SCHOOL OF EDUCATION CLAFLIN UNIVERSITY

UNIT WORK SAMPLE GUIDELINES MIDDLE LEVEL AND SECONDARY

Successful teacher candidates support learning by designing a Unit Work Sample that employs
a range of strategies and builds on each students strengths, needs and prior experiences.
Through this performance assessment, candidates provide credible evidence of their ability to
facilitate learning by meeting the following standards:
The candidate uses multiple assessment strategies and approaches aligned with
learning goals to assess student learning before, during and after instruction.
The candidate designs instruction for specific learning goals, student characteristics and
needs, and learning contexts.
The candidate uses regular and systematic evaluations of student learning to make
instructional decisions.
The candidate uses assessment data to profile student learning and communicate
information about student progress and achievement.
The candidate reflects on his or her instruction and student learning in order to improve
teaching practice.
The candidate will create a Unit Work Sample to demonstrate its impact on student learning.
The attached template, which consists of several components, should be used to fulfill this
requirement. Attach samples of student work as an appendix.

EDUC 450: PROFESSIONAL CLINICAL PRACTICE

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION CLAFLIN UNIVERSITY
UNIT WORK SAMPLE TEMPLATE MIDDLE LEVEL AND SECONDARY
Section I:
Candidate: O. Simone Rascoe Cooperating Teacher: Ms. S. Foster Academic Year: Fall 2015
District: OCSD5

School: Bethune-Bowman High School

Grade Level: 9th, 11th, 12th

Subject: Algebra I, Pre-Calculus, Pre-Calculus Honors Dates of unit: from

to

Section II: Description of Students: Describe (1) the number of students, (2) demographics of the
students, and (3) any other special features or important information that you included in your Long Range
Plan as you described your students.

There are fifty-three students. There are three Caucasians, one Hispanic, and forty-nine African-American
students. There are twenty-seven females and twenty-six males. The ages of the students range from
fourteen to eighteen years old. Majority of these students come from a rural area in South Carolina. Many
of them also come from low-income families.

Section III: Contextual Factors: Describe the contextual factors, including the (1)
relevant student characteristics from Section II, as well (2) as other factors
related to the community, district, school, classroom or students, that are likely
to impact instruction and/or student learning with regard to the selected
instructional unit. Include a (3) description of the ways in which each of these
factors will be taken into consideration during unit planning and instruction.
The community of Bowman and Rowesville, SC is very small, rural, and country. The
community is close-knit, and many of the students are apart of the same family. Many
households are single parent. Also, many of the parents are working-class and have only a
high school diploma. A few of my students are parents as well and work late night shifts.
This makes it hard form some of my student to have perfect attendance in class, and they
seem to be tardy a lot of days.
The school is small as well. There are 831 students in grade 6 th-12th. The student teacher
ratio is eleven to one. The scheduling is a block schedule and the students have six
classes a day. This may be overwhelming for students at times having some many classes
everyday. The classroom is very open. The students sit four to a table, which can cause
problems during instruction because its easier for them to talk with their neighbors. I
have three students with IEPs. One student has a hearing disorder, and the other students
have learning disabilities. Some classes have a small number of students while others may
have four times a many.
These contextual factors imply that I will have to always keep my students busy and on

Section IV: The Unit Plan

Section IV A: Major Unit Objectives (1) List the unit objectives and (2) indicate the corresponding
state standards. (Remember objectives must contain 4 parts: performance, product, conditions and
criterion.)

Unit Objectives

Correlated
Standards/Expectations

Content or Cognate 1: Structure and Expression with Polynomials

Objective 1: After completing this unit, students will be able to classify

any given polynomials by its degree and its terms as well as be able to put
any given polynomial in standard form.

Objective 2: After completing this unit, students will be able to add,

subtract, and multiply polynomials using various methods such as vertically,
horizontally, box, distributive, and FOIL, when given two of more
polynomials.

A1.ASE.1
*

Interpret the
meanings of
coefficients,
factors, terms,
and expressions
based on their
real-world
contexts.
Interpret
complicated
expressions as
being composed
of simpler
expressions.
(Limit to linear;
quadratic;
exponential.)

A1.AAPR.1
*

Add,
subtract,
and
multiply
polynomials
and
understand
that
polynomials
are closed
under these
operations.
(Limit to
linear;
quadratic.)

Content or Cognate 2: Factoring Polynomials

Objective 1: After completing this unit, students will be able to factor

polynomials by taking out the GCF and using the grouping method when
given a polynomial with four terms.

Objective 2: After completing this unit, students will be able to factoring

quadratic polynomials by using the X method. They will also be able
identify a polynomial that is a difference of squares and factor it as well.

A1.ASE.2
*

Analyze the
structure of
binomials,
trinomials, and
other
polynomials in
order to rewrite
equivalent
expressions.

A1.ASE.2
*

Analyze the
structure of
binomials,
trinomials, and
other
polynomials in
order to rewrite
equivalent
expressions.

Section IV B: Instructional Plan

Describe your instructional plan that is, the (1) sequence of steps that you need to follow if your students
are to achieve the unit objectives. (2) Describe the key instructional activities, strategies, materials and
resources including instructional technology), and indicate the unit objectives (numbered according to the
order in which they are listed in Section IV A) that are addressed.
SUBJECT: Algebra I

Unit Title: Structure and Expression with Polynomials Length: 2 weeks

Instructional Plan for the Unit

Unit Objective
Activities/Strategies/Materials/Resources

Timeline

Number(s)

This unit will begin will a polynomial foldable activity that shows classification of
polynomials by terms, how to put polynomials in standard form, how to find the
degree of polynomials, and how to classify polynomials by degree. A key instruction
strategy would be teaching the students through Foldables where they can interact
and take notes at the same time. Materials and resources for introducing this unit
include: graphing calculators, the STAR Board, shmoop videos, dry erase boards,
foldables, and interactive notebooks. The next step is to allow the students to
practice with the teacher, with one another, and independently.

Day 1-2

The next step to ensure the students have mastered the unit object is to test the
students with an assessment. Materials and resources for this step include: graphing
calculators, the STAR Board, and the assessment.

Day 3

This unit will continue will a polynomial foldable activity that shows how to multiply
polynomials with the distributive method, the Box method, and the FOIL method, A
key instruction strategy would be teaching the students through Foldables where they
can interact and take notes at the same time as direct instruction. Materials and
resources for introducing this objective include: graphing calculators, the STAR
Board, shmoop videos, dry erase boards, foldables, and interactive notebooks. The
next step is to allow the students to practice with the teacher, with one another, and
independently. Group Frayer model activities can be incorporated with this objective.
This objective will take a little long with the multiplication part; however, the adding
and subtracting should only take one day.

Day 4-9

The end of this objective will conclude the unit by not only assessing on addition,
subtraction, and multiplication of polynomials, but also on the classification of the
polynomials as well. Each objective can be tied into one question. Materials and
resources for this step include: graphing calculators, the STAR Board, and the
assessment.

Day 10

SUBJECT: Algebra I

Unit Title: Factoring Polynomials

Length: 2 weeks

Instructional Plan for the Unit

Unit Objective
Activities/Strategies/Materials/Resources

Timeline

Number(s)

This unit will begin will a polynomial foldable activity that shows how to factor
polynomials with two terms (difference of squares), three terms (quadratic trinomial),
four terms (grouping), and by the finding the GCF. A key instruction strategy would be
teaching the students through foldables where they can interact and take notes at the
same time. Materials and resources for introducing this unit include: graphing
calculators, the STAR Board, shmoop videos, dry erase boards, foldables, and
interactive notebooks. The next step is to allow the students to practice with the
teacher, with one another, and independently. A key beginning activity can be The
Greastest Candy Factor activity that explores how to find common factor from a bag
of candy. Each candy relates to a term in a polynomial. The connection shows that a
factor can only be a factor when it is common among every item.

Day 1 4

The next step to ensure the students have mastered the unit object is to test the
students with an assessment on factoring by GCF and grouping. Materials and
resources for this step include: graphing calculators, the STAR Board, and the
assessment.

Day 5

The unit will continue with a polynomial foldable activity that shows how to factor
polynomials with two terms (difference of squares) and three terms (quadratic
trinomial). A key instruction strategy would be teaching the students through foldables
where they can interact and take notes at the same time. Materials and resources for
introducing this unit include: graphing calculators, the STAR Board, shmoop videos,
dry erase boards, foldables, and interactive notebooks.

Day 6 9

The end of this objective will conclude the unit by assessing how to factor any type of
polynomials and being able to recognize which method will factor correctly. Materials
and resources for this step include: graphing calculators, the STAR Board, factoring
reference chart, and the assessment.

Day 10

Reflect on the instructional plans for the units: How does this instructional plan (1) establish a balance
between grade-level academic standards and expectations and the needs, abilities and developmental levels
of individual students? (2) Discuss the strategies used to teach students on varying levels. (3) Discuss how
you designed your instructional plan using students characteristics, needs and learning contexts.
This establishes a balance between grade-level academic standards and expectations and the needs, abilities, and
developmental levels of individual students because it uses strategies that are student-friendly. Giving student pre
typed notes where they have to fill in answers and work out example problems is a great strategy that allows students
to follow along and speed up the direct instruction. It is also a good visual aid for the students. It is also best to
allows students to work with the teacher, with one another, and then independently because it gives them an
opportunity to learn from one another. Some strategies used to teacher students on varying levels is teaching
through lecture (Power Point), teaching by doing (dry erase board), and varying the level of worksheets that are
given. I designed my instructional plan by using the strategies just names. I make sure to give steps to follow before
modeling how to do a problem.

Section V A: Unit Assessments - List the key unit assessments.

Type of Assessment
(Check one for each assessment)
Key Unit Assessments

Teacher-Made
(A copy of each teacher
made assessment must be
attached to this plan.)

Commercially
Available

Content/Cognate 1

Structure and Expression with Polynomials

Content/Cognate 2
Factoring Polynomials

Reflect on the unit assessments: (1) How did you determine that your unit assessments are valid and
reliable for all students? (2) How did you use your prior understanding of students skills to plan your
instruction?
The unit assessments are valid and reliable for all students because the questions are in line with to the standards
being taught. I used my prior understanding of students skills to plan instruction by being able to understand what
the students are capable, how long the students are going to be able to pay attention, and the students learning pace
(i.e. the fast learners and the slower learners).

Section V B: Other Assessments (1) Describe and attach the assessments for each unit objective.
(2) Include descriptions of any necessary accommodations. For each assessment, (3) include the evaluation
criteria (i.e., describe and/or attach each appropriate scoring rubric, observation checklists, rating scales,
item weights and the like). (4) Attachments must be clearly labeled to indicate their relationship to the
elements in the table below.

Assessments

Accommodations

Evaluation Criteria

Content/Cognate 1

More time was given to

students with IEPs.

Gave students pre-assessment

on
their
knowledge
of
polynomials.

Unit Objective 1: PreAssessment(s)

Formative
Assessment(s)

I assigned the students grade

through a point system. Some
assignments
were
graded
heavily towards the end of the
unit; however, the beginning
assessments were graded
more lightly. There were also
grading curves given on some
assignments.
Class
participation, such as turning in
a homework assignment, was
grade as 100%.

More time was given to

students with IEPs.

The students were given a

polynomial assessment.
I assigned the students grade
through a point system. Some
assignments
were
graded
heavily towards the end of the
unit; however, the beginning
assessments were graded
more lightly. There were also
grading curves given on some
assignments.
Class
participation, such as turning in
a homework assignment, was
grade as 100%.

Unit Objective 2: PreAssessment(s)

More time was given to

students with IEPs.

Assessment
polynomials.

on

multiplying

I assigned the students grade

through a point system. Some
assignments
were
graded
heavily towards the end of the
unit; however, the beginning
assessments were graded
more lightly. There were also
grading curves given on some
assignments.
Class
participation, such as turning in
a homework assignment, was
grade as 100%.

Summative
Assessment(s)

More time was given to

students with IEPs.

A nine-week exam was give to

students
that
assessed
knowledge on unit objective.
I assigned the students grade
through a point system. Some
assignments
were
graded
heavily towards the end of the
unit; however, the beginning
assessments were graded
more lightly. There were also
grading curves given on some
assignments.
Class
participation, such as turning in
a homework assignment, was
grade as 100%.

Content/Cognate 2
Unit Objective 1: PreAssessment(s)

: PostAssessment(s)

More time was given to

students with IEPs.

The students were given a

common factor and factor
grouping worksheet.
I assigned the students grade
through a point system. Some
assignments
were
graded
heavily towards the end of the
unit; however, the beginning
assessments were graded
more lightly. There were also
grading curves given on some
assignments.
Class
participation, such as turning in
a homework assignment, was
grade as 100%.

More time was given to

students with IEPs.

The students were given an

assessment that combined the
Common Factor, Grouping, and
Factoring the GCF.
I assigned the students grade
through a point system. Some
assignments
were
graded
heavily towards the end of the
unit; however, the beginning
assessments were graded
more lightly. There were also
grading curves given on some
assignments.
Class
participation, such as turning in
a homework assignment, was
grade as 100%.

Unit Objective 2: PreAssessment(s)

More time was given to

students with IEPs.

Students were given operation

and
factoring
polynomials
assessment. This covered all
the ways to factor polynomials.
I assigned the students grade
through a point system. Some
assignments
were
graded
heavily towards the end of the
unit; however, the beginning
assessments were graded
more lightly. There were also
grading curves given on some
assignments.
Class
participation, such as turning in
a homework assignment, was
grade as 100%.

: PostAssessment(s)

More time was given to

students with IEPs.

The students were given an

overall assessment of factoring
polynomials.
I assigned the students grade
through a point system. Some
assignments
were
graded
heavily towards the end of the
unit; however, the beginning
assessments were graded
more lightly. There were also
grading curves given on some
assignments.
Class
participation, such as turning in
a homework assignment, was
grade as 100%.

Section V C:

Data Analysis: After administering the pre-assessment(s), (1) analyze student

performance relative to the unit objectives. (2) Attach one or more clearly labeled tables, graphs, or charts
that depict the results of the pre-assessment(s) in a format that allows you to find patterns of student
performance relative to each objective. (3) Summarize the results of the pre-assessment(s) and describe the
implications of these results on instruction.
Majority students performances were really low. The few stronger students had higher grades.

Pre-Assessments:
Content 1: Objective 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011121314151617181920212223242526

Content 1: Objective 2

Content 2: Objective 1

Content 2: Objective 2

The pre-assessment results have very similar trends. The highest results came from Content 2:
Objective 1. The lowest results were in Content 1: Objective 2. The students without a results
either scored a 0%, or they didnt not turn in their work.

Section VI: Analysis of Student Learning

Once you have completed the unit, analyze all of your assessments and determine your students progress
relative to the unit objectives. (1) Did the information increase your understanding of individual students
performance?

There was progress shown in majority of the students through the unit assessments. The information increased my
understanding of individual students performance. Some students adjusted their leaning environment, such as their
seat in the classroom, and they performed much better in the class.
(2) Attach clearly labeled tables, graphs or charts that depict student performance (strengths and
weaknesses) for the entire class, for one selected subgroup and for at least two individual students.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011121314151617181920212223242526
This is a bar graph that represents the students overall grade in the class so far in the second quarter. There are
about nine students that have a grade below C.
(3) For each visual representation, (3) provide a descriptive narrative that summarizes your analysis of
student progress and achievement.
My students either started at a very low grad level and increase or they started with a very high performance rate and
maintained their grades. The objectives and units became easier for the students over time because they were
building off of skills taught earlier in the year.
(4) Finally, explain the ways in which you have assigned student grades (or other indicators of student
performance), and what were the overall results?
I assigned the students grade through a point system. Some assignments were graded heavily towards the end of
the unit; however, the beginning assessments were graded more lightly. There were also grading curves given on
some assignments. Class participation, such as turning in a homework assignment, was grade as 100%.
(5) Based on the overall results, did the students gain from this unit all that you expected? Why or why not?
I believe the students did gain from this unit; however, they mostly likely will forget quickly because the students do
not study. The only time students do their math work is in the classroom. This poses a huge problem as far as
assessing data and performance levels. Majority of the class improved, and they can successfully work with
polynomials for the most part.
(6) Include a description of the ways in which these results have been recorded as well as how and to whom
they have been reported.
There results were record on Power Teacher, the schools grading and attendance program. They are reported to
those administrators in charge of grades.
(7) Provide evidence to support the impact on student learning in terms of the number of students who
achieved and make progress toward the unit objectives.

This is student one. She started with low grades and improved throughout the semester. She now has a 97% for this
quarter grade. She now has 88% in the class and is one of the top students. The series listed are the post and pre
assessments from the unit work samples.

This is student two. He is one of the top students. His grade averages between a A and a B. His current grade is
a 95%.

Section VII. Reflection and Self-Assessment

(1) Reflect on and describe the relationship between your students progress and achievement and your
teaching performance.
The more I retaught and gave the students practice problems, the more they improved with the unit objectives.
(2) If you were to teach this unit again to the same groups of students, (2) what, instructional decisions
would you make to improve your students performance? What specific aspects of the instruction need to
be modified?
If I were to teach this unit again to the same group of students, I would decide to incorporate hands on activities, a
unit project, and more word problems in the unit.

(2) What activities were successful? Which were unsuccessful? Give reasons based on theory or
research as to why you believe the activities were successful or unsuccessful.
The activities that were successful were Kahoot, Interact Math (interactive website quizzes), dry erase board
problems, and Frayer model activities because there was a sense of competition and the students got to use the Star
Board. The unsuccessful activities were the group assignments because students would copy off one another or one
student would end up doing all the work.

Section VIII: Sample Work (Attach