ALVERN0 COLLEGE

LTM 621 FIELD STUDENT SELF-ASSESSMENT FORM

Candidate: Emily Michi

Assessor: Pamela Lucas

Advisor: Aubrey Vogel

Grade/Subject: 4th grade reader/writers workshop (ELA)

Topic/skill taught: Vocabulary Strategy: Context Clues

School: Glenwood Elementary School

Observation: (check one)
Completed by: (check one)

Date: 4/30/2015

Cooperating teacher: Theresa Buhrandt

___ 1st observation

X 2nd observation

Other (specify) ________________

Candidate

Overall Performance: _____Inadequate

X Emerging

X Proficient

Planning (conceptualization/diagnosis/coordination)
Reflection Questions:
Using your knowledge of students background knowledge, learning
styles, skills, and abilities justify the educational decision making you
engaged in for this lesson.

_____Distinctive

Comments
The students have been working on a research project about Wisconsin. This
is a big project that they have been working on for more than a month. The
project started out with the students watching a slide show of pictures to
enlist questions about Wisconsin past or present to research. The students
then started to do research. As I worked with some students who were
having a difficulty finding answers to their questions we discussed what
sources they used to find answers. As I explored their research I discovered
that their questions were in fact answered but students had a hard time
comprehending some of their research because of key words in the text they
did not know and did not attempt to figure out. Students need to practice
using strategies to identify words they do not know and how they can figure
out what the words mean.
I have been thinking really hard about the idea of incorporating the right
learning styles for your students. This is an area that I would I like to
improve and practice. Through my time in the field I have been able to pick
up on some students learning styles by engaging with the students as they
worked on different assignments but I dont necessarily feel confident saying
I could address all of my students learning styles. My lesson was
particularly designed to benefit the students who are audible learners and
independent learners. I know that those strategies are beneficial to many of

the students but I dont think I accurately engaged all of students in this
lesson.
Inviting (communication/integrative interaction)
Reflection Questions:
Explain what you did to create a positive, inviting, brain-compatible
learning environment.

I created a positive, inviting, brain compatible learning environment by

giving the students a chance to share their ideas. This allowed students the
chance to hear what other students were thinking. I reinforced good strategy
use by pointing out explicit examples of what they had right and great ways
they were making connections. If their ideas were off track I tried to lead
them back on track through questions and prompts. I created an inviting
environment by never shutting down their ideas no matter how off they were.
I allowed their responses and answers to be open ended. I did not expect
every student to write down the exact same answer. I respectively answered
students questions and offered positive feedback. I tried to help facilitate a
community feeling to the discussion by reinforcing when students were
building off of other students ideas. I also gave students a lengthy wait time
after a question to help ensure more students the opportunity to engage in the
conversation.

Teaching (communication/diagnosis/integrative interaction)

Reflection Question:
Explain the educational theory, or theories, that guided your
development and implementation of this lesson. Consider: The Seven
Conditions of Learning, The Zone of Proximal Development, Ecological
Theory, Multiple Intelligences, Transformative Learning, The Comer
Process, Experiential Learning, Scaffolding, etc. Provide explicit
examples of how your teaching illustrates the theory you choose.
Explain how the learning activities actively engaged students in learning
and to what degree (think about Blooms Taxonomy as it relates to the
affective and cognitive domains).
Explain how you built on students abilities to comprehend, learn
vocabulary, or create a piece of text.
Explain how the content area strategy (ies) you used in the lesson
supported student learning and met their needs.

I used Cambournes seven conditions of learning to design this lesson. I set up

the lesson so students would begin with a demonstration of how we can use the
strategy. As I am instructing the students I make clear the expectation for
what I want the students to do. They are immersed in the strategy and have a
lot practice because we use the strategy more than once with different books. I
also encouraged them to think about how they could continue to use this
strategy. I continued to point out that this was practice as a group but it was
something that we keep doing even independently. Students were encouraged
to take responsibility on continuing to practice this strategy. So that they
could find ways it would helpful in different context. This idea also helps the
students to stretch beyond their current abilities to try the strategy in different
ways. The lesson was set up so that they would receive feedback on their
responses worked on the strategy. I should have worked on determining a way
to get all students to share so that everyone was receiving feedback as we were
practicing.
The students and I worked together to determine the meaning of certain words
by using context clues. The lesson was structured so students worked as a
group but could still determine their own answers. This way a student would
value the work they were doing because it was what they were creating and not
having to write down one pre-determined answer. The objectives of the lesson
have the students developing an understanding of unfamiliar words while
analyzing written text. They had to examine the text to determine clues that
they could use to define unknown words, which worked on a higher level of
blooms taxonomy.
Through the introduction discussion I could determine that some students were
already familiar with ways they can identify an unfamiliar word within a text.
Many students may have learned specifically how to use context clues. But by
using the strategy with students I could introduce it to students who may be
new to it and reinforce how and why we would use the strategy with the other
students. I think it is helpful to continue to emphasize strategies they may have
learned because it can remind them of the option to use it and continue to
practice it.
Using context clues to determine unfamiliar words helps students to decipher
text that may be a little more advanced than their reading level. It also helps
to work with unfamiliar types of text. For instance students finding research
material on the internet could work with material that was not written
necessarily in a familiar way or at their level but they might be able to still
decipher the text meaning. Being able to define unfamiliar words help them to

Final remarks: I would like to develop more skills in deciding how I am going to teach a lesson. I also want to practice using different assess
how my students are learning and what they are taking away from a lesson.

Wisconsin Teacher Standards as they relate to LTM 621 Course Objectives

1. DPI: Teachers know how children grow: Clearly articulate an understanding of the modes of communication central to the development of
literacy: speaking, listening, writing, reading, viewing, and representing.
2. DPI: Teachers know how to teach: By providing explicit instruction, modeling and guided practice, demonstrate the ability to effectively
teach adolescents of varied backgrounds and developmental levels to use reading strategies effectively.
3. DPI: Teachers know how to teach; teachers are able to plan different kinds of lessons: Effectively incorporate a range of reading and other
literacy strategies to support student learning in the content areas.
4. DPI: Teachers know how to teach; teachers understand children learn differently: Thoughtfully design, select, modify and evaluate print and
non-print materials for individuals and groups of students including those for whom English is a new language.
5. DPI: Teachers know how to test for student progress: Design meaningful performance assessments that engage students in literacy and the
content areas.
6. DPI: Teachers communicate well; teachers are connected with other teachers and the community: Develop clear explanations, for adolescent
students and their parents, of the results of standardized literacy assessments and the implementation of instructional plans.
7. (DPI: Teachers know how children grow; teachers understand that children learn differently: Thoughtfully apply an understanding of
linguistic, cognitive, psychological, social, and cultural factors that influence literacy development in planning for individual and group needs.
8. DPI: Teachers know the subject they are teaching; teachers know how to teach; teachers are able to plan different kinds of lessons:
Effectively use technology to enhance literacy instruction in the content area.
9. DPI: Teachers understand that children learn differently: Clearly articulate how cultural beliefs and expectations shape the learning needs and
goals for students, including those for whom English is a new language.
10. DPI: Teachers are able to evaluate themselves: Evaluate relationships between WI Teacher Standards and the Alverno Education Abilities,
and their teaching practice.

Scoring Rubric
Level One
The reflection is vague
and lacks details; there is
little or no elaboration.

Level Two

Level Three
The reflection is
moderately detailed and
elaborated. Contains
examples to explain the
candidates thinking about
the lesson and justify the
educational decisions
made for this lesson.
Reflection demonstrates
suggests revisions that
need to be made to
improve this or other
lessons.

Level Four

Level Five
The reflection is very
detailed and well
elaborated. Clearly,
contains examples
sufficient to explain the
candidates thinking about
the lesson and justify the
educational decisions
made for this lesson.
Reflection demonstrates
revisions that need to be
made to improve this or
other lessons.