dunnreeves11.weebly.com€¦ · Web viewAs of 2013 Grand Blanc had a population of 8,276 citizens. Ninety-four percent of the population spoke English, one percent spoke Spanish,

Impact on Student Learning

Debra Dunn Reeves

University of Michigan – Flint

Fall 2014

Impact on Student Learning Debra Dunn Reeves

Learning Environment/Context

As of 2013 Grand Blanc had a population of 8,276 citizens. Ninety-four percent of the

population spoke English, one percent spoke Spanish, and the remaining five percent speaking

other languages. Within this diverse population, almost three quarters of the residents were born

within the state of Michigan. The other quarter was born out of the state of Michigan, five

percent of which was born in another country. Caucasians make up a great deal of the population

with the addition of around six percent African American, three percent Asian, two percent

mixed race and a half percent other races.

The inhabitants of this town seem to have done pretty well for themselves. Ten percent of

the households make over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year with another fifteen

percent make between one hundred and one hundred fifty thousand. The largest percentage of

the population, thirty-five thousand households, makes between sixty and one hundred thousand

dollars a year. The rest of the population makes a modest living with thirty percent of households

making between twenty-five and sixty thousand. Only a little over twenty percent of the

households in Grand Blanc make under twenty-five thousand dollars a year.

Within Grand Blanc, there are a total of eleven elementary schools, three middle schools,

and one high school. The high school, Grand Blanc Community High School, houses ninth

through twelfth grade and has a student count of 2,528. The middle schools are Grand Blanc

Middle, Middle East, and Middle West. Each of the middle schools contains grades six through

eight. Grand Blanc Middle School has the highest population with 1,794 students. East and West

have just fewer than one thousand students each. The Perry Center is a building of vast usage,

but only contains 141 kindergarten students. Woodland Park Academy and Grand Blanc

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Academy both hold grades kindergarten through eight, with a combined student count of almost

900. The Elementary schools that house a combined total of two thousand kindergarten through

fifth grade students are Reid, Myers, Indian Hill, and Brendel. Lillian G. Mason and McGrath

Elementary with around 450 third through fifth grade students each. The only remaining schools

are Anderson Elementary and Cook Elementary, both with only kindergarten through second

grade.

During the 2013/2014 school year Cook Elementary had a total enrollment of 409

students in kindergarten through second grade. As of count day in October of 2013 there were

126 kindergarteners, 140 first graders, and 145 second graders. These students, ages five through

eight, were composed of 170 boys and 185 girls. The class size ratio was an average of nineteen

students per a classroom.

Also during the 2013/2014 school year, three quarters of the students at Cook were of

white ethnicity. Another twelve percent of the students were African American. The remaining

thirteen percent consisted of 6.4% Asian, 2.7% Hispanic, and 3.7% born from a combined two or

more ethnicities. Of the 409 students, 29 of the students were part of the special education

program. In addition, a quarter of the students qualified as economically disadvantaged.

Cook Elementary has all of the facilities that an elementary student or teacher would

need. There are two sets of boy and girl bathrooms at each end of the school. The teachers have

two bathrooms of their own, and there is a third bathroom available for adult use by the library

that also has a baby changing station. The library is nicely sized and staffed with a

knowledgeable librarian, who also takes care of the computer lab in the room next door. There

are almost forty computers in the computer lab, along with a laptop cart and a set of ten tablets

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for each grade to check out. When needed, there is staff available to assist students with special

needs while in the computer lab.

Of course there is an office, where the secretary holds residence and the principal houses

her office. The copy machine and nursing station are also in this area, along with a bathroom for

emergency uses. Connected to the office is a wonderful room that contains the die cutter and

accessories, copy paper, cutting boards, and laminating machine. Next door to this room is the

teachers’ lounge where teachers can relax and eat their food, secluded from the students. It has

the amenities of a refrigerator/freezer, sink, microwave, and toaster oven. If you head out the

back door of the room there is a small hallway with a pop machine and the rolls of paper. There

is also a student liaison in the building who works with students at all times and is always

available when needed. In her office the teachers can also find useful resources.

The students with severe special education needs, who qualify for special services, spend

most of their time in a classroom that suits their needs. They also receive the aid of a certified

teacher and two assistants. The rest of the students with special needs get help from a few ladies

who either pull students out of the classroom to work in a separate room or push into classrooms

and work with students in their own rooms. One of the ladies has her own little room to work

with kids, and it is connected to the larger room that the other ladies use when working with

students. It is a complementary environment for the students who need to get out of the

classroom. One of these wonderful ladies takes students on brain brakes. She can also often be

found directing traffic in the hallways as students utilize the scooters available.

In one corner of the school, you can find the music room and not too far away is the gym.

Students have gym or music every other day and then combined music and gym on Fridays.

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Every day the students also have SAIL, where they work on technology skills and receive

literacy assistance. The art teacher travels to three different schools so the students only have art

every ten days. The art room is located in one of the outbuildings behind the school, right by the

playground. There are three outbuildings, the art room, the latchkey building, and the third

contains the science room for teachers to utilize and the den for staff use. Behind these buildings

is the playground and fields that students use to play soccer or football at recess.

Each grade has its own module throughout the school, with a couple exceptions. There

are two kindergarten modules, one in the front of the school and one in the rear. The module in

the front of the school connects two kindergarten classrooms while the one in the back connects

four. The first grade module can be found on the side of the building opposite the gym. This

room connects three first grade rooms and one room that is a first/second grade split. In the front

of the school is another module, shared by one first grade class, a second grade class, the special

education room, and the SAIL room. The second grade module is in the back section of the

building, along with the larger kindergarten module. This module connects four second grade

classrooms, including the one that I work in, Mrs. Todd’s class.

In Mrs. Todd’s classroom there are twenty-six students, thirteen boys and thirteen girls.

Most of the students are Caucasian, with the exception of one African American student and

three Indian students. Three students in the classroom are classified as special needs, with a

fourth who qualifies, but does not have the appropriate steps completed to get assistance. There

are also a few students who get pulled out for extra help with their reading and writing. In

addition, one of the Indian girls gets assistance once a week to help her with her language skills.

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This year the traditional desks in the classroom were replaced with tables. These tables

each sit two children and have a little cubby underneath each spot to hold their items. The

teacher has a desk of her own for her computer to rest on. As the student teacher I have one of

the student tables to work at. The tables are arranged in groups, with four tables in each group. In

the back corner of the room is a crescent table that the teacher uses to work with students. In the

adjacent corner is the carpet corner where you can find the easel and teacher’s chair used for

group time. There are book shelves along one wall, student mailboxes next to the door, and a

long counter along another wall with a sink and cupboards underneath. Mrs. Todd also has a

personal mini refrigerator and microwave in her room. Next to the teacher’s desk is a second exit

that leads outside toward the playground and next to the door is a closet for the teacher to store

her things. In the classroom there are a variety of secondary lights so that, when needed, the main

lights can be turned off and students can work in the dimmer lighting. The classroom also

contains a projector on the ceiling that can project what is on the computer to the pull down

screen placed above the marker board.

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Instructional Goals

The unit of study that will be observed for this assignment is on fall poetry. In this unit

the students will be introduced to 5W poems. The students will learn the key terms used to

construct a 5W poem and how to apply the poem format to specific topics. The ability to create

these poems with little assistance will be expected from the students by the end of the unit.

There are six particular learning objectives for this unit of study. First of all, students

need to be able to stick to the same topic throughout the development of the poem. They also

need to accurately follow the guidelines of the poem. Students will need to write neatly and use

creativity in their writing. An understanding of what is expected from the poems and ability to

follow directions is essential to the assignment. Then, in the end, the students should be able to

complete a 5W poem on their own without assistance.

Standards:

W.GN.02.02: Approximate poetry based on reading a wide variety of grade-appropriate poetry.

W.PR.02.05: Draft a coherent piece with appropriate grammar, usage, mechanics, and temporary spellings.

CCSS.L.5: Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

CCSS.SL.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

These goals and objectives are appropriate for second grade writing expectations in many

ways. First of all, each of the standards was chosen from the grade level content expectations for

Michigan and Common Core state standards. In second grade the students are just starting to

fully learn about poetry and composing poems of their own. Poems are read to the students and

they in turn take those examples and try to create their own poems. The expectation is that the

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student can use some correct grammar, correct capitalization and punctuation, and do their best

with their spelling. It is only second grade, so we do not expect perfection, only that they

remember each of these components and attempt to incorporate them into their poems. In doing

these poems students are taking one word, term, or idea, and pulling it apart to see what it makes

them think of and look at it in different ways. This can be fun for second graders and with a little

assistance they can come up with very creative ideas. Before beginning these poems, students

should pay attention to directions and participate in class discussions. The class will make a

poem together before beginning to work on individual poems and active participation in the

group poem makes for clearer understanding of the assignment. At times, participation in the

group poem is all that may be needed and then the activity is done. If students don’t partake in

the activity, then they do not get anything out of the lesson.

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Pre-Assessment

To perform the pre-assessment, the students will all sit at the carpet and be asked if any

of them had heard of the 5W’s and know what they are. The teacher will lead the students to the

correct answer and suggest who, what, when, where, and why. Then the teacher will display the

5W poem format on chart paper. Students will be given a topic to write about and create a 5W

poem together. The topic they are to be given is fall, and the poem is to be created alongside the

5W format on the chart. Once the sample poem is complete the students will receive a draft

paper to write out their own 5W poems about leaves. Upon completion of the draft, and approval

from the teacher, the student will receive their final draft paper. When finished, the student will

turn in both the rough draft and final copy of the 5W poem that they created.

Students will be evaluated on using each of the 5W’s appropriately in the poem. Who,

what, where, when, and why all need to be present and the poem must stay on the topic that the

students have been given to write about. Neatness and creativity will also be considered when

grading occurs. Also, the poem will have to have a title. The final copy will be looked over for

each of the items and graded appropriately.

The relationship between the pre-assessment tool, and the instructional goals and

objectives is that the pre-assessment will fall short of the goals and objectives. At this point the

student is only just being introduced to the topic of 5W poems, so they will not be able to master

the use yet. Some of the W’s in question may be missing from their writing, along with the use

of a title. Neatness and creativity will depend on the students average abilities, hopefully by the

end they know that they are expected to write neatly and be creative with their poems.

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This pre-assessment tool is appropriate for second grade writing. The student is allowed

to work at their own pace and ability and their understanding is frequently checked during the

drafting process. Once the student gets approval for their understanding of what is expected, they

are then allowed to write their final copy. This gives second graders a chance to correct any

mistakes and clearly understand what they are supposed to be doing. In the final copy the teacher

will look for all of the elements that have been qualified as necessary to creating a successful 5W

poem.

I observed three students during this unit. The first student (Student #1) is of Indian

nationality. Her parents emigrated from India to Canada, which is where the student was born,

and then again to Grand Blanc, MI. Her father is a doctor in the area. Student #1 speaks a total of

three languages and her parents primarily speak Indian. She is incredibly smart and has done

very well for herself. If not for her age, social skills, and reading level, she would most likely be

considered to move on to third grade. The second student (Student #2) is a male who was put

into the adoption system along with his siblings. He and his younger brother were adopted by

two women who love them dearly. The boy still has issues from his past that he is working

through, but is finally in a stable environment and well loved. Student #2 gets special education

services for math and reading. Finally, the third student (Student #3) is an average 7 year old girl.

Both of her parents work and earn a very decent living. She has an older sister and lives in a nice

house. This student is very intelligent and loving, always willing to lend a helping hand. As you

can see, the three students that I have chosen are different in their own individual ways and are

sampling of the population in this classroom.

Predictably, the three students did not do as well during the pre-assessment as they did in

the end. Student #1, who normally does fairly nice work, was sloppy and had poor spelling. She

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must have been in a hurry or unsure of herself, but she did follow the format of the poem. What

was written was erased at least once and then rewritten. Even then the rewritten work was messy

and not up to her usual status. Student #2 surprised me by taking the time to color his leaf and

really tried to put some effort into it. The poem sounded very nice in the beginning and became

difficult to understand toward the end. He didn’t quite stick with the format either. Student #3

did a nice job coloring her leaf, included a title, and kept with the format. The writing was not as

neat as normal, but her spelling was very good. The third student did the best of the three, which

was to be expected. All three students did not do quite as well as desired, but understandably so

since it was only the pre-assessment and first time being introduced to this type of poem. Their

work was relatively the same to the rest of the class. There were students who got the idea, but

still lacked some details needed in their poems, and others who just didn’t quite get it.

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Poetry Unit Pre-Assessment (Leaves)Student Title Who What When Where Why Neatness Creativit

y Total

Sriya x x x x x x x 7Ezra x x x x x x x x 8Mylie x x x x x x x 7Landen x x x x x x 5Samarah x x x x x x x x 8Chloe x x x x x x x 7Jack x x x x x x 6Brady x x x x 4Jaydan x x x x x x 6Jaxson x x x x x x x 7Logan x x x x x x 6Anthony 0Christopher 0David x x x x x x x x 8Riley x x x x x x x x 8Skyye x x x x x x 6Isabella 0Addison x x x x x x x x 8Payton x x x x x x x x 7Thea x x x x x x x x 8Jia x x x x x x x 7Sage 0Gavin x x x x x x 6Ben x x x x x x x x 8Kendall 0Aanya x x x x x x x x 8

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Post-Assessment

For the post-assessment students will create their final 5W poem. The students will be

given a topic for their poem, review the 5W’s, and be allowed to begin writing their poems. The

5W chart will still be exposed for reference. There will not be a rough draft this time; the

students will simply begin work on their final draft. While working on their poems, the teacher

will give little-to-no, assistance to the students. They will have to come up with the ideas on their

own and remember to include all 5W’s and a title. The class will be reminded to write neatly and

be creative.

As for the relationship between the post-assessment tool, and the instructional goals and

objectives, the post-assessment will be much closer to the instructional goals and objectives than

the pre-assessment was. The post-assessment makes sure that the students understand the goals

and objectives that were given for the unit. In completing the post-assessment it should be made

clear by the students work whether or not they clearly understood the objectives that were given

to them. Demonstration of this understanding will be found in the final 5W poem when they turn

it in.

The post-assessment tool is appropriate for second grade writing because it easily allows

the students to display their understanding. By following directions and sticking with the topic

that they are given, the students can show that they have paid attention. As long as the 5W’s have

been used appropriately and students have covered all of the items discussed throughout the unit,

they will succeed. Basically, the students have to repeat the same process that they did on all of

the previous 5W poems, but with little,-to-no, assistance from the teacher and no rough draft.

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In the post-assessment, the students generally did better than in the pre-assessment.

Student #1 surprised me once again with sloppy work, but she did it correctly. She used proper

spelling, followed the format, and was very creative. I was happy with her work. The second

student attempted to be creative with his castle, but must have run out of time because it was

only half colored. He still doesn’t quite understand the format used for the poems. There is a title

and five lines, but the words are messy and don’t quite make sense. Student #3 did a very nice

job coloring her picture and was very creative. She followed the format accurately, included a

title, and aside from a few spelling errors did exactly as I had expected. I did not quite expect as

high quality work from student #2 as from student #3, so it made sense that there is that

difference. Student #1 still did not quite perform as well as I had hoped. It is my hypothesis that

she does not care for poetry a great deal. Compared to the rest of the class, student #3 matched

the expectations along with many of the others. Student #2 was in the lower end of the pack, but

still put forth an effort, unlike a couple of students. The first student scored well, despite her

unusual lower level of care for her work, and did just as well as many of the higher students.

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Poetry Unit Post-Assessment (Castle)Student Title Who Wha

t When Where Why Neatness Creativity Total

Sriya x x x x x x x x 8Ezra x x x x x x x x 8Mylie x x x x x x x x 8Landen 0Samarah 0Chloe 0Jack x 1Brady x x x x x x 7Jaydan x x x x x 5Jaxson 0Logan x x x x x x x x 8Anthony 0Christopher 0

David x x x x x x x x 8Riley x x x x x x x x 8Skyye x x x x x x x x 8Isabella 0Addison x x x x x x x x 8Payton x x x x x x 6Thea 0Jia x x x x x x x 7Sage x x x x x x x 7Gavin x x x x x 5Ben x x x x x x x x 8Kendall x x x x x x x x 8Aanya x x x x x x 6

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Instructional Plan

Day One: 5W Leaf Poem Lesson Plan

1. Objective - SWBAT (student will be able to) create a 5W poem about leaves.

a. Skill: Students will develop an understanding of how to create a 5W poem.

b. Content: CCSS.SL.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. CCSS.L.5: Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings. W.GN.02.02: Approximate poetry based on reading a wide variety of grade-appropriate poetry. W.PR.02.05: Draft a coherent piece with appropriate grammar, usage, mechanics, and temporary spellings.

2. Materials: Chart paper, markers, 5W poem layout, samples of 5W poems to be read to students, rough draft sheet, leaf worksheet, pencils, and crayons.

3. Teacha. Hook or Warm-up

i. Read different types of poems all about fall, including some 5W poems.

b. Instruct - what strategy; ie. model, discussion, group interactioni.Sit the students down at the carpet and ask them what they noticed about the differences in the formats of the poems that were just read to them.

ii. After discussing the differences ask to see if anyone knows what a 5W poem is.iii. If no one knows ask if anyone might have heard of the 5W’s.iv. Lead the students into what the 5W’s really are: Who, What, When, Where, Why.v. Show the students which of the poems read to them were 5W poems.vi. Write out the format for a 5W poem on chart paper, leaving spaces between lines. vii. Tell the students that we are going to write a 5W poem about Fall and together

create the poem, following the guidelines (do this under each line on the chart paper).

c. Activityi. Make sure that the students understand how the Fall 5W poem was created and see if

there are any questions.ii. When the students are ready, let them know that they will be creating one of these

poems on their own about leaves. iii. Give a few examples about what could be put in different sections of the poem when

using leaves as the topic.iv. Show the students the rough draft paper that they will use to write the poem the first

time. v. Tell the students that they must see the teacher to get approval before copying the

rough draft onto the final draft paper.

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vi. Give students the rough draft paper and allow them to begin work on the assignment.

vii. Walk around the room to make sure that students are doing the assignment correctly and following the guidelines on the chart.

viii.Help students out when they are stuck and unsure of what to do.ix. Once the student gets approval, instruct them to rewrite their poem neatly on the leaf

paper and that they may color the leaf it they like, just not where the words are located.

x. Both the rough draft and final copy are to be turned in together into the finished work basket.

4. Verification/AssessmentThe students create a first draft of their poem as an informal assessment so that the teacher can check for understanding. Then they neatly create a final draft for final assessment.

5. Wrap-up/ClosureThank the students for participating and creating such wonderful poems. Let them know that the finished pieces will be put into the module for everyone to see and read. Tell them that we will be doing a few more of these poems in the next few weeks, including one about pumpkins.

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Day Two: 5W Pumpkin Poem Lesson Plan

1. Objective - SWBAT (student will be able to) create a 5W poem about pumpkins.


b. Content: CCSS.SL.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. CCSS.L.5: Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings. W.GN.02.02: Approximate poetry based on reading a wide variety of grade-appropriate poetry. W.PR.02.05: Draft a coherent piece with appropriate grammar, usage, mechanics, and temporary spellings.

2. Materials: Chart paper, markers, 5W chart, pumpkin poems, pumpkin worksheet, rough draft sheet, pencils, and crayons.

3. Teachi.Hook or Warm-up

1.Read Pumpkin poem(s).b. Instruct - what strategy; ie. model, discussion, group interaction

i.Sit the students down at the carpet and talk to them about yesterday’s 5W poem. Let them know that we will have time to work on those more after creating today’s poem.

ii.Tell them that today’s poem is about pumpkins.iii.Review the details of a 5W poem.iv. Make a list of ideas that they could use when writing their pumpkin poems.

c. Activityi.Each student is to receive a copy of the draft sheet for their 5W poem and then return to their seat to complete it.

ii.The teacher will circulate the room, checking to make sure that students are following the format.

iii. As students complete their drafts the teacher will give them the 5W pumpkin sheets to write their final poems onto.

iv. If the students like they may color the pumpkin around the written section.v. Students will turn in both drafts when completed.

4. Verification/AssessmentThe teacher informally checks for understanding while students create their first draft. Final drafts of the poems will be the formal assessment for the teacher to see if students understood the guidelines set out for them and stuck with them.

5. Wrap-up/ClosureThank the students for participating and creating such wonderful poems. Let them know that they can now continue work on the leaf poems from yesterday if they are not finished. Remind them to make sure to be neat because they will be displayed in the module. Also let them know that we will be creating an apple 5W poem this week after reading some fall poems about apples, in preparation for our field trip next week.

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Day Three: 5W Apple Poem Lesson Plan

1. Objective - SWBAT (student will be able to) create a 5W poem about apples.


b. Content: CCSS.L.5: Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings. W.GN.02.02: Approximate poetry based on reading a wide variety of grade-appropriate poetry. W.PR.02.05: Draft a coherent piece with appropriate grammar, usage, mechanics, and temporary spellings.

2. Materials: 5W chart, poems, apple worksheet, rough draft sheet, pencils, and crayons.


i. Read apple poem(s).

b. Instruct - what strategy; ie. model, discussion, group interactioni. Sit the students down at the carpet and talk to them about the apple orchard field trip

coming up. The apple orchard is only one of the many ways to talk about apples.ii. Let them know that we will work on the previous poems if time after creating

today’s poem.iii. Review the details of a 5W poem.

c. Activityi. Let the students know that they can use the rough draft sheet if they like or simply go

straight to the final copy.ii. Pass out rough draft sheets to those that wish to begin with it and let them know

where the final copy sheets will be when they are ready for it. iii. The remaining students at the carpet wish to go straight to the final copy. Remind

them that the final copy needs to be neat and will be put out for display.iv. Release the students to work on the poems and tell them that if they finish they need

to work on unfinished poems or read.v. The teacher will circulate the room, checking to make sure that students are following

the format and help when needed.

4. Verification/AssessmentThe informal assessment will be the teacher walking around to check in on the students as they work and make sure that they are on task and following directions. After the poems are turned in the teacher will check the final draft for a formal assessment.

5. Wrap-up/ClosureThank the students for trying so hard on each of these poems. Hopefully their trip to the apple orchard will give them more inspiration if they didn’t have a lot today. The next time we work on the 5W poems will be to catch up on unfinished poems. Then we only have one 5W poem left, just before Halloween.

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Day Four: 5W Poem Catch-Up Day Lesson Plan

1. Objective - SWBAT (student will be able to) catch up on incomplete 5W poems.


b. Content: CCSS.L.5: Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings. W.GN.02.02: Approximate poetry based on reading a wide variety of grade-appropriate poetry.

2. Materials: Chart paper, marker, 5W chart, pencils, and crayons, extra copies of rough draft sheets, along with leaf, pumpkin, and apple sheets.


i. Thoroughly review the 5W poem outline.

b. Instruct - what strategy; ie. model, discussion, group interactioni. Sit the students down at the carpet and talk to them about 5W poems.

ii. Make a list of the 5W poems that we have been working on.iii. Name off the students who have turned in all of their poems and tell them that they

can do the activity sheet on the back counter and then read while others catch up on their work. Release them to their seats.

iv. Tell the remaining students what poems they are missing.v. Have the remaining students go back to their seats and look through their bins and

safe folders to find their unfinished poems.

c. Activityi. As students find poems, instruct them to complete what they have to finish.

ii. If students are missing poems give them new sheets so they can rewrite their poems.iii. Help students locate missing poems or work on poems that they are having

difficulties with.iv. As students turn in missing poems, check them off to keep track of who is still

missing work.

4. Verification/AssessmentAs the students work on finishing up their missing work remind them of the steps that must be taken and how the poems should be laid out. Final assessment would be evaluating the completed poems after they have been turned in.

5. Wrap-up/ClosureThank the students for their patience and for working so hard to get all of their assignments in. Let them know that we just have one 5W poem left and then we will be all done with 5W poems. Tell them that the last 5W poem will be a haunted castle to go with Halloween and ask them to start thinking about what they could write about to go with it.

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Day Five: 5W Castle Poem Lesson Plan

1. Objective - SWBAT (student will be able to) create a 5W poem about haunted castles.


b. Content: CCSS.L.5: Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings. W.GN.02.02: Approximate poetry based on reading a wide variety of grade-appropriate poetry.

2. Materials: 5W chart, poems to read, castle worksheet, pencils, and crayons.


i. Read Halloween poems and a Haunted Castle poem.b. Instruct - what strategy; ie. model, discussion, group interaction

i. Sit the students down at the carpet and talk to them about haunted castles and what a poem about haunted castles might have in it.

ii. Let the students know that they will only be given a final copy this time and it must be neatly done.

iii. Tell the students that they will not be receiving help with this poem, it will be on their own, and they will not get assistance coming up with lines for their 5W’s.

iv. Hand out the Haunted Castle sheet. Tell the students that if it helps it doesn’t have to be a haunted castle; it could be a haunted mansion or house, or some other kind spooky castle at Halloween time.

c. Activityi. Release students to their seats to begin work on their poems.

ii. The teacher will circulate the room, checking to see if the students are doing well on their own and remembering to follow the format.

iii. As students complete their poems tell them that they can turn them in.iv. Tell the students if there are any poems that still have not been completed they need

to be turned in today or else they won’t be accepted.v. If students are finished with all poems they can read until time to go to recess.

4. Verification/AssessmentAs the students work on their poems the teacher will walk around observing their work. The teacher will do an informal assessment as to whether or not they completely understand the concept of 5W poems. Once the poems are turned in they will be checked against the guidelines set up for the assignment and graded.

5. Wrap-up/ClosureThank the students for working so hard on this unit and for their patience with me. Tell them that they all did a fantastic job and I am proud of them. Let them know that the poetry isn’t completely over, I will still read them poems and do some other poetry lessons with them, but this is it for the 5W poems.

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Relationship between the elements of the instructional plan and the assessment:

Each part of the instruction plan leads to the students’ ability to successfully satisfy all

elements of the assessment. During their work, while the teacher is appraising informal

assessments, they are showing whether or not they understand the assignment and how to

complete it successfully with or without help. The formal assessment evaluates whether or not

the elements of the instructional plan were successful in helping the students to understand what

was expected of them, how to successfully complete the assignment, and comprehension of the

material that was taught to them.

How elements of the instructional plan promote student learning:

The instructional plan promotes student learning through the teacher presenting examples

of what is expected of the students, and creating poetry together before expecting them to create

it on their own. Every time the students were expected to create a new poem, the instructor

would read poems about the topic that was to be discussed so that students had ideas of where

they could go with their own poems. Sometimes a sample poem was created together as a class

or one was referred to for examples before working independently. As the students worked, the

teacher was available to clarify any confusion and to help out when students were stuck on a part

of their poem. Each of these things helps students to learn and understand the 5W poem and how

it works. The more the students see it, do it themselves, and hear about it, the easier it will be for

them to complete a successful piece on their own.

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Key:


Explanation and Analysis of Results

Student growth was to be expected throughout the poetry unit. In the beginning there

were students who understood the concept that was being taught and took off with it while others

struggled to understand the format that was to be used. A few students just went ahead and wrote

their poems however they wanted, but by the end of the unit they understood that they had to use

the 5Ws, and tried to stick to the format. Many of the students progressed as expected through

the unit. They comprehended the format and followed directions, giving care to do a good job

with their projects. A few did not change as much as I had hoped between the pre and post

assessments. Then there were the others who improved, but did not quite reach the standards as

anticipated. A few students fell short of the standards, and in one case a student didn’t turn in her

work. In the beginning the grades were higher for the students who normally score higher, extra

low for the students with more difficulties, and somewhere in-

between for those who would normally do well, but didn’t quite

understand. In the end most all of the students had improved

with repetitive use of the format and constant help in

remembering to be neat, put a title on, and follow the rules.

Poetry Unit Assessment Scores

Student Pre-Assessment Leaves

Pumpkin Apple Post-Assessment

Castle

Total Score

Sriya 7 7 x 8 3

Ezra 8 8 8 3

Mylie 7 8 x 8 3

Landen 5 4 2

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1 Unsatisfactory 1-32 Satisfactory 4-63 Excelled 7-8

X = Excused Assignment


Samarah 8 8 x 3

Chloe 7 2

Jack 6 6 x 1 2

Brady 4 x 7 2

Jaydan 6 x 5 2

Jaxson 7 8 2

Logan 6 6 8 2

Anthony x x x x 2

Christopher x x x x 2

David 8 8 8 3

Riley 8 8 x 8 3

Skyye 6 8 8 2

Isabella1

Addison 8 8 x 8 3

Payton 7 8 x 6 3

Thea 8 8 3

Jia 7 8 x 7 3

Sage x 7 x 7 3

Gavin 6 7 x 5 3

Ben 8 8 x 8 3

Kendall x 8 x 8 3

Aanya 8 7 x 6 3

In the beginning, the scores ranged from four to eight to account for everyone learning

how to do the assignment. As the students moved onto the next round, they seemed to

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comprehend the directions better and a higher range of grades was found. The third poem that

the students worked on didn’t actually get graded since there were many people absent and out of

the classroom throughout that day. Those who did the assignment and turned it in got extra

credit. By the end, quite a few of the students’ scores went up to a full score. Oddly enough a

few actually dropped a point, and in one case the student did worse because of a lack of evidence

of work. One student in particular had a lower grade than expected. Somehow she did not turn in

any assignments after the first, which is not like her at all. She was being taken out of the

classroom at times when doing the lesson, so that would partially account for the loss, but

normally she still does most all of her work. Another student, whom is very disorganized, failed

to complete and turn in any of her assignments, even after conferences where this was pointed

out to her mother and the work was taken home.

As for unexpected student learning, there were a few instances that stood out. A girl in

the class missed out on completing the first assignment because she was absent due to illness. By

the time she returned we had moved on to the next assignment, but even with being absent for

the first assignment, she scored full points on the second assignment. Another student was being

introduced to new medications at the time of the assignments and had major issues with

concentration and focus, along with being pulled out for extra assistance. Yet, his score

improved from a 4 for the first poem to a 7 for the last. That is pretty significant growth,

especially for his situation. A lot of the initial understanding was unexpected as well. There

were quite a few students who took right to the format and found it quite simple to create their

poems. This was interesting since they had only been briefly introduced to poetry the year before

and had never attempted to write a specific formatted type of poetry.

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Key:


Formative Assessment of Individual StudentsLeaves

(Pre-Test) Pumpkin Apple Castle(Post-Test) Score

Student #1 7 7 8 8 3Student #2 6 x x 5 2Student #3 8 8 8 8 3

The three students that were observed throughout the unit

did very well. It was surprising that the first student didn’t score

full points every time, but I do not think that she was very

interested in poetry to begin with. She did finish off the unit with

full points and, because of her effort, earned a full final score. Student #2 did fairly well with the

assignments. I had hoped that he would have improved, but did not. The fact that he actually did

two of the assignments, and that they were fairly well done, was nice to see. He was excused

from the Pumpkin project because he was getting additional assistance during that lesson. The

third student did exceptional, which is what most of her work consists of.

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1 Unsatisfactory 1-32 Satisfactory 4-63 Excelled 7-8

X = Excused Assignment


Evaluation of Teacher Effectiveness

If I were to focus on the effectiveness of my own instruction, I would say that it has

vastly improved. In the beginning, I had great difficulty keeping the kids’ attention and keeping

them on track. Conversations would veer off, and I wouldn’t be able to pull the kids back in.

Since then, I have learned to watch for signs of disruption and have gotten better at keeping the

students on topic, along with pulling them back into the lesson quicker and easier. The students

learned quite a lot from me. At first, it took me a while to get through material, but after practice

and adjustment to the routine I streamlined my timing and made lessons much smoother. In the

end I believe that I have become a very effective instructor.

All in all the students had a thorough understanding of what the 5Ws were. They were

able to clearly demonstrate this understanding through creating 5W poems about Haunted

Houses on their own, with no aid whatsoever. A few students did not completely grasp the

concept of the format that was supposed to be used, but did succeed in creating quality poems. I

believe the biggest factor that helped in their success was the sample poem I had hanging on the

board at all times that outlined each of the elements of the poem, step by step. This guided the

students as they worked on every poem, especially the last poem, where they were on their own.

It also helped that I reviewed the steps every time we approached doing another 5W poem. Also,

as I walked around the room and check on students while they worked I was able to clarify

problems that the students were having and help them to come up with ideas of what to write.

With each of these methods the students were sure to comprehend how to create the 5W poem.

One of the most successful elements of my instruction plan was allowing students to

write a rough draft first. This way they could work out all of their problems before moving on to

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the final draft. Then their final draft was more likely to be done correctly and neatly. Another

successful element of my lesson plan was reading poems to the students that were related to the

topic they were going to write about. This way they could go back to what was in those poems

and use them to help to come up with ideas of what they could use in their own poems.

One of the least successful elements of my instruction was when I had the students do the

final poem without a rough draft. Many of them messed up and asked for a new sheet. I am still

unsure if it was a good idea to take away the aid of the rough draft sheet, but I had to find out

how well they could do with no help at all. Also, I did not expect some of the students’ poems to

end up longer than what was expected. A few students had created amazing poems that went

along with the format, but were very detailed and in the end, much longer than the space

provided. I had to find a different lined sheet for these students to rewrite their poems on.

If I were to teach this lesson again I would definitely do a few things different. For one I

would have a few different templates available for each poem so that students who wanted to

write more could and those who wanted to write less didn’t feel pressured to write more. Also, I

would include the option of a rough draft sheet for every poem, even the last poem. It was unfair

to take that away from the students, especially when they did such a good job when using the

sheet and had such difficulties without it. Another thing that I would modify in my lessons is the

number of 5W poems. Four poems were too many of the same type of poem. Next time around I

would do three poems at the most and then move on to a different type of poem.

It is always interesting to see how students learn. Doing or saying something in a slightly

different way can make a huge difference to a child. We often forget that their base knowledge is

so much more limited than ours. We have to remember to take things down to their level or

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deeply describe what it is that we are asking for. It is possible for every child to succeed; we as

teacher just have to find the right way to reach each student. Sometimes it takes more for some

than others to catch on, but at some point, with the correct help, they will get it. When that

student finally understands what is expected of them and how to do it, that is when you know

that you have taught something in all the right ways.

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dunnreeves11.weebly.com€¦ · Web viewAs of 2013 Grand Blanc had a population of 8,276 citizens. Ninety-four percent of the population spoke English, one percent spoke Spanish,

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