Northern State University

Student Teaching Experience

Teacher Work Sample
Spring 2016
Candidate Name:

Melinda Quade

Candidate Phone Number:

Candidate ID Number:
Name of School where data
was collected:
Subject/Content Area of Unit:

United States history

Grade Level:

11th grade

Date Submitted:

May 2, 2016

I understand that obtaining, or attempting to obtain, a passing grade on a TWS by

falsification or misrepresentation may result in a failing grade in a course or expulsion
from the teacher education program.
I grant permission for the School of Education to use my Teacher Work Sample as an
exemplary (outstanding) model for teacher candidate and university supervisor training
purposes in the future. I understand my name will remain on the document for proper
credit.

Signature of Candidate Submitting the TWS: Melinda Quade (electronic submission)

I. Contextual Information and Learning Environment

Contextual Information Data

Student Teaching Experience
Using this form, gather and record the information needed to write the narrative
portion of your Contextual Information section of your TWS. Please be aware that
additional information is required for this section (see instructions on TWS)
1012
203

Grade Level

5
Total school enrollment
Females in classroom
10
5
Total classroom enrollment
Males in classroom
Yes
Free or reduced lunch participant at school (yes or no)
0
Instructional aides/para-professionals in cooperating classroom
Ethnicity of Students:
Native Hawaiian/Pacific
0
0
African American/Black
Islander
American Indian/Alaskan
20
72
White
Native
0
2
Asian
Two or more races
3
0
Hispanic/Latino
Unknown ethnicity
Language Proficiency of students
95
0
Fluent English Proficient
English Language Learner
Identified Special Needs (IDEA
Categories)
0
0
Autism
Orthopedic Impairment
0
0
Deaf-Blindness
Other Health Impairment
0
2
Deafness
Specific Learning Disability
Speech or Language
0
2
Emotional Disturbance
Impairment
0
0
Hearing Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury
Intellectual/Cognitive
3
0
Visual Impairment
Disability
0
Multiple Disabilities

In my cooperating teachers 7-12 social science classroom, there is a variety of

ethnicities and a small portion of students with identified special needs. The classroom
itself presents a warm, safe, welcoming environment. With comfortable carpeting,
windows that allow plenty of sunshine to enter, and desks arranged in such a way for
plenty of movement, this classroom allows for optimum learning. As there are several
American Indian and Hispanic students in my cooperating classroom, the enthusiasm

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for learning about new cultures is very apparent. This classroom also exhibits a few
students with speech impairments and cognitive disabilities. After discussing these
students and their IEPs with my cooperating teacher and the special education teacher,
I found that the accommodations I must make within the lessons I teach include
particular seating arrangements, notetaking assistance, modified tests, and a longer
testing time or a private area to test. As I better know the students, I will be able to
provide more accommodations as needed.

II. Individual Student Information- Case Study

Every teacher dreams of having that student who actively participates in class,
includes other students, and always maintains a positive attitude in the classroom. A
student such as this could be considered a great asset to the class and deemed ready
to learn independently by the teacher. What educators can often overlook in situations
like this is the fact that appearances can be very deceiving. On the outside, the student
may seem as though life is always filled with many a cloud nine; on the inside,
however, lies needs and backstories that could take great efforts and an attentive
teacher before they ever reach the surface. The lesson that one should never take a
book at face value is the very reason I chose Student A for my case study.
Student A is the average 16 year old sophomore in high school with his love of
playing sports and spending every free moment with his friends. While student A is not a
straight A student, he does well in his classes, receiving above average grades in some
subjects, primarily in the social sciences. Despite his excellence in the social sciences,
Student A was placed on an IEP when he first arrived at School X in order to assist with
his sight reading, geometry and to combat his habit of being overly distracted in class.
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Over time, his work improved and we was removed from the IEP list this past January.
Student A regularly gets his homework done on time, but many of the other teachers in
the school mention that he often rushes through the work without fully completely or
putting his best effort towards the assignment. As my cooperating teacher and the
special education coordinator learned over time, the fact that he wants to finish his work
early is because he is more interested in spending extra time with his friends.
Student A has always been deemed by teachers, students, and other staff as
very friendly, positive, and helpful toward everyone. As I soon learned on my first day of
student teaching, Student A was very excited to meet new people; he even approached
me right away and asked how I was doing when I first started student teaching. Along
with his positive attitude, Student A is always very attentive in class and more than
willing to share his ideas as well as help others when they dont understand. Student A,
however, can be very easily distracted much of the time. As a result, many of the
teachers have moved him closer to the front of the room in order to cut down on
distractions and his habit of talking to people during the lesson; as many of the teachers
have found, Student A is often more focused on how to receive extra attention than he is
on his schoolwork.
From my observations, I noticed Student A getting up and moving around
multiple times during the class period and oftentimes stopping to talk to classmates
along the way. I also found Student A chatting with his neighbors and gazing out the
window. Despite his distractions, Student A was still willing to participate in class. Along
with this, when it came to assignments, Student A was usually efficient about turning
them in on time. I noticed, however, as previously stated, he would rush to finish the
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assignment when he noticed many of his friends were already finished. On another
occasion, Student A had not completed an assigned worksheet and proudly told this
news to the teacher in hopes of gaining a humorous reaction from his peers. Because
Student A has such a positive, outgoing attitude, this fact struck me as odd--why would
a happy student have to constantly go to extreme lengths in order to be accepted
among his peers? The answers I received were nothing I had imagined.
Upon conversing with the school superintendent, my cooperating teacher, and
the special education teacher, I learned that this student, despite his excellent social
and educational abilities, has a very rough home life. Student A has a single mother and
his father has been in rehabilitation for drug use and is, therefore, not in the students
life; along with this, Student As mother is working much of the time, so Student A is
often pushed to the back burner. Student A is also often faced with younger siblings to
care for and an alcoholic grandfather. As a result of his current situation, Student A is
always looking for acceptance among his family, teachers, and peers. Because he is not
always the first to be invited to social gatherings, Student A will often go to the extremes
to let his fellow students know that he is there. One example of this occurred this past
year when Student A received a minor following an alcohol-related incident. This event,
in turn, hindered him from being on the school basketball team for most of the season;
this news was a huge blow to Student A as basketball is not only his favorite sport, but
also one of the times he favors most for being with his friends. As my cooperating
teacher described to me, Student A is a good kid when he hangs out with good kids,
but can easily turn bad when placed with the wrong crowd.
In his book, Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice, Robert Slavin
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describes the many educational theorists and how they fit into each stage of a students
life. According to Slavin, Student A is following Banduras Modeling and Observational
Learning. Within this theory, a student witnesses a certain action, retains the
information, and then reproduces the behavior in order to receive similar results as
previously seen (Slavin, 132-133). In Student As case, he is witnessing obnoxious
behaviors that exemplify drinking and sometimes procrastinating on homework. In
replicating the behavior, Student A feels that he is presenting himself in a way that will
entice his peers to hang out with and invite him to social gatherings. As a teacher, it is
important to demonstrate behaviors that will lead Student A to success. One way this
can be accomplished is by praising any exemplary or promptly turned in homework
Student A completes. As a teacher, I also tried to thank the students and commemorate
them in class for their prompt completion of assignments and their ability to sit quietly
and attentively in class. In doing this, I demonstrated to Student A the proper behavior
expected of the students and the benefits of following the guidelines.
Due to the fact that Student A loves sports, mainly basketball, Robert Slavins
book also describes the use of Howard Gardners multiple intelligences in order to
maintain student interest. Within this theory, Gardner proposes nine intelligences in
which students learn the best from; a few of these practices include linguistic, musical,
bodily/kinesthetic, naturalistic, etc. (Slavin, 104-105). Student A could be categorized
under the bodily/kinesthetic intelligence because of his love of sports and because he is
always distracted during class time by moving around the room. To ensure Student A
releases some of his energy in the classroom and to cater to his preference, I could
incorporate review games that involve shooting paper balls into a container for points
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when the question is answered correctly. I could also have the students move around
the room to demonstrate the directions of north, east, south, and west. This method
could not only harness some of his energy for the good of the classroom, but it will also
motivate Student A to pay attention and retain more of the information.
Throughout his book, Robert Slavin also emphasizes how the importance of peer
relationships increases as the student grows and moves through their academic career.
According to Slavin, as a child moves into their high school years, the need for
acceptance by their families is soon replaced with the desire to be liked by their peers;
this acceptance, or even lack of, is what essentially gives the child the motivation and
desire to learn and move successfully through their academic career. Slavin continues
by explaining that in order for a student to receive this acceptance, they will often dress
like their peers, listen to the same music, or participate in the same activates. Slavin
also found that students will often speak or act out during class in order to gain
acceptance from their peers (Slavin, 62-67). What I, along with the other teachers at
School X, have found, is that Student A is so caught up in maintaining the acceptance
he already has from his peers, that class is disrupted. In order to combat this, as a
teacher, I can move Student A closer to the front of the classroom to cut down on
classroom distractions. Another plan of action to ensure that Student A knows how to
find and maintain healthy peer relations I can take could be to assign group work in
class. Through this plan, Student A would be able to see what it is like to not only work
as a team but also to see how much fun he can have without the use of alcohol or other
dangerous substances.

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Throughout my time in School X, Student A has been a joy to learn about and
learn from. Despite the fact that Student A struggles with distractions, involvement in
wrong crowds, and a trying home life, he still exhibits a positive, can-do attitude when
coming to school. With extra guidance, proper seating arrangements, and lessons that
incorporate his energy and interests, I have no doubt that student A will be successful
throughout his high school career as well as any other endeavor he takes up in his life.

III. Management and Motivation

My cooperating teachers classroom provided several elements that can
positively affect student learning. Upon first entering the classroom, one can notice the
abundant amounts of sunshine peering through the windows. The view of these
windows directs attention to the playground as well as plenty of scenery; while the
blinds are wide open a majority of the time, they are sometimes halfway closed to cut
down on student distraction and daydreaming during the lesson. Along with the bright
windows, the classroom projects a warm, welcoming environment with carpeting and
painted tiles that relate to history; these tiles were completed by students past and
present around the school, which helps the students build a stronger connection with
their peers. Despite the fact that the walls are white, my cooperating teacher has done
an excellent job in displaying colorful, easy-to-read and relatable posters and maps
around the room; not only do these posters serve as motivation to learn about social
studies, but they can also serve doubly as a resource while giving several lessons. The
set-up of this classroom is simple, yet it offers many opportunities for growth as well as
a positive learning experience.

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One of the primary focuses my cooperating teacher instilled in his classroom was
a positive learning environment; he accomplished this by offering a variety of motivation
strategies to get the students excited about learning. First, my cooperating teacher
varied his methods of instruction in order to break up classroom monotony and to
maintain student interest. This involved fluctuating between lecture, pair share, or class
activities or projects; this occasional switch-up was a way to keep students interested
because it was something new. My cooperating teacher also offered options to his
students when they completing assignments. He accomplished this through the use of
rubrics with clear standards and grading criteria; for example, during a political cartoon
lesson, if the student completed eight of the assigned cartoons, they would receive an
A, if they completed six of the cartoons, they would receive a B, and so on down the
line. This method not only told the students the expectations my cooperating teacher
wanted to see from them, but it also motivated students to do the work in order to
achieve a higher grade. My cooperating teacher also offered positive reinforcement in
the form of verbal praise or comments on assignments to individual students or the
entire class as recognition for good work being completed. Occasionally, for a student
doing above and beyond expectations, my cooperating teacher would reward that
student by allowing them to bring a pop to class or listen to music while doing an
assignment.
As my cooperating teacher informed me, sometimes the best ways to motivate
the entire class is through using the power of peer pressure to his advantage. For
example, he created a row game. With this technique, my cooperating teacher would
write on the board the number of the row that was misbehaving. This, in turn, would
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help the students in the row to take responsibility for their own actions and then
motivate each other to practice better behavior in order to eliminate their row number
from the board; as I learned from having more opportunities to teach during my
experience, this method could easily be applied to an entire class. My cooperating
teacher was also able to incorporate voice level barometers through an app on his
phone along with variating his voice from a normal tone to a whisper throughout his
lesson. Along with this, my cooperating teacher was able to recognize if the classroom
was too tense and rambunctious; when he would come to this conclusion, he would
take a fresh start by walking out and then back into the room to take restart and refocus
the class.
Not only did I see excellent examples of individual and group motivational
strategies from concepts created by my cooperating teacher, but also through programs
provided by the school. My cooperating school is a participant in the state, and
oftentimes national, History Day program. This event allows students to work
individually or in groups to complete an exhibit, performance, website, or paper about
any topic of history they choose and then relate it to the assigned theme of the year. As
my cooperating teacher found, if a student doesnt perform as well in normal class work,
History Day can be an excellent way to demonstrate student success and what they are
capable of accomplishing. History Day is also a good way to motivate the students by
allowing them to choose a history day topic that best suits their interests.
One of the first things I noticed about my cooperating teacher was the great
communication he has with his students, both verbally and non-verbally. One of the best
ways his verbal communication was demonstrated was through the detailed instructions
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he gave. With any assignment or task he gave the students, my cooperating teacher
stated what the expectations were, how the students can achieve what was expected of
them, and finally how they can expect their project or assignment to look when it is
complete. He also gave the students feedback, encouragement, and direction as they
were progressing through the task or assignment. As we learned in our NSU block
classes, non-verbal communication can best be described as having the ability to give
the look as well as other signals to trigger or detour a certain behavior; my cooperating
teacher has mastered this skill. If the students are getting out of line, or simply not
paying attention, my cooperating teacher has the knack of giving the look in order reel
in the students attention and get them back on task. Along with this, the look can also
provide feedback, either in a positive sense, or in a way that the students may need to
improve on what they are working on. Achieving the look is something I hope to gain
from my student teaching experience.
On one of my first days of student teaching, I inquired about some of the
management techniques he uses in his classroom every day. One of the first things he
emphasized was planning ahead before incidents happen; he further explained his point
by telling me about the impact a seating chart can have on certain classes. I soon
learned this impact as I was assisting the 8th grade American history class with their
History Day projects. Since it was a day for them to work on their projects, I informed
the students that they could sit wherever they would like while they worked; I also stated
that they could maintain these spots as they worked unless they began talking and
causing a raucous, to which they would be moved at my own discretion. The first day of
classwork, the student-led seating went well, but eventually, they all started focusing
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more on being around their friends rather than their project. From there, I had to
relocate three of the students away from their friends. Despite the fact that the students
who had to be moved were not the most thrilled about the decision, the technique
worked well enough in the sense that the students understood that they had to work on
their project if they still expected to be able to sit near their friends. As a reward for their
hard work, I allowed them to move back to the seats they had originally chosen, under
the condition that they had to be working or they would be moved again. Even though
the 8th graders were still somewhat distracted, they still maintained focus on their
assigned work.

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School-Home Communication Artifact

Dear Families,
Hello! My name is Ms. Melinda Quade. I am a senior at Northern State
University, where I am majoring in History Education, with a certification in public history
and a plan to receive a language arts endorsement. I recently completed my Junior
Field Experience at Aberdeen Central High School, Aberdeen South Dakota in a 9-12
world and United States history classroom. This semester, I will continue my teacher
training as a student teacher in your student's classroom. I have had a love for teaching
and helping students and adults alike succeed ever since I can remember! I am very
excited to begin my student teaching experience!
I was raised in this very farming community of Wilmot, South Dakota, where
there were only 200 students, K-12 when I was in school! I have always loved being
outdoors, but one can also find me cooking or baking for friends, knitting, crocheting,
going on long walks, or exploring an antique shop looking for the greatest picks! My
greatest passion is at Fort Sisseton State Historic Park, Lake City, SD, where I have
been the Archive Intern for the past two years as well as a Civil War reenactor with my
family for most of my life. I have always had a passion for history and being with people,
so I am excited to begin this new adventure!
My love of teaching and helping others succeed has been present since I was
four years old, when my father found I had rearranged the entire living room and my
collection of stuffed animals to resemble a classroom. I believe every child walks into
the classroom with the ability to learn and express their talents if only the opportunity
allows. My goal while in the classroom is to help students achieve those Ah-ha!
moments during my history classes. In doing this, I hope to help students find a new
love for history and come to the realization of how amazing the subject really is! Ever
Garrison stated, A teacher is a compass that activates the magnets of curiosity,
knowledge, and wisdom in the pupils. In my teaching career, I hope to become this
compass for my students!
I am really looking forward to my student teaching experience and working with
your student. I know we will have a great semester!
Sincerely,
Melinda Quade
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Ms. Quades Classroom Management Plan:

1. Be on time, prepared, on task, and ready to learn.
2. Respect the teacher, the classroom, other students, and yourself.
3. Demonstrate respect to the teacher when class is in session. This involves
mouths closed, ears open, and remaining seated until the lesson is over.
4. Cellphones are a distraction to the student, the teacher, and the rest of the
students, and are therefore NOT allowed in class.
5. Homework is expected to be turned in at the beginning of class. Any homework
turned in after this will result in the loss of 20% of the grade for each day it is
missing; a zero will be given a week after the work has been missing.
6. Plan ahead, manage your time wisely, and complete your work on time to create
a smooth, efficient classroom experience for yourself.
7. This is a welcoming classroom with a positive atmosphere; remember, An
attitude is contagiousis yours worth catching?
8. Profanity is a poor use of the English language and will not be tolerated.
9. Consequences for misbehaviors are as follows (consequences are subject to
change according to the offense):
1st offense: Verbal warning
2nd offense: Call home
3rd offense: An hour of detention/staying after school
4th offense: Written up/ sent to the office

IV. Instructional Design and Implementation- Unit

Unit Overview:
At the beginning of my student teaching experience, I was directed to assist both
the eighth grade and eleventh grade in their History Day projects. After this month-long
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process, I was given the opportunity to take over the eleventh grade class and teach
them the Unit about WW II. This unit took nearly a month due to History Day events,
school vacation days, as well as the vast amount of information we covered in the unit;
the length each lesson ranged from two days up to five days. This lesson encompassed
information about the rise of dictators in Europe, the fighting overseas, as well as the
Holocaust and, of course, American entrance and involvement within WW II. Because
this is an American history course, anytime I taught about the war in Europe or in the
Pacific, I made sure to include the American reaction to the events along with what
America was doing at the time these events were happening.
The individual objectives ranged from lesson-to-lesson, but the ultimate goals of
the unit included:

Understanding how the aftermath of WW I, including the financial situations and

desperation of the public in Europe and Japan, led to the rise of dictatorships.

Connecting the end of WW I and the Great Depression in the United States to
how the nation reacted to the initial start and eventual involvement in WW II.

Examining the use of propaganda and persuasion to convince and sometimes

even brainwash the people of a nation.

Understanding how the events of WW II and its aftermath changed the makeup
of European and American allies as well as how we as Americans view
involvement in wars today.

Description of the Unit Pre-Assessment:

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Before I began my unit on WW II, I inquired how much students knew about
dictatorships in Europe and the initial events that led to American entrance into WW II.
For this lesson, I did an assessment in the form of a question sheet that inquired how
the state of Germany led to Hitlers rise as well as the qualities Hitler possessed that
made people want to follow him. Questions included:
What is a dictatorship? How can a lack of money for a nation lead to the rise of a
dictator? Why would people follow them?
How can a nation be involved in a war without actually fighting? How was
America a prime example of this?
How does an atomic bomb fit into the picture of WW II?
Overall, nearly of the students in the class had some previous knowledge of the
questions asked above, and therefore did well on the assessment. This told me that
rather than taking so much time in explaining the basics of each concept, I would be
able to take their knowledge further by including resources such as articles, video clips,
a movie, response papers, as well as a propaganda poster assignment. To ensure that
the students were still understanding the material, I frequently asked individual students
in the class questions about the material being learned in that particular lesson; by
asking these questions, I knew I would have may have to reteach or review some
information if the student seemed to have difficulty answering the questions being
asked.

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WW II Unit Pre-Assessment Results

Uni
t Pre-Assessment Results:

As one can see from the chart above, the students performed well on the preassessment. As it was a question sheet, the students were expected to choose the
letter that best answers the question. I was not at all surprised by the results after I
graded the pre-assessment tests. This was due to the fact that we discussed the
questions as a class and the student answers astounded me; many went above and
beyond just answering the initial question by discussing events related to it; many
students inquired about the use of propaganda as well as the Holocaust, which shaped
how I created my lesson plans. Despite the fact that many of the students exceeded my
expectations with the pre-assessment, I noticed that there were still a few students who
knew a few of the answers, but didnt perform as well on the pre-assessment. This
finding tells me that I would still need to give background information and review
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sessions to ensure that all of the students are able to keep up and understand what is
going on during the lesson. From what I found, the questions that many of the students
struggled with included those describing what a dictatorship is, who the dictators of
certain European countries were, as well as defining terms such as fascism,
communism, and socialism.
This pre-assessment was given the day before I began the unit. Doing it this
early allowed me time to edit portions of my unit if changes were needed; however, with
that being said, I feel that if I wouldve performed the pre-assessment earlier, I wouldve
had even more opportunity to better revise my lesson plans as needed. Overall, I felt my
pre-assessment was very helpful in determining what should be covered in greater
detail in my unit. I found that even though many of the students demonstrated an
understanding of the material to be covered, there was still plenty of room for further
growth and learning new material available during this unit; I was also excited to find
that we had plenty of time and previous understanding of the knowledge that would
promote better class discussions and opportunities to complete projects.

**INSERT WW II UNIT HERE**

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Chart Title
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

B
Pre-Asessment

Post Asessment

V.
Analysis of Student Learning
To assess the students understanding of the entire unit, a unit test was given.
This test included multiple choice questions, matching, true and false, as well as essay
that required them to think critically and write in complete sentences. As demonstrated
through the chart above, the student performance greatly improved from the pre and
post-assessment tests. The number of As increased drastically, while the amount of
students receiving a B or a C decreased. The student answers given in the essay
portion of the unit test demonstrated a thorough explanation and understanding of the
material learned. Given the excellent discussion and the students offered during each
class period, it came as no surprise that a majority of the students received As or high
Bs. I was, however, slightly surprised by the fact that some students still received Cs on
their tests as I looked closer, I found that these were the same students who did not
turn in their study guides or turned them in incomplete.
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Throughout the unit, and as observed in the assessment, I felt the students did
an excellent job in utilizing resources from articles, videos, and the lecture in order to
better their critical thinking skills. Also, the students were able to use this information to
draw conclusions about how a certain event, person, or battle not only affected the
people involved at the time, but also in later times. I did notice, however, that the
students often struggled when it came to writing short answers and response papers as
well as incorporating proper grammar. I also noticed that while students would go into
great detail about a particular question, but would oftentimes forget to answer the other
questions in the assignment.
While I stressed the importance of students being able to use their critical
thinking skills and their writing abilities to create their own response papers, I also
wanted to stress the importance of practicing proper grammatical procedures. There are
several ways that I can promote a better student performance the next time. For
example, I can read the questions and instructions out loud to the students and then
have them repeat it back to me; this would ensure that the students have read over the
instructions and the questions and know what is expected of them. Along with this, I
would also stress the importance of proper grammar when completing their paper; if
they had questions, we could take a class day to review common grammar traits that
they will be using within their paper.
As a teacher, I was quite pleased with my students overall performance
throughout this unit. As stated above, most of my students struggled with grammar as
well as completely reading through instructions and questions in order to determine
exactly what needs to be finished for this particular assignment. Along with the
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paragraph above, I feel there are also other ways I can improve my teaching methods
for future units. For example, I feel I should incorporate more group work rather than
just individual activities. While some students enjoy working independently on their own
work, I feel all of the students couldve demonstrated even more of their talents by being
with partners or other small groups. For example, I couldve incorporated group work
within the Where in the World was WW II? arrow activity by having the students created
a PowerPoint presentation or poste board describing the significance of the battle or
place along with completing an arrow. Another example couldve been a replacement for
the test as a final assessment. In this idea, I would break the students into groups of
three or four and then allow them to choose between several WW II events or ideas,
such as rationing, propaganda, the draft, victory gardens, etc.; after they had chosen
their topic, they would then create a brief video describing the significance of their topic
to the needs of WW II. Overall, I feel this was one of the strongest units I had taught in
my student teaching experience and I am very satisfied by how it turned out.

VI. Reflection and Self-Evaluation- Goals:

Knowledge of Self:
Goal: I plan to present a patient, positive attitude and thorough communication
throughout my student teaching experience.
Procedure: Throughout my training at Northern State University, I have learned that
I, the teacher, set the mood of the classroom and that I have the power to either help
or hurt a student depending on the reaction I give them in a certain situation. To
ensure that I am positive and patient toward the students, I will write myself notes,
continually remind myself throughout the day, as well as refer to posters hanging by
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my desk that describe the information above in order to help me maintain that
positive aura in my students lives. Along with this, I will also remind myself that the
students in this particular stage in life are trying to find themselves and, therefore,
may have other things on their minds I will do my best to present engaging and
relevant lessons in order to maintain their interest, as well as uphold a calm manner
when handling different situations and when explaining instructions even for the third
time!
Evaluation: I will evaluate myself by looking back on how my attitude was within
certain situations and where there is room for me to improve. I will also evaluate my
ability to thoroughly communicate with the students through the use of the
instructions I give for certain assignments; after reading the instructions with the
students, I can determine how clear my expectations were based on the grades the
students receive.
Over the course of my student teaching experience, I felt that I did reach my
goal. Having the posters and notes to remind myself to keep a positive attitude
became great methods to destress. Because I was in a rural placement, I had
several preps that encompassed grades 7-12, which all had maturity levels reaching
very different ends of the spectrum. Taking those maturity levels into consideration, I
found that I should further contemplate my reaction to situations. For example, does
an eighth who interrupts our unit about the Oregon Trail because he wants to
discuss his first experience riding horse require as much of a reaction as an eleventh
grader who shows up to class late but still participates? As gain more experience
within my student teaching career, I know I will be able to better distinguish how to
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handle certain situations. This will ensure that I do not harm a students self-esteem,
but rather help them work toward success.
Overall, I also felt that I maintained thorough communication with my students on
assignments, due dates, tests, and what I expected of their performances. A majority
of the time, my students exceeded my expectations on their assignments and
exams. However, I still ran into problems with some of the students not reading the
entire question or assignment and, therefore, had incomplete assignments because
of it. In order to improve this situation, I will continue to read the instructions out loud
with the students or have them take turns reading the sections of the instructions or
assignment; I will also remind my students to read every question or part of
instructions carefully and thoroughly to make sure they have completed every part
the question is asking. While there is always room for improvement, I feel I
accomplished this goal during my student teaching experience.
Knowledge of the Content:
Goal: I will be knowledgeable in the geography and history content I teach my students.
Along with this, to promote student engagement and interest, I will strive to make the
information relevant to students lives and the modern world we live in.
Procedure: On my student teaching observation day, I will ask my cooperating teacher
for the textbooks that will be used in the cooperating classroom. As I approach the
starting day for my experience, I will review the concepts I will be teaching, focusing
specifically on areas that I may not be as proficient in. Along with this, I will also keep

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up-to-date on news stories that I can apply to my lessons in order to make them
relevant to the students lives and the world we live in.
Evaluate: My evaluations for this goal will be based on student discussions and how
they can relate the information learned in class to our world today. For example, when
teaching the lessons, I can relate Jewish Anti-Semitism in Germany or even the fear of
Japanese Americans in the 1940s to how we sometimes view people who were part of
groups similar to terrorists today. In assignments, tests, and class discussions, I will
review these events and then have the students relay them back to me or even find
their own similar current events. Also, after each day of teaching, I will look back on
what content I had a good grasp on, and what areas I feel need more study time.
Overall, I felt that I accomplished this goal during my student teaching
experience. When discussing topics such as Jewish Anti-Semitism in Germany or the
treatment of Japanese Americans, I could merely ask students what events or groups
occurring today they feel these occurrences relate to. I was highly impressed by their
answers as many of them included unborn babies suffering from abortions in America,
Christians being killed in the Middle East, or even Syrian refugees seeking a new start
in different countries, some of which were topics I hadnt thought to include!
As for the content knowledge, I felt that some days were better than others. For
example, one day I would be able to give a thorough lesson with plenty of stories to
promote understanding and activities to go along with it, while other days, I felt that I
relied on my PowerPoint presentation too heavily because I wasnt as familiar with the
topic. For ways to improve, I will continue to read, read, and then read up on the topic I
will be teaching in order to be a fountain of knowledge for my students; if there is
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question that I cannot answer, I will try my hardest to look it up, or send the students in
the direction in which they can find the information. I know that I cant possibly have the
answer to everything, but I do know that I can try to promote the most rewarding and
enriching educational experience possible for my students.
Knowledge of the Learner
Goal: I will use a variety of assessment methods in order to determine how I am doing
as a teacher as well as to ensure that I am reaching the diverse population of students
in the classroom and that they are retaining the material from the lessons.
Procedure: I will accomplish this goal in a variety of ways. First, I will question students
throughout the lesson to determine their understanding as we are moving into the new
information. I will then use tools such as worksheets, video clips, quizzes, and review
games, like I have, who has? to evaluate students on the information learned.
Evaluation: By asking questions during the lesson, I can determine what assessment
methods, such as tests, projects, and worksheets, to not only assess student
participation and understanding, but also to determine if I need to reteach any concepts.
I feel my assessment methods went well. At the beginning of my student teaching
experience, the only assessment methods I used were worksheets and the usual tests.
As the semester went on, I found that the students surpassed my expectations and I
knew that the students were capable of more. My assessment methods then
transformed into response papers, propaganda posters, critical thinking and real-world
simulation activities, as well as map projects to determine the students understanding
of the content learned. Through these assessment forms, students were able to use
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their talents and creativity in order to demonstrate their understanding of the topic. I feel
that allowing my students to be more creative will help them better retain the content
knowledge.
Knowledge of Pedagogy
Goal: I will make my lesson goals and objectives coincide with the teaching methods I
use in order to ensure that the procedures I use to teach are allowing students to meet
the objectives for the day.
Procedure: In order to accomplish this goal, I will give it a test run on myself, carefully
examining if the teaching methods I use will give the students a clear path to
accomplish the assignment and the lesson objectives. I also plan to take tests and work
on assignments that I plan to give my students myself to further ensure that I am
meeting the days objectives and state standards. I will then present the material to the
class based on the findings I have come to.
Evaluation: I will evaluate this goal by having the students lead discussions in class as
well as examining the work completed in their assignments. If the way I presented the
material was in a clear, concise form, the students should be able to lead a successful
discussion in class and perform well on their assignments; if they are unable to do so, I
may need to re-tweak the objectives, teaching methods or both.
I feel I did quite well with this goal because of the success the students showed
with their in-class discussions and assignments. At the beginning of each lesson, I gave
some form of an attention-getter to help the students zone into the lesson. I then
presented the objectives, or goals, of what I expected the students to be able to
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accomplish at the end of the lesson. This worked very well because the students were
able to see what the day would entail and they knew what to expect at the break of each
section. Along with this, I also predicted what we would be discussing the next day as
well as announced projects we would be starting early on. As a result, I also felt that the
lesson moved and ended much more smooth because the students didn't have to
question what the next portion of the day would bring. I was very pleased with the
results of this goal.
Knowledge of Self as a Teacher and Member of a Learning Community
Goal: I will make an effort to show my support of the students inside and outside of the
classroom throughout my student teaching experience.
Procedure: I will become more active in the school and community to get to know the
students and their families to see how they interact outside of school. This can be
accomplished by attending student games, concerts, and other major events they are
involved in. I can then use this information and apply it to how I approach lessons and
the students in the classroom; for example, if sports are important to students, I could
have athletic-related material, or if the student comes from a poor family background, I
could put forth more effort to ensure the student is understanding the material and
staying caught up in class.
Evaluation: I will evaluate myself by determining if I am actually putting forth the effort
to be active in the school and the community. I will also be able to see it is effective by
the relationship I build with the students and their parents.

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I feel that I did alright with this goal, but I know that there is much room for
improvement. While I was able to attend a few of the students games, as well as
watching the prom grand march at the town nursing home and making an effort to greet
them if I saw them outside of school, I wish I couldve done more. Because I was
working and trying to plan lessons, I often ran out of time to go to many of the students
events after school. I did, however, ask the students how a game, track meet, or concert
went the next day. Also, based on what the students would speak to me about in the
classroom, I was able to tailor the lessons to incorporate some of the students interests.
As I begin my actual teaching career in August, I hope to be more involved in the school
and community and then better know the students and members of the community.

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Bibliography
Slavin, Robert E. Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice. Boston: Pearson
Education Publishers, 2012. Print. December 7, 2015.

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