Reflection

Background Information
The focus of my lessons were language arts and social studies. The language arts portion
focused on writing opinion pieces on topics that support their point of view with reasons and
describing historical events using language that pertains to time - transition words. The social
studies portion focused on showing historical events on a timeline. The students had about two
weeks of experience with opinion writing, brief instruction on transition words, and no
instruction on timelines prior to me teaching.
I observed two children for the first seven weeks of my field experience. Student one is a
high level reader. She is gifted in science and very successful in math. Most of the instruction in
social studies for the class is reading centered so she is doing a good job in that area as well. Her
writing is exceptional and she participates in class often. Student two is a low level reader. She is
taken out of the room daily for LLI and other reading instruction. She struggles with every
subject, but is the most successful with math. She often acts out in class and as a result has her
color moved. On days when her color is lowered, she does not even attempt to participate. On
other days she will raise her hand during math instruction, but she almost never volunteers for
any activity that reading is involved.
Day one through day three of my lesson, I used formative assessments. Day one, I used a
child friendly checklist that the students could use while they completed their opinion writing.
Day two, I took anecdotal notes while the students completed a timeline activity on the
SmartBoard. Day three, I took anecdotal notes and gave the students another child friendly
checklist to use while they completed their timeline activity. I completed my two summative
assessments on day four and day five, rather than just on day five, because the students are

preparing for testing and being benchmarked. My resource teacher asked if I could shorten my
teaching time, so I split my final assessments into two separate days. Day four, I assessed the
social studies aspect with a rubric that was based on the checklist the students received for the
first timeline assignment. Day five, assessment focused on the language arts component of
opinion writing. Again, a rubric was developed from the checklist they received on day one.
Formative Assessment
Day 1:
The assessment I used day one was a student checklist. Prior to the students completing
their opinion writing, I passed out this checklist and we reviewed it together as a class. (This
checklist is attached in the formative assessments tab). As the students completed their writing,
they could check each required component off. Once complete, the students would bring their
opinion piece and their checklist to a teacher and they would review it together. The students
received immediate, positive and verbal feedback about their writing, and were given the
opportunity to make adjustments and add any missing pieces. The students would then take their
checklist with them and keep it to have available to them on Friday, when they completed their
final opinion writing.
Day 2:
Day two, I took anecdotal notes while the students participated in a technology based
activity. The students had to come to the board and drag certain events to the correct location on
the timeline. Even though the students were required to come to the board individually, I allowed
them to ask a classmate for help if they were confused. I took note of the students who needed a
little help and I also took note of the mistakes students were making. I found that the students
overall had a pretty good understanding of how a timeline worked, but could use a little more

practice to master this skill. So the next day, I had the students complete a similar activity with
events about the construction of the Colosseum.
Day 3:
Day three, I did two formative assessments. The first was once again anecdotal notes
which helped me to see if the same students were still struggling with timeline activities. I
noticed that they were so I planned to check in on them frequently as they completed their final
projects the next day. I also gave the students another checklist to use as they were working.
Once again, they were expected to bring these to a teacher to be checked. The students received
verbal feedback. The students kept their checklists to help them complete their final projects the
next day.
Implementing Feedback
Most of the feedback that I gave to the students was verbal, but as we reviewed their
checklists I wrote them small notes of encouragement. These notes helped students pinpoint their
mistakes and reminded them to not make the same ones again. Some of the notes written were
created by myself and the student together. When we conferenced over the two checklists, I
asked the students, What can we write on this paper to help you remember to _____? The
information I gathered from taking notes was returned to the students in small preparation
activities each day, prior to moving on to the next topic. The students were allowed to have the
written feedback next to them as they completed their final projects to ensure their improvement.

Summative Assessment Results

The first summative assessment given to the students was a rubric to assess their personal
timeline projects. Three of the students received the full amount of points on the rubric. The rest
of the students were all missing some of the components to make their timeline correct. The

graph I created shows how the students performed on each component graded on the rubric. I
noticed that two of the students still did not use transition words and one student did not put their
events on the timeline in any particular order. Student one received full credit on her timeline
project, student 2 was one of the students that did not put the events in order and did not use
transition words. Overall, this was a large improvement from the results of the checklist. I
expected a few more students to struggle with this activity because this is the first time any of
them had worked with timelines, so I was pleasantly surprised by these results.
The second summative assessment was a rubric to assess their final opinion writing. Five
students received full credit. The graph I created once again shows how the students performed
on each component of the rubric. All nineteen students included an opinion in their writing and a
reason. These results were expected because they perfectly reflected the results of the checklist.
Even though the students received written feedback and were allowed to use their checklists,
seven students did not have at least two examples to support their opinion and five did not
include a conclusion. Once again, student one received full credit and student two did not. I
expected to see some improvement in these results especially since the students were able to use
their checklists as they wrote their final piece.

What I Learned
I learned that teaching is much easier when you use content related assessments. Without
assessments, it is extremely difficult to track student growth and to get an understanding of
where the students are at in respect to how to instruct them. The pre-assessment and notes
assisted me in deciding where to start my instruction in each of the content areas. The formative
assessments helped me plan my instruction daily and to really zero in on the specific areas

students needed more information on. The summative assessments showed me what the students
really learned throughout the week and being able to compare them with the formative
assessments was a useful tool. I also learned that creating content-centered assessments make my
job as a teacher much easier. As I was grading each project, I knew exactly what I was looking
for.
Changes
I saw growth and improvement in the study and understanding of timelines, especially in
such a short time. I am confident that if the students would have continued to study and work
with them, these results would improve. An area I feel that I could have improved on is my
instruction on the opinion writing. The students had already been working on these writings for a
few weeks so I did not spend as much time instructing them. This was reflected in the summative
assessment results. Even though I conferenced with the students and gave verbal and written
feedback, there was not a lot of growth between the first and final assessments. If I could teach
this segment again, I would still provide this feedback but I would also implement a writers
workshop throughout the week to ensure the students growth and improvement. Writers
workshop provides students with many examples, tips and supports throughout the writing
process. Other than that, I think the learning segment went very well and I would not make any
other changes.
Student Reflection Survey
Strengths:
Each student thinks that I care about them and that I am nice. I work very hard to keep a
positive attitude anytime I am in the classroom, teaching or not teaching. The students also think
that I help keep them on track and understand what they are supposed to be doing. I am clear and

to the point when I give students instructions. The students also think that I explain things in
class and make sure each student understands. I try to provide all necessary supports for each
student. I read directions aloud to struggling readers and work one-on-one with some of the
lower level students while the resource teacher is instructing. I make sure each student has
materials and tools to be successful and to do their best. I keep pencils, paper, scissors and glue
at my desk for the students to come and get whenever they need them. I keep the students
captivated by making learning fun and providing them with exciting ways to learn new material.
I conduct class discussions while I teach so students can share their opinions and express
concerns. I ask higher order thinking questions and I enjoy answering questions from the
students. We often search for information on my laptop, one day we saw pictures of the
Colosseum before it fell down upon request of one of the students. Finally, I make sure to give
the students feedback as soon as possible to let them know how they are doing and what they can
improve on.

Weaknesses:
Even though all of the students said they think I care about them and that I am nice to
them, some students felt that I did not ask them about their feelings. I want to create an
atmosphere where each student feels that I am interested in how they are doing. To improve in
this area I am going to try to have a conversation with each student every day. I also need to
improve on making sure the students keep busy at all times during instruction. I will plan
extension activities and jobs for my early finishing students in the future. The results of the
survey showed that the students do not all listen when I am teaching and that they do not all do
what I ask them to. There are some behavior issues in the classroom and clashing personalities.

When I taught my learning segment there were no issues, but I think that some of the students do
not get along and the higher level students get easily annoyed by the lower level students not
comprehending certain topics. Nevertheless, I will make more of an effort to hold the attention of
all the students during instruction. The student results for question eight of the survey can also be
attributed to the classroom dynamics, because overall the students understand the topics
discussed in class. I will still continue to thoroughly explain, differentiate and accommodate to
ensure each students needs are met. The final area that I need to improve in is to make sure that I
challenge some of the more gifted students in the classroom a little more. I can do this by
working with the groups my resource teacher already has in the classroom individually and
adjusting content and requirements as needed.

Goals for Student Teaching:

During student teaching I hope to get to know each of the students in the classroom and
have a deep understanding of their needs and their level to create the best possible instruction
plan for them. This is the first step in meeting all other needs addressed in the student perception
survey and being a good educator in general. Deep knowledge of the students and classroom
dynamics will help me explain things in a way that each student understands. It will help me
create lessons and activities that are appropriately challenging for each child. Knowing what the
students are interested in will assist me in making learning relevant and exciting for the students.
I want the students to feel that they are able to talk to me and create a welcoming and positive
environment. I hope to provide students with materials that they might not be able to access
themselves and help them grow throughout the time I spend with them. Finally, I plan to

continue using tools and resources such as assessments and other information I have learned
through teaching the learning segment because they are extremely helpful in teaching and
instruction.