Student Teaching Evaluation of Performance (STEP)

Template

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 1 of 22

Table of Contents
Standard 1- Contextual Factors - Knowing Your School and Community
Standard 2 - Writing Standards-Based Objectives and the Learning Goal
Standard 3 - Assessment and Data Literacy
Standard 4 - Unit and Lesson Planning
Standard 5 - Implementation of Instructional Unit
Standard 6 - Analysis of Student Learning
Standard 7 - Reflecting on Instruction to Improve Student Progress

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 2 of 22

 STEP Standard 1 - Contextual Factors: Knowing Your School and
Community

Part I: Community, District, School, and Classroom Factors

A. Geographic Location
The school is in Gilbert Arizona, which is in the Maricopa County. The current population is
237,133 (Gilbert Arizona, n.d). The town is suburban. Gilbert is “currently 4th fastest growing
municipality in the United States” (Gilbert Arizona, n.d).

B. District Demographics
Gilbert Public Schools has “twenty-seven elementary schools which accommodate grades
kindergarten through sixth; six junior high schools, and five high schools” (Gilbert Public Schools,
n.d). There are also preschool programs in the district. The last student enrollment count found was
the total of 33,678 (Gilbert Public Schools, n.d).

C. School Demographics
The school I am student teaching in is Ashland Ranch Elementary School. The number of
students at the school is 776 (Ashland Ranch Elementary School, n.d). Only 1% of the students
is on free/reduced lunches (Ashland Ranch Elementary School, n.d). The percentage of students
with disabilities is at 12% (Ashland Ranch Elementary School, n.d). Looking at greatschools.org
it states that test scores are above the standards for Arizona. The overall Great Schools rating is 7
out of 10.

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 3 of 22

STEP Standard 1 - Contextual Factors: Knowing Your School and
Community

Part II: Demographic, Environment, and Academic Factors

A. Student Demographic Factors
The classroom I am in currently is a 5th and 6th grade resource classroom. My cooperating
teacher I am with only sees 18 students, but the classroom is shared with another teacher. There
are 8 girls and 10 boys. The students come in for math and English language arts.

B. Environmental Factors
The classroom is set up where certain areas of the classroom are for different subject which helps
with transitions. There is an area for math and ELA, then there is an area for when the students
can come in to take test as their alternative testing area. The class also has many resources for the
students to reference if they need to.

C. Student Academic Factors

Behavior
Student Subgroup ELL IEP Section 504 Gifted Other or
Services Cognitive
(Explain) Needs
Receiving
No
Services
Boys 0 10 0 0 1 0
Girls 0 8 0 0 0 0
Instructional There All the There are no There There is Everyone
Accommodations and are no students students on a are no one is
Modifications ELL that are in section 504 students student receiving
(Describe any students the in a that the services
instructional classroom gifted teacher is
accommodations and are on program trying to
modifications regularly IEPs, all get on a
used to meet the needs of the behavior
students in each students plan
subgroup.) are in pull
out
resource

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 4 of 22

In the space below, discuss the possible affect these characteristics could have on the
planning, delivery, and assessment of your unit. Refrain from using student names.

Something that my cooperating teacher has told me is that he tries to work with the general education
teachers to see what they are doing in their class that week so that he can try and match what he does
in his classroom. I know that this will affect what my unit plan will be on.

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 5 of 22

STEP Standard 2 - Writing Standards-Based Objectives and the
Learning Goal

Unit Topic: Reading

Unit Title: Reading Comprehension

National or State Academic Content Standards

6.RI.2
Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a
summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
6.RL.9
Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels
and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.
6.RI.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.

Learning Goal
At the end of this unit, students will be able to read an article and mark all the important
information from the article to help with comprehension.

Measurable Objectives
I can read an article and determine the main idea and summarize the article.
I can compare two articles by going back and looking and notes taken while reading.
I can mark important information from an article read in class.

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 6 of 22

STEP Standard 3 - Assessment and Data Literacy
Pre-Assessment - Copy and paste the pre-assessment you plan to use to assess the students’
knowledge of the topic prior to implementing the unit lessons. Include the scoring criteria used
to determine whether the student Exceeds, Meets, Approaches, or Falls Far Below the learning
goal and measurable objectives.
(Pre-Assessment is an article from newsela.com with questions after. The point is to see if the
students go back when answering questions.)

PRO/CON: Is the idea of driverless cars

gaining popularity?
By Tribune News Service, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.14.16
Word Count 1,141
PRO: Driverless cars could allow Americans to live where
they want, without worrying about their commute to work
Technological advances are having a major effect on the way people live their lives. The
changes are coming faster than at any time in human history.
Just 30 years ago, few could imagine having one's very own pocket-sized supercomputer
— one that allows you to do virtually anything, from finding a date to buying a house. Yet
today's smartphone is here and used by nearly everyone.
Now, the driverless car is another society-shifting invention that may become part of
everyday life in the not-so-distant future.
Car Companies and State Governments Are Gearing Up
Carmakers like Volkswagen and General Motors say they will begin selling driverless cars
in just three or four years. State governments have already started preparing for the new
technology’s arrival.
California, Florida, Michigan and Nevada have recently passed laws governing their use.
More than a dozen other states are considering similar legislation.
Many industry experts predict driverless cars will reduce private car ownership.
No longer will people be forced to spend thousands of dollars on a new car. Instead, when
they need to get somewhere they will open an app on a computer or smartphone and call
for a driverless taxi.
Suburban Life Is Preferred
Driverless cars may radically change the way people travel to and from work. Most likely
they will also alter where and how people live.
In recent years, more and more people in the U.S. have been moving to big cities.
However, groups have been sending out surveys which show that people of all ages still
prefer to live in suburbs, because they are more affordable, convenient and spacious.
One 2015 poll showed that as many as two-thirds of young people would choose
suburban living over life in the city.
If Americans still prefer the suburbs over city centers, why are so many choosing to live in
cities?

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 7 of 22

 Cities Hold the Best Jobs
There are a number of reasons for the shift from suburbs to cities. One of the most
important is that many of the most desirable new jobs are in the tech industry, and many
tech companies are located in big cities.
People who want to work in tech often need to be close to the action.
However, this does not mean that cities typically offer a better quality of life. In most cases,
they do not.
Taxes are highest in some of the country’s major cities, such as Chicago, New York, San
Francisco and Seattle. Crime and pollution remain significantly worse in cities as well.
Commuting Will Become Easy
Driverless cars could completely change the way Americans think about where they live.
Traveling from suburb to city center will become much less tiring, as people will no longer
have to do the driving themselves. Because of that, people will feel less need to live where
they work. They will no longer be forced to pay the high rents, taxes and fees common in
big cities in order to work comfortably in those places.
With driverless cars, driving to work will be a breeze. Instead of being an exhausting trek, it
will feel more like sitting at home on the couch watching a favorite television show.
If that is what the future looks like, most of us will not mind the extra travel time.
Justin Haskins is the executive editor of Heartland Institute, a conservative
and libertarian public policy think tank.
CON: Driverless cars will bring about major safety and legal
issues
A nationwide network of millions of self-driving cars whisking suburban commuters to work
is a pleasant vision. However, getting to that point is far from simple.
Self-driving cars have been in development for years. Their backers claim the vehicles will
be ready to take over the car market in the near future.
Having millions use these vehicles will improve highway safety, they claim. Driverless cars
will make even the far suburbs more convenient places to live, they say.
However, before those suburban dwellers can order such cars, some gigantic
problems must be overcome.
The Technology Is Not Safe
First, the technology used in those cars creates serious safety problems. Huge
improvements must be made before they can safely handle streets.
Driverless cars rely primarily on pre-programmed information about routes. If something on
the road changes, they are lost. For example, they would not obey a short-term stop sign.
They also have problems figuring out when objects such as bits of paper garbage are
harmless, so they can change course abruptly for no reason.
The vehicles simply cannot deal with the unexpected adventures that fill everyday life. Until
the cars can self-drive at all times, humans are going to have to be ready to take over at a
moment's notice.
Human Error Causes Problems
Meanwhile, Google’s self-driving car has already run into another perplexing safety
problem: human drivers.
Recently, one of Google’s self-driving cars came to a crosswalk and did what it was
supposed to do: It slowed down to allow someone on foot to cross the street. However, the

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 8 of 22

 human “safety driver” panicked and hit the brakes. No one was hurt, but Google’s car was
hit from behind by another car.
Driverless cars cannot work properly unless detailed road maps have been loaded into the
computers that guide them. Currently, the maps for Google’s self-driving cars have only
been designed to handle a few thousand miles of road. Developing a nationwide self driving
car system would require countless amounts of effort and money. Car
companies would need to maintain and update information on millions of miles of roads.
Regulation Roadblocks
The development of driverless vehicles would also mean more state and federal
regulation. There would be all sorts of new rules covering how, when and where driverless
cars can be used. Most likely, all those new rules would significantly slow the spread of
driverless cars.
The use of driverless cars would also raise issues of legal responsibility. For example, who
should be held responsible in the event of a crash — the passenger, the carmaker or the
designer of the computer system? Such complicated legal issues could take years and
many lawyers to sort out.
Paying the Price
Totally self-driving cars will likely not be cheap, either. One report says making a car
completely self-driving would add some $10,000 to its price.
There is also the problem of getting people to accept them. Cars are not just transportation
— they also reflect our personalities and tastes.
Imagine someone who loves driving, who enjoys zooming down the highway in a sleek
sports car. It will be hard to get them to accept simply being a passenger in a not-very exciting
computer-controlled vehicle.
Whitt Flora is an independent journalist who covered the White House for the
Columbus Dispatch and was chief congressional correspondent for Aviation
Week & Space Technology magazine.
Quiz
1 Which section of the PRO article introduces the idea that the availability of driverless cars will
lead to fewer people owning cars?
(A) "Car Companies and State Governments Are Gearing Up"
(B) "Suburban Life Is Preferred"
(C) "Cities Hold the Best Jobs"
(D) "Commuting Will Become Easy"
2 Which of the following sentences from the CON article BEST supports the author's concerns
about the safety of driverless cars?
(A) Huge improvements must be made before they can safely handle streets.
(B) Driverless cars rely primarily on pre-programmed information about routes.
(C) No one was hurt, but Google’s car was hit from behind by another car.
(D) Car companies would need to maintain and update information on millions
of miles of roads.
3 Which of the following is the PRO author's MOST central concern?
(A) cost
(B) safety
(C) enjoyment
(D) convenience
4 How does the CON author introduce his argument?
(A) by explaining why some are in favor of self-driving cars before describing

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 9 of 22

 problems with the new technology
(B) by telling a story to illustrate the danger of self-driving cares before listing
several problems with the new technology
(C) by providing a brief history of self-driving cars before explaining why the
new technology needs more development
(D) by describing how self-driving technology works before presenting some
issues with the new technology

Pre-Assessment Data: Whole Class - Once you have assessed your students’ knowledge on the topic,
collect and analyze the pre-assessment data to determine if you will need to modify the standards,
learning goal, or measurable objectives that will be addressed during instruction.

Number of Students

Exceeds 0

Meets 1

Approaches 2

Falls Far Below 3

Pre-Assessment Analysis: Whole Class

I think that based on the data, the standard I have picked for my unit plan will cover the areas the students
did not get on the pre-assessments.

After looking at the data, I can see that this is definitely an area the student need to work on. The students
do not mark important information in their article while reading and do not go back to find the answers
when on the quiz portion. With AzMERIT coming up, this is a skill they need to pass the standardized
test. This skill will help them with comprehension.

Post-Assessment – Copy and paste the post-assessment you plan to use to assess the students’ knowledge
of the topic after implementing the unit lessons. The post-assessment can be the same as the pre-
assessment, a modified version, or something comparable that measures the same concepts. Include the
scoring criteria used to determine whether the student Exceeds, Meets, Approaches, or Falls Far Below the
learning goal and measurable objectives.
(Students will be given another article from the same website. Now we should see markings as
evidence that they went back while answering the questions.)

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 10 of 22

 Government paves the way for self-
driving cars
By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.22.16 Word Count 895

President Barack Obama wrote about the hopes for self-driving cars in an opinion piece in the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette. Such cars might save thousands of lives on U.S. roads each year and change the lives of the
elderly and the disabled, he said. "Less congested, less polluted roads. That's what harnessing technology
for good can look like," Obama wrote. But he added: "We have to get it right. Americans deserve to
know they'll be safe today even as we develop and deploy the technologies of tomorrow."
Embracing the Future
One self-driving expert said the tone of the guidelines signaled that the federal government has
embraced autonomous, or automated, driving. "In terms of just attitude, this is huge," said Bryant
Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina who tracks the technology. He
cautioned that many details remain unclear. The government did make clear that the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will seek recalls if needed. Recalls require car makers to fix or
upgrade cars they have sold. They can be costly for manufacturers. The government expects partially
autonomous systems to make driver-passengers pay attention. The agency, which is part of the
transportation department, released guidelines showing how NHTSA can use recalls to regulate
technology. Semi-autonomous driving systems must account for distracted driver-occupants who do not
take control of the vehicle in an emergency, the department said. Otherwise, it may be defined as too
risky and subject to recall.
Learning from The Tesla Crash
NHTSA says the guidelines aren't aimed at electric car maker Tesla Motors. But the bulletin would
address events like a fatal crash in Florida that occurred while a Tesla car was using the company's
Autopilot system. The system can brake when it spots obstacles and keep cars in their lanes. But it failed
to spot a crossing tractor-trailer and neither the system nor the driver braked. Autopilot allows drivers to
take their hands off the steering wheel for short periods. Tesla has since announced modifications, so
Autopilot relies more on radar and less on cameras, which it said were blinded by sunlight in the Florida
crash. The company has maintained that Autopilot is a driver-assist system. Tesla said it warns drivers
they must be ready to take over at any time.
Federal Responsibility, Not A State's
Officials said federal regulators, rather than states, should be in charge of self-driving cars. Their
reasoning is that the vehicles are essentially controlled by software, not people. States have set the rules
for licensing drivers. However, when the driver becomes a computer, "we intend to occupy the field,"
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. States should stick to registering the cars and dealing with
questions of responsibility when they crash, he said.
Automakers should also be allowed to formally confirm the safety of their autonomous vehicles by
following a checklist, said officials. They should be able to do this on their own. Though companies are
not required to follow the checklist — it is voluntary — Foxx said he expects compliance. It's in their
interest to meet the standards to gain the confidence of regulators and the public, Foxx said. However,
officials also said the NHTSA is examining whether it should have the authority to approve whether the
vehicles are safe before they are sold. The government would inspect and approve technologies like
autonomous vehicles. That would be a change from the agency's self-check system and might require
action from law makers. Officials spoke to reporters ahead of a news conference set for Tuesday. There,

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 11 of 22

 they plan to provide more details. NHTSA has been striving to make the guidelines a brief framework,
rather than a lengthy set of standards and regulations. The agency's administrator, Mark Rosekind, has
said he wants the guidelines to be adjustable to keep up with the changing technology.
Keeping Up with Changing Tech
Some safety supporters have argued against voluntary guidelines. They prefer safety laws. But the rule-
making process can take years to complete. Automakers sought the NHTSA guidelines in part because
they fear a patchwork of state laws will slow or complicate selling self-driving cars. Some state
lawmakers see the rise of autonomous cars as a way to attract technology companies and spur economic
growth. They are proposing laws friendly to the technology. Michigan is considering bills that would
allow the testing of self-driving cars without brakes or pedals on state roads. New York, on the other
hand, has a law that requires drivers to keep one hand on the wheel at all times. The old law would not
work with new self-driving technology.
Quiz
1. Which section of the article explains why automakers wanted federal guidelines?
(A) "Safely Harnessing Technology For Good"
(B) "Embracing The Future"
(C) "Federal Responsibility, Not A State's"
(D) "Keeping Up With Changing Tech"
2. Select the paragraph from the section "Federal Responsibility, Not A State's" that explains why self-
driving car standards should be updated over time. 3 Which two of the following sentences from the
article include central ideas of the article?
1. President Barack Obama wrote about the hopes for self-driving cars in an opinion piece in the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
2. The agency, which is part of the transportation department, released guidelines showing how NHTSA
can use recalls to regulate technology.
3. Tesla has since announced modifications so Autopilot relies more on radar and less on cameras, which
it said were blinded by sunlight in the Florida crash.
4. Automakers should also be allowed to formally confirm the safety of their autonomous vehicles by
following a checklist, said officials.
(A) 1 and 2
(B) 2 and 3
(C) 2 and 4
(D) 3 and 4
4. Which statement would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article?
(A) The government is working to make safety standards for self-driving cars.
(B) States should be in charge of rules for licensing drivers.
(C) Autopilot systems have failed to spot hazards in self-driving cars.
(D) Some states are thinking about testing self-driving cars without brakes or pedals.

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 12 of 22

STEP Standard 4 - Unit and Lesson Planning
Note: When implementing the unit of study, you will be choosing one of these activities to video record, review, and reflect on your teaching later
in the STEP process,

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Title of Lesson or Carpentry Carpentry Cont. Blacksmithing Blacksmithing Which do you
Activity Cont. prefer?
Standards and 6.RI.2 6.RI.2 6.RI.2 6.RI.2 6.RI.1
Objectives Determine a central Determine a central Determine a central Determine a central Cite textual
What do students idea of a text and idea of a text and idea of a text and idea of a text and evidence to support
need to know and how it is conveyed how it is conveyed how it is conveyed how it is conveyed analysis of what the
be able to do for through particular through particular through particular through particular text says explicitly
each day of the details; provide a details; provide a details; provide a details; provide a as well as
unit? summary of the text summary of the text summary of the text summary of the text inferences drawn
distinct from distinct from distinct from distinct from from the text.
personal opinions personal opinions personal opinions personal opinions
or judgments. or judgments. or judgments. or judgments.
6.RL.9 6.RL.9 6.RL.9 6.RL.9
Compare and Compare and Compare and Compare and
contrast texts in contrast texts in contrast texts in contrast texts in
different forms or different forms or different forms or different forms or
genres (e.g., stories genres (e.g., stories genres (e.g., stories genres (e.g., stories
and poems; and poems; and poems; and poems;
historical novels historical novels historical novels historical novels
and fantasy stories) and fantasy stories) and fantasy stories) and fantasy stories)
in terms of their in terms of their in terms of their in terms of their
approaches to approaches to approaches to approaches to
similar themes and similar themes and similar themes and similar themes and
topics. topics. topics. topics.

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 13 of 22

 Academic  Carpentry  Carpentry  Forge  Forge  Topic
Language and  Awl  Awl  Anvil  Anvil  Evidence
Vocabulary  Arithmetic  Arithmetic  Blacksmith  Blacksmith  Cite
What academic  
Lumber Lumber  Coal bin  Coal bin
language will you  
emphasize and
Blueprints Blueprints  Weld  Weld
teach each day
during this unit?
Summary of To start class, the Class will start by Class will start by Class will start by To start class, the
Instruction and class will go over going through the going through the going through the class will go over
Activities for the the new rapid word rapid word rapid word rapid word the new rapid word
Lesson recognition chart. recognition chart. recognition chart. recognition chart. recognition chart.
How will the Students will go The class will read The class will read The class will read Students will go
instruction and back individually through the chart 2- through the chart 2- through the chart 2- back individually
activities flow? with the teacher 3 times. Then the 3 times. Then the 3 times. Then the with the teacher
Consider how the and will be timed class will go over class will go over class will go over and will be timed
students will for one minute to the meaning of the the meaning of the the meaning of the for one minute to
efficiently transition see how many words on the chart. words on the chart. words on the chart. see how many
from one to the times they can go Next the class will Next the class will Next the class will times they can go
next. through the chart. continue from continue from continue from through the chart.
At this time the where they left off where they left off where they left off At this time the
other students will from the day from the day from the day other students will
be going over the before. The teacher before. The teacher before. The teacher be going over the
meanings of the will call on students will call on students will call on students meanings of the
words on the chart. to read. While to read. While to read. While words on the chart.
When everyone is reading, the teacher reading, the teacher reading, the teacher This will allow the
done being timed, will be stopping will be stopping will be stopping students to compare
the class will be them and asking them and asking them and asking how they did from
introduced to the questions to help questions to help questions to help the beginning of
new article. The the students the students the students the week to the end
teacher will ask the thinking and thinking and thinking and of the week and see
students if they checking for checking for checking for if they have noticed
have ever heard of understanding. The understanding. The understanding. The any growth. After

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 14 of 22

 carpentry and if students will also students will also students will also everyone has been
they have a guess to be marking be marking be marking timed on the rapid
what it might mean. important important important word recognition
The teacher will information using a information using a information using a chart, the students
also make the program, “Step Up program, “Step Up program, “Step Up will be given a
connection between to Writing”. to Writing”. to Writing”. writing prompt.
the story they are The writing prompt
reading in their is using the two
classes which is articles, would you
about forging rather be a
medal. The class carpenter or a
will be reading the blacksmith. The
article as a class. students need three
The teacher will reasons why from
call on students to the articles as their
read. While evidence. The
reading, the teacher students are using a
will be stopping template from a
them and asking program called
questions to help “Step Up to
the students Writing”.
thinking and
checking for
understanding. The
students will also
be marking
important
information using a
program, “Step Up
to Writing”.
Differentiation While reading as a While reading as a While reading as a While reading as a The writing
What are the group, the teacher group, the teacher group, the teacher group, the teacher assignment will be
adaptations or chooses who will chooses who will chooses who will chooses who will broken up into

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 15 of 22

 modifications to the read based on the read based on the read based on the read based on the smaller parts to
instruction/activities students reading students reading students reading students reading help the students
as determined by abilities. abilities. abilities. abilities. complete the
the student factors assignment
or individual successfully.
learning needs?
Required  Carpentry  Carpentry  Blacksmith  Blacksmith  Carpentry
Materials, Article Article Article Article Article
Handouts, Text,  Rapid work  Rapid work  Rapid work  Rapid work  Blacksmith
Slides, and recognition recognition recognition recognition Article
Technology chart chart chart chart  Rapid work
 Pencil  Pencil  Pencil  Pencil recognition
chart
 Pencil
Instructional and Students will be Students will be Students will be Students will be Students will be
Engagement engaged in the engaged in the engaged in the engaged in the engaged in the
Strategies lesson because they lesson because they lesson because they lesson because they lesson because they
What strategies are will be picked on to will be picked on to will be picked on to will be picked on to will be writing an
you going to use read out loud to the read out loud to the read out loud to the read out loud to the opinion piece.
with your students class and will be class and will be class and will be class and will be
to keep them taking notes in the taking notes in the taking notes in the taking notes in the
engaged throughout article. article. article. article.
the unit of study?
Formative The formative The formative The formative The formative The formative
Assessments assessments will be assessments will be assessments will be assessments will be assessment will be
How are you going the questions given the questions given the questions given the questions given to check to see if
to measure the while the students while the students while the students while the students the student has
learning of your are reading the are reading the are reading the are reading the their three
students throughout article. This will be article. This will be article. This will be article. This will be evidences from
the lesson? checking for checking for checking for checking for their articles in
understanding of understanding of understanding of understanding of their rough draft.
what is being read. what is being read. what is being read. what is being read.

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 16 of 22

 Summative, Post- The students will be given an article from newsela.com with comprehension questions with it. The students
Assessment will be reading the article and answering the questions. The teacher will be looking to see if the student reads
What post- it more than once, are they going back to the article when answering the questions and show the proof of their
assessment will evidence.
measure the
learning progress?
Note: This can be
the same as the pre-
assessment or a
modified version of
it.

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 17 of 22

STEP Standard 5 - Implementation of Instructional Unit
Implement the unit you have designed including the pre-assessment, all lesson activities,
correlating formative assessments, and summative post-assessment. Choose one of the activities
to video record, review, and reflect on your teaching. Have your cooperating teacher/mentor
review the recording and provide feedback, if possible.

Video Recording Link: https://youtu.be/oqA2vmx3_ZE

Summary of Unit Implementation:

For my unit plan, the students are learning tools to help them comprehend what they are reading.
My lessons involve a lot of reading for the students. The teacher does not do any of the reading.
The class is reading two articles during the unit. While reading these two articles, the students
are highlighting what they believe are important facts to know. The students are using a program
called “Step Up to Writing” to mark the articles. After they have read and marked the two
articles, the students will be comparing them. Hopefully this is engaging for the students because
the they get to choose which they would rather do, carpentry or blacksmithing.

Summary of Student Learning:

Over all I feel pretty good about how the unit plan went. It was great practice for the upcoming
AzMERIT. It was also great reading practice for the students. The students are learning different
strategies to help them when they get stuck on a work. One strategy I noticed helped was telling them
to find the syllables in a word to help break it apart. To me, it seemed like the students enjoyed the
articles. In their general education classroom, they are reading a book about forging metal, so they had
that background knowledge of what blacksmithing and forging. The students were able to correctly use
the word “forge” in a complete sentence correctly. Where they struggled a little bit was carpentry. None
of them had ever heard that word before. Another thing the students enjoyed doing was the rapid word
recognition chart. On Friday, all the students were super excited to share their new score with everyone.
Most of the students went up in their words per minute. There was one student I noticed went down
and I was surprised because he is one of the stronger readers in the group. The writing part of the unit
good as well. The student chose three reasons from the article why they would choose the one
profession over the other. The one thing they need to work one is separating their paragraphs.

Reflection of Video Recording:

I felt like this lesson in the video was a success. This is due to the that the students already had
the background knowledge. There was a lot we could talk and review about. This ended up
helping the students make guesses on words they did not know. The students love to share their
own examples to define words. Something that I need to work on is making sure everyone gives
an answer to the questions I asked. There is one student in the group that will not give an answer
if you do not call on him. I need to make sure he at least makes a guess.

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 18 of 22

STEP Standard 6 - Analysis of Student Learning

Post-Test Data: Whole Class - Once you have assessed your students’ learning on the topic, collect and
analyze the post-test data to determine the effectiveness of your instruction and assessment.
Number of Students Number of Students
Pre-Test Post-Test

Exceeds 0 2

Meets 1 4

Approaches 2 0

Falls Far Below 3 0

Post-Test Analysis: Whole Class

I am so glad that saw this growth in my students after teaching my unit plan. At the end of the
unit, the students knew what they were expected to do. When we started, the students would just
want to read through the articles, not caring if they understand what they just read. Towards the
end I saw the students making connections from lessons in their general education classroom. The
students were able to answer the questions I asked them and the main idea of the articles.
I feel like my strategies I used to teach my unit plan worked fairly well. This was a great unit to
teach right before the students had to take AzMERIT. Hopefully, the students will take what they
have just learned from the unit and use it as a test taking skill while taking their standardized test.
The students enjoyed that the articles they read were related to what they were reading in class. It
made them feel more confident because they had that background knowledge. The students also
liked doing the rapid word recognition chart. They got competitive trying to beat other students
and their score from the beginning of the week.
Post-Assessment Analysis: Subgroup Selection

For my post-assessment subgroup, I chose the boys and girls in my class. This is because I feel
that the boys might be a little higher that the girls and I thought it would be interesting to see the
difference between them.

Post-Assessment Data: Subgroup (Gender, ELL population, Gifted, students on IEPs or 504s, etc.)

Number of Students Number of Students

Pre-Test Post-Test

Exceeds 0 2

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 19 of 22

 Meets 1 1

Approaches 2 0

Falls Far Below 0 0

Post-Assessment Analysis: Subgroup

The boys in that group like to goof off and get off task a lot. Looking at the data, the boys did a
little better on the post assessment than the girls did. I believe this is due to the boys

I feel like I saw great improvement in this subgroup. They were able to get the major points of the
unit plan. As I stated earlier when I said that the students were making great connections. The
boys in my group like to be very chatty, so I tried to use that in my class discussions. This is one
boy in the group where he does not have a lot of confidence, So I would let the others answer first
then I would ask him the question.
Post-Assessment Data: Remainder of Class

Number of Students Number of Students

Pre-Test Post-Test
Exceeds 0 2

Meets 0 1

Approaches 0 0

Falls Far Below 3 #

Post-Assessment Analysis: Subgroup and Remainder of Class

Looking at the scores, I can see that the boys are just a little bit higher than the girls are, but not
by much. The boys in the class I feel try really hard and always give their best effort. There are a
couple girls in class that will do their own thing if you are not on them. Two of the boys now
need to be separated due to talking.
I feel like because most of the students got an understanding, the class can go on and pass their
AzMERIT testing that is coming up. After my unit plan was finished, we had to go into test prep

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 20 of 22

 mode. When test prepping with the students, they were able to search for their answers in the text
they were given from the AZMERIT practice test.

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 21 of 22

STEP Standard 7 – Reflecting on Instruction to Improve Student
Progress
Improved Practice Based on the Unit of Study
Based on the experience of developing and delivering your instructional unit, list three short-
term goals to improve specific areas of your teaching practice based on the unit of instruction
and describe your plan to reach each short-term goal.

Plan to Reach the Goal (i.e., professional

Short-Term Goal development, research on the Internet,
observation of a veteran teacher, etc.)
1. Get more comfortable with teaching A great way to complete this goal is to attend
math. professional developments and to just to
research if you need help.

2. Use preplanned questions from stories This goal can be completed by doing some
to use a guideline for questions while research to see if other people have already
reading a story with students. created question.

3. Remembering parts to the lesson plan
being taught.
I think that having little note cards or printed
lesson plans to remember what needs to be
taught would be a great way to solve this issue.
My problem is just being nerves up front and
then I forget some steps.

© 2018. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Page 22 of 22