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Teacher Work Sample

Civil Rights Movement (3/1-3/9)
Cassie MacDonald
Colorado State University

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SETTING AND CONTEXT.....................................................................................3

UNIT TOPIC AND RATIONALE............................................................................6
UNIT STANDARDS AND GOALS.........................................................................8
DAILY LESSON PLANS.......................................................................................12
INSTRUCTION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN....................................................17
ASSESSMENT DATA AND ANALYSIS...............................................................19
STUDENT TEACHING REFLECTION................................................................23
WORKS CITED..26

SETTING AND CONTEXT

For the past five months I have had the opportunity to student teach at Thompson Valley
High School. Since January I have built a great culture amongst my community, my cohort and

my students. The community at TVHS is a part of Thompson School District which encompasses
Loveland, Berthoud, Mason Ville, Drake and parts of South Fort Collins. Thompson School
District is the 16th largest school district and serves 15,000 students.
Thompson Valley High School serves 1,328 students, whom are 46% female, and 54%
male. 28% of the students at TVHS are on free/reduced lunches. 84% of students at TVHS are
white, and 13% are Hispanic. 28% of students at TVHS are on free/reduced lunches. One of the
best parts about working at Thompson Valley is the fact that the school offers a variety of
opportunities for all different types of students. At school students participate in everything from
automotive technology, agricultural classes, 26 AP courses to pick from and over 30 state
sponsored sports, and 20 sponsored clubs. The list of student activities kids can decide to get
involved in is long and students take the opportunity to get involved. When students get involved
in their school culture more, they are likely to do better in their coursework, which helps while
teaching.
The school wide policies that keep the high school organized and systematic seem to
have fallen away in the past couple of years. When I first arrived at Thompson Valley as a 450
student from Colorado State University, attitudes about the schools atmosphere and organization
seemed to be negative. 450 students like myself, had a hard time in their classes, watching
teachers not hold their students accountable and the support from the administration also seemed
lacking. My professor even made a comment, that she had never seen Thompson Valley like this
before. Throughout my semester, the teachers have fought hard to try to organize a step by step
routine of how to control students behavior in a way that makes sense. At a meeting, we decided
that if students were tardy to class, we would first give them a warning, then lunch detention,
then if they didnt show up to lunch detention, assign them another one and then after that give

them work detail, where students would be picking up trash around the school. I implemented
these policies before that discussion, but other teachers began to use it as well. Honestly, students
seem to be the ones in control. During lunch, they wander around the halls and do what they like.
If I walk the halls during an off period, students are found clustering in the cafeteria and
hallways. I have walked students who were ditching to their class, and honestly I do not believe
that is a job for a teacher to be doing on their off hour. Teachers have to leave discipline entirely
up to themselves. When I have to discipline a student in class, I give them a warning and then a
lunch detention. During lunch detention they come to my classroom. Dealing with classroom
management in a school that does not set strict guidelines for their students is frustrating. The
teachers I have met seem flustered, and cannot perform to the best of their abilities. It is hard to
see the staff fall apart, and it is very hard to see the students take advantage of the system.
My classroom environment is very different then I thought it ever would be, and I like
that. I thought students were going to be hesitant to let me be their teacher, and I thought students
were going to be shy and quiet. When students walk into my class, they gather in a big group and
hang out and talk before. Many come running up to me, to ask how my weekend went or to ask
about an assignment! The first class I teach is Modern American History with juniors. The
juniors are quieter and more reserved, but I connect with those students on a different level.
Because I am in college, they ask me a lot about my experience and about my future. I really like
having discussions with my juniors. Another huge advantage to teaching juniors, is the fact that
they are easily on task. When they walk in they know what is expected of them and get to work. I
really do not use CHAMPS in my junior class unless I absolutely have to. Typically, if they seem
to be a little rowdy, I put it back on them. You guys are juniors, you know what the expectations

are. Within seconds they are ready to get back to work. I also teach Pre-AP Civics. I absolutely
love teaching freshman, and hope to in the future!
The freshman are a rowdy bunch and are always ready to learn. The students ask so many
questions and come up with great scenarios to ask! Pre-AP is preparing students for the AP world
and they challenge themselves to be the best. I have a great relationship with the freshman
students, and frequently they hang out during lunch or after school with me, sometimes just to
talk. I also teach regular Civics. I only have about 14 students in that class which is a great
experience! I love having small classroom activities. That class began rowdy, and I instituted a
student of the week. When a student is off task I just let them know that they could be at risk
of not getting student of the week! The students really respond great to positive reinforcement, I
honestly think that they have gotten enough negative reinforcement in their life, which they dont
react to anymore. There are only 3 girls in that class, and one student is frequently not their
because of family issues. At first, I was a little nervous about those classroom dynamics, but it is
a lot of fun, and the class is growing close. I also ask students for feedback most frequently in
that class. Students will come up to me and say I want more review, more discussions, more
group activity and I listen. All my students, especially in Civics know that I am there for them.
Students feel comfortable enough to approach me and say, can I have my phone out today, there
was something going on with a family member. I love the relationships I have built in my
classroom. There is nothing more rewarding then the quiet kid that never talks, coming in to talk
about a boy that she really liked, or showing me family pictures. Although the schools
expectations are not lined up, I see a shift and hope that TVHS will restore the glory it once had.
I have loved working here, and will miss the people that have mentored me thus far in my career.

UNIT TOPIC AND RATIONALE

The unit I chose to do my work sample on was the Civil Rights Movement. I have a lot of
background knowledge on the subject, and was most excited to teach this unit. The way I
organized the unit, was by using my cooperating teachers know and be able to sheet. I hope to
use these sheets in the future. The KABAT sheet is spilt up into three sections, with correlating
vocabulary material underneath and the target standards it hits at the bottom of the page. At the
beginning of the unit, I make sure to give all my students the KABAT sheet, so they understand
what they are supposed to be learning. I also organize lectures according to the KABAT sheet,
and when making tests, look at the sheet to stay on track, and not confuse the students. The three
sections include: 1. Summarize the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, 2. Assess the
federal governments role in ending segregation and ensuring voting rights and 3. Understanding
why the Civil Rights movement had a mixed legacy.
In the first section, summarizing the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, I wanted to
make it clear that the Civil Rights movement did not just one day happen, as many students
believe, but that the timing was intentional. The Civil Rights movement had been going on, and
picking up momentum in America for years. Throughout the Civil War, into WWI and WWII, the
way blacks were treated affected America on a global scale. I wanted to show this to students.
Another huge aspect of Section I, was the way in which the protesters reacted to violence. They
responded to violence with grace and patience, and that was a huge part of why the movement
was successful (but there were also unsuccessful moments.)
In the second section, how the federal government reacted, I wanted to make sure
students understood that the government had a huge impact on the movement, as did the
movement on the federal government. The Civil Rights movement, help to get Kennedy into

office, and Johnson continued his legacy. The Civil Rights movement sparked legislation, and
during the Warren Court, you can also see that our society became more liberal. Also, the Civil
Rights movement was happening amongst other large world issues (Vietnam War,
Counterculture, Womens movement) and every movement and issue intertwined and affected
each other.
Lastly, I wanted to discuss how the movement had a mixed legacy. Individuals like
MLKJ and Rosa Parks made sure that the people would not react to violence, but violence was
created by the movement with leaders like Malcolm X and the Black Panthers. They wanted to
completely split from society, and so it is important that students see both sides and decide for
themselves which one was more important or influential.
The standards addressed by this unit are hefty. In my cooperating teachers KABAT it states the
standards that are addressed are, H1-1 How does the point of view of the historian impact how
history is interpreted? H2-1 What impact have individuals had on history? H2-5 How has
diversity impacted the concepts of change over time? H3-1 What if the belief all men are created
equal did not exist? H3-4 How have philosophical and religious traditions affected the
development of political institutions? The Section questions and vocabulary that students had to
address all relate to these standards. The standards are directly on the KABAT sheet, so students can
look at it, ask themselves these questions, and by the end of the unit, address what they do know, and
what they need more help with.
I loved working with the students during the Civil Rights unit. I think the best part was looking
at how the Civil Rights unit relates to their own lives, and the world. I loved sharing my personal
story with students, and having them share theirs with me. I grew during this unit, and tried to have
to students look at the bigger picture: that this movement continues today, whether it is about African

Americans, women or homosexuality. I really liked learning about my students opinions and
arguments. I cannot wait to teach this information one day again.

UNIT STANDARDS AND GOALS

Civil Rights Movement Unit Plan
Teacher: Ms. MacDonald
Class: 11th grade Modern America
Meets: 1, 7 periods, MTWF
Length of Time Needed: 2 weeks
Standards addressed in this unit:
1. Develop an understanding of how people view, construct and interpret history,
(Colorado Department of Education).
2. Analyze key historical periods and patterns of change over time and across nations and
cultures, (Colorado Department of Education).
Big Ideas:
1. The Civil Rights movement was a sequence of events that was timed and organized.
2. The complex relationship that the Civil Rights movement had on the presidencys at the
time, the Vietnam War, the Red Scare, the Warren Court all interrelate to shape what
America is like today.
Essential Questions:
1. How was the Civil Rights movement timed? Why did it not happen before/after? Was it
happening?
2. How did the movement shape how people of different cultures interact today?

Assessment: How will you test students to be sure that they learned what you hoped they
would?
1. Pre-test
a. Students will be given a 10 question multiple choice quiz that covers what they
will be learning throughout the unit. These questions will then be on their test at
the end of the Unit, and students will be able to see their growth.
2. Group Activity: At the end of the unit, students will have to for a second time learn
the information and display it to the class.

3. Category Activity: Students will have to place all the material they learned into
categories, people, organizations and laws. (This will help students organize the
material in their own head)
4. checks in understanding
a. Everyday students will have the opportunity to engage in discussions with peers
and teachers.
b. During mini-lectures, I will make sure students raise their hands if they are
struggling to understand material.
5. Civil Rights Unit Exam: Students will take a test that covers information from today.
The test will include cartoons students must analyze, pictures where students will
have to pick an object and write a personal narrative from that characters
perspective, and finally students will have to analyze graphs relating to todays issues
in civil rights.
Student Learning Objectives:
1. Students will be able to describe how the Civil Rights movement began, how the federal
governments role in the movement shaped it and how the legacy of the Civil Rights
movement was mixed.
2. Students will be able to identify how the Civil Rights movement takes shape today.
Where do students see these problems in todays world?
Getting Learning Underway:
1. Anticipatory set: See, Think, Wonder
a. Have students look at the picture of Elizabeth Eckford, the girl from the famous
Little Rock Nine picture.
b. Students have to write down what they see. I will call on two students to ask them
what they see. Then I will ask two others by cold calling, just to ask them what
they think about the picture.
c. Students will then write down what they wonder about it. Examples:
What did that girl do?
Where are they? Why are they so angry?
It is important that the students ask these questions. This will help them get excited about what
they are learning. At the end of the day, I will teach them about Little Rock Nine and give them
some information about the women today.

After students complete the See, Think, Wonder, I will lecture on the material in Section I.
2. Day II: Anticipatory set: What would it be like?
a. When students walk in to class, they will be given either a blue or red sheet of
paper. The paper will separate the students in the class into two groups.
b. On the board, students will see a big, Quiz Today On the board.
c. The kids that get the blue sheet of paper will have to sit in the back of the
classroom. The students that receive the blue sheet will be given a quiz that

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says, Please cite the 13th, 14th, and 15th, amendment the students who receive
the red paper, will sit in the front and be given a quiz that says, what is your
name? What is your age? What school do you attend?
d. After students take the quiz, I will only call on kids in the red group and their
answers will be easy and different.
After students see that their quizzes are different we will talk about what the quiz relates to, what
sitting in the back of the classroom relate to and what things we have learned about that correlate
with the activity we just did that all relate to the Civil Rights movement.
e. After the discussion, students will be asked to write on their sheet of paper,
what is one way you are discriminated against (I will share my own story,
hoping that students will open up.)
f. I will also ask students: What is another way you have seen discrimination in
the world, today or in the past. (I will ask students to share this answer only)
Vocabulary for the Unit
Thurgood Marshall

Freedom Riders

Malcolm X

Brown v. Board of
Education
Rosa Parks
MLKJ
SCLC

James Meredith

Stokeley Carmichael

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Voting Rights Act of 1965
De Facto Segregation,
De Jure Segregation

Black Power

STRUCTURED OVERVIEW:
CIVIL
RIGHTS
MOVEMENT

BEGINNING

END AND
MIXED
LEGACY

Part II -- PHASE TWO Building Background Knowledge Deepening Knowledge

1. Mini LectureI will lecture on Section II and III. After III, I will have students work on
building their vocabulary.
2. Go over the vocabulary terms as a class. Break students into group of two and have
them organize their vocabulary into three subgroups: People, Organizations and Laws
relating to the civil rights movement. Students will create a graphic organizer in which

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they separate the three groups and define all of them. This will help the students
understand that all of the material in the unit go together.
3.
Part III -- PHASE THREE Deepening and Retaining Knowledge
1. After students have gone over all the material, I will break students into seven groups
where they will have to create a poster, and teach the material to the class. Students will
have to define the words on the poster, talk about how it shaped the Civil Rights
movement, draw a picture, and find a law, person, or organization that they have to
compare it to in todays world.
2. The students must use their IPADs in order to find their information. At the end students
will present their material to the class.
GROUPS:
1. Thurgood Marshall, Brown v. Board, Plessy v. Ferguson
2. De Facto Segregation, De Jure
3. Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965
4. Rosa Parks, MLKJ, James Meredith
5. SCLC, Sit Ins, Freedom Riders
6. Stokeley Carmichael, Black Power
7. Black Panthers, Malcolm X
Throughout the presentations, I will ask questions (one for the group and one cold call for
the class to make sure everyone is on task and focused)
SECOND ACTIVITY:
1. Students will be given a summative assessment that discusses how the Civil Rights
movement relates to today. Students have a ton of summative assessments in this course,
and so I made this test more interactive and fun!
2. Students will be given cartoons to analyze how the Civil Rights movement was then vs.
now. They will be asked to analyze gay rights, and Latinos in todays world. I will ask
them, what are the cartoons talking about?
3. Next, they will be given a set of pictures, within the pictures students will have to pick a
character in which they discuss their perspective. I made it clear that students must
outline what is going on in the picture and not just talk about the character.
4. Lastly, students will pick one of the graphs and discuss how the graphs relate to the Civil
Rights movement today (womens rights, African Americans in poverty today)
5. The last question on the test will discuss whether or not we still deal with Civil Rights
issues today. I am hoping students understand that these issues in todays world are
prevalent.

DAILY LESSON PLANS

LESSON PLANS--- CIVIL RIGHTS UNIT
Teacher: Ms. MacDonald
School, Grade, Class: Thompson Valley High School, 11th grade, Modern America History

DAY 1: A DAY IN THE LIFE

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Content Standards: Evaluate a historical source for point of view.

Understanding: The perspectives and points-of-view help to shape how history is constructed
throughout time.
Inquiry Questions: How does this historical photograph construct history? How does it affect
societal opinions?
Evidence Outcomes: ( C ): Using the Little Rock Nine Photograph of Elizabeth Eckford, (A):
Students will (B): On their own create a picture in their head of what they See, Think, Wonder
about the situation that is happening before they learn about the historical context. (D): By
writing down and sharing what they see, think and wonder about what is going on in the
photograph.
Assessment: Students will turn in what they Saw, Thought and wondered and after the
learning gets underway, they will get to see if their guess was correct. The student own opinion
of the situation happening will be constructed and tested.
Time and Materials:
1

The class is a 47 minute period. We will first do the See, Think, Wonder and then go into
discussion and mini-lecture so that the students get to figure out what really happened.

Procedures:
1
2
3

See, Think, Wonder on their own. (10 minutes)

Discussion of what everyone saw, thought and wondered. (15 minutes)
Mini Lecture on the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement (Students get to find out
what really happened) (15-20 minutes)

Differentiation: Students have the chance to look at photographs, discuss what they had to think
about with peers, time to write on their own, and note take.
Accommodations: This activity is really up to the student. Students can go above and beyond to
shape what they saw, thought or wondered, and if students were lost, they could get peer
interaction and see what they thought about the picture. I really liked that the learning is in their
hands first, and then as the class goes on, it becomes more involved.

Lesson Reflection:
To what extent were the lesson objectives achieved?
I believe that the lesson objectives were achieved because students were thoughtful in their
response. They sat their quietly, and reacted to the strong emotional photograph. Students shared
what they thought, and then when they learned about what happened they were excited and
seemed to stay interested in the subject.

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What changes, additions would you make if you were to teach it again?
If I had a longer class period, I would want to show a few pictures and do a See, Think, Wonder
several times throughout the lecture, I think it would help keep students engaged in discussion
and the class. I really like this teaching method, it is creative and gets the students involved,
when I have to lecture.

DAY 2: A DAY IN THE LIFE 2

Content Standards: Evaluate a historical source for point of view.
Understanding: The perspectives and points-of-view help to shape how history is constructed
throughout time.
Inquiry Questions: What would it be like to live as an African American during the Civil Rights
movement?
Evidence Outcomes: ( C): Using my quiz, my background knowledge, and my peers, (A):
students will (B): Be separated based on whether they received a red or blue sheet of paper and
given a different test (D): and finally feel what it feels like to be an outcast from society.
Assessments:
1
2

Discussion with the class on what the sheet of paper, sitting at the back of the class, and
the quiz represent.
On their blue or red sheet of paper, students must write one way they have been
discriminated against and one way in which they have seen it in history either today, or
before the Civil Rights movement.

Time and Materials:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Students enter class and are given, either a red of blue sheet of paper.
The students with the blue sheet of paper must sit in the back, and are given a quiz on
reciting the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments.
Students with a red sheet, get to sit in the front and are given a quiz on what their name,
age and high school is.
Students in the front are the only ones allowed to talk during this (5-10) minute period of
class.
I then tell everyone that has a red sheet of paper to place a 100% of their test.
Everyone in the back I tell them to pass it forward and they will be graded when I feel
like it.
Then students and I will have a discussion on what that represents and how they felt.

Closure: Students will write on their red or blue sheet, one way they have been discriminated
against and explain another group that has also been discriminated against (other than
African Americans)

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Differentiation: Students will get to have a discussion that relates to their own life, and I
will make sure the students that get frustrated easily, are given a red sheet of paper, so they
are not confused in the beginning.
Reflection:
What extent were the objectives achieved?
This was one of my favorite lesson plans to teach this semester. The students were reacting to
them being divided, and the conversation in the end related to the content, while also relating
it to their own life and I got to know a lot about my students that day.
What would you do different?
I really liked this activity and my only regret, is not having more time to discuss
discrimination and their own lives. Some students got really involved in the class, and
everyone was very respectful. The juniors were very mature, and I loved the conversation.

DAY 3 (BLOCK PERIOD) Categorize to Remember

Content Standards: Analyze key historical periods
Understanding: Examine how the relationships between the people, organizations, and laws
created the Civil Rights movement.
Inquiry Questions: How did the relationships between the subgroups make the Civil Rights
movement successful?
Evidence Outcomes: Students will be able to categorize their vocabulary into three
subgroups: people, organizations and laws that influenced the Civil Rights movement by
creating a graphic organizer
Assessment: Students will be graded on their accuracy and effort in their graphic organizer.
Time and Materials: I will first lecture on Section 3 so that students gather all their needed
material and then using their peers, book, cellphone and model graphic organizer students
will be able to categorize vocab in their organizer. (90 minute period)
Procedures:
1
2
3

Lecture on Section 3
Explain to students how to create the graphic organizer, and show a model one.
Give students time to do their graphic organizer and then go over it as a class, so no one
has the wrong answers.

Differentiation and Accommodations: Students will get to hear lecture, see pictures, and
then research the topics on their own, using whatever outside resources they prefer.
Reflection:
To what extent were the objectives achieved?

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Students were able to categorize the material and understand the vocabulary, which is essential to
understanding the Civil Rights movement. The lesson was a great building block for future
activities.
What would you do differently next time?
Next time when I teach this content, I hope I have more time to go over their graphic organizer
and discuss it. I did not have much time at the end, only about 10 minutes, to answer all their
answers.

DAY FOUR and FIVE: GROUP PRESENTATION TIME

Content Standards: Use the historical method of inquiry to ask questions, evaluate primary
and secondary sources, critically analyze and interpret data and develop interpretations
defended by evidence.
Understanding: Create a poster discussing the classroom material, and relate it to the world
today.
Inquiry Questions: How did the Civil Rights movement affect todays world?
Evidence Outcomes: With a group of students, students will create a poster, defining their
groups, discussing their significance and relating it to todays world.
Assessment: Students will be graded on their posters, and presentations in class.
Time and Materials: (2) 47 minute class periods. Students need cellphones, IPads, books,
their peers, posters and markers to complete this assignment.
1 Day to work in their group to create their poster.
1 Day to present materials and take notes.
Procedures:
1

Give directions of what needs to be on the poster (Definitions, Picture, Significance and
Relation to todays world.

Differentiation and Accommodations: Students will work on their project together, but must
get individual grades. One can write, while the other draws and another does significance.
Students will be able to teach the material and will be more aware, since their peers will be
judging their posters.
Reflection:
To what extent were the objectives achieved?
I really liked the idea that students will teach each other the material, but the presentations went
too long and students were distracted, it ended up being like a full day of lecture.

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What would you do differently next time?

If I were to teach this again, I would try and create a worksheet so that students have to find the
answers on their group posters. Students are not very good at presenting information, after they
do great on their posters.

DAY SIX: SUMMATIVE TIME: TODAYS WORLD

Content Standards: Use the historical method of inquiry to ask questions, evaluate primary
and secondary sources, critically analyze and interpret data and develop interpretations defended
by evidence.
Understanding: Review historical evidence from Then vs. Now and look at how the Civil
Rights movement changed America and how it continues today.
Inquiry Questions: Does the Civil Rights movement exist today? What things did the
movement change?
Evidence Outcomes: Using my background knowledge, I will be able to analyze cartoons, take
the life of a character from one of the pictures, and analyze data from graphs and come up with
answers that support my learning and develop an opinion based on evidence of the events in the
Civil Rights movement.
Assessment:
This is a test, and will be used as a summative assessment (Cartoon Analysis, Personal Narrative,
Graph Analysis)
Time and Materials:
1
2

Test Packet and Answer Packet, Pre-Test Multiple Choice Test

(47) minutes

Procedures:
1

Students will enter the class, I will give directions on how to complete the test, and then
students will have the reminder of the period to complete the exam.

Accommodations and Differentiation: For the students that refuse to write the narrative, I will
give them a 10 multiple choice test with the 10 previously used. Students must work on this
individually and can be creative about what they write about.
Reflection:
How did this lesson go?
This was a great summative assessment and students actually became really involved in the
material and wanted to take the test. They were walking into class saying, Ugh, not another test
today, I dont want to write an essay or take a multiple choice exam. The students were
surprised by the engagement and creativity of the test, and after I handed it out, none of the
students complained.

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How would you change the lesson?

Next time, I would make the test 4-5 parts, and have the students pick three of the items to do, so
that students have more choice in what they do. I think they would really like that idea, and this
puts the learning on them again.

INSTRUCTION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN

Sequence and Organization:
For my unit plan, I took the information from my cooperating teachers KABAT sheet to
layout the unit. I did this because the students understand what KABAT means, and how the
lecture is organized. I think that it is important to take ideas from incredible teachers and build
on them. The unit was split into three sections, the beginning of the movement, the governments
involvement in it and the Civil Rights movement mixed legacy. The biggest concept I wanted to
get across to my students was that the Civil Rights movement exists today and these issues are
not just in the past, as many students like to believe.
I spent approximately two days on each section. I organized myself to introduce the movement,
and get a feel for where my students are at, and how they feel about the movement. Then I went
on to getting an understanding of the section essays and vocabulary. In order to understand the
movement, students must understand the people, organizations and laws that happened during
the movement. Students cannot understand the bigger picture without first understanding the
basic concepts.
I then went into students taking learning into their own hands after understanding the
movement and terms in lecture and activities. I split them up into groups and had them learn the
material themselves and then teach that material to their peers. Since they are juniors, they take a
bigger role in their own learning. They love being in charge, and trying to share information with
their peers. I asked questions to both the group and the class, to make sure students were focused

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and on task. I think it is important to give students some independence, to show their creativity
and prove that they can learn material in groups and alone (especially when being so close to
college.)
Literacy, Numeracy and Technology
Incorporating literacy into the unit was very easy for me. My cooperating teacher has
shown me how to use LDC questioning in previous units, and I used those questioning strategies
in the unit. During this unit I tried to use more photographs. One of my favorite things about
history are primary source photographs. When you can see real footage and real photographs, the
ideas you are learning about become concrete and real. Especially something so close to us in
terms of time in history. For their summative test, I used cartoons for students to see perspective
on how historians today shape what happened and relate it to the world today. Continuity and
change are huge concepts in being a historian and teaching students those methods is crucial in
discussing history then and today. One thing I wish I had used was more primary source
documents from letters or poems. The textbook has great excerpts from primary sources, which I
use in discussions and lectures, but I wish I had given the students time for them to quietly read
and react to them. The schedule sometimes gets in the way of that though, being only 47 minute
periods. That is some improvement I can use for the next time I teach the Civil Rights unit.
I used numeracy in the summative assessment. Students had to look at wage and college
gaps of women, and of African Americans then and now. I really liked this activity, they had to
tell me what was happening in the graph, and then I asked them how they felt about it. I think
using graphs helps students understand the material more, when they can see the real statistics. I
wish I could do interdisciplinary work, where students read a book and then take shape of a
character, giving him a budget, and a job and a house. Students could really see how their lives

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would be. I think that would be an awesome strategy for the future when trying to incorporate
numeracy.
Lastly, incorporating technology in the classroom is very important. Students are living in
an age of technological growth. Every single day, technology grows and evolves in our society. I
think working at TVHS makes it harder to do this. The technology is down frequently, and I get
nervous when relying on technology. If I do, I usually lesson plan for two different activities. I
really like assigning research problems, where students can use IPads in the classroom. If
something happens, they can all use their smartphones as well. My biggest fault is not using the
smart board during period 1, but I need more training on how to incorporate it into the
classroom. I understand that technology is important in todays world, and students seemed more
focus when they use technology (especially the boys). I need to improve and grow in this area,
but I know that and am working on it.

ASSESSMENT DATA AND ANALYSIS

Introduction:
The Data I collected for the Civil Rights Unit, consisted of a 10 multiple choice quiz that
discussed what we were learning throughout the entire unit. The students took the quiz, and I
graded them using a scan Tron, to make it completely fair for both classes. The students had the
same ten questions pre-and post. It is exciting to see the students improvement and what they
still need to work on. I plan on using a pre and post quizzes for every unit next year when I am in
my own classroom. It keeps students and teachers on track.
PERIOD 1 DATA:

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Above you will see every students individual scores and how they improved. The blue
represents how well they did during their pre-test. The orange represents how well they did on
the post test. The quiz was out of 10 points and some students received a 100% on their post
exam. Only a few students stayed the same and most of them improved (which I was very proud
of). I like seeing the orange and blue next to each other for each and every student, it really
shows the growth. I was actually more surprised with how little the students knew beforehand.
While making the quiz, I thought I had made it too easy, but students really struggled. Both
classes did about 30% better than they did originally, which I believe is significant growth.

Class Average--Period 1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

7.24

4.1

PRE VS.POST TEST

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Above, you will see that the class average moved from a 4.1/10 to a 7.24/10. I believe that is
great improvement. I was very excited to see the growth, especially since I had to quickly get
through the unit to finish before PARCC testing. Overall, I thought that my period 1 class was
going to do worse on the quiz because the students in period 1 need more accommodations, and
it turns out that they scored very similar to Period 7, which was a great surprise!
PERIOD 7 RESULTS:

CLASS AVERAGE--- PERIOD 7

9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

7.68

4.04

PRE VS. POST TEST

The average of this class improved a little more than my first period. The class started at a lower
average (4.04) and ended at a higher average (7.68), which is almost a 80 percent! As you can
see in the graph below, every single student improved their test score! I was very nervous and
excited while collecting this data and it is great to see improvement with each and every student.

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Pre-Test vs. Post-Test--Period 7

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 2110
22 23 2410
25
10
9
9 9 99
9
9 9
9
9 8
8
8
8
8 8
8
8
7
7
7 7
7
6 66
6 6
6
6
6 6
6 5
5
5 5
5 5
5
44 4 4 4
4 4 4
4
4
3 33
3
3
3 3
3
3
2
2
2
2 1
1
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
10

Pre-Test

Post Test

OVERALL ANALYSIS:
It is very rewarding looking at this data, although, I think every student should be
achieving even more, I think that this is great to see. I want to show the students their
improvement so that they can see that they are actually learning. I think I need to start collecting
this data before and after each unit. I think it would show as evidence to my supervisor, and also
just keep me on task. Sometimes, I feel like I am not achieving much on a day to day basis, and
then I look back and realize that the students are learning, and that is an exciting and rewarding
experience!

STUDENT TEACHING REFLECTION

This past semester has been the most influential semester of my life in regards to growing
intellectually, emotionally and professionally. I have grown into the teacher that I want to be, I
am more clear of who I am as a person and as a teacher. Overall, the experience was a positive
one, and I worked really hard every single day. I had days that I felt like a failure, but luckily I
was able to work for a cooperating teacher who trusted me, and believed in me. I have to give

23

most of the credit to the staff that I was involved with. They took me in, made me feel like a
real teacher and gave me the tools to be successful.
The things that went well were lesson planning and the relationships that I have built. The
thing I was most nervous about going into student teaching was lesson planning. My cooperating
teacher took me under his wing and gave me access to 21 years worth of material. I slowly grew
individually and lesson planned more and more alone. Secondly, the relationships I have built,
are ones that I will never forget. First, my staff has been so supportive, and I have grown close
with several members in my school. Secondly the students, the students are a group of kids
whom I will never forget. They welcomed me as teacher into their classroom and gave me a
chance to be successful. Some students opened up to me, like I never thought they would. During
my time in high school, I only recall opening up to one teacher, and I hope that to the majority of
my students that I am that one teacher. There is nothing like a kid telling you that they are going
to miss you, or buying you a gift for your future. I was nervous that I was only going to be able
to interact with some students, but I have found things to relate to each and every student. I have
learned so much about content, about myself and about others in this experience.
I learned that teaching is one of the hardest, most draining careers out there. During my
time student teaching, I arrived at school around 6:40 am, and wouldnt leave until around 4, and
that was if I didnt have basketball, baseball or lacrosse to work. I worked 50-60 hour weeks
frequently without pay and every second was worth it. I even worked that much, when I had an
amazing teacher helping me. I am excited, but nervous to not have the support by my side, but
hope to grow with a new staff. I learned that in order to be an amazing teacher you must be
disciplined, organized and passionate.

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There were some days, when I wanted to leave at 3:15 and get home to hang out with
friends, and sometimes I did do that. It is essential to keep outside relationships close, but at the
same time, I knew that I would need to take at least an hour to grade, or plan for the next day. I
learned to use my off periods more and more as the semester went on. At the beginning, I would
relax during those times, and do more at home, and by the end I was using them fully, so that I
can go home and relax later on. Living with college students was difficult during my time, and I
am excited to live with fellow teachers.
Classroom management was the part of my semester that I improved the most. Mr.
Porzycki has a presence in the classroom, and students know when to be quiet, I hope to one day
be like that. I have learned to give students consequences for not being focused in class, but it
took me a while. I was always so nervous that, they were going to hate me, and now I look
back and realize that they respected me more after I gave consequences. I have a lot to learn, but
I think that I have improved immensely. I hope to be harder at the beginning and ease into the
semester, because it really is harder to try to give consequences later in the semester.
If I had to re-do student teaching, I would try to come up with more activities that were
my own, but I had access to so many different types of lessons and ideas that I used. I would
have spent more time planning, but again, dealing with time management is an issue, and that is
something I will get better at, in my upcoming years as a teacher.
My philosophy of being a life-long learner and believing that every student has the ability
to be successful still holds true. Although not every student is good at History, and Civics, I
believe that if you try and work hard that you can overcome whatever you need to. I was never a
strong high school student and struggled, but in a couple of weeks, I am graduating from college.
I think it is important to be an example for my students and show them that they can do what

25

they want in life and that if they work hard, I will help them grow and succeed. I cannot wait to
see what the future has in store, and I know that if I stick to my passion and love for teaching,
that I will do great things, and have something to be proud of later in life.

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WORKS CITED
"District Spotlight." Thompson School District / Home Page. Thompson School District, n.d.
Web. 06 May 2015. <http://thompson.k12.co.us/site/default.aspx?PageID=1>.
"Our School." Thompson Valley High School. Thompson School District, n.d. Web. 06 May
2015. <http://www.thompsonschools.org/thompsonvalley>.
Porzycki, Robert. "KABAT-- Civil Rights Unit." N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2015.
"Social Studies Academic Standards." Colorado Department of Education. CDE, 2009. Web. 6
May 2015. <https://www.cde.state.co.us/cosocialstudies/statestandards>.