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Courtney Bucci

Evidence of Student Learning

Special Education Elementary/Middle Single Cert

3/18/17

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Part A: Learning Context, Topic and Objectives

Owings Mills Elementary School is a Title I school that opened in 1926. It is located in

Owings Mills, Maryland. The school has 915 students, 43 teachers, 38 classrooms, and 1

relocatable. Class sizes range from 21-25 students. The demographics of the school are primarily

African American and Hispanic, with 58% of students being African American, 26% of students

being Hispanic, 7% of students being Caucasian, and the remaining 9% divided between Asian,

American Indian and multi-raced.

The inclusion group that I conducted my unit lesson plan with was a small group of six 1st

graders. All of the students that I worked with were African American, four of which were male

and two female. Although I was working with them in an inclusion group, my setup was not

what you would typically see with inclusion. Due to some of the attention needs of my students,

my group does not meet in the general education classroom but the hallway. It was decided that

teaching outside of the general education classroom would be better. While working as a small

group in the general education classroom, there were noticeable issues with students staying

focused on the small group lesson and not the whole group lesson that was happening at the

same time. With this came the decision to hold a small group in the hallway. While there are pros

and cons to both environments, the hallway proved to have fewer distractions and the students’

ability to focus on the small group instruction improved. My group meets on a blanket with a

mobile cart carrying all needed materials and a mobile dry erase board that is used for writing

and modeling. I also utilize the lockers for hanging up posters needed for the lessons.

In the small group of six, three of the students have IEPs, and two have been through the

Student Support Team process and are still being monitored. All of the students have been

identified as struggling and/or below grade level. To provide a better understanding of the

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students that I worked with for the lesson, I will briefly describe each student.

Student A has been identified as having other health impairments on their IEP. The

student is currently performing below grade level expectations in the areas of phonics, word

recognition, and comprehension. Their strengths are that they can quickly identify all letter

sounds, can read consonant, vowel, consonant words, and can consistently identify the characters

and setting of stories. The student struggles with self-regulating their emotions, sometimes when

a breakdown occurs, it affects the student’s willingness to comply during instruction. The student

struggles to answer “wh” questions and following multi-step directions, which are important

skills and need to be supported during comprehension lessons. The accommodations for the

student allows extended time (time and a half), as well as multiple and frequent

breaks. Assignments should be broken down for the student and one task given at a time. They

also benefit from purposeful movement, manipulatives/visuals/models.

Student B has a development delay. The student is currently performing below grade

level expectations in the areas of phonics and comprehension. They need help with multi-step

directions and attentive listening. The accommodations allowed for this student are extended

time (time and a half) and multiple, frequent breaks, and reduced distraction. Assignments

should be broken down for the student and one task given at a time. During times of instruction

where turns are required, the student needs reinforcement for appropriate peer interactions. The

student benefits from purposeful movement and manipulatives/visuals/models. The student has a

unique home environment; both of the parents are deaf and communicate using sign language.

Student C has a developmental delay. The student was held back in for a year, and a new

IEP is currently being developed. The student is below grade level performance in the areas of

comprehension, nonsense word fluency, and sight word mastery. Their strengths include letter

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identification, letter sound identification, and phonemic awareness. The student needs reduced

distractions and is allowed the use of manipulatives and picture supports.

Student D does not have an IEP but has been through the Student Support Team process.

The student struggles with receptive and expressive language and is currently below grade level

in reading. Their struggle with receptive and expressive language becomes very prominent when

working with reading comprehension. Sometimes when asking and answering questions, the

student responds with answers that do not connect or relate to the question or discussion.

Student E does not have an IEP but has been through the Student Support Team process.

They are currently below grade level in reading and writing, which is affected by their struggles

with phonemic awareness. This year is the first year at this school for the student, and they came

only knowing the letter “A” and /ă/. Although the student has a lot of developing to do she has

come a long way since she got here and now knows 15 letters and their sounds.

Student F was held back for a year, does not have an IEP and has not been through the

Student Support Team process. The student is currently below grade level in reading. The

student was placed in the small group in hopes that the extra supports would allow them to

develop and master more on grade level skills.

My first lesson in this unit plan required students to compare and contrast two texts. The

objective was “I can discuss animal relationships with humans by using text details to compare

and contrast From Puppy to Guide Dog and Koko and Penny.” The Maryland College and

Career-Ready Standard that I aligned my lesson with was CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.9 and

the common core standard was CCSS. ELA-Literacy.RI.1.9. The College and Career Readiness

Standard, they state that students will “analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or

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topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.”(CCSS.ELA-

Literacy.CCRA.R.9). The Common Core State Standard that I chose more directly reflected what

the students did in my first lesson. The Standard states that students will “identify basic

similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations,

descriptions or procedures).”(CCSS. ELA-Literacy.RI.1.9). According to the Maryland College

and Career Ready Curriculum Framework, the Essential Skills and Knowledge needed to achieve

the objective are: “read, listen to, and discuss a variety of texts read aloud; identify the topic of a

text; recognize texts that have the same topic; compare and contrast two texts on the same topic;

and lastly ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or presented orally.”

The formative assessment that I used to measure the students’ success with this lesson

was in the form of a lesson tile on their device. The lesson tile required the students to

independently organize key details from both texts onto a Venn diagram. Although the result of

this unit was for students to develop and write an opinion paragraph, these skills were still

relevant and necessary in the process of developing an opinion. For the students to successfully

form an opinion, they needed to understand both texts and know how they are similar and

different.

For my second lesson students filled out a “My Opinion” graphic organizer. The graphic

organizer contained four sections: my opinion, text detail with illustration, inference, and

conclusion. The objective was “I can complete a graphic organizer that will help form an opinion

paragraph that describes animal relationships with humans.” The Maryland College and Career-

Ready Standard that I aligned my lesson with was CCSS. ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.1 and the

Common Core State Standard was CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.1. The College and Career-Ready

Standard states that students will “write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive

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topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.”(CCSS. ELA-

Literacy.CCRA.W.1). The Common Core State Standard that more closely related to the

objective states that students will “write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name

the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion and provide

some sense of closure.”(CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.1)

According to the Maryland College and Career Ready Curriculum Framework, the

Essential Skills and Knowledge needed to achieve the objective are: “apply the prewriting and

planning stages of the writing process; identify the topic or book; establish or build upon a

personal schema of a topic or book; gather information on a specific topic; use common

characteristics/attributes to begin to understand relationships; form an opinion based on prior

knowledge and information provided; develop a simple sentence that states the topic and gives

an opinion; identify facts and opinions; provide a reason to support an opinion; draft a simple

sentence or sentences to express an opinion and reason; produce writing that is legible, including

correct formation of manuscript letters; draft a simple sentence that restates the opinion; and

lastly apply the revising and editing stages of the writing process.”

The formative assessment that I used to measure the students’ success with this lesson

was the completed graphic organizer. The graphic organizer allowed students to form their ideas

before writing their opinion in paragraph form. The graphic organizer was broken into four parts

a topic/opinion sentence, a supporting text detail, an inference and a closing sentence. The

Common Core State Standard chosen for this lesson specifically states that students need all of

the components that were included in the graphic organizer to write an opinion piece. I have

provided students with partially completed graphic organizers to make the achievement of the

objective more obtainable based off of their needs. The final paragraph that was used as the

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summative assessment also included all of those components with partially completed sections to

reflect the graphic organizer and to continue to support students’ needs.

My third and final lesson required students to take the sentences from their graphic

organizer and to create a final product, which consisted of an illustration and paragraph. The

objective of this lesson was “I can write an opinion paragraph in order to describe animal

relationships with humans.” The Maryland College and Career-Ready Standard that I aligned my

lesson with was CCSS. ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.1 and the Common Core State Standard was

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.1. The College and Career-Ready Standard states that students will

“write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid

reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.”(CCSS. ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.1). The

Common Core State Standard that more closely related to the objective states that students will

“write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about,

state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of

closure.”(CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.1) According to the Maryland College and Career Ready

Curriculum Framework, the Essential Skills and Knowledge needed to achieve the objective of

the third lesson are: “prepare the final product for presentation and/or publication in a variety of

formats; produce writing that is legible; including the correct formation of manuscript letters.”

The summative assessments used at the end of this lesson were the students’ final

paragraphs, which needed to include a topic sentence with an opinion, a text detail with a page

number, and an inference and a closing sentence. The summative assessment required students to

draw upon many skills that were needed during the first two lessons. For them to develop a

paragraph, they needed to be able to form an opinion that stated which text did a better job

describing animal relationships with humans. To do this, they needed to know the similarities

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and differences between the texts, which means students needed to be able to pull out and

recognize key details from each text. Being able to pull out and recognize key details from a text

is not stated specifically in any of the Standards that I used, but is mentioned in the essential

skills and knowledge under CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.9. I used this standard in the first

lesson of this unit, where students needed to support their opinions with key detail from the text

once they formed an opinion sentence. From there, students used personal experience and

background knowledge to develop an inference on the topic. Writing an inference was not an

easy task for these students, and they required a lot of support and discussion for this. To finish

up the paragraph students needed to write a closing sentence.

Based 0n the information in this section, I have shown how I have met multiple Interstate

New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Standards in the creation and

implementation of this lesson. The Standards CEC 1: Learner Development and Individual

Learning Differences and InTASC 1: Learner Development, both state that teachers must be able

to understand how their students develop as learners, that all students are different and have

different needs and strengths, and that the planning and implementing of lessons show this

understanding by providing a relevant and rigorous learning experience. I have done this by

recognizing the specific needs of all of the students and taking that into consideration when

planning the lessons and providing the needed supports for students to meet the objective.

The Standards CEC 1: Learner Development and Individual Learning Differences and

InTASC 2: Learning Differences, both state that teachers must understand that each student is

unique and come from different cultures and communities to provide students with the most

inclusive environment so that all students can reach their highest potential. I did this specifically

during the discussion of the texts and relating it back to a student’s life that is unique. The text

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From Puppy to Guide Dog mentions how dogs can help people that are deaf, Koko and Penny

talks about how Koko communicates with Penny using sign language. I used this information to

help students understand what life at home is like for Student B since both of the parents are deaf

and communicate using sign language. Student B’s experience also allowed me to help students

develop a deeper understanding of sign language.

The Standards CEC 2: Learning Environment and InTASC 3: Learning Environments,

both state that the teacher must collaborate with team members to make the environment

supportive of all needs, socially secure, engaging, and motivating. I have demonstrated the

ability to fulfill this standard by recognizing that the original environment was not supporting my

students’ learning to the best of its ability. I communicated with the general educator my

concerns, and we worked together to come up with a solution, which was teaching small group in

the hallway. The hallway provided students a better chance to interact and engage in learning by

providing a less distracting environment. I also met this standard by looking over the general

educator’s lesson plans to ensure that my lesson is still meeting the class expectations, but in a

way, that better meets their needs.

The Standards CEC 3: Curricular Content Knowledge and InTASC 4: Content

Knowledge, both state that the teacher must understand and teach concepts and content as much

as possible and teach it in the way the way that students will actually use it. I meet this standard

by understanding how to compare and contrast two texts, what all of the components of a

successful opinion paragraph are, and ways to help students make real-life connections to what

we are learning in order to make it more interesting and personal for them. The Standards CEC

5: Instructional Planning and Strategies and InTASC 7: Planning for Instruction, both state that

the teacher must plan instruction that supports every student based on the subject matter, the

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curriculum, the students and the community. I have met this standard by aligning all of my

lessons, objectives, and assessments to both College and Career Ready Standards and Common

Core State Standards as well as taking all of my students’ needs into consideration.

Part B: Assessment Plan

To start off the unit I gave students a pre-assessment. To determine the pre-assessment, I

looked at what I wanted the students to be able to do by the end of the unit. The best way to

determine the end result and the skills for the unit was to look at the Essential Skills and

Knowledge under the College and Career Ready Standards that I chose to align with my lessons.

The Standard CCSS. ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.1.1, states that students need to be able to do for

them to successfully write an opinion based paragraph are form an opinion, develop a simple

sentence to state the topic and opinion, provide a reason to support an opinion, and draft a simple

sentence that restates the opinion. The skills seemed similar to the parts of a paragraph that the

students were learning about, which I chose to focus on in the pre-assessment. All of the

questions were about the topic sentence, opinion, text detail, and closing sentence. The pre-

assessment contained five multiple-choice questions that determined the students’ understanding

of those parts of a paragraph. The following are the questions: 1) What is the first sentence in the

paragraph called? 2) What does the topic sentence tell a reader? 3) What is an opinion? 4) What

is a text detail? 5) Why do you need a closing sentence?

The pre-assessment questions along with the answers were read out loud to ensure that

the students understood the questions and knew what the answers to choose from were. Since all

of the students struggle with reading, I determined this to be the best way to assess them.

Reading it to them allowed me to close the gap created by an assessment that would have

required struggling readers to read. I also chose to provide only two answer options for each

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problem. By limiting the number of options I evened the playing field, especially for the students

that struggle with following multistep directions. Although the assessment did not require

students to follow multi-step directions, it did require them to listen and process multiple things

at once. Reading a question and then listing off too many possible answers could cause confusion

and result in them just choosing the answer I read last, meaning I would have inaccurate data on

what the students know. This assignment is not the first time these students have written opinion

paragraphs, so when giving students the pre-assessment, I worded answers the way that they

have been discussed in previous lessons. The discussion allows them to make connections

between the pre-assessment and their background knowledge, increasing the chance for them to

successfully answer the questions. By reading the questions and answers aloud, limiting the

number of answer options, and using wording in the answers that they would know, I was

differentiating the assessment in ways that I felt needed to be successful when completing the

pre-assessment.

Although this is not the first time the students have written opinion paragraphs, it is a

challenging skill, and continuous practice is necessary for mastery. Writing opinion paragraphs

based off of different texts provides students with the opportunity to get more practice without it

seeming repetitive. The pre-assessment data told me what they know about the different parts of

a paragraph, which are especially important when trying to write one. This information allowed

me to reteach the skills that were needed for them to successfully write their opinion paragraph

during lessons two and three of this unit.

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The picture is the pre-assessment that was used to determine student knowledge. The

only real difference is that I took out the spacing between questions to make it fit better into the

narrative. The spacing was intended to break up the questions, making the assessment look less

busy and made it easier for students to focus on one problem at a time without overwhelming

them. For me to gain valuable information about what the group struggles with and what they

have an understanding of I compared their results. It was not a matter of how many questions

each student got wrong, but a matter of how many students got each question wrong. Since there

were only six students in my small group, I felt that if more than one student got a specific

question wrong, then students needed that information to be retaught. For example, 2 out 6

students got question 1 wrong which meant that I needed to reteach about topic sentences. For

the second question 1 out of 6 students got it wrong which is good but I still chose to include a

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brief discussion about it during the opening of my second lesson. For the third question, all of the

students answered it correctly, so no re-teaching was needed. Half of the students correctly

answered what a text detail is, so more support was given for that. For the last question, 2 out 6

of the students answered it incorrectly. To support understanding a brief discussion was

conducted in two of the lessons. In summary, the pre-assessments showed that students needed to

be retaught where the topic sentence goes in a paragraph, how to define text detail, and

identifying the purpose of a closing sentence. Based on students’ individual performance three

students scored 80%, two scored 60%, and one scored 40%.

For the first lesson in the unit, students had to compare and contrast two texts. The

objective of the lesson was, “I can discuss animal relationships with humans by using text details

to compare and contrast.” The formative assessment used to assess this required students to

complete a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting From Puppy to Guide Dog and Koko and

Penny on their devices. Each side of the Venn diagram was labeled with a title of one of the texts

and a picture of that text. The tiles and picture support was to increase comprehension of which

side belonged to which text. The last thing I wanted was to create confusion, so when a student

knew that a detail was from Koko and Penny, they could place the detail in the correct spot based

off of the pictures. Picture supports were also provided for the six text facts that were used. The

pictures were included to support struggling readers in understanding what the facts said. There

were four facts that showed how the texts were different (two for each text) and two facts that

showed how they were similar. I made the decision to preselect the facts because the students

struggle with picking out the most important facts on their own. In preselecting the facts, I made

sure to choose ones that could also be used to support the students’ opinions in the next lesson.

Before I had students complete the assessment on their device, I had them take turns

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discussing and organizing the text facts onto a Venn diagram poster together. The Venn diagram

was made poster size so all students could see it easily and to grab their attention. As they

organized the facts, I informally assessed their knowledge and ability to determine similarities

and differences. In previous weeks we spent a couple of days on each text, From Puppy to Guide

Dog and Koko and Penny. We did still read the texts for this lesson, but I knew that comparing

the two texts would not be too challenging since the students had background knowledge of both

texts. I also based this decision off of the pre-assessment and assessment results collected during

the lessons that the texts were first introduced.

For the students to write an opinion where they stated which text did a better job of

something, they had to be able to say why the texts are different. Students were given a chance

also to share any similarities and differences that they noticed but that were not used in the Venn

diagram. The ability to give a detail that was not used, and state whether or not it was a similarity

or difference, spoke to a student's’ understanding of the text details. By using the same facts in

discussion and the formative assessment, I allowed the students to show they understood what

we did in class, and allowed them to become even more familiar with the details that I felt would

benefit them when supporting their opinions later. I differentiated for these assessments by doing

it as a group and individually, by using a large poster that could be manipulated, by using picture

supports and incorporating technology. By having students complete an assessment on their

device, I also satisfied CEO Technology Standard 11, which expects that teachers are using

technology to support student learning and assessment. This can also be said for the poster I

made since I used a poster maker, which is a form of technology.

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The pictures above are what were used for the formative assessment of the first lesson.

The assessments were scored on how many facts they put in the correct spot. Each fact was

worth 1 point, so the most points a student could earn was 6/6. The data collected from this

formative assessment showed that students understood the similarities and differences between

From Puppy to Guide Dog and Koko and Penny. Five of the six students completed the

formative assessment with no mistakes, and one student made one mistake, which means they

completed it with 83% accuracy.

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For the second lesson in this unit, students had to complete a graphic organizer. To

complete the graphic organizer they needed a topic sentence that stated an opinion, provided a

text detail with the page number they found it on and an illustration, made an inference, and

wrote a closing sentence. The objective of the lesson was, “I can complete a graphic organizer

that will help form an opinion paragraph that describes animal relationships with humans.” All of

the components in the graphic organizer reflect the information that must be included for

students to write an affective opinion paragraph. The MCCR standard used for the second and

third lesson, CCSS. ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.1, states that students will “write arguments to

support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and

sufficient evidence.” The Essential Skills and Knowledge from that standard state that students

need to have a simple sentence stating the topic and giving an opinion, a simple sentence stating

a reason to support their opinion, and a simple sentence that restates their opinion. All of those

are achieved within the sections for the topic sentence, text detail, and closing sentence.

The graphic organizer was divided into four sections (five boxes) all color coordinated. In

previous lessons the color red was used for the topic sentence, the color blue was used for text

detail and illustration, orange for inference and green closing sentence. To increase

understanding, I used the same colors for each part. To differentiate further for this assessment, I

provided students with sentence starters, only went over one section of the organizer at a time as

students were filling it in, and gave students a choice to write on their own or tell me what to

write in marker which they then had to trace; Student B could also ask me to scribe for him since

it is stated on his IEP. Although this is a writing assignment what was of value to me was the

students’ ability to form a sentence, whether it be written or orally. I felt that discussing with

them what they wanted to say and letting them tell me what to write, gave me more information

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on their ability to form the sentences needed to write an opinion paragraph, verses how well they

spelled or how legible they wrote.

The picture above is the formative assessment used for the second lesson. When

evaluating the students’ works, I designated 1 point to each box. For the topic sentence and

closing sentence, as long as they wrote in either guide dog or Koko and Penny they got a point.

For the text detail, as long as students provided an accurate page number they got a half point, to

get the other half point they had to pick a strong supporting detail. For the inference, as long as it

connected to their detail I gave them a half point, the other half was given if it clearly showed a

connection to their life and/or background knowledge. The illustrations automatically got a point

as long as there was a drawing. If a student did not even earn partial credit in the text detail or

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inference sections, it was discussed and redone. Since the topic sentence, illustration and closing

sentence were so cut, and dry students could not redo if they missed the point. The support that

was given to the students allowed two students earning 100%, three students earning 95% and

one earning 80% on this assessment.

For the third lesson in this unit, the students needed to transfer what they wrote on their

graphic organizers onto a paragraph paper. The summative assessment for this unit tied up the

opinions that were formed after comparing and contrasting the two stories (lesson one) and

writing a paragraph using the information on the graphic organizers (lesson two). The objective

of the lesson was, “I can write an opinion paragraph to describe animal relationships with

humans.” The summative assessment did just that. The finished product was a paragraph about

which text did a better job describing animal relationships with humans. The paragraph included

a topic sentence with an opinion, a detail from the text that supported the opinion and a closing

sentence.

To differentiate for this assessment, I gave students paragraphs that were partially filled

in the same way the graphic organizers were. I also had two versions of the paragraphs prepared

for the students to choose from. One version of the paragraph was filled in with a marker using

the information from the students’ graphic organizers. This was so that while I was working with

someone, students who chose to trace did not have to wait for me to get to them. If students did

trace for their paragraphs, I made it a priority that the student and I went over what their

paragraph said so they had an understanding of what they were writing while they traced. The

other version was not filled in so students could write on their own while looking at their graphic

organizer if they desire.

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The picture above is the summative assessment that was used for the third lesson. When

evaluating the paragraphs, I used the same guidelines that I used for the graphic organizers. I

designated 1 point to each sentence and 1 for the illustration, a total of 5 points. For the topic

sentence and closing sentence as long as they wrote in either guide dog or Koko and Penny they

got a point. For the text detail as long as students provided an accurate page number they got a

half point, and if they had a strong supporting detail, they got the other half point. For the

inference, as long as it connected to their detail, I gave them a half point; the other half was

given if it clearly showed a connection to their life and/or background knowledge. The

illustrations automatically receive a point as long as there was a drawing. Since the topic

sentence, illustration and closing sentence were so cut, and dry students could not redo if they

missed the point. The data for this looked extremely similar to the graphic organizers. They only

earned more points if they had redone a section and they successfully improved it or if they

included a part they had not finished. The average score on the summative assessment, was 95%.

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Three students received 100% on their summative assessment and three earned 90%, this means

all students were successful in writing their opinion paragraphs.

The Standards CEC 4: Assessment and InTASC 6: Assessment, both state that a teacher

must use multiple methods of assessment and data sources while making decisions in planning

and interpreting assessment results. A few of the ways that I did this were using both formative

and summative assessments throughout the unit. I also collaborated with my mentor when

planning to ensure that I was using the best methods of assessment for the students and meeting

all of their needs while doing so. I also took the students’ needs and strengths into consideration

while planning the assessments; an example of this was me pre-selecting the text details for the

compare and contrast of the two stories. When I did that, I was taking into consideration previous

informal assessments that showed that the students struggled with pulling out key details. Since

the focus of the lesson was for students to be able to recognize the similarities and differences, I

did not want too much time being spent on which details to compare.

The Standards CEC 5: Instructional Planning and Strategies and InTASC 7: Planning for

Instruction, both state that the teacher must plan instruction that supports every student based on

the subject matter, the curriculum, the students, and the community.

Part C: Instruction

Lesson 1: Compare and Contrast

Before planning instruction, I took a look at my pre-assessments to determine what

students needed to be retaught and where more supports were needed. To start off, I compared

the students’ results for each question. I did this because it was not just a matter of how many

questions each student got wrong, but also a matter of how many students got each question

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wrong. Since there were only six students in my small group, I felt that if more than one student

got a specific question wrong, then students needed that information to be retaught. The pre-

assessment showed that students needed supports when identifying where the topic sentence goes

in a paragraph, defining what we call a text detail, and identifying the purpose of a closing

sentence.

A strategy that I used in all of my lessons was a behavior star chart. The chart motivates

students to stay on task. Stars are awarded to the students that are listening, participating,

working well with others and completing their work. I want the chart to be a positive thing, so I

never take away stars. The motivational piece is that once a student earns ten stars, they get to

pick from the prize bin. The prizes range from stickers and markers to bracelets and playdough.

When the star chart is out, it always seems to increase appropriate behavior.

My first lesson in this unit plan required students to compare and contrast two texts. The

objective was “I can discuss animal relationships with humans by using text details to compare

and contrast From Puppy to Guide Dog and Koko and Penny.” After seeing the results of the pre-

assessment, I knew the students were going to need support identifying text details to compare

and contrast. For that reason, I provided students with preselected text details/facts that we

compared and contrasted. Preselecting the text details/facts still allowed students to meet the

objective and allowed me to give examples of text details. An added bonus, was that students

were later able to look back at the details we used to compare and contrast as a guide to

successfully find a text detail that supported their opinion.

Before sharing the objective with the students I knew they were going to need help

understanding what it means to compare and contrast, so once I read the objective, I broke it

down for them. I brought my students’ attention first to the books that we had discussed in

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previous lessons. I asked them what we knew about the texts. I asked what a topic is and then

asked what the topic of each text was. I pointed out that both texts are talking about animals and

people working as a team. I then introduced the word relationship by comparing it to the word

team. I told the students that the word relationship is another word explaining how animals and

humans work together and care for each other. I then asked what a detail is, which was a great

opportunity for me to reteach what a text detail is since so many students did not answer that

question correctly on the pre-assessment. I gave an example of a text detail, then asked who

could give me a detail that they remembered about either of the texts. To refresh their memory,

we read the stories again. While I read each text, I pointed out some details that were different

and some that were the same. After I was done reading, I asked the students what they thought it

meant to compare and contrast. We discussed that it means to find things that are the same and

different, I modeled this concept by comparing and contrasting a cat and a dog. Attention was

redirected back to the books when I asked students to share things that are the same and different

in From Puppy to Guide Dog and Koko and Penny.

To engage students, I created a poster size Venn diagram, which required movement and

had them take turns discussing and organizing text facts onto it together. The Venn diagram was

made poster size so all students could see it easily and to grab their attention. Each side of the

Venn diagram was labeled with a title of one of the texts and a picture of that text. The labels and

visual supports were used to increase comprehension of which side belonged to which text. The

last thing I wanted was to create confusion if a student knew that a detail was from Koko and

Penny, they were then able to place the detail in the correct spot based off of the pictures. The six

text facts were also printed out large and with supporting pictures. The pictures were included to

support struggling readers in understanding what the facts said. There were four facts that

22

showed how the texts were different (two for each text) and two facts that showed how they were

similar. Organizing the details together allowed for me to engage students in critical thinking

skills by asking them why a detail did or did not go where it was put and how we could find out.

Before moving onto the formative assessment, the students and I discussed again what

the word “relationship” meant to reinforce the new term. It was important that students

understood this word for when they had to form an opinion on animal relationships with humans.

We also revisited what it means to compare and contrast, and how text details help us say what is

different and the same about two texts. Students were then told to complete their lesson tile. The

lesson tile was the same compare and contrast that we did as a group. This was intentional since

using the same facts in discussion and on the formative assessment, allowed the students to show

they understood what we did in class, and allowed them to become even more familiar with the

details that I felt would benefit them when supporting their opinions later. Before students went

back into the classroom, I reminded them that they have to complete the lesson tile on their own

or with the support of an IA. I also explained to them that being able to say how the texts are

different will help them in our next lesson. I told students that we would be making an opinion

on which text did a better job describing animal relationships with humans and that I wanted

them to keep that in mind for the next time we meet.

As a teacher and especially a special educator I want to ensure that all of the students’

needs are supported and met in my lessons. The first way I went about doing this was the large

interactive Venn diagram poster. The poster drew in students’ attention, and before they even sat

down, they wanted to know what it was for. By preselecting the details, I was able to keep the

focus on the most important details, take out any aspect of writing, and support them with

pictures. Any writing during this activity would have created frustration and taken the focus

23

away from the purpose of the lesson. The picture supports helped students understand what they

could not read, on both the Venn diagram and the text details. By making the whole group

practice this using the poster, it provided a great opportunity for students to get up and move

around a little during instruction. A lot of the students get fidgety and benefit from being able to

stand up, walk over, and place the facts on the Venn diagram. The last example I will mention

for this lesson is the incorporation of technology. The use of a different media can engage more

students since they enjoy using their devices and also presents the information in a different way.

Lesson 1: Compare and Contrast

About This Lesson

Description

Number of Students: 6

Grade Level: 1st

Classroom Type: Pullout

This small group contains six students. Of these students three have IEPs. All students benefit from being pulled for small group instruction during reading to focus on supporting and/or developing phonics. The three students without IEPs are currently below grade level in reading.

3 IEPs

-Student A has been identified as having other health impairments on their IEP. The student is allowed extended time (time and a half) and multiple and frequent breaks. Assignments should be broken down for student and one task given at a time. Student benefits from purposeful movement, manipulatives/visuals/models. Below Grade Level.

-Student B has a development delay. The student is allowed extended time (time and a half) and multiple, frequent breaks and reduced distraction. Assignments should be broken down for student and one task given at a time. During times of instruction where turns are required, student needs reinforcement for appropriate peer interactions. Student benefits from purposeful movement, manipulatives/visuals/models. Below Grade Level.

-Student C has a developmental delay. They need reduced distractions and is allowed the use of manipulatives and picture supports. Below Grade Level

24

Prerequisites

● Previous knowledge of "Koko and Penny"● Previous knowledge of "From Puppy to Guide Dog"● Understanding of differences and similarities● Pulling out text details

Estimated Time

45 Minutes

Potential Use

Purpose

Small Group

Grades

1st Grade

Content Areas

English/Language Arts

Common Core

College and Career Readiness: Anchor Standards

● Readingo Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

▪ CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.9 Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

English Language Arts

● Reading: Informational Texto Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

▪ CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.9 (grade 1): Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

Goals

Instructional Goals

Students will be able compare and contrast two texts by using details from each text.

25

Objective

I can discuss animal relationships with humans by using text details to compare and contrast "From Puppy to Guide Dog" and "Koko and Penny."

Variability

● Discussion about details of texts● Physical movement when placing facts on poster● Manipulative facts with pictures ● Poster Venn diagram with pictures● Texts available for students to look back at ● Device lesson tile ● Star chart to support appropriate behavior ● Thumbs up sticks to show when students agree with something

Assessments

Formative Assessment

Students will complete a lesson tile that requires them to independently organize key details from both texts onto a Venn diagram.

Summative Assessment

A final opinion paragraph on which text does a better job describing the relationships between animals and humans. Paragraph must include a topic sentence, supporting text detail, inference, conclusion sentence and illustration.

Instructional Methods

Opening

● Go over objective● Reintroduce "From Puppy to Guide Dog" and "Koko and Penny"● Ask what we know about the text● Go over topic and detail● Ask what the topic of both texts are● Bring up that both books are talking about animals and humans working as a team● Take this time to introduce the word "relationship" connecting it to the word team● Ask what details the students remember ● Reread each text● Point out details about each texts some that are different and some that are similar

During

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● Discuss what it means to compare and contrast ● Let the students pair and share about things they think are the same about the texts ● After discussing with a peer have a few students tell something they think is the same● Let students pair and share again but this time talk about differences ● After discussing with a peer have a few students tell something they think is different ● Hang up the Venn diagram and explain each part of it● Lay out the facts that are provided and go over each as a group● Hand out thumbs up sticks● Model what needs to be done by saying "If I had a card that said 'cares for and loves

kittens,' I would think, hmm well the guide dogs are helping people and they don't take care of kittens but Koko loves kittens so it should only go under the side for 'Koko and Penny.'"

● Have a student that is quiet, crisscross, and paying attention pick the first fact ● Have students put up the thumbs up stick if they agree with where the fact was put ● Let students pick who can go next by finding a friend that is ready (paying attention,

sitting properly and not talking)Closing

● Once the Venn diagram is complete go over it with students● Tell them that there are other facts that make the two texts the same a different but these

are just a few of them● Ask if students have a fact that they think makes the texts the same or different● Before students complete the assessment ask again what it means to compare and contrast● Let students take out their devices and have them log onto https://bcpsone.bcps.org/● Find the lesson tile that is on Monday 3/13/17● Explain what needs to be done ● If there is still time have them complete it there if not they will be allowed to complete it

in the classroom at their desks

Materials

Materials and Supplies

● Big anthology "Koko and Penny"● Small anthology "From Puppy to Guide Dog"● Venn diagram poster ● Facts and pictures from both informational texts● Tape● Students' devices ● Lesson tile on compare and contrast● Thumbs up sticks● Star chart to keep track of behavior

27

After reviewing the first lesson of this unit plan, I would say it was successful. Students

were able to demonstrate their ability to compare and contrast the two texts. I would not change

anything about the plan or delivery of the lesson. That being said, as I continue teaching these

students, I want to get the students to an understanding where preselecting the similarities and

differences is not needed. I want students to be able to come up with them as a group and then

decide where these facts go on the Venn diagram.

Lesson Two: Opinion Graphic Organizers

An important thing to note about the second lesson is that there were two snow days

before it, which created a gap between lessons. I addressed this gap by having a discussion on

what we did in the last class. Another thing to note is that only three students came in that day

meaning I would have to catch other students up. For the second lesson, the objective was “I can

complete a graphic organizer that will help form an opinion paragraph that describes animal

relationships with humans.” After reading the objective to students, I told them that this meant

we would use the graphic organizer to help us get our thoughts and ideas ready before we turn

them into a paragraph. I then asked students to think back to Monday and tell me what the word

“relationship” meant. Once we finished discussing how the word means working as a team and

helping each other, I asked students what texts we had looked at that talked about animal and

human teams. The Venn diagram poster that we had completed in the first lesson was hanging up

behind for students to use as a reference while answering this, and later for writing. Students

were able to tell me that the Venn diagram helps us show what was the same and different. Once

we finished recapping similarities and differences, I explained that we were now going to form

opinions on stories we compared.

Although I knew students had written opinion pieces I wanted to ensure that they had a

28

full understanding of what an opinion is. After I asked them what it was and we discussed that it

was your thought or feeling about something, I gave an example “In my opinion watermelon is

the best fruit.” I got some expected responses of, “No it’s not,” giving me perfect chance to

reinforce that we do not have to have the same opinion and it’s ok if they are different because

we are different. We agreed that opinions could be different, but opinions cannot be wrong. From

I told students that if I read a book on watermelons and I wanted to support my opinion I could

go into a book and find a fact that says why I think they are good, which is called a text detail. I

then pointed to the poster size graphic organizer that looked just like the hand out the students

would be using. I pointed to the different sections of it and said that this graphic organizer is a

tool I could use when I want to write a paragraph stating my opinion of something. The graphic

organizer was broken into four sections: a topic sentence, text detail, inference and closing

sentence. The sections reflected what the CCSS. ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.1.1 listed as essential

skills and knowledge for students to have when writing an opinion paragraph. The Essential

Skills and Knowledge stated that a student needs to draft a simple sentence that states the topic

and their opinion, draft a simple sentence that states their reason, and draft a simple sentence that

restates their opinion and end the paragraph.

Before we could fill out the graphic organizer, I wanted students to understand what was

expected of them based off of the Essential Skills and Knowledge for this lesson. To do this, I

had a discussion with them on the different sections stating what it was called and what

information needed to be there. We said that the red part was for your topic sentence, where you

would say what you're writing about in your paragraph and say what you opinion is. Part of the

topic sentence was provided for us, so we talked about how that would help us tell our opinion as

long as we knew how to complete it. The blue parts were for your text detail and illustration,

29

where you found information from the book that supports your opinion. There was a sentence

starter that said: “I think this because on page __ it says______” which left us with finding the

page number and a supporting text detail. We said the orange part was your inference; this is

where you connect the detail to something you already know about the topic or to something in

your life. Making connections is a great way for the students to think critically. For the green

part, we said that it is where you put your closing sentence, which is where you state your

opinion again and end the paragraph. A sentence starter was also provided for the closing

sentence; it said: “This is why I think _____ are unique.”

To model the skills needed for the students to write their own opinion paragraphs, I told

them that I recently read a book called Plenty of Penguins and that now I really want to write

about it. To help me get started, I wanted to use the graphic organizer. I pointed out how some of

it was already filled in and how that would help come up with good sentences. I told students

that after reading the book, I feel that penguins are really unique. I asked students if that was an

opinion and where my opinion should go. I pointed out that the red part, where we said the

opinion goes, already says “In my opinion, ________ are unique.” Together we came up with the

sentence “In my opinion, I think penguins are unique,” by writing the word penguin in the blank.

I asked what came next, we decided I needed to write a supporting detail, so I said that I found a

really cool text detail on page 13 that said penguins can’t fly. We came up with the sentence, “I

think this because on page 13 it says penguins can’t fly.” Once I wrote that in the blue section, I

drew a picture that showed penguins on the ground. For the inference, we wrote, “It is strange

that penguins can’t fly since most birds can fly.” The closing sentence already said, “That is why

I think ______ are unique.” The students knew exactly what went there and now it was their turn

to fill out their graphic organizers and come up with an opinion on which one was the best

30

example of animal relationships with humans.

For this part I had students discuss as a group what book they felt did the best job

describing how animals and humans work as a team. From there I handed out the graphic

organizers and went over each of the parts that were partially filled in. Then students began

working independently as I went around to help as needed. With the exception of filling in the

blank for the topic sentence, I offered to write in marker and have students trace. To do this the

student and I would discuss what they wanted to say, we would verbally come up with a sentence

together, they then had to tell me on their own what they wanted me to write and I would write

verbatim. Since the point of the graphic organizer is to chunk the steps of writing a paper, I did

not do each section all at once. I would write verbatim for one section have them trace and then

come back. Before discussing the text detail section with any of the students, I had them find a

detail that they thought was a good supporting detail and then we would discuss. Feedback was

given as students discussed with me what they wanted to write down. The discussion was my

way of having students edit their work if what they wanted to write needed more to it we would

talk about what we could change or add. If it were not for the fact that there were only three

students present, giving this much need support to each student would not have worked out very

well. I would have been trying to balance all six students, writing for each student that wanted it,

and leaving students that I haven’t met with yet with nothing to do until I got to them. By the end

of the class period, the three students had only completed about half of their graphic organizers.

While having half of the organizer complete was good because it would allow me to catch

students up that were absent for the first part of the lesson and gave me the chance to come up

with a better method to support each student. It was also bad because the lesson was intended to

be one day, and even though this is a small group and the students need more supports we are

31

still meant to keep up with the rest of the class.

For part two of lesson two, I had all six of the students there. I started things off by

briefly going what over we did the day before and used the poster-sized graphic organizer to

remind students about the parts needed to write a paragraph. For the students that were there for

the first part of the lesson, I let them continue tracing or drawing while I caught the other three

students up. Once most of the students were at the inference section, I tried a new approach, I got

out the mobile dry erase board and wrote each students’ name on it. From there I talked about

what an inference was again. I then had students work together in coming up with an inference

for each other in their organizers. I chose to do this because it kept all students engaged, it gave

everyone more practice with the skill and gave students that did not want me to write in marker

for them to trace as a guide, to use as they filled in the section. Once done with that, the students

just needed to restate their opinion in the closing sentence which only required them to write

“guide dog or “Koko and Penny.” To summarize the lesson I helped students read what they

wrote on their graphic organizer by saying “My topic sentence is… My text detail is… etc.” That

concluded the formative assessment part of lesson two.

Even though this was a writing activity, I felt the valuable information to gather for the

assessment was the students’ ability to form a well thought out topic sentence stating their

opinion, a strong supporting detail, an inference that shows the students’ ability to connect life

and previous knowledge, and good closing sentence. I already know these students are not strong

writers and when tasked to write a sentence, they might have: incomplete thoughts or sentences,

sloppy writing, misspelled words, and/or just the letter of the beginning sound for each word

(trying to write “my cat is fat”/writes “m c i f”). Providing the option to trace what I had written

after they tell me what to write, and sentence starters allowed me to differentiate for all of their

32

writing needs while still getting important information on what they know about forming

sentences and all the parts to an opinion paragraph.

Lesson 2: Opinion Graphic Organizer

About This Lesson

Description


Grade Level: 1st



3 IEPs




Prerequisites

● Previous knowledge of "Koko and Penny"● Previous knowledge of "From Puppy to Guide Dog"● Similarities and differences of both texts● Understanding of what opinion and text detail are

Estimated Time

45 minutes

33

Potential Use

Purpose

Small Group

Grades

1st grade

Content Areas


Common Core


● Writingo Text Types and Purposes

▪ CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.


● Writingo Text Types and Purposes

▪ CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.1 (grade 1): Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.

Goals

Instructional Goals

I can form an opinion and support it with a text detail that describes which text does a better job representing relationships between animals and humans.

Objective

I can complete a graphic organizer that will help form an opinion paragraph that describes animal relationships with humans.

Variability

34

● Partially filled in graphic organizer● Completed compare and contrast chart of the 2 stories● Star chart to promote positive behavior● Scribing for some students● Chance for writing and drawing ● Discussion to help students come up with their opinion● Detailed modeling to support students' understanding of expectations ● Color coded sections and coordinating markers for modeling

Assessments


The completed my opinion graphic organizer will be the formative assessment. This will shows the students understanding of the texts and the ability to use text details to form and support their opinion.


A final opinion paragraph on which text does a better job describing the relationships between animals and humans. Paragraph must include a topic sentence, supporting text detail, inference, conclusion sentence and illustration.


Opening

● Tell the students what the objective is ● Ask students what an opinion is ● Give an example: "In my opinion watermelon is the best fruit"● Explain how we can use text details to help us form an opinion and back it up● Explain how graphic organizers can also help us form and organize our thoughts for

writing● Point out the graphic organizer poster● Model what should be done using "Plenty of Penguins"● My opinion: "In my opinion penguins are unique."● Text detail: "I think this because on page 13, it says that penguins can't fly."● Inference: "It is strange that a penguin can't fly since it is a bird and most birds can fly."● Conclusion: "This is why I think penguins are unique"● Talk about the animal relationships with humans that we have read about in "From Puppy

to Guide Dog" and "Koko and Penny"● Have students look at the compare and contrast poster they did last class● Tell students that they will be writing about which one is the best example of animal

35

relationships with humansDuring

● Have students pair and share about which story is the best example of animal/human relationships

● Discuss the students' opinions● Pass out the graphic organizers for them to fill out● After they write their opinion have them find a detail in the text that supports it● Some students may need help with writing● You can either scribe for them or have them trace what you write● As they complete each section discuss with them what they want to write and give

feedback as neededClosing

● Explain to students that the graphic organizers will be used to help them write a paragraph the next day

● If students have not finished filling in their graphic organizer they must complete it the next day

● Collect all graphic organizers so students have them for the next lesson

Materials


● Graphic organizer poster● Completed compare and contrast poster● Big anthology "Koko and Penny"● Small anthology "From Puppy to Guide Dog"● Tape● 6 my opinion graphic organizers● "Plenty of Penguins"● Star behavior chart● Marker for students that will trace the written part● Dry erase markers in these colors: black, red, blue, orange and green

After teaching the second lesson, I feel it was successful but not without flaw. Students

did demonstrate their abilities to use the graphic organizer to write parts of a paragraph, but they

were not able to complete it in one class period, which put us behind schedule. One thing that I

feel I could have done to help students in the process of completing the graphic organizer was

cutting the graphic organizer into individual parts. By providing only one part of the graphic

36

organizer at a time, students might not be as overwhelmed by all of the information that needs to

be completed as when the graphic organizer is given as a whole. Also by chunking the sections

of the graphic organizer, once each student completes all of the parts the can take the four parts

and practice manipulating them in the order they think they need to be put in to make a

paragraph. I also feel that I should have modeled each part of my example graphic organizer

right before the students completed that section of theirs. I feel that modeling in chunks would

have allowed students to recall the steps that I took better.

Lesson 3: Opinion Paragraph

For the third and final lesson of this unit, students had to take the information on their

graphic organizer and write a paragraph. The objective stated, “I can write an opinion paragraph

in order to describe animal relationships with humans.” After reading this to the students, I asked

what an opinion was. After a brief discussion, I directed students’ attention to the graphic

organizer poster that we completed on penguins. We discussed all of the components of a

paragraph: topic sentence, text detail, inference and closing paragraph. These components go

back to the Essential Skills and Knowledge need for the Standard CCSS.ELA-

Literacy.CCRA.R.9 aligned with this lesson. I then pulled out the paragraph poster and talked to

students about how we were going to use the information on the graphic organizer to write an

opinion paragraph. We went over how all of the portions that were provided on the graphic

organizer poster, were also provided on the paragraph poster. I showed students how the

information in each section of the graphic organizer had a place on the paragraph and modeled

this by filling out the paragraph poster with the information from the graphic organizer poster.

Once I finished modeling how to turn my graphic organizer on why penguins were unique into a

paragraph it was the students’ turn to do the same.

37

I handed out everyone’s graphic organizer, and we discussed the information on them. I

then asked students if they wanted to try and write it on their own, using their graphic organizer

as a guide or if they wanted to go over what is said with and then trace. I came prepared with six

plank paragraph papers and a paragraph paper for each student that had their information from

their graphic organizer already written in marker on there. Students had plenty of time to write

and draw their illustrations by the end of the class. Since students’ sentences were already

formed and just needed to be transferred onto the paragraph paper, I kept a close eye on students

that chose to write on their own to make sure they were using their graphic organizer as a guide

and trying their best to stay neat. The biggest way that I differentiated was by providing students

with the option to trace what I wrote or write on their own. I never want to stop a student from

trying things that are hard for them and get practice, but I also want to make sure that they are

successful in writing their paragraph without getting overly frustrated that they cannot spell a

word and that’s not even the focus of the lesson. To wrap it up I asked students what they

learned; once I got a few answers I asked about things that were new and retaught, like the

meaning the word relationship, what we call the first sentence of a paragraph, the parts of a

paragraph, etc...

Lesson 3: Opinion Paragraph

About This Lesson

Description


Grade Level: 1st

38



3 IEPs




Prerequisites

● Previous knowledge of "Koko and Penny"● Previous knowledge of "From Puppy to Guide Dog"● Similarities and differences of both texts● Understanding of what opinion and text detail are

Estimated Time

45 minutes

Potential Use

Purpose

Small Group

Grades

1st grade

Content Areas


Common Core

39


● Readingo Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

▪ CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.9 Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.


● Reading: Informational Texto Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

▪ CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.9 (grade 1): Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

Goals

Instructional Goals

I can use the information on my graphic organizer to write a paragraph.

Objective

I can write an opinion paragraph in order to describe animal relationships with humans.

Variability

● Paragraph with some pieces already filled in ● Information for paragraph provided in their graphic organizer that were completed last

class● Chance for students to also draw to convey their opinion● Choice of writing on their own or having me write in marker then they trace● Models of both the paragraph and the graphic organizer displayed● Compare and contrast Venn diagram displayed

Assessments


A final opinion paragraph on which text does a better job describing the relationships between animals and humans. Paragraph must include a topic sentence, supporting text detail, conclusion sentence and illustration.


A final opinion paragraph on which text does a better job describing the relationships between

40

animals and humans. Paragraph must include a topic sentence, supporting text detail, conclusion sentence and illustration.


Opening

● Go over the poster size graphic organizer that was filled out ● Go over the paragraph poster that will be displayed● Talk to students about how we are now going to use the information on the graphic

organizer to write an opinion paragraph● Point out how all of the portions that were provided on the graphic organizer poster are

also provided on the paragraph poster● Show how the information in each box has a place to be put on the paragraph● Model with "Plenty of Penguins" by using you graphic organizer to write your paragraph

on why penguins are unique● Hand back students' graphic organizers ● Talk about the graphic organizer the students completed

During

● Give students the option to write on their own or trace ● Provide them with the appropriate paragraph handout ● Have students fill in their paragraph paper and color their illustrations● During this time catch students up that have not completed the graphic organizer● In general help as needed

Closing

● Talk to students about the steps we took to write the paragraph ● Talk about all the components needed to write the paragraph ● Try to get them to name them all on their own● Let them know that next class we will be reviewing a peer's work ● While doing so we will be looking for an opinion, a supporting detail with its page

number and a conclusion

Materials


● Compare and contrast poster● Graphic organizer poster● Paragraph poster

41

● Students' completed graphic organizers● Paragraph handouts● Big and small anthology● Marker or highlighter● Markers for coloring illustration● Two paragraph handouts for each student: one with no writing and one with their graphic

organizer information already written in marker

After teaching the third lesson, I would say the lesson one successful. Students were able

to demonstrate their ability to write an opinion paragraph. After reflecting on the second lesson, I

would say my idea to chunk the sections of the graphic organizer would have been beneficial

even in the third lesson. The students got overwhelmed that they had to write everything they

had written on the graphic organizer on the paragraph. If I had chunked the graphic organizer, I

would have handed each section of the graphic organizer as the students needed them, which I

feel would have reduced anxiety and stress of the students.

Standards Met


InTASC 2: Learning Differences, both state that teachers must understand that each student

learns in their own unique and come from different cultures and communities to provide students

with the most inclusive environment so that all students can reach their highest potential. I did

this by taking all students needs into consideration while planning the lessons and differentiating

as needed. The Standards CEC 3: Curricular Content Knowledge and InTASC 4: Content

Knowledge, both state that the teacher must understand and teach concepts and content as much

as possible and teach it in the way the way that students will use it. I did this by aligning all of

my lessons with appropriate standards and teaching the concepts in a way that students could

understand.

42

The Standard InTASC 5: Applications of Content, states that a teacher understands how

to connect concepts and engage students in critical thinking that can be applied to real-world

problems. I met this standard by making connections with all the help that guide dogs are to

humans and used that as an opportunity for students to realize how much harder it would be for

someone who is blind to cross even a street without their guide dog. The Standards CEC 4:

Assessment and InTASC 6: Assessment, both state that a teacher must use multiple methods of

assessment and data sources while making decisions in planning and interpreting assessment

results. I did this by using four different assessments that all connected to each other and

assessed students learning throughout the unit. The Standards CEC 5: Instructional Planning and

Strategies and InTASC Standard 7: Planning for Instruction, both state that the teacher must plan

instruction that supports every student based on the subject matter, the curriculum, the students

and the community. I met this standard by providing sentence starters, giving students the chance

to trace and holding in-depth conversations about what students wanted to say in their paragraphs

to support that they struggle with writing and allowing me to still assess what was needed to

determine if a student was successful in meeting the objective.

43

Part D: Analysis and Instructional Decision-Making

The chart above shows how many students got each question right or wrong on the pre-

assessment. When trying to determine what skills needed to be retaught based on the pre-

assessment, I could not just look at each student's’ assessment and say this student got 4 right,

and this student got 3 right, etc. I needed to know how many students got each question wrong.

For example, 2 out 6 students got question 1 wrong which meant that I needed to reteach about

topic sentences. On the second question, 1 out of 6 students got it wrong which is good, but I still

chose to include a brief discussion about what the topic sentence tells you. For the third question

all of the students answered it correctly, no re-teaching was needed on what an opinion is but it

was still discussed frequently during lessons and how often it has been talked about in previous

lessons might explain why all of the students got the question right. Half of the students correctly

answered what a text detail is, so I went through and provided text details to use for the compare

and contrast, and made sure students put a lot of thought into the details they chose to support

their opinions. For the last question 4 out 6 of the students answered it correctly, to reteach I

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made sure to specifically say “all the of the parts of a paragraph are…” and broke down what

each section of the graphic organizer was for students by using the specific name of the part and

what information goes there. In summary, the pre-assessments showed that students needed to be

retaught about where the topic sentence goes, what a text detail is, and what the purposes of the

topic and closing sentences are.

The chart above shows the points out of 5 that students earned on the pre-assessment.

Based on students’ individual performance three students scored 80%, two got 60%, and one got

40%. It was expected that Student D would score low since at the beginning of the year she knew

very little about letters and sounds which also causes problems with reading and comprehension.

The student has many other skills to master before answering questions like these, becomes easy.

Continued reinforcement and practice are the best ways to increase comprehension of the

information that students were evaluated on in this assessment.

Examples of Student Work for the Formative Assessment of Lesson 1

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The chart above shows the points out of 6 that students earned on the formative

assessment for the first lesson. Upon evaluating student work and collecting the data, I was very

pleased with how the students did. Not only did they do a great job completing the Venn diagram

together but individually as well. I feel that using the same facts from the guided practice activity

for the formative assessment, as well as the picture supports, really helped students understand

the different text details and which story they belonged to. Based off of this assessment students

really mastered the skills needed to compare and contrast two texts achieving the selected

standard, CCSS. ELA-Literacy.RI.1.9, for lesson one. Five of the received a 100% on this

assessment. The only student who did not, was also the only student that was not present for the

lesson.

Examples of Student Work for the Formative Assessment of Lesson 2

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48

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The chart above shows the points out of 5 that students earned on the formative

assessment for the second lesson. While I reviewed the graphic organizers and evaluated the

data, I was very pleased with how the students did. This task was challenging and would have

been very difficult for the students to do if it were not for the supports provided. I feel that the

more activities we do like this, the stronger their skills are getting, and few supports are needed

as they continue to practice. Students displayed a great deal of understanding with the texts and

enjoyed talking about the animal and human relationships. One thing that I did decide would be

beneficial is to cut up the sections of the graphic organizer and hand them one by one to as they

complete them. Once all sections are completed students would be able to practice organizing the

sentences into a paragraph based off of what makes sense. Students really showed that their

understanding of the different parts of a paragraph was growing. Two students scored with 100%

50

accuracy, three students scored with 90% accuracy, and one student scored with 80% accuracy.

Student F, who scored with 80% accuracy, got a point off for not providing an illustration after

being prompted to do so many times and still chose to turn it with no illustration. As for the three

students that got half of a point taken off it was for the inferences. Why they made sure what

they said was related to the topic and detail their inferences did not seem to reflect on previous

knowledge or their person lives. Since inferences are not mentioned in the Essential Skills and

Knowledge for the CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.1 standard this lesson was aligned to I feel that all

students achieved what was needed.

Examples of Student Work for the Summative Assessment of Lesson 3

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52

The chart above shows the points out of 5 that students earned on the summative assessment for the third lesson.

The chart above shows the comparison scores between the pre assessment and post

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assessment.

After completing the unit and providing the supports that were needed, I saw growth in

all six students. Student A went from having 80% understanding to 100% (20% growth), Student

B went from 80% to 90% (10% growth), Student C went from 80% to 100% (20% growth),

Student E showed the most growth going from 40% understanding to 90% (50% growth), and

Students F went from 60% to 100% (40% growth). After the unit had been taught the average

score when comparing the pre-assessment to the summative assessment went from 65% to 95%.

At this rate, I have complete confidence in saying that with time, practice, and the appropriate

supports students will obtain mastery of all skills assessed in this unit.

Based on the growth of students, I would say that the instructional strategies were

successful, not perfect but successful. With the appropriate supports students were able to write

an opinion paragraph with all of the necessary components. For students to successfully write the

different parts of an opinion paragraph, they must understand what information goes there which

is the true test of achievement versus knowing the definition. I feel that my lessons already

addressed the needed instruction, interventions and assessment need to prevent a lack of student

achievement. I observed firsthand how students did with no support while they were completing

a culminating activity where they had to write an opinion and use supporting text details to say

why Koko and Penny’s relationship was unique. Some students wrote just the title of the text as

their opinion, one word as their supporting text detail and left out a page number they got it from

entirely. Not to say that there was nothing I could have done to improve my lessons because

there was, but after watching students struggle and get frustrated completing the culminating

activity, I am glad I found successful ways to help students achieve the goals I set for them.


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InTASC 2: Learning Differences, both state that teachers must understand that each student is

unique and come from different cultures and communities and that they must provide students

with the most inclusively supported environment so that all students can reach their highest

potential. I did this by recognizing that my students were going to need a lot of supports to meet

their needs in writing a paragraph. I would hang up posters with information that we had

previously gone over so students could use them as references when given related assignments.

The Standards CEC 3: Curricular Content Knowledge and InTASC 4: Content Knowledge, both

state that the teacher must understand and teach concepts and content as much as possible and

teach it in the way the way that students will use it. Writing paragraphs are something students

will always use, no matter if you are in 1st grade or a senior in college, so this skill and the

content I used for this unit was something students would use, and this is one of the many ways

they will.

The Standard CEC 4: Assessment, states that a teacher must use multiple methods of

assessment and data sources while making decisions in planning and interpreting assessment

results. I accomplished this by incorporating assessments into each of my lessons and using the

data I collected from them to reteach and support as needed. The Standards CEC 5: Instructional

Planning and Strategies, InTASC 7: Planning for Instruction, and InTASC 8: Instructional

Strategies, all state that the teacher must plan instruction that supports every student based on the

subject matter, the curriculum, the students and the community. I accomplished this by taking

my time to plan the lesson and differentiate it in accordance with the students’ skill levels and

content being taught. For example, I knew my students would have trouble with writing because

it is something they all struggle with and even though this was a writing lesson I knew I could

still get students to learn the information and express it to me without writing entirely on their

55

own.

Part E: Reflection and Self-Evaluation

Since all students were successful in completing all of the assessments implemented

during this unit and comparing the pre-assessment and post-assessment showed that there was

growth in all students’ learning, I would say instruction was successful. As long as the skills

continue to be practiced and the needed supports given students will continue to strengthen their

paragraph writing skills. Although my instruction was successful, I noticed little ways I could

have improved it and will use in future lessons. One thing I could have done was given each

section of the graphic organizer as separate pieces. Upon completing all of the sections, I would

informally assess the students’ abilities to place all of the parts of the paragraph into the correct

order. This segments the graphic organizer, which can seem like a lot and since a lot of my

students benefit from being given smaller parts of an assignment at a time I feel it would have

been a great way to make the graphic organizer seem less overwhelming. I would also come up

with a better pre-assessment for my students. While the pre-assessment was straight to the point

and gave me the information I need, but did not provide the same support students received in

the lessons.

The most obvious piece of evidence that shows instruction influenced student learning

are the charts in Part D that all show growth in student understanding of the concepts being

taught. To be a little more specific I felt something that made it evident that both students and I

were growing was when students responded well to change I made in the way that we were

filling out the graphic organizer. Originally I was having a discussion with each student about

their work and what they wanted to say after part one of the lesson I wanted to find a way to

make the discussions more engaging for all students. To do so, we held a group discussion about

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what each student should write for their inferences; this allowed all students to be engaged and

gave them the opportunity to help each other while also getting more practice.

Ways in which I collaborated with others for this lesson were using the flipchart that the

1st grade general educator had created as a guide for my lesson. Having the guide kept the

content of our lessons similar but the delivery of the content different based on students’ needs. I

also discussed with my mentor what she thought would be could ways to model for students

would be so that they would get the most out of it. That being said, based on CEC Standard 7:

Collaboration, I feel my ability to collaborate with others should still be developed more. While I

did use the flip chart from the 1st-grade general educator as an example when developing my

lessons, I could have a discussed my ideas with her and asked for suggestions since she works

with the students more frequently and knows them as learners well. When looking at CEC

standard 3: Curricular Content Knowledge I think it is easy to say that there is always more to

learn about the curriculum and while I feel that I can navigate it well, I want to know it better

and strive to reach that goal.

The Standards CEC 6: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice and InTASC 9:

Professional Learning and Ethical Practice, both state that a teacher must continue to learn and

evaluate them-self when teaching and adapt accordingly. I did this after every lesson, and when

needed during a lesson, when something proves not to be working I thought about what I could

do differently to make it work. The Standards CEC 7: Collaboration and InTASC 10: Leadership

and Collaboration, states that a teacher takes on the leadership roles to collaborate with all

individuals supporting student learning. I did this by communicating with my mentor teacher and

discussing the best ways to modeling writing to my students and also using the flipchart from the

1st-grade general educator.

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