Fiona Sotelo

Assignment #1:

This semester I am placed at Solomon Elementary School (SES) in a 5th grade

classroom. Due to COVID-19, the class is set up a bit differently. The entire school is split into

a Gold and Purple schedule based on last names, with A-L in Purple group and M-Z in Gold

group. In our Purple group there are 12 students, 5 boys and 7 girls. In our Gold group there are

8 students, with 4 boys and 4 girls. There is only one student who is from Oahu, the other

students are all military kids coming from all over the country. The ethnicities within the

classroom are White, Black, and Hispanic. There is one student with an IEP for speech and one

student who is Gifted and Talented. One significant factor about this school is that it is located

on a military base, meaning the majority of its students are from a military family. Military kids

move around a lot and have been to many different schools prior to arriving at SES. Out of 20

students in our class 5 students are new to SES this school year, with only one student having

been in this school since Kindergarten.

The main assessment tool that is used at SES is iReady. The diagnostic assessment is

administered 3 times per school year at the beginning, middle and end. This assessment provides

information on each student in the areas of math and reading, breaking down each subject into

different subcategories. Based on the score, students are given an overall placement into what

grade level they fall into. Students who place into the grade level they are currently in, the

placement will state whether they are early or mid in that level. Based on the overall data of the

class, iReady places students into instructional groupings based. The website provides

recommendations for instruction based on these groupings with access to additional resources.
Students are also given individualized instruction and practice through iReady lessons based on

where the program determines they are at. iReady is a standardized testing tool, there is no way

to make modifications on this assessment that the students take. From the teacher side of iReady,

certain aspects of how the student is taking the test can be seen. If a student is rushing through

or randomly clicking on the screen, the teacher can monitor this and make adjustments or correct

the student if needed.

Looking at this assessment data, my mentor teacher and I have determined that there is an

area of need within the Number and Operations and Algebraic Thinking sections. As of the most

recent testing (November), the majority of students tested between 1-3 grade levels below their

current grade level. Only one student tested at grade level on the most recent assessment.

The learning goal that my mentor teacher and I have established is for students to

correctly add and subtract two fractions with unlike denominators 80% of the time. This goal

was chosen because this takes into account the priority grade-level standards for this year, one of

which is 5.NF.A: Use equivalent fractions as a strategy to add and subtract fractions. In order to

meet this learning goal we will place an emphasis on students becoming fluent in their

multiplication facts from 0-12. Students will practice with flash cards and in daily math work

that involves multiplication. This will help students practice with determining the lowest

common multiple between two fractions so that they are able to add or subtract the fraction with

an unlike denominator.
Student Interest Survey:

In my student interest survey, I learned that many students like science and math, the

majority of students said that their favorite subject was science. One question on my survey was

to list 3 video games that you like to play, almost every student listed Roblox or Minecraft. I can

use this information to gain their attention or relate to the students using these kinds of games or

activities that the games involve. The question that I was most interested in getting a response

from was the question, “what is one thing you wish people knew about being a military kid?” I

knew that many of the students in our class had just recently moved here and with the

COVID-19 restrictions and distance learning had not gotten many opportunities to meet with

other students or to make new friends. Many students talked about how difficult it is to make

new friends, having to say goodbye to friends, and having a parent being gone sometimes. I can

use this information in order to understand my students better and understand what their home

life may be like.