Toolkit 3
Toolkit Stage 3
Describe your planning process, and how it might include more elements of differentiation.
My planning process always begins with setting a (goal) for all of my students. I know “No two children are alike. An enriched environment for one is not necessarily enriched for another.” (Marian Diamond) Therefore I have many things to re-consider when making lesson plans for the up-coming school year. I need to look into each Unit with differentiation in mind. To begin I will include Heacox’s KUDO’s into my lesson planning. I will also be adding Heacox’s Anchor Activities and having students brainstorm what they would like to do, instead of me choosing what they do for their “All Done Activities”. I will also be reconsidering my tiering. I have always made my lower-leveled students workload less, and higher students had a heavier workload. Heacox is very clear on making sure “the work should be different – not more or less.” (Heacox pg. 86)
When planning a Unit Project I will consider giving each student a choice of activities from a (planning list) to provide different methods for students to explore. Using Graffiti Facts or a graphic organizer such as a (KWL Chart) can help assist the different levels of each child’s learning ability . Giving each child this option will help me differentiate the unit and have successful students.
I would also like to incorporate more feedback and use our Specialty Teachers more. “One professional development approach, applied by the Tennessee reading specialists, provides for co- planning by reading specialists and classroom teachers, demonstrations of implementation of planned instruction, and gradual release of teaching responsibility to the classroom teacher with feedback and additional cycles of co-teaching” (Literacy Collaborative, 2009). I really like the idea of co-planning and sharing Pre-Assessment Strategy Ideas with a reading specialist or our Title-1 teachers. We work together on getting the students in the groups but not have enough time to actually sit and talk about the students’ progresses, strengths and weaknesses. I will then have to make myself more available during non-teaching hours to work with our Title and other First grade teachers.
“Observations and coaching by reading specialists are also recommended as follow-up options for supporting teachers and ensuring that the intervention principles are being implemented” (Haager & Mahdavi, 2007). Follow-ups often get over looked as our busy school year takes off and with such a short time frame with school days off for Collaboration and Professional days, we just seem to not have enough time to collaborate with our own staff. I think it would be ideal for our school to actually have a day off and only report to our building and meet with your co-teachers and the Specialist. Having the Title teachers come in and observe the students and the teacher is great way to have friendly reminders about using differentiating instruction and also to see how the lower leveled reading students are doing in a whole-group setting.
“ Differentiated instruction is responsive teaching. When planning for effective differentiated instruction, teachers use a backward lesson design approach, with careful analysis of student needs.” (Differentiated Instruction: Taylor Ranch School’s Journey Towards Excellence Handbook pg 6 ) This is not how I typically taught. I would actually do the opposite. I would assess only in Reading and Math areas only and carelessly put the other subjects (Social Studies, Science and Health) on the back burner, only to find the students were struggling in these areas. Then I reacted to student failure. I needed to re-asses my goals and pull small groups to “fix” the gap. I would not set my lesson plans up according to their prior knowledge or student differences, but do as the curriculum map and standards tell me to do. I focus so much on our core subjects, Math and Reading, and tend to forget to assess them in the other areas of what they need to know. We use pre and post-assessments in Math and Reading to have intervention groups so often I felt I was differentiating all the time. I was, just in those two subject areas, but not pre-assessing in the other areas.
This course has given me many new learning tools and ideas to bring into my fifth year of teaching. I am looking forward to the fall and using all of my new knowledge to share with others and to help those struggling students.
Goal –
This is a Rubric created to help create Goals for every learner.
http://adifferentplace.org/products.htm
Planning List –
This is a list to provide your students with different ideas they can use when they have finished all of their work
http://adifferentplace.org/products.htm
KWL Chart –
Made by Heather Gorski on Microsoft Word.
Pre-Assesment Strategies and Graffiti Facts
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3747932
This web site is where I found three pre-assessment strategies; Yes/No cards, Thumbs Up, and Graffiti facts.These are three strategies you can use in place of a graphic organizer on the board or with your students.
Heather’s ( toolkit3resources )
Filed under EDTL6800 | Comment (0)XMO Plan Proposal
Help! This is a lesson plan with an aching for a make-over! This lesson lacks motivation for the students. The procedures are short and boring. It sites to use a map but not clear on what kind, maybe a paper map or surf the web for a virtual map. The objectives are weak and contain no KUDO’s! The use of a journal may seem easy enough to draw out the objectives but a project to actually make the physical characteristics of land and water would create a more exciting and learning lesson. The assessment is a journal entry, that too needs some fine tuning.
First Grade Social Studies Lesson : XMO proposal plan
Filed under EDTL6800 | Comments (6)Toolbox 2
What is your approach to differentiated assessment?
My approach to differentiating assessments is impartial. I generally only differentiate assessments for the students who are already previously Title-1 students or in Special Education. My students are evaluated on the same assessment in the beginning of the year ( First Grade Pre- Assessment) to determine if they have mastered their prerequisite skills for First Grade. I continue to re-test all students on their prerequisite skills until the end of the quarter. This type of assessment is used by Kindergarten and First grade. This assessment is modified for Kindergarten. If I do not assess all students the same, I can not begin my process of Title and SPED testing.
As a class we set goals throughout the year. “In order to be successful, students need to understand and know the learning target/goal and the criteria for reaching it.” Garrison, C., & Ehringhaus, M. (2007) The goals are posted clearly and at the children’s level. I use my formative assessments and base their goals from that. One example is our sight word list. I set our goals so that they are reachable, but challenging. I clearly write out; Quarter One Goals: 15 out of 20 students will read all Pre-Primer Sight Words by the End of Q1. Once the student has reached that goal they sign the goal sheet. If we do not meet our goal I re-assess the goal and the students. I believe setting goals that are posted not only helps the students work harder, but is a wonderful reminder for the teacher to continue to re-assess their students. I differentiate the assessment for the goals as well. I do this by testing and re-test the students who are struggling with the concept. I send home extra practice sheets and pull a small group to help those who are finding it difficult to reach their goals.
What are ethical grading practices, in your estimation?
My estimation in ethical grading practices is that I grade each student based on their formal/informal assessments and in-class work. I do keep a grade for their homework, however I do not base their entire grade on homework completion. The reason is because 43 % of parents (nationwide) do their homework for their child. (McClure, 2010) This is a regular occurrence in the younger grades and is frowned upon by many educators. When I see my students who struggle with in-class work and have a difficult time understanding concepts that were taught the day before, or earlier in the week, but did well on their homework, I review ( Homework Review) the concepts with them in a small group. I generally will contact the parents and ask ” what are your child’s strengths and weaknesses this week?” Hopefully with contacting the parents we can we close the gap from school to home on their homework issues. This also generally will get the parents to open up and hint they were helping/doing the work themselves. I often have to remind parents it may seem like they are helping, but it can also teach them the easy way out.
One way my co-teacher and I grade our Writing assignments is to set up a selection of writing prompts to adhere to student needs and use a blank ( ). Since not all students are graded on the exact number of sentences we adjust our scoring as needed. When I begin grading for a writing assignment I give each student a ( writing prompt ) . The students are required to brainstorm and use a writing web (web) to get ideas down on paper. They use this web to create ideas to begin their story. It is very difficult for this age group to just grab a piece of paper and start writing.
They also need to use a sequence of events ( storymap) to help organize their thoughts. Without this they tend to write their story out of sequential order. When I assess each final draft I take into consideration who is Special Needs and receives Title-1 services. I would assess Special Ed and Title-1 students based on their ability and reading levels. I would do that by using their oral response and their pictures to tell me their writing piece. I do hold the other students accountable for giving me more structured sentences.
Teaching Resources
The story map is designed to help students keep their ideas in a sequential order. The students can use this in making their final copy to help guide their thoughts on to the paper.
The web is a great tool to get ideas down when beginning to write on a specific topic. The main topic goes in the middled of the web and each idea is branched off from the main idea. This helps students to remember ideas when going back later to write sentences about the topic.
The writing prompt is a great story starter and when given options to select more than one you are differentiating for the students without anyone recognizing. The students who struggle can choose a topic that is easier for them to write or draw a picture.
This a great tool to use as a study guide as well. This is works for your struggling students and for those who struggle with recalling information.
This assessment works well in the K-3 grades for the teachers with struggling learners. It covers your basics from Kindergarten to First grade.
Designed for the K-2 teachers with struggling and beginning writers. This can be adjusted for any writing assessment.
Heather’s Bibliography
Tool box 1 bibliography
Heather’s Bibliography
Heacox, Diane. (2009). Making Differentiation a Habit: How to Ensure Success in Academically Diverse Classrooms. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing Inc.
This book has many ideas to show different strategies for teachers to use in their classrooms to implement differentiated instruction.
Scholastic. (2010). All About Me. Retrieved July 1, 2010,
http://printables.scholastic.com/printables/detail/?id=35720
This website contains a PDF print out for students and parents to fill in about their child. It is a great source for teachers to get to know their students.
Aims.(2008). AIMS. Retrieved July1, 2010,
This website contains staff access only to assess students and graph their progress throughout the school year.
Super Teacher Worsksheets. (2008). Reading Level Comprehension. Retrieved July 1, 2010,
http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/1st-comprehension.html
This website contains many worksheets for teachers to pre-assess reading levels.
Mrs.Perkins. (2010). Dolche Sight Words.Retrieved July 1, 2010,
http://www.mrsperkins.com/dolch.htm
This website contains Pre K- 3 sight words and activities to do independently or as a whole group.
TLSBOOKS. (2010). Number Identification. Retrieved July 1, 2010,
http://www.tlsbooks.com/kindergartenworksheets.htm
This website contains worksheets for pre-assessments for grades K-5 with Multi-Grade ideas and teacher resources.
Edhelper. Sight Word Center. Retrieved July 1, 2010,
http://www.edhelper.com/dolch_sightwords_primer.htm
This website contains many different PDF print outs for different sight words and activities with the words.
Text Level Benchmarks. Reading Level Color-Codes, Retrieved July 1, 2010,
http://sites.google.com/site/mrsdrjones/home
This is a PDF print out for teacher and parent use. Once a child has been leveled that child can read books that are at their own reading level. This prevents the student from choosing books that are too easy or difficult to read.
Filed under EDTL6800 | Comment (0)Toolbox Stage – one
Toolbox Stage One
I have learned a few new things about myself as a teacher through the Teaching Beliefs section in the Continuum of Levels of Teacher Development. In order for me to begin the school year and adapt my lesson plans accordingly I send home an (All about me) worksheet the first day of school. This gives parents and students the opportunity to tell me all about their special interests and what their learning style preferences are.
I like to use a readiness test to assess every student on letters and sounds. I also use a (Number Identification) pre-assessment and re-assess before the end of the first quarter. These in-formal assessments help me to get a basic understanding of where my students are when they come to me in the beginning of the year. As a school we use AIMS web testing (AIMS). Each student has 11 different assessments for AIMS, both oral and written. This one minute timed test can be a great indicator for the areas of improvement that particular student may need assistance in.
My first teaching goal for the upcoming school year will be to assess all students on their (Dolche SIght Words) by the end of each quarter. Each student will be assessed individually orally and written. Each of the students will receive a copy of the words to practice and be tested on five to six words a week. The students will receive extra practice during center work (Sight Word Center) and as a whole group by practicing them aloud on a PowerPoint Presentation on the Smart Board.
My second goal for the upcoming school year is to provide my students with many reading opportunities to increase their reading level. I would give a simple
(Reading Level Comprehension) test to identify which level each student is on. Each child must read each level, starting with A, and pass it with a 95% accuracy rate before moving on to the next letter level. Once each student has been tested they will be given a letter (A-Z) level and be placed into small groups and be given a (Reading Level Color-Codes) to help me place each student into leveled groups.
Each year I spend in the classroom and school setting I gain more experience and a better understanding on how to differentiate instruction to each group of students. It requires me to make more time in my lessons to address every different learning style and the more practice and advice I get, the better off my students are. I seek out ideas from my co-workers and special education department (Occupational Therapy and Psychologist as well). An area I am lacking in is providing more time to the students who are struggling with a concept , I tend to look at the clock and see it is time to move on to the next subject, special or lunch, and not always go back right away to assure those students that we will get back to that topic. My goal is to address the issue immediately and reassure those students who are struggling that I will slow down the pace to catch them up.
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