Assessment Plan 3

I will be able to understand if students can identify and create an acrostic based on their final product. Students will be able to brainstorm describing words together; even though it is an individualized finished product, students can help each other find kind descriptive words and help each other with the Pixie program. I think it is always best to be able to walk around to assess how students are doing so that instruction can be modified during the lesson and to help students, or ask another student to help, as needed.

Instruction Design 3

My lesson is designed to begin with the description of what an acrostic poem is. We would then move on to examples of acrostic poems and I would demonstrate my own personal acrostic poem to the students. I varied instruction so that students who have difficulty brainstorming, writing, or using dictionary skills would only be required to make an acrostic using their first name; students who move through assignments quickly could also make an acrostic using their middle name in addition to first and last name. Students need to use their higher order thinking skills during this lesson because they need to think of kind descriptive words that fit who they are. This assignment also allows for as much creativity as the students would like to put into their project.
Students are using technology to complete the final product, they can use an online dictionary, or search for character traits that begin with the letters in their names.

Instruction Plan 3

My goals and outcomes are stated in a way that teachers and students can understand. My objective is, "Students will be able to identify and write an acrostic poem by creating on using the letters of their own first and last name." This aligns with Arizona reading and writing standards at the fourth grade level.

Prior Knowldege 3

To assess prior knowledge, I would have them write some words to describe themselves. I would also ask the students if they have heard of an acrostic poem and what type of poetry they have heard of. This is a lesson that would be done towards the end of the school year so I should have a good understanding of students' abilities.
From assessing students prior knowledge, I would have an understanding of students vocabulary and I would have an idea on how in depth I would need to go in my lesson. If I needed to go more in depth with a few skills, I would need to make this a two day lesson or rearrange the day's schedule.

Assessment of Learning Lesson 2

Each student could perform the task by the end of the lesson. One student was having difficulty so we talked our way through an example; then to make the experience a more successful one, I differentiated her lesson to incorporate on equivalent fraction instead of two. Another student caught on very quickly so we changed the lesson to make fractions using circles. This may not have been more difficult for him but it changed the lesson slightly. One of my peers stated that through my instruction, students were able to have fun with the website; I think it is always beneficial to make learning fun. A comment was made about how this activity would be appropriate for students who had some experience with equivalent fractions, not as a lesson that helps teach a new concept. I wonder if I had spent more time on instruction about the fractions, if her opinion would still be the same. I unintentionally rushed through academic instruction; I’m not sure I would have done the same with actual fourth grade students.

Teaching Lesson 2

I did not spend as much time as I should have on instruction at the beginning of the lesson. Through the teaching process, I realized what worked well with the website and what might have caused problems with a large class of fourth grade students. Each student had his/her lesson modified during the lesson; one student had her lesson modified to make it a less frustrating and a less difficult experience. I encouraged the other two students to decide if they liked making equivalent fractions with squares or circles better and evaluate which they thought was more difficult. The students were reassured that the lesson would not count as a grade in the grade book even though I wanted to see the score that the students received at the end of the lesson.

Plan for Assessment Lesson 2

The technology keeps a running record of how well the student is doing on the task. The students are to show the teacher the score so that it can be written down but not used as a grade. This will allow the teacher to look at the scores after the lesson and see which students had difficulties and it will show students if they need to practice the skill. For guided instruction and assessment purposes, I will go to each student to check on his/her progress. Making my way around the room also gives me the opportunity to help differentiate instruction during the lesson.

Teaching Design for Lesson 2

My lesson is organized to begin with reviewing the vocabulary needed to build on students prior knowledge and ending with an informal assessment for the students and I to see what knowledge was gained during the lesson. The technology used in the lesson allows for differentiated instruction. Students will apply multiplication skills to think about what numbers can be used to create a fraction that equals the given fraction. The technology allows students to visually see how a shape can be divided or manipulated to create the amount needed for the denominator and shade the correct amount for the numerator.

Plans for Lesson 2

I stated what the students would be able to do and how they would demonstrate this knowledge in terms that other teachers and my principal can understand. I did not put the objective in student friendly terms. "Students will be able to convey an understanding of fractions by creating visual representations of two unique fractions that are equivalent to a given fraction." The objectives align with the Arizona Department of Education fourth grade math standards.

Prior Knowledge Lesson 2

For this lesson, I would have assessed students prior experience with equivalent fractions with lessons of fractions without modifications. Previous lessons on simple fractions and multiplication should give me a good idea about which students will be able to create equivalent fractions with or without difficulty. The technology allows students to create equivalent fractions using squares or circles and students can either create one equivalent fraction or two. My knowledge about my students abilities would help me determine who I would encourage to use which shape and how many fractions I would have them do.

Assessment of Learning

One of my peers had commented about confusion of fossil fuels during instruction but had stated they had an understanding of the topic after the lesson; I feel that this shows the lesson was successful in teaching students new information. My classmates seem stated that I was prepared for the lesson, the lesson was age appropriate, got students involved in the learning process, and all three mentioned the fact that I went around to each student to help and guide the students learning. I also did this as a way to encourage critical thinking skills and to assess the students' understanding of the content.

Teaching Decisions

From my lesson, I learned that I tried to do too much during my lesson period. I was not able to teach my objectives as well as I had liked even though students still gained and applied knowledge from the process. Instead of being able to deeply teach my objectives, it seemed to me as if we just touched on them. My reviews from my peers were not negative but I would have liked to have accomplished more in my lesson. I modified a student's lesson by asking one student to research a resource I chose for her instead of her choosing a resource for herself. I feel that asking a student to "help" me by researching a topic is better than telling him/her that the resource he/she chose is too difficult or easier than his/her skill level. Also, by using formative assessment, I was able to guide students through the learning process.

Plan for Assessment

I will use a formative assessment. As the students are conducting research, I will walk around with a list of the students’ names. I will talk to each student about the research/project he/she is doing to evaluate if the student has an understanding of the topic and the skill(s) being acquired. I will ask each student questions such as "Why", which will cause them to use critical thinking skills. By using formative assessment, I can ensure that individual needs are being met.

Design of Instruction

My lesson is designed so that someone such as a principal or teacher can see what to do to start the lesson, how the lesson should proceed, and how to assess or conclude the lesson. I differentiated instruction to meet the needs of a variety of students. For at-risk students, they can work with a partner or teachers can provide specific websites for research instead of the student finding his/her own. Gifted and talented students could try to figure out if there is an alternative for the resource they are investigating. Students are researching information while using technology; I feel this aligns with research based understanding of technology integration.

Lesson Plan

My lesson plan describes what students will be able to do by the end of the lesson in terms that are easy to understand. I forgot to include how students would demonstrate their new knowledge. My lesson is age appropriate because it does not challenge them beyond what they can handle. The lesson incorporates the skills students already have with critical thinking skills that will be guided throughout the lesson. My lesson applies standards which were pulled directly from the Arizona Department of Education website for fourth grade students.

Assessment Before Lesson

To teach this lesson with 4th grade class, we would have not done this lesson in 20 minutes. In class, I would have assigned a quick write about natural resources a week or two prior to the lesson. This information would let me know how much time I need to plan for the inquiry and instruction process.