Missouri Pre-Service Teacher Assessment

Josephine Sumner Missouri State University

Nixa Public School District/John Thomas School of Discovery 4th grade

September 2, 2014

TASK 1

Types of Factors: Community,

District, School, Classroom

Demographics, and Knowledge

of Students

Contextual Factors

General context of your

students

(All subcategories listed in this

box are required.)

Students’ grade and developmental

levels; the age range of students;

the content area being taught; any

other factors that are pertinent to

understanding your class

assignment

4th grade (ages 9-10) Content Main Focus: Science, Mathematics, Writing/Reading, state of Missouri Lexile Levels Range: 372-998 (one student is BR-27) One student is below basic, 6 students are at basic reading level, 10 students are at a proficient level, and 4 students are at an advanced level.

Community

(e.g., whether the area is urban,

suburban, or rural; socioeconomic

information; census data for the

community)

Suburban/rural area Median Household Income (2012): $51,040 Population (2010): 19,022

District

(e.g., enrollment; percent of

students receiving free or reduced-

price lunches; graduation rates;

ethnicities; percent of students with

IEPs; percent of students who are

ELLs; per-pupil expenditures)

2013 Enrollment: 5,738 Asian: 0.7% Black: 0.9% Hispanic: 3% Indian: 0.9% White: 89% Free/Reduced Lunch: 36.3% Graduation Rate: 98% Expenditure per ADA: $7,718.74

School

(e.g., enrollment; percent of

students receiving free or reduced-

price lunches; MAP scores and AYP

data; ethnicities; percent of

students with IEPs; percent of

students who are ELLs; the

teacher-to-student ratio)

2013 Enrollment: 435 Asian: 0.5% Black: 0.2% Hispanic: 2.3% White: 92.2% Reduced/Free Lunch: 31.1% Student/Teacher Ratio- 23:1 Recognitions: first STEAM Magnet School for K-6 in the state MAP English: Basic- 28.5% Prof.- 36.2% Adv.- 35.2% Math: Basic- 25.7% Prof.- 51.1% Adv.- 24.4% Science: Basic- 17.8% Prof.- 35.6% Adv.- 46.7% AYP Communication Arts- Not Met Mathematics- Met Additional Indicators- Met

Classroom demographics

(e.g., ethnicities; gender ratios;

special needs, including those of

gifted students, those of students

with physical needs, and those due

to cultural characteristics)

9 girls/14 boys 21 White 1 Black 1 Samoan 1 gifted student (attends ALERT once a week) 4 IEP students: 1 in speech 2 all subjects 1 in reading/writing 1 diabetic 3 with asthma

Knowledge of students

(in terms of the whole class and

individual students)

(e.g., language needs; approaches

to learning; prior learning and

experiences; academic

proficiencies/MAP scores;

behavioral differences; areas of

interest)

Language Needs: 1 student with IEP in Speech and Language Approaches to Learning: mini-lessons, technology interactive, writing/reading/science journals, anchor charts, kinesthetic Prior Knowledge: students have been in a STEM school for the previous two years Behavioral Differences: behavior among the students varies a lot; some students are more shy and others are a lot more comfortable speaking out in class and participating in discussion, but it is evident that all students are excited to be in the classroom and learn; some of the boys may get easily distracted when sat together, but are easily redirected back to being on-task when instructed by the teacher Areas of Interest: Based on the Student Interest Surveys distributed among the students, the family structure seems to be split pretty evenly between families that live together and families that are separated. For the most part, the students have at least one chore as their responsibility at home. The students wrote that they have a lot of chapter books to read at home, and seem to do their homework mostly by themselves with a little aid from their family members. The students’ favorite subjects was almost evenly split between math, science, reading, and writing. Students also mentioned art and physical education as favorite parts of their day. My teacher often plays music during independent study time because the majority of students like to listen to music while working. Although a few students mentioned that they prefer to work independently and at their desk, the majority of students were open to working with other classmates by having partners or being part of a group. Many students also mentioned that they prefer to move around to different places in the classroom to learn throughout the day.

RESOURCE ONE EXAMPLE AND LOCATION

COMMUNITY Care to Learn “Health, Hunger, Hygiene” Provides immediate funding to meet emergent health, hunger, and hygiene needs so every child can be successful in school 301 S. Main Street Nixa, Missouri 65714 BUILDING/DISTRICT POLICIES Gifted Programs: ALERT (upper-level curriculum) 1st-4th: High Point Elementary 5th-6th: Summit Intermediate 7th-8th: Nixa Junior High 9th-10th: Nixa High School

SUPPORT STAFF Librarian- Bonnie Eiche (located in the library most of the day) Speech and Language Specialist- Leslie Husk (located in Special Education room)

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS Chart Paper- used during mini-lessons for developing anchor charts Measuring tools- used during engineering labs

CURRICULAR PROGRAMS Robotics- every Thursday students focus on building and programming robots using the Lego Mindstorms robots Yearbook Club- every Tuesday students design the layout, pictures, captions, and layouts of the student yearbook

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY SMART Board- every classroom has a white board with interactive technology which students and teachers can use for daily instruction

STUDENT DATA

ACCESS/RECORDING

PowerSchool is a database used by the teachers to record student attendance, lunch count, and grades (also parent accessible from the Nixa Public School website)

OTHER RESOURCES Pay Pams- a website that allows parents to pay for their students’ lunches electronically (located on the Parents tab on the Nixa Public Schools website)

Hello Eagles! Let me first begin by saying… Thank you so much for the opportunity to work with your child during the upcoming months as your

student teacher for Mr. Lowder! This is a semester I have been looking forward to for years, and I feel

beyond blessed with such an amazing placement at John Thomas School of Discovery in this 4th grade

classroom. Thanks to Mr. Lowder, I have already gotten the chance to become acquainted with the

class on the first day of school and I can already tell I am going to learn so many wonderful things from

these 4th graders!

Let me tell you just a little about myself. My name is Josie Sumner, and I am 22 years old. I am currently

working towards my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, and plan to graduate this upcoming

December after the fall semester! I have learned a lot about the use of technology in a classroom

setting over the last 4 years, so I look forward to experiencing it firsthand in Mr. Lowder’s classroom

along with learning so much more! I grew up In St. Louis, which is where most of my family lives. I have

a younger brother who just began high school, and a younger sister who is now a sophomore at

Southeast Missouri University in Cape Girardeau. I have enjoyed helping them with their schoolwork

over the years and it was one of the many reasons that led me to want to become a teacher. Outside of

school, I am a waitress at a restaurant in Springfield, I love to dance, and am training for my second half

marathon!

Enough about me, this year is all about your new 4th grader! Since you have all been at JTSD over the previous years, I’m sure you will know a lot more than me and I will always be open to comments/questions/suggestions that you may have regarding my experience here. This is my chance to grow as a teacher and a life-long learner, so any helpful advice you may have to offer along the way concerning your child or the school would be deeply appreciated! Throughout the semester I will be taking on many different roles alongside Mr. Lowder, teaching lessons, writing newsletters, and helping out around the classroom in any way that I can. I can’t wait to officially kick-off this semester and get to know your child so much more! Thanks again so much for allowing me to work with your child- let’s have us a fantastic school-year! Go Eagles! Contact Information: Email Address- garrettlowder@nixaschools.net (Mr. Lowder’s email)

Phone Number- (417)875-5600 (JTSD)

STEP 1: Knowledge of Students Textbox 1.1.1: Community, District, School Contextual Factors that Influence Instruction (Refer to the Contextual Factors Chart in these prompts.) Guiding Prompts From the Contextual Factors Chart, choose one factor that you consider will have the most impact on student learning from each of the following: community, district, and school. a) Based on your chosen community factor, identify one possible instructional strategy and one learning activity that you could use in your classroom to further student learning. Provide a rationale for choosing that strategy and activity and why it appropriately connects to your chosen factor. After researching the contextual factors of the Nixa community, I have found that it is a

mostly suburban area. The social structure of most suburban areas includes students of all different backgrounds, readiness to learn, values, aspirations, and abilities, even if the outliers make up the minority of a classroom. In a typical classroom, several will be high-level learners, a few will be low-level, and the majority will fall somewhere in the middle. The instructional strategy that I could use in my classroom is to incorporate differentiation in every lesson plan in order to accommodate the lower-level students and make them feel like they are getting the same attention as the students who have proven themselves more capable of passing state standardized test scores. Differentiation furthers student leaning because it gives them the option to work at their own pace and to learn content in a specific way based on their personal capabilities. I believe the first step in accommodating these students would be to offer student interest inventories as a learning activity. This activity would further student learning because it would produce student responses that may reveal what they are interested in, what their families are like, and how they learn best. I would learn how to best include everyone in my instruction, which would result in the students learning at their best throughout the school year.

b) Based on your chosen district factor, identify one possible instructional strategy and one learning activity that you could use in your classroom to further student learning. Provide a rationale for choosing that strategy and activity and why it appropriately connects to your chosen factor. After researching the contextual factors of the Nixa School District, I have discovered

that their expenditures per ADA are relatively high, meaning that they are a rather affluent district. By being an affluent district, Nixa Public Schools have many opportunities to send their students on various field trips throughout the year, an instructional strategy that helps further student learning because it gives students the opportunity to experience learning firsthand in a more realistic way. Authenticity in learning is crucial because students need to see how the learning they do in school will apply to the real world once they leave the classroom. Starting this year, Nixa School District has been given the chance to pair with Cox Hospital and send the students on several field trips each year to the hospital to observe and participate in many learning activities with the doctors and nurses in order to spark interest in them about a possible

future career path in the medical field. These learning activities would further student learning because the learning content progresses and builds at each new grade level and also will potentially inspire young students to want to learn more about hospitals early on and imagine a future in the medical field.

c) Based on your chosen school factor, identify one possible instructional strategy and one learning activity that you could use in your classroom to further student learning. Provide a rationale for choosing that strategy and activity and why it appropriately connects to your chosen factor. After researching the contextual factors of my school, I found that John Thomas School

of Discovery was the first STEAM Magnet School for K-6 in the state of Missouri. By being a STEAM Magnet School, they have a lot more funding than most public schools which allows them to incorporate a lot of technology and internet resources into their curriculum. Since this is such a huge accomplishment and recognition for the school, an instructional strategy I could use in my classroom to further student learning would be guiding them in research studies. Having students participate in research furthers student learning in many ways because it gives them the autonomy to take accountability for their own learning rather than giving them the answers, and it also teaches them how to decipher between accurate internet resources and those that are not reliable. A learning activity I would pair with research studies would be a jigsaw activity, where I would assign groups and distribute roles to each individual student within that group. One jigsaw activity I could incorporate in my actual classroom would involve research about their current science topic which is earthworms, where students could be given different roles to find out different important pieces of information that the class should know about them. Jigsaws further student learning because they teach students interdependence and encourage participation when the other members of a student’s group are counting on that individual to provide them with accurate research.

Textbox 1.1.2: Classroom Demographics and Knowledge of Students (Refer to the Contextual Factors Chart in these prompts.) Guiding Prompts From the Contextual Factors Chart, choose one factor that you consider will have the most impact on student learning from each of the following: classroom demographics and knowledge of students. a) Based on your chosen classroom demographics factor, identify one possible instructional strategy and one learning activity that you could use in your classroom to further student learning. Provide a rationale for choosing that strategy and activity and why it appropriately connects to your chosen factor.

After collecting classroom demographics, I have found that two students in the classroom have IEPs in mathematics, reading, and writing, which means they are pulled out for extra individualized guidance in every subject except science. Since the two students are not technically responsible for completing the classroom work that is given while they are gone, I have noticed that due to habit, they do not hold themselves

accountable for their science work while in classroom attendance. In order to further their learning when it comes to science content, I would implement “Science Buddies” as an instructional strategy in the classroom. Every student would keep a consistent partner from day to day who would hold them accountable to filling out their science journal, participating in experiments, and understanding the material. This strategy would be applied to the entire class in order to avoid these two focus children from feeling singled out or scrutinized. One learning activity I would implement through the use of Science Buddies would be an experiment where each buddy would be given a different role/responsibility to contribute, therefore holding them accountable to participate. An example of an experiment the pair could do team up and accomplish together would be in creating an earthworm habitat, which would require research about how to keep them alive, a plan and blueprint for the construction of the habitat, and working together to bring in materials found around their homes to build with. This learning activity would further student learning because it would require the two focus students to gain a deeper knowledge about science and it would promote conversations between classmates that are on-task.

b) Based on your chosen knowledge of students’ factor, identify one possible instructional strategy and one learning activity that you could use in your classroom to further student learning. Provide a rationale for choosing that strategy and activity and why it appropriately connects to your chosen factor. After collecting evidence from the student interest inventories that were distributed on

the first week of school, I have found that the majority of the class prefers to move around the room throughout the day while they learn. In order to benefit the students and help them get the most out of their day, I would provide them with many opportunities to use the space through small groups, whole-class instruction at the carpet, and brain breaks. One specific learning activity I could teach the class to get them moving would be a gallery walk of the room during math to discover all of the arrays that can be found. It is important to allow students time away from their desks for various parts of the day because kinesthetic movement can motivate them to engage in the thinking process. This learning activity that I chose would both fulfill that desire the children have and would also give them the chance to recognize arrays in a more authentic way, helping them understand that math can be found all around us.

STEP 2: Resources and Procedures Textbox 1.2.1: Available Resources to Enhance Student Learning (Refer to the Instructional Support and Resources Factors Chart in these prompts.) Guiding Prompts After completing the Instructional and Support Resources Chart, answer the following. a) Select two resources and describe how you would use each of these in your classroom to support your students’ learning.

Two resources that are already used quite frequently in my classroom are chart paper and the SMART Board. Chart paper is an instructional material that supports student learning through the use of anchor charts completed as a class. The teacher began the semester using anchor charts to facilitate discussion about classroom expectations, but now mostly uses them to activate prior knowledge or to review the content of a lesson. The SMART Board is used in the classroom to support student learning with interactive activities. Being touch screen, the SMART Board allows for students to directly interact with technology and become engaged in the learning process through virtual museums and review activities. The SMART Board is also where students record their lunch count, which gives them the daily opportunity to become fluent and build confidence in using technology.

b) Now select any one resource. Also, from your Contextual Factors Chart, select a particular characteristic that you listed under Knowledge of Students. Describe how this resource could help support the chosen characteristic to enhance student learning.

Since John Thomas School of Discovery has been a STEM school over the previous two years, the students in my 4th grade classroom have prior knowledge and experience when it comes to focusing heavily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. A number of curricular programs are offered at JTSD which enhance student learning when it comes to STEM, such as Robotics Club. While at Robotics Club, students focus on building and programming robots using the Lego Mindstorms robots, which is a useful resource when it comes to enriching their previous experiences with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and demonstrating comprehension of these skills in an applicable way.

Textbox 1.2.2: Student Interest Inventory (Refer to the Student Interest Inventory in these prompts.) Guiding Prompts a) Based on the compilation of information from this inventory, provide one example of how this information would influence an instructional decision you make in your classroom. Based on the compilation of information from the student surveys, I came to find that

the majority of the 4th graders enjoy working with their classmates in partners or groups. An instructional decision I would make regarding the students in this classroom would be to allow many opportunities for them to work in pairs or in table teams in order to elicit on-task discussion and enhance their overall content knowledge. This information also shows me that the class as a whole may be a lively and social bunch, so I will need to prepare classroom management strategies in order to keep the volume level under control and the conversations pertinent to the topic of each lesson.

b) Select one completed student interest inventory from this class. Analyze how one item from this inventory can be used to promote his or her engagement and learning. When one of the students was asked, “What makes you upset at school?” the student’s

answer was, “Being bullied.” Based on this student’s response, I would do my best to promote an atmosphere in the classroom that is respectful and comfortable. As a class, we would need to pre-establish expectations to guide student-student and student-

teacher relationships. In order to hold students accountable to these expectations, I would have the students sign their name, or somehow demonstrate their understanding of how they should behave. By preventing bullying in the classroom, this student will feel more welcomed by peers, less distracted by relationships, and more inclined to engage and participate in the learning that takes place.

Textbox 1.2.3: Communicating with Students and Families (Refer to the Communication Method Document in these prompts.) Guiding Prompts a) Describe how your introductory communication addresses your awareness of the demographic differences in the classroom.

In order to effectively communicate with the students and families of my classroom, I chose to create a newsletter that explains how much I’m looking forward to the semester, a little introduction about myself, and the opportunity for families to reach me and communicate any comments, concerns, or questions. My communication method addresses my awareness of the demographic differences in the classroom because I wrote it at a level that could be read and understood by a 4th grader to ensure that students could understand, and also so parents/guardians could read it since I have no knowledge on their literacy levels. My newsletter also begins by stating, “Hello Eagles!” rather than “Hello Parents!” because the person receiving the letter may be a legal guardian, but not the student’s biological parent.

b) How does this form of communication foster interactive communication among you, your students, and their families?

My introduction newsletter fosters interactive communication among myself, my students, and their families because it provides contact information (school phone number and teacher’s email address) at the bottom, and mentions that I would appreciate any suggestions, comments, or questions the family may have for me as a student teacher.

Textbox 1.2.4: Rules and Procedures a) Describe one example of a classroom rule or procedure. Analyze the implications of this rule or procedure for facilitating instruction, enhancing student learning, or impacting the learning environment.

Punctuality is highly valued in my classroom throughout the entire day. One way my cooperating teacher enforces being on time is through the use a six minute countdown at the beginning of the day. The countdown begins at the first bell (8:30 am), after which the students are required to hang up their backpacks and/or lunch boxes, move their chair from on top of their desk to underneath it, choose their lunch for the day, and begin completing their morning work. My teacher allows the students to talk to each other, as long as they keep it at a decent sound level and they are able to complete all of the required tasks before the six minutes are over and the Pledge of Allegiance begins over the intercom. This classroom procedure is very crucial to the start of the

day because it allows the students to settle in the classroom comfortably, but also ensures that they prepare their minds for the day and are not causing chaos as they enter the room.

b) Describe one example of a technology rule or procedure. Analyze the implications of this rule or procedure for facilitating instruction, enhancing student learning, or impacting the learning environment.

John Thomas School of Discovery provides students with many great opportunities to interact with technology, which is one of the reasons why the students at this school tend to excel at a much quicker rate than most. However, with technology comes responsibility, and students are held very accountable for how they choose to utilize their time. Every child in my classroom is provided with an iPad, and they are fully expected to stay on-task and using for educational purposes only during class time. Any additional time at recess or at home the student is allowed more freedom to play games and explore other websites and applications. If a student does not show that they can handle having an iPad while following these guidelines, the iPad will be confiscated. Almost any student would be very upset if this were to happen to them, so there have been very minimal accounts where this consequence was actually necessary, proving its success. The iPad is used as a tool to keep students on-task, efficient with their time, and prepared to learn.