Teacher Work Sample

Mitch McFall
EDUC 450/486
Dr. Frederiksen

TWS Section 1: Setting and Context

The community at Thompson Valley is not like any that I have encountered before in my
PDS experience, seeing as it is in an entirely different town, and even though I have spent time in
Loveland, seeing their teaching, and student body, is familiar yet foreign. The day to day culture
seems like everyone is mostly respecting of each other, but there seem to be some behind the
scenes warfare. Not necessarily bad, but not the best. I however, love all the various options for
students to participate in extracurricular activities. The various different sports seem like a great
way for students to feel like part of the school, and participate in their school community. The
parent side seems also very welcome to inclusion, whether that is in school or on the
extracurricular side. The overall learning climate seems warm, as in when the teacher is
completely open to helping each and every student. I have talked to some students, and they have
said that there are teachers who dont seem so open to helping students, but they are few and far
between. The student body is mostly White, followed second by Hispanic (W = 922, H = 203).
The schools mission is to empower learning, challenge achievement and inspire students to
excel, which is something I have already seen in the schools culture.
I have a fairly small group of students I will be teaching, about 24 students. The
classroom isnt very large, about the size of our meeting room. They all seem pretty bright,
although some students just seem like they dont want to be there. One student the other day just
got up and left about 15 minutes into class. Never came back. We dont have any students with
special needs, and all the students seem to be in a range of abilities where they arent too bored
with the class, but not over challenged. The teacher and students seem to have a respect for each
other, where the students sometimes challenge her, but when she stomps down, they give up.
Like they are just trying to have fun with her, simply because she is a younger teacher. The
demographics would be pretty reflective of the school, mostly White, a couple Hispanic students,
and a few other ethnicities.
In the classroom, we have mostly covered the main challenges a teen will encounter in
their young adult life, some things to do with school, and things to do with human interaction in
general. The students seem to know the basics about the topics, but we tend to go deeper than the
students expect, which is where they really learn new things. I am going to help teach bullying as
a topic, but the lesson is going to be student-creation centered. The strategy I will use will be the
Making Time for Our Own Learning, I want to do an activity where the kids get into groups, and
work on different types of bullying, and their effects on both parties, the bully and the bullee (I
guess). This method is all about collaboration, and getting the students to put their heads together
to try and find out why bullying is so harmful, and ways we can possibly prevent it.

Here is the layout of my classroom, sorry for the bad quality, I used paint on my computer.

The door on top leads to the hallway, while the door on the bottom leads to another classroom.
There are tables all across the room, and the one in the bottom corner is the teachers desk. There
is a white board at the front of the class.

TWS Section 2a: Lesson Plan and Reflection 1

Teacher: Mitch McFall

School/Grade: Thompson Valley High School, Mixed grade
Date: 10/13/15
Content Area: Teen Challenges, Bullying
Title: Bullying Prevention Posters

Content Standards:
https://www.cde.state.co.us/pbis/bullying/index

Understandings:
I understand the different types of bullying methods, and can address solutions, or preventions for these methods.
Inquiry Questions:
What are some different methods of bullying?
What are some signs a student is being bullied?
What are some ways to prevent bullying?
What are some ways to deal with a bullying situation?

Evidence Outcomes:
Every student will be able to address the causes of bullying, and either prevent, or appropriately react to a bullying
situation.
I can recognize the basic symptoms of a bully victim, and appropriately help the individual.
This means that I can accurately identify who is being bullied, what the best solution to the problem is, and be able
to apply this knowledge.
List of Assessments:
Have students design a poster, that properly portrays a message against bullying, in the matter that they see
best. As a group, each will get a large sheet of paper, and coloring materials, and they will create a colorful,
attractive, anti-bullying/bullying prevention poster that will either be posted around the classroom, or
around the school.

List of Significant Vocabulary:

Bullying, Prevention, Reaction, Victim

Name and Purpose of Lesson:

Bullying Prevention Posters

To get the students thinking about the causes of bullying in their school, and ways to either prevent it from
happening, or to take care of the problem.
Approximate Time and Materials:
The activity should take up the majority of the class, with a brief class collaboration at the beginning. I will need
poster paper, as well as coloring materials.
Pre-Assessment:
Class Collaboration: I will ask the students what they believe certain methods of bullying are, and ways they can
either appropriately react, or prevent each method. I will write all of these on the board, and use them as a leaping
off idea for the poster project.
Anticipatory:
I have found a video, titled Boys reaction to bullying will melt your heart, which shows a story about 5
elementary school kids, who have adopted a special needs child who was being bullied, to become part of their
friend circle. I want to show this, to help the students get into the mindset of simple, yet effective ways to stop
bullying, or even prevent it in the first place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdeuivQYnas
After that, I will begin the main activity, by asking students what some forms of bullying they have seen, and what
some ways to react, or prevent those methods would be, while I write them on the board. Students will then use
these examples as a point from which to create their posters.
Procedures:
1.

Hook: show the video about bullying, and ask short questions about what the students thought
about it.

2.

Introduction: begin by asking the students about various methods they have seen, and ask for
possible responses to them. Write them on the board, and use that as topics for the various groups
posters.

3.

Main Activity: have the groups of students grab a large piece of poster paper and coloring utensils.
The students will then pick a bullying topic, and design their poster around that. The posters will
be judged based on aesthetic quality, as well as the overall quality of the information portrayed on
the poster.

Summary (if there is time): have the students do a mini presentation about their posters, and afterwards, we will post
them either around the school if possible, or around the classroom.
Modification: have students who are perhaps artistically challenged, either do a information based poster, and of
course, always offer information, or opinions about the subject they are designing about.
Extension: have the students who are finding this a little too easy, go further into the assignment, maybe use their
phones to find resources for bullying prevention, and use that in their poster, include a URL, or association, etc.
Assessment: Have the students designed posters that get the information portrayed accurately? Do the students
understand ways to appropriately respond to bullies? Can students accurately demonstrate ways to prevent bullying
in their school?

Reflection:

This lesson was a great opportunity to expose the children to the reality of bullying in the
United States, and show them that not much is really done to combat the fact that students
everywhere are going through daily hardships, all because someone is picking on them at school.
Ms. Evans and I started the unit by having the children watch the movie Bully, which is a
documentary following several children across the country who are victims of a bullying
environment. The students had to write a reflection on the movie, and different types of bullying,
and how they can be prevented or solved.
When I took over for my lesson, I had a brief discussion before the main activity. I asked
the class as a whole, what they have seen being done to solve the problem of bullying. The only
answer I got, was from one of my freshman students, and she said Nothing.. I asked her to say
it louder, and louder, and then I repeated it. It really bothers me when administrative staff, and
not just in one school or another, but across the nation, says they do all they can, when in reality,
the only effort they give is to make some presentation, or some announcement. What good does
that do? None. As a class, we all discussed this for about 10 minutes, and I got the kids into the
mindset of wanting to make a change.
The main activity we did, was to have all my students create group posters that were
hung up around the school. Almost all of the students did an amazing job, with a few who kind
of took it as a joke at first, but they warmed up to the idea. The posters turned out very well, and
Im proud that the students actually wanted to try to make a difference. All the posters are now
hung up around the school, and whenever I walk around the building, I see them, and know that
other students see them as well. Having that impact on kids is one thing I want from my teaching
career, and even this little lesson has shown me that I can do that. Im really good at getting kids
pumped up I guess.

TWS Section 2b: Lesson Plan and Reflection 2

Teacher: Mitch McFall

School: Thompson Valley HS

Grade Level: Mixed

Title: Contraceptive/STD Introduction

Date: 11/10/15

Content Area: Teen Challenges and Choices Lesson: 1 of 2

Content Standards:
TCHS.01

Human Sexuality

FMCS.07

(Teen) Evaluate management practices related to human, economic and environmental resources.

FMCS.07.01
(Teen) Demonstrate the management of individual and family resources such as food, clothing,
shelter, health care, recreation, transportation, time and human capital.
FMCS.07.01.b (Teen) Summarize information about procuring and maintaining health care to meet the needs of
individuals and family members.
FMCS.08
(Teen) Use reasoning processes, individually and collaboratively, to take responsible action in
families, workplaces and communities.
FMCS.08.05
(Teen) Demonstrate scientific inquiry and reasoning to gain factual knowledge and test theories on
which to base judgments for action.
FMCS.08.05.a

(Teen) Delineate scope, concepts, and scientific terminology for a particular inquiry.

FMCS.08.05.b

(Teen) Judge validity and reliability of information, sources, opinions, and evidence.

TCHS.02

Teen Pregnancy

FMCS.08.02

(Teen) Analyze recurring and evolving family, workplace and community concerns.

FMCS.08.02.a (Teen) Classify different types of concerns (e.g., theoretic, technical, practical) and possible
methods for addressing them.
Learning Objective:
I will be able to accurately identify different types of contraceptives, and their effectiveness against preventing
pregnancy, and preventing STDs. I will also be able to describe various sexually transmitted diseases and infections,
their symptoms, and treatment methods for said STDs.
Understandings:
I can describe different methods of contraceptives, and why or why not each method is effective, or ineffective
against preventing pregnancy and the contraction of STDs.
Inquiry Questions:
-

What are some different methods of contraceptives?

What makes some of these methods effective or ineffective? Why?

What are some different types of STDs, and how can you prevent contracting them?

Evidence Outcomes:
Every student will be able to: choose various forms of contraceptives, and describe their effectiveness against
pregnancy and prevention of STDs, as well as identify various types of STDs and how to prevent them.

I can: identify types of contraceptive methods, and how they work, as well as different types of STDs and how I can
prevent contracting them.
This means: students will be efficient in their ability to choose from lists of contraceptives and STDs, and choose
the best method for handling both in an accurate, and efficient manner.
List of Assessments:
Students will be given a list of Contraceptives, and they will accurately identify which are most effective towards
preventing pregnancy and STDs.
Students will in groups, research the various types of STDs, and create a presentation about the symptoms,
diagnosis, complications and treatment of said disease.
Significant Vocabulary:
Contraceptive, Sexually Transmitted Disease, Prevention, Effectiveness
Name and Purpose of Lesson:
Contraceptive and STD Introduction
To introduce students to the various methods of contraceptives, as well as the different types of STDs present in the
world, and how to prevent contracting them.
Approximate Time, Materials and Procedures:
The activity will take two full classes, with the first being primarily for information introduction, and basic research.
The second class will mostly consist of presentations, with some time for finishing up the presentation building at
the beginning. The students will all need access to a laptop or internet capable device for research and creation of a
presentation. I will need a computer to display the introduction presentation.
Pre-Assessment:
Ask the students about how many contraceptive methods they know, and which they believe are most effective at
preventing pregnancy and STD contraction. The students should be able to identify various types of STDs as well,
and know why they are dangerous.

Anticipatory:
Hook: Have students give examples of contraceptives, and guess as to which are most effective in preventing
pregnancy, and STDs.
Introduction: Talk about the why each of the methods are effective or not effective for the various reasons. Dont go
into too much detail, as it will be covered in the presentation.
Motivation: Ask the kids why they think this is all important, and ask for possible connections to their lives, do they
know someone who is a teen-parent? Do they know any stories about someone who contracted an STD?
Procedures:
1.

Hook: talk about the methods of contraceptives, write them out on the board, and ask students which ones
they believe are good defenses against pregnancy. Repeat for STDs.

2.

Introduction: Discuss as a class why each method is good or bad for both pregnancy as well as STDs, and
include motivation behind the lesson.

3.

Lecture: talk about the various methods of contraceptives, and their effectiveness in preventing STDs.
Why is one method better than the other, so on and so forth.

4.

Group Presentation: assign the students into groups, and give each group an STD to research. After
assignments are handed out, give each group time to do some basic research, and plan out what their
presentation is going to look like.

Closure/Summary:
Talk about why each method of contraceptives were most practical for each prevention they were trying to
accomplish, and while the presentations are given the second day, have each student fill out the chart on the handout,
so they know about each STD the groups present on. Go over the different STDs as a class, and just review what
they learned over the past two days.
Differentiation:
I made this assignment fairly simple, and in groups, that way if some students are having a hard time, the other
students in their group can help to pick them up, or if some students arent finding this challenging enough, they can
go further in-depth with their assignment. The main body of the lesson focuses on the students gaining basic
knowledge about contraceptives and STDs, but the differentiation can be brought in during the work time.
Assessment:
I will have the students do a reflection after their presentations during the next class. I will also assess the students
ability to comprehend the information based on how accurate their presentation is according to scientific research
(i.e. is there a known cure for your assigned disease, or only treatment?).

Reflection:

My reflection isnt going to be on one specific lesson, seeing as I taught the majority of
this entire unit, but I will reflect on all my lessons, seeing as everything is a learning opportunity.
For the most part I taught the entire Sexual Education unit, from the introduction in the
beginning, all the way up to the test at the end, and I believe the kids learned somethings that
they may just take with them into life. At the beginning, Ms. Evans came up to me, and asked if I
wanted to impromptu teach for the class, and I said Sure, why? and she said that she wanted
me to because she hates teaching sex ed., and I love teaching it, so of course, I said yes.
My first lesson was kind of unplanned, so I dont have a lesson plan for it, but I pretty
much just gave a lecture on human reproduction, and anatomy, and I felt as though I did a really
good job. Obviously this entire unit is rather awkward, so in order to break that I decided to have
all the students say penis and vagina, just to get the giggles out. After that I dove into my
presentation, and all the students really got into it. There was never any giggling over terms,
unless of course, I made a silly comment or joke, but that was just to help the kids remember the
material. The kids all were asking appropriate, knowledge-seeking questions, and I would always
respond by saying, Nice question, blah blah blah answer that kind of stuff, just to make sure
not to give false information, but to get kids thinking logically. The kids really liked my
presentation, and I feel like they really got something out of it.
My second lesson was on Contraceptives and STD prevention. This one I was a little
more prepared for, and I had a self-made power point and activity ready to go. My main focus of
this was to inform students of the various types of contraceptives, and their effectiveness in
preventing STDs and pregnancy. After covering contraceptives, I started covering the dangerous
nature of sexually transmitted diseases, although I didnt want to go too in depth for those,
because the main activity for students was to create a presentation of their own to describe their
assigned disease. This was kind of an odd lesson to teach, seeing as the first time I had to teach
it, was to the first period class, with whom I havent had any contact, and they didnt really see
me as a teacher. So after that awkward lesson, my second period class came in, and we started all
over again.
The main thing I would have changed was that I didnt give the students enough time to
respond to my questions, and that was something you pointed out after observing me, so its
something we both know I shouldve changed. I feel like other than that, it was a good lesson,
and after watching the students various presentations, I feel like they really got a grasp of what I
was trying to teach them, that having sex isnt the only way to contract STDs, and not every
method of contraceptive is effective at preventing everything. Responsibility is key, and thats
probably a good overall message that I was trying to purvey, and that the kids all got.

TWS Section 3: Data Analysis

My chosen assessment was the unit test for the kids Human Sexuality unit. I did not
administer the test, however, seeing as I was in charge for the majority of the unit, I see as it was
fitting. Most of the students did alright, with some on either end of the spectrum (great vs. not
great). One of my students, who at the beginning of the class did almost nothing, got 100% on
the test, and he said it was because I influenced him to give an effort. I knew he was smart, and
just by pushing him a little, he went from not turning assignments in, to acing a test. Awesome.
For the part of What do we want each student to learn? Ive decided to say that I want
my students to know how to learn. That may sound kind of odd, but if a student can learn how to
learn, just taking a test will be like any other assignment. If the student can learn to read the
questions right, or learn to know what to look for in certain assignments that may be more
important information than the things they find interesting, then it can only benefit them for the
future. I personally wish I was taught how to learn, but unfortunately I was only taught how to
regurgitate material, and I feel like taking my personal experiences, and using that to help change
how students learn can only help them, and myself.
How will we know when each student has learned it? I feel like for each student, their
ability to show how theyve learned, or even if theyve learned at all, is completely their own.
You can ramble on all day about how each kid is different and special, but when you get down to
the brass tax, what does that all mean? One student may demonstrate that they know everything
there is to know about a certain subject, while another knows twice as much, but doodles in class
every day. I know because I was usually the doodle kid. I feel like the best way to know when
they know, is to get to personally know every one of your students, and that may seem
overwhelming at first, but just knowing how they learn the material, can help to make every day
a little easier. Plus, getting to know them all will help your relationships with them, and then they
can become more comfortable in showing when they know what they need to know.
How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning? The easiest
answer to say, would be to address them, and see if there is anything you can do to help them.
But sometimes, that isnt the right answer, maybe they dont know what to do, or this is a new
situation for them, and they are nervous, or intimidated. Another possibility would be to address
a counselor, or parent before getting to in depth with just the student. They might know what is
best for that student, and it cant hurt to make connections outside the classroom.
In the following pages is my data analysis, where I analyzed the Human Sexuality test the
students took. The first part is the assessment page, and the second section is the corresponding
examples, with the Excellent student being first, the Average being second, and the Under
Performed being third.

TWS Section 4: Modifications

The children in my class are pretty average considering the student age population of
Northern Colorado. In my class, there are a few Hispanic students, mostly Caucasian, and there
are a few students who are on the higher end of the ability spectrum, and a few on the lower end,
but mostly across the board, they are pretty average. There are a couple students who do have
IEPs, and they are the ones who do need noticeably more time in class to get assignments done.
I know most student needs are being met, because both Ms. Evans and I are ready, willing and
able to accommodate to the students when we are needed. Whenever assignments are being done
in class, or there is down time, we will allow the students to ask for help, or even just offer our
assistance to any student, challenged or not.
For example, there is one girl student, we will call her Jane, and she has trouble putting
things into order, and trouble organizing her writing. There was one day where all the students
had to write papers about bullying, and they had to find several sources to back up their essays.
The essays didnt have to be long, about a page, and Jane needed help writing her paper, so I sat
with her the majority of the work time, and helped her pre-organize her paper, so she could write
it out at home over the long weekend. Similar thing with a male student, he was having a hard
time working on a communication assignment, where they had to create some examples of
different methods of communication, and he was having a hard time, so I sat down with him and
helped act out the different styles, and then he would write them out. That was one of the higher
grades he has gotten this semester.
I havent done much of anything yet this semester to accommodate for the more
exceptional students, but we do have options for the kids to go above and beyond on
assignments, such as doing extra research, or adding on things to their work, but nothing as far as
harder tasks, or anything along those lines. We tend to rotate our seating fairly often, and we try
to keep the more needy students towards the front, but we dont have anything special when it
comes to assignments because we are so willing to accommodate.

TWS Section 5: Final Reflection

Overall, I had an absolute blast teaching this semester. I got to see an environment I
hadnt yet seen in my education career, and it was a great opportunity to be somewhere that
wasnt Fort Collins. I plan on eventually moving away from northern Colorado, and even just
seeing how much things can change 15 minutes from Fort Collins was a cool experience. I also
learned a lot of valuable techniques for teaching in the future, whether that was from the lecture
part of class, or seeing how my match-up teacher taught the material, it was something that I will
certainly take points from.
Probably my largest learning point I had, was when I was spontaneously thrown into
teaching Sexual Health Education. It was obviously an awkward experience at first, seeing as I
had never taught that to teenagers before, but my match-up asked me before class what my
comfort level was, and said she trusted me to do a good job, and thats what I did. For that whole
unit, I was primarily the teacher, and it was a cool experience, just seeing the curiosity in their
eyes as I told them the basic information, but then connected it to their young lives.
As far as my style in front of students, I feel as though Im pretty laid back, and open to
changing the material as I see fit. I like to have open questions, to help get the students involved
in the lesson, and I enjoy having constructive student interaction. I feel though, at times I can
either ask questions the students may not know the answer to, or feel as though they dont want
to answer for whatever reason, and that awkwardness can kind of leave me hung up, but I always
try to roll with the punches. My preferred method for delivering knowledge would certainly be
the ever awesome powerpoint, and I know that sometimes that can leave things to be desired, but
if I use it properly, then it can be rather effective. I also enjoy showing relevant videos, for
example during my first lesson, I showed the class a video about a young boy who was being
bullied, and how a group of other boys in his grade decided to become his friends, and that
changed the childs life. That was the motivation I wanted to instill in my students before they
made their anti-bullying posters, and they ended up doing a really great job with the assignment.
One downside I saw in myself though, is that when I create a lesson, I have a pretty set
schedule, almost like an itinerary, set up for that specific lesson. Alone, this wouldnt be an issue,
having a schedule in mind is very helpful for teachers, however, when I do it, if for whatever
reason we get off track, I find myself having a hard time redirecting the class back to where I
want it to be. This is where, I feel, I falter the most and taking that into the future is what I can
use as a point of consideration. Knowing where I need the most work, is beneficial to myself,
and to my students. If I ask my students where they think I need work as well, we can all use this
to benefit.
For different students, I try to make the appropriate accommodations. I have one student
who has an IEP, and she has a hard time spelling, and just writing overall. To help her learn, she
needs to have someone help her walk through things, because she cant put sections in the proper
order. I have checked her spelling, and her writing, and her understanding of concepts throughout
the semester, and I believe she is getting better, seeing as she is having to ask me or Ms. Evans

about simple things less often. She is definitely doing a better job of figuring things out herself,
and that has surely changed her learning style. I feel like its similar for most of my students,
they need a little help here and there, and knowing the various kids, I try to help them in a way
thats going to benefit them the most based on their styles.
I have learned that I can be more helpful than I thought. I used to not be very efficient at
explaining things, but what Ive found about myself is that if I can relate it to something my
students enjoy, or something in pop culture, then I can help to explain it better. If I can break it
down, then I can help myself, as well as my students, to learn it better. Another thing is that I
dont have as hard a time anymore standing in front of the class. It used to be intimidating, but
now I know that it isnt that scary, and the kids trust me enough to be my dorky, fun self. I feel
like that is one of the best parts of teaching too, is that you can be yourself, and have fun with it.
My philosophy has always been that the students come first, and that I will do what I can
to make that true. I will always be a proper role model, and influence on my students, and I hope
they see me as that. My personal goals would be to make myself a better person through
teaching, and I mean that by, I see this as an opportunity to grow as an individual, as well as a
human. Being in constant contact with youth can either be a detrimental activity (I mean to my
maturity), or it can be a time to prove that you really are the one in charge, and I like what that
can turn a person in to. From the terms of professional development, I want to be able to grow as
a team, and become more of a team player, and that will certainly take a huge effort from myself,
as well as the people I work with, but I feel as though the Family and Consumer Sciences
department will never, not let me be a team player, so there is that. My beliefs havent really
evolved, per say, but they have adapted. Coming from middle school experiences, into high
school, Ive seen a lot of the same problems arise, but the kids are taller (for the most part). I feel
as though no child truly intends to do what they do, until you push them in the right direction.
Students can be like wind-up toys, they need to be re-motivated, and pushed in the right direction
to truly get where they need to be, and all though some kids can just be set down and released,
others need more cranking, and maybe some new gears, but with the right care, and attention to
not giving in, they can reach their destination.
My management hasnt changed all too much, in fact I find some aspects of it easier.
There will always be the wild-hair student who just doesnt want to cooperate, but at the same
time, just making sure you put the effort into helping them, that can change their attitude real
quick. In terms of planning and assessment, I have really gotten better. I went from not knowing
diddly squat about lessons and tests, to practically being a professional (not really). I have made
a drastic change from little to a lot, and I believe that is due to the teachers I have worked with,
and their ability to help me out when I needed it. I wouldnt be here without people like Dawn
Mallette, and Heidi Frederiksen. The fact that I have come this far, is something I couldnt have
envisioned ten years ago. Im proud to say Im almost a teacher!