet students were asked to
work together to change the sentences into either the past progressive, present, future, or
future progressive tenses. I was surprised to see that the scores did vary and did not
match up equally. There were nine students who got 100% on the activity, three who got
a 92%, four who got an 83%, one who got a 66%, one who got a 58%, and one who got a
33%. Since none of these scores made sense, I went back and looked at why my students
had such low scores on something that they were able to work with partners on, and that
we went over after as a class. I realized that it was because these students either did not
follow the directions given, or did not work with their partners collaboratively to
complete the activity.
From looking at my data, there was evidence of student achievement of the
selected MCCRS. This was determined by looking at the formative assessments and the
work samples that I gathered from my students. Through those samples, the students were
able to form and use the progressive verb tenses, differentiate between past, present, and
future tenses, identify progressive verb tenses in text presented in a variety of formats,
and demonstrate the use of progressive verb tenses in oral and written language.
Part E
After this unit, my students began to realize the importance of following
directions and slowing down when completing assignments. From looking at the data and
seeing an increase in student growth, I would say that my instructional strategies and
interventions were effective. Through my observations of group work activities,
formative assessments, and small group activities most of my students showed a

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percentage of change. There were three students whos percent of change was decreased
from the pre-assessment to the summative assessment but they showed growth during the
unit on their other formative assessments and group activities. Most of the students who
had trouble with the concept were the ELL learners in the class. After one on one
instruction, re-teaching, and reminders they too showed a percentage of increase in
scores. Although there are some varying scores, when I realized this I made up for it in
my intervention strategies with the students, who usually increased their scores by 50%
or higher.
My instruction influenced student learning because I made sure to include
engaging, inviting, and fun games and activities into each one of my lessons. I also made
sure to never repeat a formative assessment strategy and to use culturally diverse
sentences when explaining and working with the students. Almost all of the students
perform on the same level except for the ELL students, the student who has the 504 Plan,
and the student who is monitored by an SST. I made sure to keep these students in mind
when making the lessons and working with them in small groups. When I worked with
these students in the scaffolding groups, I made sure to address their linguistic and
learning differences by slowing down my instruction and giving them easier examples to
build off of. During my main lessons, I called on everyone equally and went in a boy-girl
order to ensure that everyone got a turn, including the ELL students who were not as
eager to volunteer. I also posed questions throughout the lesson to check for
understanding and track student learning. I believe that my instruction did influence
student learning because the students were excited to partake in each lesson and were
using these verbs and verb tenses in their writing throughout the day after each lesson.

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

33

Something I learned from this unit is that I always need to plan for the technology
in the room to not work and to be prepared for other interruptions that could occur
throughout the week. During one of my lessons, my mentor Mrs. Kerrigan, was at a
meeting that we didnt plan for which meant that I didnt have a device to put the
ActivInspire up on. I was able to improvise and complete the lesson, but it was harder to
keep the students attention since their routine was interrupted and changed. An
implication of my unit that I noticed after collecting student data from the formative
assessments was that there were always a few students who had significantly lower
scores than others. I could fix this by making the assessments longer instead of three
questions, and I could have differentiated the assessments based on the levels at which
these students were performing. If I could do this unit plan again, I would include various
forms of assessments either online or on paper and I would give the students a choice
about whether they wanted to work in partners or alone. I now know from my data that
some students may or may not work better with partners. Also, even though I didnt have
any assessments that were online, I could have made this an option to students.
I decided against creating multiple forms of the formative assessments because
when I was making the lessons I wanted to get a true read on the achievement levels of
my students. I also didnt differentiate the activities completely because except for the
student with the 504 Plan, none of my students are offered accommodations. I believe
that if I were able to spend more time on grammar each day, these students would have
performed better on their formative assessments and their overall group work score. I
would change this in my future instruction by including multiple variations of

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

34

assessments and including more questions on these assessments to give students a better
opportunity to show their level of understanding.
A main component of why some of my students did not perform as well as they
should have was because they did not read their papers carefully or did not listen to the
directions given. I noticed this from the student achievement data. After my unit, I
decided that something needed to be done about this. I began to stand in front of the class
and repeat the directions instead of sending the students back with their worksheets right
as they got them. As I read them, I would ask the students to repeat the directions back to
me and I would ask them what verbs were used, which were usually the words read and
circle. I also began making sure to call on students who had the most trouble with
following directions such as the student with the 504 Plan and the student who is
monitored by an SST. After I started doing this, I saw a big improvement in the students
scores. I now know that this is what I should include when giving directions to my class
because they need that extra reinforcement and repetition.
For my next unit and set of lessons, I could be better prepared by addressing the
implications of this previous instructional activity and collaborating with other
professionals in the school such as other General Education 4th grade teachers who have
previously taught this grammar unit. These professionals would be a good source to go to
because they have taught these lessons and know what has worked, and what has not
worked with students. I think that talking to these teachers would be beneficial to me and
could assist me in developing an improved structural unit in the future because they know
my students since they also teach them for Science, Social Studies, and Math. The 4th
grade teachers at West Towson Elementary are part of a collaborative team and work very

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

35

well together. I know that they would be very helpful and supportive in assisting me with
my future planning of instruction because they know my students and their learning
styles. These professionals could also give me advice about how to help my students get a
better understanding of the topic(s) and what other strategies I could use while teaching.
In the area of Instructional Pedagogy from the CEC standard that addresses
Instructional Planning and Strategies I have formed a professional learning goal for
myself based on my experiences from this unit I have taught. In this standard, it states
that: professionals select, adapt, and use a repertoire of evidence-based strategies to
advance learning of individuals with exceptionalities. My goal from this standard is to
next time consider all of my students individual abilities and interests when developing a
unit plan. Since I was teaching in a General Education class, I formed my lessons around
the previous knowledge I had of my students and the observations I had done about the
learning environment they perform best in. My goal is to next time give my students
options, both with formative assessments and with group activities. After reflecting, I
now realize that if I had provided multiple means of representation and choices for my
students to show their understanding, they might have gotten more out of the unit.
One other professional goal that I have formed for myself after looking at the
CEC standards is the standard that addresses Collaboration under the Professionalism and
Collaboration Standard. The goal that I have for myself for my future planning is that I
want to use effective collaboration with other educators and related service providers as a
resource before planning my unit. I believe that collaboration is a big part of Special
Education and even in a General Education setting it is necessary for success and for
helping your students reach their full potentials during a unit plan. I would like to get the

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36

opinions of others before starting the planning process next time. Sometimes, other
professionals may know more effective ways to plan a lesson with the particular group of
students you are working with. This unit plan has taught me a lot about myself as an
educator and about my class. After I had completed it we continued on verbs and the
whole class really improved with the modifications I decided to include such as the extra
reinforcement with the directions. Overall I was very happy with the gradual progress my
students showed, and the positive relationships I formed with them after teaching my first
whole unit.