Task I: Professional Goal Setting
Objective: Candidates set a professional goal, identify the action strategies they will use to achieve
that goal, and reflect on their learning and growth (as it relates to that goal) near the end of their
Student Teaching Experience.
Resources: Candidates will use the NSU Conceptual Framework (see table below) as a guide for
determining their professional goal.
NSU Conceptual Potential Category Outcomes
Framework Categories (You will choose one of these outcomes
as the basis for your goal)
Knowledge of Self as an  Respect and Concern for Students
Individual
 Commitment to Health and Safety
Knowledge of the Learner  Developmental Needs
 Student Diversity
Knowledge of Content  Understanding Subject Matter
Knowledge of Pedagogy  Planning
 Implementation
 Assessment
 Classroom Management and
Organization
 Instructional Materials and Technology
Knowledge of Self as a  Parent and Community Involvement
Teacher and Member of a  Commitment to Teaching
Learning Community  Interpersonal Relations
 Professional Growth and Development
Description
Knowledge of Self as an Individual
recognizes the educator’s influence in the
lives of students and emphasizes the
importance of building trust relationships,
and setting positive examples.
Knowledge of the learner focuses on an
understanding of growth and development
of learners in the contexts in which
development takes place and an
understanding of how student diversity
interacts with the learning process.
Knowledge of Content implies a broad
understanding of the centrality of content
knowledge for teaching, and ability to
organize central concepts and principles of
a subject matter, and a responsibility for
acquiring new knowledge.
Pedagogical Knowledge includes those
principles and strategies necessary for
effective teaching, including the planning,
implementation, and assessment of
instruction, classroom management and
organization, knowledge of curriculum and
instructional materials, and integration of
technology.
Knowledge of Self as a Teacher and
Member of a Learning Community calls for
a collaboration among teachers, students
and their families and communities that
embraces diversity, promotes a positive
sense of personal identify, and enhances
the possibilities for academic success.
 1. Conceptual Framework Goal Statement, Action Plan, and Reflection: 

a. Identify the Framework Category to which your goal aligns:

Knowledge of Pedagogy

b. Identify the specific Category Outcome you will use to determine your goal:

Implementation

c. Based on the outcome you selected, write a specific goal for this experience. After your
goal statement, provide a brief narrative explaining the reasons as to why you chose
this goal.

Though out my student teaching experience I will effectively implement lesson plans to fit the

needs of my students. I will accomplish this goal by using the data to show student growth in two out

of three lesson plans completed throughout my experience. I chose this goal because throughout my

time at Northern I have not had many opportunities to teach a full lesson plan to students and believe

that it is one area where I could use improvement on. Due to covid-19, I chose to be a substitute

teacher for my pre-student teaching experience. I completed this experience in Aberdeen and Britton,

where I was able to implement other teachers’ lesson plans, but never my own.

d. Describe the action plan (steps/strategies and resources) required to accomplish this
goal:

First, I will need to create a strong lesson plan and practice thoroughly to ensure I understand

what I am teaching my students. Second, I will need to understand my students needs and how I can

implement my lesson in a way that will resound with each one of them and ensure my implementation

techniques will benefit each student. Third, I will use classroom management techniques to create an

organized environment to promote student learning. Fourth, I will communicate with my cooperating

teacher to ensure my lesson plan is complete ready to be implemented into the classroom.

e. Reflect on your progress/growth toward achieving this goal:

 I believe that I met my goal for my Kindergarten student teaching experience. At the beginning

of this experience, I hoped to show student growth in two out of three of my lessons. Looking at my

pre-assessment/post-assessment graphs from all three lessons, I did succeed at meeting my goal.

Not only did my supervisor and cooperating teacher see growth in the effectiveness of my lessons,

but I felt it for myself as well. By my third lesson, I was a lot more confident in front of my students

and could properly instruct them in a meaningful way. I learned many ways to keep students

engaged, how to manage my classroom properly, and the best ways to keep directions direct and

clear.

Task II: Contextual Information (see rubric for scoring details)

Objective: Candidates gather contextual information and discuss factors that may influence the
teaching and learning process.

Resources: Use a variety of resources to gather contextual information including Census data for the
community, School Improvement Plan, cooperating teacher, Title I/SPED teachers, principal, school
counselor, Infinite Campus, student files (with administrative approval), school data available online.
http://doe.sd.gov/reportcard/listnew/

**The below information and resource is taken, in part, from Educational Testing Service Praxis
Performance Assessment for Teachers (PPAT) Candidate and Educator Handbook, copyright 2015.
All rights reserved.

Contextual Information: This chart is designed to help you understand the many factors that affect
teaching and learning. Understanding these factors as they relate to your teaching will help you
determine the instructional strategies and approaches that will support your students’ learning. In this
chart, address any factors listed as they pertain to your teaching assignment. The subcategories
listed under each category are just suggestions; there may be other subcategories that you would like
to address, or there may be a subcategory listed that does not apply to your situation.

Categories of Contextual Factors Description of the Contextual Factors

General Context of Your Students Kindergarten, no recent developmental data for

(All subcategories listed in this box are required.)
Students’ grade and developmental levels; the age range
of students; the content area being taught; any other
factors that are pertinent to understanding your class
assignment
students of this age due to covid-19, Ages 5-6,
18 students, Reading, Handwriting, Math,
Science, no students on IEPs, no English
Language Learners

Community Rural, Population of 326, Median income of

(e.g., whether the area is urban, suburban, or rural; households $74,375, 14.7% families with
socioeconomic information; census data for the
community)
District
(e.g., enrollment; percent of students receiving free or
reduced-priced lunches; graduation rates; ethnicities;
percent of students with IEPs; percent of students who are graduation rate for 2019-2020, 88% of students
ELLs; per-pupil expenditures)
School
(e.g., enrollment; percent of students receiving free or
reduced-priced lunches; ethnicities; percent of students
with IEPs; percent of students who are ELLs; teacher-to-
student ratio)
income below the poverty level, 3.5% families
with food stamp/SNAP benefits, 13% of families
renting, 82.6% of families owning a home, 97%
of head of households in the labor force
Breakfast and lunch are free for all students due
to covid-19, 93% on time graduation, 100%
go on to higher education, 23 total ELL students,
96% White, 2% Hispanic or Latino, 2%
American/Indian/Alaskan Native, 13% of
students with IEPs, $13,187 per-pupil
expenditures.
All students receive free breakfast lunch due to
Covid-19, 88 students, 90.9% White, American
Indian or Alaska Native 3.4%, Hispanic/Latino
1.1%, 13% of students with IEPs, there were no
ELL students in the elementary, 11:1 teacher
ratio

Task III: Instructional Design and Implementation

Objective: Candidate’s design, implement, and assess a minimum of three lessons from multiple
subjects and/or content areas. (See rubric for scoring on each component)
Complete this task using the Common Lesson Plan Template (below) for 3 different lessons.
 2 of the lessons must have been observed by your university supervisor
 Remaining lesson should be one that you have taught

*The final Student Teaching TWS will contain 3 lessons using the following format:
Millicent Atkins School of Education: Common Lesson Plan Template
Teacher Candidate Name: Morgan Erickson
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Subject: Mathematics
Date: 09/10/2021
PLANNING
List the Common Core/State Standard(s) to be addressed in this lesson.

K.G.A.2 – Identify and describe shapes, correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.

List the Rationale (cite theories or theorists):

According to Lev Vygotsky, social interactions play a major role in developing cognition. Using hands-on
learning, questioning, and interaction with their peers and myself, my students will be developing their
cognition (Mcleod). Jean Piaget’s preoperational stage, states that children ages 2-7 are in the process of
developing memory and imagination (Cherry). Using drawings found in their textbook, my students will use
their memory of the characteristics of circles and their imagination to find the circles seen throughout the
pictures.
List the learning objective(s) to be addressed in this lesson (specific, measurable, attainable, timebound). Use
the following format: “Students will be able to…”

Students will be able to identify and name two-dimensional shapes, including circles.
Describe how the learning objective(s) and the learning outcomes is/are appropriate for the
age/developmental level of the students.

The learning objective and learning outcome is appropriate for this developmental level of my students
because, like stated above, my students are in the Preoperational stage of development which means they
need to use objects to represent symbols, as they are not yet able to understand concrete logic at this phase of
development.

Describe the Classroom Demographics: (e.g., ethnicities; gender ratios; special needs, including those of
gifted students, those of students’ physical needs, and those due to cultural characteristics).

- 18 students
- 11 girls, 7 boys
- No students on IEPs
- No English Language Learners

Describe your Knowledge of Students: (in terms of the whole class and individual students)
(e.g., language needs; approaches to learning; prior learning and experiences; academic
proficiencies/behavioral differences; areas of interest).

- Many of the students enjoy hands on learning, especially when they can converse with their peers about what
they are sorting, creating, drawing, etc.
- From past observations I have noticed many students need encouragement to complete problems on their
own.
- There are also students who need to be reminded often about the directions during guided practice.
- As a class, we have talked about and sorted shapes before, so they all have prior knowledge.

List the materials/resources you will need to teach the lesson.

- Go Math Workbook
- White piece of paper
- Cups and bowls to trace
- Students’ bag of shapes
- Students’ whiteboard
- Students’ dry erase marker
- Plickers cards

Technology
Describe the instructional and/or assistive technology that you plan to incorporate into the lesson and explain
how it will enhance instruction and student learning.

- Projector
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlXnXf6FSq8
 - https://www.online-stopwatch.com/rocket-timer/
- Plickers

Accommodations: Base this on the information you provided for Classroom Demographics and
Knowledge of Students above.
Describe the accommodations/differentiation/modifications you will use to meet the needs of all learners and
accommodate differences in students’ learning, culture, language, etc. *

- Directions will be read aloud.

- I will use visual representations while talking about shapes.
- I will have students respond through words, rather than writing.
- Pre and post assessment will be done with small groups.
- I will have a timer on the screen as a way for students to remain organized while completing work.

Pre-Assessment: Describe the instrument or process you will use to measure students’ level of understanding
toward the learning objective(s) prior to teaching the lesson.

Prior to the lesson, I will be using the website Plickers to measure my students’ level of understanding toward
the learning objectives. The students will each have their own card to answer the two questions. I will split
the students into small groups to ensure that everyone is answering fairly and understanding the question. The
question-and-answer choices will be read aloud, and the students will move their Plickers card to show the
answer they think is correct.

Pre-Assessment: Describe how the results of the pre-assessment (what the students have demonstrated they
know) will be used to design the lesson objectives, instruction, and post-assessment. (Include charts, graphs if
applicable)
Many of my students can answer these questions correctly, I now know that this will mostly be a review and
that we can spend less time on the definitions/terms. This also shows me that many students may be able to
complete more of their workbook assignments alone than what I had thought before. The graph below shows
whether or not the students answered the two questions correctly. Each question was one point, and they have
corresponding colors. EJ, CC, HC, AY – gone for pre-assessment
 1.2

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

Question #1 Question #2

Classroom Management
Identify the management and motivational strategies you will use to meet student behavioral/developmental
needs in order to keep students on task and actively engaged throughout the lesson.

- Proximity
- Doorbell to gain attention
- Using “thumbs up” to see if students are ready to move on with the lesson.
- Timer on the board for students to easily gauge how much time they are given with independent work.
- Brain break dance party
- Clip chart
- Reteaching/ slowing the pace of instruction when necessary.

Implementation
“I Do”
(Teacher introduces lesson and models expected outcome(s) of learning objectives)
Describe what instructional strategies you will use to model/explain/demonstrate the knowledge and skills
required of the objective.

- I will draw circles, squares, and triangles on the white board.

- I will ask children to talk about the shapes and name any of the shapes they know.
- I will point out and name the circles if they are not said.
- Ask children, “What does a circle look like?” (Round, same shape as a wheel, curved, etc.)
- Ask children, “What objects in the classroom are shaped like a circle?” (Bottom of water bottle, some of
numbers on the calendar, etc.)
- I will call attention to the fact that circles are a curved, flat shape. Meaning that when we draw shapes on the
board, they are two dimensional.
- Instruct students to take out their shapes, dry erase boards, marker, and sock eraser from their desk drawer.
- I will draw a large rectangle on the white board to represent my own dry erase board.
- Instruct the students to draw a line, using their dry erase markers, down the middle of the white board (the
long way).
- Explain that the students will sort into two sections, “circles” and “not circles.”
- Sort a few together, move on to independent sorting.
- Start timer for 3 minutes on projector.
- Walk around while students are sorting, making sure everyone is on track.
- Have students turn to page 494 in their workbook.
- Ask students, “Are all of the shapes the same on this page?” (no)
- Ask, “Are any of the shapes circles?” (yes)
 - Instruct students to circle all the circles seen.
- Ask students, “How could you tell the difference between a circle and the other shapes seen on this page?”
(Circles are round and flat, they are small, medium, large, they are blue, yellow, green, red) and “Were there
any tricky shapes that kind of looked like circles?”
- Instruct students to look at page 495 in workbook.
- Instruct students that they will be coloring the circles they find in the picture and that I will be calling names
to come up and color a circle that they found on the board.
- Instruct students to turn to page 496 in workbook and to circle the shape that is a circle on problem #3.
- Ask students, “Why should we not circle this shape? (Point to oval on board)”
- Remind students of prior worksheet page of coloring in the circle and have them work on page 497
independently.
- I will have students practice tracing circles using the bottom and top of plastic cups, as a lesson closing
activity.
- As students are practicing drawing their circles, I will begin the process of assessing my students.

“We Do”
(Teacher engages students in guided practice)
Describe the learning activities you will use to provide students multiple opportunities to practice the skills
and content needed to meet the learning objective(s).

- Students will take out their dry erase boards, shapes, marker, and sock eraser from their
desk drawer.
- Students will split their white board into two sections by drawing a line down the middle.
- After students have sorted their shapes, or the three-minute timer has gone off, we will talk
about how the students sorted their shapes and why.
- I will ask students questions like, “What shapes did we place on the left and right side of the
board?” and “How did you know if a shape was a circle or if it was a different type of
shape?”
- BRAIN BREAK – Dance to the Circle song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlXnXf6FSq8 )
- Students will turn to page 494 in workbook.
- Together we will find one of the circles to circle and then the students will work on their
own for the rest.
- As a whole group we will discuss how many circles were found and how the students found
them. (4)
- Students will look at page 495 in workbook.
- Students will come up to the board (draw names with sticks) and color in the circles found
on page 495.

-Students will circle the shape that is a circle in the line.

- We will discuss as a group why an oval is not a circle.
- Have students put an X over section 4 on page 496.

- Students will work on page 497 independently.

- Students may hand in workbook after I have checked their work.

- I will show my students how to trace around the cups and they will try it by themselves.

“You Do”
(Students engage in independent practice)
Describe what the students will do to independently practice the knowledge and skills required by the lesson
objectives?

- Students will independently sort shapes into “circles” and “not circles.”
- Students will circle the circles on page 494 in their workbook.
- Students will color the circles in the picture on page 497.
- Students will trace the bottom and rims of plastic cups to practice drawing circles.

Lesson Closing
Describe how you will reemphasize the lesson objective(s) and any skills/content that were taught in an
interactive manner (whole/small group, etc.).

- As a whole group students will practice drawing circles using plastic cups as their guide. As they are tracing,
they will be able to feel how circles have a curved line instead of a straight line.
- As students are practicing tracing their circles, I will begin the process of assessing them.

Post-Assessment: APPENDIX: Include a blank copy of the lesson post-assessment you will use to measure
students’ level of understanding toward the learning objectives after teaching the lesson.

Analyze
Post Assessment: Based on the results of the Pre- and Post-Assessment, to what extent did students achieve
the learning goals/objective of the lesson? Cite examples from the lesson plan, assessments, and/or video.
If applicable, insert a table/chart/graph before your explanation.
 Post Assessment
1.2

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

Question 1 Question 2

This graph provides proof that students achieved the learning goals/objectives. If the students did not
improve on both questions, they showed growth on at least one of them. As I stated above, this lesson
was a review for most of the students. This lesson provided the students with knowledge of definitions
and examples of circles, non-circles, straight lines, and curved lines.

Reflect
Reflect on your instructional strategies, interactions with students, and classroom management strategies.
Describe what went well and what areas you need to revise in the future. Cite examples (from video) that
support your conclusions.
Describe revisions that you could make if you were to teach this lesson again. Why would you make each
revision? Cite examples from the lesson plan, video and/or student work that would prompt revisions.
Overall, I feel like my first lesson went well. The students were able to use hands-on manipulatives to fully
gain understanding of the difference between circles and not circles. In this Kindergarten classroom, we tend
to do a lot of whole group learning, so many students are used to shouting out answers to questions. I
prompted my students to think in their mind first, then be prepared to share with their classmates what they
were thinking by raising their hand. I was proud of how well my students adjusted to my teaching practices. I
also implemented having my students give me a thumbs-up when they are ready to move on from a problem
after independent work. I really like this method and helps reduce noise level while other students are
finishing up their work. Another great strategy that I will use again in future lessons, is the use of popsicle
sticks to call students to complete problems on the white board. During this lesson, students were tasked with
recognizing and coloring in circles, seen in a picture. I had students come to the board to find a circle, then
they colored it in with a marker of their choice, and the students sitting at their desks had to find the crayon
and location of the circle to match what the student at the board completed. This was a great way to keep the
students interactive and excited to learn. Another strategy I plan to implement in my next lesson, is the use of
a brain break. For this lesson, I used a song about circles to engage students and give them a break between
activities for them to successfully stay on task and be ready to learn.

Although my lesson went well, it was of course, not perfect. The first thing I would have changed to make
my lesson more successful, is allowing the students more time to collaborate in their small table groups,
instead of as a whole class or independently. I also believe that I could have had the students use more
descriptive language to describe circles and how we can differentiate between circles and other shapes.
 Millicent Atkins School of Education: Common Lesson Plan
Template
Teacher Candidate Name: Morgan Erickson (Dahme)
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Subject: Reading / Language Arts
Date:10-03-21
PLANNING
List the Common Core/State Standard(s) to be addressed in this lesson.

- K.RL.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

- K.RL.4 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in stories,
poems, nursery rhymes, or songs.

List the Rationale (cite theories or theorists):

- According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, students can use problem solving skills to ask and answer
questions about key details in a text using the category of “Remember.” As I read through
the story, the students will be tasked with answering questions that ask for them to recall or
remember previous information found within the story. Prompting questions will help me
gauge if the students understand the information that is being taught to them.
“Understand” is the second category in Bloom’s Taxonomy and students must be able to
summarize, infer, and explain their knowledge and will be prompted to do so over unknown
words seen throughout the story (McDaniel).

List the learning objective(s) to be addressed in this lesson (specific, measurable, attainable,
timebound). Use the following format: “Students will be able to…”

- Students will be able to ask and answer questions about key details in a text with prompting
and support.
- Students will be able to ask and answer questions about unknown words in stories, poems,
nursey rhymes, or songs.

Describe how the learning objective(s) and the learning outcomes is/are appropriate for the
age/developmental level of the students.

- The Learning objectives and learning outcomes are appropriate for the age/developmental
level of the students because according to Bloom’s Taxonomy, which recognizes categories
and subcategories describing cognitive processes that thinkers encounter while working
with knowledge, my students will be able to remember (recall and recognize) and
understand (interpret, summarize, infer, compare, explain, etc.) information about the text,
with prompting and support from me as their teacher. Remember and recall are the first
two steps students must surpass to eventually get to self-actualization, which means they
are not being expected to achieve something that is not possible. Students will also have
 the chance to apply their knowledge while completing worksheets, both guided and on their
own.
Describe the Classroom Demographics: (e.g., ethnicities; gender ratios; special needs,
including those of gifted students, those of students’ physical needs, and those due to cultural
characteristics).

- 18 students
- 11 girls, 7 boys
- No students on IEPs
- No English Language Learners

Describe your Knowledge of Students: (in terms of the whole class and individual students)
(e.g., language needs; approaches to learning; prior learning and experiences; academic
proficiencies/behavioral differences; areas of interest).

- Many of the students enjoy hands on learning, especially when they can converse with their
peers about what they are sorting, creating, drawing, etc.
- From past observations I have noticed many students need encouragement to complete
problems on their own.
- There are also students who need to be reminded often about the directions during guided
practice.

List the materials/resources you will need to teach the lesson.

- Amazing words vocabulary cards

- Armadillos Orange by: Jim Arnosky
- Sight word worksheet
- Amazing Words Worksheet
- Who Lives in Orange Grove?” worksheet
- Decodable Reader 8
- Sight Word Cards
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Crayons
- GoNoodle Website for brain break activity

Technology
Describe the instructional and/or assistive technology that you plan to incorporate into the
lesson and explain how it will enhance instruction and student learning.

- iPads will be used to assess student learning. I will use the app ‘Kahoot,’ to gain knowledge
of my students prior to and after the lesson is completed.
- I will use an interactive game through the projector on the white board as a brain break
activity and to practice our new sight words.

Accommodations: Base this on the information you provided for Classroom

Demographics and Knowledge of Students above.
Describe the accommodations/differentiation/modifications you will use to meet the needs of
all learners and accommodate differences in students’ learning, culture, language, etc. *
 - Directions will be read aloud.
- I will have students respond through words, rather than writing.
- I will use a timer to help my students remain on task and organized.

Pre-Assessment: Describe the instrument or process you will use to measure students’ level
of understanding toward the learning objective(s) prior to teaching the lesson.

I am going to use Kahoot! to assess my student’s knowledge on

their key vocabulary words and the characters/key details found
within the story.

This assessment will help me focus on the key details that my

students may or may not know. If they answer these questions
correctly, I know that I can ask review questions, rather than
completely teach definitions. I can use this lesson as a time for
the students to learn from each other rather than solely from me.

Pre-Assessment: Describe how the results of the pre-assessment (what the students have
demonstrated they know) will be used to design the lesson objectives, instruction, and post-
assessment. (Include charts, graphs if applicable)

All in all, the students completed this survey well. Not one student was below the 50% mark,
meaning they each got at least two of the questions correct. Through this assessment, I was
able to see that I will need to go over the “amazing” words before the story and as I am
reading the story I will stop when we get to key events. The students have read through the
story once before, so this lesson will be more of a review.

Classroom Management
Identify the management and motivational strategies you will use to meet student
behavioral/developmental needs in order to keep students on task and actively engaged
throughout the lesson.

- Proximity
- Doorbell to gain attention
- Using “thumbs up” to see if students are ready to move on with the lesson.
Clip chart
- Reteaching/ slowing the pace of instruction when necessary.
- Brain Break activity

Implementation
“I Do”
(Teacher introduces lesson and models expected outcome(s) of learning objectives)
Describe what instructional strategies you will use to model/explain/demonstrate the
knowledge and skills required of the objective.

1. Essential Question: Who lives in Orange Grove and why is it good to have friends who live
near you?
- Display talk with me chart
- Talk through pictures

2. Review Key Vocabulary

- Armadillo - an animal with a hard-plated shell
- Tortoise – a large turtle that moves very slowly
- Rattlesnake – a snake that shakes its tail to make a sound
- Burrow – a hole for a home
- Grubs – baby bugs that look like worms
- Insects – adult bugs with six legs

3. Look at story book cover.

- Predict what story is about.
- Ask students what they see on the cover.
- Do they see any “amazing words” on the cover of the book?

4. Read story aloud for students.

- Ask questions throughout story
“Who was the first “friend” that armadillo missed while he was looking down at the
ground?”
“Who was the second friend….”
“Do you think Armadillo would have been able to find his home if he would’ve looked at all
of the animals that lived in Orange Grove right away, instead of waiting until the orange was
gone?”
“Why do you think Armadillo thought everything seemed strange and wrong with the
orange gone?”

5. Discuss key details, asking students to recall information that they found interesting.
6. “How did his neighbors help him find his burrow?”
7. “Did the neighbors actually show Armadillo where his burrow was?”
 8. After discussion, students will return to their tables.
9. Introduce worksheets – reminding students that their name belongs on every worksheet.
10. “Who lives in Orange Grove?” – Instruct students to take out crayons, scissors, and glue
stick.
11. Amazing words worksheet – walk through definitions of the amazing words and the pictures
that they will be matched too.
12. Review how to spell “have” and how to spell “is.”
13. Brain-break activity, game on the projector that has the students moving while also asks
questions about the sight words.
14. Sight word worksheet – Orange crayon to color in “have” and yellow crayon to color in “is”
15. Walk through decodable reader, “Sam and Tam,” have students read along.
16. Walk students through post-assessment survey.
17. Students will read the book, taking turns between just boys reading, and just girls reading,
and whisper reading if time allows.

“We Do”
(Teacher engages students in guided practice)
Describe the learning activities you will use to provide students multiple opportunities to
practice the skills and content needed to meet the learning objective(s).

1. As a whole group we will discuss key details throughout the story.

2. Class discussion about key details and questions the students may have.
3. At their tables, students will be given three worksheets.

4. As a whole group we will talk about the

animals seen throughout the story, and the students will color and glue pictures of them
onto the worksheet titled “Who lives in Orange Grove?”
5. As a whole class, we will discuss our amazing vocab words, filling out the worksheet above
as we go.
6. Class discussion about our favorite parts of Armadillo’s Orange.
7. Read through decodable reader “Sam and Tam”

“You Do”
(Students engage in independent practice)
Describe what the students will do to independently practice the knowledge and skills
required by the lesson objectives?

1. Students will complete the sight word worksheet on their own after receiving instructions
on how to complete it.
2. Students will discuss with table members their favorite parts of our story.
3. Students will complete the post-assessment survey, using their iPads. I will read through the
question, and they will answer the questions on their own.

Lesson Closing
Describe how you will reemphasize the lesson objective(s) and any skills/content that were
taught in an interactive manner (whole/small group, etc.).
 - First, I will have students talk with their table members about their favorite details of the
story.
- Next, as a whole group, we will take turns sharing our favorite characters/something we
learned from the story/ or their favorite event that happened in the story.
- Post-assessment survey.
- If time allows, students will break into two groups to work on their decodable reader that
will go home as homework, to practice reading to their family. If time is running short, this
step will be completed as a whole group.
Post-Assessment: APPENDIX: Include a blank copy of the lesson post-assessment you will
use to measure students’ level of understanding toward the learning objectives after teaching
the lesson.

Analyze
Post Assessment: Based on the results of the Pre- and Post-Assessment, to what extent did
students achieve the learning goals/objective of the lesson? Cite examples from the lesson
plan, assessments, and/or video.
If applicable, insert a table/chart/graph before your explanation.

My students improved by 13% as a whole group. The pre-

assessment showed them at 67% and after my lesson, the post-
assessment showed them at 79%.

Individually, most of the students did improve their score by

at least 25%. There were two students whose score did not
improve but decreased. This may be more so the age of the
group, rather htan soley based off my teaching abilities. The
students have only had a few practices using Kahoot! but they
really do enjoy it and have a lot of fun!
 Reflect
Reflect on your instructional strategies, interactions with students, and classroom
management strategies. Describe what went well and what areas you need to revise in the
future. Cite examples (from video) that support your conclusions.
Describe revisions that you could make if you were to teach this lesson again. Why would
you make each revision? Cite examples from the lesson plan, video and/or student work that
would prompt revisions.

I thought this lesson went a lot better than my first lesson. I felt more confident and was able
to dive into the questions I asked the students. I tried my best to incorporate higher order
thinking questions and asked the students multiple times about recalling key details and
vocabulary from the story. I created a fun sght word game to incorporate as a brain break in
this lesson. I loved the activity, and the students were also able to practice reading and
analyzing their new sight words.

This lesson went well overall, but we did run out of time when it came to completing all the
planned worksheets. This was okay, because we do have time in the afternoon that can be
used to finish up any work that is not completed. If I were to reteach this lesson, I would
have managed my time better and made sure that we had time to incorporate our “Amazing
Word” worksheet so that we could go over the definitions one more time and make sure that
they fully understand what the story was focusing on.

Millicent Atkins School of Education: Common Lesson Plan Template

Teacher Candidate Name: Morgan Erickson (Dahme)
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Subject: Science
Date: 10/27/2021
PLANNING
List the Common Core/State Standard(s) to be addressed in this lesson.
L-LS1-1: Describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

List the Rationale (cite theories or theorists):

According to Jean Piaget, people are constantly developing schemas through assimilation and
accommodation. He stated that schemas are much easier to change during childhood (Cherry 2019). Using
children’s books and real-life examples, I will help my students develop their schemas on the view of
pumpkins and how they grow/survive. My students already have basic knowledge on pumpkins, which is
their already formed schema, but I will help assimilate knew knowledge into their schemas by showing
examples of how pumpkins grow and change throughout different stages. My students may even have
altered or new schemas after this lesson as they learn new information and experience new ideas.
List the learning objective(s) to be addressed in this lesson (specific, measurable, attainable, timebound).
Use the following format: “Students will be able to…”

- Students will be able to show through drawings that pumpkins need sunlight and water to survive.

Describe how the learning objective(s) and the learning outcomes is/are appropriate for the
age/developmental level of the students.

The learning objective and learning outcome is appropriate for the age/developmental level of the students
because this activity is going to focus on the use of fine motor skills which are still developing in
kindergarten. Fine motor skills are so important, and using coloring and drawing my students will be able to
strengthen their muscles. My students will use their knowledge of what pumpkins need to survive to draw a
picture that represents what they are thinking in their mind. This also helps develop their creativity in a fun
and engaging way.

Describe the Classroom Demographics: (e.g., ethnicities; gender ratios; special needs, including those of
gifted students, those of students’ physical needs, and those due to cultural characteristics).

- 18 students
- 11 girls, 7 boys
- No students on IEPs
- No English Language Learners

Describe your Knowledge of Students: (in terms of the whole class and individual students)
(e.g., language needs; approaches to learning; prior learning and experiences; academic
proficiencies/behavioral differences; areas of interest).

- Many of the students enjoy hands on learning, especially when they can converse with their peers about
what they are sorting, creating, drawing, etc.
- From past observations I have noticed many students need encouragement to complete problems on their
own.
- There are also students who need to be reminded often about the directions during guided practice.

List the materials/resources you will need to teach the lesson.

- Pencil
- Crayons
- QR Code for both pre and post assessment
- “My Pumpkin Journal”
- Pumpkins for each student.
- Cubes to measure.
- Pumpkin PowerPoint
- Pumpkin Life Cycle
- Glue
- Scissors
- Pumpkin Drawing Page
Technology
Describe the instructional and/or assistive technology that you plan to incorporate into the lesson and
explain how it will enhance instruction and student learning.

- iPads will be used to assess student learning; each student will fill out a Microsoft form for the pre/post
 assessment
- Projector will be used to show the pre/post assessment to the students so I can read it aloud to them.
- I will use YouTube for our Brain Break Dance
Accommodations: Base this on the information you provided for Classroom Demographics and
Knowledge of Students above.
Describe the accommodations/differentiation/modifications you will use to meet the needs of all learners
and accommodate differences in students’ learning, culture, language, etc. *

- Directions will be read aloud.

- I will have students respond through words, rather than writing.
- I will use a timer to help my students remain on task and organized.
- I will have pictures displayed on the board to help students keep track of where we are in the journal.

Pre-Assessment: Describe the instrument or process you will use to measure students’ level of
understanding toward the learning objective(s) prior to teaching the lesson.

I will use Microsoft forms to assess my students understanding of what

affects a pumpkins growth. The students will answer yes or no, regarding
whether they think the pumpkin in the picture received plenty of water and
sunlight.

I will also use a journal to help me understand whether my students know

what affects pumpkin growth. The students will be asked to draw a picture of
a pumpkin and two things that help that pumpkin grow.

Pre-Assessment: Describe how the results of the pre-assessment (what the students have demonstrated they
know) will be used to design the lesson objectives, instruction, and post-assessment. (Include charts, graphs
if applicable)

This pre-assessment shows me that most of the students do understand what a pumpkin looks like when it
receives enough sunlight and rain/water. The PowerPoint that the students and I will go through together
will help them really see the differences in pumpkins that received enough water and sunlight and which
ones did not. I had the students make a journal entry about what they think a pumpkin needs to survive and
most of them knew that the pumpkins needed rain, but not as many caught on that the pumpkins needs both
rain/water and sunlight. I will make sure to focus on the pumpkin needing both rain and sunlight to survive.

Classroom Management
Identify the management and motivational strategies you will use to meet student behavioral/developmental
needs to keep students on task and actively engaged throughout the lesson.

- Proximity
- Doorbell to gain attention
- Using “thumbs up” to see if students are ready to move on with the lesson.
- Clip chart
- Reteaching/ slowing the pace of instruction when necessary.

Implementation
“I Do”
(Teacher introduces lesson and models expected outcome(s) of learning objectives)
Describe what instructional strategies you will use to model/explain/demonstrate the knowledge and skills
required of the objective.
1. I will introduce this lesson by reading two stories, “Pumpkin Pumpkin” by Jeanne Titherington and “I Like
Pumpkins” by Jerry Smith.
o During the book, “I Like Pumpkins” by Jerry Smith, we will discuss how all pumpkins look different.
o During the book, “Pumpkin Pumpkin” by Jeanne Titherington, we will discuss how a pumpkin grows.
2. Discuss the importance of sunlight and water during pumpkin growth.
3. Go through the “Pumpkin” PowerPoint with the students, seeing if they can recognize the difference
between pumpkins that grew with the enough water and sunlight and the ones that did not receive enough.
4. Emphasize the importance of water and sunlight while growing most plants, not just pumpkins.
5. Post – Assessment Quiz and Journal
6. Students will line up in alphabetical order to put away iPads.
7. As they are putting ipads away, students will go to the hallway to grab their own pumpkins.
8. Brain Break Dance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho8NXCvwElY
9. Instruct students to take out their Pumpkin Journal and write their names neatly on the line.
10. Page 1 of journal – “Put the pumpkin life cycle in order by numbering them.” This will be done together; we
may use the book “Pumpkin Pumpkin” by Jeanne Titherington to help with the order if the students are not
remembering.
11. Page 2 – instruct students to draw a picture of their pumpkin.
12. Page 3 – Instruct students to color in the pumpkin that best describes the pumpkin in front of them (small,
medium, or large). Students will also count the lines on their pumpkin and write the number.
13. Page 4 – Instruct students on how to measure their pumpkins with cubes to find the height.
14. Allow students time to share if they estimated exactly right or if they were off on their guess.
15. Page 5 – Students will predict if my pumpkin floats in water. They will color in the pumpkin on page 5 that
says it will “float” after the activity is completed.
16. I will cut open my pumpkin and allow students to take turns coming up to look inside and feel the inside of
the pumpkin.
17. Page 6 – The students will draw a picture of what they think their pumpkin looks like on the inside.
18. Page 7 – Students will draw their pumpkin as a jack-o-lantern.
19. Have students share what they learned about pumpkins and/or what they found interesting. Talk with their
table mates first, then share with the class.

“We Do”
(Students engage in guided practice)
Describe the learning activities you will use to provide students multiple opportunities to practice the skills
and content needed to meet the learning objective(s).
 1. We will discuss “I Like Pumpkins” by Jerry Smith and “Pumpkin Pumpkin” by Jeanne Titherington as a whole
class.
2. Students will be asked to give a “thumbs up” if they think that the pumpkin picture on the PowerPoint
received enough sunlight and water and a “thumbs down” if they think that the pumpkin did not receive
enough sunlight and water.
3. Students will have time to talk about their own pumpkins and describe their pumpkins to their table mates.
4. We will talk through the stages of the pumpkin life cycle together and sequence them in our Pumpkin
Journal.
5. Talk through what it means to “estimate.”
6. I will show the students that I am estimating my pumpkin to be 10 cubes tall and then I will use our cubes to
measure it to find the actual answer.
7. The students will complete their own estimate and find out their actual height.
8. Students must predict if pumpkins sink or float.
9. After looking at the insides of my pumpkin, the students will draw a picture on page 6 of what they think
their pumpkin looks like on the inside.
“You Do”
(Students engage in independent practice)
Describe what the students will do to independently practice the knowledge and skills required by the lesson
objectives?

1. Students will complete post assessment

2. Students will draw in their journal including the two things that we talked about that affect a pumpkin’s
growth.
3. Students will complete pages 6 and 7 on their own.

Lesson Closing
Describe how you will reemphasize the lesson objective(s) and any skills/content that were taught in an
interactive manner (whole/small group, etc.).
1. Discuss effects of sunlight and water on growth of pumpkins once more.
2. Have students share what they learned about pumpkins and/or what they found interesting.
Post-Assessment: APPENDIX: Include a blank copy of the lesson post-assessment you will use to measure
students’ level of understanding toward the learning objectives after teaching the lesson.

Analyze
Post Assessment: Based on the results of the Pre- and Post-Assessment, to what extent did students achieve
the learning goals/objective of the lesson? Cite examples from the lesson plan, assessments, and/or video.
If applicable, insert a table/chart/graph before your explanation.

The students understood that pumpkins need sunshine and water

to survive. The students were also asked to draw pictures of what
they thought pumpkins needed to survive and they showed
knowledge of the pumpkins needing water and sunshine. The
graph on the left shows that the students did show growth on the
first question, but the second question did not show growth.
Overall, I believe the students did understand that pumpkins need
sunshine and water to survive.

Reflect
Reflect on your instructional strategies, interactions with students, and classroom management strategies.
Describe what went well and what areas you need to revise in the future. Cite examples (from video) that
support your conclusions.
Describe revisions that you could make if you were to teach this lesson again. Why would you make each
revision? Cite examples from the lesson plan, video and/or student work that would prompt revisions.

Overall, this lesson was fun and engaging and I thought it went very well. I love student engagement and
hands-on activities. This lesson had a mixture of whole group and small group learning opportunities. I tried
to incorporate collaborative learning by having students converse with each about certain aspects of the
lesson. They really enjoyed this, and I loved hearing them talk about their pumpkins and journals. The
lesson started out with two read-aloud stories, one fun one, and one that was more related to the actual
lesson and incorporated the pumpkin life cycle. I used flash cards of the pumpkin life cycle while I went
through the book “Pumpkin Pumpkin” to help the students remember the order of the cycle. I placed the
cards so everyone could see and look back on. I found this to be very beneficial to my students and would
use this again in the future.

Revisions I could make to this lesson, is providing more exploring time with the inside of the pumpkin and
the float or sink activity. I think it would be so awesome to provide an opportunity for the students to each
try their pumpkins in the sink or float activity. I think they would have loved to see if their pumpkin floated
or not. Many of the students really enjoyed touching the inside of the pumpkin. Next time I teach this lesson,
I will ask for my students to give words to describe what they are feeling and touching. I also could have
incorporated more “repeat after me” directions. Repeating is very beneficial, and I could have had my
students repeat the “high school” words to me and the pumpkin life cycle to get it to really stick in their
head.
 References and Credits

Cherry, K. (n.d.). Preoperational stage of cognitive development in young children. Verywell Mind. Retrieved

September 10, 2021, from https://www.verywellmind.com/preoperational-stage-of-cognitive-

development-2795461. 

Cherry, K. (2019, September 23). What role do schemas play in the learning process? Verywell Mind.

Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-schema-2795873. 

Mcdaniel, R. (1970, June 10). Bloom's taxonomy. Vanderbilt University. Retrieved October 12, 2021, from

https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/. 

Mcleod, S. (n.d.). Lev Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory. Lev Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory | Simply

Psychology. Retrieved September 10, 2021, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html.