Elementary School is located in Fort Collins, Colorado; a city located about 60 miles North of Denver. The city of Fort Collins is home to approximately 144,000 ... · Web...

Teacher Work Sample

Down on the Farm:

A Pet’s Charm

Animal Unit

Early Childhood Education

Danielle BrownSpring 2013

Irish Elementary School

Fort Collins, Colorado

Jane Goss

Early Childhood Preschool Classroom

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Table of Contents

Appendices…..……………………………………………………………………….3

Part I: Setting and Context………………………………………………………… 5

Culture and Community…………………………………………………….. .5 Existing Support Structures…………………………………………………. .6 Demographics………………………………………………………………...7 Classroom Environment and Students………………………………………..8 School and Classroom Policies……………………………………………….9

Part II: Unit Topic and Rationale………………………………………………….12

Part III: Standards, Goals, and Objectives Alignment Chart…………………....15

Part IV: Assessment Tools (Pre-, Post and Instructional)…………………………20

Pre- and Post- Assessment……………………………………………………20 Other Unit Assessments………………………………………………………22

Part V: Instruction and Management Plan………………………………………...24

Summary………………………………………………………………………24 Overview of Unit……………………………………………………………...26 Lesson Samples…...…………………………………………...……………...28

Part VI: Assessment Data and Analysis…………………………………………….47

General Conclusions……………………………………………………….…..47 Student Growth Graphs……………………………………………………......47 Results and Analysis…………………………………………………………...49 Student Subgroup Graphs……………………………………………………...50

Part VII: Student Teaching Experience Reflection…………………………….......52

References……………………………………………………………………………..55

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Appendices

Unit: Animals Lesson Title: Farm Animal MovementDevelopmental/Curricular Domain: Dance, Comprehensive Health and Physical EducationPage #: 29

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Unit: Animals Lesson Title: Farm Animal Counting and GraphingDevelopmental/Curricular Domain: MathematicsPage #: 35

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Part I: Setting and Context

Culture and Community: Fort Collins, CO

Irish Elementary School is located in Fort Collins, Colorado; a city located about 60

miles North of Denver. The city of Fort Collins is home to approximately 144,000 people,

according to the 2010 United States Census Bureau. This includes the students of Colorado State

University who reside in Fort Collins during the academic school year. Fort Collins is said to be

one of the most desirable cities to live in the United States, due to its strong sense of community,

small town business, and ever growing efforts to be one of the most sustainable places in

Colorado. According to the data from the US Department of Commerce for the year of 2010,

89% of the Fort Collins community identified as White, 10% were identified as Hispanic, and

1.2% identified as African American. Less than 5% of the population identified as Asian, Native

American, and Other Pacific Islanders.

The majority of the population in Fort Collins has obtained a high school diploma or

higher, which translates to 95.3% of the community. Of this 95.3%, 51.5% has a bachelor’s

degree or higher. According to the United States Census of 2010, these rates are higher than the

overall average for the state of Colorado; yet approximately 18% of the community is living

below poverty level. The percent of the community that speaks a language at home other than

English is about 9%. This is lower than the overall average for the state of Colorado, and much

lower for the percent of students and families who speak a language other than English at home

within Irish Elementary School.

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Existing Support Structures

Irish Elementary School is a Dual Language school located in North/West Fort Collins,

within Poudre School District (PSD). The students have the opportunity to learn literacy, math,

and electives in both Spanish and English. There are times of the day built into the school’s

schedule purely dedicated to ESL and ELA interventions. There is some support given to school

through community, parents, and volunteers. The support given from the community can be seen

through donations to help fund fun after school programs, field trips for students, and classroom

material donations such as Smart Boards and Smart Tables. Smart Tables and Smart Boards were

given to all Head Start and Early Childhood classrooms in Poudre School District this year alone.

Many organizations have provided requested grants to Irish Elementary; without these

grants, many opportunities for students and parents would not be possible. Recently, Irish

Elementary was awarded the 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant. The grant has

been used to fund Club TRES (Together Reaching Excellence and Success), which is a

community learning center at Irish Elementary School. Club TRES offers after-school programs

for students, summer school for three weeks out of the summer, and parent education and

support classes. Volunteers are often needed for these classes, and there have been many

volunteers who consistently help to support this program. Some other organizations within the

Fort Collins community that help support Irish Elementary School are Northern Colorado

Business Association, The McKinney Foundation, Bohemian Foundation, and Project Smile.

Each of these organizations has provided resources to help assist Irish in reaching its full

potential as a Title I school.

Irish Elementary has a lack of parental support. Being that more than 85% of the school’s

families and students are living in poverty, and the fact that the school is located in a low-income

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neighborhood, it is evident that parental involvement is low. The majority of parents with

students at Irish Elementary School work two jobs and many work night shifts. Many are also

single parent households, contributing to the fact that it might be hard for these parents to be as

involved as necessary. The PTO at Irish has consistently been asking for more parental support

for the past two years, according to the school website. During conference day, parents are to

come in and meet with their student’s teacher. Based on trends from previous years, it is

expected that about half of the parents will not attend according to Katy Marshall, a teacher at

Irish.

Volunteers play a huge role at Irish Elementary School. Poudre School District has a

huge database of support from volunteers all over the city of Fort Collins. In one particular

Kindergarten classroom at Irish Elementary, a teacher reports that every day she has at least one

regular, consistent volunteer scheduled for at least one hour a day during math and literacy.

School wide, volunteers help with clerical work and pulling students for extra intervention time.

There are about 150 volunteers who attend Irish to help out each year. Per classroom, there are 2

to 3 volunteers that come on a regular, weekly basis.

Demographics

According to Poudre School District statistics, 76% of the students at Irish Elementary

School are of Hispanic or Latino descent. The remaining 24% of the students at Irish are

identified as White, or African American. The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) shows

that the majority of teachers in PSD are Caucasian, and this stands true for Irish Elementary.

District wide, the population of students currently enrolled in PSD went from 854,265 in October

of 2011, to 863,561in October of 2012 which equals an increase of 1.09% according to CDE. For

the 2012 school year, 391 students were enrolled at Irish Elementary School, according to CDE.

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Of these 391 students, more than 85% are living in poverty. For the Fall 2012 school year,

80.13% of students have received free lunch for the whole year and 6% received reduced lunch

the whole school year. Irish Elementary has the highest rate of free and reduced lunches in the

entire Poudre School District, totaling 86.12% of students.

Classroom Environment and the Students

The students and class of focus for this Teacher Work Sample can be found in Mrs.

Goss’s quaint preschool classroom at Irish Elementary. Throughout the classroom day, there is a

morning class and an afternoon class. The morning class is funded by the Colorado Preschool

Project, and the afternoon is funded by Head Start. All preschool students receive free lunch and

snack in both programs. I found the classroom to be very developmentally appropriate with

many centers including art, science, play house area, puzzles, felt boards, sensory tables,

magnets, reading area, cozy area, and other game areas. Each of these centers are beautifully

matched and mirrored to the focus or theme of the week. Tables and chairs were small in size to

fit the bodies of the 3 to 5 years old children in the class. The vibe of the classroom environment

is very child centered, warm, friendly, safe, and calm in nature.

In the morning class, there are 14 students enrolled. Of these students, 5 are girls and 9

are boys. Out of all the students in the morning class, 7 of them are English Language Learners

(ELL). I have been able to watch all of these students trying their best to learn in their second

language, especially with no Spanish support in our classroom. They continue to strive to do

their best everyday with classroom routines. There is one child in the morning class on an

Individualized Education Plan (IEP), for speech and language delays. In the afternoon class,

there are 16 students enrolled, as part of the Head Start funded program. Of these students, 8 are

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boys and 8 are girls. Of these 16 students, 7 are ELL students and 3 have an IEP for speech and

language delays.

Ethnically, the majority of both classes are Hispanic with the minority consisting only of

Caucasian students. There is one Asian student. Many of these students have difficult or troubled

home lives. I observed most parents of these students to be single, raising not only their

preschooler but other children as well. Approximately half of the students and their families live

in a nearby trailer park which I was able to see on home visits. Despite these hardships, the

students I have had the opportunity to work with continue to be very resilient.

School and Classroom Policies

Irish Elementary School has a school-wide reward system in which positive behavior is

rewarded with a Jaguar Paw. Seeing as the school’s mascot is a Jaguar, it is only fitting that the

reward would be a little slip of paper that has a line for a name and check boxes next to these

three items: Responsible, Respectful, Safe and Healthy. Part of the school’s philosophy is to

strive so that every student can become these three things. Every time a preschooler or any other

student was caught doing something good, they would receive a paw. At the end of every week,

there is a drawing for one student from each class who gets to pick a prize out of a treasure box.

For the students in Mrs. Goss’ class, this is a great way of introducing words like responsible and

respectful, and what that may mean. Irish Elementary is also a Positive Behavior Intervention

Support (PBIS) school. This system is not as heavily used in the preschool classrooms at Irish as

compared to the rest of the grades in school, simply because the students are still so young and it

is not 100% developmentally appropriate.

Specifically in Mrs. Goss’ preschool classroom, a huge part of the language involved is

keeping our friends safe, bodies’ safe, and our things safe. This was one of the first sets of rules

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the students learned when coming into the classroom. Being safe is a huge part of the classroom

management system, and it is important for me as a teacher to use this developmentally

appropriate language. Along with Mrs. Goss and the classroom Paraprofessional, a team of

specialists consistently comes into the classroom for student and teacher support including

psychologists, speech therapists and interventionists. All of these team members give advice and

support to classroom teachers to help each student’s education be exemplary.

For conflict resolution, we redirect the students. For example, rather than disciplining

children, we help the students work out their problems as a mediator if they need one. When we

see something happening we address the situation by asking what the problem is and going from

there. Usually the students are able to apologize and work out issues with one another without a

mediator, and if not we simply reminded them to keep their friends safe and remember to be

nice. If a child really acts out or is not able to calm down, we assist them in moving to a quiet

area where they can calm down. We remind the students the steps to calming down, including

taking deep breaths, counting to 10, or talking to a grown up.

Irish Elementary is an inclusive school. In Mrs. Goss’ class, we do not have any students

with severe special needs, however another classroom teacher does and she was able to come up

with specific plans and interventions for each child based on their needs with the school’s team

of specialists. She used many charts for behavior based problems, including color coded and

smiley charts for when they are having a good day, or need warnings or redirects.

The setting and context of Irish Elementary is rich in its own unique ways. Whether it is

the demographics of the school, cultures and diversities, classroom environment or community

support, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time student teaching here. This section of my TWS has

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provided a snapshot view and a comprehensive look at the many components it takes to make up

a wonderful school.

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Part II: Unit Topic and Rationale

The topic I chose for this Teacher Work Sample unit is animals. I chose this because I

had a strong feeling that young children, especially preschoolers, are very interested in animals

and how they play a role in our lives. Animals are very interesting, and I thought that this topic

would keep the students engaged and allow them to have fun while learning. Animals live all

around us. Throughout the unit, we learned mainly about pets and farm animals. We learned

about where they live, what they like to eat, and how humans can benefit from animals. It is

important for children to understand that animals are living beings and that they do exist among

us.

For this reason, the way I organized the unit was for each lesson to have an animal theme;

that is to say, whether I was teaching a lesson in math, art, physical education, or

literacy/language, there was always an animal theme or component involved. Students not only

were able to learn facts about animals, but also focus their attention and educational interests on

some of the 7 developmental domains in Early Childhood through an animal theme. These

developmental domains include the aesthetic, cognitive, social, affective, physical, language and

constructive domains. Of these 7 domains, I chose to write lessons in the aesthetic, cognitive,

physical, and language areas.

Although the topic of animals may not seem to be directly linked to academics, it is

heavily linked to Poudre School District’s plan of curriculum for the Early Childhood Education

setting, known as Little Treasures. This curriculum has unit themes for the preschool grade level,

each unit typically lasting for about 3 weeks in this particular setting. I was able to teach my unit

on animals throughout the “Animals Around Us” unit in Little Treasures. This curriculum

teaches math, science, social studies, and language arts into one integrated, cohesive unit. Little

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Treasures focuses heavily on Literacy for preschool, covering standards for the state of Colorado

in Reading, Writing, and Communicating, as well as standards for Math, Science, and Social

Studies.

The topic of this unit has significance globally, personally, and specifically for the

population of students I had the opportunity to teach. Globally, this topic is significant because

animals are found in our daily lives, in many different places. Some animals can be taken in as

pets, some as farm animals, and some are wild. It is important for children to understand the

significance in the parts animals play in the world globally, as well as from a local standpoint.

Some animals are like our friends and we can take care of them, such as dogs, cats, and fish.

Some animals help humans in a way that others cannot, such as farm animals; we use cows for

milk, chicken for eggs, and horses for transportation. Some animals live in zoos, or in the wild

where humans do not live because they are a part of nature. I think it is important for children to

be aware of the facts that animals live among us, help us, and have an understanding that there

are different types of animals in the world.

Personally, this topic was significant because I love animals. I have had pets in the past,

and I think it is something that brings joy to the lives of many people. Animals are significant to

me because I find them fascinating in that each one is unique and different, just like humans. I

like to think that animals are here on this planet to coexist in a peaceful manner with humans. I

was very excited to teach the students through the theme of animals because it is fun, exciting,

and children love animals. Specifically for this population, I wanted to use this topic because

many of the students live in an area where farm animals are very prevalent. I wanted to be able to

connect with the students through this unit topic, because animals are something they seemed to

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be familiar with, yet had so much they could learn about. I wanted the students to be able to

understand how the animals around them can impact their lives in a positive way.

This unit utilizes a set of goals and objectives which have been aligned with the Colorado

Department of Education standards. Based on the population of students I worked with during

this unit, I was able to create an integrated, animal themed unit that covered areas of math and

literacy, as well as many other developmental domains. The preschoolers gained knowledge,

understanding, and skills in important areas of academics that provides a base and prepares the

students for their future educational experiences. Content standards are covered in the next

section.

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Part III: Unit Standards, Goals, and Objectives Alignment Chart

Unit Goals Unit Objectives Colorado State StandardsStudents will understand that animals live around us.

Students will be able to identify and differentiate farm animals and pets, including: dogs, cats, pigs, rabbits, horses, sheep, chickens, snakes, fish, ducks, geese, and cows.

Students will understand where pets/farm animals live.

Students will evaluate connections from animals to humans, and how they help each other.

Reading, Writing, and Communicating 1.1 a, c: Identify and sort common objects, events, pictures, words, colors, shapes, and textures, into various classifications. Demonstrate use of vocabulary in oral language to express ideas and events.

Reading, Writing, and Communicating 1.2 a, d: Use language to express ideas in complete sentences. Remember spoken information for a short period of time.

Social Studies 2.1 a, b, c, d: Use positional phrasing. Phrases to include but not limited to: over and under, here and there, inside and outside, up and down. Identify common places to include but limited to home, school, cafeteria, and gymnasium. Describe surroundings. Use pictures to locate familiar places.

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Students will count up to 10 objects/animals.

Students will count up to 10 animals with one-to-one correspondence.

Students will rote count to 10.

Students will independently count to 10.

Students will match a quantity of animals with a numeral.

Students will place baby animal pictures underneath pictures of mother animal on a graph.

Mathematics 1.1 a, b: Count and represent objects including coins to 10. Match a quantity to a numeral.

Mathematics 4.1 a, d: Match, sort, group and name basic shapes found in the natural environment. Follow directions to arrange, order, or position objects.

Science 1.1 c: Collect, describe, and record information through discussions, drawings, and charts.

Students will create simple body movements based on animals.

Students will walk and move like different farm animals.

Students will practice balance and strength using gross motor skills.

Students will learn how to distinguish left from right, up and down, and side to side movements.

Students will use safe movements to keep their bodies and friends safe.

Comprehensive Health and Physical Education 3.1 b: Explain the importance of respecting the personal space and boundaries of others.

Dance 1.1 a, b, c: Practice how to move with action words using simple non-locomotor body actions such as bend, stretch, twist, turn, shake, and simple locomotor body actions, such as travel, jump, run, hop, roll. Explore movement in general and personal space using shape, size, level, direction, stillness, and transference of weight (stepping). Explore

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how to move using qualities of movement.

Dance 2.1 a, c: Explore with movement that expresses feelings in general and personal space. Select some movements out of many, and create a simple movement phrase to encourage self-expression.

Students will learn the names and sounds of the letters U, K, and B.

Students will be able to recognize and name the letters B, K, and U.

Students will differentiate between the sounds U, K, and B make.

Students will be able to correctly make letter sounds.

Students will be able to write the letters U, K, and B.

Reading, Writing, and Communicating 1.3 a, d: Recognize patterns of sounds, storytelling, and poetry. Demonstrate understanding of initial sounds in words.

Reading, Writing, and Communicating 2.1 b, c: Recognize print in the environment. Recognize that printed material conveys meaning and connects to the reader’s world.

Reading, Writing, and Communicating 2.2 b, c: Recognize the names of a minimum of 10 letter of the alphabet, specifically letters in own name. Begin to name familiar objects, colors, letters, and numbers rapidly and in random order.

Reading, Writing, and Communicating 3.2 a: Begin to develop proper pencil grip when drawing or

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writing.

Students will explore characteristics of different animals using technology.

Students will make observations about the physical appearance of animals.

Students will differentiate farm animals from pets using the Smart Table.

Students will match baby animals to mother animals using the Smart Table, given many options.

Students will use problem solving when using the Smart Table.

Mathematics 4.1 a, b, c, d: Match, sort, group and name basic shapes found in the natural environment. Sort similar groups of objects into simple categories based on attributes. Use words to describe attributes of objects. Follow directions to arrange, order, or position objects.

Science 1.1 b: Make simple observations, predictions, explanations and generalizations based on real life experiences.

Reading, Writing, Communicating 4.2 b, c: Gather relevant information and apply it to their problem solving process or current event. Seek and generate alternative approaches to solving problems.

Students will create a work of art representing an animal.

Students will create an animal of their choice based on one of the characters read about in the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?

Students will use a variety of materials to create what they feel is visually aesthetic.

Visual Art 2.1 a: Explain that works of art communicate ideas.

Visual Art 31. a, b: Use trial and error to create works of art that arrive at a desired outcome. Use art materials safely and with respect in the classroom

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Students will create a piece of art that is unique and detailed.

environment.

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Part IV: Assessment Tools (Pre-, Post, and Instructional)

In my own personal experiences with assessment in the classroom, I have come to learn

that it is an important piece of the educational puzzle. Assessment gives us as educators, the tools

and information we need to continue to monitor student progress, achievement, and success

throughout a unit or a school year. For this Animal Unit, I decided to utilize a summative pre-

and post assessment consisting of a combination checklist and rating scale of skills my unit

would cover. I created this checklist to be aligned with the goals, objectives, and standards

included in Little Treasures and specifically, this unit.

The checklist/rating scale consists of 11 items or skills to be assessed including,

identifies farm animals/pets, match baby animal with mother, counts 10 objects, rote counts to

10, matches a numeral with quantity, practices balance and strength, demonstrates safe body,

identifies letters /B/ /U/ /K/, identifies letter sounds B/ /U/ /K/, writes letters /B/ /U/ /K/, and

create detailed piece of artwork that represents an animal from the story. The checklist is

organized in such a manner that puts lower level skills first on the list, and goes to higher level

skills last on the list, based on emergent or mastery evidence of the skill being assessed.

The rating scale portion of the checklist is based on a 1 to 3 number scale. The ratings

that were observed include: number 1 is associated with “Needs Development”, number 2 is

associated with “Emerging”, and number 3 is associated with “Mastery”. Pictured below is the

template of the checklist/rating scale I created for the pre- and post assessment portion of this

unit. I administered this combination checklist and rating scale before I started the unit, and

immediately after the unit was finished.

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Child’s Name________________________ Teacher’s Name__________________________

School Name________________________________ Date_________________________

Code: 1 = Needs Development 2 = Emerging 3 = Mastery

Skills Observed Rating Observed: Pre- Unit Rating Observed: Post UnitIdentifies Farm Animals/PetsMatches baby animal to mother Counts 10 objectsRote counts to 10Matches numeral with quantityPractices balance/strengthDemonstrates safe body in movementIdentifies /B/ /K/ /U/Identifies /B/ /K/ /U/ soundsWrites /B/ /K/ /U/Demonstrates detail in artwork

For the pre-assessment portion of this unit, the checklist/rating scale was filled out for

each individual child. I waited to start teaching my unit until I had gathered enough information

for the pre-assessment piece. I gathered this information through working one-on-one with each

child, and observing them at play and on task during classroom activities to record this

information to the best of my abilities. It was very helpful for me to see a baseline of information

for each individual student so that I could determine where I needed to differentiate instruction

and how I could best teach the students what they needed to know from the goals and objectives

from my Animal unit.

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For the post assessment portion of the unit, the checklist and rating scale was completed

once again immediately following the completion of the unit, for each individual child. This

showed me what the students learned, and if my teaching techniques were successful and

enriching. I was able to see growth in every student, whether it was a huge difference from the

beginning of the unit or not such a huge difference. This individualized evaluation of each

child’s growth in the skills I assessed them on from my unit goals and objectives, helped me to

see where each student’s strengths and weaknesses were, as well as my own.

Other Unit Assessments

Although I found the cumulative pre- and post assessment portion for this unit to be

extremely useful and helpful in showing me the growth of the students in my class, I also utilized

some other forms of assessment throughout the unit, for each lesson. I was able to use mainly

informal varieties of assessment, including: observations, anecdotal records, work samples,

pictures documenting children during an activity, checklists, and asking children questions such

as: “What do letters mean?” “How do letters and words communicate meaning?” “Why is it

important that people know the letters in their name?” “How do you feel when you are moving

your body?” and “How do you feel when you move like this animal?” Asking these questions

about what they know and learned during whole group discussions helped me to gauge how well

the students were grasping concepts and objectives in the lesson.

I felt that Performance Based assessments were the most useful throughout this unit

because they allowed me to see how each student was doing on a daily, continuous basis in their

natural setting. These assessments focused on the experiences the children were having in the

classroom each day, versus responding directly to me to “test” them on what they know. For

example, in one instance in the classroom, I was working with a student who was playing with

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some blocks. I got down to their level and began to engage in play observation, as well as just

playing with them by their direction. However, I was able to assess this particular student’s skills

in counting with one-to-one correspondence while we stacked the blocks on top of each other. I

listened to him count while watching him as well, and it was helpful in me being able to grasp

his natural abilities, without putting him on the spot. These forms of assessment were necessary

because they are developmentally appropriate for the ages of the students in the class. It would

not be in a 3 to 5 year old child’s best interest to give them formal assessments, simply because it

is not in their Zone of Proximal Development. Most formal assessments are given to students

who know how to read, follow instructions, and write; the student population in my classroom is

simply not ready for this type of assessment. Overall, using these types of assessments helped to

guide me in my instructional process over the course of my animal unit.

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Part V: Instruction and Management Plan

For my instruction and management plans, I ensured that my Animal unit lasted three

weeks. I decided this would be fitting because many of the units from Little Treasures are

designed to last three weeks within the preschool classroom setting. I was able to teach my

unique unit and lessons integrated with animals, at the same time the “Animals Around Us” unit

from Little Treasures was being focused on in Mrs. Goss’ classroom. Throughout each day of

the unit, there was one whole group lesson taught which focused on this animal theme, and one

or more small-group activity designed to further the students’ understanding and knowledge on

the topic of animals. The students were also given opportunities at free centers/play time to

explore and learn more about animals individually. Some centers included computer games,

puzzles, math games, farm toys, pet shop with stuffed animals, books about animals, and sensory

tables with animal figures in them, all designed to further the students’ interests in the animal

unit.

Although this unit seems to be a collection of lessons with an animal theme, I feel that it

is still very cohesive. Each lesson covered skills that are essential for the basis and development

of a preschooler’s educational success. Being that these students are so young, I felt it was more

important to create a unit that included a focus on a variety of skills in literacy, numeracy, art,

gross motor skills, fine motor skills, technology, science, and social studies, versus just focusing

primarily on one or two areas of skill sets. I really wanted each lesson to focus on more than one

evidence outcome or objective; for example, I wanted my math lesson to focus not only on

counting to ten, but also identifying and matching a numeral to a quantity. The same goes for the

lessons in literacy; the children will not only identify a letter, but also the sound it makes and

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how to write it. By doing this, I feel that I was able to provide multiple opportunities for the

students to demonstrate proficiency within the lesson. Each domain of development that my

Animal unit covers is of equal importance.

In planning and implementing this unit, I utilized some different instructional strategies.

These strategies include cooperative learning, direct instruction or lecture, inquiry, modeling,

and technology based instruction. One of my favorite ways I was able to utilize cooperative

learning in my instruction was having the students think-pair-share with each other. I think this

form of instruction is effective because it helps the students to think with not only their own

ideas, but others as well. For the technology portion of instruction, I utilized a Smart Table,

similar to a Smart Board, but meant for young children. This section includes a timeline of the

lessons implemented within the unit, and samples of these 7 lessons.

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Overview of Animal Unit: February 11 – February 28

Week 1: February11:

Initial Assessment Read: Clifford the Big Red Dog Introduce the Letter “K” * (Small Group)

February 12:

Print Awareness Lesson: Distinguish letters from numbers Bingo Song Review Letter “K”

February 13:

Read: Down on the Farm Farm Animal Movement Activity * (Whole Group)

o Pictures included in Appendix Phonological Awareness: Blending words

February 14:

Read My Big Animal Book Movement: Hokey Pokey Oral Language Cards: Farm Animals

Week 2:

February 18: No School

February 19:

Read: Farms ABC Introduce Letter “U” * (Small Group) Oral Language Cards: Pets

February 20:

Re-read: Farms ABC Math Activity: Farm Animal Counting and Graphing * (Small Group)

o Pictures included in Appendix Review Letter “U”

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February 21:

Print Awareness: Match Letters to Sounds Movement: Freeze Dance Technology Activity: Matching Mother to Baby Animals * (Individual or Small Group)

Week 3:

February 25:

Read: Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom Introduce Letter “B” * (Small Group) Six Little Ducks Song

February 26:

Read: Squeak Oral Language Cards: Pets Math Activity: Creating Patterns and Counting Farm Animals

February 27:

Read: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? Review Letter “B” Art Activity: Create an Animal * (Whole Group)

February 28:

Read Big Book: Hide and Seek Review: Naming Pets and Farm Animals Final Assessment

*Lesson Plan Provided in TWS

February 11, 2013

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Unit: Animals

Lesson Title: Introducing the Letter “K”

Developmental/Curricular Domain: Reading, Writing, and Communicating

Content Area Standards Addressed: Reading, Writing, and Communicating 1.3 a, d: Recognize patterns of sounds, storytelling, and poetry. Demonstrate understanding of initial sounds in words. Reading, Writing, and Communicating 2.1 b, c: Recognize print in the environment. Recognize that printed material conveys meaning and connects to the reader’s world. Reading, Writing, and Communicating 2.2 b, c: Recognize the names of a minimum of 10 letter of the alphabet, specifically letters in own name. Begin to name familiar objects, colors, letters, and numbers rapidly and in random order.

Objectives: Recognize the letter K and sound it makes. Practice building (or molding) the letter K with playdoh with or without a template of a letter K underneath it. Construct a letter K using their fine motor skills to form skinny lines, or small pieces of playdoh.

Format: Small Group

Materials: Playdoh, tools for cutting and forming playdoh, letter ‘K’ template, Kya Kangaroo Zoophonics card.

Procedure:

1. The hook will be to first, verbally introduce that we will be working with playdoh to make a letter. I will hold up the letter card/template for the child to see. I will ask them if they can identify the letter I am holding. I will then ask them to make the sound for /K/ using the Zoophonics movement for Kya Kangaroo. We will practice this together. After they have identified or not identified the letter, I will proceed to tell them that will be forming or tracing their playdoh over the letter K to make their own letter.

2. Input: The input will be my verbal introduction of what they will be constructing out of playdoh (letter K). I will first show them how I would make skinny pieces of playdoh to form the parts of the letter. I will have them watch me before they try it.

3. Modeling: As the children watch me make my letter K by forming it over the letter template, I will show them how I can make it without the template. I will then let the students try it on their own. If they are able to easily make the letter out of playdoh over the ‘K’ template, I will have them try to make the letter without the template.

4. Checking for Understanding: As the children are working on forming their letter K I will be assisting with help, but only if the children ask for it, or are completely lost. I will be encouraging the students to do their best without my help first.

5. Bloom’s Taxonomy: What do letters mean? How do letters and words communicate meaning? Why is it important that people know the letters in their name? How do letters

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connect with phonemes (speech sounds)? Why do writers use an uppercase letter at the beginning of names?

To Modify: If the activity is too hard, or the child cannot form it by themselves, I will help by rolling out skinny pieces with them and having them place the pieces on top of the template card in the proper places.

To Extend: If the activity is too easy, I will have the students try to form some other letters they know with the playdoh that are not present. Meaning that they will be forming letters they know in their minds with the playdoh to get them thinking about other letters they are familiar with.

Closure: At the end of activity, I will explain that they students did a great job with making their letter. I will thank them for listening and trying their best. I will tell them that we learned what the letter K looks like, the sound it makes and how to form the letter out of playdoh.

Assessment: Pre Assessment- I will ask each student as they come up to the playdoh center, if they can recognize what letter I am holding (letter K). I will use a checklist to keep track of who is able to identify it.

Post Assessment- I will be watching the children form the letter K with playdoh, keeping an eye on fine motor skills and use of their abilities. I will be using a checklist to see who was able to understand this concept by forming the letter K. I will keep track of students who can form the letter with and without the K template underneath it for help. This will help me to see who has an understanding of letter recognition without needing the template. I will also be taking pictures of the students forming their letters to document fine motor skills.

Behavior Plans: To ensure that throughout the lesson each student is paying attention and doing their best, I will state my expectations for the entirety of the lesson. I will tell them that when we are at small group or whole group, that our eyes are watching, our ears are listening, our mouths are quiet with a bubble, and our hands are quiet or in our laps. If there are any problems within the lesson for children having a hard time paying attention, I will move myself to sit next to them to keep them more engaged. I will also make sure to redirect a student’s attention simply by asking them or touching them on the hand.

Reflection: I feel this lesson went well overall. The students enjoyed using playdoh, although it was a bit hard to keep them from touching the playdoh while I was trying to give them the instruction. Next time, I will make sure to hold onto the playdoh until it is time for them to use it, just to keep attention better. I think the use of a manipulative was helpful in that the students got more involved in the lesson versus being lectured. I think the small group aspect worked well.

February 13, 2013

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Unit: Animals

Lesson Title: Farm Animal Movement

Developmental/Curricular Domain: Dance, Comprehensive Health and Physical Education

Content Area Standards Addressed: Comprehensive Health and Physical Education 3.1 b: Explain the importance of respecting the personal space and boundaries of others. Dance 1.1 a, b, c: Practice how to move with action words using simple non-locomotor body actions such as bend, stretch, twist, turn, shake, and simple locomotor body actions, such as travel, jump, run, hop, roll. Explore movement in general and personal space using shape, size, level, direction, stillness, and transference of weight (stepping). Explore how to move using qualities of movement. Dance 2.1 a, c: Explore with movement that expresses feelings in general and personal space. Select some movements out of many, and create a simple movement phrase to encourage self-expression.

Objectives: Students will walk and move like different farm animals. They will practice balance, strength and learn how to distinguish left from right, up from down, and side to side movements. Demonstrating respect for another’s personal space shows attention to the feelings of others. Students will walk and move like different farm animals. Students will use safe movements to keep their bodies and friends safe

Format: Large/Whole Group

Materials: Pictures of farm animals, whole group circle space.

Procedure:

1. The hook I will use is to read a book to the students about farm animals called Down on the Farm. This will take place during circle time, right before we do the movement for our lesson. Before we begin movement, I will explain/ask the students how we need to keep out bodies safe during movement circle time. I will explain to them that we all need our own space to keep our bodies safe, and we need to make sure we have a “bubble” around us at all times to ensure we keep our friends and our bodies safe.

2. Input: The input will be the book. 3. Modeling: After reading the book, I will explain to them that we will be looking at

pictures of different farm animals and moving in the ways that they like to move and sound. For example, for a horse, we will gallop in place and also make a neighing noise. We will look at the pictures of the animals, and I will pick a child to tell me how they think that specific farm animal will move. We will do each animal card together.

4. Checking for Understanding: As the children are participating in the whole group activity, I will be monitoring and observing how well each student is able to keep their body safe. I will address any issues there may be with the students, and also praise students who are doing a great job of maintaining space and participating in the activity.

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5. Bloom’s Taxonomy: Where is your space? Why is it important to have our own space when we’re moving? How many different ways can you move? What kind of shapes can you make with your body? How do you feel when you are moving your body? How do you feel when you move like this animal?

To Modify: If the activity is too hard, I would have the children do modified version of the animal movements. They will be able to make up their own, based on how they think the farm animal will move/what sound they will make. If a child does not participate, I will do my best to incorporate movement in all aspects of the classroom to make for a more interdisciplinary classroom. I may start with transitions from center to center, encouraging the students to move in specific ways from one area of the classroom to the next, all while keeping in mind safe boundaries for indoor interaction.

To Extend: If the activity is too easy, I will have the children practice some movements that will extend their flexibility, balance, and locomotor skills. I will administer these movements during recess time for the students who were not challenged during the lesson. I will also encourage the students to practice their own animal movements at home to keep them engaged.

Closure: I will close this lesson by talking about each animal movement we focused on, and letting them know they may practice these movements at recess if they wish to do so. I will thank them for keeping their bodies safe, and explain how proud I am of them for trying their best through the activity.

Assessment: Pre-Assessment: I will ask the students prior to the lesson how they think one farm animal out of the 8 we will be looking at may move on the farm. I will record what each student does on a checklist.

Post-Assessment: I will observe the students doing their movement/animal sounds and take pictures of them doing it as a form of documentation.

Behavior Plans: To ensure that throughout the lesson each student is paying attention and doing their best, I will state my expectations for the entirety of the lesson. I will tell them that when we are at whole group, that our eyes are watching, our ears are listening, our mouths are quiet with a bubble, and our hands are quiet or in our laps. If there are any problems within the lesson for children having a hard time paying attention, I will move myself to sit next to them to keep them more engaged. I will also make sure to redirect a student’s attention simply by asking them or touching them on the hand. I will also be sure to set clear expectations about keeping our bodies safe during this activity. If a child is having a hard time keeping their body or friends safe with many warnings, they will be asked to sit out until they are ready to be safe.

Reflection: I feel this lesson went great. The students completely enjoyed being able to move in ways that involved their gross motor skills because it allowed them to be active and get some of their wiggles out. It was encouraging for me to see how engaged almost every single student was. There were one or two students who did not participate in the activity. These were the younger 3 year old students who either were too shy to move, or simply did not understand the

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activity. Next time, for this reason I will do my best to get the students to feel more comfortable before starting the activity. I feel it would have been effective to stand next to these students during the activity. As a whole though, I really enjoyed this lesson and hope to incorporate more body/kinesthetic activities into my future classroom.

You will find documentation of this lesson in the form of pictures in the Appendix section located on page 3.

February 19, 2013

Unit: Animals

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Lesson Title: Introducing the Letter “U”

Developmental/Curricular Domain: Reading, Writing, and Communicating

Content Area Standards Addressed: Reading, Writing, and Communicating 1.3 a, d: Recognize patterns of sounds, storytelling, and poetry. Demonstrate understanding of initial sounds in words. Reading, Writing, and Communicating 2.1 b, c: Recognize print in the environment. Recognize that printed material conveys meaning and connects to the reader’s world. Reading, Writing, and Communicating 2.2 b, c: Recognize the names of a minimum of 10 letter of the alphabet, specifically letters in own name. Begin to name familiar objects, colors, letters, and numbers rapidly and in random order. Reading, Writing, and Communicating 3.2 a: Begin to develop proper pencil grip when drawing or writing.

Objectives: Students will identify /U/. Demonstrate/recognize the sound /U/ makes. Students will write the letter /U/ with correct pencil grip.

Format: Small Group

Materials: Alphabet card /U/, photo cards, crayons, laminated worksheets, erasers, /U/ object tub, fridge phonic letter /U/, Zoophonics animal, mini chalkboard, chalk, sponges.

Procedure:

1. The hook will be to introduce the letter /U/ and ask the students who could tell me what letter this is. I will show them a capital U and a lowercase u. I will point to each, and have them repeat after me.

2. Input: The input will be introducing the letter U. I will then ask if anyone could tell me what sound the letter U makes. I will model the U sound, and ask them to do it with me. I will then ask if they can think of any words that start with the letter U sound. I will tell them ‘umbrella’ starts with the letter U. I will point to a picture of an Umbrella and say “Listen to me as I open the umbrella…./u/ /u/ /u/.” I will have the students do it with me again. We will then look at small sets of photo cards such including pictures of objects starting with the letter U. We will also meet the corresponding zoo-phonics animal for the letter U. There will be a picture of the animal on a card and in stuffed animal form. We will say its name together. We will also look in a U tub of objects. We will take out each object one by one. I will ask the students what the object is each time I pull a new one out, reminding them that it starts with the U sound. After this, we will move into writing/tracing the letter U.

3. Modeling: Before the students start tracing the letter U, I will show them the mini chalkboard. I will show them how to make a U on it with chalk. I will then use a wet sponge to trace the U I made, and then do the same with a dry one. This will help them know how to form a U before they practice. Before they will be set free to do it on their own by tracing the laminated worksheets, I will show them how to do it. They will start at the top and move down, and back to the top again. I will have the children watch me as

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I trace the letter and make the U sound. I will then pass out crayons, laminated U worksheets, and erasers (paper towels).

4. Checking for Understanding: As the children are working on tracing their U letters, I will be observing and taking pictures as documentation. I will also be observing who is able to make the U sound while tracing. I will be assisting students with help if they ask for it as well as making sure they have proper pencil grip and letter formation. This activity is designed to allow children to try on their own first, before getting help from a teacher.

5. Bloom’s Taxonomy: How do we know this is a letter? What are some other letter sounds you know? Can you use letters to spell words? Why do we need to know how to spell words? Is your name a word?

To Modify: For the younger children, they will be practicing tracing straight curved lines, rather than tracing the letter /U/. Some children are still working on fine motor skills development, and writing a /U/ could be too advanced. I would like for the 3 year old students to focus on practicing pencil grip more than letter formation at this point.

To Extend: I will have the students find objects around the room that start with the letter /U/. They will also be able to practice writing their own letter /U/’s instead of just tracing them. I will put out a mini chalkboard at the U center and show them before the writing portion of the lesson, that they can use some chalk to write a U on it, trace that U with a wet sponge, and then use a dry one. This will really help them practice what it feels like to write a letter U in an interesting way.

Closure: At the end of the lesson, I will praise students for their efforts on tracing the letter U. I will explain to them that we learned what the letter U looks like, sounds like and how it looks when we write it. I will ask the group “what letter is this” by holding up the letter U. I will ask them what the letter sounds like. I will end with encouraging them to listen for words that start with U throughout the day and thank them for participating and being awesome listeners.

Assessment: Pre-Assessment: I will use a checklist of student names on it to assess who already knows what letter U is, and what sound it makes. I will be asking the students individually during recess to see if they are able to tell be what it is. This way, I can be sure of the baseline of who knows what letter it is and who does not.

Post-Assessment: I will take pictures to document the students practicing writing the letter U. This will be documentation to show children have progressed through the activity and understand that Bb is a letter. I will also be observing who is able to make the U sound while writing/tracing the letter. At center time, after the lesson, for a follow up I will ask the students individually if they recognize U and can make the sound. I will use a checklist to record this.

Behavior Plans: To ensure that throughout the lesson each student is paying attention and doing their best, I will state my expectations for the entirety of the lesson. I will tell them that when we are at small group or whole group, that our eyes are watching, our ears are listening, our mouths are quiet with a bubble, and our hands are quiet or in our laps. If there are any problems within the lesson for children having a hard time paying attention, I will move myself to sit next to them

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to keep them more engaged. I will also make sure to redirect a student’s attention simply by asking them or touching them on the hand. If a student is acting out and will not come back to task, they will be asked to move from the activity until they are ready to learn.

Reflection: I feel this lesson went well overall. The students were all engaged in trying to practice making the /U/ sound and Zoophonics movement to go along with it. There were two students who did not remain engaged in going over the U tub. I think for the future, I would have those students try and help me by taking the objects out of the box so they could look at them and feel them, instead of me being in complete control of the whole lesson. This lesson needs a bit more hands-on activity to it. However, the students excelled at writing the letter. I think I would allow more time in the future for this activity, because it felt a bit rush. Or, I would break down this lesson into two lessons, focusing one part on the introduction or input, and another part on writing it. I still feel it was meaningful and well thought out overall.

February 20, 2013

Unit: Animals

Lesson Title: Farm Animal Counting and Graphing

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Developmental/Curricular Domain: Mathematics

Content Area Standards Addressed: Mathematics 1.1 a, b: Count and represent objects including coins to 10. Match a quantity to a numeral. Mathematics 4.1 a, d: Match, sort, group and name basic shapes found in the natural environment. Follow directions to arrange, order, or position objects. Science 1.1 c: Collect, describe, and record information through discussions, drawings, and charts.

Objectives: Students will count up to 10 animals with one-to-one correspondence. Students will rote count to 10. Students will independently count to 10. Students will match a quantity of animals with a numeral. Students will place baby animal pictures underneath pictures of mother animal on a graph.

Format: Small Group

Materials: Graph, pictures of mother animals, pictures of baby animals, Fridge Phonics numbers, checklists for pre/post assessment, camera, wiki sticks.

Procedure:

1. The hook will be to first, explain and ask the students about how our bodies should be when we are doing a small group. I will say we need to have quiet mouths, listening ears, calm bodies and eyes on me/the activity. I will then verbally introduce the big graph I put together with all of the pictures of mother animals on it. I will explain that the students will be matching the baby animals to the Mother farm animals on the graph. I will then tell them after they have placed their baby animal pictures on the graph, they will count how many they have. I will give each student an interactive Fridge Phonics Number that is the same number as the number of animals they placed on the graph. They will listen to the Fridge Phonics number count and count along with it. This will be reinforcing their counting skills and enhancing them.

2. Input: I will introduce the graph and explain why we use graphs. I will be asking and introducing the students to matching the animals to their mothers.

3. Modeling: After we have talked about which baby animals match to which mothers, I will model an example of sticking the pictures of my baby animals in the column under the matching mother animal picture (they will stuck onto the graph with wiki sticks). I will show them how to safely put the pictures of their baby animals onto the graph. After this, I will explain to the students that they will count the amount of baby animals they stuck on the graph. I will count how many I put on the graph out loud, and ask them to join me. I will then model how to use the Fridge Phonics number, and count with it. Each student will get a certain amount of pictures of baby animals. The students will then use their corresponding Fridge Phonics number to count out loud, after placing them on the graph.

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4. Checking for Understanding: As the children are working through the activity, I will be helping students who may need help counting their amount of animals.

5. Bloom’s Taxonomy: Can you count to 10? What do numbers tell us? Is there a biggest number? Who has more animals in their column? How can you tell who has more or less? Can you match your number with the amount of animals you have?

To Modify: I will be giving the 3 year old students and students who are not able to count very high based on pre-assessment, a smaller number of animals to count and place on the graph. I will also have the students ask their friends for help if they cannot figure out where the baby animal matches to the mother. Or, I will give them two choices (i.e., is it a dog or a cow?)

To Extend: For students who have a greater skills set with counting, I will be giving them higher amounts of animals to graph and count.

Closure: For closure, I will go over what we talked about during the lesson. (Matching farm animals to their mothers, counting how many they had). I will also tell them that they did a great job with counting and matching. I will praise them for their effort in the lesson and thank them for being quiet listeners and participants.

Assessment: Pre-Assessment: I will use a checklist of student names to assess how high each child can count prior to the lesson. I will also ask each student by showing them pictures of some baby farm animals, if they can match the baby to the mother animal.

Post-Assessment: During the lesson I will be taking note of how high each student can count their number of animals they put on the graph. I will use a checklist of student names to assess how well students are able to count after the lesson. I will also use the camera to take pictures of the students while they are participating in graphing their animals as another form of authentic documentation.

Behavior Plans: To ensure that throughout the lesson each student is paying attention and doing their best, I will state my expectations for the entirety of the lesson. I will tell them that when we are at small group or whole group, that our eyes are watching, our ears are listening, our mouths are quiet with a bubble, and our hands are quiet or in our laps. If there are any problems within the lesson for children having a hard time paying attention, I will move myself to sit next to them to keep them more engaged. I will also make sure to redirect a student’s attention simply by asking them or touching them on the hand. If a student is acting out and will not come back to task, they will be asked to move from the activity until they are ready to learn.

Reflection: I found that this lesson was highly engaging. The students enjoyed being able to watch their peers place the baby animal pictures underneath the mothers, so I was pleased to see that every single student kept their attention. It allowed the students to use not only their math skills, but also verbal skills; I was not expecting this aspect would be of heavy emphasis in this particular lesson. I was able to modify the lesson as I went, and did not exactly follow the lesson plan. I am glad I did this because I think it worked out better, and went more smoothly than what

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I had initially planned. For next time, I would allow more time in the lesson. I felt rushed, and the students almost lost interest towards the end because it was moving too fast. Overall, I really enjoyed this lesson and I think it was my favorite to teach in the unit, mostly because I hand-made the graphs and pictures. It was very fun for me and the students seemed to enjoy it to.

You will find documentation of this lesson in picture form, located in the Appendix on page 3.

February 21, 2013

Unit: Animals

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Lesson Title: Matching Mother to Baby Animals

Developmental/Curricular Domain: Technology

Content Area Standards Addressed: Mathematics 4.1 a, b, c, d: Match, sort, group and name basic shapes found in the natural environment. Sort similar groups of objects into simple categories based on attributes. Use words to describe attributes of objects. Follow directions to arrange, order, or position objects. Science 1.1 b: Make simple observations, predictions, explanations and generalizations based on real life experiences. Reading, Writing, Communicating 4.2 b, c: Gather relevant information and apply it to their problem solving process or current event. Seek and generate alternative approaches to solving problems. Reading, Writing, and Communicating 1.2 a, d: Use language to express ideas in complete sentences. Remember spoken information for a short period of time. Social Studies 2.1 a, b, c, d: Use positional phrasing. Phrases to include but not limited to: over and under, here and there, inside and outside, up and down. Identify common places to include but limited to home, school, cafeteria, and gymnasium. Describe surroundings. Use pictures to locate familiar places.

Objectives: Students will make observations about the physical appearance of animals. Students will differentiate farm animals from pets using the Smart Table. Students will match baby animals to mother animals using the Smart Table, given many options. Students will use problem solving when using the Smart Table.

Format: Small Group/Individual

Materials: Smart Table, Smart Table farm animal games hard-drive.

Procedure:

1. The hook will be to introduce the lesson by giving a tutorial on how to use the Smart Table.

2. Input: The input will be the instructions given to the students on how to use the smart table. I will introduce the rules: Make sure not to lean on the table, take turns with your partner (if there is one), only two people at a time, only with a teacher. I will explain to the students that t hey will playing a game on the Smart Table in which they have to match a picture of a baby farm animal to its mother.

3. Modeling: Before the students start to play the game, I will have them “hop on” my hands and show them how to touch the Smart Table with a gentle touch. We will do the first animal together. The students will then take turns matching the animals. I will show them how I say the names of the animals as I touch them. I will ask them to do the same (i.e., Here is the puppy. Its mommy is a dog).

4. Checking for Understanding: As the children are working on the game, I will be observing to make sure they understand. I will help as needed if the students get stuck. However, the great thing about the Smart Table is that it allows you some room for trial

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and error, which allows the students to figure it out on their own. This is what I would prefer for the students to do first, in an independent manner.

5. Bloom’s Taxonomy: Do all animals have a mother? How do you know they match one another? How can we figure out which one matches to the other? How can we describe similar objects? What do you think will happen when we take a guess to answer a question?

To Modify: For the younger children, I will use the “hopping on” method in which they put their hand on mine and we go through the lesson together, rather than the child doing it in an independent manner. I will help them with saying the names of the baby and mother animals as they need it.

To Extend: If the activity is too easy for the students, I will have them not only match the babies to the mothers, but also use verbal skills to talk about what they animals look like, what they might smell like, feel like, and sound like. They will use language to talk about what they see happening in the game/activity.

Closure: At the end of the lesson, I will praise students for their efforts on matching the animals. I will explain to them that we learned how to use a Smart Table, the rules for the smart table, and learned how to use our observational skills to match baby farm animals to their mothers. I will end with encouraging them to make other connections with animals throughout the day and thank them for participating and being awesome listeners.

Assessment: For this lesson, I will observe the students matching the farm animals. I will have a checklist of student names to mark off who was able to successfully complete the activity. I will take pictures to document the students at work. I will also specifically observe the students who are able to use higher order thinking skills and language to describe what they are doing as they complete the activity.

Behavior Plans: To ensure that throughout the lesson each student is paying attention and doing their best, I will state my expectations for the entirety of the lesson. I will tell them that when we are at the Smart Table, that our eyes are watching, our ears are listening, our mouths are quiet with a bubble, and our hands are safe. If there are any problems within the lesson for children having a hard time paying attention, I will move myself to sit next to them to keep them more engaged. I will also make sure to redirect a student’s attention simply by asking them or touching them on the hand. If a student is acting out and will not come back to task, they will be asked to move from the activity until they are ready to learn. I will make sure that the rules for the Smart Table are clear and followed. If not I will gently redirect.

Reflection: I feel this lesson went well. The students enjoyed the novelty of the Smart Table, and seemed to find it fascinating to work with. I think the students benefitted from using technology as a means of learning. It was very hands on and engaging. The only thing I might do differently next time, is to more clearly enforce the Smart Table rules. The students had a hard time

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remembering to use a gentle touch, but that is also something they will learn as they use the Smart Table more in the classroom.

February 25, 2013

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Unit: Animals

Lesson Title: Introducing the Letter “B”

Developmental/Curricular Domain: Reading, Writing, and Communicating

Content Area Standards Addressed: Reading, Writing, and Communicating 1.3 a, d: Recognize patterns of sounds, storytelling, and poetry. Demonstrate understanding of initial sounds in words. Reading, Writing, and Communicating 2.1 b, c: Recognize print in the environment. Recognize that printed material conveys meaning and connects to the reader’s world. Reading, Writing, and Communicating 2.2 b, c: Recognize the names of a minimum of 10 letter of the alphabet, specifically letters in own name. Begin to name familiar objects, colors, letters, and numbers rapidly and in random order. Reading, Writing, and Communicating 3.2 a: Begin to develop proper pencil grip when drawing or writing.

Objectives: Students will identify /B/. Demonstrate and recognize the sound /B/ makes. Students will write the letter /B/ with correct pencil grip.

Format: Small Group

Materials: Alphabet card /B/, photo cards, crayons, laminated worksheets, erasers, /B/ object tub, fridge phonic letter /B/, Zoophonics animal, mini chalkboard, chalk, sponges.

Procedure:

1. The hook will be to introduce the letter /B/ and ask the students who could tell me what letter this is. I will show them a capital B and a lowercase u. I will point to each, and have them repeat after me. I will introduce them to the stuffed animal, Bubba Bear, and ask them to say hello to him.

2. Input: The input will be introducing the letter B. I will then ask if anyone could tell me what sound the letter B makes. I will model the B sound, and ask them to do it with me. I will then ask if they can think of any words that start with the letter B sound. I will tell them ‘umbrella’ starts with the letter B. I will point to a picture of a ball and say “Listen to me as I bounce a ball…./b/ /b/ /b/.” I will have the students do it with me again. We will then look at small sets of photo cards such as bear, bird, bunny rabbit, bike, balloon, banana, bus. We will also meet Bubba Bear. There will be a picture of Bubba Bear on a card and in stuffed animal form. We will say his name together. We will also look in a Bb tub of objects. We will take out each object one by one. I will ask the students what the object is each time I pull a new one out, reminding them that it starts with the Bb sound. After this, we will move into writing/tracing the letter Bb.

3. Modeling: Before the students start tracing the letter B, I will show them how to do it. They will start at the top and move down. I will have the children watch me as I trace the letter and make the Bb sound. I will then pass out crayons, laminated Bb worksheets, and erasers.

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4. Checking for Understanding: As the children are working on tracing their Bb letters, I will be observing and taking pictures as documentation. Also, at this time writing in the checklist, who is able to make the Bb sound while tracing. I will be assisting students with help if they ask for it. This activity is designed to allow children to try on their own first, before getting help from a teacher.

5. Bloom’s Taxonomy: How do we know this is a letter? What are some other letter sounds you know? Can you use letters to spell words? Why do we need to know how to spell words? Is your name a word?

To Modify: For the younger children, they will be practicing tracing straight lines and curves, rather than tracing the letter. Some children are still working on fine motor skills development, and writing a Bb would be too challenging.

To Extend: I will have the students find objects around the room that start with the letter Bb. They will also be able to practice writing their own letter Bb’s instead of just tracing them.

Closure: At the end of the lesson, I will praise students for their efforts on tracing the letter B. I will explain to them that we learned what the letter B looks like, sounds like and how it looks when we write it. I will ask the group “what letter is this” by holding up the letter B. I will ask them what the letter sounds like. I will end with encouraging them to listen for words that start with B throughout the day and thank them for participating and being awesome listeners.

Assessment: Pre-Assessment: I will use a checklist of student names on it to assess who already knows what letter B is, and what sound it makes. I will be asking the students individually during recess to see if they are able to tell be what it is. This way, I can be sure of the baseline of who knows what letter it is and who does not.

Post-Assessment: I will take pictures to document the students practicing writing the letter B. This will be documentation to show children have progressed through the activity and understand that B is a letter. I will also be observing who is able to make the B sound while writing/tracing the letter. At center time, after the lesson, for a follow up I will ask the students individually if they recognize B and can make the sound. I will use a checklist to record this.

Behavior Plans: To ensure that throughout the lesson each student is paying attention and doing their best, I will state my expectations for the entirety of the lesson. I will tell them that when we are at small group or whole group, that our eyes are watching, our ears are listening, our mouths are quiet with a bubble, and our hands are quiet or in our laps. If there are any problems within the lesson for children having a hard time paying attention, I will move myself to sit next to them to keep them more engaged. I will also make sure to redirect a student’s attention simply by asking them or touching them on the hand. If a student is acting out and will not come back to task, they will be asked to move from the activity until they are ready to learn.

Reflection: I feel this lesson went well overall. The students were all engaged in trying to practice making the /B/ sound and Zoophonics movement to go along with it. There were two

44

students who did not remain engaged while working with the B tub. I think for the future, I would have those students try and help me by taking the objects out of the box so they could look at them and feel them, instead of me being in complete control of the whole lesson. This lesson needs a bit more hands-on activity to it. However, the students excelled at naming the letter sound. I think I would allow more time in the future for this activity, because it felt a bit rushed. I think there should be more emphasis and follow up on writing the letter, because it is one of the more challenging letters to write when it comes to fine motor skills.

February 27, 2013

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Unit: Animals

Lesson Title: Create an Animal Art Activity

Developmental/Curricular Domain: Visual Arts

Content Area Standards Addressed: Visual Art 2.1 a: Explain that works of art communicate ideas. Visual Art 3.1 a, b: Use trial and error to create works of art that arrive at a desired outcome. Use art materials safely and with respect in the classroom environment

Objectives: Students will create an animal of their choice based on one of the characters read about in the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?. Students will use a variety of materials to create what they feel is visually aesthetic. Students will create a piece of art that is unique and detailed.

Format: Whole Group

Materials: Book: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?, Paper, markers, paint, glue, construction paper shapes, glitter, googly eyes, and crayons.

Procedure:

1. The hook will be to introduce the lesson and let the students know that they will be making an art project that involves making an animal based on a character from the story we will read.

2. Input: The input will be to read the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? By Eric Carle. After we read the book as a class, the students will sit at tables with the provided materials.

3. Modeling: Before the students start their artwork, I will remind them of the characters they may make their animals after. I will not provide an example or sample product, because I feel it is important for the students to use their own creativity. However, I will give clear instructions to remind the children how we treat and use our art materials. I will specifically remind them of the dot, dot, not a lot rule for use of glue.

4. Checking for Understanding: As the children are working on their projects, I will be monitoring their process and giving them praise for their work.

5. Bloom’s Taxonomy: What do you use to make art? How do you know if art is real or make-believe? Where is art in my world? How does your artwork make you feel? Why did you choose the animal you did?

To Modify: For the younger children, I will give them a choice of three animals to choose from to make. I will do this because I think they could get overwhelmed in deciding which animal to make. Narrowing down the options is more developmentally appropriate.

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To Extend: I will have students describe their animal, why they chose to make it, and how it makes them feel. I will extend their level of creativity, yet not take over to ensure that their ideas are still original and their own.

Closure: At the end of the lesson, I will praise students for their efforts on their creativity. I will tell them that we learned about some animals and what they look like, and what colors they are. I will end with thanking them for participating and being awesome listeners during the story and following the rules in regards to the art materials.

Assessment: I will be using observation to assess how well each student was able to grasp the idea of creating their own work of art. I will take pictures of their artwork hanging in the classroom after the project is finished.

Behavior Plans: To ensure that throughout the lesson each student is paying attention and doing their best, I will state my expectations for the entirety of the lesson. I will tell them that when we are at small group or whole group, that our eyes are watching, our ears are listening, our mouths are quiet with a bubble, and our hands are quiet or in our laps. If there are any problems within the lesson for children having a hard time paying attention, I will move myself to sit next to them to keep them more engaged. I will also make sure to redirect a student’s attention simply by asking them or touching them on the hand. If a student is acting out and will not come back to task, they will be asked to move from the activity until they are ready to learn.

Reflection: I feel this lesson went well. I think the students enjoyed reading the book and being able to create something totally unique. I think it was a good idea to not give a model for an end work product, however given the age of the students I think it may have been much more effective to allow them to use a model. I love art projects, and in the future plan to use them much more in my instruction. I like the idea of being able to have the children use a hands-on approach.

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Part VI: Assessment Data and Analysis

When observing the data for my Animal unit that was implemented in Mrs. Goss’

preschool classroom, it is important to note that each and every student made some sort of

growth throughout the process. For the overall assessment of student growth in this unit, the

combination checklist and rating scale described and detailed in section IV was used. I used this

same exact checklist as the pre-assessment portion of my unit, as well as post assessment. I

administered the pre-assessment on February 11th, and administered the post assessment on

February 28th, the last day of my unit. Listed below, you will find figures 1.1 and 1.2, which

represent the overall student growth the class made based on the pre- and post assessments.

Identifies

Farm

Animals

/Pets

Matches

baby/m

other an

imals

Counts 10 objec

ts

Rote Counts t

o 10

Matches

numeral w

ith quan

tity

Practices

balance

Safe b

ody

Identifies

/B/ /

K/ /U/

Iden

tifies /B

/ /K/ /

U/ Sounds

Writes /

B/ /K/ /

U/

Detail in

artw

ork05

1015202530

Figure 1.1: Pre-Assessment Data- Whole Group

Needs DevelopmentEmergingMastery

Learning Goals/Skill Sets

Num

ber o

f Stu

dent

s

48

Identifies

Farm

Animals

/Pets

Matches

baby/m

other an

imals

Counts 10 objec

ts

Rote Counts t

o 10

Matches

numeral w

ith quan

tity

Practices

balance

Safe b

ody

Identifies

/B/ /

K/ /U/

Iden

tifies /B

/ /K/ /

U/ Sounds

Writes /

B/ /K/ /

U/

Detail in

artw

ork05

1015202530

Figure 1.2: Post-Assessment Data- Whole Group

Needs DevelopmentEmergingMastery

Learning Goals/Skill Sets

Num

ber o

f Stu

dent

s

The checklist/rating scale assessed 11 items or skill sets, that I hoped to see

growth in for the purpose of this unit. Each item was scored from 1 to 3; a score of 1 equaled

“Needs Development”, a score of 2 equaled “Emerging”, and a score of 3 equaled “Mastery”.

The X-Axis of these graphs represents the 11 learning goals each student was assessed on, and

the Y-Axis represents number of students. The blue bars represent students who scored “Needs

Development”, red bars represent students who scored “Emerging”, and green bars represent

students who scored “Mastery” in each item. As you can see from the graphs, there was

significant growth made in each learning goal or item, for the class as a whole.

In looking at this growth, it is evident that some skill sets were more successful as a

whole than others. Figure 1.2 shows the most mastery growth in being able to identify farm

animals/pets and being able to match baby farm animals to their mothers. At the beginning of the

unit, Figure 1.1 shows that only 6 students were able to identify all of the animals they were

given, as compared to the 21 students who were able to identify all of the animals given shown

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in Figure 1.2, as part of the post assessment. For these two items scored in the assessment,

almost every student was able to grow in one level of development on the checklist and rating

scale. The “safe body” item that was assessed showed the least amount of change, but in a

positive way. When initially assessed, 25 students already displayed a mastery level of

knowledge in this area, which is almost all of the students. 3 students scored an emerging level in

demonstrating a safe body during movement, and 2 students showed little to no evidence of this

skill. The 3 students who were scored at an emerging level initially, moved to mastery in the post

assessment, making this item the highest mastered learning goal for the whole class.

The students as a whole class showed growth for the other 8 items scored, yet these skill

sets were best observed on a more individual basis for each student. The remaining items pertain

to learning goals set in literacy, numeracy, art, and physical areas. The growth shown in these

items was encouraging because the learning goals set, were aligned with the ways and rates in

which children naturally develop in certain skills. By the end of the unit, each individual child

showed some sort of personal growth. Listed below in Figures 1.3 and 1.4, are the results

showing growth in each area for girls in the class, and boys in the class. I have decided to include

these subgroups in the analysis portion of this work sample because I feel that it is important to

show data broken down into more than just the whole group assessments; it gives a more clear,

accurate, and refined snapshot of the data collected from the assessments.

50

Identifies

Farm

Animals

/Pets

Matches

baby/m

other an

imals

Counts 10 objec

ts

Rote Counts t

o 10

Matches

numeral w

ith quan

tity

Practices

balance

Safe b

ody

Identifies

/B/ /

K/ /U/

Iden

tifies /B

/ /K/ /

U/ Sounds

Writes /

B/ /K/ /

U/

Detail in

artw

ork02468

101214

Figure 1.3: Overall Growth for Female Students

Needs DevelopmentEmergingMastery

Learning Goals/Skill Sets

Num

ber o

f Stu

dent

s

Identifies

Farm

Animals

/Pets

Matches

baby/m

other an

imals

Counts 10 objec

ts

Rote Counts t

o 10

Matches

numeral w

ith quan

tity

Practices

balance

Safe b

ody

Identifies

/B/ /

K/ /U/

Iden

tifies /B

/ /K/ /

U/ Sounds

Writes /

B/ /K/ /

U/

Detail in

artw

ork02468

10121416

Figure 1.4: Overall Growth for Male Students

Needs DevelopmentEmergingMastery

Learning Goals/Skill Sets

Num

ber o

f Stu

dent

s

Based on the data for overall growth in males and females, it is evident that both

subgroups made progress within the learning goals and skill sets that were assessed. Both groups

51

made significant growth in the items discussed above (being able to identify farm animals/pets,

and matching baby animals to their mothers, respectively). It is easy to see that females made

more overall growth in the 11 items listed than the males did. One possible explanation for this is

simply the fact that typically, girls develop in many areas earlier and more rapidly than boys.

This information has been previously researched through many developmental studies over the

years. The girls showed more growth overall in the mastery levels of development, where boys

showed growth, but more so in emerging levels of development.

I would like to note that both subgroups did not show much strength in mastering skills in

identifying letters /B/ /K/ /U/, their sounds, and how to write them. This tells me that for future

unit implementation, I would need to increase my instruction in these areas. Although the

subgroups still showed growth, I would have liked to see more mastery levels of growth. The

same can be said for the skill sets that were assessed for numeracy. Ultimately, the differing

results between these two subgroups tell me that I did not provide as much differential

instruction or scaffolded instruction in these particular lessons. This has been a hard, but helpful

lesson for me to learn early on in my teaching experiences to aid me in my journey as becoming

a teacher. I plan to do some extra follow up or review for lessons that are heavily based in

literacy and numeracy for prospective units. As I plan units and lessons in the future, I will be

sure to include many more aspects of differentiation and scaffolding to best meet the individual

needs of each student.

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Part VII: Student Teaching Experience Reflection

Reflecting on the experiences I have had throughout my student teaching in its entirety,

has made me feel very accomplished in the milestones I was able to reach by way of this

experiential learning. Applying the theories I had learned in my Education and Human

Development courses was exciting and fruitful, but I think I had a realization that teaching in a

classroom is not based solely on theory. I always knew this was true, but did not fully understand

this concept until I was able to take the reins myself for full control of a running classroom. I was

able to refine my classroom management skills, personal philosophy, personal goals, and

professional goals.

I think there were many things that went well throughout my student teaching experience.

One that sticks out was being able to form bonds and relationships with my students, as well as

other staff members. Being able to feel like I had made an impact in the lives of those students

meant the world to me. This is why I love teaching. Educating students in academics is so

important to me, but one thing that is even more important in my book is being able to be a

positive role model for and connecting with the children I work with. I feel that I was able to do

just that with many of the students I met along my student teaching journey. For me, the basis of

being a great educator is having kindness in your heart for every student you teach. I feel that I

was able to further learn what this means to me as an educator through my experiences.

I am very happy I was able to plan an entire unit by myself. This is a skill that I will use

for the remaining years in my career as an educator. It is essential that teachers know how to plan

meaningful lessons and units, and I feel that what I was able to create generated a significant

response from my students. Another aspect that I think went very well in my experience was

being able to reach out to parents and form relationships with some of them, even though it was

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for a very short amount of time. The 8 week period for each placement at Irish Elementary went

very fast, yet I am proud to say I was able to reach out and make some parent contacts along the

way. I feel that the relationships I was able to form with my mentor teachers and supervisors was

instrumental in helping me to do my best. Each one of these individuals was so willing to help

me and give me advice, which I will be forever grateful for. They instilled in me knowledge that

I do not think I could have learned in a classroom full of 50 other college students.

I learned not only a lot about instruction in the ECE classroom setting, but much about

myself. I had a realization of how badly I want to be the best I can be in my profession. I learned

that sometimes, things don’t always go as planned in the classroom and that is okay. If it’s not on

the lesson plan, it is okay to stray away from and modify as you go, as long as you keep the end

goal in mind. I feel I learned that teaching in an Early Childhood classroom is all about being a

flexible and loving person, yet also know how to make your voice heard and respected by

students, fellow teachers, parents, and staff. Ultimately, I learned that the career path I have

chosen is right for me, and I will continue to strive to do everything I can to ensure that I am

performing at my best every day.

When thinking about some things that I might have done differently, I wish that I would

have been more confident in my actions and instruction in the classroom. I feel that overall, I did

a great job student teaching, and I wish I could have realized that while I was doing it. At times, I

lacked confidence in how I handled situations, but I also now know you can always learn from

your mistakes. Building confidence in my instructional techniques is something that will

continue to grow with time. Specifically for my Teacher Work Sample unit, I would have liked

to include more lessons in literacy and math. I say this simply based on the data I collected from

my assessments, and will plan to be more thorough in these areas in the future.

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Reflecting on my classroom management skills, I realize how much I was able to learn in

my short time student teaching. It didn’t feel like I got very far in my classroom management

achievement and growth, but looking back, what felt like a small step really was a giant leap. I

wasn’t sure what to expect when I started to take over control of my preschool classroom, simply

because I had never experienced anything like that before. But, I am happy to say that I hope to

continue to grow in these skills. This is an area of professional development that I hope to always

work on to make it work for myself personally, as well as the population of students I will work

with in the future. I also feel that this aspect of my experience ties into my developing

philosophy on teaching and working with young children. Having an understanding for children

is imperative to my personal philosophy; if you have this, along with love and security to give

your students; I feel that not only they will excel in the classroom, but also in their lives in

general.

Having completed my student teaching experience at Irish Elementary School, I can

happily say that I feel prepared for the next chapter of my life in beginning to teach my own

class. Even though the thought of running my own classroom makes me a little nervous at times,

it makes me more excited than anything. I like to remember this quote by Lemony Snicket when

I think about my future in immersing myself in the professional field of education: “If we wait

until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives”. Going through the process of student

teaching has taught me some life values, including the fact that sometimes you have to jump in

head first, and take the bull by the horns. I feel so lucky to have met and worked with the

students, teachers, and mentors I crossed paths with along this journey. I will remember this

experience forever.

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References

Colorado department of education. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.cde.state.co.us/

C. Wortham , S. (2012). Assessment in early childhood education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

(2012). Little treasures. New York, NY: MacMillan McGraw Hill.

Poudre school district. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.psdschools.org/

United States Census Bureau, (2012). United states census bureau: State and county quick facts. Retrieved from United States Census Bureau website: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08000.html

Walton, L. (2013). Poudre school district: Irish elementary school. Retrieved from http://eweb.psdschools.org/schools/irish/