Kindergarten Teacher Work Sample

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Emma Heinlen

4/18/12

Miss Tara Koch, Kindergarten, Pinewoods Elementary

Math: Patterns

Florida Gulf Coast University, EDE 4936

CRN 10317

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Table of Contents

Section 1: Philosophy Statement________________________________________ Pages 3-4

Section 2: Contextual Factors__________________________________________ Pages 5-13

Section 3: Topic and Learning Objectives________________________________ Pages 14-17

Section 4: Assessment Plan___________________________________________ Pages 18-35

Section 5: Design for Instruction: Unit Plan and Lesson Plans________________ Pages 36-64

Section 6: Instructional Decision Making ________________________________Pages 65-67

Section 7: Analysis of impact on Student Learning _________________________Pages 67-82

Section 8: Reflection and Self-Evaluation ________________________________Pages 82-84

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Section 1: Philosophy Statement

It is important to use a mix of traditional and constructivist teaching strategies to best suit

the student. Progressivism as well as humanism also sits as strong beliefs for me. A teacher

should be willing and eager to do research to find suitable techniques to teach those students. I

believe in using a balance of both formative and summative assessments. There should be no

heavy weight on only summative or only formative but a mix of the two. When doing the

research on the best techniques, it is important for a teacher to focus on strategies for all students,

including ELL and ESE students. I believe that repetition is useful in some contexts. When

practicing letter-sound correlation or basic math facts, students can be successful using

repetition.

I believe that every student works best when receiving positive reinforcement.

Decreasing bad behaviors is always necessary in the classroom and one of the best tools to do so

is with positive reinforcement. What is also important is the appreciation of strengths in every

student. If a student is very talented in mathematics, then that student needs to be reminded and

praised for those strengths. Students need to be confident as well as feel secure in their

classroom. Every student has the capability of behaving correctly and is inherently good. By

offering positive praise, the students will decrease bad behaviors.

I will teach to students’ interests as well as foundations. Students should be able to have

the freedom to explore their passions so that learning is enticing and the teacher should be able to

merge their interests with core curriculum. In a standards-based classroom, I will teach to the

standards be sure to listen to the students about what they find specifically interesting in the unit.

I will use time for exploration as well as provide extra material for students who express the

desire to learn their specific interests.

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It is important to teach students, especially in elementary school, key moral goals. This

includes being responsible for one’s own learning. Students should also care about themselves

and their peers. Bullying or picking on other students should never be acceptable and should

always be dealt with appropriately using individual discussion. The classroom should be a safe

place for everyone’s learning. There should be time set aside to develop bonds between teacher

and students as well as student peers. Students should be expected to respect their learning as

well as their learning environment.

My teaching philosophy is a student-centered philosophy using a mixture of traditional

and constructivist teaching strategies. I believe that it is important to do research as a teacher to

discover the most effective way to teach a differentiated classroom. It is important to focus on

the needs of all students and make sure that the classroom is a safe place to promote the learning

of every student.

Works Cited

Positive reinforcement. (2007). Techniques, 82(4), 10+. Retrieved from

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE

%7CA162102890&v=2.1&u=gale15690&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

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Section 2: Contextual Factors

Community and District Information:

Lee County, located in southwest Florida, is the 9th largest district in Florida and

America’s 40th largest school district. The district mission statement is “To ensure that each

student achieves his/her highest potential” with a vision to be a “world-class school system”.

There are about 82,000 students in the school district. There are 44 elementary schools, 16

middle schools, and 13 high schools. There are four k-8th grade schools, 13 special centers, and

three high tech centers and community schools. There are 93 ‘traditional’ schools and 26 charter

schools. For the 2010-2011about 90% of the schools tested earned an A or a B. As of October

2010, the school district is 48.8% White, 30.4% Hispanic, 15.4% Black, 3.5% Multi-ethnic,

1.6% Asian, and .2% Indian. The graduation rate from 2009-10 is 80.3% with a steady increase

and the drop-out rate is 1.3% with a steady decrease though it maintained the same percentage

from the previous year. Within the district, there are 8,600 students identified as LEP and nearly

70% of the K-12 students enrolled in the school system participate in the Free and Reduced

Lunch program.

School Information:

Pinewoods Elementary is located on 11900 Stoneybrook Golf Drive in Estero, Florida. It

is close to Stoneybrook, a golf and living community. The school has 54 students enrolled in

Pre-K, 879 enrolled in K-5th.Of these students, 40.61% are minorities. At Pinewoods

Elementary 48% of the students participate in the Free and Reduced Lunch program. Pinewoods

Elementary is an A school and has been for the past seven years. Pinewoods Elementary is a

Reading First school. Pinewoods has ESOL education, a full-time gifted program, and

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exceptional education programs. The vision of Pinewoods Elementary is to become a model

Quality Professional Learning Community.

The Pinewoods mission statement is:

WE, the Pinewoods family, are dedicated to developing a nurturing community

that offers all students relevant opportunities

that promote high academic achievement

through critical thinking and problem solving strategies.

AN infectious creativity, cultivated by open-minded leadership,

inspires the best and brightest to collaborate

in the education of all our students.

WITHIN Pinewoods, teaching is an art that is honored and learning is celebrated.

As leaders in our profession, we believe in a community of life-long learners

and the empowerment that comes from true collegiality.

COMMITTED to the integrity of diversity and unification,

we value the enriching voices of our parental partnerships,

business alliances, and supportive volunteers.

Pinewoods...learning for all, whatever it takes.

Pinewoods Elementary. (2011). Pinewoods mission statement. Retrieved from

http://pin.leeschools.net/missionstatement.html

Classroom Factors:

Bookshelf

Art Center

Teacher CenterCubbies

Smartboard

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There are six students per desk and the teacher rotated the students’ seating after winter

break. The arrangement allows the teacher to circulate and create a small group table for reading

instruction. The students also all have a partner with which to work. They are also positioned

easily to make several different walking paths. The schedule is very specific and quick because

of the average kindergartener’s attention span being as short as it is. The students go from

announcements straight into morning meeting and whole group instruction. Morning Meeting

allows the students to work together to do lunch count, recite the classroom mission statement,

and work together to help the teacher write the morning message. Whole group reading is

straight from the Readwell curriculum. The students all come up and sit on their carpet squares,

which have numbers on them. The numbers correlate with the student number. The teacher will

Computers

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go through the Readwell and Spalding curriculum and add several Smartboard activities geared

toward improving phonemic awareness. After whole group instruction, the students transition

into reading centers. There are choices for each group of students and the students are organized

based on proficiency. This way the teacher can take one group easily to work on small group

reading. The schedule for small group reading will continue until 10:10 when the students exit

for playground time where they play with another teacher’s kindergarten class. These two

teachers work together to create plans and for end-of-day dismissal as well. When the students

get back from playground, they take turns as called upon to wash up and eat a snack as the

teacher reads a story. The next content areas are spelling and writing prompts which are created

through a collaboration of kindergarten teachers. The students then transition into science or

social studies. The lessons are created by a different pair of kindergarten teachers. For this part,

the students go back to their carpet squares for a story or activity. We will do the story activity

until it is time to walk to lunch. The two teachers take turns walking the students to lunch or

picking them up weekly. There are thirty minutes set aside for lunch time so one teacher will

walk the students to lunch and stay for 15 minutes, then the other teacher will stay for the last 15,

help with clean-up, and then walk the students back to their classrooms. Once they get back, they

have about thirty minutes for calendar math and whole group math. Calendar math consists of

reviewing the months of the year, days of the week, weather, patterns, and other content area.

Whole group math is directly from EnVision math curriculum. After math, students go to

specials. There is an eight day special cycle in which five days are dedicated to physical

education and three days are dedicated to media, art, and music. All of these locations are in the

same vicinity which is very convenient. Once the students get back from specials, they go into

small group math and centers until we prepare for dismissal. For dismissal my cooperating

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teacher walks all the bus students, and the other kindergarten teacher walks the afterschool and

car pickup students.

There are six computers at the computer center plus the teacher computer and

smartboard. The students have access to Starfall, Planet Turtle, and Earobics. During Monday

through Thursday for reading centers, certain students can go on to Earobics depending on

rotation. Starfall is for Fridays. These both help with reading and comprehension skills Planet

Turtle is the activity that the students use for computer centers during math. It is a game-based

math program in which the students have the opportunity to play against each other. There is a

bookshelf with several library books and books for teacher use as well as another bookshelf for

reading center and math center choices which are contained in boxes. There is a back planning

room which four kindergarten teachers share. The planning room has storage for all of the

manipulatives that the teachers have collected over the years. There is a paper cutter as well.

These four kindergarten teachers have a volunteer that comes in to help them prepare

various art projects or projects that just take a lot of time to work on preparing. This volunteer is

a first grade mom who volunteered for the kindergarten teachers last year.

Students have several behavior rules. There is a star chart that ranks from multicolored to

red. The teacher will put them back at green at the end of every day. Students receive rewards for

reaching multicolored and get a note home for reaching red. Throughout the day for good

behavior, the students can also receive a star to put in the box. Each student has 15 stars and

when they run out, they get a prize from the treasure chest. These prizes are directly put into their

backpacks. The students as a whole can receive an apple slice that will create a whole apple and

allow every child to get a prize from the treasure chest over a period of time. There are eight

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slices to the apple. Students must make a hand signal to use the bathroom and another hand

signal to get water. Each student has a responsibility for the week for classroom management.

One student is in charge of being line leader, one in charge of the light switch, another two are

mail carriers, and two more are nurses. There are librarians, a caboose, a banker, lunch people,

and other various jobs. The star student of the week gets to sit in the little rocking chair and pull

sticks to help regulate turns for whole group activities. Every student gets to be a star student and

it is a cycle based on student number.

Student Characteristics: The classroom includes 18 boys and girls with one additional

immersion student. There are 9 girls and 10 boys.

Student Spoken Home

Languages

Observations

Student#1 Spanish This student is language proficient, but receives notes home

for parents in Spanish. He is in a lower socio-economic level

and does not bring snack for snack time so he receives snack

from the teacher. He does his homework in the beginning of

class. This student missed several weeks of school in the

beginning of the year because he has a hole in his heart. He is

healthy now, though.

Student #2 Spanish

English

This student is language proficient, but receives notes home

for parents in Spanish. She does her homework in the

beginning of class. She is quiet and observant.

Student #3 English This student went to pre-k and came in as a reader. She is

excelling rapidly in reading and writing.

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Student #4 Spanish This student is language proficient, but receives notes home

for parents in Spanish. She is in a lower socio-economic level

and does not bring snack for snack time so he receives snack

from the teacher. She does her homework in the beginning of

class occasionally. She loves to please the teacher and wants

to be a good role-model and helper for the other students.

Student#5 English This student was enrolled in Pre-k but came into kindergarten

as a non-reader and needs some differentiation for review. He

lacks some of the support at home and needs to be reminded

to ask mommy and daddy for help.

Student #6 English This student came into school as a reader and is excelling in

reading and writing. She loves animals and knows a lot about

them.

Student#7 Spanish This student is an English language learner and needs

reinforcement. She receives notes home for parents in

Spanish. She wears glasses and needs to be reminded to put

them on. She is very quiet and shy.

Student #8 English This student loves to talk and sometimes needs redirection. He

is a proficient writer and reader and he may test Gifted in the

future. He loves everything about trains.

Student #9 English This student needs redirection frequently and often is hesitant

to fail so she lacks the motive to try. She is one of the younger

students in the class and sometimes needs an extra push to

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excel.

Student #10 English This student is one of the youngest in the class. She is

immature emotionally, but it is apparent that the amount of

parent involvement has helped her to grow academically. She

still struggles with writing.

Student #11 English This student is a Jehovah’s Witness and does not celebrate

holidays. He needs minor redirection, particularly during

whole-group time on the floor.

Student #12 English This student needs more phonogram practice. He spends some

time focused and unfocused. He often comes to school tired

and needs to be set on track. He spends a lot of his time at the

skate park with other kids and sometimes his language needs

to be corrected.

Student #13 English This student went to Pre-K and came in as a reader. is able to

think critically about stories we read and is growing quickly

as a writer. She often gets rewarded for good behavior. She

receives extra materials for differentiation to challenge her.

Student #14 Spanish

English

This student is language proficient, but receives notes home

for parents in Spanish. He is able to stay on task without much

redirection.

Student #15 English This student has a hard time sitting still for a long period of

time and needs redirection. He comes into class very sleepy

some days. He is doing well during small reading group and is

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able to think critically.

Student#16 English This student went to Pre-K and came into kindergarten as a

reader. He excels in writing and math and also receives extra

materials for homework.

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Section 3: Topic and Learning Objectives

Description of the content:

Math Topic 13- Extending and Creating Patterns

In this unit, students will be recognizing, identifying, and completing different types of

patterns. Students will be identifying color, shape, size, and number patterns and will be using

predicting techniques to complete different patterns. They will be identifying shrinking and

growing patterns. Students will predict what will come next based on their observations of the

repeated attributes in the pattern.

This is a two week unit with whole group, small group, and centers to teach material.

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List of SSS:

MA.K.A.4.1 Identify and duplicate simple number and non-numeric repeating and growing

problems.

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List of Learning Objectives:

1. Given four multiple choice questions, children will recognize and extend color patterns

three out of four correctly. Children will recognize and extend shape patterns.

2. Given three multiple choice questions and one constructed response question, children

will recognize and extend shape patterns two multiple choice and one constructed

response correctly. Students will identify growing and shrinking patterns and predict

what comes next.

3. Given one multiple choice question and one constructed response question, children will

recognize and extend the repeating parts of size patterns one out of two correctly.

4. Given one multiple choice question and two free response questions, children will solve

problems by looking for and using the repeating parts to describe the pattern.

5. Given two multiple choice questions, children will identify growing and shrinking

patterns and predict what comes next one out of two correctly.

6. Given one multiple choice question and one constructed response question, children will

identify and represent one out of two number patterns on number chart.

Types and Levels of the Learning Objectives:

Objectives 1,2,3,5 and 6 all fit into the Knowledge category of Blooms Taxonomy. Many

of the objectives require the students to be able to recognize and identify different types of

patterns as well as recognize patterns. The students will be identifying growing patterns,

shrinking patterns, number patterns, size patterns, and color patterns. The students will circle the

patterns and find the outliers. The students will demonstrate knowledge through these activities.

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Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 all reach the comprehension stage so that the students will be

able to learn the material and understand how to be able to identify the different patterns and

understand what makes a pattern. Students will be asked to classify what types of patterns are

which so they are aware of why one pattern is called a shape pattern and the other is called the

growing pattern, for example.

Objectives 1,2,3,4, 5, and 6 all fit into the Application category of Blooms Taxonomy. The

students will need to apply their knowledge of the different types of patterns during whole group

activities each day and then will have to apply their knowledge during small group as well. They

will need to extend number patterns and predict what comes next in the patterns. , and continue

patterns on their worksheets in small group. This will firmly show that the students are grasping

the material.

Objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4 help the students synthesize what makes a pattern. When they extend

the pattern, they are putting their bits of knowledge together to extend the pattern correctly. They

have to use the knowledge they gained when learning about the different types of patterns to

create more patterns.

Why the Learning Objectives are Appropriate:

The learning objectives clearly cover every type of pattern and helps the kindergarten

students develop their knowledge of pattern. The objectives are all part of the EnVision

curriculum and correlate with the unit on patterns. The objectives suit the level of complexity

that the kindergarten students can use to develop their knowledge successfully. The students will

use this knowledge of different types of patterns for their Standford Achievement Test 10 that

they will need to take at the end of the year.

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Section 4:Assessment Plan

Overview of Assessment Plan:

Pre-Assessment Plan:

This kindergarten-level multiple-choice and constructed response assessment has a

mixture of size, color, shape, number, and growing/shrinking patterns. This allows for the

students to learn about every type of pattern and understand the variations. These different

aspects of pattern will be covered during our unit on patterns and the multiple-choice and

constructed response assessment that will show their previous knowledge will be retested in the

post-assessment after the material has been taught. The pre-assessment has a total of eight

questions that will be tested in the kindergarten testing setting that the students are familiar with.

They each of a ‘secret-work folder’ that will be taken out and the pencil passers will give each of

their table-mates a pencil. There are six students at each table. The pre-assessment will be given

in the afternoon following the students’ specials. I will project the test onto the Smartboard and

the students will be able to see one question at a time so that they know which question I am

giving directions for. I will give the direction out loud two times and then will circulate to see

how the students answer the question. If I note confusion, I will give the direction another time. I

will remind the students that it is a pre-test and it is okay if they do not answer them all correctly.

I will collect the assessments and then check for understanding so I will be able to know what to

spend the most time on during instruction of the unit. This assessment gives a clear-cut picture of

understanding of the material and prepares students for the SAT10 exam.

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Formative Assessment Plan:

Students will be doing daily in-class activities that will be observed and analyzed to

monitor student progress. These in-class activities are completed in small group based on skill

level as well as whole-group depending on time restraints. This part of instruction is a review of

the material learned through the EnVision interactive story and through the teacher’s instruction.

The teacher can focus on struggling students as well as higher-level students during the in-class

worksheet activities. The students will be formally assessed using the worksheet activities. Those

students who are seen struggling in math-related activities will receive the opportunity to use

manipulatives as needed during small-group lessons. This form of assessment allows students to

receive personal attention during instruction.

Post-Assessment Plan:

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This kindergarten-level multiple-choice and constructed response assessment has a

mixture of size, color, shape, number, and growing/shrinking patterns. This allows for the

students to learn about every type of pattern and understand the variations. These different

aspects of pattern will be covered during our unit on patterns and the multiple-choice and

constructed response assessment will verify learning of the material at the end of the unit. The

post-assessment has a total of 15 questions that will be tested in the kindergarten testing setting

that the students are familiar with. They each of a ‘secret-work folder’ that will be taken out and

the pencil passers will give each of their table-mates a pencil. There are six students at each

table. The post-assessment will be given in the afternoon following the students’ specials. I will

project the test onto the Smartboard and the students will be able to see one question at a time so

that they know which question I am giving directions for at the time. I will give the direction out

loud two times and then will circulate to see how the students answer the question. If I note

confusion, I will give the direction another time. I will allow time for the students to review their

work at the end of the test. I will collect the assessments and then compare the results to those

from the pre-test. This assessment gives a clear-cut picture of understanding of the material and

prepares students for the SAT10 exam.

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Learning Objective Assessments Format of

Assessments

Adaptations

Learning Objective

#1:

Given one multiple

choice question,

children will

recognize and extend

color patterns one

correctly.

Pre-Assessment

Topic 13 Pre-Test

Formative

Assessment

Students will sit down

as a whole class to

complete the six

question test. The

teacher will circulate

the class to verify that

the students have

answered the

questions

appropriately.

Question number 1

targets this objective.

I will assess prior-

knowledge through

the problem of the day

and ask topic-specific

questions. I will use

the VLA to direct

Students with

attention problems

and ELL students will

have teacher walk

around and

instruct/point to the

questions to make it

easier to stay on the

right question.

ELL students will

review key

vocabulary: Pattern

and Repeat. More

time and

manipulatives will be

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Given one multiple

choice question and

one student-response

question, children will


color patterns two out

of two correctly.

Post-Assessment

Topic 13 Test

questioning to the

whole class. I will

then use the Small-

group Topic 13-1

EnVision Worksheet

to solidify knowledge

and spot-check for

errors


as a whole class to

complete the 15

question test. The



the students have

answered the

questions

appropriately.

Question number 1

and question number

1 on the free response

target this objective.

allotted for small-

group activity. Small

groups are

differentiated.

Students with

attention problems


have teacher walk

around and




right question.

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Learning Objective

#2:

Given one multiple

choice question,

children will


shape patterns one out

of one correctly.

Pre-Assessment

Topic 13 Pre-Test

Formative

Assessment


as a whole class to

complete the six

question test. The



the students have

answered the

questions

appropriately.

Question number 2

targets this objective


knowledge through




Students with

attention problems


have teacher walk

around and




right question.

ELL students will

review key

vocabulary: Pattern

and Repeat. More

time and

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Given one multiple

choice question and

one constructed

response question,

children will


shape patterns both

questions correctly.

Post-Assessment

Topic 13 Test

the VLA to direct

questioning to the

whole class. I will

then use the Small-

group Topic 13-2

EnVision Worksheet


and spot-check for

errors


as a whole class to

complete the 15

question test. The



the students have

answered the

questions

appropriately.

Question number 2

and question number



allotted for small-


groups are

differentiated.

Students with

attention problems


have teacher walk

around and




right question.

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Learning Objective

#3:

Given one multiple

choice question,

children will


the repeating parts of

size patterns one out

of one correctly.

Pre-Assessment

Topic 13 Pre-Test

Formative

Assessment


as a whole class to

complete the six

question test. The



the students have

answered the

questions

appropriately.

Question number 3



knowledge through




the VLA to direct

questioning to the

whole class. I will

Students with

attention problems


have teacher walk

around and




right question.

ELL students will

review key

vocabulary: Pattern

and Repeat. More

time and


allotted for small-

group activity.

29

Given one multiple

choice question and

one constructed

response question,

children will


the repeating parts of

size patterns one out

of two correctly.

Post-Assessment

Topic 13 Test

then use the Small-

group Topic 13-3

EnVision Worksheet


and spot-check for

errors


as a whole class to

complete the 15

question test. The



the students have

answered the

questions

appropriately.

Question number 3

and question number



Students with

attention problems


have teacher walk

around and




right question.

Learning Objective Pre-assessment Students will sit down Students with

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#4:

Given one multiple

choice question,

children will solve

problems by looking

for and using the

repeating parts to

describe the pattern

one out of one

correctly.

Topic 13 Test

Formative assessment

as a whole class to

complete the six

question test. The



the students have

answered the

questions

appropriately.

Question number 4



knowledge through




the VLA to direct

questioning to the

whole class. I will

then use the Small-

group Topic 13-4

EnVision Worksheet

attention problems


have teacher walk

around and




right question.

ELL students will

review key

vocabulary: Pattern

and Repeat. More

time and


allotted for small-


groups are

differentiated.

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Given one multiple

choice question and

one free response

questions, children

will solve problems

by looking for and

using the repeating

parts to describe the

pattern one out of two

correctly.

Post-assessment

Topic 13 Test


and spot-check for

errors


as a whole class to

complete the 15

question test. The



the students have

answered the

questions

appropriately.

Question number 4

and question number

3 and 4 on the free

response target this

objective.

Students with

attention problems


have teacher walk

around and




right question.

Learning Objective

#5:

Given one multiple

Pre-Assessment

Topic 13 Pre-Test


as a whole class to

complete the six

Students with

attention problems


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choice question,

children will identify

growing and shrinking

patterns and predict

what comes next one

out of one correctly.

Formative

Assessment

question test. The



the students have

answered the

questions

appropriately.

Question number 5

will target this

response.


knowledge through




the VLA to direct

questioning to the

whole class. I will

then use the Small-

group Topic 13-5

EnVision Worksheet

have teacher walk

around and




right question.

ELL students will

review key

vocabulary: Pattern

and Repeat. More

time and


allotted for small-


groups are

differentiated.

33

Given one multiple

choice question and

one student response


identify growing and

shrinking patterns and

predict what comes

next one out of two

correctly.

Post-Assessment

Topic 13 Test


and spot-check for

errors


as a whole class to

complete the 15

question test. The



the students have

answered the

questions

appropriately.

Question number 5

and question number



Students with

attention problems


have teacher walk

around and




right question.

Learning Objective

#6:

Given one free

response, children

Pre-Assessment

Topic 13 Test


as a whole class to

complete the six

question test. The

Students with

attention problems


have teacher walk

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will identify and

represent on number

chart and number line

one out of one

correctly.

Formative

Assessment



the students have

answered the

questions

appropriately.

Question number 5 on

the free response



knowledge through




the VLA to direct

questioning to the

whole class. I will

then use the Small-

group Topic 13-7 and

Topic 13-8 EnVision

Worksheet to solidify

knowledge and spot-

around and




right question.

ELL students will

review key

vocabulary: Pattern

and Repeat. More

time and


allotted for small-


groups are

differentiated.

35

Given one multiple

choice question and

one free response


identify and represent

on number chart and

number line one out

of two correctly.

Post-Assessment

Topic 13 Test

check for errors


as a whole class to

complete the 15

question test. The



the students have

answered the

questions

appropriately.

Question number 6

and Question number



Students with

attention problems


have teacher walk

around and




right question.

Section 5: Design for Instruction: Unit Plan and Lesson Plans

36

Assignment:

The unit was designed to encompass twelve days including the assessment. This unit was

taught in the afternoon in approximately 45 minutes. The unit was designed to begin with a

quick problem of the day which we teach in whole group on the flood. The problem of the day

was correlated to the topic at hand but was used before the unit was taught so it is more basic

knowledge that the students have learned previously in the year but will need for the unit. Then

comes the new vocabulary and the students went on to complete as a class in whole group, the

front of the sheet on the Smartboard. Various students were selected to come up and finish the

activity. The students then watched the brief Envision Math lesson and answer questions when

called. The students were then participating in specifically designed pattern centers while the

teacher worked with small groups in order to make sure that student understanding was strong.

The teacher completed daily worksheets with students to check for that understanding.

Instruction thoroughly covered the six objectives by focusing on each objective during whole

and small group lessons. The information was repeated on day 4 and 6 so that the teacher could

review and check for understanding and also because spring break intersected the unit and

number patterns were often more difficult to grasp than shapes and colors. Students in the

classroom were divided based on skill level into three groups ranging from five to seven

students. Some groups needed more direction than others so this makes it simple to do. Students

received instruction using models and manipulatives. The students that were not working in the

teacher group were completing centers that were related to the current and previous objectives in

the unit. Students learned in whole group, in small group, and in pairs or independently.

Narrative of Pre-test Results by Objective:

37

The pre-assessment was a selected-response test of six questions that each covered the

individual objectives.

The first objective was the children will recognize and extend shape patterns one out of

one correctly.

The second objective was that the students will recognize and extend shape patterns one

out of one correctly.

The third objective states that the students will recognize and extend the repeating parts

of size patterns one out of one correctly.

The fourth objective was that the students will solve problems by looking for and using

the repeating parts to describe the pattern.

The fifth objective was that the students will identify growing and shrinking patterns and

predict what comes next.

The final objective was that the students will identify and represent numbers on a number

chart.

The students did well identifying the shape and size patterns, as seen by the overall objective

two and three means of 88.89%. Shape and size are simpler for the students to grasp as they are

already familiar with the term and concept of pattern. The results of objective one are a little bit

disappointing. Six students missed color patterns and we have used color patterns in our Math

Calendar consistently throughout the year. However it may have been due to confusion, because

the copier had shaded the grey color close to the white.

38

Results of Pre-Assessment:

Narrative of Overall Results:

It can be seen in this graph that certain objectives were more easily attainable by some

students during the pretest. Student number 15 and 16 received a perfect score on the pre-test.

From there-on, the students were doing well on the shape and color patterns, but demonstrated

evidence of the lack of knowledge of number patterns and growing patterns. The students that

had ESOL needs also performed lower because of the lack of knowledge of vocabulary terms.

Student number 1, student number 5, student number 7, student number 9, and student number

12 needed more time or more attention when taking the test, because the test was given at the

end of the day. The results demonstrate that the students have the general understanding of

patterns, but do not know how to communicate those results into number terms. Few of the

students understood the vocabulary such as ‘repeating part of the pattern’.

39

Objective four: Children will solve problems by looking for and using the repeating parts

to describe the pattern. This graph demonstrates a significant lack of prior knowledge among the

students. Their problem required them to know how to circle the repeating part of a pattern.

Three students were able to get the answer correct, and the rest of the students had various

answers, however the most frequent incorrect answer was letter D. This one is the only one that

has the first part of the pattern circled. The students need extra focus during the lessons on this

objective.

40

Objective 5: Children will identify growing and shrinking patterns and predict what

comes next. The students had one question in which they had to count an increasing number of

blocks and select which one would come next in the pattern. It increased from one, to three, to

five, and so the next set of blocks should have been seven. Eight students were able to answer

this question correctly, and nine answered this question incorrectly. The most frequent incorrect

answer was C which had five blocks. The students, with their basic knowledge, may have been

set on guessing the answer that was last in the pattern. This may have been because they had not

been listening to the direction, or because they did not understand the material. Manipulatives

can be used during the lessons for those students who are still struggling with the concept of a

growing pattern.

41

Objective 6: Children will identify and represent number patterns on a number chart.

Fourteen of the students were not able to answer this question correctly, meaning only

three of the students were able to answer the question. The students needed to look at a shrinking

number pattern on a number chart and answer what number was supposed to come next in the

pattern. This problem was extra difficult to solve for the students because they were not familiar

with shrinking patterns, or even had a strong connection with numbers. These numbers went

from nine, to seven, to five, to three. The choices were zero, two, one, and four. Many students

answered with two and four. Because the last number given was three, two was plausible for the

students who were not focusing on the increments of decreasing numbers. Two is less than three

in the decreasing numbers; however it is decreasing by every other number. The number four is

one higher than three, so for the students who could not grasp that it was a decreasing pattern,

that answer was plausible for them.

Pre-assessment Data and its Effect on Instruction:

42

The pre-assessment data was helpful in creating and modifying the instruction. The

Envision plan is formulated in a specific way; however additional center activities and

manipulatives can be used to assist in instruction. I created several pattern-specific centers where

the students were able to use manipulatives in a self-guided learning activity. The students

performed well for objectives one, two, and three. These are patterns that are easier for the

students to see and the color and shape patterns are patterns that they have practiced before this

unit.

The mean for objective one was 65% with a standard deviation of 49%. This standard

deviation percentage is high because there is only one question per objective. It would be more

effective to analyze a longer pre-assessment with more questions per objective, however this was

not permitted. For a pre-assessment, 65% of the students getting the question correct are fairly

high. The students who did not answer correctly and have record of needing some extra work for

math lessons needed more supervision during centers to make sure that they were working

actively to master the material. During the video lesson, I also made sure to direct the questions

toward these students.

Objective two had a mean of 88% and a standard deviation of 33%. This implies that the

88% of the students were able to answer the question correctly. This showed that most of the

students have mastered the material already and had known what the term pattern means. The

students received the required instruction, and had shape centers to work with. The class as a

whole scored quite high for a pretest. The direction of the instruction throughout the unit was

from that point more focused on the weaker objectives. There was a standard deviation of 33%

which still seems high, however only two of the seventeen students were not able to answer the

question correctly.

43

Objective three had a mean of 88% and a standard deviation of 33%, the same as

objective number two. This one was a size pattern and the two students who answered this

question incorrectly were different students than the students in objective two. This objective

also had low percentage of students who answered incorrectly. The students were able to see the

changes in the sizes of the size pattern. There were supplemental size pattern centers for the

students to work on during the small group lessons.

Objective four had a mean of 18% which is significantly low. The students had not been

taught about the meaning of ‘repeating part of a pattern’. The standard deviation was 39%,

another high deviation. This is due to the lack of students who answered the question correctly

and because the students either met their objective or didn’t meet it. There were no percentages

other than 100% or 0%. The students all had difficulties with this material without the

knowledge of what they were aiming to complete. The students had a lack of knowledge of

vocabulary that also impacted their ability to complete the exercise. During that day and the

following day, the students completed a review activity that had several different color and shape

patterns where they had to learn where the beginning of a repeating pattern was, and where to

find the part of the pattern which was considered the ‘repeating part of the pattern’. Students that

needed specific focus on this problem were student number one, student number four, student

number five, student number seven, student number nine, student number 11, and student

number 12. We worked in centers and I called up these students to review using the patterns on

the Smartboard.

Objective five had a mean of 47% meaning that only 47% of the students were able to

answer correctly. This had a standard deviation of 51%. That is another significant standard

deviation. Eight students were able to answer the question correctly. Nine students answered

44

incorrectly. This shows that many students would need extra work in their counting and building

of growing patterns and shrinking patterns. A little bit less than half of the students were able to

answer this question correctly. In order to make sure that the students were able to gain this

knowledge, I created a growing pattern center activity that used interlocking blocks so the

students could independently during math center time.

Objective six has a mean of 18% and a standard deviation of 39%. Most students missed

the question, with only three students answering correctly. The students will need to receive

supplemental practice and emphasis for this lesson’s material. This content is the most difficult

for the students. In order to count down, I used a strategy with my fingers and other

manipulatives to help students skip count and be able to recognize the growing or shrinking

number patterns given during these assessments. The students had a consistent struggle with this

material because they were learning not only the patterns but also how to identify whether the

pattern is increasing or decreasing. This is the most contextually difficult lesson to teach. The

students worked with manipulatives during small group math to be able to see how to count

down. Student number 5 has difficulty being able to identify random numbers and this lesson

was particularly challenging for him. He spent time answering questions at the Smartboard as

well as received individual focused attention during small group math lesson.

Overview of the Unit:

Day 1

Topic: 13-1: Color patterns

Activities:

45

Problem of the day 13-1

Teach vocabulary: Pattern, repeat, color pattern

Do outside of pattern sheet using smartboard projection (objective 1)

Project Video Learning Activity on Smartboard(objective 1)

Work in small groups to go over inside of pattern sheet (objective 1)

Math centers related to color patterns coincide with small groups(objective 1)

13-1 Quick check (objective 1)

Day 2

Topic: 13-2: Shape patterns

Activities:


Teach vocabulary: Shape Pattern

Do outside of pattern sheet using Smartboard projection whole group (objective 2)



Math centers related to shape patterns and color patterns coincide with small groups

(objective 1 and 2)


Day3

Topic: 13-3: Size patterns

Activities:


Teach vocabulary: Size Pattern (objective 3)

46

Do outside of pattern sheet using Smartboad projection whole group (objective 3)

Project Video Learning Activity on Smartboard (objective 3)


Math centers related to shape patterns and size patterns coincide with small groups

(objective 2 and 3)


Day 4

Topic: 13-3 review

Teacher will review material using Smartboard activities whole group (objective 1,2, and

3)

Shape patterns, size patterns, and color patterns will be covered (objective 1,2, and 3)

Small group centers and computer activities using shape, size, and color patterns

(objective 1,2, and 3)

Day 5

Topic: 13-4: Problem Solving: Look for a Pattern

Activities:


Teach vocabulary: repeating part of a pattern

Do outside of pattern sheet using Smartboard projection whole group circling repeating

parts (objective 4)



47

Math centers related to identifying the repeating parts of patterns using shape, color, and

size patterns coincide with small groups (objective 1, 2, 3, 4)


Day 6

Topic: 13-4 review

Teacher will review material using Smartboard activities whole group

Identifying repeating parts of patterns in shape and color patterns on Smartboard

Small group centers and computer activities using shape, size, and color patterns

(objective 1, 2, 3, 4)

Day 7

Topic: 13-5 :Growing Patterns

Activities:


Teach vocabulary: growing pattern




Math centers related to building growing patterns (objective 5)


Day 8

Topic: 13-6: Growing and Shrinking Pattern

Activities:

48


Teach vocabulary: growing pattern, shrinking pattern




Math centers related to building and drawing growing patterns and shrinking pattern

(objective 5)


Day 9

Topic: 13-7: Number Patterns

Activities:


Teach vocabulary: number pattern




Math centers related number patterns on a number chart (objective 6)

13-7 Quick check(objective 6)

Day 10

Topic: 13-8: Number Patterns on a Number Line

Activities:


49

Teach vocabulary: number pattern, number line




Math centers related to number patterns on a number chart and on a number line

(objective 6)


Day 11

Topic: 13-9: Solving Problems using Number Patterns

Activities:


Teach vocabulary: extend, number pattern

Do outside of pattern sheet using Smartboard projection whole group (objective4, 6)

Project Video Learning Activity on Smartboard (objective 4, 6)

Work in small groups to go over inside of pattern sheet (objective 4, 6)

Math centers related to extending number patterns (objective 4, 6)

13-6 Quick check

Day 12

Topic: Topic 13 assessment

Activities:

Florida Test practice assessment Whole group (objective 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 6)

Florida test individual (objective 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 6)

50

Alternative Assessment individual (objective 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 6)

Activities:

Content: 13-1 Color Patterns

Activity 1: Students for day 1 had two different activities during the teacher center. The

teacher center consisted of a sheet in which the students need to color the last part of the pattern

with the correct color. They were each handed their selection of colors so that they could make

their own choice about what color to use for the activity. Some of the students that were not at

the teacher’s table were at the computers where they were doing different activities depending on

their levels. This added to the differentiation for the students and the students were able to

improve their weaker skills or challenge them. The other two centers that the third group was

working on were one with colored blocks and one with links. The students were divided to be

able to make the working and learning easier. There were sheets of patterns that the students

needed to complete in order to be able to develop their knowledge. The students had a fairly

concrete knowledge of color patterns, but this activity helped confirm and assist with their

knowledge. The pre-assessment had one question that targeted the objective. The students

needed to identify the color bird that came next in the pattern. The activities helped teach how to

create and extend color patterns. The contextual factors of the classroom meant that those

students have already practiced the material and those who were struggling students were broken

up into different groups when they come to the teacher center so it is easier to differentiate. The

materials for this activity consist of crayons, the envision math computer software, the

51

Smartboard, and student work mats. The problem of the day acted as a beginning assessment and

the quick check acts as the ending assessment. The worksheet is an assessment during the

activity. Students understood this topic because of their prior knowledge, but it needed a little

more reinforcement.

1A. Sunshine State Standards:

MA.K.4.1 Identify and duplicate simple

number and non-numeric repeating and

growing patterns.

1B. Goal 3 Standards

Numeric Problem Solvers

Critical Thinkers

Cooperative Workers

2. Objectives

Students will be able to:

Given one multiple choice question and one student-response question, children will

recognize and extend color patterns two out of two correctly.

52

3. Assessment & Evaluation

Initial:

The students will state the color patterns given in the Problem of the Day and work whole group

Video Learning Activity

Informal:

Students will work in whole group to complete the Video Learning Activity as I help

instruct and ask questions to the students to verify understanding.

Formal:

Students will be working in small groups in order to complete the 13-1 EnVision

worksheet.

4. Introduction to Lesson:

“Today, we are going to learn about

color patterns and how to find out what

the next color will be. We have been

practicing this. Who remembers where

we have practiced color patterns? We

will also be using some new color

centers that I made for you.”

5. Materials:

TE Topic 13-1 , pg 235

Smartboard

Computers

Crayons

Pencils

Colored squares and Workmats

Colored links and workmats

53

6. Technology Integration:

Smart Board – Video Learning Activity

7. Teacher Presentation or Facilitation: (includes reviews and practice)

Problem of the day

“Take a look at our problem of the day. We need to organize the shells that are at the

bottom of the page. How would you organize them? Take some think time to decide and

raise your hand when you think you know how you would do it. Now let’s pick a stick

to see who will come up to the Smartboard and answer the question”.

One student will come up to describe and draw his or her way to organize the items.

“You can organize these shells by color or by shape. How would you organize them by

shape”?

Outside of Paper

“Look at these color patterns. Let’s say them together. (yellow, green, yellow, green,

yellow, green) What comes next? How did you figure it out? Let’s look at the next

one and say it together. ( red, red, yellow, red, red, yellow, red, red, yellow) What

comes next”?


Ask questions as prompted by the VLA.

Introduce new centers

54

Center rotation

Teacher center: Today we are going to say the patterns for numbers one through three on

the worksheet and color the object with the correct color. Then I will check to make sure

you are doing it correctly. We will go to number four through six, but you need to take

your time, because these are very difficult.

Two Color Pattern Making Centers

The first pattern making center uses colored squares and pattern sheets. The students

have done this before, so the teacher will briefly introduce the centers during whole

group and remind students to be working actively and that the teacher will be watching.

The students have done the second pattern center as well, so there will be a brief review.

The students take colored links and recreate the patterns from the pattern sheets.

Closure:I will check the back as students finish up. We will then, if time permits, do the 13-1

Quick Check

Specific accommodations, interventions, notes, etc…

Students will echo phrases and vocabulary words several times during the lesson.

Proximity to the teacher dung whole group lessons

Pairs during centers

Small groups organized by skill level

Content: 13-4 Problem Solving: Look for a Pattern

55

Activity 2: Students for day 6 were working on developing their knowledge of finding

the repeating parts of a pattern in order to continue extending the pattern. They had centers to

help practice this material, but in addition to the centers they had a Smartboard activity where

they were circling the repeating part of the shape and color patterns. This Smartboard activity

was done whole group and was done on day 7 as well, in order to confirm that the students will

be able to understand the material. The teacher’s center sheet consisted of math problems in

which the students had to circle the repeating part of patterns using different colored counters.

The students had one center activity in which they created color patterns and then identified the

repeating part of the patterns. In addition, they still maintained their computer center that teaches

them based on what they have already mastered as a whole. The pre-assessment had one

question that targeted the objective. The students needed to circle the repeating part of the

pattern. The activities helped teach how to find the repeating parts of patterns and extend those

patterns. The contextual factors of the classroom meant that those students had already practiced

the material and those who are struggling students were broken up into different groups when

they came to the teacher center so it is easier to differentiate. The materials for this activity

consisted of counters, crayons, the envision math computer software, the Smartboard, and

student work mats. The problem of the day acted as a beginning assessment and the quick check

acts as the ending assessment. The worksheet was an assessment during the activity. This topic

was very challenging for the students, so I decided to continue the practice onto day 7’s material.

The students who were prone to needing more time, received that time during their teacher center

activity.

1A. Sunshine State Standards: 1B. Goal 3 Standards

56

MA.K.4.1 Identify and duplicate simple

number and non-numeric repeating and

growing patterns.

Numeric Problem Solvers

Critical Thinkers

Cooperative Workers

2. Objectives


Solve problems by looking for and using the repeating parts to describe the pattern.


Initial:

The students will state the color patterns given in the Problem of the Day and work whole group


Informal:



Formal:


worksheet.


“Today, we are going to learn about the

repeating parts of patterns and practice

5. Materials:

TE Topic 13-4 , pg 241

57

finding and continuing those repeating

parts. What does repeating mean? This is

a hard part to figure out, so we need to

make sure that we are all paying

attention.”

Smartboard

Computers

Crayons

Pencils

Colored squares and Workmats

Colored links and workmats



58


Show evidence of Differentiated Instruction by highlighting or using bold type.

Problem of the day

“Take a look at our problem of the day. We need to draw the beads that come next. Let’s

say the pattern together and then take some think time to decide what should be next.

Raise your hand when you think you know how you would do it. Now let’s pick a stick

to see who will come up to the Smartboard and draw the next beads in the pattern”.

One student will come up to describe and draw the next parts of the pattern.

Outside of Paper

“ We have these different charts and I will create a pattern using our colors. I will call

on the students that are sitting quietly to come to the board and circle the repeating part

of the pattern. I see the pattern starts with red and green and the same two colors repeat

again and again. Let’s circle the repeating part”. Teacher will make two more simple

patterns and the students will be asked to come up to help the teacher circle the

repeating parts.



Introduce new centers

The students have done the second pattern center as well, so there will be a brief review.

The students take colored links and recreate the patterns from the pattern sheets.

.

59

Center rotation

Teacher center

Today we are going to say the patterns for numbers one through three on the worksheet

and color the object with the correct color. Then I will check to make sure you are doing

it correctly. We will go to number four through six, but you need to take your time,

because these are very difficult.

Two Color Pattern Making Centers

The first pattern making center uses colored squares and pattern sheets. The students have done

this before, so the teacher will briefly introduce the centers during whole group and remind

students to be working actively and that the teacher will be watching.

8. Closure:

I will check the back as students finish up. We will then, if time permits, do the 13-4 Quick

Check






Content: 13-5 Growing Patterns

60

Activity 3: Students for day seven were working on growing patterns and shrinking

patterns, which is topic 13-5. They had a teacher’s center sheet that the student needed to circle

the following part of a growing pattern. They needed to count the increments and then circle or

draw the following part of the pattern. The centers for this day consisted of a cube growing

pattern activity as well as one of the color pattern activities. The color pattern activity was

review and the growing pattern activity helped the students work towards mastering growing

patterns. The pre-assessment had one question that targeted the objective. The students needed to

identify the row of blocks that comes next in the patterns. The activities helped teach how to

identify and continue growing patterns. The contextual factors of the classroom mean that those

students have already practiced the material and those who are struggling students are broken up

into different groups when they come to the teacher center so it is easier to differentiate. The

materials for this activity consist of interlocking cubes, the envision math computer software, the

Smartboard, and student work mats. The problem of the day acts as a beginning assessment and

the quick check acts as the ending assessment. The worksheet is an assessment during the

activity. Student number 5 needed more practice because of his struggles with numbers. He was

able to receive extra time during the teacher center.

1A. Sunshine State Standards:

MA.K.4.1 Identify and duplicate simple number and non-

numeric repeating and growing patterns.

1B. Goal 3 Standards

Numeric Problem

Solvers

Critical Thinkers

Cooperative Workers

61

2. Objectives


Identify growing patterns and predict what comes next.


Initial:

The students will state the patterns given in the Problem of the Day and work whole

group Video Learning Activity

Informal:



Formal:


worksheet.


“Today, we are going to learn about growing patterns and

how to find out how many objects the next set will have.

We will be using some new growing pattern centers that I

made for you.”

5. Materials:

TE Topic 13-5 , pg

243

Smartboard

62

Connecting cubes

Student work mats




Show evidence of Differentiated Instruction by highlighting or using bold type.

Problem of the day

“Take a look at our problem of the day. How many squares are in the pattern? How many

circles are in the pattern? What shape comes next in the pattern?”

Students will be called upon in order to answer the questions above.

Outside of Paper

Students will come to the board and write numbers below how many cubes are on the

outside of the sheet. The students will then circle and then draw the next stack of blocks

to come into the pattern. Teacher will call students using the sticks.



Introduce new centers.

63

Center rotation

Teacher center

“Now we must look at the questions and find which number of objects comes next in the

growing pattern. Count the number of butterflies in the first problem. What number

should come next? Now circle it.” The teacher will continue through the rest of the paper

with the students in order to finish.

Math centers

The first pattern making center uses colored squares and pattern sheets. The students have

done this before, so the teacher will briefly introduce the centers during whole group and

remind students to be working actively and that the teacher will be watching.

The next center is a growing pattern center in which the students need to stack the cubes

and create the next part of the pattern.

8. Closure:

I will check the back as students finish up. We will then, if time permits, do the 13-5

Quick Check.






64

Technology:

Technology was used using primarily the EnVision math video learning activity as well as the

Smartboard activities. The problem of the day and the quick check were both projected onto the

Smartboard in order to make the lesson more interactive for the students.

Section 6: Instructional Decision Making

Student number 1 was one of the most concerning students in the classroom. He has

difficulties knowing his numbers and has a history of struggling with vocabulary. This student is

an ESOL student. The lack of support at one home has been a struggle as well. Objectives

number 5 and 6 both have to do specifically with numbers and recognizing patterns with those

numbers. During math centers, the student received supplementary help with number review as

65

well as growing and shrinking patterns and number patterns. His extra help used word/picture

cards that required him to practice his knowledge of vocabulary and growing patterns and then

that moved on to number patterns. These extra practices started from the second day on until the

test. The student was therefore able to practice terms that are used through the whole unit, as

well as conceptualize the material for objective 5 and objective 6. The primary challenge that the

student faced was his understanding of the vocabulary, so the frequency of the words and the use

of the context was aimed at making it easier for the student to grasp the material. As a result, the

student had a 100% gain for objective number 1, had gotten objective 2 correct for the pre-test

and the post-test, had a 50% gain for objective 3 and 4. The student missed one of the two

questions on the post test for objective 5 and had a loss of 50% and for objective number 6, the

student had a gain of 100%. The student was able to grasp most of the material and had an

overall gain of 42%, raising his pretest score of 33% to 75%.

Student number 7 is an English language learner who also has challenges grasping

material due to lack of academic vocabulary. The student also was one of the few that had a

history of rarely completing homework at home. She misses the extra practice that many of the

other students may receive with parents, so she received help from a student in one of the third

grade classes to complete her homework during morning time. This student was instructed

specifically not give answers, but rather act as if a junior teacher. Student number 7 also received

during center time an emphasis of vocabulary and repetition of instructions for the small-group

instruction. The student was also given paper shapes to practice making shape patterns and

growing and shrinking patterns during one day to be taught with one of the parent volunteers in

the back room during center time. This was geared to strengthen the student’s goal of mastery of

objective 2 and objective 3. The student was able to use the terms correctly and worked on the

66

Smartboard during the repeating parts of patterns activity where the student was able to practice

circling the repeating parts of the patterns provided with the rest of the class, so the student was

receiving that extra supplemental material during whole group. The student was able to

strengthen her knowledge in order to master objective number 4. She also had manipulative

number cards to create number patterns using a timeline. This was used to strengthen her

knowledge in order to master objective number 6. These all were used specifically during

centers, as sending home extra work would have been ineffective and incomplete. This student

demonstrated, as a result, gains of 58%, bringing her pre-test percentage from 16.7% to a post-

test percentage of 75%. Specifically, her mastery of objective one went up from 0% mastery to

50% mastery, meaning she missed one of the two questions. For objective number two, she went

up from 0% mastery to 100% mastery, demonstrating that she has completely mastered the

content. For objective number three, the student had mastered the material during the pre-test and

her post-test also reflected mastery since she received a 100% for both the pre-test and the post-

test. For objective four, the student earned 0% mastery on the pre-test demonstrating no mastery

and earned 100% mastery on the post-test, demonstrating mastery of the material. The student

faced difficulties with objective 5 which showed a 0% mastery on the pre-test and a 50% mastery

on the post-test, meaning she missed one question on the post-test. On objective 6, the student

received 0% mastery on the pre-test and a 50% mastery on the post-test. The student showed

that the extra work was beneficial, however the use of numbers and number knowledge resulted

in average performance of objectives five and six. Objective six was a challenge for not only this

student, but many of the students, because they have to have a significant knowledge of numbers,

number order, and recognition of patterns.

67

Section 7: Analysis of Impact on Student Learning

Whole Class Results: I was able to administer the pre-test during the students’ test for

the previous unit at the end of the day. It is apparent that, overall, the students had weaknesses of

their background knowledge for objective 4, 5, and 6. Objectives 4, 5 and 6 were specifically

challenging for the students which presented a need of emphasis on the material given during

these lessons. The students did well for objectives 1, 2, and 3 which demonstrated a need for less

focus on these objectives during the lesson. This pre-assessment helped me see the overall

weakness of the students’ prior knowledge of objectives 4, 5, and 6. As a result, I was able to use

the Smartboard to assist the students with their practice of finding the repeating parts of patterns.

I also decided to use manipulatives for the lessons in order to help students master their

objectives. During centers, the students had the opportunity to use manipulatives from pattern

cards to blocks and cubes to practice the concepts for each lesson. This helped them practice the

material in a fun and interesting way in with pairs. Pairs were assigned so the students could

check each other’s work.

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The students made gains from Unit 13 of 34%. The mean for the Pre-test was 51%.

There were 15 students who did meet the performance criterion for the unit. One student did not

meet the criterion. This student had one of the two lowest pre-assessment scores in the class.

This student received 67% on the post-assessment not meeting the 70% minimum. He did make

gains of 50% since his pre-assessment score was 17%, so his knowledge of the material

increased significantly.

Objective 1: As the pre-assessment results show, I was able to see that many of the

students were excelling at recognizing color patterns. This is a topic that the students have had

practice with during their calendar math time for several months. For the students who did miss

this problem, practice using colored blocks and colored squares to create patterns was used

during small group center time. These pattern creating activities gave the students time to

interact and check their learning with their partners. They were monitored to verify that they

were learning the material and were using the shapes appropriately. Few students needed these

tools during small group teacher center.

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100% Pre-Test Results for Objective 1

1

Perr

cent

cor

rect

Objective 2: The pre-assessment indicates that the students already have mastered shape

patterns. The students had a question in which they had to find the next shape to come in the

pattern. I used one color pattern center from the previous day and one shape pattern center in

which the students created shape patterns and then stated the shapes that came next in the pattern

verbally to their partners. The students worked well in their groups and were able to receive the

extra practice for reinforcement.

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120.00%Pre-Test Results for Objective 2

Objective 2

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Objective 3: Students were able to recognize size patterns and understand the vocabulary

stated in order to find what came next in the pattern. This lesson was easier to grasp due to the

repetition of the vocabulary from the previous days. I worked with the students repeating ‘large

small’ based on the size and they were able to work speedily through the material. I tried to show

them that if they state the patterns, they can find out what comes next easily. They had two size

pattern activities to work on during centers which required them to repeat the different parts of a

size pattern.

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Pre-Test Results for Objective 3

Objective 3

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Objective 4: Compared to the previous results, the students’ results drastically decreased

for objective 4. Students did not know the vocabulary to find the ‘repeating part’ of the pattern.

Their scores were significantly lower than the other previous objectives, so I made a plan to find

a Smartboard activity that we could do whole group to practice circling the repeating part of the

pattern. I also worked in small group teacher center using manipulatives to help teach the lesson.

We used the Smartboard activity on two days to emphasize the material to make it easier for the

students to understand.

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Pre-test Results for Objective 4

Objective 4

Objective 5: Seven out of fifteen students were able to answer the pre-test question for

objective 5. Students needed to build a growing pattern so the students were given connecting

cubes in order to practice growing patterns during centers. I used a strategy of teaching the

students about creating steps to be able to tell if the pattern is getting bigger or smaller, and then

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to write the number after counting the blocks to find out what comes next. We also used the

stackable cubes during teacher center to allow the students to have the time to create growing

patterns.

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Objective 5

Objective 6: This was the most challenging objective on the pre-test for the students.

Only two students were able to select the correct answer. Students struggled because of their lack

of practice identifying decreasing and increasing numbers as well as noticing a pattern with

numbers. In order to emphasize this part of the unit, I brought out a number line and number

cards to help the students recognize skip counting as well as decreasing and increasing numbers.

The students were able to work in centers using number cards and making patterns. The students

had to finish the pattern and check with a partner. I noticed previously that a student had

continuously struggled with numbers, so he went home with number flash cards to work on with

each parent.

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Objective 6

The post-test showed that the students were able to develop their knowledge of patterns. I

administered this twelve question test at the end of the day during the math period. Each student

made gains in every objective with the exception of student number one for objective 5 and the

class with number patterns for objective 6. No students had losses for objective 6; however some

students did not make any gains for the assessment. The standard deviations all went down,

however objective 4 did not go down significantly and objective 6 had a standard deviation that

actually went up by slightly less than 3%. This happened because so many students did poorly

on the pre-test, and many made significant gains. The class average score went up significantly

from the pre-test to the post-test and every individual student made gains, as well.

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Objective 1: The post-test scores for objective one demonstrate that the majority of the

students mastered the assessment objective. They had to receive a 100% for objective 1. Four

students only received a 50% for this objective. I realized that the student-response question was

difficult. The cars were shaded black, grey, and white, however the grey cars almost seemed

white. As the students colored in their cars, they had to recognize that the grey color was in fact

grey. The students who could not tell the difference between the shades may have led to their

error. The students as a whole are able to do color patterns.

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Post-test Results for Objective 1

Series1

Objective 2: Only two of the students did not master objective two. They needed to get

both questions correct and receive 100%. Each of the students that did not make the goal missed

one of the two questions and received 50% for objective two. One student had an illegible

answer for the student response question. The other student simply missed the multiple choice

question. Using the shape centers during lessons helped confirm that overall, the students would

master the material. They also performed well on the quick check at the end of the lesson for

objective two.

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Series1

Objective 3: All of the students mastered assessment objective three. It required the

students to answer one out of the two questions correctly. All of the students with the exception

of student number one were able to get both questions correct. I used a craft stick center for

practicing size patterns as well as the Envision sheet activity that helped the students be able to

practice and duplicate the different size patterns. Using the strategy to whisper the sizes helped

the students be able to recognize the patterns and answer the questions correctly and allowed

them to better comprehend what they were learning by not only looking, but saying and hearing.

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Series1

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Objective 4: Objective four is one of the biggest struggles for the students. They had to

learn a concept that they were not familiar with at all. The students needed to identify the

repeating part of a pattern. I emphasized this part of the unit by using the Smartboard activities to

help the students practice using techniques to figure out what the repeating part of the pattern

was. They were instructed to identify the first shape and then find when it happened again. The

next time it happened, the students were instructed to circle it. The students struggled throughout

the lesson, leading me to do the Smartboard activity during the following day. All of the students

mastered the assessment objective with the exception of student number 12. The objective

requested that the students were to solve one out of the two questions correctly. Three students

received 50% for objective number four. Twelve students received 100% for objective number

four. One student received a 0% for objective number four. This student has a history of

becoming easily distracted. He should have spent more time in the teacher center or should have

received a little extra practice.

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Objective 5: In order to master objective number five, the students needed to answer one

out of the two questions correctly. All of the students mastered the objective; however five of

the students were only able to answer one question correctly. Eleven of the students were able to

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answer both questions correctly. I used the connecting cubes to help demonstrate growing and

shrinking patterns, and the students were able to use connecting cubes in their centers to practice.

During whole group lesson, I showed the students a strategy of making steps in order to see if the

pattern is growing or shrinking. I also instructed them to write a number for how many cubes are

attached so they can have a quick visual of how much the pattern is growing.

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Series1

Objective 6: I knew that objective six was going to be the biggest struggle for the

students. Students have difficulties with numbers and recognizing how much the number patterns

increase or decrease because of their lack of familiarity with numbers and subtraction and

addition. Four students did not meet the criteria for the assessment objective. Three students

were able to get one of the two questions correctly. Nine students were able to answer both

questions correctly. It would have been more beneficial to spend extra days on this objective or

to have practiced numbers and subtraction right before the unit. If I had realized that this would

have continued to be a difficult objective, I would have had additional supplemental material.

The students needed to have more number sense.

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Series1

Pre-test to Post-test Comparison:

Each student demonstrated gains from pre-assessment to post-assessment. The students who had

scored particularly low on the pre-assessment made remarkable growth and demonstrated

mastery of the material. Student number 12 had a concerning gain. This student received 33% on

the pre-assessment and went up to 67% on the post-assessment. Although this is a growth of

almost 34%, the student is still scoring a 67% on the post-assessment. Student number 5, one of

the students who were receiving supplemental activities had a pre-assessment grade of 17% and

a post-assessment score of 67%. This student had a significant gain of 50%, demonstrating that

the supplemental activities were beneficial to his learning. Student number 11 had significant

gains. This student had a pre-assessment grade of 33% and a post-assessment grade of 92%

demonstrating a growth of 58%. The other student with the most growth was student number 7

who received a 17% on the pre-assessment and 75% on the post-assessment, showing gains of

58%, as well. These students had demonstrated a curiosity for the material and had consistently

completed their homework.

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Pre-test to Post-test Gains

PosttestPretestGains

Subgroups:

I chose to compare gender for objective number one. The students were equally divided

with eight girls and eight boys, making it easy to compare the pre- assessment and post-

assessment results. This is an objective that many of the students were familiar with in the pre-

assessment; however there was a group to be analyzed who made improvements from the pre-

assessment to the post-assessment. I noticed that student number 6 in the first sub-group did do

better on the pre-assessment than the post-assessment for objective number one. In the second

sub-group, student number 16 did better on the pre-test than the post-test for objective number

one, as well. Five of the girls scored 100% on the pre-assessment and the post-assessment for

objective one. Three girls scored 0% and three girls scored 50% on the pre-assessment for

objective one.

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Girls Objective 1

Pre-assessmentPost-Assessment

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Boys Objective 1

Pre-assessmentPost-assessment

It was interesting to notice that the mean for the girls was the same as the boys for the

pre-assessment. Both the boys and the girls had a mean of 63% for the pre-test. The girls’ mean

did manage to increase to 81% and the boys’ mean increased to 94%. Both groups significantly

increased their mean from the pre-assessment to the post-assessment. The standard deviation for

the girls decreased from 52% to 26% while the standard deviation for the boys decreased from

52% to 18%. The standard deviations demonstrated that the boys’ scores and the girls’ scores

both became closer to the mean for the post-assessment than the pre-assessment. This learning

objective had a variety of percentages for both the boys and girls with students that mastered the

material, didn’t master the material, and even did worse on the post-assessment objective than

the pre-assessment.

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Individuals:

Student number 5 and 11 both demonstrated a gain from the pre-assessment to the post

assessment. Student number 5, one of the students who were receiving supplemental activities

had a pre-assessment grade of 17% and a post-assessment score of 67% with a gain of 50%.

Student number 11 had a pre-assessment score of 33% and a post-assessment score of 92%

demonstrating a gain of 58%. Both gains are high, however student number 5 still had a low

score. Objective one is an objective that has an assorted group of results. Objective five has

varied results as well, and was a more challenging topic for the students to grasp.

Student number 5 demonstrated for objective one a gain of 100% from 0% on the pre-

assessment to 100% on the post-assessment by answering both questions with complete mastery

of the material. The student, using the supplemental material, was able to master the content and

was able to understand the concepts taught about color patterns. Student number 5 had a gain of

50%, going from 0% on the pre-assessment to a 50% on the post-assessment for objective five.

The student demonstrated mastery according to the assessment objective. Growing and shrinking

patterns was a struggle for the student to grasp, but with the use of a variety of materials, the

student was able to understand the concepts.

Student number 11 demonstrated for objective one a gain of 100% from 0% on the pre-

assessment to 100% on the post-assessment. The student was able to answer the two questions

correctly for the post-assessment. Student number 11 had a gain of 100% from 0% on the pre-

assessment to 100% on the post-assessment on objective number five. The student was able to

answer not only one question, but both questions correctly for the growing and shrinking

patterns.

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Both students demonstrated growth and mastery of the material. Student number five will

need more support with numbers, and the lessons demonstrated that using objects makes it easier

for the student to recognize patterns. Student number 11 had results that showed significant

growth during the lessons. The student was able to develop his knowledge appropriately and

successfully.

Section 8: Reflection and Self-Evaluation

The students were most successful in mastering objective 3. The students were taught a

technique in order to finish the pattern and identify the next parts of a pattern. They were taught

to whisper ‘big’ and ‘small’ depending on the size of the shape in the pattern. The student that

did not receive 100% did make gains from 0% to 50%. The whispering technique may have been

one the reasons why the students were able to do well with this objective, but the students all

demonstrated previous knowledge of the material. This objective may not have been needed to

be included in the unit. It was, however, part of the Envision math unit and could not be changed.

The students were least successful with mastering objective 6. The students started out

with no prior knowledge as seen by the lack of students who mastered the objective. 14 students

received 0% on the pre-assessment. Two students received 100% on the pre-assessment. The

students made gains of 53% with an average of 13% on the pre-assessment and an average of

66% on the post-assessment. The objective was challenging for the students to master. The

students had less strong knowledge in numbers than colors, shapes, or sizes. The students needed

to apply number order and number sense as well as addition and subtraction to solve for the next

number in the pattern. They were instructed to first recognize if the pattern is growing or

shrinking and then look at if they were skip-counting or not. The students made significant

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improvements on their class average with gains of 53%. They would need a stronger basic

knowledge base of numbers to exceed in this part of the unit and that would take more time.

Throughout the unit, I realized that there are points that come across where it would have

been beneficial to take more time or use practice sheets for review before teaching the numbers

part of the unit. The students had to revisit older material that they had not been using

consistently. I could have also changed the morning work from reading some days to math in

order to manipulate that time for review. This would have heightened the possibility that the

students would master the material significantly. Time is a key element in securing the students’

knowledge of decreasing and increasing number patterns. I need to manage my time better or do

more checks for knowledge from the students to ensure that the math time was not wasted. I also

need to dedicate the use of manipulatives in not only centers but in all teaching. Manipulatives

were not used during the Video Learning Animation and were not used during one of the review

days. The use of manipulatives helps the students affirm knowledge by experiencing the content

in a different way. Manipulatives are something that needs to be watched to make sure that they

are being used properly. In order to improve my teaching skills, I will develop more awareness

of the students’ previous knowledge as well as their weaknesses so I can better suit the needs of

the students. I need to be able to foresee struggles that specific students may have had. I also

need to work on using hands-on material to teach more challenging contexts. This assists

students of all grade levels in developing a concrete knowledge before moving on to other units.

The students had not practiced numbers for a while, for example, so they had to refresh their

memories to gain the knowledge of the last part of the unit.

In order to meet my professional goals, I was able to practice lesson planning,

assertiveness, and organization. I still have room for improvement. Organization was the most

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important part of completing my Teacher Work Sample, and not specifically as procrastination

or the lack thereof is concerned. It was important to use the material I had analyzed in order to

attempt to create appropriate student-centered work stations. In order to analyze the material, the

information had to be computed ahead of time. Lesson planning was important to teaching the

material and having a successful and interesting learning experience for the students. I used

many different types of manipulatives that the students enjoyed to teach many different pattern

activities. In order to communicate the more difficult material, I needed to use my lessons that I

had created as well as assertiveness. One of the biggest challenges throughout was using my

assertiveness to practice classroom management during whole-group activities. I developed

more of a confidence and a teacher ‘with-it-ness’, but I surely have room for improvement. The

students who did not understand some of the harder material would have done better, possibly, if

I had been more assertive.

Overall, the context was mastered by the students, and I think I did complete my overall

goal as well as learned much about the importance of data and analyzing the growth of each

student to help improve the areas of weakness. I grew significantly from the beginning of this

unit to the end and was able to identify and analyze my weaknesses as well as my strengths and

the weaknesses, strengths, and improvements with my students.

Documents

Kindergarten Teacher Work Sample