Running head: PLANNING, PREPARATION, INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT 1

Planning, Preparation, Instruction, and Assessment

Caitlin Jennings

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2017

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Introduction

Planning, preparation, instruction, and assessment are at the foundation of teaching, and

all play an essential role in the effectiveness of a teacher and the success of the students. While in

a second grade classroom, I administered a pre-assessment on the math SOL 2.3 which states,

The student will a) identify the parts of a set and/or region that represent fractions for halves,

thirds, fourths, sixths, eighths, and tenths; b) write the fractions; and c) compare unit fractions for

halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, eighths, and tenths (VDOE). Using the data from the pre-

assessment, I planned and prepared for a two-week unit aligned with the SOL 2.3 standard and

objects. Students work was used to monitor progress and guide instructional decisions.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

The first artifact I selected is the pre- assessment I used to evaluate students prior

knowledge and understanding of fractions. Included with the pre-assessment is a table that

describes the quantitative results of the data collected. During a collaborative planning time the

second grade teachers decided to use the first grade benchmark SOL 1.3 as a "pre-test" for this

unit. I believed this was a good decision because it was material students should have been

familiar with from first grade, and it would reveal how much they retained. The pre-assessment

scores showed that about half of the students had a foundational understanding of fractions

scoring 80% or above. The data showed that the other half of students struggled with identifying

the parts of a set that represented a fraction, as well as writing the fraction, scoring 70% or

below. The results from the pre-assessment influenced my planning, preparation, and instruction

moving forward. Upon assessing the results, I was able to prepare instruction and activities that

would be beneficial to the students learning and growth.

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The second artifact I have selected are my lesson plans for the two-week unit on

fractions. The use of the pre-assessment provided me with a good overview of what each student

already knew about fractions, and what concepts they struggled with. Additionally, knowing my

students preferred learning styles enabled me to plan and prepare instructional activities to suit

the needs of each learner. For the visual learners, I made sure to choose activities that included

pictures to represent fractions, and for the kinesthetic learners, I incorporated some hands-on

activities with the use of manipulatives. I also incorporated arm movements to review how

fractions are set up. Students would hold up their arm across there body, representing the fraction

bar. Using their other hand students would identify the numerator on top of the fraction bar and

the denominator below the fraction bar, and which number represented a part and a whole. I

believe it is important for all learners to see how the content they learn about in school is relevant

in everyday life. So when talking about fractions, I made a point to use examples that students

could relate to and make a connections with like sharing a pizza, or identifying the fraction of

students in the class wearing a certain color etc. I used observation and students daily work to

adjust my plans according to the areas students needed more practice with.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

Through my course in curriculum and design at Regent University I learned the process

of Backward Design, starting with the end in mind. The concept of backward design has greatly

influenced my lesson planning through the process of unpacking the standards, identifying

essential knowledge students should be able to take away from a lesson, and using formative and

summative assessments to monitor and evaluate students growth. Furthermore, learning the

needs of my students is an important aspect of effective planning, preparation, instruction, and

assessment. In their book, Understanding by Design, Grant Wiggins and McTighe (2005)
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emphasize the need of taking into consideration diverse student interests, developmental levels,

large classes, and previous achievements when thinking about learning activities, assignments,

and assessments. The unique characteristics of my students guided many of my instructional

decisions, such as the pacing of material, the use of a variety of manipulatives, and assignments

at their instructional level.

Based on the quantitative results from the pre- and post-assessment, I was proud to see

that the majority of my students had improved in math. The pre-assessment was an effective way

of evaluating what each student already knew about fractions as well as what concepts they

struggled with. This allowed me to prepare and tailor my instruction to the interests and abilities

of my students. Showing students how fractions related to their everyday lives helped students

make connections with the content. During and even after our study on fractions, my students

enjoyed pointing out to me fractions they would find throughout the day or in different content

areas.

Throughout my student teaching experience I learned that just because you plan a certain

activity for a certain day does not always mean you will get to it. Teachers must be flexible and

quick on their feet. If my students weren't grasping a concept or activity I had planned, it was my

job to figure out how to teach it in a way they would understand. This has shaped my way of

thinking about planning, preparation, instruction, and assessment in regards to, where to start

instruction with students. It is important to take into account what students know, what learning

activities, assignments, and assessments will promote student growth, and what methods and

strategies I need to identify and use as their teacher to get them where they need to be.
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References

Virginia Department of Education. (2016). Mathematics Standards of Learning (SOL)-

Adopted 2016. Retrieved from

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/mathematics/2016/index.shtml

Wiggins, G & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd edition). Alexandria,

VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.