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Student Work Analysis

Jennifer Yu
Adelphi University
Masters Seminar: Inquiry in Teaching and Learning
0807-788-002
November 2, 2016

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When teaching, we must always remember to be prepared with materials and lesson
plans. By ensuring that we have all of the necessary materials present, we will be readily
prepared to teach the lesson to the class. I chose to teach my second literacy lesson to my class
of fourth grade students. I am currently placed in an inclusive classroom, and have a wide range
of students who vary in strengths and weaknesses. Since my mentor teacher had been teaching
the concept of theme to the students, I thought this lesson would be most appropriate.
This lesson was the second literacy lesson that I had created in my masters seminar
course. I decided to begin the lesson by asking students what the term theme meant. The
students raised their hands to answer the question, prompting me to ask, What are common
themes found in literature? Students were able to raise their hands and respond, Courage,
Jealousy, Family and Good vs. Evil. I had then decided to reference a book that their teacher
had read them The Rough Faced Girl on two days prior to my lesson. I then asked a student to
give a brief summary of the lesson and to explain which theme would best fit the work of
literature. When they responded Good vs. Evil, I asked how they knew and they were able to
provide examples. They were also able to differentiate who was good and who was evil using
supporting details from the book. Two days prior to the lesson, I had created my own poster that
gave the definition of the term theme and several examples of themes found in literature. I left
this on the board after I had referenced The Rough Faced Girl because I did not want to put the
answers directly in their faces. I had then reviewed the poster I made with the class. I then
decided to ask the students what the term main idea means. They were able to raise their
hands and tell me that main idea is what the story is about. I then told the students that they
would be breaking up into premade groups that I had decided, and create a poster. Each group
would be given a different poem, and at first, they would read the poem individually, think about

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the main idea of the poem and then underline stanzas from the poem that supports their main
idea. They would then collaborate with their group members to determine what the main idea of
the poem is and three supporting details. The poems were written by famous authors, which
included Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes and Robert Frost; however, I
decided to get rid of the title and author of the poems. The students were told to develop an
appropriate title for their poems and write it on their posters. On the SMARTboard, I wrote that
their posters needed a title, a main idea and three supporting details from the poem. Two days
before I had taught the lesson, I was also given a list that showed the reading levels of the
students in the class. I had decided to predetermine the groups because I wanted the students to
have lower leveled readers mixed with advanced readers. I had made a list to determine what
groups the students would be in. I had made cards which had a number, 1-5, written on it. I had
noted where each child sat and arranged the numbers so that they would be in the groups that I
created. The students thought it was at random, but were interested in seeing who was going to
be in their groups. There were five groups and each group consisted of four students each. I told
the students to grab a pencil and highlighter, get up and move to their assigned group stations. I
then passed out the poems, markers and a poster board to each student. The students did as told,
they read the poems and highlighted or underlined the supporting details in the stanzas. They
then began collaborating with their peers about what title they should give to the poem, the main
idea and three supporting details from the poem. The students worked for about 15-20 minutes
because I wanted to give them enough time to complete the assignment. When the time was
called, I modeled to each student how I wanted them to present their posters. They would come
up with their group, state their names, read the poem all together and then explain their poster.
Using the overhead projector, I was able to project the groups poem on the board so that the rest

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of the students were able to follow along. Each group went up and presented their posters to one
another and it was a very successful lesson. I then had the students return the materials to the
middle table in the classroom and return to their seats. I handed each student an exit ticket and
they would have to fill out the questionnaire individually. On the exit ticket, I had asked what
theme was and to list three examples of theme. I then had them rate how well they understood
the lesson. After each student completed the exit ticket, they then transitioned to the next lesson
that the teacher would teach.
The three students I chose to focus on were Students 2, 11 and 13. Student 2 is a below
average performing student who is currently reading on an early second grade level. He often
needs one on one instruction but was very successful during this lesson. Placing him with a
group of students that consisted of lower leveled and higher leveled students benefitted him. He
was very successful and engaging during the lesson. While the groups were working on their
posters, I was able to circulate and speak to each of them. When I approached his group, he was
very excited to tell me what information his group was going to present. When I asked them
what their poem was about, he said that he was a little confused at first, but after communicating
with his group, they were able to help one another to understand it. He was able to comprehend
the poem and it made him more excited because it was something he knew. The group and him
presented the information from their project very well. They used specific stanzas from the
poem that supported the main idea of their project. On the exit ticket, student 2 was able to
successfully define the term theme in a complete sentence. For the second question of the exit
ticket, he was able to remember two out of three examples of common themes found in literature.
In the beginning of the lesson, I had the students read the definition of theme and presented
different types of themes found in literature. He did struggle to think of two themes, which

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surprised me. However, for the last portion of the exit ticket, he checked off that he did not grasp
the concept at all which confused me. I was unable to speak to the student afterwards because
they were transitioning to a new period. I was confused because he was able to determine the
theme and provide two out of three examples of theme. The group presentation showed me that
the student can work very well in group assignments. When working independently, he struggles
to finish work or read a passage. I believe that working one-on-one with this student will benefit
him. If the information is presented again and in simpler terms, it might help him grasp the
concept of the lesson. This student often works in small groups or individually so that teachers
are able to aid him. I wonder however if he confused the colors with the meanings. I had the
color red represent that they did not understand the concept at all, yellow to represent that they
understood the concept slightly, and green to represent that they understood the concept
completely. He checked off that he did not understand the concept at all, but he was able to
define theme and provide examples.
Student 11 was another one of the students I chose to focus on. Student 11 is a higher
leveled student in the class. She is currently reading on a fourth grade level and performs well
academically. She writes in completes sentences and is able to provide details to her writing.
During the assignment, she did encounter several difficulties pertaining to her group. Just like
each group, the students were arranged between below average, average, and above average
students. By breaking the students up based on reading levels, they would be able to aid one
another to successfully complete the group assignment. I did not realize that all of the students
in this group have dominant personalities. This caused some tension amongst the group
members. They all struggled with coming to a group consensus about what the title, main idea
and three supporting details should be displayed on the poster. Eventually, they were able to

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determine what an appropriate title and main idea to write, along with the supporting details. If I
had placed her in a different group, she might have had a better experience, but unfortunately
struggled in her placement. When she received her exit ticket, she was able to complete it
quickly. She was able to define what the term theme means and was also able to provide three
examples of common themes found in literature. She received a high grade on her exit ticket and
it showed that she was a good performing student. When she encountered the last section of the
exit ticket, which was where she had to check off how well she understood the lesson, she
checked off green, showing that she completely understood the concept. Student 11 was able to
present a great project with the remainder of her peers, and was able to answer the questions that
were asked to them. If I were to provide feedback to her, it would be to try and get along with
her peers for the group. I understand that they all have dominant personalities, and if I knew
that, I would have placed her in another group. However, people are going to have to work with
others that they may or may not like, and she will have to learn to settle her differences with
others.
The last student I chose to focus on was student 13. Student 13 is a struggling student
who has an Individualized Educational Plan. He currently reads on a second grade level and is a
below average student. He is often unable to pay attention to teachers and assignments, and is
constantly walking around the classroom because he is unable to sit still. He is easily distracted
and gets out of control quickly. He gets pulled out of class everyday for services, but has
progressed throughout the years. However, when this student was working with his group, he
was very attentive and engaged. His peers helped him comprehend the poem, and he was very
excited to write the information on the poster board. I was surprised that he worked well with
his group because he is often very direct, and it causes tension between him and the students.

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When his group came up to present, he was very distracted by the other students, the materials
that were on the table, and with the projector or SMARTboard. I had displayed the poems up on
the projector for the students to follow along to, but he inappropriately began making shadow
animal gestures on the screen. He was told to stop, and he did, but then continued to do so.
While the group continued to present, I pulled him aside quietly to address the issue and he was
able to stop being disruptive. He presented the information on the project and did so very well.
After all of the groups presented their projects, each student filled out the exit ticket. When I
collected his exit ticket, I was able to see that he was unable to recall what a theme was, and
what three examples of common themes were. He defined theme as the kind of story. When
he was asked to list three examples of themes, he was able to provide one example, which was
good vs. evil, but then wrote facts as another. He did not fill out the bottom section of the exit
ticket, so I was unable to see how he personally felt about the lesson. If I were to provide
constructive feedback for this student, I would work one-on-one with him because he was easily
distracted. During the group presentation, he was able to work attentively. However, I think that
he would benefit from one-on-one instruction when defining the terms that were explained in the
beginning of the lesson.

By providing one-on-one instruction, I would be able to explain the

information in simpler terms that would benefit him. By having him concentrate on what is
being taught during individual instruction, he would be able to recall what a theme is and what
common themes there are in literature.
Out of all of the students in the class, student 13 performed the lowest on the exit ticket.
The lesson went well and it was very planned out, but the distractions in the class I think were
too much for them to handle. The higher leveled students received threes and fours on their
exit tickets, and unfortunately, the lower leveled students received ones or twos. By working in

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small groups or individually with the students who did not do so well, I think I would be able to
aid them by reteaching the lesson in a way that would benefit them. With the feedback for the
students, they would be able to reevaluate how they performed during the lesson, and determine
what actions they should take to progress.
Criteria
Vocabulary
(Definition or use in
sentence)

Explain how to use

literacy strategy

Demonstrates use of
literacy strategy in
speaking or writing

1 Does Not Meet

2 Approaches

3 Meets

4 Exceeds

Students are unable

to define the term
theme or have
never heard of the
word.
5% of class
Student cannot
explain how to
identify theme in a
work of literature.

Student is aware of
Student can define
the word but not able theme correctly in
to provide a concrete a sentence.
definition.

Student can defin

theme in a deta
sentence.

15% of class
Student has an idea
of how to identify
theme in a work of
literature.

55% of class
Student can explain
how to identify a
theme in a work of
literature.

25% of class
Student can expla
how to identify a
theme and provid
examples.

5% of class
Student cannot
identify any common
themes found in
literature.

15% of class
Student can identify
1-2 common themes
found in literature.

55% of class
Student can identify
3 common themes
found in literature.

25% of class
Student can ident
more than 3 them
found in literatur

10% of class

25% of class

50% of class

15% of class