Reflection on Assessed Student Work Sample

Standards Used
3.OA.1: Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 x 7 as the
total umber of objects in 5 groups of 7 objects each.

3.OA.2: Interpret whole-number quotients of whole numbers e.g.,
interpret 56/8 as the number of objects in each share when 56 objects
are partitioned equally into 8 shares, or as a number of shares when 56
objects are partitioned into equal shares of 8 objects each.

3.OA.5: Apply properties of operations as strategies to multiply and
divide.

3.OA.6: Understand division as an unknown-factor problem. For example,
find 32/8 by finding the number that makes 32 when multiplied by 8.

Based on the pre-assessment data I decided to dig deeper into the
commutative property. The kids seemed to grasp the basic idea that
when you switch the order of a multiplication problem, 4 x 2 and 2 x 4
both equal 8. However, when it came to explaining the actual property the
kids struggled. Almost every student got the problem wrong.
I got a chance to talk with my teacher and she helped me plan out my
next assessment and lesson to help the students further develop their
ideas on the commutative property. The formative assessment got the
kids to work with the multiplication property and enabled the students to
read, draw, and write out their thinking for the assessment.
Looking at the results of the formative assessment there were 4 kids
that got well below 80% and clearly were still struggling with the
commutative property. Seeing that the majority of the class either stayed
the same or improved to 100%, on the formative probe, I felt that the one
small group of four students were the only ones who needed some strong
one-on-one time to help them grasp the main idea of the commutative
multiplication property.
The intervention I planned has the kids using hands on manipulatives
to solve the problems and working with white boards to write out the
problems again using words. They were able to work through the
problems with me at a much slower more at the pace they needed to see
the relationships of working with multiplication problems and being able
to understand that the commutative property is basically just flip-
flopping the equation around.
I was happy to see how much all my students improved through the
lessons and how all their scores improved at least 10% from the pre-
assessment. They were able to fully explain what the commutative
property of multiplication is and they were able to draw pictures and
pick out what parts were necessary for the commutative property to work
correctly.
I had white boards for all the students and they were all able to create
their own commutative property problem. With their improved scores
and the data to back up their success I feel comfortable moving them
onto the distributive property. I have a feeling that for the most part the
class will fall into the same group of lower data and need the material
broken down at a slower pace. Although, knowing they can do the work
some of the kids just needed a slow down so they could process the work
the way the needed. Having manipulatives available, for the kids who
show signs of struggle, will be a big asset to have when they first need it
instead of trying to back track upon the material they struggled with for
over a week.
The progress these students made from the start with the pre-
assessment to the final post assessment was such an improvement all
across the board. Im impressed with the willingness to learn this class
showed right from the beginning. The students who scored higher on the
pre-assessment were still able to make progress with this concept by
becoming student teachers, which allows them to help other students
who are struggling with a problem or just have a question while I was
working with another student. The lower level learners seemed to be just
as engaged to learn as the students who understood the concepts better.
They were willing to ask for help and to take their time and to actually
get the help they need to succeed.
It takes time and energy to fully understand the ability of the
students you have. They all have different needs and I have to do my best
to cover enough material to help them all become successful. Its hard to
know which mathematical practices will actually work and which ones
you will have to scrap half way through a lesson. I love getting to know
the kids better and being able to further invest my time teaching them
the way that will help them learn math the best and most effective way
possible.
It all comes together as you work through the lesson. By identifying
the purpose, making sure the targets match, and by selecting the
appropriate method will help guide the students and myself in the right
direction. Making sure I am using quality guidelines for what materials
Im giving will help the outcome be of value to the students and be of
value to have a higher purpose for where to go next. Ive learned to get
rid of material that is not of good quality or biased in any way, even silly
words that the kids would find distracting are a key to having the
material altered just slightly. Ive learned that by having a quality
assessment tool I can be sure of where to start my next lesson, whether it
is re-teaching in a new way or moving on to the next main idea because
the students understand the topic at hand
No matter what the subject or topic Im going to teach the more
supportive attitude and excitement I can bring to the lesson will truly
make the lesson more enjoyable for everyone! Its easy to get sidetracked
and let my emotions show, but not letting the kids see me struggle or feel
a certain way about a lesson really changes the whole atmosphere with
these kids. The students enjoy the freedom to learn how they learn best,
which is easy to do if you have the time to let them share their ideas and
allow them the opportunity to grow with the lesson in different ways
rather than just one set path.