Videotaped Lesson 2 Reflection: Long ‘o’ Vowel Pattern- ‘ow’

*Please note that the lesson plan, slideshow, and activity worksheet that were uploaded for the project submission will be
referenced throughout this reflection as articles to support my discussion.

Learning Goals

Through analysis of the data, 13 out of the 16 students present for the lesson and assessment received
scores of 4/4 for the words that they were tested on. This scoring was based on the appropriate
acknowledgement of the presence of the ‘ow’ pattern in these words, while choosing to not focus on the
spelling as a whole due to the lesson’s main concept. In regard to the accuracy of spelling, 11 out of the
16 students spelled the words correctly. That is, the appropriate use of digraphs and other letter patterns
was present in the selected words. With that being said, referencing the 13 out of 16 students, the
learning goals were met by a significant portion of the students. Given that the goal of the lesson was for
students to be able to hear, say, read, and write words with the ‘ow’ long o vowel pattern, learning and
progress was evident. Three pieces of student work can be seen below. Not only were these students
capable of identifying the ‘ow’ pattern in the four assessment words, but knowledge of their meanings
and use are evident in the context that can be seen in the creative stories written. With an understanding
of the prior knowledge of the students from the baseline data, as well as analyses of their work in
reading and writing lessons, I saw a greater amount of understanding that has been made possible
through the focused study that was involved in this word work lesson. It is evident that instruction led to
clarity in the use of this letter pattern, while also emphasizing the purpose of such learning through the
variety of activities that were included. Of the students who exhibited progress, but had not yet reached
the level of mastery, instruction the following day included a strategy group during the morning activity
period. This time enabled me to conference with the students, reteach concepts, address
misunderstandings, and provide individualized support that would support stronger abilities in hearing,
saying, reading, and writing words with the ‘ow’ long o pattern. This was the first lesson in the second
half of the study of student achievement that made it interesting to analyze the growth of the students in
relation to the learning goals with the lesson modifications. These modifications that were intended to
optimize engagement and learning through an alternative approach to classroom management given that
the approach within the first five lessons was resulting in challenges in mini-transitions and focus that
were sources of distraction and moments of stopping the lesson to address behaviors. I have found that
the changes implemented have continued to result in student progress with increased self control on the
part of the students that has enhanced their learning. With that being said, it will be interesting to analyze
the study achievement and overall learning experiences of the students that result from the classroom
environment changes that have been made.
Use of Feedback

With this lesson being a part of my study of student achievement project, I was able to use the
feedback from my self-reflections, as well as those from Dr. Fritz who I discussed the lessons with. The
initial five lessons were designed around the systematic synthetic phonics process within which the
students go through tasks of reviewing, learning, practicing, applying, and assessing. In the phases of
review and learning, the structure of ‘hear it, say it, read it, and write it’ was used to reinforce the
purpose of such vocabulary studies. I liked how this structure consistently involved students in the
discussion establishing them as active participants in their learning and that of their peers. It is in these
areas of review and learning that I chose to utilize white boards, which was a total participation
technique that would increase student engagement throughout the lecture portion of the lesson. In
reflecting on the lesson’s implementation, it was noticed that often times a selection of students were
distracted by allowing the use of these materials. Students could be observed doodling or writing words
on the board at the inappropriate time. This was not only a distraction for me, but it will also challenging
to determine if they were engaged, as well as whether or not the content being taught was being
absorbed. With that being said, I reached out to Dr. Fritz for guidance given that my initial plan for the
project was to focus on engagement strategies. Based on the feedback on an alternative approach to take,
I chose to review the lessons and reflections from the perspective of growth in the second domain,
particularly components c and d. From this, a modification was necessary within the design of the lesson
that would maintain engagement of the students, but would enable me to better manage the classroom.
This change entailed disregarding the use of white boards, and instead using a modified approach to the
‘chalkboard splash’ participation technique, which I also found to be useful in reinforcing the co-
creation of learning.
Prior to this lesson, a reflective discussion also took place with my mentor teacher. She
expressed value in the approach I had been taking for the lessons. However, she provided me with the
suggestion of using a video for the phase of teaching a new letter pattern. This would involve the
students in a task diverse from those in the review phase, which would likely help to effectively
maintain focus and order in the classroom. The feedback was considered and incorporated into my
lesson planning by using the video to supplement the discussion of the new letter pattern. Through this
alternative approach, I would be able to utilize a new resource with the students that could reinforce
excitement by selecting entertaining, but educational videos within which I would be able to pause and
support the skill development of the students.

Domain 1

This lesson plan reflects the important concepts of literacy because in order for students to be
able to become strong readers and writers, research shows that students must be engaged in phonics
instruction. Such teaching will allow them to master the skills associated with a variety of Connecticut’s
standards progression for ELA, as well as those defined in the district’s curriculum for second grade
students. For instance, standard RF.2.3b refers to the skill development of students being knowledgeable
of spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams, one of which is addressed in
this lesson. Creating plans to introduce vowel teams one at a time is a systematic approach that enables
the students to master the important concepts of literacy without overwhelming them. Thus, in my
lesson plan, I ensured that the the instruction and activities were not only aligned with typical learning
objectives for second graders, but also that the pacing was approached in a manner that would optimize
understanding and retention.
Prior to planning this lesson, the previous lessons of phonics instruction were considered. It was
necessary to determine the logical next step of the sequence. Given that this was one of the many lessons
associated with long vowel sounds, I continued to stay within this focus. Within this study of long vowel
sounds, the letter patterns being addressed were organized by the specific sound, such as long ‘a’, long,
‘o’, or long ‘i’. In the lesson prior to this sixth phonics lesson since beginning the study of student
achievement project, I had transitioned the students into the long ‘o’ vowel teams. The ‘o_e’ and ‘oa’
patterns had been addressed, so the logical next step, and the final pattern to address in this group was
‘ow’. This consideration of the prior knowledge of the students could be seen in the planning of the
review portion of the lesson within which instruction would enable the children to make connections to
the new content that was to be addressed.
The content addressed in this lesson encourages the students to think at a challenging cognitive
level. They are involved in reviewing prior learning and extending that knowledge further in the study of
a new vowel team. The challenge comes in the practice and application processes that establishes the
purpose, which is determined through questioning. In comparison to Bloom’s taxonomy, not only do the
students come to remember and understand the use of the ‘ow’ pattern, but the variety of teaching
strategies and activities requires that they apply, analyze, evaluate, and create making for a well-rounded
lesson. They are hearing, saying, reading, and writing words with this pattern that challenges the student
to utilize their learning in several contexts exhibiting to them how they will be able to use such
information in future situations.
Given the point in time that this unit was taking place, formative assessment was the ideal
method to incorporate into my planning. I could use formative assessments to not only gather data about
their progress academically, but also behaviorally given that the focus of my study of student
achievement was implementing instructional systems that would optimize my abilities to manage the
classroom. Formative assessment, such as ‘mud-bugs-clear’ allowed me to ensure that the students
understood the learning target at a ‘starting to’ level, which would become more sound in the practice
and application activities. The application activity required that the students read and write words that
were to be used in their short stories. In sharing with peers, they would say these ‘ow’ words and
practice hearing those included in their partner’s story. Thus, the collection of these worksheets served
as a useful formative assessment that would enable me to analyze each student’s level of mastery
associated with the day’s learning target. Not only this, but it was also an authentic source of data that
would truly show me their performance and understanding. The assessments that were utilized were
suitable for the outcome and style of learning taking place. They were accessible to all, so modifications
were not necessary. Given the activity protocol that was listed on the worksheet step-by-step and could
be referenced at any time during the lesson, the expectations were made evident to the students.

Domain 2

Through prior interactions with the students, we have developed respectful relationships within
which all parties involved are aware of the expectations of respectful talk and behaviors. Based on my
earlier observations in this student teaching experience and watching the other lesson that was
videotaped, the behaviors of students consistently appeared to be distracted, or in some manner straying
from active listening and engagement. However, to my surprise and my mentor teacher’s, the respect
observed in this lesson was a significant improvement. There was evidence of the students having
stronger abilities in this instance to self-regulate and control their impulsiveness. The ease of managing
the classroom helped me to feel relaxed and easily maintain a warming, caring, and positive attitude
reflected in my body language and language. I used eye contact, hand gestures, and changes in my tone
of voice for encouragement. Thus, I was returning the respect and rapport that the students expressed to
me. The only point in which I feel that I could have reworded my statement is when I stated that a
child’s behavior of making a timer beep was distracting. Although I made the student aware of his
behavior, I could have approached it by kindly asking if I could hold the timer, or asked a similar
question. Instances like this can happen to any teacher, but it is with my acknowledgement of this
mishap that I can become more aware of my statements that are shared out loud with students as I want
to ensure that my responses do not negatively impact the respect and rapport that has been developed.
My belief in the value of what was being learned could be gathered through my excitement and
personal engagement in the content being covered. This excitement could reinforce the motivation of the
students to share the value in their work and efforts. Throughout the lesson, positive reinforcement is
used such as the occasion within which students following the expectations are identified. As learned
through research in previous courses, I continued to recognize the efforts of the students to reinforce
their growth mindset. Through my positivity, the students and I could co-create a learning environment
that was conducive to progress and appreciation for this development.
The functioning of classroom routines is something that is consistently practiced with these
students given the variety of challenging behaviors that myself and my mentor teacher are presented
with. As I shared, I was very impressed with the significant decrease in the need to pause to address
behaviors or repeat transitions. Time was not lost benefitting the learning of the students. This also
prevented frustrations of peers who have noticeably become intolerant of the poor behavioral choices of
classmates who are impulsive. Thus, everyone benefitted. Furthermore, in comparison to the way in
which other lessons are carried out, when reviewing the video, the classroom appeared to be managed
better than other occasions. Any strategies used were those to gain the attention of the students are
collaboration as opposed to regain order that may have been lost due to chatting or increasing voice
levels. Expectations for classroom management were known by the students from previous lessons
focused on such procedures, and I chose to remind them on occasion verbally. There was not an
opportunity during which the students would be left unaware of what to do or the norms. Regardless of
the behaviors that were acknowledged during the lesson, I remained aware, with no sense of bitterness
through my positive behavioral support.
Since redesigning the physical classroom arrangement earlier in the term, routines have been
more efficient and organized. Beyond the design of the classroom that has enhanced the behaviors and
learning of the students, I have continued to make use of the appropriate physical classroom resources.
Evident in planning and the video, I utilized the Smart Board. The Smart Board was used to present the
slideshow and discuss some of the key information. Based on the discovery that the students prefer
learning from the easel, although the easel was not used in this lesson, instructional primarily took place
beyond the use of the Smart Board, whether this was verbal instruction, the word sort task, or the
activity worksheet. The use of multiple resources in the classroom helped to maintain engagement and
attentiveness of the students.

Domain 3

The purpose of the lesson was made evident in the slideshow when I shared with the students
that they would be working on a new letter pattern that makes the long ‘o’ sound, which was the ‘ow’
pattern. Through discussion of the purposefulness of their learning and the repetitive listing of the
learning target on each slide, the objectives of students being able to hear, say, read, and write words
with the ‘ow’ pattern was made clear and explicit. As the lesson continued, I made an effort to explain
the directions for the tasks of ‘hear it, say it, and read it’, as well as those for the viewing of the video,
the word sort, and the application activity of writing a short story. Through formative assessment, or the
use of the ‘mud-bugs-clear’, I was able to ensure that each child understood the expectations and could
follow the process. I took on several opportunities to allow students to ask questions in order to provide
clarification. Although modeling was not used, the prompting and detail of instructions was sufficient
for the students. However, if there were confusions, I would have be responsive as a teacher by taking
on a teachable moment to model, or further explain the point that required additional focus.
From the perspective of the teacher standing in front of the students educating them, as well as
an observer as I re-watched the videotaped lesson, the students were all actively engaged given that their
responses and work throughout all phases of learning were appropriate. While I felt that the lesson was
successful after implementing it, this was confirmed by the viewing of the videotaped lesson. I had truly
never seen the students so focused, whether it was in the lessons that I have or my mentor teacher has
taught. I did not have to pause to gain their attention or address behaviors as has been necessary in other
situations. There was no unwarranted calling out, and their generally remained on the task at hand. This
was evidence of the appropriate teaching strategies chosen on my part. I feel that the variety used in this
single lesson contributed to this success. It is also the alternative participation technique and removal of
the whiteboards that helped engage the students further. With this, I feel confident in continuing to carry
out these phonics lessons in the same manner, while also carrying these strategies over into lessons for
other subject areas.
Carefully considered questions were used prior to teaching the students a new vowel pattern that
was intended to engage them in higher level thinking. In the context of a phonics lesson within which
higher level questioning is a more challenging task, this was taken on by using open-ended questions to
guide the students to consider the purposes of their learning and how it would be utilized. This would
also make the tasks included in the lesson more relevant. Such questioning helped the students make
meaning of their learning on their own. These realizations encourage motivation and excitement for
advancing ones own knowledge that will produce greater confidence in their abilities to take on literacy
tasks.

Domain 4

This lesson was reflected on following the completion of the lesson when conferencing with my
mentor teacher, as well as in this moment as this reflection is written. I received support and approval of
the new approach that had been taken for this lesson in comparison to the alternative approach used for
the previous fix lessons. She felt that the use of the video for teaching purposes within which it was
paused and content was discussed provided a helpful alternative to examining new content with the
students. The video was a new teaching strategy that kept the students engaged. My mentor teacher also
felt that the removal of the use of the whiteboards was a good choice given that it was previously a
source of distraction for this group of students. Based on reflections from the previous lessons, it was
challenging to manage the classroom with the inappropriate use of the materials that were chosen as a
total participation technique. Therefore, my reflections enabled me to choose an alternative participation
technique, a modified chalkboard splash, which helped to maintain the focus of the students through the
review and teaching while still engaging them in a hands-on, more active task for practicing their new
skills. While reflecting at the conclusion of the lesson, I felt that these choices I made with the best
interests of the students in mind did not negatively impact their achievement, but rather led to successes
cognitively and behaviorally. As can be seen in the video, in comparison to the last lesson that was
videotaped and reflections of other lessons I have conducted this term, the students were engaged and
focused on the lesson at a level that showed significant improvement in their abilities to self-regulate.
This led to the achievements discussed previously that 13 of the 16 students present mastered the
learning goal. With this, I feel confident in the abilities of these students to transition to the next stage in
their phonics lessons, while also looking forward to the retention of these concepts that will be exhibited
in future writing pieces and reading opportunities. Of the three students who had not yet mastered the
learning goal, my reflections resulted in the choice to conduct an intervention the following morning
within which I was able to reteach the concepts using an alternative approach, implement additional
guided practice, and provide individualized attention based on the needs that could be observed. With
that being said, my overall reflections have allowed me to continue to make choices that are appropriate
for the needs and abilities of my students, which is how I will approach all lessons that I teach in the
future.
It is the homework assignment that was used for communication purposes with families. The
activity planned for the homework assignment required the involvement of a family member that would
reinforce their inclusion in the educational experiences of their children, while also providing an
opportunity for a reflective discussion at home about their learning that took place during the school day.
As I discussed in the area of the fourth domain on my PLP site, I wanted to devise plans for my future
classroom to actively communicate with families through a variety of approaches, such as this
homework assignment. I believe that the support of families can enhance the academic motivations and
excitement for students given that it is an opportunity for family members to exhibit care for and interest
in their child's progress. Additional approaches that can supplement homework assignments is sending
copies of assessments home with a review form to guide the discussions, and a Weebly site to provide
parents with information about school events, weekly topics for each subject area, and other information
that can be shared and will benefit the relationships between families and the classroom. I would include
suggestions of activities that the families may be involved in on the weekend that could be turned into
educational games. I would also make opportunities available for parents to volunteer in the classroom,
with this phonics lesson being one point in time that would be possible. With the volunteering of family
members, activities would be designed to ensure that their involvement enhanced the lessons.
Prior to the implementation of this lesson, all content was shared with my mentor teacher.
Feedback was provided on modifications to make to the structure of the lesson that resulted in such
changes. This feedback was particularly useful given that it was the first lesson in which modifications
were to be made to increase student achievement based on analyses of the impact of teaching strategies
on classroom management. I also accepted the participation of my mentor teacher within the
instructional delivery in order to further guide student success, while also reflecting in those moments to
consider things for me to do next time. With each discussion that my mentor teacher and I have on a
daily basis, our ideas are shared in a welcoming and understanding environment that consistently results
in improvements to our practice with the best interests of the students in mind. Much like the co-created
learning environment established for the students, it has been beneficial to talk things out with someone
who is knowledgeable within the same career to co-create the teaching environment.
Each suggestion I provide and idea that I devise is with the students being held as the highest
priority. As my student teaching experience is coming to an end, in this role I have had the opportunity
to observe other educators in the school to gain alternative perspectives on teaching strategies. In my
visit to a fourth grade classroom, I observed the use of some new technological resources that I felt
would enhance the experiences of our second grade students. The fourth graders were using resources
that included Plicker and Front Row. I chose to do independent research of these resources in order to
fully grasp their uses and purposes. Plicker is a great resource that can be used to gather data about
students. It can be used as an exit slip, within lessons to check for understanding, and even to gather
information about the opinions of students in order to organize projects and groups. The the application
that is loaded to one’s phone, questions can be posed. Each student is provided with their own QR code
that has four sides. Depending on their answer to the question that is either option a, b, c, or d, the QR
will be turned in the direction that the letter corresponding to the chosen letter is upwards. The teacher
will use the application that scans the cards of the students through the camera and collects data in real
time. With flexible teaching and responsiveness, modifications can be made to the lesson
instantaneously. The data collected is saved in the application as well and can be referred to at any time.
I felt that this was a simple, yet highly functional inclusion of technology for assessment purposes. It is a
resource that I would choose to teach my future students to utilize, and I would also share it with other
educators given the evident benefits that I have acknowledged, which is the reason for suggesting the
use to my mentor teacher who has made plans to utilize it in the future. The use of Plickers would also
enable me to share the data with the students as feedback, which is to be a goal of mine, as well as
conduct discussions to reflect on such information to productively devise plans and goals for learning.

Personal Teaching Goals

1. It it critical to provide students with daily and weekly feedback in the form of reports on their
development and helpful suggestions for goals and next steps. I have had plenty of opportunities to
do so this term, but it would be a goal of mine to provide feedback with greater frequency in my
future classroom. By doing so, I will be able to keep my students actively involved in their
development by helping to make their progress evident. It is also an opportunity to provide support
of their learning beyond the verbal support that is typical to take place within lessons. I can use
sticky notes that I place on each student’s desk providing a ‘glow’, or compliment, and a ‘grow’, or
suggestion based on their work in each lesson, or at the conclusion of the day. The sticky notes
would be written and available for the students the following morning so that they could begin their
days with motivation and a growth mindset. Another option would be to use a trajectory checklist for
the week or unit that could include levels of ‘not yet’, ‘starting to’, or ‘yes’ that the teacher could use
to share his or her reflection on student’s progress. An area would be available for compliments and
suggestions to be provided. A third alternative would be to use an online document or application
within which the same type of information could be shared on a daily basis. Regardless of the mode
of feedback selected, it would also be ideal if the students set daily learning goals for themselves
based on the feedback provided. These goals would be made accessible throughout the day, and the
teacher would also suggest at different points that they reference them to reflect and check their
progress. Overall, this feedback enhances the educational experiences of the students because
without such responsiveness, the students are level carrying out tasks without such purposefulness
that can come from this area of Danielson’s Framework. With that being said, as I plan for my own
classroom that I will hopefully have this fall, I will devise strategies and create resources that will
help be to achieve this goal with consistency on a daily and weekly basis.
2. As I begin my career, I would like to set the goal of reinforcing students taking pride in their own
work through including more frequent opportunities to show off their efforts. In my student teaching
experience, I noticed that the teachers in the school as a whole were generally overwhelmed with the
curriculum. Thus, in attempting to stay on track, opportunities were lost that could have been offered
to the students to publish works for viewing. I feel that the inclusion of this is critical because it
makes their work more purposeful resulting in the creation of stronger pieces of work, an authentic
audience can be established, and in general, the pride that results will help to develop confident and
excited learners. I will ensure that a board in the classroom is designated for the presentation of work
that the students feel proud of. There will be opportunities present projects to peers and other
audience members of choice. Instances of showing of work can also be made school-wide and
external to the school. For instance, if the students produce a certain genre of writing throughout a
unit, individual books, or a class book can be created that is made available in the school library.
Assemblies or field trips can take place in which the students share their findings and work that has
been created to make a difference in the lives of others. In these opportunities, learning is co-created
and experiences are enhanced due to the fact that the students will come to value their education and
individual efforts they partake in each day. Instilling confidence through such strategies is critical.
3. While I have refined my skills in differentiating within each lesson, I feel that I should continue to
work on providing enrichment for the students who would benefit. Pertaining to these phonics
lessons, alternative enrichment activities were not included for the students who are typically strong
because I noticed that although they scored well on assessments, their applications of such
knowledge in their reading and pieces of and writing was not carrier over. Therefore, I felt that
involving these students in the entirety of the lesson would allow them to practice and apply their
learning in these tasks in a more focused manner. Thus, in the reading and writing tasks that were
included in the phonics lessons, I felt that it was sufficient enrichment by allowing for creativity
while reinforcing the usefulness of these skills. With that being said, in an alternative situation
within which the skills of the students have been identified to have been mastered in all of their uses,
the pre-planning, as well as in-the-moment devising of enrichment activities would be valuable.
Using prior knowledge of the students and their abilities, I can differentiate lessons to include
alternative tasks associated with the same topic the remaining students will be working on, but with
increased challenge and extension of knowledge. For instance, in a recent circumstance for a student
who exhibited proficiency in the learning targets for the math and science lessons we were working
on, I enriched this student’s experience by providing him with questions about potential energy,
kinetic energy, variables, and equations. From his research and discussion with me, I was able to
carry this enrichment over to the following days. Through small-group instruction, I was able to
teach the student and a peer about using and solving equations with variables to understand the
scientific principles, as well as graphing information based on the data associated with these
variables. With this example, I feel confident in my able to provide enrichment to students, but it is
the task of maintaining awareness during my lesson planning that will enable me to strengthen my
lessons through the inclusion of differentiation that is not only for those with needs for interventions
and support, but also for those who have developed their skills at a faster pace.