Contextual Factors: Community, District and School Factors - Homework | EDUC 4166, Assignments of Education Planning And Management

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Teacher Work Sample

October 6, 2008

Second Grade Social Studies:

Midwestern State University

Elementary Student Teaching

EDUC-

Contextual Factors

Community, District, and School Factors :

Chillicothe is a small town in North Central Texas. The population stays steadily around 800 people. The United States Census Bureau lists the actual city to be about one square mile. Many of the people who claim Chillicothe as their home actually live in a range from across the street of the city limits sign to twenty miles away. The majority of the community receives all or part of their income from agricultural means. Most others commute to surrounding towns for employment. The town is primarily Caucasian with a growing Hispanic, migrant worker population. The majority of voters in the county are Democratic. Traditional and Christian values run deep in this community. The median annual income for an individual is well below the State average.

Chillicothe Elementary sits in the middle of town. Student enrollment for this year is 98. This school is the only elementary school in the school district, serving kindergarten through sixth grade. The majority of the teachers have deep ties with the community, district and school board. Teachers have an average of 14 years experience. 53% of the district’s students attend Chillicothe Elementary. Fourteen students make up the second grade classroom in which I am completing my student teaching. This number is 14% of the school’s make-up and 7% of the district’s make-up. Chillicothe Elementary is 73% Caucasian, 16% Hispanic, 7% African American, and 4% Native American. The student body is 76% disadvantaged and 55% at risk. Limited English Proficiency students make up 7% of the student body. The community and district is supportive of its schools. The Parent, Teacher & Community Organization has consistent participation and involvement in the school. Local businesses are quick to pitch in

been designated Special Education. However, the teacher recognizes six students as at-risk. Student A has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. His accommodations include visuals with schedules, frequent bathroom breaks, tactile stress relievers such as putty, and some assistance during the day. He has limited expression when communicating and avoids loud situations. His lack of focus seems to extend to all activities except kinesthetic or tactile. He tries to avoid structured time. He has to be prompted very often to stay on task and complete any written assignment. In addition, his performance is better when he is able to complete them alone and orally. He is easily distracted in the room. There are two students labeled as ELL. Both of their parents speak little to no English. Both students are generally high performing. One student seems to have more difficulty when it comes to varied vocabulary or play on words such as hink- pinks. This class came to second grade with the following prior knowledge: fluency and comprehension reading skills, exposure to science concepts with no investigation or experimentation, addition and subtraction of beginning numbers, time to the hours, basic print skills up to writing one sentence independently. Although reading is on level, the class is evenly split between high and low performing, with no middle ground. Those low performing students struggle to read independently, even below grade level. Most students are struggling with subtraction. This could be due to a lack of cognitive development allowing deductive reasoning. Print is still difficult for many in the class. Their level of dexterity and fine motor skills is still developing at this age.

Instructional Implications :

This second grade class is small, but creative. Due to the lack of consistent fine arts opportunities, the students become very excited about activities involving drawing, coloring, creating, building, etc… I intend to use this as a hook to engage them in activities. These

students, as a group, have difficulty listening to directions and staying on task. I will try to address this by giving directions in more than one learning style and repeat them throughout the activities. The lack of students performing in the middle makes grouping more difficult. Some peers quickly finish their work and become bored. Others struggle to finish the work at all. Differentiated work will be used to address this. This will allow all students to make the same gains and challenge them all appropriately. Peers will have to be grouped to allow for peer assistance and a minimum of distractions. Some spiraling of the concepts will also be used to assist those who struggle. Each lesson will review and build on prior concepts. For those peers who struggle with reading and concept comprehension, modifications will be made to grouping and peer tutors may be used if needed. Student A and some other students recognized as at-risk may require that some material be oral or pictorial, rather than written. A pre-assessment will be done to determine the depth of instruction needed. Formative assessments will be done during the entire unit, as well as a summative assessment when it is completed. Formal, standardized testing will be oral for student A. The class will work in a variety of groupings throughout the week: whole group, small group, and individual.

Learning Goals

Learning Goal # 1: Students will be able to recognize and locate physical geographic features of their community on a map.

Learning Goal # 2: Students will demonstrate an understanding of community helpers by identifying various roles in his/her local community.

Standards: Learning Goal # 1:

The students will be required to identify, label, list and describe. (Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge) The students will be expected to illustrate, describe and make generalizations. (Bloom’sTaxonomy: Comprehension)

The students will be expected to demonstrate map skills and participate in collaborative groups. (Bloom’s Taxonomy: Application) The students will be expected to distinguish and compare community helpers. (Bloom’s Taxonomy: Analysis) The students will be expected to incorporate prior knowledge with new skills to navigate maps. (Bloom’s Taxonomy: Synthesis) The students will be expected to evaluate their own performance. (Bloom’s Taxonomy: Evaluation) This unit will address several learning styles and intelligences. Lessons will be taught verbally and with visual aids such as the ELMO, graphic organizer and a computer. This will help auditory and visual learners. The students will also have models and pictures. For kinesthetic learners, the some activities will be experiential. Others will require interaction in groups and on the computer. The following intelligences will be addressed:

Linguistic: lessons taught verbally, guest speakers, collaborative groups Logical/Mathematical: use of maps Kinesthetic: collaborative groups, experiential lessons, computer lab Spatial: study of maps, drawing Interpersonal: collaborative groups, discussion, guest speakers Intrapersonal: self-evaluation of growth Developmentally Appropriate

Learning Goal # 1: Students will be able to recognize and locate physical geographic features of their community on a map. This goal is appropriate for second grade because it teaches them geographic skills. These students came to second grade with a basic understanding of their

physical environment. This goal is appropriate because it further develops the students’ understanding of geography and increases their skills in using geographic tools. Students also have the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills with geographical tools. For example, exploring a map of their own environment helps the students relate to a map’s validity and makes learning meaningful. This goal aligns with State requirements for this grade and subject.

Learning Goal # 2: Students will demonstrate an understanding of community helpers by identifying various roles in his/her local community. This goal is appropriate because the students have already been introduced to the concept of helpers on a very general scale. This goal seeks to help students learn more about the important individuals in their own community. It encourages students to understand who and what it takes to keep a community thriving. Students will explore different roles individuals have, as well as some they could fill themselves. This goal aligns with State requirements for this grade and subject.

Assessment Plan

Pre, post and formative assessments will be used for this unit. The pre and post assessments will be very similar. The pre-assessment will be used to determine the level of skill and knowledge the student already possesses. This information will be used to guide the lessons and make changes if necessary. The post assessment will be used to measure skills, concept attainment and concept retention. This will determine if the goals were reached. Formative assessments will be done throughout the unit to evaluate the student’s comprehension and grasp of skills.

See Appendix B: Post-Assessment Scoring Rubric; See Appendix C: Post-Assessment Self-Evaluation)

Assessment Plan Table

Learning Goals Assessments Format of Assessment Adaptations

Learning Goal#1 Students will be able to recognize and locate physical geographicfeatures of their community on a map.

Pre-assessment

Formative assessment

Post- Assessment

Map Navigation: follow verbaldirections to find a specific point on a map of the school (individually) Worksheets: exploring and labeling maps on paper Anecdotal record: Discussion,observation, inquiry, Globe Trotting (collaborative activity finding places on a globe), Map Quest (using Map Quest to find familiar places and study map elements Map Navigation: follow written directions to find a specific point on a map of the school (collaboratively)

Make activitiesrelative to the students’ interests and surroundings. Guided instruction on the navigationof maps. Re- teaching of difficult concepts. Allow time when processinginformation and replying to questions. Allow for group collaboration formore difficult tasks. Learning Goal#2 Students will demonstrate an understanding of community helpers byidentifying various roles in their local community.

Pre-assessment Formative assessment

Post-

Pencil and Paper test: draw communityhelpers and describe them Workbook: identifying community helpers through written activities, drawing and puzzles Guest Speakers: helpers from thecommunity talk about their roles Graphic Organizers: identify helpers Anecdotal records: discussion and inquiry Pencil and Paper test: identify

Assist students inmaking the connections with guest speakers’ information. Review conceptsdaily and new information. When possible, provide concrete examples for reference. Re-teach and modify instruction as needed. Assist struggling students

Assessment community helpers and informationspecific to guest speakers’ information with one on oneinstruction.

Design for Instruction

Results for pre-assessment :

The pre-assessment results showed a need for further study with geographic tools. The students displayed some familiarity with the elements of a map and navigation skills. Most of the students seemed to know basic directional cues such as right and left. The majority of the class struggled once the terms became more steeped in geographical terms such as north, west, and compass rose. The overall class average was 70%. Of those students, 27% received a failing grade below 70. When the class was broken into male and female subgroups, the girls’ average was 83% and the boys’ average was 54%. Of the boys, 40% failed with a score below 70 and 16% of the girls failed. The pre-assessment for community helpers also showed a need for additional study. The students had a foundation of the concepts involved in the pencil and paper test. They struggled to convey their ideas with correct labeling or clarity. The class average was 81%. When broken down into subgroups of male/female, the boys’ averaged 66% and the girls earned 96%. Of the boys, 33% failed with a score below 70 and 0% of the girls failed.

The portion of the test addressing learning goal #1 required students to identify specific map elements and to follow verbal directions from point A to point B. The students did have knowledge of maps and were able to identify some aspects. However, the pre-assessment required very simple verbal directions which had to be repeated several times with significant wait time following each new piece of information. The combination of processing elements and

responsibilities of these helpers will be explored. As their understanding grows, the students will begin to look at community helpers more likely in their own home town. Guest speakers will come from the community to talk about their own jobs and why they are important. Students will have an opportunity to ask questions from a first-hand source.

Unit Overview Block Plan Date Activity Monday, September 24^ • •^ Introduce and discuss community helpers (learning goal 2)Complete Graphic Organizer of community helpers (learning goal 2)

• Introduce maps- focus on 3 and 1(globe and paper) dimensional models of Earth. Label major geographical landforms. (learning goal

Tuesday, September 25^ • •^ Guest speaker will be local artist, Teresa Byrd (learning goal 2)Begin community helper workbook (learning goal 2)

• Study and label map of USA (learning goal 1)
• Use Map Quest to find Chillicothe (during computer time, learning goal 1) Wednesday, September 26^ •^ Guest speaker will be Chillicothe mayor, Wallace Clay (learning goal2)
• Continue working on community helper workbook (learning goal 2)
• Use Map Quest map for Chillicothe to navigate around Chillicothe USA (learning goal 1) Thursday, September 27^ •^ Guest speaker will be local farmer and Ag teacher, Jerrod Baird(learning goal 2)
• Continue working on community helper workbook (learning goal 2)
• Study map of the school (learning goal 1)
• Review for Unit test (learning goal 1 & 2) Friday, September 28^ •^ Map test- each group finds their colored dot by using a map of theschool

• Community helper test- pencil and paper

Activities :

1. Chillicothe Map Quest (learning goal #1)

This lesson will help students become more familiar with maps by using Map Quest to examine Chillicothe. The students will begin with whole group instruction and follow the teacher’s prompts to open Map Quest. The teacher will have a computer monitor hooked up to the ELMO. Students can follow each step to get a map of Chillicothe on their individual computer. The students will then be shown how to move the center of the map to look at different areas, how to zoom in and out, and how to go from a representative map to an aerial view. The class will discuss the concepts and inquiry will be used to verify comprehension of skills. The students will have time using Map Quest on their own to further explore the Chillicothe area. Each student will print out a map of Chillicothe to take home. This activity is a supplementary portion of the day’s activities. It will be done outside the regular time frame, during computer lab time. The entire activity is focused on learning goal #1.

2. Guest Speaker, Jerrod Baird and School Map

The class will begin with a guest speaker. Jerrod Baird is the local Agricultural teacher at the high school. He is primarily a farmer in the community. He will be addressing farmers as community helpers. He will discuss what products farmers in this area produce and the extent of contributions farmers make to our community. After Mr. Baird speaks, the students will have an opportunity to ask questions about his field. If time permits, students will continue working on their community helper workbooks. This book is a collection of names and attributes of

Technology :

The primary use of technology in the classroom will be an ELMO. The students will collaboratively complete tasks such as labeling maps using the ELMO. Throughout the week, the ELMO will be used to view maps and complete worksheets together. The computer lab will also be utilized. The students will use Map Quest to find their home town. This will allow them to explore map elements and practice navigation in an authentic manner. This will also allow them to see the connection that maps are a representation of a concrete item.

Instructional Decision Making

I began this unit with a gap between high and low functioning students with very little middle ground. I was worried that some students would need a lot of one-on-one while others would finish early and be bored. Because of this, I scheduled some collaboration into the unit and individually paced activities. The unit began with the intention of allowing students to collaborate on navigating maps. This was not the plan for the community helper workbook. The workbook was meant to be an alternative and fun format for studying community helper labels. The students would work on this book at their own pace when they completed other projects. Some of the pages were simply to engage them such as a farmer’s cornfield maze. Others were more difficult like word jumbles. Once the students finished the more fun pages, they struggled with the level of difficulty on the other pages. For example, the word jumble listed different occupations that the students needed to figure out. Nurse was listed as “rsuen”. The majority of the students seemed to have at least two words on this page they could not figure out. For the students who regularly struggled, this workbook proved to be even more difficult. There was one student who is designated special education that could not get the workbook done without one-

on-one help. Since this book was done after the completion of other work, he was not getting to work on it. Some answers we wrote on the board and he still had difficulty completing a page. I noticed there was at least one student at each table who was ahead of the others. The grouping at the table also divided the girls and boys equally with each other. This appeared to be a good chance for collaboration and peer tutoring. After the students completed what they could on their own, I allowed them to work together at their table to complete the rest. This was also a chance for all students to check the answers they had. This changed helped more students that I planned. They seemed to get more out of the process of figuring it out together. When I helped them, I sometimes assumed they knew more and did not give them enough wait time or inadvertently gave them an answer while trying to help them make a connection. The students were primarily on the same level, so the processing seemed to occur on the correct timetable for them when they worked together. It also seemed more fun for them to figure out this challenge together. One stipulation of the collaboration was that everyone at the table had to be included in the group. If one person had a page completed, the rest of the group had to help the others get to that point. This peer tutoring and involvement seemed to help the peer mentioned above. He was more inclined to get his work done when his peers wanted to move on. Those students who are higher functioning enjoy being a peer tutor.

Another change I made pertained to our study of maps. The students were studying a map of Chillicothe. The students had an initial fascination with the map because it was the map they printed the day before and it was their hometown. We studied major elements on the map. Then I began to ask students to think of businesses in town. We were going to locate the businesses on the map together. This is where the initial fascination began to wear off and they became disengaged. The students struggled to think of businesses. We were spending too much time

format was experiential and collaborative. Students worked in groups to physically locate an item using written directions. Despite the increase in skill difficulty, there was an increase in the class average. Like the overall average, the gain in the portion of the test addressing learning goal #1 was also 12%. Learning goal #2 required that students demonstrate an understanding of community helpers by identifying roles in their local community. This pre-assessment was even more basic and simple than the map assessment. This assessment did not require extensive knowledge of community helpers. The class average for this portion of the pre-assessment was 81%. Overall, the students performed much higher on this portion of the pre-assessment than on maps. The post-assessment for community helpers was given in a more formal manner than the pre-assessment. Students could draw part of their answer in the pre-assessment. In the post-test, students had to fill in answers in written form. This test not only required knowledge of more community helpers, but it also required an awareness of what helpers serve in our area. Some of the information was taken directly from the guest speakers. Although the post-assessment for community helpers was also required a higher skill level, the increase in difficulty was not as steep as the map portion. The community helper portion of the post-assessment went from 81% to 94%, a 13% gain.

While the overall test average increased, a break-down of individual student growth shows that almost half of the class stayed at about the same skill and comprehension level. Student #4 does not have a pre-assessment score. This student was out of the room and there was not ample time to give the assessment before the unit began. Student #8 appears to also be missing a pre-assessment score. However, this student’s score was zero on the pre-assessment and no bar appears to represent this sample. Five other students showed a post-assessment score less than that of their pre-assessment. Two of the five were absent during the week and had to

complete portions of their work at home. The significant gain of the remaining students appears to be the reason a 12% increase was made overall in the averages. (See Appendix E: Whole Group and Pre and Post-Assessment Progress)

Sub-group :

I chose to break this group up by gender. The class is almost evenly split with 8 boys and 6 girls. As discussed earlier, the girls scored significantly higher during the pre-assessment. For this reason, I decided to chart their progress on each assignment along with the post-assessment. The girls appear to make progress for the first two assignments before making a slight drop. The girls again increase their average and have a slight drop on the post-assessment. This average is higher than the initial pre-assessment. The boys appear to make a significant gain on the first assignment. They stay within a very close range to the girls’ average, eventually matching them. Unlike the girls, the boys did not experience a drop in their average on the assignments. Like the girls, the boys have a slight drop on the post-assessment, still remaining above their pre- assessment scores. When looking back at all the assignments, the pre-assessment required much less skill than the post-assessment. The majority of those assignments in which students made gains were done collaboratively with the teacher or in peer groups. The assignment in which the girls experienced a drop was a collaborative effort amongst the students. The boys increased their average on this assignment. (See Appendix F: Sub-Group Graphic Representation)

Individual Comparison :

I chose to evaluate and compare two students of different gender and performance level. Student #1 is a female who performs highly in all areas. Student #2 is a boy who tends to fluctuate between medium to low performance. He is also currently being considered for