Northern State University

Student Teaching Experience

Teacher Work Sample
Candidate Name: Madison Norris

Candidate Website Address: missmadisonnorris.weebly.com

Candidate ID Number:

Name of School where data Central High School

was collected:

Subject/Content Area: Math

Grade Level: High School

Date Submitted: 10/20/2021

Task I: Professional Goal Setting

GOAL #1:
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.

Planning, implementation and assessment

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.

Upon completion of my special education student teaching experience I will be able to plan, implement and assess
specific lessons that assist in growth towards IEP goals.

I chose this goal because I have learned a lot about how to create IEP goals and objectives that will assist students based
on hypothetical situations. I am anxious to understand real students' IEP goals and objectives and observe how lessons
implemented by the teacher create students' growth. I would like to learn more about how lessons in the special education
classroom are chosen based on school curriculum and the behavior and academic needs of the individual students.

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

First, I will begin my student teaching by observing my cooperating teacher and the lessons she implements. I will ask
questions to better understand why she chooses to teach what she does. I will get a good understanding of the individual
needs of the students in the classroom based on information provided by my cooperating teacher and through observation.
Then I will assist my cooperating teacher in planning instruction by observing and providing feedback when needed. I will
observe the implementation of the lessons and evaluate the effectiveness and basis of the goal. Finally, I will create my
own lesson plan based on the lessons taught by my cooperating teacher that I have observed. I will implement my lesson
and then establish the effectiveness towards students' IEP goals. I will track my goal by taking notes while attending IEP
meetings and in situations where my cooperating teacher is filling out paperwork or communicating with parents.

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

During my student teaching experiences at the elementary and high school placement I participated in and observed
testing, writing IEP goals and assessing during lessons that pertained to students individual goals. I was able to sit in on
IEP meetings and observed the teacher and parent interactions. I experienced interactions with parents through written and
verbal communication. I read through many IEP’s of students in the classrooms I assisted in. I was able to get a deeper
understanding of the IEP writing process and how the IEP is individually written and implemented for each student. I was
able to ask questions and observe my cooperating teachers as they accommodated lessons for their students' specific
needs. I was also able to see the outside educational tools they utilized to meet transitional and functional needs of their
students. I then participated in writing my own lesson plans using the same tools provided by my cooperating teacher.

It was very valuable to observe the three year reevaluation process as well as just an annual IEP meeting. Both are
essential to the job of a special education teacher. I was also able to observe a meeting at the high school where
transitional goals and options were discussed. At this meeting the student was his own guardian and attended his own
meeting without his parents present. I learned a lot through this process because the special education teacher and
psychologist discussed the evaluation results.

GOAL #2:

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

Knowledge of Learners

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

Developmental Needs

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.

Upon completion of my student teaching I will be able to create lessons, IEP goals, and reflect upon behavior plans based
on students' individual developmental needs.

I chose this goal because I will be completing my special education student teaching in an early elementary behavior
classroom. This will be an extremely important experience for me to understand students' developmental needs in a
behavior focused classroom. I hope to learn more about students' developmental needs and how to better help them in the
classroom setting. I want to learn how to help students work towards their behavior goals by observing how to create and
follow specific behavior plans. I hope to learn more about how to document and reflect real situation behavior plans.

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

First, I will observe my cooperating teacher and the behavior plans she sets in place for her students' success. I will get a
better understanding of the individual students' developmental needs and goals they are working towards. I will ask
questions and gather more information from my cooperating teacher when I need to understand a plan more.
I will begin leading lessons and implementing the students behavior plans and leading lessons based on their goals. I will
use what I have learned by observing, asking questions and reflecting to be able to implement all plans correctly. I will
track my progress on my goals by taking notes over the behavior plans implemented in the classroom. I will observe and
keep a running journal of the teacher-student interactions and how certain strategies work.

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

During my elementary school experience I had a ton of experience with behavior management. I was able to assist in
implementing their behavior plan using the Boy Town method. I issued positive and negative points based on their
behavior during lessons, recess, and lunch. The students were held accountable for their behavior then taught the correct
and acceptable behavior using planned teaching. I taught planned teaching lessons using their target skills and behaviors.
For example; getting the teachers attention appropriately, greeting others, accepting criticism and accepting no. I also read
through the students' IEPs to better understand what specific behavior goals they had. I led my own small group lessons to
be able to better address behaviors and academic needs immediately. I observed many students and got a great
understanding of what motivates them and creates a positive learning environment. Based on my observations I was able
to create lessons that held the students attention and decreased behavior needs.

During my high school student teaching experience I learned a lot more individualized behavior plans. The students in the
classroom were all very different and were motivated by different reinforcements. Many students would be asked, “What
do you want to work for?” Based on this response was how they managed their behavior throughout the day by giving the
students constant reminders. During my experience at the high school I had the opportunity to work with many
educational assistants that would assist with lesson and specific students behaviors throughout the lesson. I created
positive relationships which made it easier for me to help the students make progress towards their transitional goals.

Task II: Contextual Information

Categories of Contextual Factors Description of the Contextual Factors

General Context of Your Students

(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
Community
(e.g., whether the area is urban, suburban, or rural;
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 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)
Students range from grades 2nds to 5th. Students are being
taught math, reading, writing, social skills and specials. Students
qualify under disabilities categories of ED or autism. Students
are at varying developmental levels and are separated into
groups with similarly leveled peers for content areas. Older
students are grouped together for social skills.
All students within the classroom are classified as CARE
students. They are in the CARE classroom for all core
requirements so they can address behavior needs while working
in smaller groups. The students attend specials with their age
level peers.
The community is a rural area in Aberdeen. The median
household income is $52,000. 34% of the students are on free or
reduced lunch.
The percentage of students on free or reduced lunch is 34. The
graduation rate of the Aberdeen School district is 90%. 3%, 2%.
5%, 1%, 7%, 13%, 8%, 7%, and 8% of the district are ELLs.
4,500 students approximately are enrolled in the Aberdeen
school district.
The school has a student to teacher ratio of 13:1. Simmons has a
total of 17 English language learners. Students within the
Simmons school are white, hispanic, black, Native American, or
multiple.
Task III: Instructional Design and Implementation

Millicent Atkins School of Education: Common Lesson Plan Template

Teacher Candidate Name: Madison Norris

Grade Level: High School
Subject: Math
Date: 10/25/2021

PLANNING
List the Common Core/State Standard(s) to be addressed in this lesson.

Career Cluster Standards: Education and Training-Employability

Indicator E1- Evaluate positive work behaviors and personal qualities

List the Rationale (cite theories or theorists):

Anita Archer values explicit instruction to teach many different subject areas. Explicit instruction is valuable because
it relies on repetition and student involvement. Archer expresses how necessary it is to teach students exactly what
you expect so there is never any confusion. The students I will be working with require short and explicit
instructions. I will instruct students in the whole group while encouraging constant participation. I will call on
students to take time to go up to the board and pick the correct answer. I will also teach the concepts in small
groups of information. I will teach how a clock moves, vocabulary words, A.M and P.M and relating the concept to
real world situations.

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 discriminate between A.M and P.M and describe behaviors appropriate for that time.

Students will be able to apply and explain the use of time relative to real-world situations.

Describe how the learning objective(s) and the learning outcomes is/are appropriate for the
age/developmental level of the students.
The learning objectives are very appropriate for the developmental level of the students. Many of the students cannot
tell time to the nearest five minutes. Majority of the students need reminders on how to read the clock and understand
the difference between A.M and P.M. Although the students are high school age they are developmentally behind
their peers. It is important for them to understand telling time and relating concepts to real-world situations. Majority
of the students have transitional goals with hopes of getting a job. Understanding time is an important living and
working goal.

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).

Majority of the classroom is white students ranging in age from 15-21 years old. There are four female students and
nine male students. One student needs hearing aid and requires a sign language interpreter. While teaching I will need
to wear a microphone that is connected to the students' hearing aids. The students have autism or cognitive
disabilities. Some students need more structure and reinforcements due to behavior needs. All students need the
instruction delivered at a slower pace and a lower grade level due to developmental needs.

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).

The whole class struggles to stay engaged and on task without constant reminders. The students will require an upbeat
and constant questioning throughout the lesson. The students in the class have autism and cognitive disabilities. There
are also a few students that have specific behavior needs. Many students will need constant reminders of what they are
working for with specific reinforcements.

Individually, there is a female student that struggles to follow instructions. She often will leave her seat and
occasionally leave the room. She struggles to complete work independently. When sitting in class she will require an
EA to sit next to her and help her stay on task. She will scream out and draw sudden attention to herself.

Another student refuses to participate in the classroom instruction. He will not volunteer answers and will become
uncomfortable when called out. He will refuse to follow instructions and participate no matter how long you wait or
prompt him. Occasionally he will take a break when offered if he gets extremely uncomfortable.

Two students may become more quiet or hesitant when they are put on the spot to answer a question or participate.
They may also shut down a bit more when they become frustrated.

Many of the students will be eager to participate and yell out answers. When they are engaged they are good at
answering questions and following the lessons.

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

Teacher:
SMART Board
N2Y application

Students:
Pencil
Scissors
Glue
Post-assessment

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.

SMART Board
N2Y application

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. *

One student has hearing aids and will need a sign language interpreter. While teaching I will also have to wear a
microphone that is connected to the students' hearing aids. Students that have more behavior needs will be working for
their personal reinforcements. One student will work for Mnt. Dew and another may work for a magazine. It is
specific to the students and what they choose for the day. Some students will be more willing to participate than
others. When the others are called on they will be willing to answer and participate.

Post-assessment: I will have different cut and paste activities for students depending on their ability level. There will
be one that is for the nearest half hour and another that is telling time to the nearest five minute.

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 display a clock on the board and ask the students prompting questions about clock basics. I will start by asking
an opening question, “I need to eat lunch at 12:30, where should I look to find the time?” I will then explain the
importance of being able to tell time and understand time. I will tell them it is important to know the time for work,
appointments and social events.

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)

Based on the students' responses I will decide how much detail I will go into on the different concepts. I will
decide which students I will ask specific leveled questions.

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.

I will keep the classroom constantly upbeat and engaging. I will call on students based on their ability level that I have
previously observed. I will tell the students the plan for the lesson time with a break worked into the end as a
reinforcer. Individual students with more specific needs will have their own reinforcements for having a good day that
they are working for. I will let students go up to the SMART board to click answers that go along with the lesson.
When they choose the answer I will provide immediate feedback whether the answer was correct or not. I will provide
specific corrective feedback if a student gives the wrong answer. I will also keep the lesson simply and at a quicker
pace so the students can stay focused more easily.

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 have to go to lunch at 12:30. Where should I look to make sure I am there on time? It is important for us to
know how to tell time so that we can be on time for class, a job, appointments and more. It is a very useful
skill.

SMART Board pg. 1: See on the clock there are 12 numbers that will tell you what hour of the day it is.
Then there are minutes that we can figure out by counting those numbers by fives.
Pg. 2: There are two types of clocks. Digital and Analog. Where would I look to find a digital clock?
(phone, tablet, smart board, computer) The digital clock will tell you the time with the two numbers that are
separated. The hour and the minute.

Where could I look to find an analog clock? (the front of the classroom on the wall) On these clocks we
have to look where the hands are pointing to figure it out. There is a shorthand that is pointing to the hour in
the orange. Then the long hand always points to the minute in the blue. Both clocks show the same time just
in different ways.

Pg. 3: Go through the steps to find the time on an analog clock.

Pg. 4: Then we need to know if the time is A.M or P.M. What does A.M mean? Morning or night? What
does P.M. mean? Talk through morning, afternoon, evening and night.

Example: If I am getting ready for school is that A.M or P.M?, If I am laying in my bed and ready to go to
sleep, is that A.M or P.M?

“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).

Next, we will go through practice problems on the board. If the SMART Board is working I will have the
students go up to the board and pick the correct answer. There will be three options for all of the questions
and they will pick the correct time.
There are eight different practice problems. I will work through the problems with the students. Once they
begin to seem uninterested I will skip a few to move onto the next problems that are a bit more complex.

“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?

I will finish with the most complex problems that have more parts. The students will continue to participate
by coming up to the board to answer questions. I will give them time to think about each problem and then
call on one student to come and pick the right answer.

There are eight example problems and I will choose how many I will go through based on how the students
are understanding. I will also try to see how interested they are and on task.

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.).

I will state that the lesson is very important because telling time is a skill they will need when they leave
school. It is important to understand the concept of time so you know when to go to appointments, school,
classes, jobs and much more.

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 student achieved their goal by getting a better understanding of the concept of time. Since the students
have been taught this type of lesson multiple times in their lifetime I did not expect them to master telling
time. The lesson targeted the students' understanding of basic time such as morning, afternoon, evening and
night. Based on the post assessment the students show that with assistance they can tell time on an analog
clock. They completed the assessment efficiently and appropriately. The students with the time to the
nearest five minutes struggled at first, but once guided they could complete it independently.
 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 that the lesson went very well. I have noticed that the students are more engaged in the more straightforward
life skills lessons. For example, when we are talking about eating healthy, exercising and shopping. The more specific
academic skills are harder to keep the students engaged in. I thought I did a good job keeping all of the students
participating in the lesson. I could tell they weren’t extremely excited about the content but they were interested
enough to continue to answer questions. All of the students answered an appropriate amount of questions. Some
would volunteer answers and others would need specific prompting. I did well pulling in other concepts that the
students had learned in other previous lessons. I would point out in the scenarios the characters that are eating healthy.
We talked about the healthy foods and activities they were doing. I thought I did a good job interacting with students
during their independent work. Many of the students needed prompting and reminders to stay on task. I would give
the students hints and refer back to the lesson for them to finish their independent practice.

If I could do the lesson again I would use more real life situation examples. I would say examples like, “If I am going
to bed would I be laying in bed at 7:30 PM or 9:30 PM?” Using examples like these would get the students a better,
real life understanding of the concept of telling time. I also could have used more specific praise in my lesson. When
students would give correct answers I didn’t do my best job responding to all of the students positively. If I would
teach this lesson again I would make sure to focus on giving ALL students effective praise. I was only responding that
way to the students that typically struggle more than others. All students do need this praise so that they are excited to
continue responding to questions throughout the lesson.