Jerricka Scott ECED 429 TWS Sacerdote TWS 8: Reflection, Self-Evaluation, & Professional Development Lesson One: Three

Digit Addition Section 1: Whole Class Reflective Discussion A. For lesson one, the kids were taught how to successfully add two 3-digit numbers. They were given base ten blocks for practice to visually see how each place value is added together and carried over if the sum was greater than nine. Because of the work I noticed during the pretest, I reviewed place value and reiterated that we add vertically from right to left before starting the new content. I first did a few problems asking specific place value and adding two digit numbers to get an idea of how much practice we would actually need. The base ten blocks were not meant to be a crutch, but a form of practice for visual understanding and improvement. The post-test was taken purposely without them to see how much they learned. Early finishers of the post-test were instructed to read silently, and this worked in the favor of those needing to finish testing in silence. The blocks were offered as an accommodation incase the students had a difficult time solving the problems. I think this method worked out fine because all but two passed the test, and these students had small miscalculations. B. To promote greater student learning, I would change a good bit about this lesson. First, when demonstrating using base ten blocks, I would have either called the students to the carpet or used the document camera so that they could see better. Another thing I would do is get the students to draw their answers in base ten form during the activity and the post-test to see if they fully understand the concept of base ten blocks. I would also add

Scott 2 accommodations for early finishers during the practice problems portion of the instruction. When given a problem to work on, early finishers had ample time while others were still working towards an answer. To improve this section of the lesson, the early finishers would be given more problems to work out until the entire class was ready to review the initial problem given. Lastly, I would observe the students more closely during the post-test. Though there were only two students that did not pass, it would be ideal for the whole class to be successful. If I looked a little closer at what the students were doing, I would have noticed the miscalculations and given out the base ten blocks to those students. I know that with these changes, the students would have all passed, and this would then be one great lesson to incorporate in a classroom. Section 2: Three Individual Students Reflective Discussion A. The student that was most successful was Berenice. This may be because during the instruction, she was sitting close enough to see the examples be done visually. Another reason may be because she is one of the harder working students in the class. She does not take bad or average grades likely. She loves to volunteer for answers and always strives for an A in everything she does. B. My low student is Camron. I chose the students based on work they have done and grades they have been given since the start of my visits. Though he is my low student, he actually did great during this lesson. On his post-test, he made a perfect score. I think this success is due to the fact that he was also in good seating range to see every step of the instruction. I also think that Camron is stronger working with numbers. What he does not process is written out instruction, but numbers just make sense to him.

Scott 3 C. My average student is Juan. He actually made a perfect score too. I think this is because the content was taught in a fun way and kept his attention. Juan was actually sitting right beside the empty desk where I completed my instruction, so he got a front row seat and was able to see everything. Lesson 2: Character Traits Section 1: Whole Class Reflective Discussion A. Lesson two revolved around a book titled The Pain and the Great One. This lesson practiced successfully recognizing and differentiating characters within that story by using context clues. For this lesson, we focused on choosing fitting characteristics of the main characters, giving proper evidence as to why we chose each characteristics. In the story were two siblings that described each other based on their point of view and what they perceive, but ironically, both mostly feel the same way about each other. To initiate the activity, we discussed and chose characteristics for The Great One together. Each student was given the same character sheet with a front and back. The students were also instructed to get out a character trait list they were previously given by their actual teacher. This was used as a resource for better choice words they would not normally remember. This is until they become better with traits and these words become common vocabulary. I had the same activity sheet and it was projected on the smartboard from the document camera. When we did the front together, students were given a chance to provide a characteristic and give proof as to why. The class had the job of deciding as a whole whether each answer given was accurate or not and to give reasoning as to why they oppose. The post-assessment was to flip the page over and find traits for The Pain on their own.

Scott 4 B. During the instruction and assessment, students were giving word that they didnt understand the definition of. If I could do this lesson differently, I would want the children to have studied the words on the character trait list and known them better. Implementing on my own, for this specific lesson, I would probably shorten the list, using only words I am sure the class is familiar with. Also, during the reading, I would use those stopping points more to my advantage. Although I asked questions with the students, made predictions, and made observations using characteristics; instead of using simple traits, I would take the time to introduce more complex or unfamiliar traits to describe the characters, teaching the definitions along with the reading. I would also show different pages in the book to look back on a make connections. Section 2: Individual Student Reflective Discussion A. Berenice was most successful, because she asked a lot of questions. She even asked to hold the book for a closer look. She also took more time on the paper because she didnt have enough time on the day of the assessment. B. Camron was least successful because he used the words we used as a class for The Great One. He wasnt really willing to try, and his proof did not match his traits. He didnt really seem focused during the lesson. What I would do differently is ask him a question to one, practice the content, and two, to get his attention and let him know that I see he is not focused. C. Juan was average in performance for this lesson. The traits he gave were correct, with supporting evidence, but he used some of the same words as we did altogether. As long as the students had supporting proof it was fine, but I wanted the students to use different words, to see how good they are at working with character traits. What I would do

Scott 5 differently is check work and ask, Is there another word on the list that means the same thing. Lesson 3: Native American Tribal Groups of South Carolina Section 1: Whole Class Reflective Discussion A. This lesson was taught as a review lesson. Over the previous couple of weeks, the students learned a lot of different details about the Cherokee, Catawba, and Yemassee tribes. In this lesson the students were instructed to get out their journals and take five minutes to review their notes. Once the timer went off, the students were instructed to get in their assigned groups, decide what they wanted to present, and add the information to the poster. The students were encouraged to write out the facts or draw pictures and be able to completely explain them. The students were given about twenty minutes to work on the poster. As they worked, I walked around and observed. The prearranged groups worked out in my favor. They all worked well together, except one group had a few difficulties sharing the leadership. When I noticed this, instead of breaking them up, I explained to them how important it is to learn to work together and that everyone can bring something different to the table. There were some students that asked to work alone, but I gave them the same explanation, and the groups did well. After doing the activity, each group presented their information, and the students did a written assessment. The post-test was a ten question fill in the blank assessment. The students were given a word bank for clarity, but there were purposely more words than questions because I really wanted to see what the students knew. B. The class as a whole did not do as well on the assessment as I had wished. One reason for this may have been that some of the information some of the students presented was

Scott 6 mixed up or incorrect. What I would do differently is give the students a scratch sheet of paper to come up with a layout as a group. I would then give them five extra minutes to make sure the content of their posters were correct and on the right path. The certainty may have kept the one group from arguing and the students would have received correct information during the presentations. This may have made the test grades better. Section 2: Individual Student Reflective Discussion A. Berenice was the most successful because she used her study time wisely. She was quiet and focused on the information she reviewed. Berenice takes her time to complete her work, she likes to read thoroughly and think about what the question is asking. B. Camron was least successful because he was not focused. He worked well with his group, and even put forth much effort in adding information to the poster. His problem seems to be that he always needs someone. Whether it be the teacher, me, or another student, if someone else is leading him, he is completely fine. Once he is alone, he is zoned out. Out of ten questions, Camron only attempted to do three. Two out of the three were correct, and even the incorrect answer made sense. He just does not try. To fix this I would sit him beside me up front to complete his work. I will not help him because his habit needs to be broken, but what I will do is make sure he is on the task and encourage him that as long as he tries sincerely, he can do well and that being lazy keeps him from the good grades I know he can make. C. Juan was average. He also worked well with his group. For the assessment he got a few incorrect, but he put forth effort. This may be because his group focused on one tribe, and that is where all of his review came from. Also, during the assessment, I noticed that Juan used the process of elimination. Whatever answers were left over, he made sure they

Scott 7 didnt or did make perfect sense. So that he can improve, I will encourage him to look at the big picture and give more variety in all he does to really show what he knows. Lesson 4: Food Chains Section 1: Whole Class Reflective Discussion A. In this lesson, the students worked on the construction of a food chain. They were already taught the names and functions of the different types of organisms. To start off the lesson, we went over the different organisms in a food chain. Using an image of a food chain, projected from the document camera, we worked together to give reason as to why each organism was where is what in the food chain. In the plan implicated that I would use all early finishers for the mask demonstration. I changed the plan and used a variety of different students. I chose one because he would focus more if he was used. Others were used to break shyness, and even give certain ones more hands on experience and control. The organism sheet was used as an accommodation for the whole class. This sheet was used to give them more examples of different organisms and provide options so the created food chains in the post-assessment would be original. B. Although most of the class did very well, some students were left behind. Even some that did well, used the same food chain we practiced with during the lesson. This didnt really show me that they learned anything. It may have just been that some easily memorized that chain as we were working on it. Maybe that chain stuck with them. Also, because the chain was small and took a little time, not everyone was able to give answers or actively practice. What I would do differently is add the food chain program on BrainPOP. There is a video that I would use as a lesson introduction. After the video the students would take the quiz to see if the video taught anything. After doing the live food chain. I would

Scott 8 go back to BrainPOP and allow the students to take turns playing the food chain game. This would give them more practice with a variety of different food chains and allow them to manipulate the organisms on their own. This practice may have made the students more prepared to create their own chain. Section 2: Individual Student Reflective Discussion A. Juan was actually the most successful in this lesson. This is because he was the most engaged and attentive. I think the topic was very interesting to Juan, so he put forth great efforts and was truly eager to answer every question I asked. Even when others answered incorrectly, his hand was raised, ready, and he was willing to give help. B. Camron was the least successful in this lesson. I thought including him in the live food chain would give some progress. He liked it, and it woke him up a little, but this did not show in his post-test. Although his assessment answers were not completely wrong, he still went left field with the rest of the food chain. He also spent most of his assessment time drawing on the paper. In order for Camron to do better, he needs to be called on more often. Even though he may not always now the content, if he knows he will more than likely be called on, he will be more attentive and focused. Hopefully the more attentive he is from the fear of being called on and unprepared, his focus will actually allow the content and knowledge to stick and be executed in his answers. C. After analyzing the facts, a few changes were made. Berenice is usually my high student, but in this case she is the average. She still did very well, but Juan was exceptional. I think Berenice didnt come out on top this time because of the fear of answering questions. She is usually willing, but in this case my professor was present and most of

Scott 9 the class laid low. If I notice a little sooner in the lesson, I would have recruited different volunteers, including Berenice. Lesson 5: Problem Solving Section 1: Whole Class Reflective Discussion A. This lesson was on math word problems. The problems included all four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). The students were called to the carpet if needed and were read word problems I created and showed on the document camera. As I read each question, I asked what operation was to be done in the specific question. I also asked the students to tell me what text in the questions supported their thought. The students copied the questions, underlined the given words, and took time to figure out the answers. There were four questions, one assigned to each operation. Once we got done. We acted out real word problems I made incorporating specific students in the equations. The students that were called in each question came up to act them out. This gave the students a better visual to understand how the operations are connected and how the inverse operations can be used to help solve problems. Allowing the students to be called to the front and work on the problem on the class gave many more confidence to give their input. B. Although I had good intensions and good ideas for this lesson, they werent applied well. I think I rushed the lesson planning and when presented it wasnt very organized. The questions we acted out should have been more organized and the materials should have been laid out so we could transition more smoothly from question to question. For the post-test, although students were asked to underline the given words that told the operation, many didnt. To change this outcome, I would give the students highlighters.

Scott 10 They may be more fun to use and the students would be reminded to find those words for that simple fact. In pointing out those words and thoroughly reading, the students wouldve chosen the correct operation to work the problem out in. Section 2: Individual Student Reflective Discussion A. Berenice was the most successful in this lesson. She made a perfect score. One reason she was successful is because she underlined what told the operation in each word problem. Another reason is that Berenice showed all of her work. She even used groups and counters for all of her multiplication and division. She used the given methods to her full advantage. B. Juan was the least successful in lesson. This is obviously because he did not underline what he needed and he just wrote the problems out. He didnt use any methods to work out the problems. He attempted to do metal math although he has been told before that if mental math is done, an inverse operation has to be done to make sure the answer is correct. To help him succeed, I would practice more methods to work out problems with Juan. C. Camron was the average student in the group, although compared to the entire class, his grade is considered very low. Camron was more successful than Juan because he did show some work. He would have been better off if he showed all of his work, but he just doesnt put forth as much effort as the rest of the students. This is also because Camron did not underline the given words. To help him succeed, I would review the words in their journals that tell what operation is to be used, and also stress that he double checks his work, because most problems were minor, like not paying attention to the sign used or subtracting incorrectly.

Scott 11 Section 4: Reflection for Professional Development One professional development goal that emerged from my insights and experiences is to be more organized. I put a great amount of time and thought into planning my lessons. The bad thing is that they sometimes tend to go completely different than I had pictured. The problem is not my materials or my objectives, not even my assessments. The problem is my procedures. I need smoother transitions from step to step instead of long awkward pauses of getting the next thing together. To improve myself in this area, I will add more specific detail to my procedures and prep myself for them before the lesson begins. This will make me aware of any gaps that need to be filled and will also make it easier to move from point A to point B. To meet my goal, I will also practice my lesson and review it by recording myself. If I do it this way, I can make note of problems and change them before teaching the lesson. Any changes that come about once I teach it, I should be able to handle. My main focus is the transition.

Another professional development goal I will aim for is to provide adequate practice time for the students. I know every student is not going to get perfect grades, but I want them to get close to it. It troubles me once Im finished with a lesson and more than two kids dont pass the assessment. This makes me feel as though there is something that I need to change. Maybe I taught the material in a way that was too advanced, or Maybe the students just werent into the lesson, then finally, Maybe they wouldve done well if we went over the content a little more, are the things I wonder. After looking back on the lessons Ive done and the content, I think they sometimes need a little more practice.

Scott 12 Lessons rarely go as planned, so one thing I would do to improve professionally is provide an extra activity in every lesson. This activity will be included as a plan b. If I teach a topic, and the students all understand, the activity will not be used, or will be done after the assessment to ease the tense atmosphere of testing or during free time for a little educational fun. One the other hand, if I teach the lesson and the main activities seem to have scratched the surface, the extra activity will be done, because I want to see all of my students succeed. Another step I would take is to try to ask questions to and observe every student closely for the during-assessment. If I record the number of students who arent getting it and that number is not acceptable, I will let those conduct the second activity and ask them questions to get them geared in the right direction. I think this plan will create much progress within me as well as my students.