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Evidence of Student Learning Signature Assessment:

Women’s History Month in CLS Classroom

Taylor Dorr

Towson University

SPED 498
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Part A: Learning Context, Topic, and Objectives

This unit was taught to a self-contained CLS (Communication and Learning Support)

class at New Town High School. New Town High School is public high school located in

Owings Mills, Maryland. According to the Maryland State 2017 Report Card, New Town has

1,036 students enrolled. Of the 1,036 students, 91% are African American/Black, 3.3% are

White, 2.7% are two or more races, 1.4% are Hispanic/Latino, 0.1% are Asian, and 1.5% are

other (less than 10 students for each race included). Of the total enrollment 53% are males, and

47% are females. In the school, 33.3% of students receive free or reduced meals, 25.1% of

students receive a 504 plan, and 28.3% of students receive special education services at the

school. When looking at just the students who receive special education services, 44.7% receive

free or reduced lunch and 5.1% have a 504 plan.

The self-contained CLS classroom is one of three at New Town. This type of classroom

is purposed with providing students with opportunities to work on life-skills, vocational skills,

various educational subjects including reading, science, and social studies, as well as

community-based instruction. There is a total of eight students in the class (all of whom are

certificate bound), two girls and six boys. The students in the class have a variety of disabilities

including Autism and Down Syndrome. There is one Adult Assistant, one Paraeducator, a

Special Educator, and a student teacher in the classroom. All of the students have goals on their

IEP (Individualized Education Plan) pertaining to reading, mathematics, community, and

transition. There are both Caucasian and African American students in this class. However, there

is little to no cultural differences between the students. All of the students reside in Baltimore

County and have attended Baltimore County Public Schools. There is variation in the linguistics

of the classroom. All of the students speak English, but at various levels of fluency. The oral
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development of the students in the class ranges from students who can say a limited amount of

words when prompted to students who can formulate limited sentences on their own. The written

language development of the students ranges from students who require hand-over-hand

assistance to students who can write limited sentences.

When planning this unit, all of the students’ reading goals and needs were considered.

The purpose of this unit was to have the students build on foundational reading skills as well as

to be able to identify main ideas and details of a text. This unit took place during the recreation

and leisure module for the students. The lessons were taught in 30-minute intervals, for seven

days. The unit was on Women’s History Month. The unit focused on seven lessons which

included introducing Women’s History Month, four famous women, and a summary of Women’s

History Month. This unit’s objectives focus on the students’ knowledge of identifying main ideas

and key words in the readings. The unit lessons are aligned with the Common Core Anchor

Standard CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and

analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. The essential skills

and knowledge the students should be able to do includes “objectively summarize a text by

including the appropriate key ideas, issues, and specific details”. Each lesson of the unit allows

the students to practice the essential skills and knowledge aligned with the anchor standard

mentioned above. During this unit, the students will read modified texts from the Unique

Learning System and Vizzle Next Generation websites. Both websites provide readings in

various levels to best accommodate the needs of groups of students. The students were tested

daily by completing comprehension questions in which they identified main ideas and key

details. The summative assessment also required the students to identify main ideas and key

details from the whole unit.

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Objectives

All of the objectives align with Common Core Anchor Standard CCSS.ELA-

Literacy.CCRA.R.2. The objectives require the students to practice the essential skills of

identifying main ideas and key details from the text.

Day One Objective: Students will be able to identify key details from the “Women’s History

Month” text and video.

1. Students will respond to an answer by choosing from a field choice of 2-3 answer choices

with and without pictorial representation.

2. Students will retell key details about the text through verbal output or nonverbal output

including pointing/underling the text.

Day Two Objective: Students will be able to identify key details from the “Harriet Tubman”

text and video.

1. Students will respond to an answer by choosing from a field choice of 2-3 answer choices

with and without pictorial representation.

2. Students will retell key details about the text through verbal output or nonverbal output

including pointing/underling the text.

Day Three Objective: Students will be able to identify key details from the “Amelia Earhart”

text and video.

1. Students will respond to an answer by choosing from a field choice of 2-3 answer choices

with and without pictorial representation.

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2. Students will retell key details about the text through verbal output or nonverbal output

including pointing/underling the text.

Day Four Objective: Students will be able to identify key details from the “Michelle Obama”

text and video.

1. Students will respond to an answer by choosing from a field choice of 2-3 answer choices

with and without pictorial representation.

2. Students will retell key details about the text through verbal output or nonverbal output

including pointing/underling the text.

Day Five Objective: Students will be able to identify key details from the “Rosa Parks” text and

video.

1. Students will respond to an answer by choosing from a field choice of 2-3 answer choices

with and without pictorial representation.

2. Students will retell key details about the text through verbal output or nonverbal output

including pointing/underling the text.

Day Six Objective: Students will be able to identify key details from the “Women in America”

text.

1. Students will respond to an answer by choosing from a field choice of 2-3 answer choices

with and without pictorial representation.

2. Students will retell key details about the text through verbal output or nonverbal output

including pointing/underling the text.

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Day Seven Objective: Students will be able to create a collage summarizing Women’s History

Month.

1. Students will choose and cut pictures and words that represent Women’s History Month.

2. Students will identify key details about Women’s History Month by choosing from a

field of answer choices with and without pictorial representation.

Part B: Assessment Plan

Pre-assessment:

Day 1: I will have the students identify key details about Women’s History Month and specific

famous women. Five of the students will choose from a field of three answer choices with

pictorial representation. Two of the students will choose from a field choice of three answers

with no pictorial representation. One student will choose an answer with no prompts (written

expression of answers). All of the students will complete a total of five questions. All of the

questions included are “WH” questions which includes who, what, when, and where. This data

will be used to compare the students from day one of the unit to day seven of the unit.

For day 1, the pre-assessment will be scored for each student out of 5. I will analyze all of

the tests to see if any common patterns occur that may have affected the scores (example: one

question that all students missed or if a student picked all answers on a certain side of the page).

Day 2: I will have the students identify key details from the previous day before we read our new

story. The students will respond verbally to questions like “What did we learn about yesterday?”

or “When is Women’s History Month?”.

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Day 3: I will have the students identify key details from the previous day before we read our new

story. The students will respond verbally to questions like “Who is Harriet Tubman?” or “What

did she do?”.

Day 4: I will have the students identify key details from the previous day before we read our new

story. The students will respond verbally to questions like “Who is Amelia Earhart?” or ‘Where

was she born?”.

Day 5: I will have the students identify key details from the previous day before we read our new

story. The students will respond verbally to questions like “Who is Michelle Obama?” or “What

did she do?”.

Day 6: I will have the students identify key details from the previous day before we read our new

story. The students will respond verbally to questions like “Who is Rosa Parks?” or “Where was

she born?”.

Day 7: I will have the students identify key details from the previous day before we create our

summary collage. The students will respond verbally to questions like “What are difference

between women today and women in the early 1920’s?” or “Who is a famous woman we

discussed?”.

Formative Assessment:

Day 1: Students’ comprehension of the text was assessed by answering oral comprehension

questions throughout the reading of the text. Students’ comprehension of the text was assessed

by answering visual comprehension questions throughout the reading of the text. The visual and

interactive comprehension questions included in the reading had a field choice of 2-3 answer

choices with and without pictorial representation.

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Day 2: Students’ comprehension of the text was assessed by answering oral comprehension

questions throughout the reading of the text. Students’ comprehension of the text was assessed

by answering visual comprehension questions throughout the reading of the text. The visual and

interactive comprehension questions included in the reading had a field choice of 2-3 answer

choices with and without pictorial representation. Students’ comprehension of the text was

assessed by answering three paper copy questions which each included a field choice of three

answers with pictorial representations.

After the lesson is complete, I will review the answers given by each student for the three

questions. Each student’s answers are easily accessible in a packet I created for the unit. I will

keep separate documentation of the raw score out of three and any patterns in student answers.

Day 3: Students’ comprehension of the text was assessed by answering oral comprehension

questions throughout the reading of the text. Students’ comprehension of the text was assessed

by answering visual comprehension questions throughout the reading of the text. The visual and

interactive comprehension questions included in the reading had a field choice of 2-3 answer

choices with and without pictorial representation. Students’ comprehension of the text was

assessed by answering three paper copy questions which each included a field choice of three

answers with pictorial representations.

After the lesson is complete, I will review the answers given by each student for the three

questions. Each student’s answers are easily accessible in a packet I created for the unit. I will

keep separate documentation of the raw score out of three and any patterns in student answers.

Day 4: Students’ comprehension of the text was assessed by answering oral comprehension

questions throughout the reading of the text. Students’ comprehension of the text was assessed
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by answering visual comprehension questions throughout the reading of the text. The visual and

interactive comprehension questions included in the reading had a field choice of 2-3 answer

choices with and without pictorial representation. Students’ comprehension of the text was

assessed by answering three paper copy questions which each included a field choice of three

answers with pictorial representations.

After the lesson is complete, I will review the answers given by each student for the three

questions. Each student’s answers are easily accessible in a packet I created for the unit. I will

keep separate documentation of the raw score out of three and any patterns in student answers.

Day 5: Students’ comprehension of the text was assessed by answering oral comprehension

questions throughout the reading of the text. Students’ comprehension of the text was assessed

by answering visual comprehension questions throughout the reading of the text. The visual and

interactive comprehension questions included in the reading had a field choice of 2-3 answer

choices with and without pictorial representation. Students’ comprehension of the text was

assessed by answering three paper copy questions which each included a field choice of three

answers with pictorial representations.

After the lesson is complete, I will review the answers given by each student for the three

questions. Each student’s answers are easily accessible in a packet I created for the unit. I will

keep separate documentation of the raw score out of three and any patterns in student answers.

Day 6: Students’ comprehension of the text was assessed by answering oral comprehension

questions throughout the reading of the text. Students’ comprehension of the text was assessed

by answering visual comprehension questions throughout the reading of the text. The visual and
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interactive comprehension questions included in the reading had a field choice of 2-3 answer

choices with and without pictorial representation.

After the lesson is complete, I will review the answers given by each student for the three

questions. Each student’s answers are easily accessible in a packet I created for the unit. I will

keep separate documentation of the raw score out of three and any patterns in student answers.

Day 7: Students will create a collage of pictures and words representing Women’s History

Month. Students will identify key details about Women’s History Month and famous women.

(For days 2-5, the packet of comprehension questions is uniform for all students. All of the

packets include three “WH” questions that have pictorial representations and a field of three

answer choices).

Summative Assessment: (Occurs on day 7) I will have the students identify key details about

Women’s History Month and famous women the students have learned about. Five of the

students will choose from a field of three answer choices with pictorial representation. Two of

the students will choose from a field of three answer choices with no pictorial representation.

One student will choose an answer with no prompts (written expression of answers). All of the

students will complete a total of five questions. This assessment aligns with Anchor Standard

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2. The students determine the central ideas and key details

through identification of correct answers on their comprehension questions.

For day 7, the post-assessment(Summative) will be scored for each student out of 5. I will

analyze all of the tests to see if any common patterns (example: one question that all students

missed or if a student picked all answers on a certain side of the page). After reviewing all of the

tests I will have data to support if my students met the objectives of the unit.
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Part C: Instruction

For every lesson, the objective was written on the board in student friendly terms. Each

lesson began with having a student read the objective aloud to the class. At the end of each

lesson I had a student reread the objective and then I asked the class if we had met our objective.

For every lesson, students were also provided with clear feedback. For every incorrect answer,

the students were instructed to try again or received prompting of answer choices. Every student

received praise for their efforts and participation within the class.

*My Evidence of Student Learning focuses on the first three lessons of my unit.

Day 1: After a student read the objective, I started the lesson by asking if any student knew the

importance of the month of March. Next, I asked the students to complete a pre-assessment of

five questions. For five of the students, the five questions are in multiple choice format with a

field choice of three, both the questions and answers have pictorial representations. For two

students, the five questions are in multiple choice format with a field choice of three without

pictorial representations. For the last student, the five questions require a written response with

no word bank nor pictorial representations. After completing our pre-assessment, I introduced

our text, “Women’s History Month”, to the students. We began by reviewing the title page/cover.

Here the students verbally/physically pointed out things they saw in the cover photo such as a

woman, a sign saying, “Women’s Suffrage”, and words like “March”. After the review of the

title page/cover I chose a student to read page one of the text. After that page was read I asked a

different student a comprehension question regarding that page. I rotated through the students as

we read and answered comprehension questions. For certain pages, interactive visual

questions were included. The visual and interactive comprehension questions included had a

field choice of 2-3 answer choices with and without pictorial representation. I randomly chose
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students to answer these questions. Then after completing the reading, the students watched a

Sesame Studios video about Women's History Month. Finally, I had students of my choice

answer questions verbally, the questions included "When is Women's History Month?", "Who

does Women's History Month celebrate?", and "Who is an important woman in your life?". At

the very end of the lesson I had one student reread the objective and then as a class we decided if

we have met our objective. (Lesson Plan attached on pages 16-18)

Day 2: After reading the objective, I started the lesson by asking the students what we learned

about in the previous lesson. The students were able to successfully identify the answers to

questions I provided. For example, I asked “When is Women’s History Month?”, “Who does

Women’s History Month celebrate?”, and “Who is a famous woman?”. After completing our

review activity, I introduced our text, “Harriet Tubman”, to the students. After reviewing the title

page/cover, I chose a student to read page one of the text. After that page I asked a different

student a comprehension question regarding that page. I then rotated through the students as we

read and answered comprehension questions. For certain pages, interactive visual questions were

included. The visual and interactive comprehension questions included had a field choice of 2-3

answer choices with and without pictorial representation. I randomly chose students to answer

these questions. After completing the reading, the students watched a BrainPopJr video on

Harriet Tubman. Then the students were given a comprehension check worksheet. The

comprehension check worksheet included three multiple choice questions. For all of the students

the three questions have a field choice of three answers and pictorial representations. This set of

questions is page two of their comprehension packet. The students completed the comprehension

check individually. After all students had completed the comprehension check independently, as

a class we reviewed the answers. I circulated the room as I read the questions and answer choices
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aloud to the class. I picked random students to provide me with their answers verbally/by

pointing. Also, for each question I made sure I asked more than one student for their answer to

keep the students engaged. (Lesson Plan included on pages 19-21)

Day 3: After a student read the objective, I started the lesson by asking the students who we

learned about in the previous lesson. Then I had the students verbally identify what that person

did. After having the students share their answers, I reinforced this information by repeating who

we learned about and what they did to ensure all students understood the importance of Harriet

Tubman. After completing our review activity, I introduced our text, “Amelia Earhart”, to the

students. After reviewing the title page/cover, I chose a student to read page one of the text. After

that page I asked a different student a comprehension question regarding that page. I then rotated

through the students as we read and answered comprehension questions. For certain pages,

interactive visual questions were included. The visual and interactive comprehension questions

included had a field choice of 2-3 answer choices with and without pictorial representation. I

randomly chose students to answer these questions. After completing the reading, the students

watched a BrainPopJr video on Amelia Earhart. Next the students were given a comprehension

check worksheet. The comprehension check worksheet includes three multiple choice questions.

For all of the students the three questions have a field choice of three answers and pictorial

representations. This set of questions is page three of their comprehension packet. The students

completed the comprehension check individually. After all students had completed the

comprehension check independently, as a class we reviewed the answers. I circulated the room

as I read the questions and answer choices aloud to the class. I picked random students to provide

me with their answers verbally/by pointing. I also for each question made sure I asked more than

one student for their answer to keep the students engaged. (Lesson Plan included on pages 22-24)
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The following days' lessons are similar in structure.

Day 4: After a student read the objective, I started the lesson by asking the students who we

learned about in the previous lesson. Then I had the students verbally identify what that person

did. Next the students read the Unique Learning text “Michelle Obama”. While the students read,

I had students identify key details throughout the text through verbal and nonverbal

communication. After completion of the reading the students watched a Sesame Street video

about Michelle Obama. Finally, we ended the lesson by having the students complete three

comprehension questions that each had a field choice of three answers with pictorial

representations. Once completed the comprehension check was reviewed.

Day 5: After a student read the objective, I started the lesson by asking the students who we

learned about in the previous lesson. Then I had the students verbally identify what that person

did. Next the students read the Vizzle text “Rosa Parks”. While the students read, I had students

identify key details throughout the text through verbal and nonverbal communication. For certain

pages, interactive visual questions were included. The visual and interactive comprehension

questions included had a field choice of 2-3 answer choices with and without pictorial

representation. I randomly chose students to answer these questions. After completion of the

reading the students watched a BrainPopJr video about Rosa Parks. Finally, we ended the lesson

by having the students complete three comprehension questions that each had a field choice of

three answers with pictorial representations. Once completed the comprehension check was

reviewed.

Day 6: After a student read the objective, I started the lesson by asking the students who we

learned about in the previous lesson. Then I had the students verbally identify what that person

did. Next the students read the Vizzle text “Women in America”. While the students read, I had
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students identify key details throughout the text through verbal and nonverbal communication.

For certain pages, interactive visual questions were included. The visual and interactive

comprehension questions included had a field choice of 2-3 answer choices with and without

pictorial representation. I randomly chose students to answer these questions. After completion

of the reading, the students colored a “Rosie the Riveter” coloring page.

Day 7: After a student read the objective, I started the lesson by reviewing all of the women we

had learned about during our unit by using our packet of comprehension questions. Then I had

the students complete their post-assessment comprehension questions. Next, I had the students

find words and pictures that represent Women’s History Month. Each student then had the

opportunity to paste their pictures/word on our class collage. Once completed the collage was

displayed in the classroom.

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Day One Lesson: Women’s History Month

About This Lesson

DESCRIPTION
This class consists of eight students. This is a self-contained CLS class including
students with Autism and Down Syndrome. The reading levels of the students range from pre-k
to third grade. There is one para-educator in the classroom. The students participate using
verbal and nonverbal responses.

PREREQUISITES
Students will need to have some type of background information about Women's History
Month.
ESTIMATED TIME
30 minutes
Potential Use

PURPOSE:
Classroom Instruction, Small Group
GRADES:
9 - Higher Ed
CONTENT AREAS:
English/Language Arts, Social Studies
COMMON CORE:
 College and Career Readiness: Anchor Standards
 Reading
 Key Ideas and Details
 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and
analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
Goals

INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS
Students will be able to identify key details from a text.

OBJECTIVES
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 Students will be able to identify key details from the "Women's History Month" text.

VARIABILITY

I am in a CLS classroom and all of the students in my class are able to verbally
communicate. However, the students still need guidance to read fluently out loud to the
class. For these students I will isolate the word to be read while pronouncing the word out loud
for clarification.

The story that we are reading also has pictures paired with each page to increase
comprehension. For certain pages I will have the students identify what they see in connection
with what we read. For my students this will involve both verbal communication and nonverbal
communication such as coming up to the board to point at specific words for their answers.

Throughout the lesson, I will have the staff help students to concentrate on all assigned
tasks and to help with further instruction of students at their desks.
Assessments

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
Students will answer verbally or physically by coming to the board to underline/circle the
words and phrases within the text to answer ongoing comprehension questions.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS

Students will answer verbally to questions about Women's History Month.

Instructional Methods

OPENING

First, I will ask for a student volunteer to read our objective for the day. I will ask another
student to identify what we will be learning about during our lesson.
Next, I will the students complete a pre-assessment of five questions.

DURING

Guided Practice
After completing our pre-assessment, I will introduce our text to the students. After
reviewing the title page/cover, I will choose a student to read page one of the text. After each
page I will ask a different student a comprehension question regarding that page. I will rotate
through the students as we read and answer comprehension questions.
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After completing the reading, the students will watch a Sesame Studios video about
Women's History Month.

CLOSING
Closing
I will have random students answer questions verbally, the questions include "When is
Women's History Month?", "Who does Women's History Month celebrate?", and "Who is an
important woman in your life?".
Materials

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

Vizzle "Women's History Month" text (electronic).

Sesame Studies "Marvie Talks about Women's History Month" video.

Reflection and Analysis

For day one’s lesson, I found that my students were not all actively engaged. For this

lesson, I did not have the students complete a formative assessment in the means of answering

comprehension questions on paper. This would be a great way to track student progress as well

as to engage my students who do not actively volunteer answers/ who have a lower oral

development. In my students’ other classes, they tend to complete readings followed by

comprehension checks, this would have been a good opportunity since they have set routines.

Though my more verbal students were able to demonstrate their understanding of the content, I

felt that all of the students could have been more engaged. I played a video in order to have

multiple means of representation of content, however some of the students disengaged from the

video. Having a follow-up activity would have helped the students to comprehend the video

content as well as the reading.

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Day Two Lesson: Harriet Tubman

About This Lesson

DESCRIPTION
This class consists of eight students. This is a self-contained CLS class including
students with Autism and Down Syndrome. The reading levels of the students range from pre-k
to third grade. There is one para-educator in the classroom. The students participate using
verbal and nonverbal responses.

PREREQUISITES
Students will need to have some type of background information about Women's History
Month.
ESTIMATED TIME
30 minutes
Potential Use

PURPOSE:
Classroom Instruction, Small Group
GRADES:
9 - Higher Ed
CONTENT AREAS:
English/Language Arts, Social Studies
COMMON CORE:
 College and Career Readiness: Anchor Standards
 Reading
 Key Ideas and Details
 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and
analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
Goals

INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS
Students will be able to identify key details from a text.
 20

OBJECTIVES

 Students will be able to identify key details from the "Harriet Tubman" text.

VARIABILITY
I am in a CLS classroom and all of the students in my class are able to verbally
communicate. However, the students still need guidance to read fluently out loud to the
class. For these students I will isolate the word to be read while pronouncing the word out loud
for clarification.

The story that we are reading also has pictures paired with each page to increase
comprehension. For certain pages I will have the students identify what they see in connection
with what we read. For my students this will involve both verbal communication and nonverbal
communication such as coming up to the board to point at specific words for their answers.

Throughout the lesson, I will have the staff help students to concentrate on all assigned
tasks and to help with further instruction of students at their desks.
Assessments

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
Students will answer verbally or physically by coming to the board to underline/circle the
words and phrases within the text to answer ongoing comprehension questions.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
Students will complete a comprehension check that includes three multiple choice
questions. Each student will complete their questions independently.
Instructional Methods

OPENING
Introduction
First, I will ask for a student volunteer to read our objective for the day. I will ask another
student to identify what we will be learning about during our lesson.

Review
I will then ask a student to remind the class what we learned about in the previous
Women's History lesson. I will then ask other students what they know about the previously
learned topic.

DURING
Guided Practice
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After completing our review activity, I will introduce our text to the students. After
reviewing the title page/cover, I will choose a student to read page one of the text. After each
page I will ask a different student a comprehension question regarding that page. I will rotate
through the students as we read and answer comprehension questions.

After completing the reading, the students will watch a BrainPopJr video on Harriet
Tubman.

CLOSING
Closing
The students will be given a comprehension check worksheet. The comprehension
check worksheet includes three multiple choice questions. The students will complete the
comprehension check individually. After all students have completed the comprehension check
independently then as a class we will review the answers.
Materials

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

Women's History Month Comprehension Packet.

BrainPopJr "Harriet Tubman" video.

Vizzle "Harriet Tubman" text (electronic).

Reflection and Analysis

For day two’s lesson, I felt that my students did not fully grasp the main ideas and details

of the text based on their comprehension check. During this class there were uncontrollable

distractions that did not create the easiest learning environment. For the beginning of class, my

more verbal students were able to explain what we had learned the day prior. During my lesson, I

was able to have all of the students participate in our class reading. However, during the

comprehension check the students did not transfer what they read to the questions. For my lower

level students, many choose to simply pick the last answer choice read to them. It is difficult

with my lower functioning students to tell if they have grasped the content simply since they

struggle to communicate their knowledge intake. I could have possibly combatted this by, having
 22

the students break into small groups with the same reading. This would have allowed them to

practice reading more and hopefully increase their comprehension of the reading.

Day Three Lesson: Amelia Earhart

About This Lesson

DESCRIPTION
This class consists of eight students. This is a self-contained CLS class including
students with Autism and Down Syndrome. The reading levels of the students range from pre-k
to third grade. There is one para-educator in the classroom. The students participate using
verbal and nonverbal responses.

PREREQUISITES
Students will need to have some type of background information about Women's History
Month.

ESTIMATED TIME
30 minutes
Potential Use

PURPOSE:
Classroom Instruction, Small Group
GRADES:
9 - Higher Ed
CONTENT AREAS:
English/Language Arts, Social Studies
COMMON CORE:
 College and Career Readiness: Anchor Standards
 Reading
 Key Ideas and Details
 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and
analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
Goals
 23

INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS
Students will be able to identify key details from a text.

OBJECTIVES

 Students will be able to identify key details from the "Amelia Earhart" text.

VARIABILITY
I am in a CLS classroom and all of the students in my class are able to verbally
communicate. However, the students still need guidance to read fluently out loud to the
class. For these students I will isolate the word to be read while pronouncing the word out loud
for clarification.

The story that we are reading also has pictures paired with each page to increase
comprehension. For certain pages I will have the students identify what they see in connection
with what we read. For my students this will involve both verbal communication and nonverbal
communication such as coming up to the board to point at specific words for their answers.

Throughout the lesson, I will have the staff help students to concentrate on all assigned
tasks and to help with further instruction of students at their desks.
Assessments

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
Students will answer verbally or physically by coming to the board to underline/circle the
words and phrases within the text to answer ongoing comprehension questions.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
Students will complete a comprehension check that includes three multiple choice
questions. Each student will complete their questions independently.
Instructional Methods

OPENING
Introduction
First, I will ask for a student volunteer to read our objective for the day. I will ask another
student to identify what we will be learning about during our lesson.

Review
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I will then ask a student to remind the class what we learned about in the previous
Women's History lesson. I will then ask other students what they know about the previously
learned topic.

DURING
Guided Practice
After completing our review activity, I will introduce our text to the students. After
reviewing the title page/cover, I will choose a student to read page one of the text. After each
page I will ask a different student a comprehension question regarding that page. I will rotate
through the students as we read and answer comprehension questions.

After completing the reading, the students will watch a BrainPopJr video on Amelia
Earhart.

CLOSING
Closing
The students will be given a comprehension check worksheet. The comprehension
check worksheet includes three multiple choice questions. The students will complete the
comprehension check individually. After all students have completed the comprehension check
independently then as a class we will review the answers.
Materials

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

Women's History Month Comprehension Packet.

BrainPopJr "Amelia Earhart" video.

Vizzle "Amelia Earhart" text (electronic).

Reflection and Analysis

For day three’s lesson, I found that my students did not fully grasp the main ideas and

details of the text based upon the comprehension check. Once again, my lower level students

seemed to choose the last answer read to them. I think it would be helpful for my lower level

students to be able to circle answers to their comprehension questions in a hard copy of the text

as well as their comprehension packet. This would have allowed me to see if they are able to
 25

identify information with a text instead of simply picking an answer out of three choices. It may

also be helpful to break them into small groups to give the students a more individualized

reading of the text which could lead to greater comprehension.

Part D: Analysis and Instructional Decision Making

Assessment Data

Pre and Post-Assessment Data:

Student Pre-Assessment Score Post-Assessment Score

Student A 4 out of 5 2 out of 5 (picked all answers

on right side of sheet)

Student B 2 out of 5 (picked all answers 5 out of 5

on right side of sheet)

Student C 0 out of 5 1 out of 5

Student D 2 out of 5 (picked all answers 3 out of 5

on right side of sheet)

Student E 1 out of 5 (picked last answer 4 out of 5

read to them on all but one

question)
 26

Student F 2 out of 5 5 out of 5

Student G 3 out of 5 5 out of 5

Student H 2 out of 5 4 out of 5

Average Score on Pre and Post Assessment

Average Score on Pre and Post Assessments

Post-
assessment
score

Pre-
assessment
score

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4

Number of Questions Answered Correctly out of 5

Formative Assessment Data:

Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Comprehension
Comprehension Comprehension Comprehension
Check
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Check Check Check

Student A 1 out of 3 (chose 1 out of 3 (chose 2 out of 3 1 out of 3

last answer last answer

choice read to choice read to

them) them)

Student B 2 out of 3 1 out of 3 1 out of 3 1 out of 3

Student C 1 out of 3 1 out of 3 (chose 1 out of 3 (chose 3 out of 3

last answer last answer

choice read to choice read to

them) them)

Student D 2 out of 3 3 out of 3 3 out of 3 3 out of 3

Student E 2 out of 3 1 out of 3 (chose 0 out of 3 (chose 2 out of 3

last answer last answer

choice read to choice read to

them) them)

Student F 1 out of 3 2 out of 3 2 out of 3 1 out of 3

Student G 2 out of 3 3 out of 3 3 out of 3 3 out of 3

Student H 3 out of 3 3 out of 3 3 out of 3 1 out of 3

Average Score of Formative Comprehension Checks

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Summative Data for Formative Assessment

1.9
1.88 1.88 1.88
Average Number of Questions Answered Correctley out

1.85

1.8
of 3

1.75
1.75

1.7

1.65
Day 2 Comprehension Day 3 Comprehension Day 4 Comprehension Day 5 Comprehension
Check Check Check Check
Each Day's Comprehension Check

After day 1, I felt that the students were engaged and excited to learn more about famous

women and Women’s History Month. For my pre-assessment, I found that 75% of my students

answered less than 3 questions correctly. I also found that two of my students chose the answer

choice closest to the right side of the packet. There was no single question that all of the students

answered incorrectly. After my day 2 lesson, I looked at my students answer choices for the three

questions on Harriet Tubman. I found that the average score for the comprehension check was

1.75 out of 3. On this day one of my students only picked the answer choice that was last read to

them. On average, 63% of the class answered 2 or more questions correctly. I was pleased that

63% of the class was able to answer 2 or more question correctly especially since 63% of my

class need frequent prompting, pictorial representations of words, and text read aloud to them.

Overall, I felt that this lesson went well. After my day 3 lesson, I looked at my students answer

choices for the three questions on Amelia Earhart. I found that the average score for the
 29

comprehension check was 1.88 out of 3. On this day three of my students only picked the answer

choice that was read last to them. On average, 50% of the class answered 2 or more questions

correctly. Since half of the class was unable to get 2 or more questions correctly I knew I needed

to review the details/main idea about Amelia Earhart again.

Based on my students work during the unit and their scores from their summative

assessment, I can tell my students have mastered their goals and objectives during this unit. My

students’ achievement of their goals and objectives was determined daily when I would assess

them at the beginning and end of each lesson. Every day I would pre-assess my students to see if

they could identify key words/details that they learned in the previous lesson. I would do this by

having the students verbally express their answers. I would also determine if the students

achieved their goal by having the students complete comprehension checks with adult support if

needed. The questions included focused on main ideas and details from the text. Every day I

would review the questions and answers with the students before completing the lesson. I kept

the students’ comprehension questions in a packet. I would review the students’ answer choices

after each lesson. With evidence from their work, I was able to determine that my students have

achieved their goals and objectives.

There were some students throughout the unit who did not achieve mastery of their goals

and objectives. When this occurred, myself or other staff members working with that student

would re-visit the text and would re-read or point to the sentence containing the answer we were

looking for. Then, we would re-ask the question. If the students again did not achieve their goals

and objectives, then we would use the text, and circle the word we wanted them to identify. We

would also allow for other students who knew the answer to volunteer to help their peers. After

these steps, the students were able to achieve their goals and objectives. During review of
 30

comprehension checks, the students were aided in finding the correct answer if they provided an

incorrect answer when asked. Overall, I found that my students who have a lower academic

ability tended to struggle with picking the correct answers on their physical copy of

comprehension checks. This is consistent across their other academic areas. In most cases the

students can identify the correct answer with prompting/ adult assistance but there is a disconnect

when asked to formulate the answer on their own.

For some of my students, lack of mastery of goals and objectives was influenced by

uncontrollable factors rather than a lack of understanding material. On day three of my lesson,

one my students had been crying, throwing objects, and distracting other students. After my

lesson this same student had a seizure. Therefore, not only did that student miss most of the

instruction, but some of the other students also missed instruction due to the chaotic nature of the

classroom at the time. During another lesson, one of my students continuously called out during

our reading, this led to another student becoming agitated which led to increased verbal outbursts

from that student. For every lesson, there was some type of distraction ranging from small verbal

outbursts to physical disruption. However, given the type of classroom setting, overall, I felt that

the students were able to master goals and objectives to the best of their ability.

My summative assessment tested my student’s ability to identify main ideas and details

from the texts that were used in the unit. This assessment uses a variety of words from the texts

of the unit and other lessons completed throughout the year. I gave seven of the students a field

of three choices, and had they identify the answer to the comprehension question. Of the seven,

five of the students had pictorial representations with both the question and answer choices. The

remaining two were only given the words of the questions and answers. My last student who is at

a third-grade reading level, was given the questions without pictorial representation, they were
 31

required to write in their answers with no word-bank. Before I started the unit, the students were

able to identify an average of 1.75 out of 5 questions about the unit. The pre-assessment was

done without prompting. After completion of the unit, the students were able to identify an

average of 3.63 out of 5 questions about the unit. Overall my class’s growth percentage from the

pre to post-assessment was 32.5%. Even though the percentage is not a large number, for this

population of students it is a big change.

Part E: Reflection and Self-Evaluation

Based on the data collected the instruction proved to be effective; the students’ growth

from the beginning of the unit to the end of the unit was 32.5%. I believe my unit on Women’s

History Month went well. My students were able to successfully pick out main ideas and key

details from the readings by the end of the unit. I know my instruction was effective based on the

data I collected at the beginning of the unit, during the unit, and at the end of the unit. I was able

to use the data I collected daily to intervene when necessary. This data allowed me to see if the

students understood the material presented in the texts. When a student was not able to identify

the main idea or key details from the text, another staff member or I would re-read specific

sections of the text and then ask the students the same question. Isolating phrases or words

seemed to be helpful for this population of students. Some of my higher-level students did not

need to have isolation/rereading of the text but simple prompting. This included saying things

such as “look at the text again” or expanding upon an answer they may have already given.
 32

These strategies helped most of my students master their goals/objectives for the unit. This was

proven at the end of the unit when I gave the students the summative assessment. The average

number of correctly identified questions was out 3.625 of 5. My students’ achievement is also

measured by their effort and participation. For my five students of lower academic ability, most

paper copy comprehension checks do not reflect their knowledge, and this is consistent within

other subjects as well. Unfortunately, most of my students with lower academic ability like to

pick answers they hear last instead of evaluating all answer choices. However, this is hard to

combat because each of these students needs the answers read aloud to them. My colleagues and

I have tried to read the answer choices out of order with some success in getting students to

answer by analyzing all options instead of repeating actions of the teacher.

The instruction influenced student learning by addressing the cultural, linguistic, and

learning differences of the students because I differentiated and made accommodations as

necessary. For linguistic differences, I had the students respond in different ways. This included

having my students who speak more fluently respond to oral questions by using words to answer.

For my students who speak less fluently, I had them respond to oral questions by coming up to

the board to circle/underline/point to words representing their answer. For written/visual

questions, I had the students who need hand-over-hand assistance, circle their answer choices

(with pictorial representation). For my students who can write but need a word bank, I had them

circle answers without pictorial representation. Finally, for my student who can write in simple

sentences, I had them write out their answer to the question without a word bank. For cultural

differences, I included women of different races considering my class consists of African

American and Caucasian students. I wanted my students to be able to feel a connection to the

women I chose to share with them.

 33

For day one’s lesson, one implication I had was that my students were not all actively

engaged. For this lesson, I did not have the students complete a formative assessment in the

means of answering comprehension questions on paper. I think it would have been highly

effective for both comprehension and engagement if I had the students completed three questions

about Women’s History Month just as I had on the other days of the unit. This would have given

me tangible student work to evaluate instead of me remembering the verbal answers provided by

the students. I could have then used this data to see if any reteaching needed to occur before

beginning the lesson on Harriet Tubman. The written comprehension questions would have also

helped to engage my students who do not actively volunteer answers/ who have a lower oral

development. A second aspect of engagement I would have changed would be to have the

students complete the activity provided in the video we watched. The video we watched at the

end asked the viewer to describe and draw an important woman in their life. Instead of this I

choose certain students to share out to the class an important woman in their life. I think having

each student draw and describe to the best of their ability would have given the students a greater

connection with the lesson and unit overall.

For day two’s lesson, one implication I had was that my students did not fully grasp the

main ideas and details of the text based on their comprehension check. Since on that day there

were uncontrollable distractions, I think it would have been helpful to break the class into

smaller groups. Then I could have the adults in the room each take a group. In the smaller groups

the students would be required to read more, pay attention, and answer more ongoing

comprehension questions while reading. I believe this would have helped keep the students

focused and provide them with more practice of communication skills. I would have also had the

students complete the included questions following the BrainPopJr video we watched. Had the
 34

students completed these questions as well, the main ideas about Harriet Tubman would have

been reinforced. Both changes would have thoroughly prepared the students to answer the three

comprehension questions.

For day three’s lesson, one implication I had was that my students did not fully grasp the

main ideas and details of the text based upon the comprehension check. I think it would be

helpful for my students who need hand-over-hand assistance to be able to circle answers to their

comprehension questions in a hard copy of the text as well as their comprehension packet. This

would have allowed me to see if they are able to identify information with a text instead of

simply picking an answer out of three choices. I could have the class break into groups based on

ability to ensure that the higher students are challenged within their zone of proximal

development and that my lower students have the best way to represent their knowledge. I need

to find the best way to have these students analyze and formulate answer choices to accurately

gage their level of achievement.

For my overall unit, I found that not all of my students were actively engaged. If I were to

redo this unit, I would have created more engaging activities such as stations. Instead of doing

one famous women per day, it would have been helpful to have the class split into two and for

there to be two stations. At each station I would have one famous women. This gives each small

group an opportunity to learn about two women while also having more practice with

communication and identification of main ideas/details. Then after both groups have completed

their readings, as a whole group we would review what they learned. For each woman, we could

then complete an activity such as creating airplanes for Amelia Earhart or creating a healthy

plate based off of Michelle Obama’s health initiative. I also found that not all of my students

mastered their goals/objectives for each day of the unit. One way I would help the students if I
 35

were to redo the unit, would be to provide every student with a copy of the reading. This would

allow myself and other adults in the room to easily redirect students who are distracted as well as

re-tell important ideas/details to the students we viewed as struggling. Giving the students hard

copies of the text, gives them the option of paying attention at their desk as well as at the front of

the room. Hard copies can be easier for the students to read and help the assisting adults to better

isolate words for the students.

For future instructional activities, it would be helpful to collaborate with my students’

speech pathologist. I would be able to ask for tips in general about promoting my students’

communication skills as well as see what they find helpful for specific students. This would

further differentiate and individualize my lesson for all students. I could also ask my students’

other core teachers how they assess student learning in their classroom. One of the patterns I

found is that the students who need questions/answers to be read aloud will pick the answer last

read aloud. It would be helpful to see if the students’ other teachers have found strategies to ask

questions that evoke the students’ actual knowledge. For this unit, in the future it would be

feasible to collaborate with women from the students’ communities. This could include local

business owners, mothers, and other women of various professions. This would help the students

connect the importance of Women’s History Month to their daily lives as well as connect them to

their communities which is a big part of the CLS curriculum.

This unit plan allowed me to work towards mastery of CEC standard # 5: Instructional

Planning and Strategies because I planned and implemented a developmentally and individually

appropriate curriculum-based unit. I planned my lessons by ensuring students’ goals and the

MCCR standard was taken into consideration. I planned all activities so that all students could

participate and demonstrate achievement. Throughout the unit, I analyzed student data from
 36

formative assessments to show areas of the students’ strengths and weaknesses. The data that I

collected from this unit shows that the work was appropriate because the students had a growth

of 32.5 % from the beginning of the unit to the end. Through planning and reflection, I have

discovered what works well and what can be adjusted to work well for my students. With

continuous practice I will further learn about my students as well as gain skills to use in future

classrooms. Creating a successful and meaningful lessons is an extremely important goal for my

professional future.

During this unit I also worked towards mastery of CEC standard #1: Learner

Development and Individual Learning Differences. For this unit I differentiated the response

methods for each child. I understand what methods work best for each student. I chose

representations and expressional strategies that allowed for each of my students to showcase

their knowledge to the best of their ability. For example, my students who have lower level

verbal skills were asked to answer questions by pointing, circling, or underlining to the answer.

Whereas my students with higher verbal skills were asked to reply orally. I also used my

informal assessment strategies daily to see what the students had learned and what areas needed

to be reviewed for the next lesson. The entire unit was a process of analysis and reflection to

ensure achievement for each student. With more experience, I am sure I will be able to increase

my success with incorporating differentiation in my lessons to ensure all individual learning

differences and level of learner development are addressed. Successful implementation of

differentiation and UDL (Universal Design for Learning) principles in my lessons is also an

important goal for my professional future.

 37

Student Artifacts

Example page from “Amelia Earhart Vizzle” (paper copy provided for student who missed this

section of the instruction while in sensory room)

 38

Example question and student answer of question included in the “Amelia Earhart Vizzle”
 39

Example of Comprehension Questions Packet

40
 41

Example of a student’s summative assessment with pictorial representations

42
 43

Example of a student’s summative assessment without pictorial representations

 44

Example of a student’s summative assessment with no word bank

 45

Class collage for Women’s History Month