Teacher Work Sample

Kristy Walker Water Cycle Unit Dec. 2, 2013- Dec. 19, 2013 4th Grade Science

Standard I: Contextual Factors

Kristy Walker

TWS: Contextual Factors

Standard I: Classroom Demographics

I am completing my student teaching in Ms. Ms fourth grade class at ABC Elementary School. We currently have 25 students in our class.

Gender Distribution
16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Boys Girls Boys Girls 11 14

Figure 1 Figure 1 shows the gender distribution for my class. There are 11 boys and 14 girls currently enrolled in my class.

Kristy Walker

TWS: Contextual Factors

Ethnicity Distribution
African American, Hispanic, 2 1

Caucasian Hispanic Caucasian , 22 African American

Figure 2 As figure 2 shows, the majority of my class is Caucasian. Twenty-two out of the twenty-five students are Caucasian. Two students are Hispanic, and one student is African American.

Kristy Walker

TWS: Contextual Factors

Language Proficiency
2

Non-ELL ELL

23

Figure 3 As figure 3 illustrates, only two students in my class are English Language Learners (ELLs). Both ELL students are at a UALPA Proficiency level 3, which is the Developing English language proficiency level.

Kristy Walker

TWS: Contextual Factors

Individualized Education Plan Distribution

3

Other Students Students with Individualized Education Plans

22

Figure 4 Figure 4 shows the number of students in our class that have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Two of those students are also ELL students. One ELL student has an IEP in reading and writing. The other ELL student and the non-ELL student have an IEP in reading, writing, and mathematics.

Kristy Walker

TWS: Contextual Factors

HAL Distribution
1

Other Students High Ability Learners

26

Figure 5 My class also has one student who is gifted, or a high ability learner (HAL). He has been tested through Cognitive Abilities Testing (CogAT) and through Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). He scored 92 in reading and 97 in math.

Kristy Walker

TWS: Contextual Factors

Exceptionality Distribution
1 1

1 2 2 HAL Behavior Problem IEP not ELL IEP & ELL Other below grade level None

18

Figure 6 Figure 6 shows the exceptionality breakdown of my students exceptionalities altogether. This graph helps demonstrate that slightly more than of my students have special needs. One student is a high ability learner (HAL), one student has behavior problems, one student has an IEP and is not ELL, two students have an IEP and are ELL, and two students are below grade level and currently undergoing the process of being tested for an IEP.

Kristy Walker

TWS: Contextual Factors

Student Reading Levels

12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Number of Students 4 2 740-940 (On Grade Level) 940-1000 ( Above Grade Level) 8 130-400 (Severely Below Grade Level) 400-740 (Below Grade Level) 11

Figure 7 To determine the students Lexile reading levels, students took the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) assessment on the computer. Fourth grade students are expected to read at a Lexile level 740L- 940L with the new Common Core. Four students scored between 130L-400L, which is severely below grade level. Eleven students scored between 400L-739L, which is approaching grade level. Eight students scored on grade level between 740L-940L, and two students scored above grade level with their scores slightly above 940L. As figure 7 shows, fifteen students are below grade level, eight students are on grade level, and two students are above grade level.

Kristy Walker

TWS: Contextual Factors

Student Math Levels

20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Number of Students 1 6 Approaching On Above 18

Figure 8 My students were given a mathematics diagnostic assessment from the My Math curriculum to find out their math levels. As figure 8 shows, eighteen students scored approaching grade level in mathematics, six are on grade level, and only one student is above grade level. The My Math diagnostics assessment is aligned with the new common core, and this is the first year the district has used this curriculum and this assessment. Many students scored extremely low on this assessment because this is the first year to implement the common core, and my students have not yet been taught the prerequisite requirements for the fourth grade standards. I gathered this data, and taught my TWS unit, near the beginning of the school year. Therefore, the students scored low in both reading and math.

Kristy Walker

TWS: Contextual Factors

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Subgroups
Student Number 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. Figure 9 Figure 9 illustrates the different subgroups that I will accommodate while designing my lesson plans, providing direct instruction, and planning assessments. Gender F M F M F M F F F F F F M M M M M F F M F M F F M Ethnicity Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Hispanic, Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Caucasian Hispanic African American Caucasian Caucasian Exceptionalities

HAL

ELL, IEP

IEP ELL, IEP

Kristy Walker

TWS: Contextual Factors

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As figure 9 shows, most of the students in my class are approaching grade level in both reading and math, and most of my students are Caucasian. To analyze my students learning, I will examine and compare the subgroups that are highlighted with the rest of the class and with each other. I chose one ELL student with an IEP, one HAL student, and an on-level student to examine their learning as I taught the water cycle unit. (See Standard IV: Analysis of Student Learning).

Standard I: Differentiation/Accommodations
With this data I have collected, I organized my lessons in a manner that met the needs of the diverse learners in my class. In my classroom, I do everything I can to give the struggling learners opportunities for success. I meet in a small group setting daily with the students who are below grade level to provide academic interventions and remediation on the topics and skills in which they need extra support. When students are completing independent work, I always check in with my lower level students to assist them and give them personalized instructions. I also will modify the assignment based on the needs and abilities of my students. I use best practices in teaching to help every student increase his or her abilities whether they are advanced and need extra challenges or whether they need extra scaffolding and support. Also, I give high consideration to my ELL students. In order to help them succeed, I follow the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Model. I begin every lesson with a building background activity so students can link the

Kristy Walker

TWS: Contextual Factors

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lesson to their experiences and to past learning. I make sure to include lots of visuals while I am teaching, and I also give lots of opportunity to interact with both myself and other classmates. For this specific unit, I found a printable information sheet on the water cycle in Spanish that I sent home with my Spanish-speaking students so that they could share what they are learning about in school with their parents who only speak Spanish. I also had a Spanish-speaking colleague read through the paper before I sent it home with my ELL students. I have met with the special education teacher, who conducts small group reading, writing, and math interventions with my IEP and ELL students. The special education teacher and I collaborate often while planning lessons and units in order to give my struggling learners more exposure to specific content. For example, I found leveled readers on the water cycle at my ELLs reading level. I asked the special education teacher if she would read those books with the IEP and ELL students in the 4th grade before I began my unit to pre-teach them the material. This way, the students would have some background knowledge and be able to make connections with the text. She happily agreed, and we planned to collaborate in other academic areas as well. I also consider the needs of my high ability learners (HALs) by offering them more choices. I have created menu options for my HALs to choose projects they would like to complete during a unit of study when they already understand what is being taught. When planning lessons, I always plan my higher-level questions to make sure I intrigue and challenge my HAL students. Often times, when my HAL

Kristy Walker

TWS: Contextual Factors

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students finish their work before everyone else, they do research on the computer to find answers to the questions we have discussed. I gave my HAL students a website address for a water cycle web-quest that they are allowed to access if they finished their work early. My HAL students had to write a paragraph about what they researched or what they did during their web quest for accountability. Whether the student is a high-level learner or a low-level learner, I scaffold the support I give in order to stretch the thinking of all students and have them complete tasks at a higher level than they are currently able.