Domain 3: Instruction and Assessment Strategies
This domain focuses on planned instruction, reviewing and adjusting instruction, and assessment of student work.The best way to implement instruction that is hands-on, engaging, and interesting to students is to have lessons that are well thought out and planned. Using these strategies in every lesson is a great way to becoming the best teacher you can be. Throughout this year as a first year teacher I have learned several strategies to use and implement in my classroom.
Component 3a: Communicating with Students
As a teacher it is important to have clear communication and expectations of students. A teacher must make sure students understand expectations and guidelines of their course work and the strategies they will use to complete the work.
Description of Artifact: Below are two artifacts I used to teach the writing process to my first grade students. On the left is a picture of an anchor chart created as a reminded of what to do during each stage of the writing process. To the right is a slideshow of a SMARTBoard lesson used to teach the writing process, as well as how to write a how-to report.
Link to Domain: By teaching the writing lesson and how-to lesson to the students, I was giving them specific examples and clear expectations of the work they were about to produce. As the lesson was taught we worked together to complete the stages of the writing process. We brainstormed ideas together, looked at a rough draft, and so on. As we worked through these processes I created the anchor chart that is at the right. Then, once the students were working, this anchor chart served as a quick reminder or example of what students will be working on through each stage of the writing process.
Reflection: I think the students responded well to each of these artifacts, there were times when I needed to pull students into small groups to give a more in depth review of a stage or stages. Some of the most helpful resources from these two artifacts were the examples given in the SMARTBoard lesson. If I were to teach this lesson again, I think I would use pictures of the students work on the anchor chart. This would help the students to feel that they were apart of the process and take ownership of their work.
Description of Artifact: Below are two artifacts I used to teach the writing process to my first grade students. On the left is a picture of an anchor chart created as a reminded of what to do during each stage of the writing process. To the right is a slideshow of a SMARTBoard lesson used to teach the writing process, as well as how to write a how-to report.
Link to Domain: By teaching the writing lesson and how-to lesson to the students, I was giving them specific examples and clear expectations of the work they were about to produce. As the lesson was taught we worked together to complete the stages of the writing process. We brainstormed ideas together, looked at a rough draft, and so on. As we worked through these processes I created the anchor chart that is at the right. Then, once the students were working, this anchor chart served as a quick reminder or example of what students will be working on through each stage of the writing process.
Reflection: I think the students responded well to each of these artifacts, there were times when I needed to pull students into small groups to give a more in depth review of a stage or stages. Some of the most helpful resources from these two artifacts were the examples given in the SMARTBoard lesson. If I were to teach this lesson again, I think I would use pictures of the students work on the anchor chart. This would help the students to feel that they were apart of the process and take ownership of their work.
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How-to writing lesson. February-March 2015
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Component 3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
To fully engage students, teachers need to be able to ask questions of their students that cause them to think deeply. These questions need to be well thought out and involve student participation. Often times think-pair-share's work well for involving students in the questioning process.
Description of Artifact: I have included a week of math lessons from December 1st - 5th, 2014. Within this lesson there are several questions that are highlighted to show the ways I have planned questioning within my lessons.
Link to Domain: Through thoughtful planning, I was able to know which questions to ask my students during these particular math lessons. It is easiest to have quality questions by planning ahead of time. The questions are worded to make students think at a higher level than they may be used to, and I also give opportunities for students to share their thoughts and ideas with their peers. This allows for even the quietest of students to be able to let their voice be heard, as well as allow students to bounce ideas off of each other and think in a way they may not have before.
Reflection: I think often times I forget to plan my questions ahead of time, and this often makes it difficult to think of higher level thinking questions on the spot. As I continue forward with my teaching I plan to more efficiently create thinking questions for my students. This will involve including more questions within my lessons, writing them down so I know what to ask and when to ask it, and possibly using Depth Of Knowledge (DOK) questions. DOK questions are generalized questions which can be modified to fit any subject area. If I were to print off and create a quickly accesible version of these questions (ex. index cards on a binder ring), I think I would be able to successfully implement these types of questions within my lessons.
Description of Artifact: I have included a week of math lessons from December 1st - 5th, 2014. Within this lesson there are several questions that are highlighted to show the ways I have planned questioning within my lessons.
Link to Domain: Through thoughtful planning, I was able to know which questions to ask my students during these particular math lessons. It is easiest to have quality questions by planning ahead of time. The questions are worded to make students think at a higher level than they may be used to, and I also give opportunities for students to share their thoughts and ideas with their peers. This allows for even the quietest of students to be able to let their voice be heard, as well as allow students to bounce ideas off of each other and think in a way they may not have before.
Reflection: I think often times I forget to plan my questions ahead of time, and this often makes it difficult to think of higher level thinking questions on the spot. As I continue forward with my teaching I plan to more efficiently create thinking questions for my students. This will involve including more questions within my lessons, writing them down so I know what to ask and when to ask it, and possibly using Depth Of Knowledge (DOK) questions. DOK questions are generalized questions which can be modified to fit any subject area. If I were to print off and create a quickly accesible version of these questions (ex. index cards on a binder ring), I think I would be able to successfully implement these types of questions within my lessons.
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Lessons to show higher level thinking questions. December 2014
Component 3c: Engaging Students in Learning
The way students learn best is when they are engaged in a lesson, this creates an environment where students are able to focus and are interested in the material they are learning. Teachers can do this by planning activities, planned grouping, specific examples of new content, and easily accessible materials for students.
Description of Artifact: To show active engagement and planning for engagement I have included a sample of lesson plans, and a picture of a class activity. These two artifacts are showing examples of the same lessons. During these particular lessons students were creating contractions from two separate words (ex. can + not = can't). Within the lesson I highlighted engagement strategies that were used. Students were to think of how to create one word from two, then I asked a volunteer to write the word on the board.
Link to Domain: For this lesson there were several students who were able to participate and move around the room to demonstrate their knowledge of creating contractions. By moving around the room, physically touching a paper, or writing something on the board students were able to engage in the lesson and become more independent of their own learning. During this lesson there were many students who were bouncing ideas off of each other and working together to think of how to create contractions from the two given words. Even if students were simply sitting on the carpet, they were still engaged in the lesson by using hand signals to show their understanding of the topics, ex. students were asked to place their hands on their heads, place a finger on their nose, or whisper ideas to a partner (also shown within the picture below to the right). All of these different strategies focused on engaging the first grade students in my classroom.
Reflection: Looking back on this lesson I think it went well. The students all seemed to be engaged, and they enjoyed the lesson that was taught. Moving forward, I plan to continue to implement strategies, and engagement activities such as this. I think planning these types of strategies within my reading lessons is particularly important because often times reading lessons are not as hands-on as other content areas. Adding these engagement strategies to my lessons have proven to work well in the past, so I think it is best to continue to think of and create new engagement activities and strategies within my lessons.
Description of Artifact: To show active engagement and planning for engagement I have included a sample of lesson plans, and a picture of a class activity. These two artifacts are showing examples of the same lessons. During these particular lessons students were creating contractions from two separate words (ex. can + not = can't). Within the lesson I highlighted engagement strategies that were used. Students were to think of how to create one word from two, then I asked a volunteer to write the word on the board.
Link to Domain: For this lesson there were several students who were able to participate and move around the room to demonstrate their knowledge of creating contractions. By moving around the room, physically touching a paper, or writing something on the board students were able to engage in the lesson and become more independent of their own learning. During this lesson there were many students who were bouncing ideas off of each other and working together to think of how to create contractions from the two given words. Even if students were simply sitting on the carpet, they were still engaged in the lesson by using hand signals to show their understanding of the topics, ex. students were asked to place their hands on their heads, place a finger on their nose, or whisper ideas to a partner (also shown within the picture below to the right). All of these different strategies focused on engaging the first grade students in my classroom.
Reflection: Looking back on this lesson I think it went well. The students all seemed to be engaged, and they enjoyed the lesson that was taught. Moving forward, I plan to continue to implement strategies, and engagement activities such as this. I think planning these types of strategies within my reading lessons is particularly important because often times reading lessons are not as hands-on as other content areas. Adding these engagement strategies to my lessons have proven to work well in the past, so I think it is best to continue to think of and create new engagement activities and strategies within my lessons.
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Lessons showing planned engagement strategies. December 2014
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Component 3d: Using Assessments in Instruction
Individual student IRLA conference record.
December 2014 - February 2015 |
There are many things teachers can learn from student assessment, and it is also a great way to give feedback to students. This component focuses on how teachers are able to take assessment given to students, and use it to plan and implement instruction.
Description of Artifact: To the left is a one-on-one student conference record, which is used during our independent IRLA reading time. There are two blocks for independent reading time, each being 15 minutes long. During each of these reading blocks I conference with one student for the duration of the reading block. Link to Domain: Conferencing one-on-one with a student during their independent reading time is a great way to track where students are at within their learning. There is not pressure from other students to always have the right answer, and I am always right there to help students learn and progress through their work. During each conference I am continually taking notes of students responses and work completed. This is a way to directly assess students within an instruction time, and specifically focus on their IRLA work. Reflection: During one-on-one conferencing with students I am the one to give feedback to students. I know students are able to take this information and apply it to their learning, and I am able to see this during their future one-on-one conferences. However, I think it would be a helpful addition to add student feedback to my conference recording sheets. This would allow for students to voice their opinion about their work, find something they thought they did well, and find something they think they could work on. I feel this would work well as a goal setting strategy between myself and my students. |
Component 3e: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness
As a teacher it comes fairly naturally to be flexible and responsive to student needs. If a lesson is not going well, plans quickly change to something else. Responding to needs of students by placing them in groups or differentiating instruction is another strategy. This component of Domain 3 focuses on these areas.
Description of Artifact: During our guided reading time and strategy group time there are several games played that help improve and encourage student learning. I have included several variations of a game called "I can Speed Read". This game is used with a die, the die is rolled, then which ever number is shown the student will read that column of words. The idea is that students are able to quickly read these words, and as a teacher I am able to easily see which words are difficult for my students. Link to Domain: These games have given me a lot of information and insight to my students learning. Not only am I able to engage my students in the learning process, but I am also able to collect data and quickly respond to their needs. For example, if I notice a few students struggling with silent /e/ words in the 1B level, while a few others are excelling, I am then able to regroup and refocus the lesson for those groups of students. I can allow those struggling students to continue to practice with silent /e/ words, and move those who are excelling to a game with a different focus. Being flexible and responsive is an important part to implementing purposeful and meaningful lessons for all students in a classroom. Reflection: There are many factors teachers take into account while thinking of responding to students. A look on a students face, the amount of engagement, and students level of comprehension all play a role in whether or not a teacher continues with a lesson or tries to focus on the lesson in a different way or at a different time. These behaviors come fairly naturally to teachers, and often times happen without even realizing it. I think a way to improve my own teaching would be to document these changes I make, or write down the reflections I have after a lesson. I am doing these things naturally and without thinking, but by writing these reflections down I think I could greatly impact, and improve my teaching and the education of my students. I would have readily available notes of things that worked or may not have worked with my students which could then be referred to before, during, or after future lessons. |
Reading games that correspond with IRLA (Independent Reading Leveling Assessment) reading levels.
February 2015 - continually used throughout the year. |