Northern State University

Pre-Student Teaching Experience

ELED/SPED/SEED 496
Teacher Work Sample
Fall 2016
Candidate Name:

Cassandra Bottum

Candidate Phone Number:

Candidate ID Number:
Name of School where data
was collected:

Middle School

Subject/Content Area:

Social Studies

Grade Level:

7th Grade

Date Submitted:

12 December 2016

I understand that obtaining, or attempting to obtain, a passing grade on a TWS by falsification or

misrepresentation may result in a failing grade in a course or expulsion from the teacher education
program.
I grant permission for the School of Education to use my Teacher Work Sample as an exemplary
(outstanding) model for teacher candidate and university supervisor training purposes in the future. I
understand my name will remain on the document for proper credit.

Signature of Candidate Submitting the TWS:

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Cassandra Bottum

electronic submission)

Description
A Teacher Work Sample (TWS) is designed to assess the impact of teacher candidates instruction on
students learning as well as provide evidence of candidates teaching performance during the PreStudent Teaching Experience. The TWS assignment includes the following tasks:
I.
II.
III.

Professional Goal Setting and Reflection

Contextual Information
Instructional Design and Implementation

Format
Ownership: Complete the cover page verifying the TWS to be your own authentic work.
References and Credits: If you refer to another persons ideas or material (such as theorists), cite
these in a separate section at the end of the TWS under References and Credits. (APA is
recommended)
Font and Spacing: Use Arial size 12 font, double space all narrative portions, and print on both
sides.
Anonymity: Do not include the names of individual students, teachers, or staff as well as
participating schools in any part of the work sample in order to insure the anonymity of all involved.

Submission
An electronic copy of your completed TWS must be submitted to:

D2L for ELED/SPED/SEED 496

Your electronic portfolio/professional website (please remember to remove the cover page
with identifying information before posting).

A paper copy of your TWS must be submitted to the Office of Field Experiences (Gerber 111)

Task I: Professional Goal Setting

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Objective: Candidates set a professional goal, identify the action strategies they will use to achieve
that goal, and reflect on their learning and growth (as it relates to that goal) near the end of their
student teaching experience.
Resources: Candidates will use the NSU Conceptual Framework (see table below) as a guide for
determining their professional goal.
NSU Conceptual
Framework Categories
Knowledge of Self as an
Individual

Potential Category Outcomes

(You will choose one of these outcomes
as the basis for your goal)

Description

Respect and Concern for Students

Commitment to Health and Safety

Developmental Needs

Student Diversity

Knowledge of Content

Understanding Subject Matter

Knowledge of Content implies a broad

understanding of the centrality of content
knowledge for teaching, and ability to
organize central concepts and principles of
a subject matter, and a responsibility for
acquiring new knowledge.

Knowledge of Pedagogy

Planning
Implementation
Assessment
Classroom Management and
Organization
Instructional Materials and Technology

Pedagogical Knowledge includes those

principles and strategies necessary for
effective teaching, including the planning,
implementation, and assessment of
instruction, classroom management and
organization, knowledge of curriculum and
instructional materials, and integration of
technology.

Parent and Community Involvement

Commitment to Teaching
Interpersonal Relations
Professional Growth and Development

Knowledge of Self as a Teacher and

Member of a Learning Community calls for
a collaboration among teachers, students
and their families and communities that
embraces diversity, promotes a positive
sense of personal identify, and enhances
the possibilities for academic success.

Knowledge of the Learner

Knowledge of Self as a
Teacher and Member of a
Learning Community

Knowledge of Self as an Individual

recognizes the educators influence in the
lives of students and emphasizes the
importance of building trust relationships,
and setting positive examples.
Knowledge of the learner focuses on an
understanding of growth and development
of learners in the contexts in which
development takes place and an
understanding of how student diversity
interacts with the learning process.

1. Conceptual Framework Goal Statement, Action Plan, and Reflection:

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a. Identify the Framework Category to which your goal aligns:

Knowledge of Pedagogy
b. Identify the specific Category Outcome you will use to determine your goal:
Instructional Materials and Technology
c. Based on the outcome you selected, write a specific goal for this experience. After your goal
statement, provide a brief narrative explaining the reasons as to why you chose this goal.
My main goal for this Pre-Student Teaching Experience is to be inventive and organized with
instructional materials and technologies in my cooperating classroom in order to encourage
learning in multiple ways.
I chose this goal because I dont want to be stuck in a rut of teaching the same thing in the
same way when Im a teacher. I want to constantly improve upon the way I teach and I thought
the best way for me to achieve this was to practice in this Pre-Student Teaching Experience. I
also wanted to take full advantage of my cooperating classrooms resources. Because I was
placed in a middle school social studies classroom, I knew there were going to be multiple
opportunies for me to reach this goal. From my personal educational experience, I remember
social studies classes being lecture based with quizzes and tests thrown in. I have a history
minor and potentially would like to teach in a history classroom some day. I dont want to bore
my students; I want them to love history as much as I do. In order for that to happen, I have to
find ways to make learning history fun and exciting and explorative. This was the perfect
experience for that and for fulfilling this goal.
d. Describe the action plan (steps/strategies and resources) required to accomplish this goal:
First, I must get aquainted with the technologies my classroom has to offer, along with the
resources my cooperating teacher already has available. My cooperating classroom is a social
studies classroom and some of the resources available are maps and globes of different sizes,
projections, and elevations. After I familiarize myself with the available resources, I will begin
brainstorming new ideas and ways I can use the available resources to my advantage in my
lesson implementation.
e. Reflect on your progress/growth toward achieving this goal:
After initially getting aquainted with the room and its resources, I observed how my cooperating
teacher used the resources in their daily instruction, whether it was using the SMARTboard,
maps, or globes. Luckily, my cooperating teacher was very resourceful and I was able to see
most of these items put to use by the students. My new challenge was figuring out how I could
make the most of these resources and make the most of my short time in this classroom all
while leaving a major impact on the students lives. After I discussed the topic of my lesson with
my cooperating teacher, I began to brainstorm different ways to project the information in the
most beneficial way to the students I would be teaching. I discussed my ideas with my
cooperating teacher and we brainstormed together on other implementations I could use in
addition to my original plan. I was very confident in the way my lesson developed and I am very
pleased with the way I presented it. I created a visual historical timeline of the Cold War and the
students were Cold War Cold Case Detectives. Another teacher vistited my cooperting
teachers classroom before my lesson and asked what my lesson was about. After explaining it
to them, they thought it was an awesome idea and made me confident that I was really meeting
my goal. The student feedback was also positive and from their comments of Wow, this is
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awesome and Oh, I get it now, I know that because of how I presented my materials, students
were able to take information away from this lesson. I believe I reached my goal because I
used the classroom resources and the layout of the classroom to the best of my advantage,
especially during my lesson.

Task II: Contextual Information (see rubric for scoring details)

Objective: Candidates gather contextual information and discuss factors that may influence the
teaching and learning process.
Resources: Use a variety of resources to gather contextual information including Census data for the
community, School Improvement Plan, cooperating teacher, Title I/SPED teachers, principal, school
counselor, Infinite Campus, student files (with administrative approval), school data available online.
http://doe.sd.gov/reportcard/listnew/
**The below information and resource is taken from Educational Testing Service Praxis Performance
Assessment for Teachers (PPAT) Candidate and Educator Handbook, copyright 2015. All rights reserved.
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Contextual Information: This chart is designed to help you understand the many factors that affect teaching
and learning. Such factors include the community, classroom procedures, student demographics, and the
physical environment in which teaching takes place. Understanding these factors as they relate to your
teaching will help you determine the instructional strategies and approaches that will support your students
learning. In this chart, address any factors listed as they pertain to your teaching assignment. The
subcategories listed under each category are just suggestions; there may be other subcategories that you
would like to address, or there may be a subcategory listed that does not apply to your situation.
Categories of Contextual Factors
General Context of Your Students
(All subcategories listed in this box are required.)
Students grade and developmental levels; the age range
of students; the content area being taught; any other
factors that are pertinent to understanding your class
assignment

Community
(e.g., whether the area is urban, suburban, or rural;
socioeconomic information; census data for the
community)

Description of the Contextual Factors

Students are 7th graders (Middle

School)

Students are 12 and 13 years of age

Students are in a Social Studies

classroom
Students are leaving
Piagets concrete operational stage and
entering the formal operational stage, which
begins in adolescence and will continue
through adulthood

The area of the school is an urban

setting.

The city of the schools

location is the third largest in its state with a
population of 27,000. The area is 75.74 square
miles.

Male Population: 47.77%

Female Population: 52.23%

Population by Race: 91.5% White, 0.8%

African American/Black, 3.8% American
Indian, 1.1% Asian, 0.5% Native Hawaiian or
Other Pacific Islander, and 1.8% Other.

Approximately 11,418 households;

6,354 families

District
(e.g., enrollment; percent of students receiving free or
reduced-priced lunches; graduation rates; ethnicities;
percent of students with IEPs; percent of students who are
ELLs; per-pupil expenditures)

Special Education Count: 632

(14.09%)
Free and Reduced
Lunches: 39.7%
ELL
Students: 3.7%

KG-12 Census: 4532

PK-12 Census: 4554

7th Grade Census: 335

School
(e.g., enrollment; percent of students receiving free or
reduced-priced lunches; ethnicities; percent of students
with IEPs; percent of students who are ELLs; teacher-tostudent ratio)

class

Classroom Demographics
(e.g., ethnicities; gender ratios; special needs, including
those of gifted students, those of students physical needs,
and those due to cultural characteristics).

Ethnicities: 0.07% Hispanic/Latino,

0.06% American Indian or Alaska Native,
0.04% Asian, 0.04% Black or African
American, 0.78% White, 0.02% Two or
more races

There are 86 males and 82 females

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Total School Enrollment: 513

Total Sixth Graders: 179
Total Seventh Graders: 168
Total Eighth Graders: 166
There is an average of 28 students per
per 1 teacher

Knowledge of Students
(in terms of the whole class and individual students)
(e.g., language needs; approaches to learning; prior
learning and experiences; academic
proficiencies/behavioral differences; areas of interest).

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in this schools 7th grade population.

In the two afternoon blocks that I

observed, there were no students with
disabilities and no gifted children. There
were children that had to move
themselves to a spot closer to the
SMARTboard so they could see more
easily.

One student in the first block I

observed had behavior issues but it was
easily put to rest if my cooperating
teacher told them to stop.

In the second block I observed,

there was a student who I administered a
test to because he had broken his finger
and couldnt write. I did the writing for
him.

Also in the second block, there was

a student who I saw once in the 3 weeks I
was visiting the classroom. I saw them on
day 3. The substitute teacher that was
present when I saw this student said that
they were sometimes at school once a
week. I didnt see that student after that
day.

Teacher Candidate
Name:
Grade Level:
Subject:
Date:

Cassandra Bottum
7th Grade
Social Studies

Task III: Instructional Design and Implementation

Objective: Candidates design, implement, and assess one lesson. (see rubric for scoring on each
component)
To complete this task use the Common Lesson Plan Template (see below). You will complete this
template for the lesson that your university supervisor formally observes.

Millicent Atkins School of Education: Common Lesson Plan

Template

PLANNING
List the Common Core/State Standard(s) to be addressed in this lesson:
RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos,
or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
WHST.6-8.2 a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize
ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to
achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts,
tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
List the Learning Objective(s) to be addressed in this lesson. Use the following
format: Students will be able to
Students will be able to, as a group, research a topic related to the Cold War and together
develop a poster and/or skit showing/demonstrating their research. Students will be able to
take their poster or skit and present it to the class as a group in an organized format.

Describe how the objective is relevant to students lives.

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This objective helps build organizational skills that students can use throughout their lives.
As 7th graders, these students are learning how to get organized so they can move
throughout classes efficiently. When they enter high school, the building is even bigger and
they will need to be even more organized. With this objective, students are also learning to
read through and informational text and find key points that sum up the broader points.
Being able to sum up big articles and learning to skim for important information is a timesaving skill that will benefit students throughout their lives, as well.

List the words relevant to the content area that you will either introduce and/or
review during your lesson.
Cold War
Communism
Capitalism
Propaganda
Expansionism
Containment
Deterrence

List the materials you will need to teach the lesson.

In order to successfully deliver this lesson I will need the following materials: Flip chart
paper, markers, folders, and printed research of different topics from trustworthy sites to
place in folders. I will also need large images of the events mentioned in this lesson along
with coordinating dates. I will need Scotch painters tape to make a timeline. I also need
Starburst candy for my Rubiks cube box for the end of the lesson.

ASSESSMENT
Pre-Assessment: Describe the instrument or process you will use to measure
students level of understanding toward the learning objective(s) prior to teaching
the lesson.
I will ask students what they remember from yesterdays lesson that briefly introduced the
Cold War. Next, I will draw students attention to the whiteboard where I will have used
Scotch painters tape to make a timeline that will have 6 blank spaces with pictures of the
event turned around. (All they will see is white paper.) The corresponding date/year to the
mystery event will be the only clue students have as to what event is behind the paper. At
the beginning of the timeline, there will be a picture and date of the end of World War II. At
the end of the timeline there will be a picture and a date of 9/11. These two events will be
present on the timeline to show that the Cold War happened between these two events in
history. I will then inform students that it is their job as Cold Case detectives to uncover the
truth behind these mystery dates on the board and that as groups, they will uncover the
missing information of one of the 6 mystery events.

APPENDIX: Include a blank copy of the lesson pre-assessment. (if applicable)

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 Is your pre-assessment included at the end of this lesson plan?

Describe the timeline as to when you plan to administer the pre-assessment?
(Recommended timeline is a minimum of two days prior to teaching your lesson).
This chapter was introduced approximately 3 days before my lesson. At the
beginning of this chapter in the textbook, students see a table of contents for the
chapter and can see what lies ahead in the chapter. My cooperating teacher and I
discussed the major topics in the chapter before anything specific was taught in
order to see how much the students already knew about certain events and what
topics would require more time or more intensive teaching strategies. I found that
students thought the Cold War was fought in winter or cold temperatures, they
didnt know who a lot of the figures were, some were vaguely familiar with Fidel
Castro because he had been in the news, and they couldnt tell me the time period
it took place during, confidently. Students were also given a test study guide so
they could begin documenting the major points of the chapter and become familiar
with the material a little before it was discussed more thoroughly.
Create and insert a table/chart/graph that shows the pre-assessment data results.
(if applicable)

Insert an image of your table/chart/graph here.

Describe how the results of the pre-assessment (what the students have
demonstrated they know) will be used to design the lesson objectives, instruction,
and post-assessment.
I had some interesting results from the pre-assessment discussion. Most students
thought the Cold War was called the Cold War because of the temperature. Five
students between the two Block classes I sat in on were able to tell me who
actually fought in the Cold War. What I found from this pre-assessment is that these
students knew a lot about historical events but they didnt know how they all tied
together. This is where I initiated a complete change in my lesson plan. I knew I
could tell them a little about the Cold War and they might remember some of it, but
that wasnt enough. I wanted my lesson to be memorable to them. I wanted them
to be confident with how the events all unfolded and led to the next and how we
wound up where we are in 2016. The best way for me to take what the students
knew from the pre-assessment and improve that knowledge in the assessment was
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to create a visual timeline and make the students responsible for their event on the
timeline. The results of the pre-assessment Q&A also made me realize that in order
for me to successfully pull off this lesson of students creating posters and
presenting/teaching what they learned from their topic to the rest of the class, I
was going to have to ask questions realted to the topic that not only assessed if the
students with the topic learned their material, but also allowed students with other
topics to learn the most about each topic. For example, if a student group has the
Cold War Propganda file, they learn that the pigs in George Orwells Animal Farm
were meant to represent Soviet pigs and that pigs are generally associated with being
ignorant and self absorbed, amongst other things. So I would make it a point to bring up
that tidbit of information in order to see if the reporting group read and understood their
material and in order to make sure all other students had a chance to learn it.

Post-Assessment: APPENDIX: Include a blank copy of the lesson post-assessment you will use
to measure students level of understanding toward the learning objectives after teaching the lesson.
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 Is your post-assessment included at the end of this lesson plan?

APPENDIX: Include a copy of a Key/Product (completed by you, the teacher) which provides a model
of the desired outcome.

Is your key included at the end of this lesson plan?

TECHNOLOGY
Describe the instructional and/or assistive technology that you plan to incorporate
into the lesson to enhance instruction and student learning.
We will not be using technology in the lesson itself, as there is limited access to the
computer lab. I also wont be using the SMARTboard as I want all students to be working
with paper in small groups. All information printed and used in the Cold War Cold Case
files are from one of two credible websites:
http://alphahistory.com/coldwar/cold-war-topics/
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cold-war-history

ACCOMMODATIONS
Describe the accommodations/differentiation/modifications you will use to meet the
needs of all learners and accommodate differences in students learning, culture,
language, etc. * Be sure that these accommodations are based on what you
identified/described in your contextual information (Task II).
Students will be in pods throughout the classroom and I will be walking around to answer
any questions they may have. If there are any special circumstances surrounding any of
the students on this particular day, I will accommodate their needs to the best of my
ability. The only accommodation that has had to be made during my time in this particular
classroom is moving students who are shorter to the front of the room so they are better
able to see the SMARTboard. If I were using the SMARTboard for this lesson, I would have
students who couldnt see easily move closer. The same goes for hearing impairments; if a
student cant hear the presenters, they may move closer to the presentation space.

MANAGEMENT
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Identify the management and motivational strategies you will use to meet student
behavioral/developmental needs in order to keep students on task and actively engaged throughout the
lesson.
While students are in their pods, I will be walking amongst them, making sure they are on
task and checking in on their progress. As I am walking amongst their pods, I will
encourage them to add more detail and illustrations. If they are lagging and not really
excited, I will try to bring back that enthusiasm by suggesting fun things they could do to
make their posters/skits more enjoyable. I will also ask questions related to their topic if I
think there is another topic I think is necessary and beneficial for them to address in their
presentation.

LESSON IMPLEMENTATION
I Do
(Teacher introduces lesson and models expected outcome of learning
objectives)
Describe how you will activate student interest and present the learning objective
in an engaging way (this is your lesson opening).
To introduce the lesson in a fun and interesting way, I will inform the students that for the
days lesson, we will be discussing major events of the Cold War. I will discuss how there
were many different major events that took place in the Cold War period but there is still
quite a bit of confusion surrounding the Cold War and what it was, exactly. Was it a war
fought in winter, making it cold? Was it a war that had battles? I will tell students that
today we are acting as Cold Case detectives and will be taking a look at some Cold War
Cold Case files. I will tell them that we are going to learn more about some events of the
Cold War period. I will have two example Cold War Cold Case files that I will open and
demonstrate meeting the objective with. I will have Cold War Cold Case files that cover
Communism vs. Capitalism and Fidel Castro. I will be presenting these two particular
case files in order to give the whole class a more broad understanding of Communism and
Capitalism, the two systems of the two big powers associated with the Cold War. I also
want to familiarize them with Fidel Castro, as he was a big figure in the Cold War time
period, has recently passed away and is in the news currently. This will allow students that
have heard of his death to attach that knowledge to what is being learned in todays
lesson. Fidel Castros poster in more fact based and Communism vs. Capitalism is more
picture based. This allows studnets to see different ways they could develop their own
posters and get them headed in a creative mindset direction.
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Describe how you will communicate (to students) how the objective is relevant to
their lives.
The objective is relevant to students in many ways. I will communicate this to the students
by making sure they understand how to organize their posters and/or information. Fidel
Castro was a major figure in the Cold War, and as I stated earlier, recently passed away
and is in the news that students are exposed to. This directly ties the lesson to their lives. I
will introduce the beginning and end of the timeline and inform students that we wouldn t
be where we are today if history didnt unravel the way it did. Different outcomes are
sometimes closer than we like and would have changed the course of history as they will
learn in this lesson, especially with the Cuban Missile Crisis and how it almost kickstarted
World War III. The end of the timeline is a picture of 9/11 and I will share my experience of
what I remember with the students. I will tell them where I was, what I remember, and how
if they ask most people, they could tell you exactly where they were when they heard
about 9/11. I will then inform students that all of the other events on the timeline are just
like that. Each event is crucial in our history and the timeline is only going to keep growing
with other major events in these students lives as they grow older.

Describe what instructional strategies you will use to model/explain/demonstrate

the knowledge and skills required of the objective. (cite theories/theorists)
I will demonstrate Vygotskys theory of scaffolding. At the beginning of the lesson, I will
demonstrate expectations of the students by presenting a poster on Communism vs.
Capitalism and Fidel Castro. I will give student groups their packets covering one of 6
topics (Cold War Propaganda, Glasnost/Perestroika, Nuclear Weapons, Berlin Wall, Cuban
Missile Crisis, and the Space Race). Students will then take over their learning and I will
step back so they can learn from each other, which Vygotsky is known for supporting.

Describe how you will check for students understanding before moving on to
guided practice.
Before moving on to the We Do portion of the lesson, I will split the students into groups.
I will do this by having them form a big circle around the classroom. I will have them count
off by sixes and remember their numbers. I will then tell them to find the pod that has their
number on it. I will make sure students are in their correct groups and understand the rules
of working in groups such as: dont get too loud, make sure everyone is contributing, make
sure youre including all of the necessary information, etc.

We Do
(Teacher engages students in guided practice)
Describe the learning activities you will use to provide students multiple opportunities to practice the
skills and content needed to meet the learning objective(s).
Students will be working in small groups and will work together as a team or each have
individual roles (depending on the groups method) when it comes to researching their
topics and presenting the material to the rest of the class. Each table will have a checklist
of what needs to be present on their poster or what must be present in their skit.

Describe how you will check for students understanding before moving on to independent practice.
Before moving on to the You Do portion of the lesson, which largely consists of
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presenting their finished projects, I will check on each groups progress and make sure
everyone is finished. Students will be given reminders such as 10 more minutes and
start to wrap things up as time runs out.

You Do
(Students engage in independent practice)
Describe what the students will do to independently practice the knowledge and skills required by the
lesson objectives? (this is the post-assessment)
Students will be presenting their posters and/or skits to the class and will show their
knowledge. They will tell the class what their Cold War Cold Case covered and then
proceed with their project. Students will be able to ask questions after each presentation.
After they solve the case, they can take a Starburst from the Rubiks cube box as a
reward for their bravery in speaking in front of their peers. They can also reveal their
hidden picture on the whiteboard timeline. Students will also complete the attached
worksheet that they will complete and hand in at the end of the day or by the next day
that addresses key points of their topic. Students will only be required to demonstrate their
knowledge of their groups topic.

APPENDIX: Include a blank copy of your post-assessment.

Is your BLANK COPY of the post-assessment included at the end of this lesson
plan?
Lesson Closing
Describe how you will reemphasize the lesson objective and any skills/content that
were taught in an interactive manner (whole/small group, etc.).
As a class, we will look at the whiteboard timeline and look at the dates of the events we
learned about. I will ask if there are any general questions and then we will discuss points
of interest that stuck out to each student. We will complete these activities in a whole
group setting.

ANALYZE
(This portion may only be done after the post assessment is collected/scored.)
Describe the results of the Post-Assessment and be sure to address the following:
Students progress from pre-to-post assessment. (if applicable)
Factors that may have influenced the post assessment results.
How the results of the post assessment highlight what areas of the lesson will
require re-teaching (if any).
If applicable, insert a table/chart/graph (below) that shows the post-assessment data results. If you
used the same document for both the pre and post assessments, it is strongly encouraged that you
show the comparison.
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Insert an image of your table/chart/graph here.

Description:

REFLECT
List and describe two things you feel you did well to plan, implement, or assess instruction
(successes).

I am overall very proud of myself in how my lesson went and I am confident I

reached my goal. I know that I really used my resources and made the most of the
time I was given. I feel like I created a memorable lesson plan and am actually very
proud of my Cold War Cold Case pun/teaching strategy. I was a little surprised
with how excited these middle schoolers were with acting as detectives but it was
so incredible to see them working together to solve their cases and present them
to the class. The second thing that I feel I was most successful with was time
management. I included the post-assessment worksheet students were to
complete to the end of this lesson but I ended up not needing it. After teaching the
first block and only having a few minutes to spare at the end of class period, my
cooperating teacher and I discussed using the post-assessment and we found the
worksheet not necessary because the post-assessment results I wanted were
evident in their presentations of their material. I saw their growth of knowledge
without a written response. I managed to fill an 88 minute class period with this
lesson, which I was nervous about because its a longer time period and I wasnt
sure if the material would keep the students attention. But, it did, so I am very
satisfied.
List and describe two things you feel were challenges during the planning, implementation and/or
assessment of the lesson.

The biggest challenge was trying to decide how much time I needed to take
presenting the lesson, presenting the timeline, my poster examples, and voicing
my expectations before letting them start. Then I had to decide how long to give
them to develop their posters and skits. And then I had to decide how long I
needed to give them for presentations and still have enough time to wrap up the
lesson. I tried to divide it up in to chunks beforehand but found out that that is
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easier said than done and had to feel it out on the day of. Not to mention, every
time I gave a 3 minute warning the classroom clock stopped to reset itself. I gave
this lesson three times and every single time, the clock reset when I needed it
most. If it wasnt for my watch, this classroom would have had no concept of time.
My other big challenge, or what I thought would be a challenge, was keeping
students on task. I didnt really tolerate side conversations because I wanted them
focused so the rest of the class got something from their presentations. Im happy
to say that the students stayed on task like I wanted them too and all I had to do
was walk between the groups. My University Supervisor informed me after her
observation that she noticed one student was off task but I made eye contact with
them and they were back on task. She told me I had a very good mom stare and
thats probably one of my favorite compliments to date.
List and describe two ideas for redesign you would make if you were to teach this lesson again.
If I were to change this lesson and teach it again, I would make it at least a two day
project. This way students would get more time ot work together and design their
posters and they wouldnt feel as rushed. I also think it would be beneficial for
them to directly go to the websites I found the information on so they can be more
exposed to technology and finding research. Or else I would have them start with
the files and then find other information on the computer because learning to skim
and highlight material is also a valuable skill, I feel. Another minor thing I would
change is the visuals I used. I would laminate them and put magnets on the back
so they can more easily be hung on the whiteboard timeline. Tape stickiness was a
bit of an issue this time around. I really hope I am fortunate enough to teach this
lesson again, because I loved it and I saw so much growth in these students
understanding of the Cold War.

ELED/SPED/SEED 496 Teacher Work Sample Scoring Rubric

Pre-Student Teaching Experience
Teacher Candidate Name:_________________________________________________________________
Semester: Spring Fall Year 20____
Grade/Subject Area______________________________________________________________________
Task I: Professional Goal Setting
Components

Advanced/Excellent
4

Proficient/Competent
3

Basic/Developing
2

Below Basic/
Needs Work
1

Professional Goal
Setting and Reflection

Candidate identifies one

well-planned goal and
effectively communicates
reasons/justifications for why
s/he chose the goal.

Candidate identifies one

goal and communicates
reasons/justifications for why
s/he chose the goal.

Candidates identifies one

goal but does not
adequately provide
reasons/justifications for
the selection of the goal.

Candidate does not

identify a well-planned
goal nor provide a reason
for the selection of the
goal.

Candidate provides an
action plan for the
achievement of the goal
but needs to work to
develop a more specific
list of resources to be
used for achievement of

Candidate does not

provide an action plan for
the achievement of the
goal.

Candidate provides a
detailed action plan for the
achievement of the goal and
cites any specific resources
s/he will use to enhance goal
achievement efforts.
Candidate is highly effective

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Candidate provides an
action plan for the
achievement of the goal and
cites resources s/he will use
to enhance goal
achievement efforts.
Candidate effectively
communicates any

Candidate is not clearly

able to reflect on his/her

at communicating any
progress/growth made
toward the goal in the
reflection.

progress/growth made
toward the goal in the
reflection.

that goal.
Candidates reflection on
goal achievement is
minimal and needs
development.

performance in the area

of goal
setting/achievement.

Task II: Contextual Information

Components

Contextual Factors

Advanced/Excellent
4

Proficient/Competent
3

Basic/Developing
2

Candidate clearly identifies

numerous contextual factors
which may impact the
instructional strategies,
approaches, and
assessments used to support
their students learning.

Candidate identifies several

contextual factors contextual
factors which may impact
the strategies, approaches,
and assessments used to
support their students
learning.

Candidate identifies very

few contextual factors
which prohibits his/her
ability to fully recognize
any impact those factors
would have had on
potential strategies,
approaches, and
assessments used to
support their students
learning.

Below Basic/
Needs Work
1
Candidate does not
identify the contextual
factors.

Task III: Instructional Design and Implementation

Components

Standards/Objective
s

Assessment

Technology

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Advanced/Excellent
4

Proficient/Competent
3

All lessons contains

evidence of setting
measurable objectives that
are clearly aligned with
specific state and/or national
standard(s).

Most lessons contains

evidence of setting
measurable objectives that
are aligned with specific
state and/or national
standard(s).

Lessons allow for numerous

connections across the
curriculum which serve to
build understanding, and
encourage application to real
world issues.

Lessons allow for

connections across the
curriculum which serve to
build understanding, and
encourage application to real
world issues.

Incorporates a well-aligned
pre-assessment to measure
students prior knowledge of
the learning objective and
purposefully utilizes the
results to inform
planning/instruction for the
lesson and post assessment.
Includes copies of the Preand Post-Assessments used.
Includes a copy of a high
quality key/product to show
desired outcome.

Incorporates a preassessment to measure

students prior knowledge of
the learning objective and
somewhat utilizes the results
to inform planning/instruction
for the lesson and post
assessment.
Includes copies of the Preand Post-Assessments
used.
Includes a copy of a
key/product to show desired
outcome.

Purposefully and consistently

incorporates the use of
available technology to
further enhance instruction in
ways that authentically
engage all students in the
learning experience. For
cases where technology is

Incorporates the use of

available technology to
somewhat enhance
instruction in ways that
engage most of the students
in the learning experience.
For cases where technology
is not utilized, candidate

Basic/Developing
2
Lessons contain minimal
evidence of setting
measurable objectives
that are only somewhat
aligned with specific
state and/or national
standard(s).
Lessons allow for very
few connections across
the curriculum which do
not build understanding,
nor encourage
application to real world
issues.
Incorporates a preassessment which
partially measures
students prior
knowledge of the
learning objective but
fails to adequately utilize
the results to inform
planning/instruction for
the lesson and post
assessment.
Includes copies of the
Pre- and PostAssessments used.
Includes a copy of a
key/product to show
desired outcome.
Is still developing the
ability to incorporate the
use of available
technology to enhance
instruction in ways that
engage the students in
the learning experience.
For cases where

Below Basic/
Needs Work
1
Lessons contain no
evidence of setting
measurable objectives
and are not aligned with
specific state and/or
national standard(s).
Lessons allow for no
apparent connections
across the curriculum;
students are not able to
build an understanding or
apply to real world issues.

Does not incorporate

evidence of a preassessment to measure
students prior knowledge
of the learning objective.
Does not include copies
of the Pre- and PostAssessments used.
Does not include a copy
of a key/product to show
desired outcome.

Does not incorporate the

use of available
technology to enhance
instruction nor provide an
explanation for why
technology is not utilized.

Differentiation,
Accommodations,
and Modifications

Management

Lesson
Implementation
(I Do/We Do/You Do)

not utilized, candidate

provides a logical
explanation.

provides an explanation.

technology is not utilized,

candidate provides an
explanation.

Purposefully adjusts
instruction during lesson
planning and implementation
in order to significantly meet
all of the identified needs of
individuals, small groups or
the class by including
specific methods of
differentiation,
accommodations and
modifications.
Numerous
management/motivational
strategies are clearly
identified and rationale
provided for how these
strategies serve to
significantly enhance both
student engagement and
learning.
Purposefully activates
student interest by
consistently including a
highly-effective/engaging
introduction and closing.

Adjusts instruction during

lesson planning and
implementation in order to
meet some of the identified
needs of individuals, small
groups or the class by
including general methods of
differentiation,
accommodations and
modifications.

Attempts to adjust
instruction during lesson
planning and
implementation but the
differentiated instruction,
accommodations and
modifications used do
not fully meet the
identified needs of
individuals, small groups
or the class.
Management and
motivational strategies
are not clearly identified
and rational is lacking
evidence of how these
strategies fully serve to
enhance student
engagement and/or
learning.
Attempts to activate
student interest but
needs to work to develop
a more effective lesson
opening and closing.

Effectively introduces and

repeatedly reinforces the
learning objective(s) so that
students are cognizant of
expected outcomes.
Presents all content in a
sequential manner and
provides numerous
opportunities for modeling
and practicing the skills and
content needed to meet the
learning objective(s).
Consistently checks for
student understanding
throughout the entire lesson
cycle and provides detailed
evidence of reteaching/remediation where
necessary.
Includes numerous detailed
reasons for why the
instructional strategies and
learning activities chosen for
the lessons are
developmentally appropriate
(claims are supported by
relevant theory/research that
is clearly cited).

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Management and
motivational strategies are
identified and rationale is
provided for how these
strategies enhance student
engagement and learning.

Activates student interest by

including an
effective/engaging
introduction and closing.
Introduces and reinforces
the learning objective(s) so
that students are cognizant
of expected outcomes.
Presents all content in a
sequential manner and
provides opportunities for
modeling and practicing the
skills and content needed to
meet the learning
objective(s).
Checks for student
understanding throughout
most of the lesson cycle and
provides evidence of reteaching/remediation where
necessary.
Includes reasons for why the
instructional strategies and
learning activities chosen for
the lessons are
developmentally appropriate
(claims are somewhat
supported by relevant
theory/research that is
cited).

Needs to be more
purposeful about
introducing and
reinforcing the learning
objective so that the
students are cognizant of
expected outcomes.
Content is not always
presented in a sequential
manner and candidate
needs to provide more
opportunities for
modeling and practicing
the skills and content
needed to meet the
learning objective(s).
Checks for student
understanding
throughout most of the
lesson cycle and
provides little evidence of
re-teaching/remediation
where necessary.
Includes reasons for why
the instructional
strategies and learning
activities chosen for the
lessons are
developmentally
appropriate (claims are
not sufficiently supported
by relevant

Does not adjust

instruction during lesson
planning and
implementation in order to
meet the identified needs
of individuals, small
groups or the class. No
differentiation,
accommodations and
modifications present.
Management and
motivational strategies to
enhance student
engagement and learning
are not identified.

There are no clear

attempts to activate
student interest.
Candidate does not
include evidence of an
effective opening and/or
closing.
Learning objective is not
reinforced throughout the
lesson.
Content is not presented
in a sequential manner
and candidate does not
provide evidence of
allowing opportunities for
modeling and practicing
the skills and content
needed to meet the
learning objective(s).
Candidate does not check
for student understanding
throughout the lesson
cycle and there is no
evidence of re-teaching
/remediation.
Does not includes
reasons for why the
instructional strategies
and learning activities
chosen for the lessons
are developmentally
appropriate (claims are
not at all supported by
relevant theory/research
nor sufficiently cited).

theory/research nor
sufficiently cited).

Analyzes

Includes professional-quality
table/charts/graphs which
clearly show post
assessment results (and prepost comparison if
applicable)
Provides detailed description
of the post assessment
results which thoroughly
addresses all of the following
items :
students progress toward
mastery of the objectives
from pre-to-post
factors that may have
affected the post assessment
results
how the results of the post
assessment highlight what
areas of the lesson will

Includes average-quality
table/charts/graphs which
show post assessment
results (and pre-post
comparison if applicable)
Provides a description of the
post assessment results
which somewhat addresses
most of the following items:
students progress toward
mastery of the objectives
from pre-to-post
factors that may have
affected the post
assessment results
how the results of the post
assessment highlight what
areas of the lesson will
require re-teaching (if any)

require re-teaching (if any)

Lesson Reflection:
Successes

Lesson Reflection:
Challenges

Lesson Reflection:
Improvements

Identifies, describes, and

explains more than two
relevant successful teaching
strategies and provides
detailed supporting evidence
for why they were effective.

Identifies, describes, and

explains two successful
teaching strategies and/or
provides supporting
evidence for why they were
effective.

Identifies and describes

more than two challenges
encountered throughout
lesson.

Identifies and describes two

challenges encountered
throughout the lesson.

Identifies and describes

more than two significant
ideas for redesigning the
lesson and provides full
details to support the
redesign.

Identifies and describes two

ideas for redesigning the
lesson and provides details
to support the redesign.

Includes poor-quality
table/charts/graphs
which do not clearly
show post assessment
results (or pre-post
comparison if applicable)
Provides a weak
description of the post
assessment results
which does not
adequately address the
following items:
students progress
toward mastery of the
objectives from pre-topost
factors that may have
affected the post
assessment results
how the results of the
post assessment
highlight what areas of
the lesson will require reteaching (if any)
Identifies, describes, and
explains only one
successful teaching
strategy and/or provides
only minimal supporting
evidence for why it was
effective.
Identifies and describes
only one challenge
encountered throughout
the lesson.

Identifies and describes

one idea for redesigning
the lesson and provides
very minimal details to
support the redesign.

No quality
table/charts/graphs which
show post assessment
(and/or pre) results.
Does not provide a
description of the post
assessment results is
weak and illogical and
does not address all of
the following items:
students progress toward
mastery of the objectives
from pre-to-post
factors that may have
affected the post
assessment results
how the results of the
post assessment highlight
what areas of the lesson
will require re-

Fails to adequately
identify, describe, or
explain successful
teaching strategies and
provides no supporting
evidence.
Fails to adequately
identify, describe, or
explain challenges
encountered throughout
lesson.
Fails to identify and
describe an idea for
redesigning the lesson
and/or provides no details
to support the redesign.

Overall Professional Quality of Teacher Work Sample

Components

Writing Skills

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Advanced/Excellent
4

Proficient/Competent
3

Basic/Developing
2

Below Basic/
Needs Work
1

Content Organization:

Content Organization:

Content Organization:

Content Organization:

All formatting requirements

followed: (Cover page,
references/credits, font and
spacing, anonymity)

All formatting requirements

followed: (Cover page,
references/credits, font and
spacing, anonymity)

Most formatting
requirements followed:
(Cover page,
references/credits, font
and spacing, anonymity)

Few formatting
requirements were
followed: (Cover page,
references/credits, font
and spacing, anonymity)

Paper is well organized with

clarity of thought and
purpose.

Paper is organized.
Paper is somewhat
organized but candidate
needs to continue to
develop communicating
thought and purpose.

Paper requires much

better organization of
content and candidate
needs to significantly
develop in the area of
communicating thought

and purpose.

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Conventions:

Conventions:

Conventions:

Conventions:

Writing has very few errors in

spelling, grammar,
punctuation, and/or sentence
structure.

Writing has only occasional

errors in spelling, grammar,
punctuation, and/or
sentence structure, but does
not significantly detract from
overall quality.

Overall Quality:

Overall Quality:

Writing has frequent

errors in spelling,
grammar, punctuation,
and/or sentence
structure, and this
somewhat detracts from
overall quality.
Overall Quality:

Writing has numerous

errors in spelling,
grammar, punctuation,
and/or sentence
structure, errors which
significantly detract from
overall quality.
Overall Quality:

Professionally written, highquality paper.

Adequately written, average

quality paper.

Writing and quality of

paper are in
development but
resubmission is not
required.

Poorly written, low-quality

paper. Resubmission
required.