IdentifyContextualFactors
SchoolandCommunityDescription:
BillingsisthelargestcityintheStateofMontanaandiscurrentlyhometoalittle
over157,000peopleasof2015.Thecityishometotwenty-twopublicelementaryschools,
oneofwhich,BoulderElementary,islocatedinthewestcohortofschooldistricttwo.This
urbanschoolislocatedat220232ndStreetWestinBillings,Montana.Therearecurrentlya
littleover450students,with28teachersatBouldermakingateacherstudentratioof16:1.
Ofthe450students,235aremalemakingup52%ofstudentpopulationandtheother48%
arefemale,makingupabout217.Ofthetwenty-eightclassroomteachers,specialistsand
supportstaffpersonnel,thisschoolservicesgradesKindergartenthroughsixthgrade.
Asschooldistricttwowillundergoboundarychangesintheupcomingschoolyear,
BoulderisnotandwillnotbeclassifiedasTitle1.Currently,about15%ofthestudents
qualifyforFreelunchand5%qualifyforreducedlunchprices.Asawhole,34%ofschool
districttwo’sstudentsqualifyforfreelunchsoBoulderisonthelowerendofthat
spectrum.Thediversityscore,whichisthechancethattwostudentschosenatrandom
wouldbemembersofadifferentethnicgroup,isa.23atBoulderElementary.Students
cometogethertostarttheschooldayat8:15am.Firstthroughthirdgradestudentsare
dismissedat2:20whilefourththroughsixthgraderemaininclassuntil3:00.
ClassDescription:
Mrs.KerraOlsonisafirstgradeteacheratBoulderElementarySchoolandIhave
hadthepleasureofstudentteachinginherclassroomwithhertwenty-threestudents.
Kerrawroteagrantforherclassroomtohaveflexibleseatingsothereare5different
tables,allatdifferentheights,withdifferent‘tools’thatthestudentssiton.Theseatsrange
frompeanutballs,towobblestoolsandevenfloorseatcushions.Inthebackcornerofthe
classroom,Mrs.Olsonhasakidneytablethatisusedforsmallgroupreadingandmath
activities.ShealsohasasmalltableforherMimeo,computerandotherinstructional
materialslocatedinthemiddleendoftheclassroom.Kerra’sfirstgradeclassisalso1:1
withiPadsandshealsohas4GoogleChromeBooksalongthebackwindow.Behinda
dividingwall,lies22cubbiesforthestudentstokeeptheirbackpacksandcoats,aswellas
deskmaterialsandbookboxes.Mrs.Olson’sclassroomisoneofthesmallestinthebuilding
howeverduetothespaceflexibleseatinghassavedanditsDr.Suesstheme,theroomis
homeyandbrightprovidinganideallearningenvironmentsuitableformaximumlearning
totakeplace.
StudentDescription:
Ofthe23students,elevenarefemaleandtwelvearemales;allrangingfromagesix
toseven.Abouthalfofthestudentshavelatespringtosummerbirthdayssotheyare
consideredyoungsecondgraders.OneofthestudentsisNativeAmericanandanother
studentisfromtheChinesedecentandcomesfromabilingualhome.Theother21are
WhiteorCaucasianandallhavevaryingneeds.Oneofthestudentshasaseverespeech
impediment,severeADDandveryseverelearningdelays.Heispulledfor20minutesaday
forlearningsupport,and15minutesadayforspeech.AnotherstudentisontheAsperger
spectrumwithaminorspeechdelayaswell.Thisstudentgetspulledfor30minutesof
readingsupportandgoestoSTandOTonceaweekoutsideofschool.Threeotherstudents
arepulledforreadingsupportthroughoutthedaywithtwodifferentreadingintervention
specialists.Oneotherstudentseesthecounseloronceaweekforemotionalsupportand
alsosupportinhowtohandlesocialsituationsashestrugglesbeingakindfriend.
Accommodationsimplementedintotheclassroomincludethevarietyofseating
options.Eachmonth,thestudentswritetoMrs.Olsonandmyselftopetitionaseatwhere
theylearnbestaswellaspeopletheyareleastdistractedby.Somestudentschooseto
standinsteadofsitsotheyhavealittlemorefreedomtowigglearoundwhenneeded.We
alsohave2-3studentssitonacushionwhileatcarpettohelpwiththewigglestheyhave
andtemptationtomovearound.Eachstudentisgroupedinareadinggroupthatbestfits
theirimmediateneedswithdifferinglevelofinstruction.Abouthalfofthestudentsare
eitheratorbelowbenchmark,whiletheotherhalfisaboveafirstgradelevel.Thereare
about4studentswhoexcelandrequiremorechallengingworkthatcanbefoundingifted
andtalentedprograms.
Instructionhasbeenmodifiedtogivebothaudioandvisualdirectionsbecausea
majorityofthestudents’learningmodalitiesrequireeitheroneofthetwooracombination
ofbothforcompletesuccess.Directionsandstepsarewrittenontheboardforstudentsas
avisualinstructionplan.Mrs.OlsonandIfocusonsharingideasvocallytoencourage
activeinvolvementbyallofthestudents.Thestudents’confidence,problemsolvingskills,
andlevelsofindependencehasincreasedthroughoutthepastfewweeksofschool.The
firstfewweeks,therewasmuchdependenceontheteacherandlittlefreedomand
differentiation.Wehaveworkedwiththestudentstohelpgainmoreandmoredependence
withappropriate,assomestudentsneedmoreguidanceandsupportthanothers.
ClassbehaviorandmanagementarealsoimportantaspectsofMrs.Olson’sclass.We
havesetabasisofexpectationsrelationtoWholeBrainTeachingandhavealsointegrating
aprogramcalledPaxthatencouragesanequalamountofrespectgivenbythestudentsand
teachersequally.Wealldreamedtogetherofwhatthebestclassroomlookslike,each
studentcomingupwithuniqueideas.Eachoftheseideashaveplayedaroleinourideal
“Pax”classroom.Everystudentisassignedajobforthemonthandtheytaketheirjobsvery
seriously.Theserangefromrecesshelpers,tomessengerandiPadgenius.Wehave
encouragedallofthestudentstoparticipateequallytomakeourclassroomthebestitcan
be.Mrs.Olson’sclasscontainsavarietyofuniqueindividualsthatallrequiretimeand
attentioninalldifferentaspectsofeducation.
Pre-Assessment:
Thestudentshavebeenexposedtoadditionwithin10inKindergartenandacouple
timethroughoutthepast6weeksoffirstgrade.Someareextremelysuccessfulandare
readytoaddlargernumberswhileothersstillstrugglewithadditionwithin10.Each
studenthasbeenassessedusingtheFastBridgeAssessmentEarlyMathandaMathandhave
beenassignedintoamathgroupwithstudentsthathavesimilarneedsasthem.Aftera
briefopportunityforquestions,thestudentsusedtheiriPadstocompleteaMimioVoteand
individuallyansweredthequestions.Thesequestionsrangedfromvocabularytermsin
additiontoactuallyaddingtwonumberswithintwenty.Thestudentswerenotgivenany
helpfromtheteachersorfromtheirpeers,althoughIdidobservesomestudentslookingat
theirneighbors,whichcouldhaveskewedtheresults.Thesequestionshelpedus
determinethatmanycanapplytheconceptsofadditionwhengivenampletime.However,
weneedtospendtimefocusingonfluencyandprovidethestudentswillmultiplestrategies
tohelpdevelopfluency.(CCSS:1.OA.A1,CCSS:1.OA.C5&CCSS:1.OA.C.6)Afterviewing
theseresults,Ihavedevelopedaseriesoflessonsandactivitiestohelpthelowbecome
proficientaswellashelptheachieversgrow.Iwantthemtodeveloptheirnumbersense
andthefoundationalskillswithinaddition,notjustmemorizethealgorithms.
Pre&PostTest
1.Whatnumbersentencehasthesameaddendsinadifferentorderas4+2=6?
a.5+1=6
b.6-0=6
c.2+4=6
d.3+3=6
2.Whatnumbersentencehasthesameaddendsinadifferentorderas2+7=9?
a.7+2=9
b.4+5=9
c.6+3=9
d.1+8=9
3.Whatnumbersentencehasthesameaddendsinadifferentorderas0+3=3?
a.2+1=3
b.4+5=9
c.6+3=9
d.0+3=3
4.Whatnumbersentencehasthesameaddendsinadifferentorderas6+2=8?
a.4+4=8
b.2+6=8
c.5+3=8
d.1+7=8
5.Whatnumbersentencehasthesameaddendsinadifferentorderas9+1=10?
a.5+5=10
b.8+2=10
c.1+9=10
d.6+4=10
6.Fivefrogsaresittingonalog.Twomorefrogssitonthelog.Howmanyfrogsaresitting
onthelognow?
a.ten(10)
b.three(3)
c.six(6)
d.seven(7)
7.3+()=6
a.3
b.2
c.9
d.5
8.Thereare7horsesinthebarn.Then1horsejoinsthem.Howmanyhorsesareinthe
barnnow?
a.6
b.8
c.7
d.4
9.()+4=10
a.8
b.14
c.6
d.40
10.Threedolphinsareswimmingintheocean.Sixmoredolphinsswimovertojointhem.
Howmanydolphinsareswimmingtogethernow?
a.thirteen(13)
b.three(3)
c.twelve(12)
d.nine(9)
Pre-AssessmentScores
Pretest Results
10
9
Questions Correct out of 10
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Student Name
Question 1: What number
sentence has the same
addends in a different
order 4+2=6?
Question 2: What number
sentence has the same
addends in a different order
as 2+7=9?
Incorrect
13%
Incorrect
30%
Correct
70%
Correct
87%
Question 3: What number
sentence has the same
addends in a different
order as 0+3=3
Incorrect
30%
Question 4: What number
sentence has the same
addends in a different order
as 6+2=8
Incorrect
26%
Correct
70%
Question 5: What number
sentence has the same
addends in a different
order as 9+1=10
Incorrect
22%
Correct
74%
Question 6: Five frongs are
sitting on a log. Two more
frongs sit on the log. How
many frogs are sitting on the
log now?
Incorrect
26%
Correct
78%
Correct
74%
Question 7: 3 + (?) = 6
Question 8: There are 7
horses in the barn. Then 1
horse joins them. How many
horses are in the barn
now?
Incorrect
9%
Incorrect
44%
Correct
56%
Correct
91%
Question 9: (?) + 4 = 10
Incorrect
13%
Correct
87%
Question 10: Three dolphins
are swimming in the ocean.
Six more dolphines swim
over to join them. How
many dophins are
swimming together?
Incorrect
35%
Correct
65%
COELessonPlan:ExtendedForm
LessonTeacher:KatelynHalter
Date:Oct/5/2016
LessonGradeLevel:FirstGrade
Timeframe:10:30to11:10
ContentArea: Math
Lesson2of5
GroupingStrategy:WholeGroup
PreparingforLessonDevelopment
1. Whatdoesyourpre-assessmentobservationindicateaboutyourstudent’sneedsandcurrent
performanceandeducationalneeds?Thestudentshavebeenexposedtoadditionwithin10in
Kindergartenandacoupletimethroughoutthepast6weeksoffirstgrade.Someareextremely
successfulandarereadytoaddlargernumberswhileothersstillstrugglewithadditionwithin
10.Afterabriefopportunityforquestions,thestudentsusedtheiriPadstocompleteaMimio
Voteandindividuallyansweredthequestions.Thesequestionsrangedfromvocabularytermsin
additiontoactuallyaddingtwonumberswithintwenty.Thestudentswerenotgivenanyhelp
fromtheteachersorfromtheirpeers,althoughIdidobservesomestudentslookingattheir
neighborswhichcouldhaveskewedtheresults.Thesequestionshelpedusdeterminethat
manycanapplytheconceptsofadditionwhengivenampletime.However,weneedtospend
timefocusingonfluencyandprovidethestudentswillmultiplestrategiestohelpdevelop
fluency.(CCSS:1.OA.A1,CCSS:1.OA.C5&CCSS:1.OA.C.6)Afterviewingtheresultsofourmimio
vote,Ihavedevelopedaseriesoflessonsandactivitiestohelpthelowbecomeproficientas
wellashelptheachieversgrow.Iwantthemtodeveloptheirnumbersenseandthe
foundationalskillswithinaddition,notjustmemorizethealgorithms.
2. Howwillyoudesignthelessontomeettheneedsofalllearnersinyourclassroom?Each
studenthasbeenpreviouslyassessedinmultipleformstodetermineeachoftheirparticlar
needswithinmath.Throughoutthislesson,thestudentswhoneedmoreofachallengewillget
acountingonworksheetwithhighernumbers.Eachstudenthasbeenstrategicallyplacedwith
ashoulderbuddyofequallingneeds.Thereareabout7or8kidsthatwillneeddirectattetnion
duetotheirscoresonthepre-assessment.Thesestudentshavebeengivenaworksheetthatis
attheirlevelgivingthemabetterchancetobesuccessful.
Thebulkofthislessonwillbewholegroupatcarpet.Thereare2studentswhohavecushionsto
sitontohelpthemwiththeirwiggles.Wehavealsopairedstudentsupstrategicallytohelp
thembesuccesfulandhavepeersupportwhenneeded.Asneeded,Iwillsay"findmewithyour
eyes"or"1,2,3eyesonme,3,2,1,yourshareisdone"or"class,class"togettheirattention.
Studentswillmakesuretheirbodiesareturnedtowardsmeandtheyaresittingcrisscrosson
theirbottomssotheirfriendsbehindthemcansee.Offtasklearnerswillbegivenaverbalque
orataponthehead."HandsandEyes"willbeusedifmultiplelearnersareofftaskortoget
theirattention.
LessonPlanDevelopment
LessonTitle:CountingonFall
CommonCoreand/orStateStandard:
CCSS.1.0A.A.1:Useadditionandsubtractionwithin20tosolveworldproblemsinvolvingsituationsofaddingto,
takingfrom,puttingtogether,takingapart,andcomparing,withunknownsinallpositions,e.g.,byusingobjects,
drawings,andequationswithasymbolfortheunknownnumbertorepresenttheproblem.
CCSS.1.OA.A.2:Solvewordproblemsthatcallforadditionofthreewholenumberswhosesumislessonthanor
equalto20,e.g.,byusingobjects,drawings,andequationswithasymbolfortheunknownnumbertorepresent
theproblem.
CCSS.1.OA.C.5-Relatecountingtoadditionandsubtraction(e.g.,bycountingon2toadd2).
CCSS.1.OA.B.3-Applypropertiesofoperationsasstrategiestoaddandsubtract.
AssessmentofLearning:Thestudentswillbe
LessonObjective:Thestudentswillbeableto
usethecountingonstrategytodeterminethe
sumofmultiplenumbersentences.
informallyassessedthroughoutwholegroupteaching.
Thestudentswillbeformallyassesseduponcompletion
oftheworksheet.Thestudentswillreceiveacheckinthe
gradebookiftheyget17ormorecorrect.
Studentswhoscorelowerthat17willbepulledduring
mathgroupsforreteaching.Studentswillusethe
countingonstrategywithanaccuracylevelof90%.
CCSS.1.OA.C.5
AssessmentofLearning:Thiswillbeinformally
LessonObjective:Thestudentswillbeableto
developstrategiestoaccuratelyansweraseries
ofstoryproblems.
assessedverballythroughoutwholegroupteachingby
turningtheequationintoaverbalstoryproblem.Students
willansweraseriesofstoryproblemswithanaccuracy
levelof90%.
CCSS.1.OA.A.2
CCSS.1.OA.B.3
AssessmentofLearning:Thestudentswillbe
LessonObjective:Thestudentswillbeableto
identifytheaddens,determinethecorrectsum,
andwillbeabletoapplythecommunitive
propertyofaddition.
informallyassessedthroughoutparticipationinwhole
groupteaching.
Thestudentswillbeformallyassesseduponcompletion
oftheworksheetbywritingthemissingaddendthat
matchesthepictureandfindingthecorrectsum.The
studentswillreceiveacheckinthegradebookbygetting
17ormorecorrect.Thestudentswillbeabletoidentify
addends,determinethecorrectsumandapplythe
communicativepropertyofadditionwitha90%accuracy.
*Thereisatotalof40pointspossibleontheworksheet.
(20forthesum&20forcorrectlywritingtheaddendson
thelinebelowthepicture)
CCSS.1.OA.B.3
CCSS.1.OA.A.1
LessonObjective:
AssessmentofLearning:
LessonObjective:
AssessmentofLearning:
LessonObjective:
AssessmentofLearning:
LessonObjective:
AssessmentofLearning:
LessonObjective:
AssessmentofLearning:
LessonObjective:
AssessmentofLearning:
LessonObjective:
AssessmentofLearning:
Basedonthelessonobjectives,selectanappropriateteachingmodelMadelineHunter IndianEducationForAll(IEFA)
No
Yes.Ifyes,pleasedescribe
LessonProcedures/Activities
AnticipatorySet
Tostartourlesson,allofthestudentswillbesittingattheir
assignedcarpetspot.Iwillwriteanequationontheboardand
askthestudentstowhispertotheirshoulderbuddywhatthe
twoaddendsare."Remember,addendisjustfancywordfor
thetwonumbersweaddtogethertomakethesum."
Callonastudenttocomeuptotheboardandpointtothe
addends.
Next,Iwillaskthestudentstowhispertotheirshoulderbuddy
whatthesumis.(Displaycountingonstrategywhenwritingthe
sumontheboard;"6+2=okaysoIstartatthebiggernumber
andcounton,7,8.Ohyeah,thesumis8).
Oncethestudentsarefinishedandhavetheirthumbsupto
showmetheyarereadyIwillsay"shakeyourheadupand
downifyoutoldyourbuddy8"
"Let'slookatsomeequationsontheboardandfindthe
addendsandthesum."
Materials
WhiteBoard
Marker
Classroom
ManagementNeeds
Aswesittogetherat
carpet,thestudents
knowtheir
expectationisto
alwaysbeeyesonme
andtoraisetheirhand
forpermissionto
speak.
8minutes
TeacherInput
Iwillusewholebrainteachingandhavethestudentsmirrormy
actions.
2-3minutes
T:"Mirror.Repeatafterme."Addendsare*repeat*2numbers
*repeat*thatcometogether*repeat*tomakeasum*repeat*
"Turnandteachyourneighborwhataddendsare."
Getattentionusing"handsandeyes"
CheckforUnderstanding
Eachstudentwillgetanindivdiualwhiteboard,markerandan
eraser.Iwillwriteaseriesofequationsontheboardsuchas
(6+2=8).Iwillthenaskthestudentstowriteontheirboards
whattheaddendsare."Whenyou'rereadyshowmeyourboard
carefullybyyourtummy".
Next,Iwantyoutowritetheequationonyourboardand
underlinetheaddends.
"Now,Iamgoingtogiveyouthetwoaddends,andIwantyou
toseeifyoucanfindthesum.Onceyouthinkyouhavefoundit,
carefullyholdyourboardupbyyourtummy.
-4+2
-3+2
"Last,Iamgoingtowriteacoupleexamplesthatlookjustlike
theworkyougettodoatyourdesktoday."
-8+(Drawtwodots)=
-9+(Drawtwodots)=
GuidedPractice
Thestudentswilbeindivdiuallydismissedfromcarpetwithan
exitticketofidentifyingthesumand/ortheaddendofan
equationIwriteontheboard.
Individual
Whiteboards
Markers
Remindthestudents
thatwe"takeawhite
boardandpassit
down.Takeamarker
anderaser,passit
downandno
doodling"
Ifanystudentis
strugglingfollowing
directionstheycanuse
apieceofpaperanda
pencil.
10minutes
Iwillstrategically
dismissthestudents
thatmightstruggle
morethantheothers
withtheirworksheet
sotheywillhave
ampletimetofinish.
Theworksheetshave
beendeveloped
previouslytofiteach
indivdiualstudents'
abilitiessotheycanbe
successful.The
worksheetsalready
havetheirnamesso
theywillbeinstructed
togototheirdeskand
getrighttowork.
Until11:05-11:10
(Timepermitting)
Allpreviousset
expectationsforiPad
usewillbefollowed
otherwisethestudents
willlooseiPad
privledgesfortherest
oftheday.
IndependentPractice
Thestudentswilleachbegivenacountingonworksheetthat
theywillcompleteindepently.
Thestudentshavenumberlinesontheirnametagsiftheyneed
extraassistance.Mrs.Olsonandmyselfwillbewalkingaround
foraidif/whenneeded.
CountingonWS
Closure
StudentswhofinishearlywillbeinstructedtoopenupSlate
MathontheiriPadsandseeiftheycanfindanycountriesthat
giveusexamplesofcountingon.
Studentswhodon'tfinishtheirworksheetpriorto11:10will
finishatquiettimeafterlunchorduringmathgroups.
iPads
EvidenceofLessonEffectiveness/StudentLearning:Thestudentswereengagedthroughoutwholegroup
lessonandshowedparticularinterestinparticipating.Havingthestudentswriteontheboardtoshowtheirpeers
theirthinkinghelpedtheirinterestlevels.Byusingwholebrainteaching,thestudentswereabletonotonlylearn
whattwoaddendsdowhentheygotogetherbuttheywerealsoableto'teachme'andtheirpeers.Attheendof
thelesson,thestudentsshowedparticulargrowthusingthecountingonstrategytocomeupwiththemissing
addendsandthesum.
ReflectionandRecommendationsforNextTime:Therewassomedowntimeatthecarpetwhilestudents
werebeingdismissed.Althoughitwasjustafewminutes,nexttimeIwouldhaveaseriesofproblemsonthe
boardforthemtodiscusswiththeirshoulderbuddies.Also,thedifferentiatedworksheetsweretoodifficultfor
someofthestudentsresultingindiscouragedspirits.Inthefuture,Iwouldhavesomeeasieronestoswitchout
withthestudentsifthisoccurred.
Attachments,ifrequired.
AnalysisandAssessmentofData
Thepreandpostassessmentsincludedansweringaseriesofquestionsincludingcounting
ontofindthesum,findingthemissingaddendsandfindingthesumofstoryproblems.This
assessmentcoveredthe3objectivesthatarebasedonthecontentstandardsCCSS.1.OA.A.1,
1.OA.A.2,1.OA.C.5and1.OA.B.3.(CCSS.1.0A.A.1:Useadditionandsubtractionwithin20to
solveworldproblemsinvolvingsituationsofaddingto,takingfrom,puttingtogether,
takingapart,andcomparing,withunknownsinallpositions,e.g.,byusingobjects,
drawings,andequationswithasymbolfortheunknownnumbertorepresentthe
problem.CCSS.1.OA.A.2:Solvewordproblemsthatcallforadditionofthreewholenumbers
whosesumislessonthanorequalto20,e.g.,byusingobjects,drawings,andequations
withasymbolfortheunknownnumbertorepresenttheproblem.CCSS.1.OA.C.5-Relate
countingtoadditionandsubtraction(e.g.,bycountingon2toadd2).CCSS.1.OA.B.3-Apply
propertiesofoperationsasstrategiestoaddandsubtract.)Thefollowingbargraphshows
theresultsforthepreandpostassessmentscoresforallindividuals,exceptforonestudent
whowasabsentforthepostassessment.
Pre & Post Test Results
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Students Name
Question 1: What number
sentence has the same
addends in a different order as
4+2=6?
Question 2: What number
sentence has the same
addends in a different order
as 2+7=9?
Incorrect
0%
Incorrect
9%
Correct
91%
Question 3: What number
sentence has the same
addends in a diffrent order as
0+3=3
Incorrect
14%
Correct
100%
Question 4: What number
sentence has the same
addends in a different order
as 6+2=8
Incorrect
14%
Correct
86%
Question 5: What number
sentence has the same
addends in a different order as
9+1=10
Incorrect
9%
Correct
86%
Question 6: Five frogs are
sitting on a log. Two more
frogs sit on the log. How many
frogs are sitting on the log
now?
Incorrect
5%
Correct
91%
Correct
95%
Question 7: 3+ (?)=6
Question 8: There are 7
horses in the bard. Then 1
horse joins them. How many
horses are in the barn now?
Incorrect
5%
Incorrect
18%
Correct
82%
Question 9: (?)+4=10
Incorrect
18%
Question 10: Three dolphins
are swimming in the ocean. Six
more dolphins swim over to
join them. How many dolphins
are swimming together now?
Incorrect
9%
Correct
82%
Correct
95%
Correct
91%
Student1
Student2
Student3
Student4
Student5
Student6
Student7
Student8
Student9
Student10
Student11
Student12
Student13
Student14
Student15
Student16
Student17
Student18
Student19
Student20
Student21
Student22
Student23
Pre-Test
(Outof10points)
7/10
6/10
4/10
8/10
10/10
4/10
10/10
1/10
7/10
9/10
9/10
9/10
9/10
6/10
9/10
10/10
10/10
4/10
9/10
9/10
6/10
8/10
10/10
Post-Test
(Outof10points)
Assessment
Improvement
10/10
10/10
Absent
10/10
10/10
9/10
10/10
4/10
9/10
10/10
10/10
10/10
10/10
7/10
10/10
10/10
10/10
5/10
10/10
9/10
4/10
10/10
10/10
3pointincrease
4pointincrease
N/A
2pointincrease
5pointincrease
3pointincrease
2pointincrease
1pointincrease
1pointincrease
1pointincrease
1pointincrease
1pointincrease
1pointincrease
1pointincrease
1pointincrease
2pointdecrease
2pointincrease
Uponthecompletionofthepostassessment,onestudenthadadecreaseoftwopoints.22
ofthe23studentsincreasedfromthepretopostassessmentscore.WhenIapproachedthe
studentwhosescoredecreased,theyclaimedtohaveguessedonthepre-assessment
resultinginahigherthanunderstoodscore.Theaveragescoreonthepre-assessmentwas
7.5/10answersandtheaveragescoreonthepost-assessmentwas9/10.Takingallofthese
factorsintoconsideration,itisclearthatoverhalfofhestudentssignificantlyimproved
theirunderstandingofcountingon,identifyingaddends,andusingthecommutative
propertyofaddition.
Reflection
InsightsonEffectiveInstruction:
Basedonthefactthat22outof23studentsincreasedtheirscores,ortheirscoresstayed
thesamebecausetheygotthemallcorrectonthepre-test,Iwouldconsidertheinstruction
giventobesuccessful.Analyzingthepre-assessmentresultsshowedthatsomestudents
hadlittlepriorknowledgeoftheskillsbeingassessedwhilesomehadcomplete
understanding.Duetotheseresults,Idifferentiatedinstructionandassignmentstokeepall
students’interestlevelshighandinordertoinsurethatallstudentsgainedunderstanding,
notjustthelowerscoringstudents.Inaddition,Ihopedthatthevarietyandhands-on
methodsIusedwhileteachingtheselessonswouldhelpstudentsstayengagedthroughout.
Whole-brainteachingwasusedrepeatedlythroughouteachlessonsothatitbecame
secondnatureforstudents;“Twoaddends,gotogethertomakeasum”,whileusingeach
actionstoshowwhatisbeingsaid.ThisinsuredthateverylessonincludedIdo,wedo,you
do.
InsightsonEffectiveAssessment:
Initially,IhadmadeaKahoot!toassessthestudents’knowledgepriortoteaching.
However,itbecameobviousthatthiswasnotgoingtocreateeffectiveresultsduetothe
factthatitwasmoreofacompetitionbetweenstudentsonwhocouldguessthewrite
answerthefastest.Wewerealsoexperiencingstudentslookingattheirpeers’answers
beforeansweringtheirown.Afterobservingthis,IcreatedaMimioVote.Eachstudentwas
assignedaseatwithprivacyfolderssothatIcouldgetaccurateresults.Afterseeingthese
results,IwasabletoseewhereIneededtofocusmyinstructionandalsowhatstudentsI
couldusetohelpmereteachtheseconceptsandideastoourstudents.Itisreallyimportant
inourclassroomthatthestudentsrealizetheyareteacherstoo,itisnotjustadultsthatcan
teachstudents;studentscanteachstudentsandbejustaseffective.Afterourseriesof
lessons,somemoresuccessfulthanothers,Iwasseeinggrowthandcouldtellmystudents
werereadyforthepostassessment.Thiswastakeninthesameenvironmentasthepre
assessment,quietwithprivacyfolders.Overall,Ibelievetheassessmentsprovidedeffective
waystomeettheobjectsofthelessonandshowmewhereeachstudentneededtogrow.
ImplicationsforFutureTeaching:
Inthefuture,Iwouldcreatesomeanchorchartstohangaroundtheroomforstudentsto
discussandcompletewhentheyfinishtheirwork.Differentiatinginstructionwas
importantthroughoutthelessonsinthisunitbutitisimpossibletobepreparedforevery
turnofevents.Iwouldcreateextraassignmentsand/orworksheetsforstudentswho
mightbestrugglingwiththeoriginalassignmentsoIcanhelpthemfeelsuccessfulbefore
challengingthem.Iwouldalsohavethestudentscreatepeer-focusedassessmentsfortheir
shoulderbuddiesasanextensionuponcompletionofwork.Seeingtheproblemstheycome
upwithcanhelpmeseewhattheyarethinkingandwhattheydetermineas‘challenging’.
Thereisalsoonestudent,student21,whohassomecognitivedelaysandstrugglesinall
areasoflearning.Ibelieveifhehadmoreone-on-oneinstructionthroughouttheselessons,
hewouldbeabletogainsomewhatofanunderstandingofsomeofthemorebasicconcepts
withintheselessons.
EvidenceofImpactonStudentLearning:
Duetotheimprovementofscoresfromthepre-testtothepost-test,Ibelievethe
instructionwaseffectiveandstudentlearningtookplace.Inthefuture,Iwouldincorporate
someofthechangessuggestedandwouldexpecttoseebetterresults.Eachstudent,some
morethanothers,showedsignificantgrowthintheclassroom.Theengagementincreased
asthelessonsprogressedandthestudentswereexcitedtolearn.Thisshowedmethat
althoughitwaschallengingforsomeatfirst,thesequencethatthelessonstookplacein
waseffectiveandtherewasabalancebetweenconnectingtopriorknowledgeand
introducingnewconceptsandchallenges.Seeingthestudentsbesuccessfuland
understandingtheconceptsandvocabularytermsbeingusedwasextremelyrewarding
andshowedmethatlearningwastakingplaceandthestudentscouldfeelittoo.Toensure
theseconceptsarenotlostandthestudentscanbecomefluent,repetitionwaspresent.The
topicslearnedwillbebuiltuponthroughouttherestoftheyearandIbelievethestudents
gainedastrongfoundationtohelpthemcontinuetobesuccessful.