Exemplar: AASU_Sarah Wostbrock_Electronic Portfolio

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. –William Ward

            When instructing a lesson, the first step for me as an educator is to make sure all my students understand the goals and instructions for an assignment (indicator 3a). I feel it is important for them to understand—not just what step in the learning process they are to complete right now—but what the end result is going to be.  For older elementary students this may mean explaining a rubric or, for younger students, seeing a model. Either way, it is crucial to communicate learning goals to students more than just orally. They often require written or visual communication as well as chance to ask questions and explore the project before beginning it (indicator 3b). In the case of artifact 12, I had students read aloud a model for their project and then interact with it on the smart board (indicator 3h) before ever beginning on their own.

The goal of the attached lesson plan, “If I had a robot” (artifact 12), was for students to complete by the end of the week a project-based assessment consisting of a 5-part paragraph describing an imaginary robot, a plan for creating a robot, and the robot itself.  I began, day one, reading a grade-level science fiction story about a boy who receives a robot for his birthday. To set the purpose for reading, I began the morning letting students know to look for ideas in the story because they would be writing a story about their own robot and building it at the end of the week. We also established prior knowledge as a class by brainstorming, comparing and contrasting (indicator 3d) what things a robot can do (move for example) and what he can’t (breathe, think, feel).

 Before beginning the writing process, I discussed adjectives with the students which we referred to as “describing words” so that their purpose in a story would be comprehensible to students (indicator 3c), and we practiced using them by playing a game familiar to students—“I spy”. I then modeled what students were to do in the upcoming days by showing them a completed paragraph that I had written and my own robot made from art supplies. Needless to say, students were extraordinarily engaged in the project because they were able think creatively and personalize the project for themselves (indicator 3c).  

After cooperatively creating a circle map listing many tasks a robot could perform if you had one and forming a main idea sentence, the students began writing three content sentences that would make up the body of their paragraphs. During this time, both my cooperating teacher, our paraprofessional and I walked around the room answering questions and providing response to individual students in order to give immediate, constructive feedback and encourage students to stay on task (indicator 3e). Since pacing and completion time was different for each student, there was always an enrichment activity on hand for early finishers and no time was wasted (indicator 3f). When the rough drafts were complete, I took these home to review as a formative assessment (indicator 3g) before summatively assessing the paper at the end. They let me know which students knew how to correctly form a sentence and which were still struggling or careless, as well as which students were grasping the new concept of using describing words in writing. In doing this, I also noticed that one of my students with special needs was having spatial issues making sense of the graphic organizer we were using. I was able to accommodate him (indicator 3e) by writing out his words on a much larger paper with more space between the lines. From there we agreed he would cross out each word with a pencil as he transferred it to a neat sheet and he was able to be very successful and proud of his end result!

3a. Communicates learning goals and instructional procedures (NAEYC 2.1, 2.13)

3b. Communicates clearly and accurately (in speaking and writing), encourages students to communicate effectively (GPS 2.4)

3c. Makes content comprehensible to students (coherent structure, makes materials relevant to students) (NAEYC 2.1, 2.13)

3d. Encourages critical thinking through effective use of questioning and discussion techniques (NAEYC 2.1.1)

3e. Monitors learning, provides feedback, and adjusts learning activities to mee the needs of all students (NAEYC 4.1)

3f. Uses instructional time effectively (NAEYC 2.1)

3g. Impacts student learning as evidenced by formative and/or summative assessments (NAEYC 3.1.1-4.2)

3h. Integrates technology into instruction (NAEYC 2.1.6)

Relevance:

ELA1R6 The student uses a variety of strategies to understand and gain meaning from grade-level text. The student
Reads and listens to a variety of texts for information and pleasure.
b. Makes predictions using prior knowledge.
c. Asks and answers questions about essential narrative elements (e.g., beginning middle- end, setting, characters, problems, events, resolution) of a read-aloud or independently read text.
d. Retells stories read independently or with a partner.
e. Distinguishes fact from fiction in a text.
f. Makes connections between texts and/or personal experiences.
g. Identifies the main idea and supporting details of informational text read or heard.
h. Self-monitors comprehension and rereads when necessary.
l. Recognizes plot, setting, and character within texts, and compares and contrasts these elements among texts.
m. Recognizes and uses graphic features and graphic organizers to understand text.

ELA1W1 The student begins to demonstrate competency in the writing process. The student
b. Describes an experience in writing.
c. Rereads writing to self and others, revises to add details, and edits to make corrections.
d. Prints with appropriate spacing between words and sentences.
e. Writes in complete sentences with correct subject-verb agreement.
l. Uses appropriate end punctuation (period and question mark) and correct capitalization of initial words and common proper nouns (e.g., personal names, months).

Prerequisites:
This lesson is designed for a 1st grade, EIP class of 14 students. Two students are in special education inclusion, 3 receive pull out instruction in the Reading Recovery program, and 5 are pulled for speech therapy.  The students know all their letters and letter sounds and can read simple, decodable words. In past lessons they have been working to increase their vocabulary, knowledge of high frequency words, spelling patterns and reading fluency. Previous grammar lessons have introduced the concept of describing words using the comma for listing.

Goals:
The students will understand what “good readers do to understand a story:” identify the main idea, setting, plot, characters, etc.  
The students will understand how describing words (adjectives) can be used to describe physical properties (specifically shape, size and color).

Objectives:
The students will  make predictions about the plot of, identify the genre and main idea of, discuss the setting and characters in and read along with an audio version of My Robot
The students will compare their predictions to the actual story line in a post-read guided comprehension session.
The students will begin the writing process for their composition: If I had a robot…

Evaluation:
Assessment will be based on:
Student competency in answering guided comp. questions (informal),
Output of a main idea sentence (informal), and
Student-graphed progress on 1 min read/words per min.

Materials / Equipment:
Robots Can/Can’t Do Classifying Overhead
Vocab/Spelling name cards
Spelling 3x sheet (14)
Cindy’s Cirucs (14)
Graphic Organizer (14 + overhead) for writing
Sample story and robot

Procedures:

Shared/Guided Reading

Introductory Activities

EQ) What do good readers do to help them understand the story?

Prior Knowledge: Brainstorm and Classify—what are some things Robots Can Do and Robots Can’t Do? (see attached)

Development Activities

Introduce My Robot: Vocabulary words and Genre—science-fiction (Things happen in science fiction stories that can’t happen yet. BUT they may happen in the future--like skateboards with wings!)

Set a purpose for reading: Discuss Prediction using the Title pg. and Picture Clues—why might this story be science fiction? Look for tools and machines that we don’t use today. Also, remind students to pay attention to the robot in the story because later on they are going to make a robot and write their own story about it.

Listen to story on tape. Students track and read silently.

Guided Comprehension Questions (see attached)

Have group time on the carpet to introduce spelling pattern (soft c) and spelling words
Students receive vocab/spelling namecards and have 5 minute introductions where they practice seeing and reading the words for the week.
Ex) “Hi, I’m ‘almost’”  “Hi, ‘almost’. I’m ‘rice’.  Nice to meet you!”
Students wear names cards and continue to call each other by their new “names” for the rest of the day.

Closing Activities

Teachers circulate and complete a 1 minute read of My Robot with each student to build fluency while the rest complete the below independent work. Graph results.
1. Spelling words 3x
2. Read Cindy’s Circus Hound and highlight ow/ou sounds
If time, go over the soft ‘c’ sounds in Cindy’s Circus before lunch

Introductory Activities

Review describing words, feelings and senses
Intro: some describing words we use have to do with what things look like—their shape, color and size. These words help readers or listeners to know what we are talking about.

Play a few short rounds of “I Spy”
Students must describe the color, shape and size of each object they spy.
Example: “I Spy something big, white, and square.” (The smart board)
The students may need some help thinking of shape words (square, circular, rectangular, boxy, round, etc)

Development Activities

Explain to students that they are about to write a paper about a robot that they might own in the future. Describing words like shape, color and size  make a story better because they help the reader make pictures in their mind.
Show students a model—my robot and my story in a graphic organizer (see attached: Helpful Henrietta).
Students take turns underlining describing words in the model story.

Closing Activities    

Pass out graphic organizers.
Students name their robot using an adjective-noun combination (ex. Helpful Henrietta) and write their main idea sentence.
Early finishers complete Practice pg. 42

Accommodations for Mainstreamed Students
Students with special needs may need assistance reading and may complete fewer problems as their IEPs direct.

Enrichment:
Phonemic Awareness: onsets, rhymes, blending and segmenting words

Follow-up:
Future ELA activities: Guided reading centers and the Writing Process—If I Had a Robot

Things_Robot_s_CAN-CANT_Do.doc

comprehension_questions.jpg

Helpful_Henrietta.doc

English Language Arts: If I Had a Robot...

Relevance:

ELA1R6 The student uses a variety of strategies to understand and gain meaning from grade-level text. The student
Reads and listens to a variety of texts for information and pleasure.
b. Makes predictions using prior knowledge.
c. Asks and answers questions about essential narrative elements (e.g., beginning middle- end, setting, characters, problems, events, resolution) of a read-aloud or independently read text.
d. Retells stories read independently or with a partner.
e. Distinguishes fact from fiction in a text.
f. Makes connections between texts and/or personal experiences.
g. Identifies the main idea and supporting details of informational text read or heard.
h. Self-monitors comprehension and rereads when necessary.
l. Recognizes plot, setting, and character within texts, and compares and contrasts these elements among texts.
m. Recognizes and uses graphic features and graphic organizers to understand text.

ELA1W1 The student begins to demonstrate competency in the writing process. The student
b. Describes an experience in writing.
c. Rereads writing to self and others, revises to add details, and edits to make corrections.
d. Prints with appropriate spacing between words and sentences.
e. Writes in complete sentences with correct subject-verb agreement.
l. Uses appropriate end punctuation (period and question mark) and correct capitalization of initial words and common proper nouns (e.g., personal names, months).

Prerequisites:
This lesson is designed for a 1st grade, EIP class of 14 students. Two students are in special education inclusion, 3 receive pull out instruction in the Reading Recovery program, and 5 are pulled for speech therapy. The students know all their letters and letter sounds and can read simple, decodable words. In past lessons they have been working to increase their vocabulary, knowledge of high frequency words, spelling patterns and reading fluency. Previous grammar lessons have introduced the concept of describing words using the comma for listing.

Goals:
The students will build fluency.
The students will become increasing familiar with their vocabulary and spelling words.
The students will read enrichment literature and understand that the letter “c” makes two sounds /k/ and /s/

Objectives:
The students will increase fluency in reading by chorally reading On the Job with Martha Smith and rereading the first section in a timed 1 min quick assessment. Students graph words per min.
The students will recognize and read 9/10 vocabulary words when cued.
The students will identify 3 words containing the soft c each while reading Bats Are Nice.
The students will complete extra support pg. 43 on /s/c sounds with 90% accuracy.

Evaluation:
Assessment will based on
Recognition of vocabulary words
Practice pg. 43
Student-graphed progress on 1 min read/words per min.

Materials / Equipment:
ABC mats and letter cards
I Have a Robot, Cindy’s Cellar, and Robots Rush
Wordo (vocabulary word bingo) cards
Bats Are Nice  (/s/c words)

Procedures:

Shared/Guided Reading

Introductory Activities

Choral reading of My Robot
If time, Read “Pretending” and discuss poem elements (TE154P)

Development Activities

Guided Reading Centers (students rotate in leveled groups—advanced, on-level, and below)

1) Teacher: Building spelling words with letter tiles. Targets phonemic awareness as well as a spelling review game. (ex. Ice. Add an n to ice. What word do you have? Change 1 letter to make the work rice.) Scripted on TE 145F. Also, read leveled books with appropriate groups and discuss reading strategies (prediction, picture clues, identifying setting, etc) and comprehension questions at the end of each book.

2) Parapro: Vocabulary review. Review vocabulary words—say each word together, spell each word together, use each word in a sentence context (Intervention Guide). Play Wordo! (Bingo with vocabulary words to improve recognition)

3) SPED Teacher: Read minibook Bats Are Nice with students, stopping to identify and write /s/c words on the board. Students complete Extra Support pg. 43, using /s/c words.

Closing Activities

1 Do 1 min read of My Robot. Graph results.

Review which words have soft c sounds and which take the letter s using the attached powerpoint game--can be competitive (table teams)

Accommodations for Mainstreamed Students
Students with special needs may need assistance reading and may complete fewer problems as their IEPs direct.

Enrichment:
Phonemic Awareness: onsets, rhymes, blending and segmenting words
Play Sparkle (spelling review game)

Follow-up:
Future ELA activities: Guided reading centers, Spelling Pre-test, Reading Test

soft_c_spelling_words_2_.ppt

ELA1R6 The student uses a variety of strategies to understand and gain meaning from grade-level text. The student
Reads and listens to a variety of texts for information and pleasure.
b. Makes predictions using prior knowledge.
c. Asks and answers questions about essential narrative elements (e.g., beginning middle- end, setting, characters, problems, events, resolution) of a read-aloud or independently read text.
d. Retells stories read independently or with a partner.
e. Distinguishes fact from fiction in a text.
f. Makes connections between texts and/or personal experiences.
g. Identifies the main idea and supporting details of informational text read or heard.
h. Self-monitors comprehension and rereads when necessary.
l. Recognizes plot, setting, and character within texts, and compares and contrasts these elements among texts.
m. Recognizes and uses graphic features and graphic organizers to understand text.

ELA1W1 The student begins to demonstrate competency in the writing process. The student
b. Describes an experience in writing.
c. Rereads writing to self and others, revises to add details, and edits to make corrections.
d. Prints with appropriate spacing between words and sentences.
e. Writes in complete sentences with correct subject-verb agreement.
l. Uses appropriate end punctuation (period and question mark) and correct capitalization of initial words and common proper nouns (e.g., personal names, months).

Prerequisites:
This lesson is designed for a 1st grade, EIP class of 14 students. Two students are in special education inclusion, 3 receive pull out instruction in the Reading Recovery program, and 5 are pulled for speech therapy. The students know all their letters and letter sounds and can read simple, decodable words. In past lessons they have been working to increase their vocabulary, knowledge of high frequency words, spelling patterns and reading fluency. Previous grammar lessons have introduced the concept of describing words using the comma for listing.

Goals:
The students will build fluency.
The students will become increasing familiar with their spelling vocabulary words.
The students will review phonograms— -ide and -ice

Objectives:
The students will increase fluency in reading by chorally reading My Robot  and rereading the first section in a timed 1 min quick assessment. Students graph words per min.
The students will recognize and read 10/10 vocabulary words when cued.
The students will practice combining onset consonants with the phonograms –ide and -ice.
The students will complete practice pg. 46 on phonograms –ide and -ice with 90% accuracy.
The students will complete the spelling  pretest with 100% accuracy (or retest)

Assessment:
Assessment will based on
Recognition of vocabulary words
Practice pg. 46
Spelling pretest
Student-graphed progress on 1 min read/words per min.

Materials / Equipment:
Spelling Pretest (14)
Baseball: laminated vocab baseballs and field
BANG: vocab cards and bag
Robot walk—laminated phonogram cards and idex cards with onset sounds
Practice pg. 46 (14)

Procedures:

Introductory Activities

Partner reading of My Robot
If time, read “How a Make New Friends” and discuss poem elements

Development Activities

Guided Reading Centers (students rotate in leveled groups—advanced, on-level, and below)

1) Teacher: Administer the spelling pretest to all groups. Students who miss 0 words are exempt from the following day’s spelling posttest.

2) Parapro: Vocabulary review with Flash Card Games. Play:

Vocabulary Baseball. (words are written on laminated baseballs. Students read them to get a “hit”.  A Missed word is a “strike out”, and a word read correctly with 3 “players” (read words) already on base is a homerun! Students earn a small cookie for participating.

BANG! Students reach in a bag to pull out a word. If they can read it, they keep it. If not they put it in the bag. If a student draws a BANG card, all their vocabulary cards go back in the bag. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins.

Complete sentence strips with the vocab. word that makes the most sense (context)

3) SPED Teacher: Phonograms. Play “Robot Walk” Students “cake walk” on laminated cards with the ending –ide or –ice carrying onset consonants on idex cards. Students read the sounds together, blendng (r-ice). If the sounds make a word, they keep going. If the sounds do not make sense, then the student is out. Teacher gives instructions like: take 3 robot steps, etc.

Students complete Practice pg. 46, working with word endings –ide and -ice.

Closing Activities

Do 1 min read of My Robot . Graph results.

Introductory Activities

Students finish writing the body of their parahgraph--3 sentences describing what their robot would do if they had one.

Development Activities

Students write a closing sentences with a "feelin" (happy, excited, grateful, etc.) describing word in the format. Ex) If I had a robot, I would feel _____ to have ______ as my friend!

Closing Activities

Students finalize their 5 sentence paragraphs on a neat sheet.

Accommodations for Mainstreamed Students
Students with special needs may need assistance reading and may complete fewer problems as their IEPs direct.

Enrichment:
Phonemic Awareness: onsets, rhymes, blending and segmenting words

Follow-up: Future ELA activities: Vocabulary Test and Spelling Posttest

English Language Arts: If I Had a Robot...

Relevance:

ELA1R6 The student uses a variety of strategies to understand and gain meaning from grade-level text. The student
Reads and listens to a variety of texts for information and pleasure.
b. Makes predictions using prior knowledge.
c. Asks and answers questions about essential narrative elements (e.g., beginning middle- end, setting, characters, problems, events, resolution) of a read-aloud or independently read text.
d. Retells stories read independently or with a partner.
e. Distinguishes fact from fiction in a text.
f. Makes connections between texts and/or personal experiences.
g. Identifies the main idea and supporting details of informational text read or heard.
h. Self-monitors comprehension and rereads when necessary.
l. Recognizes plot, setting, and character within texts, and compares and contrasts these elements among texts.
m. Recognizes and uses graphic features and graphic organizers to understand text.

ELA1W1 The student begins to demonstrate competency in the writing process. The student
b. Describes an experience in writing.
c. Rereads writing to self and others, revises to add details, and edits to make corrections.
d. Prints with appropriate spacing between words and sentences.
e. Writes in complete sentences with correct subject-verb agreement.
l. Uses appropriate end punctuation (period and question mark) and correct capitalization of initial words and common proper nouns (e.g., personal names, months).

Prerequisites:
This math lesson is designed for a 1st grade, EIP class of 14 students. Two students are in special education inclusion, 3 receive pull out instruction in the Reading Recovery program, and 5 are pulled for speech therapy. The students know all their letters and letter sounds and can read simple, decodable words. In past lessons they have been working to increase their vocabulary, knowledge of high frequency words, spelling patterns and reading fluency. Previous grammar lessons have introduced the concept of describing words using the comma for listing.

Goals:
The students will build fluency.
The students will become increasing familiar with their spelling vocabulary words.
The students will review the comprehension strategy—classify and categorize

Objectives:
The students will increase fluency in reading by chorally reading My Robot and rereading the first section in a timed 1 min quick assessment. Students graph words per min.
The students will recognize and read 10/10 vocabulary words when cued.
The students will complete practice pg. 53 on classifying and categorizing with 90% accuracy.
The students will complete the spelling  pretest with 100% accuracy (or retest)

Evaluation:
Assessment will based on
Recognition of vocabulary words
Practice pg. 48
Spelling pretest
Student-graphed progress on 1 min read/words per min.

Materials / Equipment:
Spelling Posttest (14)
Vocabulary Test (14)
Weekly Reading Test (14)

Procedures:

Shared/Guided Reading:

Introductory Activities

Proctor the Reading Test on My Robot.

Development Activities

Spelling Posttest
Vocabulary Test (if possible, work with individual students on vocab test as they walk in the door)

Closing Activities
1 min read of My Robot. Graph results.

Grammar/Writing

Students finalize neat sheet copies of "If I had a robot..." and share stories from the author’s chair!

Students draw out a plan  on notebook paper formulating how they will now build their robot using supplies on the back art table. After the plan has been approved by a teacher (it must show clearly how the body, head, and appendages will be made), students may use remaining time to construct their future robot for a project-based assessment.

Accommodations for Mainstreamed Students
Students with special needs may need assistance reading and may complete fewer problems as their IEPs direct.

Enrichment:
Phonemic Awareness: onsets, rhymes, blending and segmenting words

Follow-up:
Future ELA activities: New Unit Introduction: The Busy, Buzzy Bee

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