Lacey Lipan EPS 513 Profs.Knauth& Salmon December 13, 2012

Planning and Assessment Commentary

In this paper I will demonstrate my ability to organize curriculum, instruction, and assessment to help my diverse students meet content standards and develop related academic language. I will provide evidence of my ability to select, adapt, and design learning tasks and materials that offer my students equitable access to literacy curriculum content and associated academic language. I will describe how I used information about my students and the content I was teaching to plan for a learning segment, and how I was able to use what I already know about my students as learners and what they can do in relation to the content I will teach to plan accordingly. In this, I considered my students’ prior learning and experiences, including their academic content knowledge, language development, social/emotional development, family/cultural assets, interests and lived experiences, and identified learning needs. 1.Content Focus and Standards

Literacy is the content of this learning segment, with a central focus on the skill of sequence. For this, I will teach the definition of sequence, the clue words that tell the order of events in a story, how to put events in order, and how to find the next event in a story sequence. This comes directly from the Reading Street curriculum as well as the Descartes standards [Literature and Informational 176 finds the next event in a story sequence (stated; event given; six to ten sentences)]. 2. Knowledge of Students to Inform Teaching

Knowing about my students’ prior learning and experiences with respect to the central focus of this learning segment is crucial in teaching in a way that is effective. I must take into account what they already know and can do and what they are learning to do. Various assessments, data, and experiences have helped me gain this knowledge about my students to inform my teaching.

a)Academic development In relation to academic development, I know that my class possesses a huge range of ability. The majority of the students are not on grade level, specifically when it comes to this content of reading. There are a few students who do not know the letter names or sounds, but there are also a few students who can easily read and comprehend small chapter books. I know that even my non-readers understand sequence on some level though, because it is a real-life skill that they have experienced since birth.Knowing there is such a wide range of prior knowledge in the class, it is my job to scaffold the knowledge and skill of sequence so that all students can attain success in this content.

To introduce the concept, I would like to have the students watch me while I do quick things around the classroom (i.e. take a drink of water, write on the board, look at a book). I will then ask them what they saw me do first, next, and last. This would be a

good anticipatory set to gain their attention, and it introduces the idea of sequence in a tangible way. This is already drawing on some prior knowledge and shows the students that they already know this skill and can therefore transfer this knowledge to the more abstract linguistic context of reading.This will allow all students, no matter their academic development, to be successful right off the bat in determining what was done first, next, and last just by watching. Because the skill of sequence is something that relates directly to real life activities, I will also pull from every day examples to make the idea of sequence more concrete for all students. Examples to use can include the morning routine, making a sandwich, washing your hands, and getting ready for school or bed. Drawing upon this knowledge of sequencing they use all the time to learn the academic language of school and enter more confidently into the abstract world of reading can be a more empowering way of thinking about this concept with my students. To challenge the students who are of higher ability, I can have them think about what would happen next in the order of events of the examples I give. From these concrete examples, I can build on the concept and carry it over into books and stories. b) Academic Languagedevelopment The term sequence must be directly taught, because most of my students have not necessarily heard the word before, and it is not in their vocabulary. They know the concept already on an experiential level, but need to tie it to school talk. When teaching a definition of a word, I like to have them “be my echo” and repeat the word and definition multiple times. I will teach that the sequence of a story is the order in which things happen. All students are familiar with the terms first, next, and last and should easily be able to grasp that those are the clue words that tell about the order of events and what that means in relation to sequence. They will get practice in looking for those clue words in stories. I will also create an anchor chart as a visual of the written language with the definition of sequence and the clue words of the order of events so that the students can refer to it throughout the lessons and see what it looks like in print. This will increase their vocabulary and academic language development, and I know that all of my students have the ability to understand this term of sequence and can produce the associated oral language. c) Family/community/cultural assets I know that my community and background growing up is very different than my students’. In the book, How to Teach Students Who Don’t Look Like You, Davis discusses how we view the world differently based on our own cultural lens. That cultural lens as well as the school culture determines, in part, the academic achievement of our students. I want to raise this achievement so I must address these things and make sure I am keeping high expectations for all of my students and help students to recognize their competence and how it applies to the demands of school.

Because the concept of sequence relates directly to real-life, it is easy to apply it to my students’ relevant lived experiences and help them see that they already know the meaning of this term on an experiential level – which is the most robust kind of knowing. Like previously mentioned, I will use examples from daily activities to teach this concept of order of events. When content can relate directly to the students’ lives, it is not so abstract and therefore easier to comprehend. I also know that these students

are 100% African American and come from a background of low socio-economic status. They do not possess a lot of material things, but they have a great love of family and community. I have to make sure that I am culturally sensitive in my presentation of content and not assume that they have intrinsically learned middle class norms. Because of the emphasis on community within their cultural expectations, I would like to incorporate group work in these lessons on sequence. After modeling the task, I’ll have students work in their table groups to complete a sequence graphic organizer or to use pictures or sentences to put in correct order of events. I could alter that and instead put them in groups based on their academic ability, giving the higher groups the graphic organizer, the middle groups the sentences, and the lower groups the pictures. Also incorporating student interests in the lessons can increase engagement and attention. I can choose texts that include topics I know the students like, such as animals and sports, and provide a time for hands-on activities and learning games to reinforce the content and skill in a fun way the students will enjoy. d) Social and emotional development My students sometimes have a hard time getting along. They have not necessarily learned coping skills or how to use their words to solve conflict constructively. In order to increase their social and emotional development, I need to provide them with opportunities to engage in collaborative learning and work together to solve problems as a team. This can be done, specifically with this content, by giving each table group an event and having the class work together as a whole to put the groups in order of sequence of their events. This could also be done in smaller groups, where each student in the table group has an event (a picture for the lower ability, a sentence for the higher ability) and they work with their group to put themselves in order. Each group can then present their sequence by showing/reading their events in correct order. I also like to give a lot of opportunities to turn and talk with their neighbor to come up with a quick answer or to do a think pair share for higher level questions. These things get the students conversing and working together positively toward a common goal. e) Learning strategies I have learned that when teaching, my “I Do” must be quick because my students cannot just sit and listen for much amount of time. I have also learned that giving students hands-on work and things for them to write on or fill out or do during the “We Do” is important to keep them on task and following along. Just having students raise their hands to provide answers or just having students turn and talk during this time is not enough to keep all students involved and accountable for their learning. It also does not give me an accurate check for understanding for each student. A learning strategy that has been effective for my students is a strategy where they can be following along tangibly. Providing students with graphic organizers or templates of the skill I am teaching has proven to keep them more focused and on track and therefore aids in their learning. Specifically for this content of sequence, I will provide graphic organizers to record what happens first, next, and last as we listen to our story of the week, as we read our read-aloud, and as we read our non-fiction text. I will also give each student a sequence graphic organizer to use during independent reading on the book of their

choice. This keeps the students focused and gives them ample practice on this skill of sequence. 3. Supporting Student Learning

An effective educator designs lessons that are developmentally appropriate and that support students’ learning based on their prior knowledge and connections. If teachers know where each of their students’ level of academic, academic language, and social and emotional development is, as well as their cultural background and preferred learning strategies, she will be able to support their learning in a more robust way. a) I made choices in my planning of teaching this literacy content based on my understandings of my students’ prior learning, experiences, and development. This knowledge guided my plans in developing my students’ abilities to successfully meet lesson segment outcomes. As has been mentioned previously, I will first teach the concept of sequence by having the students watch me do three quick tasks around the room. I will then ask what I did first, next, and last. This will gain attention, and I will specifically call on the students that I know are of lower development so they can start off being successful just by watching me. I will directly teach the definition of sequence using an anchor chart and a large visual of a sequence of events (an egg, an egg cracking, a chick coming out of the egg). These will give the students a straightforward definition and provide pictures so they can visualize the skill. Also as mentioned before, I will use examples of sequence that they can relate to. These can include our morning routine, washing hands, brushing teeth, or other scenarios that the students have prior experience with. Using examples based off of my students’ prior learning and experiences to teach this content and skill will be beneficial in helping them develop their abilities and make it easier to transfer their knowledge to finding sequence in stories and books. b)My plans for instruction are sequenced in the learning segment to build connections between my students’ prior learning and experience and new content skills and strategies. Again as has been previously discussed, I will start off by just having them watch me and say what I did first, next, and last. This will gain attention and introduce the concept of sequence with something concrete. I will use the anchor chart and visuals to explain how they just told me the sequence of what I did, and will define sequence and the clue words that show order of events. I will then use examples from their daily lives to discuss sequence by discussing the order in which they do things in real-life. We will draw pictures or write sentences of these examples in our journals so we can always refer back. After building the connection between the concept of sequence and real-life activities, we will start moving the skill to pictures and sentences. We will work in groups to put pictures and sentences in the correct order of events. After mastering this, we will move to picking out the sequence in books and stories. We will do this by reading together and filling out a graphic organizer of what happened first, next, and last in the story. They will also gain more practice in determining sequence of events during independent reading time with their own book. We will also begin figuring out what happens next in a sequence of events. This extends the skill to noticing the

order of events and determining an event that would come next. These plans start with connections to real-life events then builds the strategy and skill into books and stories. c)Throughout the learning segment, I will help students make connections between skills and strategies in ways that support their abilities to deepen their content learning. I will do this by making sure they understand the importance of determining the sequence of events in reference to real-life situations. We will see that it does not make sense to do things out of order. We will make connections between stories and our own lives to see how doing things in order is necessary. These connections between the skill and real-life will be beneficial in deepening our understanding of the content. d)Generally in all new content there can be some common misconceptions or developmental approximations and misunderstandings thatneed to be addressed. Specifically with the skill of sequence, the students might get the events out of order. Especially when deciding on order of events from a story, they might try to do it from memory without looking back in the text and therefore confuse the sequence. In these cases, I will reteach the clue words of first, next, and last so the students will remember that these words give the correct order of events. I can also reinforce the skill of looking back in the text to get information and sequence the events accurately. I could also prompt them to consider what makes sense to them in terms of order and have them use their world knowledge about a typical order of events, so even if they don’t understand all the vocabulary or syntax in reading a story, they can still use their world knowledge to figure out the sequence that makes sense. e)Because there is a wide range of ability in my class, I need to plan instructional strategies that support students with specific learning needs. The content and skill of sequence is the same, but the way in which the students work individually can be altered. Those students that I know are gifted can write their own stories incorporating sequence of events and the clue words. Some might need a topic to get started, but some will be able to begin writing on their own and be successful. The students who I know are lower developmentally will be provided with pictures to put in order of events to practice the skill of sequence independently. These students also need to know how to transfer this skill to stories, so I will work with them in a small group to provide more scaffolding and support in reading the story. Because these students also cannot really write, I will allow it to be more of a discussion of what came first, next, and last. I will also challenge these students by asking them what they think might happen next before reading it. 4.Supporting Student Understanding and Use of Academic Language

An effective teacher also knows how to design plans that support students’ academic language development. It is necessary for the students to expand their vocabulary to grow as readers and writers. a)With this concept of sequence, the key academic language demandthat is integral to the central focus for the segment is understanding the definition and the clue words. This is appropriate for students’ academic language development. While planning, I

considered language functionsand language forms, essential vocabulary, and phrases for the concepts and skills being taught. The instructional language necessary for students to understand and produce oral and/or written language within the learning tasks and activities must be clear and concise. Using an anchor chart to post the definition of sequence as “the order of events in a story” and by including the clue words good readers notice while reading such as “first, next, last” will aid in the accumulation of the vocabulary for this skill. Providing pictures that demonstrate this concept will also help students gain a visual for the vocabulary and will especially aid the students of lower ability who may not be able to read the anchor chart. Having the students “be my echo” will reinforce the word “sequence” and its definition as well as the clue words. The students will repeat it during each lesson so it will eventually be memorized. b)Providing instructional supports will assist students in understandingthe academic language related to the key language demand and will express and develop their content learning. These planned supports may vary for students at different levels of academic language development. As previously mentioned, the anchor chart with visuals will be a big instructional support for all students. Also I will give the students who I know may need extra support some one-on-one time to reinforce the concept and skill of sequence individually. 5. Monitoring Student Learning As always, it is vital to monitor student learning by using both informal and formal assessments to determine progress and/or gaps in learning. a)The informal and formal assessments used will provide evidence that I will use to monitor student progress toward the standards and objectives of this lesson segment. These assessments need to provide evidence of students’ use of content specific skills and strategies to promote rigorous learning. I will use a lot of formative assessment to monitor learning while the lessons are developing. I will check for understanding by having students answer questions about the order of events by raising their hands, turning to talk, and choral responding. I will also have assessments including graphic organizers and group activities of putting events in order to check for students’ understanding of sequence. There will be summative assessments as well including exit tickets and worksheets that have the students working independently so I can gauge each student’s progress. b)There will not be a lot of modifications or accommodations to the planned assessment tools or procedures for students with specific needs. I would like for all students to try their best on the worksheets and exit tickets, and having all students do the same can give me insight as well. When asking questions whole class, I will scaffold the questions so that the lower students can be successful. I may also pull the lower students into a small group to assess them separately with more guidance.

Pre-K – 12 Student Observation Learning Tool Observing Student Learning

Record data on at least two 30 minute observation sessions

Distribute observation time between whole group; small group; and individuals Observation Focus: Pace of student learning

Question: What variation in pace of learning do you see during a lesson? Who stands out? What is the evidence?

1st a quick description of what sequence means Then a read aloud, looking for sequence of events in story Then on own to do a worksheet on sequence -Variation in pace of learning: some students already knew all the answers; some students needed more scaffolding (1st came this, then this, then what?), some students were not grasping the concept and could not relate it to stories; some students were bored because they already could do it on their own, some students are so behind that they weren’t even trying, some students were not listening then when given the worksheet they didn’t know what to do -needed more checking for understanding for all students, most students could have used more practice and scaffolding

Planning Commentary: Knowledge of students to inform teaching – academic development; learning strategies

Observation Focus: Student expectations for success

Question: What evidence do you see of your students’ expectations for their own success? Who stands out?

-Focus on 4 students at purple table- During “I Do” part of lesson they were not engaged – looking around room, messing in desk During “We Do” and “You Do” parts of lesson they were done first and given extra work to complete It became clear that these students are bright and not necessarily being challenged. During the lesson they did not pay attention yet they could easily complete the worksheet on their own, which makes me think that they have high expectations for their own success because they already know they can complete the tasks. -Focus on whole group- I noticed the effects of positive reinforcement that encouraged students to have high expectations for themselves and their behavior

Planning Commentary: Knowledge of your students – Social-emotional learning

Name: Lacey Shared Reading/Skill 10/31/12

What is the Teacher Doing? What are the Students Doing?

Unpacked Benchmark, CDAS, CRS, or IL State Standards. 176 finds the next event in a story sequence (stated; event given; six to ten sentences)

Do Now (3-5 minutes): What does sequence mean?

S at 0 thinking in head what sequence means

Objective(s) SWBAT: define sequence and point out clue words

State Lesson Objective & Lesson Agenda Today we are reviewing what the sequence of a story means and reading our story looking for the sequence clue words

Vocabulary words/Key Concepts: sequence first next then last

“I Do” Input (1-2 Key teaching points): Remember that sequence of a story is the order in which things happen. As you read, ask yourself what happens first, next, and last. Notice those clue words such as first, next, then, last that tell about the order of events. Reference the anchor chart and the egg visual. Check for Understanding: Turn and tell your neighbor what is the sequence of a story? Pull sticks. Turn and tell your neighbor what are some clue words that tell about the order of events? Pull sticks.

S at 0 with eyes on anchor chart and egg visual thinking about sequence

Modifications/ Accommodations N/A

“We Do” Guided Practice: Today we are reading our new story and we are going to listen for those clue words that tell us the order of events in the story. Check for Understanding: Raise a silent hand if you know one of the clue words that helps us know the sequence of a story. List in huge print on whiteboard. Have the students make some silent sign (thumbs up or one finger up) when they hear one of the words Point to words on page 220. Read them and have students repeat. Point to the word with the /wh/ digraph. Point to genre on page 221. The genre is folk tale. Read the small paragraph. This is a new genre we haven’t talked about before. Add it to the anchor chart. Check for Understanding: What is a folk tale? Read story while students track print. Let them chant the capital words. Ask comprehension questions (from selection test) throughout. Turn and talk: How can you tell whether the story is realistic or fantasy? (animals don’t talk) Why didn’t Beaver want to share the pond with Turtle after the race? (he was embarrassed)

S at 0 raising hand to answer questions

S repeating words

S at 0 tracking print

S turning to talk

Materials & Technology: “You Do” Independent Practice: PB pages 75 and 76

S at 0 working in PB

Exit Ticket (aligned to lesson objective) or assessment: Put the events from the story in order. Beaver challenges Turtle to a race Turtle won the race

S at 0 working on exit ticket by putting events in order

Beaver shared a pond with another turtle

Closing/Preview for next lesson: Today we read our story and listened to the things that happened first, next, and last.

Name: Lacey Shared Reading/Skill 11/1/12

What is the Teacher Doing? What are the

Students Doing?

Unpacked Benchmark, CDAS, CRS, or IL State Standards. 176 finds the next event in a story sequence (stated; event given; six to ten sentences)

Do Now (3-5 minutes): What are the clue words that tell the order of events in a story?

S are thinking in their head of the clue words that show sequence

Objective(s) SWBAT: determine sequence of events in story

State Lesson Objective & Lesson Agenda Today we are reviewing sequence by filling out a graphic organizer after listening to our story

Vocabulary words/Key Concepts: sequence first next last

“I Do” Input (1-2 Key teaching points): Review the definition of sequence and the clue words that show the order of events. Refer to anchor chart. Check for Understanding: Be my echo. Sequence: order in which things happen. Clue words: first, next, last

S at 0 with eyes on anchor chart S echoing

Modifications/ Accommodations N/A

“We Do” Guided Practice: Listen to story on CD. Fill out a sequence graphic organizer saying what happened first, next, and last in the story. Do on elmo while students do at desks. Use the 'retelling' strip at the bottom of the Think and Share page to guide students. Decide which middle parts are most important.

S tracking print while listening to story S filling out graphic organizer

Materials & Technology: CD

“You Do” Independent Practice: If time, PB pages before 79

S at 0 working in PB

Exit Ticket (aligned to lesson objective) or assessment: What is the order of events called? setting sequence character genre In graphic organizer have: First, I get out bread, peanut butter, and jelly. Next, I spread the peanut butter and jelly on the bread and close it. Last, I ________________________________________________

S at 0 working privately on exit ticket

Closing/Preview for next lesson: Today we reviewed sequence and used a graphic organizer after listening to our story.

In the second part of this paper, I will demonstrate my ability to assess student learning, analyze student strengths and needs, and use my analysis of student performance to inform instruction. I will provide evidence of mycapability to develop evaluation criteria that is aligned with my central focus, standards, and learning objectives; analyze student performance on assessments in relation to the identified learning objectives; provide feedback to students; and use the analysis of student performance to identify next steps in instruction. I was able to think about the ways in which I was monitoring, examining, and evaluating evidence of student learning throughout the learning segment. In using assessment evidence to plan next steps for my teaching, I considered common learning across most of the class as well as common strengths or needs among several students.

A. Analyzing Student Learning 1.After analyzing the assessments from my lessons on sequencing, I saw that the class was split neatly into two groups: mastery and non-mastery. The majority of the class mastered this skill of sequencing as seen from the workbook pages, do now, graphic organizer, and exit tickets. Eight students, though, got most if not all of the questions incorrect from the work I looked at. This chart shows the 6 pieces of work I used as assessments to determine students’ mastery of the skill taught. The blue bar shows how many students got all questions correct on each assessment. The red bar shows how many students did not get a passing grade on each piece of work. As you can see, out of 28 students, generally about 20 students got all answers correct on each assessment. The same eight students consistently had trouble.

2. It seems that since students had prior knowledge and experience with the skill of sequence in their daily lives, most were able to apply it to literacy. They understood that good readers look for clue words that tell the order of events in a story. My eight students that had difficulties in this are students that have difficulties across the board. They are very behind academically, with one being in special education and three

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others currently in the RTI process. These developmental delays and gaps in their knowledge contributed negatively to their ability to successfully apply the skill of sequence to literacy. More one-on-one attention and targeted work for their level would be beneficial in getting them closer to success. It seems that the other students, though, are ready for a greater challenge and push into a more higher order thinking related to this skill. 3.I did not see any common patterns or misconceptions across the class, because they either got it or they did not. After analyzing the assessments and classwork, the majority of the class understood and applied the skill while our lowest students were not able to successfully. This is a common pattern for these students, though, because they are so far behind that almost all of the work we do is too difficult. I specifically chose three students to analyze their work samples. I chose a student I knew was high, one I knew was average, and one that was low performing. Based on these work samples, the skill of sequence was mastered by all students except for those with academic delays. 4.Learning progression and individual strengths and weaknesses were hard to analyze since the majority of students got all things correct while the other eight students got almost all things incorrect. Starting with practice workbook pages, to the first exit ticket, to the next day’s do now, to the graphic organizer, to the last exit ticket, the majority of students were able to progress in their application of the skill of sequence. They started with pictures as aids, they learned to look for clue words like first, next, then, and last, and were then able to read a story and determine the order of events. Lastly, they were able to take it a step farther by figuring out what would come next in a sequence of events, as shown on the last exit ticket. 5.The following pictures are of student work samples. Since the class was split into mastery and non-mastery, I chose to include an example of each group for each assessment.

B. Feedback to Guide Further Learning 1.I know that to be a more effective teacher, I need to work on giving more specific and timely feedback to each of my students. For these lessons and assessments specifically, I provided feedback solely by writing some small notes on the exits. I did not give feedback on their workbook pages, and I also did not give very targeted and specific feedback. With the students that got all of the questions correct, I either just put a star or pushed them further with other things, i.e. “Remember if these words are at the beginning of a sentence they need to be capitalized” or “Don’t forget punctuation!” For the students that did not get the answers correct, I could either not read their writing and put a small question mark or said “Use the clue words!” on the exit where they were putting events in order. 2.Unfortunately we have not gone back to sequence yet and there have not really been opportunities provided for students to apply the feedback to improve their work. From the first lesson to the second lesson that I taught this skill, though, students were able to build on what they learned the first day and what they received on their first exit ticket to then improve and fill in gaps the second day. It would obviously be ideal to pull the eight students that did not master this skill into a small group for a week to reteach more at their level so they get the concept then to push them more each day. Providing feedback at the end of each small group would be so beneficial so these students know where they are at and where they are going. As the teacher, providing feedback makes me analyze the assessments more closely and with specificity. This can therefore improve my practice as well. C. Using Assessment to Inform Instruction 1. Based on my analysis of student performance on the assessments, it seems as though the majority of the class is ready to be challenged in this area of sequence. They understand the basics of looking for clue words to determine order of events, can put given pictures and events in order, and can determine what comes next in a sequence. I

think having them work more with sequencing independently would be beneficial. Providing a graphic organizer for them to use during independent reading so they can practice finding the sequence of events in their own books would give them more practice on their own. I can also push it to the next level by relating it to reading comprehension and how good readers can monitor and fix up their reading by understanding sequence of events. I could even tie this skill in to social studies by using a timeline to put real historical events in order. This would increase my students’ ability to transfer knowledge to different subject areas. As previously stated, for my eight students that did not show mastery, I could pull them out for small group sessions. I would start at the basics and reteach what the rest of the class was able to be successful with. By having more targeted attention and scaffolding, I think these students could be a little more successful. 2.Since my two focus students represented the two groups of the class (mastery and non-mastery), I would not do anything specific with them alone. I would include the student of mastery with the next steps stated above, and I would include the student showing non-mastery with the small group. 3.These next steps follow from my analysis of the student performances. Because I was able to see that the class fell into two groups, I can plan for how to push the one group to the next level and also plan how I can reteach and get the lower students to be successful.