Meg Strauss

Teacher Work Sample

9 December 2016

Setting and Context

Part 1: The School Community

Over the past month spent at Webber Middle School, I have come to the conclusion that
the culture of the school is one that is extremely healthy. From what I have seen, students are
treated with dignity, teachers are respected, and staff and administration seem to simply be
happy. To me, it is apparent that each student is deeply cared about, exemplified by just how
many activities and resources are offered to the students. For instance, the school seems to have a
deep understanding on how transitioning can be difficult for some students; thus, they have made
the transition for sixth graders very easy. Sixth graders come in a day earlier than the seventh and
eighth graders in order to get used to the feeling of being in a middle school. Sixth graders are
also provided with the class titled Webber 101, which is an entire period dedicated to helping
them learn the ropes of middle school.
Webber Middle School also goes beyond traditional learning and provides students with
skinny classesshorter-length classes that appeal to their personal interests. These skinny
classes can range between classes on knitting and outdoor living, to classes on board games and
Minecraft. Not only does the middle school encourage personal interests within school hours, but
Webber also has many extracurricular programs that ensures that each student has a place where
they feel at peace and welcomed. A few examples of these extracurricular activities are band,
orchestra, choir, athletics, drama, theatre, and leadership programs. The Webber parent and
guardian handbook states that core academic areas are balanced with other options in electives,
arts, and athletics to ensure a whole child approach to learning. By having this mindset, I
believe that the students are able to feel more at home within their school, ultimately enabling
the healthy culture of the school. These personal-interest aimed classes also give students a place
to have fun in an appropriate school manner. However, if students are still struggling within the
school, there are resources provided to help the child. For example, there are three full-time
councilors located at the school. Each of these councilors stick with the same grade for all three
years in order to provide a sense of comfort and trust between students and the school.
While there are many resources and activities that appeal directly to the students, Webber
Middle School still sets high standards for their students. Webber is a standard-based school that
offers rigorous courses for their students, such as Pre-Advanced Placement courses. Webbers
mission statement revolves around an E3 model, meaning excellence, every day, everyone, and
excellence is exactly what they aim for. From my view, students seem to be academically
challenged and stimulated, often having their academic growth examined. This growth mindset
makes the learning climate of the school seem very intellectual and academic-based. Webber
Middle School also is very disciplined, outlining explicit consequences in regards to absences,
tardiness, non-compliance, and classroom disruptions. The parent/guardian handbook has
examples of consequences ranging from teacher-student talks to out of school suspension.
However, the school does recognize that while actions do, and should, have consequences, it is
our belief that there is a reason why we act as we do, and until we can understand the cause of a
student's behavior, we will not be effective in changing it. The school is also very adamant on
providing alternative ways to handle situations in order for the same misbehavior not to happen
more than once.
The student population at Webber Middle School is roughly 80% Caucasian. There
seems to be a wide range in regards to poverty and financial stability, as well as different ethnic
groups. Over 20% of the student population applies for Free Lunch. While the school is diverse,
each student seems to have equal ability for success. For instance, each student is provided with
their personal computer and each student can use the schools advanced technology. Webber also
seems to encourage parents presence within the school. On the schools website, there is a
section completely devoted for parent and guardians. Within this section, parents are provided
with ways to contact administration, volunteer, and become part of PTO.
Overall, from what I have witnessed, Webber Middle School seems to be doing a great
job of upholding their mission statement, Excellence, Every Day, Everyone. By providing
interest-oriented programs both in school and out of school, having a rigorous academic setting
where growth is measured, disciplining in a way that is not demeaning, encouraging their
diversity, and incorporating parents into school life, I feel confident in saying that the culture of
the school is one that is extremely healthy.
Part 2: Students and Classroom
I have been placed in Mr. Nurtons seventh grade ELA reading class. This class is
designed specifically for kids who are reading at lower reading levels. These students are placed
in this class as a direct result of their test scores. My time each class is spent pair reading out
loud with each one of the students. I take each student out into the hallway, and we read together.
Some children read out loud the entire time by themselves, while others want me to read out loud
every other paragraph. After we finish reading, I ask them questions regarding their
comprehension of the story, and together we fill out a reading worksheet based on what we have
read. I have spent time with each student in Mr. Nurtons classroom. Mr. Nurton has split the
classroom into three groups: a reading group, a computer group, and a workshop group. Each
group has around six kids. Roughly every twenty minutes, the groups rotate. The classroom is set
up like this:
 Students

Computers
Desks

Reading

Workshop Station

In the reading group, students read their own books and fill out worksheets that measure
their comprehension. In the computer group, children work with computer software that helps
them with spelling and vocabulary. In the workshop station, Mr. Nurton works with the students
out of designated books that also helps with comprehension. Mr. Nurton has split the groups
based on their needs and abilities. Some groups seem to be proficient in their out loud reading,
while others struggle. I can tell a lot about the students interests by the books they choose to
read. Many students like sports, thus they choose Mike Lupica books. Others like fantasy and
horror. Each student is very open and is not afraid to tell me about themselves. The class also has
one student, Nina, who is partially deaf. She has an aide that signs whatever the teaching is
saying to the class. The class has students who seem to mentally impaired, as well as students
who seem to be very mature. Overall, the classroom is very diverse in intellect and mentality.
The class is also diverse in regards to ethnicity, as there is a mixture of both Caucasian and
Hispanic students. The learning context is based mostly upon individual work and teacher to
student work; however, there is some group work that goes on in the workshop station. The
classroom culture is very disciplined. Each student is aware of the routine and what is expected
from them. There is a strong emphasis on growth as students are constantly monitored on their
comprehension and improvements at the computer station. I ultimately feel that Mr. Nurton has
done a fantastic job in balancing out certain aspects of reading in an effective, timely, and
engaging manner.
Part 3: Topic and Rationale
Mr. Nurton uses small-group instruction in his classroom. The most I have seen in a
small group is seven students. With this small-group model, students are able to get more one-
on-one attention from their teacher. Overall, I found this instruction very helpful for students. It
was organized and kept the students moving. Students moved between small groups every
twenty minutes.
In the workshop station, Mr. Nurton bases his instruction upon the rBooks. Each rBook
has a direct lesson that comes with each piece of literature. In each lesson, students fill out
questions about vocabulary words and the piece of literature itself. In my time being in the
classroom, the class went through four separate units. After each unit is completed, students are
given a test based upon the literature and the vocabulary words.
 In the computer station, students take an online test, based entirely upon grammar,
spelling, and comprehension. Students take this test three times over the course of the semester:
once at the start of the term, once in the middle, and once at the end. I happened to be there the
day that students were taking their second assessment. Mr. Nurton then showed me the results.
Over half of the class test scores improved immensely.
For the reading station, students have to fill out a sheet after they finish reading. The
questions on the form differ between units. Sometimes the students have to write out what
happened in the book during the time of their reading, other times students have to compare and
contrast a part of the book to a part in their own life. Before students exit the reading station,
Mrs. Von-Hollen, the reading para, has to check them out. After a student finishes a book, they
have to take a test over the book and pass it. They also have to fill questions about the book in
order to ensure their overall comprehension of the writing.
Overall, I feel as though these assessments greatly informed instruction. In the workshop
group and the reading group, students are tested after each day and also after each unit or book
read. This helps immensely with allowing the teachers to know where the students stand in their
learning. All of these assessments are also on topic and relate well to each section. Students are
not able to get by in the class because of how many times they are assessed. From what I can
tell, students seem to do fairly well on these assessments. They are prepared for the questions
that are asked. They are constantly told and reminded when assessments are and what is to be
expected in the assessments.

Case Study Interview

The two students that I interviewed are named Sarah and Braiden. I interviewed these
students because they are polar opposites. When my teachers were first telling about all of the
students, they described Braiden as the class troublemaker and Sarah as the eighty-year-old of
the class. They informed me that Braiden wants desperately to be moved out of the reading
intervention class, and he channels this frustration into class disruption. They also told me that
Sarah is often hard on herself and struggles with social interaction. On the first day of class, I
asked both Braiden and Sarah to go out into the hall and read out loud with me. They both
refused. Sarah patted me on the back and said, No, thank you. I like reading by myself.
Braiden, on the other hand, tried to convince me that he had already read out in the hall with me,
thus it was unfair that he should have to go again. I immediately knew that these two students
would be the hardest to open up.
Within the next few weeks, Sarah and Braiden began interacting with me. I learned that
this is Sarahs third school, as she was bullied out of two previous schools. She loves to write
short stories and read the same two books over and over again, Fins are Forever and Miss
Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children. Braiden, in contrast, hates reading and writing. He
loves football and is currently playing on Webber Middle Schools varsity football team. One of
his favorite things to do is watch the Broncos play.
 Both these students are drastically different; however, they have both already taught me
so much. In doing this interviews, I came to the understanding that no student I will ever teach
will be exactly the same. For example, when I asked Sarah what would be the one thing she
would change about the world, she asked, You mean, if I was president? I told her, Sure. She
responded with, I would lower the sales tax. I wouldnt build a wall like Trump wants to, but
Id do something about immigration. I would bring peace to the world, no matter what religion
you believe in. When asked this question, Braiden responded with, No school.
In my interview, Braiden made it obvious that he hated school. When I asked him who
his favorite teacher was, it was hard for him to find an answer. After much thought, he told me
his favorite teacher was Mr. Bono, his social studies teacher. I asked him why he was his favorite
and he told me, He is fun. He doesnt give us a lot of homework. When I asked him what his
favorite class was, he, without any hesitation, said, P.E. I like that we dont have to learn
anything. We can just play.
Sarah was the complete opposite in the time it took her to reply to the two questions.
When I asked her who her favorite teacher was and why, she immediately responded with, Mrs.
Webber. She informed me that Mrs. Webber was her sixth grade social studies teacher. I asked
her why Mrs. Webber is her favorite teacher. She replied with, She is a helpful guide. Whenever
I have issues she is always there to talk. However, when I asked her what her favorite class is,
she took much longer to answer. She told me, I dont think I have a favorite class. I think I
would like an art class, but I have never taken an art class before.
Sarah and Braiden also differ in their ideas of middle school. Sarah views middle school
as a place to fit in. She sees a lot of bullying go on within the school, and she hates how often
people are criticized. When asked what would be somethings she would like to change about
middle school, she told me that she wished the hallways were not always so crowded. She also
told me that she wished that students were more respectful to teachers, especially substitute
teachers. Sarah told me that as a future teacher, I need to be very strict, plan a lot of field trips,
and most importantly, give out no homework.
Braiden could not provide me with a concrete answer on how he viewed middle school;
instead, he stressed that all he liked about school was sports and P.E. class. He could, however,
tell me exactly what I needed to incorporate into my classroom as a future teacher. He told me I
need to be fun, nice, and relaxed. He also told me that I should teach using a lot of fun
activities. A common ground that Sarah and Braiden share is that Braiden, too, feels I should
not assign any homework.
Within one middle school, there are people like Sarah, ones who need discipline and
structure in their work environment. There are also people like Braiden, ones that harbor such a
hatred for school that they need a fun academic atmosphere to become engaged. These are just
two students out of Webbers 800 population. These interviews taught me that every student is
different. Every student needs special attention.
Sarah and Braiden taught me that the middle school experience is not simple. For Sarah,
she is in constant anxiety of appearing, what she refers to, as normal. For Braiden, he dreads
going to school every morning. Out of his entire school day, the only period he actually enjoys is
P.E.
 These students have taught me how vitally important it is to personally know each one of
your students. Without these interviews, I never would have guessed that Sarah loves politics and
physics, and that Braiden loves his family more than anything else. By having these personal
connections with students, a teacher is able to accommodate their teaching styles to that every
student gets an effective education.
In my classroom, I will undoubtedly be using the interview method. I feel that by doing
these, a teacher is much more able to grow relationships with their students. I want every one of
my students to leave my class knowing that they are heard, that they are valued, and that they are
important. Interviewing students with questions like these is a perfect way to ensure that that is
accomplished.

Lesson Plan
Teacher: Meg Strauss for Mr. Nurtons class
School: Webber Middle School
Date: November 29th, 2016
Grade Level: 7th Grade
Content Area: Reading
Title: The Haunted House by Jack Prelutsky

Content Standard addressed by this lesson: Literary elements, characteristics, and ideas are
interrelated and guide the comprehension of literary and fictional texts
Inquiry questions:
Topical:
How do literary elements help guide the poem?
What literary elements, characteristics, and ideas are evident within the poem?
What elements make up a poem?
Overarching:
Why is comprehension important?
How do characteristics and ideas relate?
Why do people write and read poetry?
What is the importance of poetry in society?
Evidence Outcomes:
Every student will be able to.
 1. Identify rhyme in a poem
2. Identify text structure in a poem
3. Analyze and compare theme across texts
4. Use new academic vocabulary and practice previously taught words
5. Discuss the craft and structure of a poem using complete sentences and formal English
6. State a point of view and support it in writing
(Objectives found on page 158 of the Teachers Edition rBook)
Concepts and Skills to Master:
Students can explain the literary elements that make up a poem.
Students can find the similar themes in the Haunted House and The Fall of the House of Usher
and discuss the importance of the themes.
Students can interpret the meaning behind the authors need to write the poem.
Students understand rhyme scheme and can apply rhyme scheme to a poem.
Students understand the importance of comprehension.
Students understand how something is made up of multiple parts.
Students understand the relation of emotion in regards to literature.
Assessment of Evidence Outcomes:
Students will be given end of unit assessment that covers the entirety of the standard.
During the lesson, students will also be completing questions found on pages 158 and 159 of
their rBook. These questions include new vocabulary, synthesizing the poem, reactions to the
literature, and questions about the poems rhyme scheme and overarching themes.
Students will be given an exit ticket at the end of class. The exit ticket will consist of three well-
known songs. Students will pair up and answer two questions: how many stanzas are in this
poem and how many verses are in the poem. Students will then be asked to finish the AB rhyme
scheme.
Planned Lesson Plan
Students will be split into three separate groups. Group size varies depending on the day, but the
groups average around six students. Approximately every twenty minutes, students will routine
between three stations: a reading station, a computer station, and an instruction station. I will be
working with students in the instructional station.
Lesson Name The Haunted House by Jack Prelutsky
Approx. Time 90 minute class
20 minutes per group
20 minutes for 20% time
10 minutes for exit ticket
Anticipatory Set Students will listen to a video of The Haunted
House being read by Arnold Lobel.
Students will get a sense for the mood of the
poem by how the poem is read.
Teaching/Presentation After the anticipatory set, I will move onto the
target word, which is the word linger. I will
have them rate their prior knowledge of this
word, help define the meaning of the word,
and finish the example sentence. Students will
then share out their example sentences.
Students will then have to synthesis the
reading and answer the question What is
another example of a place that might cause
anxiety and despair? Students will share
their answer.
Students will then answer the question, What
qualities would make a house scary to you?
I will then read the poem aloud to the
students. While reading, I will have them
underline previously learned vocabulary
words, as well as the Words to Know.
After the first read, I will explain poetry
structure and rhyme scheme. I will teach
stanzas and verses, as well as explain the end-
rhyme scheme displayed in the poem.
I will make sure students understand the
concept of rhyme before I move onto the
second read by playing a rhyming game. I
will state to a student a word, and they will
reply with a word that rhymes.
For the second read, I will have students
volunteer to read each stanza. After each
stanza is read, students will identify the end-
rhymes using the ABCD(etc.) pattern. We
will also talk about the main ideas displayed
in each stanza.
After the second read, students will answer
questions on page 159 of their rBooks.
Students will answer a question on rhyme
scheme, how many stanzas are evident, and
the overall theme of the poem and how it
relates to the theme evident in The Fall of
the House of Usher.
Teaching strategy: Input: I will provide information students
need to fully grasp the structure, rhyme,
 themes, words, and ideas displayed in the
poem.
Modeling: I will provide examples of words
that rhyme and will share some of my own
answers to the rBook questions. Students will
know what is expected of them through my
modeling.
Checking for Understanding; I will ask
students questions throughout the lesson, as
well as have students picked at random read
out loud their questions. I will also check for
understanding by playing a rhyming game.
Questions: Students will be answering
questions that rate their understanding,
understanding, and critical thinking.
Closure Students will connect themes present in Poes
story to the poem. If time, students will
connect this theme to other horror stories they
have read to horror stories they have watched.
Materials Students will need their rBook and a pen or
pencil.
Accommodations and Modifications Students will be split into groups based on
their test scores.
On the class period before the lesson, for the
exit ticket, I will have students write on a
piece of paper how familiar they are with
poetry. I will have them circle a number from
one to five: one being they know nothing
about poetry, five being they know everything
about poetry. Students will then have to
provide two reasons as to why they rated
themselves that way.
I will look at these exit slips and before class
starts, I will determine the order in which I
would like students to sit during the
workshop.
Before the workshops, I will instruct students
on where to sit.
On one end of the table will be students who
rated themselves lowly on exit slip and on the
other side will be students who rated
themselves highly.
Students who are more comfortable with
poetry will be asked harder questions, while
students who are not comfortable with poetry
will be given more detailed instruction.
 Assessment For the reading group, at the end of their
reading time, will be asked to fill out a paper
describing the literary elements found in the
chapters they read. Students will already have
prior knowledge as to what literary elements
are.
In the workshop group, students will be filling
out rBook questions continuously throughout
the lesson. These questions relate to
vocabulary, comprehension, theme, and
poetry elements.
At the end of class, students will be given an
exit slip. Students will be paired up. They will
be given a popular song and will have to
identify how many stanzas are displayed in
the poem, as well as how many lines.
Students will then be asked to finish the
rhyme scheme.
20% time After the first hour of rotation is completed,
students will be given twenty minutes for
20% percent time. At the start of the
semester, students were asked to create a
literary project that showed their interests.
Some students are writing songs, some are
writing children books, other students are
writing short stories. This time is devoted to
encouraging creativity and also enabling
creative writing.

Original lesson plan with Mr. Nurtons comments/before conference with Ryan can be found
here:
https://poudreschools-
my.sharepoint.com/personal/jnurton_psdschools_org/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?source
doc=%7B7730A832-A77E-4263-9CBA-
9FBBB80B3843%7D&file=Nov29%20Lesson%20Plan%20with%20suggestions.docx&acti
on=default
 Narrative Reflection

Reflecting upon my lesson, I realize there were many things that I need to work on as a
future teacher. However, teaching the lesson also allowed me to realize the strengths that I
previously did not know I had. In the first group rotation, I struggled with time management. I
tried to get all the questions answered, play fun games, talk to students, and make sure the
students fully grasped the material. I ended up going five minutes over my assigned twenty
minute time frame and felt I still did not achieve everything that I wanted to. For the second and
third groups, I ended up cutting a lot of aspects of the lesson plan; however, I still felt as though I
should have gone more in depth about the elements of poetry. I also did not relate poetry to the
bigger picture of overall literature. I did not state learning objectives to the students beforehand,
so students were left wondering what they were supposed to get out of the lesson. I wished I
would have related the lesson better to lessons they previously learned. For instance, I should
have asked, What are the similarities between this poem and Poes short story? or What
makes a poem and a short story different? I also felt that I jumped around the lesson a lot. I felt
that one moment I would be talking to the students about stanzas, then the next moment we
would be talking about theme, then we would be talking about stanzas again. I also feel that I
could have incorporated more student input. Right away, I explained to the students the elements
of poetry. Looking back, I wish I would have allowed more thought. I wish I would have asked
questions such as, What do you think stanzas are? or How many lines do you think are in this
stanza?
I feel that my classroom management of this lesson was fairly adequate, which surprised
me. These students love to talk and get off topic; however, I feel that I did a good job listening to
them and then getting the students back on track. I also feel like I incorporated everyone into the
lesson, which is a perk of the small group teaching style. I did not only call on students that
raised their hand; I made sure everyone spoke up. I was also pleased with my rhyming game. I
feel as though students really enjoyed the game, and it also allowed me to see where students
were in their knowledge on rhyming.
Overall, I learned an extreme amount about myself as a teacher by teaching this lesson. I
learned that I need to work on communication. I need to ask the deeper and more thought-
provoking questions. I feel that students left the lesson asking themselves, Why is this
important? I could have done a much better job at relating the content to overarching and
content-mixing themes. I also learned that having strong relationships with students is vastly
important. I am fortunate enough to have very strong relationships with the students in Mr.
Nurtons class, and I think that helped me greatly in achieving participation and engagement. I
also learned how important an authentic and enthused demeanor is in regards to teaching. Since I
was very excited about teaching my lesson, I feel that that helped students to also get excited
about poetry.
Through the course of this semester, I have become aware of what my strengths and
weaknesses as a teacher will be. I feel as though my biggest strength as a teacher will be my
relations and interactions with my students. Often times I feel that students are not viewed as
actual people, and I try my hardest to listen to students and identify with students. I also feel that
another one of my strengths as a teacher is my ability to take constructive criticism in a positive
light and grow as a teacher. I refuse to be a teacher that thinks their way is always the best way. I
recognize that there will always be aspects that I need to improve on. I am anxious to learn from
my future educators and peers.
While I feel that my I managed the class behavior well in my lesson plan, I feel that
overall classroom management is one of my biggest weaknesses in the classroom. I often times
feel it is hard to say no to students. I struggle with discipline in any sense, especially in the
classroom. For instance, there were times in class where I would ask a student to come out into
the hall and read with me. They would refuse, and I would not push any further.
For EDUC 450, there are three main aspects of teaching that I need to work on:
classroom management, proper communication, and organization. For classroom management, I
need to find the balance of being a personal and empathic teacher, but also being viewed with
respect. Even though I am an English major, I feel that during my lesson plan, I was extremely
bad at communicating with the students. I did not relate the lesson to prior lessons, nor did I state
the learning objectives beforehand. When I leave 450, I hope to have become a much better
communicator when teaching. I also struggle with organization. As I previously stated, I tend to
jump around from one topic to another. While I do not have that randomness written in my
lesson plan, I still do it. I hope that in 450, I am able to practice on following an organized lesson
plan and transitioning into new topics more fluidly.
Even though my lesson plan did not go perfectly, I still learned an immense amount of
teaching. I learned so much about myself as a teacher, what I need to improve on, and what
seems to work for a teacher. I am eager to teach more lessons and improve upon each and every
one.

Field Notes
1. EDUC 350 Field Notes- Chapter 12 Building Character and Trust In the chart below
give one concrete example of when you saw each technique in action. If you did not see
it then describe a situation where you believe it may have been helpful.
Positive Framing In this class, the students were reading a short
story titled Hard Times. This story is about a
two teenage girls who came home to find their
mother had been arrested and sent to prison.
Even though this was a terribly depressing
story, Mr. Nurton remained positive in his
attitude and demeanor.
Precise Praise Mr. Nurton would constantly praise his
students. He would use phrases such as, Good
 memory! or Nicely worded! He would also
direct the students directly by name.
Warm/Strict Mr. Nurton used this technique on a student
named Nina. Nina was disruptive at the start of
class and was out of her seat. Mr. Nurton
strictly told her to sit down; however, within the
next few minutes, Nina had answered a question
correctly. Mr. Nurton then praised her by
saying, Excellent, Nina!
Emotional Consistency On this particular day, the class was very
rowdy. Mr. Nurton strayed away from his small
group model and did the class all together. This
seemed to throw the class off; however, Mr.
Nurton never got upset.
Joy Factor Mr. Nurton greatly encouraged learning. When
one student, Grace, was asked what an adverb
was, she answered incorrectly. Instead of
shutting her down, Mr. Nurton told her to keep
looking for the right answer.

Below, please explain your example(s) of 1-2 techniques and how the student(s) reacted to the
teacher when they utilized it. (ie. reply to them, walk away, smile, frown, etc.)
Nina, whom I mentioned in the Warm/Strict column, was clearly having an off day.
She is normally a very well-behaved student. At the start of class, she was out of her seat, loud,
and disruptive. When Mr. Nurton told her to get back to her seat, her demeanor automatically
deflated, for she is not one that normally gets in trouble. However, she proceeded to answer one
of Mr. Nurtons questions. When answering correctly, he told her, Excellent, Nina! She smiled
and immediately became engaged and well-behaved within the class.
Grace, whom I mentioned in the Joy Factor column, is a student who always
participates. When asked was an adverb was, she described an adjective. Mr. Nurton did not tell
her she was wrong. He told her to keep looking for the right answer. When Grace found the
correct answer in the book, Mr. Nurton praised her answer. She smiled and was clearly proud of
herself, as was Mr. Nurton.

2. EDUC 350 Field Notes- Chapter 3 Setting and Maintaining High Expectations In the
chart below give one concrete example of when you saw each technique in action. If
you did not see it then describe a situation where you believe it may have been helpful.
No Opt Out Braiden, a known trouble student, never raises
his hand. When Mr. Nurton asked a question,
about five other students raised their hand.
Braiden was not one of these students. Mr.
 Nurton called on Braiden to answer. Braiden
told Mr. Nurton, I didnt raise my hand!
Mr. Nurton told him that every student needs
to answer questions. Braiden proceeded to
answer the question.
Right is Right The class has vocabulary words for each unit.
The students had practiced these vocabulary
words previously. Mr. Nurton asked Trevor
what the word depressing meant. Trevor
said, sad. There was more to this definition,
so Mr. Nurton told him to say the whole
meaning.
Stretch It When reading the short story Hard Times,
there was a picture on the cover page. Mr.
Nurton asked a student named Ky who the
character was in the picture, Ky told him the
character in the picture was the mother of the
two teenage girls in the story. This was right.
Mr Nurton then asked, How do you know
its the mom? Ky answered, It says so in
the caption.
Format Matters In Mr. Nurtons class, the students must
practice GSAs. This stands for Great
Sentence Answer. During this lesson,
students had to write out answers in their
rBooks. Mr. Nurton constantly reminded
them to use GSAs. After they were done
writing, Mr. Nurton would tell them to make
sure to use GSAs or would praise them on
using GSAs.
Without Apology In the short story, there were many
vocabulary words that the students did not
know. When looking at the word
approximately, the students were worried
about the hard pronunciation. Mr Nurton told
the class, This is a hard word. Look at it and
study it. Lets remember the definition and
spelling.

Below, please explain two of your examples and how they were utilized to maintain high
expectations of the students work, answers, etc.
Braiden, whom I mentioned in the No Opt Out column, is typically a student who
never actively participates. By making sure that Braiden knew that he could not opt out of the
class by not raising his hand, Mr. Nurton established high-expectations for the rest of the
students. By telling Braiden that all students must answer questions, he allowed all of the other
students to know that they must always pay attention, for they might get called on without
raising their hands, just like Braiden. When Mr. Nurton pressed Ky using the Stretch It answer,
he allowed the class to know that the bare minimum will not be enough. Ky stated the correct
answer, yet Mr. Nurton pressed him further. This let students know that they must always be
prepared to go beyond the simple answer.

3. EDUC 350 Field Notes- Chapter 5 Lesson Structure In the chart below give one
concrete example of when you saw each technique in action. If you did not see it then
describe a situation where you believe it may have been helpful.
Do Now Mr. Nurton did not do a Do Now. I feel as
though this could have been a helpful
technique in order to make the students think
deeper and further relate to the story. For
instance, for the Do Now, Mr. Nurton could
have written on the board, When you come
into class, write down how you would feel if
you came home from school and your parent
had been arrested. This would help students
relate to the story about the two teenage girls
whose mother was sent to jail while they were
at school. This would also open up class
discussion.
Name The Steps Mr. Nurton named the steps that it takes to
effectively master a vocabulary word. For
example, the word was anxiety. Mr. Nurton
had the students say the word aloud, rate their
knowledge on the word, provide a definition,
and then write the word in a sentence.
Board=Paper Mr. Nurton did not use this technique, but I
feel like it would have been helpful when
reading the story. In this story, students
struggled with understanding the plot. I feel
as though it would have been helpful for Mr.
Nurton to take notes on the board highlighting
the points of the plot and having students help
filling out the notes on the board.
Control the Game Mr. Nurton uses this technique in many of his
lesson plans. Since this is a reading class, Mr.
Nurton wants the students to read frequently
out loud. Most students are very eager to read
aloud, and he also has students who are less
eager also read aloud. I have noticed,
however, then when the class runs short on
 time, Mr. Nurton reads parts of the story
himself in order to speed up the limited time.
Circulate Mr. Nurton rarely teaches a full-class lesson.
In the instructional small group setting, Mr.
Nurton sits around a circular table with the
students. I feel that even though Mr. Nurton
does not get up from this chair, having a
circular table is still extremely effective as he
can swivel his chair and pay attention to all
students during the small group
At Bats When it comes to vocabulary words, Mr.
Nurton has the students repeatedly practice.
At the start of class, Mr. Nurton went over all
of the vocabulary words written on the board
and had students state the definition out loud.
When students get to the vocabulary test,
most are very prepared.
Exit Ticket Mr. Nurton did not do an Exit Ticket. I feel
that he could have done one by asking his
students, Provide me with an example of
how Walia and Dalis life changed after their
mom went to jail. This could give Mr.
Nurton a sense of who understood the story,
and who needs more time to fully
comprehend the story.

Below, please explain your example(s) of 1-2 techniques and how you think it helped/did not
help students reach the daily learning targets.
In Mr. Nurtons class, learning vocabulary is very important. Most of his learning targets
revolve around vocabulary words in order to ensure full literary comprehension. I feel as though
the At Bats technique and the Name the Steps technique are great ways to prepare students
not only to reach the learning targets, but also to do well on the vocabulary quizzes. In the At
Bats technique, repetition is greatly used, which makes the vocabulary words and their
definitions become engraved in the students minds. The Name the Steps technique is a great
way for students to understand hard words through easy and bearable steps. This makes scary
words seem less frightening. Overall, I think these two techniques are great for helping students
learn vocabulary words.

4. EDUC 350 Field Notes- Chapter 4 Planning for Success In the chart below give one
concrete example of when you saw each technique in action. If you did not see it then
describe a situation where you believe it may have been helpful.
Begin with the End Mr. Nurton is great with stating the plan
of the day to the class. At the start of class,
he points on the learning targets, which he
has written on the board. He then will
describe the activities of the day and how
long each activity will take. Finally, he
tells the students how they will reach the
learning targets through the activities he
has planned. Mr. Nurton starts each class
with telling the students what the end goal
of the lesson will be, and I get a sense that
the students really like that.
4 Ms While I have not seen one of Mr. Nurtons
direct lesson plans, I feel as though he
does make lesson plan objectives
manageable, measurable, made first, and
most important. For his learning targets,
they are always doable, but are also
challenging. They come with direct ways
to assess the learning target. He states the
learning target at the start of each class,
and he also makes the students know that
the learning target is something to aim
towards. He also uses the six facets in his
learning targets. For instance, one of his
learning targets states, I can use the
workshop six words in context. Ill know I
am successful when I score proficient on
the workshop word challenge.
Post It Mr. Nurton posts his learning targets on
the board in the front of the class. At the
start of class, he has a student read the
learning targets for the day. While the
learning targets do change with each
lesson, Mr. Nurton writes them in the
same place in order for students to know
exactly what their end goal should be after
each lesson.
Double Plan Mr. Nurton has a direct lesson plan that
uses small groups that rotate every twenty
minutes. For the first ten minutes of class,
Mr. Nurton identifies the objectives of the
lesson plan with the class and goes over
what the rest of the day will look like. He
then moves onto the small group rotations,
where students rotate every twenty
 minutes. After rotation, Mr. Nurton does a
ten minute closure activity with the
students as a whole. Overall, Mr. Nurtons
lessons run like clockwork.

Below, please explain your examples of 2 of the planning techniques above and how you saw the
planning help with the teaching.

As a person that likes to know exactly what the plan for everything is, I really appreciate
how Mr. Nurton begins every class with the Begin to End. I feel like this allows students to
know exactly what to expect, as well as holds Mr. Nurton accountable for staying on time and on
track. It is easy as a teacher to go off plan and in result not finish the entirety of the lesson plan,
but by stating how the class period will look and what the end goals are, Mr. Nurton sticks right
to his lesson plan and accomplishes his goals. I also like how Mr. Nurton does the Double Plan
technique. I feel as though students really like scheduled activities. Mr. Nurtons classroom is
never chaotic. All students know exactly where they need to be at exactly what time, and I feel
that this helps Mr. Nurton accomplish the entirety of his lesson plan because he does not have to
worry about explaining to the students what they should be doing.

5. EDUC 350 Field Notes- Chapter 7 Building Ratio Through Questioning In the chart below
give one concrete example of when you saw each technique in action. If you did not see it then
describe a situation where you believe it may have been helpful.

Wait Time As previously stated, Mr. Nurton has a lot

of vocabulary learning infused into his
lesson plans. At the start of class, he asks
students the definition of the vocabulary
words on the front of the board. He asked
the classed the definition of the word
anxiety. He allowed students the time to
think, and when he seemed as though no
one knew the answer, Mr. Nurton them to
look in the back of the book and find the
answer. Sarah, a student in the class, then
answered correctly. He did not blatantly
provide them with the definition, instead he
gave the students advice to find the answer
themselves.
Cold Call Mr. Nurton calls on all students, regardless
of if they are raising their hand or not. For
instance, Mr. Nurton asked a student named
Katie what the definition of linger was,
even though Katies hand was not raised.
Katie did not seem thrilled about answering
 this question unprepared, but she ended up
getting the definition right anyway.
Call and Response In the rBooks, the students are provided
with example sentences that use the
vocabulary word. Mr. Nurton tells the
students that he will read the sentence, and
when he comes across the vocabulary word,
he wants the class to say the word in unison.
If he gets to the word and students did not
say the word in unison, Mr. Nurton will
repeat the sentence until everyone says the
vocabulary word together. I feel that this
technique helps will memory,
pronunciation, and engagement.
Break It Down Mr. Nurton never makes a student feel badly
for answering a question wrong, but he
never lets the student off of the hook either.
For instance, Mr. Nurton asked Braiden
what the definition of utter was. Braiden
told Mr. Nurton that it was the thing on a
cow. Mr. Nurton told Braiden that that is
udder and to find the definition of utter
in the back of his book. Braiden searched
for the definition and read the correct
definition aloud.
Pepper Mr. Nurton did not use Pepper. He has
told me previously that this class works
better with slow-paced activities. However,
I think he could have used Pepper during
the vocabulary activities. For instance, he
could name a word and whoever was the
first to provide the correct definition would
win the round. I think that this would be a
fun and engaging activity that would inspire
the students to know the definitions of the
words presented.

Below, please explain which of the above techniques is the best for increased student learning and
why you chose it.
I think that out of the techniques above, the best for increased student learning is Wait Time. I
have had many teachers who, when a class did not know an answer, would simply state the answer
for them. I feel that this technique allows students to have the change to find the right answer, and if
they still do not know the answer, it provides them with a way to find the answer. As a teacher, it is
easy to simply tell the class the answer. This technique stresses the importance of student-lead
learning, which I feel is very important in increasing student learning in general.