Student Teaching Evaluation of Performance (STEP)

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Table of Contents

STEP Standard 1 - Contextual Factors: Knowing Your School and Community........3

STEP Standard 2 - Writing Standards-Based Measurable Objectives and the
Learning Goal.............................................................................................................4
STEP Standard 3 - Assessment and Data Literacy.....................................................5
STEP Standard 4 - Unit and Lesson Planning.............................................................7
STEP Standard 5 - Implementation of Instructional Unit........................................11
STEP Standard 6 - Analysis of Student Learning......................................................12
STEP Standard 7 - Reflecting on Instruction to Improve Student Progress............14
STEP Standard 1 - Contextual Factors: Knowing Your School and
Community
Student Teaching Evaluation of Performance (STEP) is the process for preparing and
implementing a unit of instruction.
By understanding the community, school environment, and the makeup of the classroom, you
will be able to strategically meet the overall needs of your students.
By analyzing the student demographics, environmental factors, and student academic factors,
you will be able to strategically meet the overall needs of your students. In the first two weeks of
student teaching, you should focus on learning about the students you will be working with.

Part I: Community, District, School, and Classroom Factors

You will be completing this portion of the STEP document using the following link:
STEP Standard 1, Part I
After completing the e-doc portion, submit the PDF you receive into the Learning Management
System (LMS).

Part II: Demographic, Environment, and Academic Factors

You will be completing this portion of the STEP document using the following link:
STEP Standard 1, Part II
After completing the e-doc portion, submit the PDF you receive into the Learning Management
System (LMS).

Please note, that in order to submit this assignment, you must:

1. Complete each section of the STEP Standard 1
 Note: Closing your internet browser before the signing process is completed will
result in a loss of your work. If you will be completing this document in multiple
sittings, it is highly recommended to save and back up your work on another
document.  When you are ready to make your final submission, copy and paste your
responses into this document. The data from this electronic document will not be
saved until you complete the signing process.
2. Complete the signing process by entering your name, selecting “Click to Sign,” and
entering your email address. 
 An initial email will be sent to you to confirm your email address. 
 A completed copy of the document will be emailed to you within minutes of
confirming your email address.
3. After completing the e-doc portion, submit the PDF you receive into the Learning
Management System (LMS).
STEP Standard 2 - Writing Standards-Based Measurable Objectives
and Learning Goals
Part of the planning process is to identify overall learning goals for a unit or lesson, as well as the
lesson’s specific learning objectives. Goals and objectives should be aligned not only to
standards, but also to student pre-assessment data.
The unit you are planning should be one you are preparing to teach during Weeks 5-7. The
standards and objectives need to align with your pre- and post-assessments and objectives.
Note: You will not teach this unit until you get feedback from both your instructor and your
mentor teaching on this STEP.

Unit Topic:
Citizenship

Unit Title:
Being a Good Citizen: What are the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens?

National or State Academic Content Standards:

SS.1.4.1 Effective groups have responsible leaders and team members.
SS.1.4.1a Describe the characteristics of responsible leaders.
SS.1.4.1b Identify the attributes of a responsible team member
SS1.4.1c Demonstrate the ability to be both a leader and team member.

Learning Goal:
Children will investigate aspects of good citizenship. They will learn about why we need rules
and law and how rules and laws relate to getting along with others. They will develop an
understanding of the importance of respect for others. Children will also be introduced to the
idea of voting in our society as well as the concept of responsibilities.

Measurable Objectives:
By the end of the unit students will be proficient (80%+) in the following areas:
Students will be able determine what constitutes as a good rule 80% of the time (SS.1.4.1).
Students will explore and explain how to get along with other individuals and what it takes to be
a positive community member 80% of the time (SS.1.4.1b).
Students will be able to identify the responsibilities of a good citizen and ways we can help
others 80% of the time (SS.1.4.1c)
Students will actively participate in voting and be able to identify the meaning and purpose of
voting 95% of the time (SS1.4.1c)
STEP Standard 3 - Assessment and Data Literacy
Pre- and post-assessments are used to assess the learning that takes place from participating in a
learning activity. The pre-assessment is given to students before instruction, in order to
determine their prior knowledge of the topic, or inaccurate knowledge, which is sometimes the
case. After students have participated in the unit, they are given the post-assessment, which can
be the same as the pre-assessment, a modified version, or something comparable that measures
the same concepts.
Formative assessment is acceptable, work with your mentor teacher to determine the best way to
collect data in your classroom.

Pre-Assessment - Copy and paste the pre-assessment you plan to use to assess the students’
knowledge of the topic prior to implementing the unit lessons. Include the scoring criteria used
to determine whether the student is Highly Proficient, Proficient, Partially Proficient, Minimally
Proficient when it comes to meeting the learning goal and measurable objectives.
The assessment is worth 11 points
Question #1- 4 points
Each sub question is worth one point and will be graded accordingly. If all sub questions
are answered appropriately student will receive full credit. For each one answered incorrectly,
one point will be taken off.

Question #2- 4 points

Student will receive full credit for a full sentence with appropriate finger spacing and
punctuation as well as an appropriate drawing that entails what being a good citizen is.
Student will receive 3 points for a full sentence that is lacking punctuation and/or finger
spacing as well as a drawing that outlines what it means to be a good citizen.
Student will receive 2 points for a written answer that is not a full sentence as well as a
drawing representing being a good citizen.
Students will receive 1 point for no written answer and only a drawing or vice versa—a
written answer and no drawing.

Question #3- 2 points

Each sub question is worth one point and will be graded accordingly. If all sub questions
are answered appropriately student will receive full credit. For each on answered incorrectly,
on point will be taken off.

Question #4- 1 point

Question is multiple choice. One point will be given if answered correctly. No points will
be awarded if not answered correctly.

Grading:
11/11 points- 100% (Highly Proficient)
10/11- 91% (Highly Proficient)
9/11points- 82% (Proficient)
8/11 points- 73% (Partially Proficient)
7/11 and below- (Minimally Proficient)

Pre-Assessment Data: Whole Class - Once you have assessed your students’ knowledge on the topic,
collect and analyze the pre-assessment data to determine if you will need to modify the standards,
learning goal, or measurable objectives that will be addressed during instruction.

Number of Students

Highly Proficient (90%-100%) 1

Proficient
(80%-89%) 2

Partially Proficient
(70%-79%) 0

Minimally Proficient
(69% and below) 19

Pre-Assessment Analysis: Whole Class

Since there are very few questions on the pre-assessment, there is very little margin for error in order to
be considered proficient at 80%. The reason that I included so few questions is because I knew that any
more than this would probably be overwhelming for first graders. I knew that as long as I was aligning
each question with one of the standards and learning goals, that my bases would be covered, and students
were meeting the targets they were needing to by the end of the unit. I did facilitate and read the
assessment out loud which I think was appropriate because some of these words are beyond where they
are at in first grade reading. Students responded well and were engaged while taking this pre-assessment
which was surprising to me. Assessments on paper tend to deplete engagement but I was really proud of
these kiddos because they hung in there and followed the directions of the assessment well. The scores
were pretty low on the pre-assessment which is motivating to me. This means that they have a lot to
learn, and I am determined to get them where they need to be by the end of the unit. I expect to see a lot
of growth by the time that the post test comes along.

I will be keeping the post assessment the same because I was able to design lessons within the unit that
meet all of these objectives. My decision of keeping the end-of-unit assessment consistent with the
beginning-of-unit assessment is to keep my data accurate and also because students did seem so engaged
the first time around.

Post-Assessment – Copy and paste the post-assessment you plan to use to assess the students’ knowledge
of the topic after implementing the unit lessons. The post-assessment can be the same as the pre-
assessment, a modified version, or something comparable that measures the same concepts. Include the
scoring criteria used to determine whether students are Highly Proficient, Proficient, Partially Proficient,
Minimally Proficient when it comes to meeting the learning goal and measurable objectives.
The assessment is worth 11 points
Question #1- 4 points
Each sub question is worth one point and will be graded accordingly. If all sub questions
are answered appropriately student will receive full credit. For each one answered incorrectly,
one point will be taken off.

Question #2- 4 points

Student will receive full credit for a full sentence with appropriate finger spacing and
punctuation as well as an appropriate drawing that entails what being a good citizen is.
Student will receive 3 points for a full sentence that is lacking punctuation and/or finger
spacing as well as a drawing that outlines what it means to be a good citizen.
Student will receive 2 points for a written answer that is not a full sentence as well as a
drawing representing being a good citizen.
Students will receive 1 point for no written answer and only a drawing or vice versa—a
written answer and no drawing.

Question #3- 2 points

Each sub question is worth one point and will be graded accordingly. If all sub questions
are answered appropriately student will receive full credit. For each on answered incorrectly, on
point will be taken off.
Question #4- 1 point
Question is multiple choice. One point will be given if answered correctly. No points will be
awarded if not answered correctly.

Grading:
11/11 points- 100% (Highly Proficient)
10/11- 91% (Highly Proficient)
9/11points- 82% (Proficient)
8/11 points- 73% (Partially Proficient)
7/11 points and below- (Minimally Proficient)
 STEP Standard 4 - Unit and Lesson Planning
During the design phase, you will carefully construct activities that are geared toward improving learning outcomes in your specific disciplines. Each
activity should align to instructional goals and demonstrate your understanding of the pre-assessment data results, contextual factors, student learning
needs, and management strategies.
Collaborate with your Cooperating Teacher/Mentor to design a unit of instruction that aligns to state content standards. Be sure to include technology
integration and demonstrate how you will differentiate your lessons to meet the needs of individual students.
Note: When implementing the unit of study, you will be choosing one of these activities to video record, review, and reflect on your teaching in the STEP process.

Grade Level:1st
Unit/Subject: Social Studies-Being a Good Citizen

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

National/State Learning
Standards
List specific grade-level
standards that are the focus
of the lesson being
presented.
SS.1.4.1b Identify the SS1.4.1c Demonstrate SS.1.4.1b Identify the SS1.4.1c Demonstrate SS.1.4.1b Identify the
attributes of a the ability to be both a attributes of a the ability to be both a attributes of a responsible
responsible team leader and team member. responsible team leader and team team member
member member member.
SS.1.4.1b Identify the SS1.4.1c Demonstrate
attributes of a responsible SS1.4.1c Demonstrate the ability to be both a
team member the ability to be both a leader and team member.
leader and team
member.

Specific Learning
Target(s)/Objectives
Based on state standards,
identify what is intended to
be measured in learning.
Academic Language
General academic
vocabulary and content-
specific vocabulary included
Students will be able Students will explore and Students will be able to Students will be able to Students will actively
determine what explain how to get along identify the Golden Rule identify the participate in voting and
constitutes as a good rule with other individuals and demonstrate how to responsibilities of a be able to identify the
treat others 95 % of the good citizen and ways
80% percent of the time and what it takes to be a meaning and purpose of
time we can help others 80%
(SS.1.4.1b). positive community voting 95% of the time
of the time (SS.1.4.1c).
member 80% of the time (SS1.4.1c)
(SS.1.4.1b).
Citizen Problem Respect Responsibilities Vote
Rule Solution The Golden Rule Rule Right
Law Citizen Poll
in the unit. Community Compromise Ballot

Unit Resources, Laptop Laptop Laptop Laptop Duck for President by

Materials, Equipment,
and Technology
List all resources, materials,
equipment, and technology
to be used in the unit.
Depth of Knowledge
Lesson Questions
What questions can be
posed throughout the lesson
to assess all levels of
student understanding?
 Level 1: Recall
 Level 2: Skill/Concepts
 Level 3: Strategic
Thinking
 Level 4: Extended
Thinking
Projector Screen
Pencil
Notecards
Level 1:
Recall: What is a law?
What is a rule?
Level 2:
Cause/Effect:What
happens when someone
doesn’t follow the rules in
the classroom?
Level 3:
Predict: What would
happen if all of the rules
went away.
Level 4:
Create: Make your own
rules that you think would
be helpful in our
classroom.
Projector
Anchor Chart Poster
The Two Goats and the
Bridge Story
What if Everybody Did
That? Video
What If Everybody Did
That? | Social Skills for Kids
| Read Aloud - YouTube
IMPACT Social Studies
Research Companion
Level 1:
Recall: List one of the 4
Steps in solving a problem
Level 2:
Cause/Effect: What would
happen if we removed the
3rd step in problem solving
(listening)
Level 3:
Predict: What would
happen if Ping and Tang
weren’t able to come up
with a solution to their
problem?
Level 4:
Create :Create your own
scenario of a problem that
Projector Projector Doreen Cronin
Read Aloud - A Little Be Kind: Kids books Green Notebook
Respectful Spot: A read aloud by Books Laptop
Projector
Story About with Blue - YouTube
IMPACT Social Studies
Respecting People, White Boards
IMPACT Social Studies Research Companion
Places, and Things -
Construction paper
YouTube
Hand Cut-Outs
Ball of yarn
IMPACT Social Studies Yarn
Research Companion
Level 1: Level 1: Level 1:
Recall: What does the Recall: What is a rule? Recall: What is voting?
Golden Rule say? What is a responsibility?
Level 2:
Level 2: Level 2: Summarize: Tell me how
Summarize: In your own Compare: What is the voting keeps things fair.
words, what does that difference between a
mean. rule/law and a Level 3:
responsibility? Apply in another
Level 3: context:Besides voting for a
Predict: What do you Level 3: president or a leader, what
think our classroom Categorize: Put each are some other things we
would be like without sentence in the right could vote on?
respect? category: rule/law or
responsibility Level 4:
Level 4: Create: Create your own
How can we connect Level 4: poll for the class to vote on.
what we learned today in Apply: Based on what
morning meeting to what you know about being a
we learned today in social good citizen, draw a

Anticipatory Set
How will students’ prior
knowledge be activated as
well as gain student interest
in the upcoming content?
Multiple Means of
Representation
Describe how content will
be presented in various
ways to meet the needs of
different learners.
Being a good Citizen
Video:
 https://youtu.be/QYa_D
mgBUAk
Turn and talk:
Vocabulary:
“The word is Rule, say it
with me 3 times, get
ready…..”
“What does it mean?
Let’s look at our text.”
Repeat with remaining
words
Students will turn to pg. 8
in their research
companion, and I will read
as they follow along.
you could solve using those
4 steps.
What if Everybody Did
That:
What If Everybody Did
That? | Social Skills for Kids
| Read Aloud – YouTube
Vocabulary:
“The word is Solution, say
it with me 3 times, get
ready…..”
“What does it mean?
Let’s look at our text.”
Repeat with remaining
words
Presentation of Content
Students will turn to pg. 17
in their research
companion, and I will read
the story The Two Goats
and the Bridge as they
follow along.
studies? picture of something you
can do to be a good
citizen and help others.
Spot of Respect: Be Kind: Kids books I will read aloud to the class
Read Aloud - A Little read aloud by Books Duck for President by
Doreen Cronin
Respectful Spot: A with Blue - YouTube
Story About
Respecting People,
Places, and Things - Vocabulary:
YouTube “The word is vote, say it
with me 3 times, get
ready….”
Vocabulary: “What does it mean?
“The word is Golden Vocabulary: Let’s look at our text.”
Rule, say it with me 3 “The word is
times, get ready……. responsibility, say it
with me 3 times, get
“What does it mean? ready…..”
Let’s look at our text.”
“What does it mean?
Let’s look at our text.”
Students will turn to pg. Students will turn to pg. Students will turn to pg. 36
24 in their research 31 in their research in their research
companion, and I will companion, and I will companion, and I will read
read as they follow along. read as they follow as they follow along.
along.
 T Chart: “

As a class we will look

at the following
pictures and put them
in the correct category
on the T-Chart

I will ask students the

following questions
about the pictures:

“Look at this picture.

What do you notice
about it? What are
Turn and Talk A/B
these boys doing?”
Partners:
“Do they have to pick
“Why do you think it is
up other people’s
Turn and Talk A/B called the Golden
trash?”
Partners: As a class we will discuss Rule?”
how Ping and Tang could
“Would you say this
have solved the problem Come back together and
picture shows a rule or
using this anchor chart: discuss with the class as
a responsibility?”
 a whole.

“Reflect back on the

story A Little Spot of
Respect. What happened
in this story that showed
“How do rules help us get they were following the “Look at this picture.
along?” golden rule?” (Give What do you notice?
“What do you notice them 3 minutes to about it?
about this picture? How discuss.)
are they following the Does he have to help
rules?” We will come back as a this elderly person?
class and write on a
Possible Answers poster what it means to
Would you say this
1. Talk: “This bridge follow the golden rule
picture shows a rule or
isn’t big enough for and why it’s important
a responsibility?”
both of us to pass to have in a community.
through”
“How do rules keep 2. Share: “Ping could
things fair?” have said I have
“What do you notice some where to be
about this picture? How in 10 minutes and I
are they following the can’t be late,
rules?” would you mind if I
go first?”
3. Listen: “Tang
could have listened
to Ping’s problem “What about this no
about being late” running sign?”
4. Solve: “Tang said
he would lay down
so that Ping could
step over”
Also discuss what if
nobody cooperated or
compromised and compare
it to the story of the goats. “And this speed limit
sign?”
“How do rules keep us
safe?”
Students will
“What do you notice Students will grab their
about this picture? How
collaborate with a
green notebooks and work

Multiple Means of
Representation
Differentiation
Explain how materials will
be differentiated for each of
the following groups:
 English Language
Learners (ELL)
 Students with
special needs
 Students with gifted
abilities
Early finishers (those who
finish early and may need
additional sources/support)
Multiple Means of
Engagement
How will students explore,
practice, and apply the
content?
are they following the
rules?”
Lesson 1 text will be read
out loud one time to
students as a whole group.
Visual images are used and
short sentences such as
“stay safe” are displayed to
help students who may be
below grade level in
reading.
Students above grade level
reading l can read
independently if desired.
I will provide Guided
Reading Strips/Bookmarks
to students who need them
to follow along with the
story. When doing the class
discussion, I will provide
sentence starters for my
students who need the extra
guidance.
Students above grade level
reading l can read
independently if desired.
Application of Content
Students will complete this
I will provide Guided
Reading
Strips/Bookmarks to
students who need them
to follow along with the
reading. When doing the
class discussion, I will
provide sentence starters
for my students who need
the extra guidance.
Students above grade
level reading can read
independently if desired.
Circle of Compliments:
Students will sit around
in a circle and one student
will start with a ball of
yarn. They will toss the
ball of yarn around in a
circle and say something
partner and write on with a partner to fill in the
their white boards blanks on the following
either rule or sentences. They will be
responsibility and advised to use their
research companions to do
hold it up for me to
this.
see. I will move the
pictures to the “Voting is making a
appropriate spot on that you can count.”
the T Chart on the
smart board. “Voting keeps things .”
“A person who gets the
most votes is a .”
I will provide Guided I will provide Guided
Reading Reading Strips/Bookmarks
Strips/Bookmarks to to students who need them
students who need them to follow along with the
to follow along with the reading. I will place
reading. students who need extra
guidance in a group with
my leader students.
Students above grade level
reading can read
independently if desired.
Helping Hands Name our Class Pet:
activity: I will bring my “Stuffie” to
Students will receive a school to display as our
few hand cut-outs and class pet for the next week.
will draw and write As a class we are going to
scenarios of one vote on what we will name
responsibility citizens him. The options are

Multiple Means of
Engagement
Differentiation
Explain how materials will
be differentiated for each of
the following groups:
 English Language
Learners (ELL)
 Students with
special needs
 Students with gifted
abilities
Early finishers (those who
finish early and may need
additional sources/support)
Multiple Means of
Expression
Formative and summative
assessments used to monitor
student progress and modify
instruction.
Students will use this
prompt and our classroom
behavior plan of practice
cards. Students will use
what they have learned to
create their own practice
cards with their own rules
that they think will make
our classroom community
stronger.
Students will have the
option to work either in
groups or alone. I will
walk around and guide or
prompt groups who seem
to be struggling with
coming up with their own
ideas and/or rules.
Students will complete an
exit ticket with 2 parts for
the lesson.
Part one:
Tell me one rule that you
would add to the classroom
or a rule that we already
have and why it makes our
community stronger.
cut and match worksheet.
They will use the 4 steps
from the anchor chart to
help them.
At the top is the scenario,
“Jon and Jill want the same
ball at recess. How can we
use our 4 steps to solve this
problem?”
I will have a small group
with me of students who
are below grade level in
reading so that I can read
this to them.
I will allow students on and
beyond grade level to work
in groups to collaborate and
solve this worksheet
together
Assessment of Content
Students will either receive
a (+) or a (-) signifying
nice about the person that
they toss it to. Each
student will hold on to the
string where they catch it,
and a web will appear in
the middle. I will explain
to students that we are all
connected by being kind
to one another.
I will provide students
who need extra assistance
with sentence starters and
sentence stems.
“I like your .”
“You’re my friend
because .
List 3 things that you can
do to be kind or show
respect in the classroom
1 .
2 .
have to help others in Theo
the community. One side Blazer (Because we are the
of their cut-out at least Monfort Trail Blazers)
has to have one sentence Dixie
written on it. Their
“helping hand” will be ____Theo
strung together with the
yarn that was used in the
____Blazer
circle of compliments
activity.
This will resemble a ____Dixie
garland and will be hung
up in the room.
I will provide students For students who are unable
who need extra to read the ballot, I will
assistance with sentence read the ballot out loud and
starters and sentence help them vote.
stems.
(Ex. “I can help in
the community
by________.” “I can
be a good citizen
by________.”
Early finishers will have
the opportunity to make
extra hands to draw or
write on or they can help
friends around them.
When students complete
their “Helping Hand”, I Circle the two reasons
will collect them and why we vote:
give students a 1 if they
only drew a picture. I 1. To make a choice
will give them a 2 if they
drew a picture and wrote 2. To be unfair
a sentence.
3. To be fair
4. To argue with each other

Multiple Means of
Expression
Differentiation
Explain how materials will
be differentiated for each of
the following groups:
 English Language
Learners (ELL)
 Students with
special needs
 Students with gifted
abilities
Early finishers (those who
finish early and may need
additional
resources/support)
Identify and describe any
extension activities or
homework tasks as
appropriate. Explain how
the extension activity or
Part two:
What are the 3 reasons that
we make and follow rules
and laws?
Answer: To keep us safe,
to keep things fair and to
help us get along.
Students will either receive
a 1, 2, 3, 4 or a 5.
Part one is worth (2) points
(1 point for if they are able
to name a rule, 2 points if
they are able to explain
why)
Part two is worth (3)
points. (1 point for each
reason that we follow
rules)
These questions will be
read out loud to the class
as a whole. Students who
are able, will write their
answers. Students who are
unable will do a one-on-
one discussion with me.
Early finishers will move
on to browse their
Research Companions for
Lesson 2.
We talked about how
leaders make rules (ex.
Mrs. Zwirn is the leader of
our classroom, she made
the classroom rules. Mr. U
either “has it” “needs
revisiting”.
These questions will be
read out loud to the class as
a whole. Students who are
able, will write their
answers. Students who are
unable will do a one-on-one
discussion with me.
Early finishers will move
on and browse their
Research Companion for
Lesson 3.
Extension Activity and/or Homework
Send students home to talk
about how they can resolve
problems within their
household. (Between
siblings, how to say sorry
3 .
Students will receive a 3,
2, or 1 based on how
many answers they are
able to give.
These questions will be I will have a discussion These questions will be
read out loud to the class with students about what read out loud to the class as
as a whole. Students who they want to write. I can a whole.
are able, will write their help them fill in the
answers. Students who blanks on their “Helping Early finishers will move
are unable will do a one- Hand”. on and browse their
on-one discussion with Research Companion
me.
Students will create a Students will be Students can go home and
letter to mom or dad assigned to go do one conduct a poll with their
(aunt, uncle, grandma, act of good citizenship at families about what
grandpa, guardian) and home (ex. helping mom bedtime story is their
compliment them on why do the dishes, helping favorite.
homework assignment
supports the learning
targets/objectives. As
required by your instructor,
attach any copies of
homework at the end of this
template.
is the leader of our school, etc.) they are a good parent. dad mow the lawn, offer
he made the rules for our to carry groceries in for
school.) Discuss with your a neighbor etc.)
family another leader you
may know (ex. The
president, a cop) and which
rules they establish and
help up follow. Why do
they make these rules?
STEP Standard 5 - Implementation of Instructional Unit
You will implement all lesson activities, correlating formative assessments and the summative
post-assessment. Choose one of the lesson activities to video record a 5-10 minute segment,
review, and reflect on your teaching. Have your cooperating teacher/mentor review the recording
and provide feedback, if possible.

Use an online video platform such as Loom, YouTube, or Vimeo to upload your completed video.
Be sure that others can access and view your linked video prior to submitting.

Video Recording Link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XgY1XtdRIuKkrEZSqa7BKnpmYiPXQ9_B/view?usp=sharing

Summary of Unit Implementation:

Day 1:
On the first day, I had students create rules for the classroom that would help make our classroom
community stronger. I gave them their own blank “practice cards” (which is what we use as behavior
reminders in our class) to create their own rules. Students enjoyed this activity because I set up a scenario
for them. Their prompt was “Imagine you were Mrs. Zwirn or Mrs. Mustari for a day, what rules would
you add to the classroom to make our learning community stronger.” They were really fixated on the
rules we already have in place rather than making their own. I was able to adjust and ask them how those
rules make our classroom stronger.

Day 2
On the second day, we did a matching activity. Hindsight is 20/20 but I feel like this was the most
unsuccessful activity that we did. Students had a very hard time grasping how to do this activity. I think it
would have benefitted students at a second or third grade level. I ended up putting the activity under the
doc cam and doing it with them rather than working in their independent groups. I should have focused on
that same concept but done a less complicated activity and using more appropriate first grade language
and/or visuals.

Day 3
The activity for this lesson was the one that students talked about the most which in my opinion made it
the most engaging. It was tossing the yarn in a circle and telling one another compliments. This was
showing students how to be kind to one another and how it can build a community up while the morale of
the room was down. I think it was much simpler than the worksheet activity the day before and much
more interactive which really engaged them. The intentions of the lesson were pure; however, it took up a
good amount of time and I think a more time effective activity could have been implemented in place and
would have still been just as effective.

Day 4
The fourth day was the helping hands activity. This consisted of students drawing pictures of what it
means to them to be a good citizen on cut-outs of hands. On the backside they were asked to write a
sentence describing what they drew. Each one of their hands was connected together by the yarn we used
in the activity the day before to make a garland. The students were invested in this mostly because I told
them we would be using the yarn from the day before to complete this project which held their attention. I
had students come to school and ask me, “what are we doing with that string from yesterday.”
I think half of the battle of getting students to retain information is to get them to pay attention. And at
this point in my unit, I feel like I had really drawn students in and sparked their interest about what it
means to be a good citizen.

I also want to add that after this activity, I had students come up to me and tell me that they were being
good citizens by picking up trash in the bathroom. I think my heart grew three sizes after hearing them
apply these concepts in real life.

Day 5
This was the home stretch of the unit. Students have started wondering when it’s going to be time to start
science. I assured them that we have one last very fun activity to do. The purpose of this lesson was to
show the importance of voting and how it keeps things fair and how fairness keeps a community strong. I
brought a stuffed animal to school and told them he was going to be our class pet for the week. I told
them that they were going to vote on a name.

The purpose of this was to show that it may not be the name that one student wants but it is what the
majority of students want and that is the only way to keep it fair. I assumed most students would be
accepting of the outcome. My assumption was correct aside from one student and we were able to deal
with it accordingly.

This activity gave students a first-hand look at how it feels to be invested in something and the
responsibility they have as citizens to vote on things that they care about.

Summary of Student Learning:

As I have mentioned, we have had a lot going on in our classroom the past few weeks. We have had
major behaviors playing a factor in our classroom with three of our students which has greatly impacted
the environment. We have had suspensions which has led to developing a “room clear” plan. We have
really worked on mindfulness to help boost the morale of the classroom.

We have had to rely heavily on our leaders of the classroom to set good examples and really just praise
them. I have found that their willingness to learn has helped those students who are influenced by the
chaos in the classroom. One thing that I have found that helps with this is to create subtle competition
within the room. This group of students thrives on competition however, they are able to accept when
they don’t “win”. This lesson was perfect to implement a whiteboard game and really engaged the
students after a challenging day. Since this kind of activity is on the post assessment, I think it was
necessary and will be beneficial to students.

Reflection of Video Recording:

After watching the video back, I realize that I am still struggling with the apparent lack of control that I
have in the classroom. My mentor teacher just keeps reminding me to be gentle but firm and to also be
consistent with following our classroom rules. She said to me that she also feels like this is the first year
in a while where she has struggled with control and classroom management.
I felt like there was a lot of chaos in the moment but after watching, I am thankful to see several teacher
wins. I see how successful the whiteboard activity was, so I just keep telling myself to take the good with
the bad and continue to capitalize on the things that work and fix the things that don’t. I also was feeling
pretty down about the feedback from my site supervisor, so I focused on the suggestions that he gave me
about questioning students. I was proud of myself after watching because I think the students seemed
excited to share their answers on the topic.
STEP Standard 6 - Analysis of Student Learning
After you have implemented each lesson in the unit, as well as completed the post-assessment,
collaborate with your cooperating teacher/mentor to analyze the results of the post-assessment
and determine student learning. Review your data and whether there is a student or group of
students who have not mastered the objectives and discuss what you will do to further develop
students’ knowledge and skills.

Post-Test Data: Whole Class - Once you have assessed your students’ learning on the topic, collect and
analyze the post-test data to determine the effectiveness of your instruction and assessment.
Number of Students Number of Students
Pre-Test Post-Test

Highly Proficient 1 9
(90%-100%)
Proficient
2 8
(80%-89%)
Partially Proficient
0 1
(70%-79%)
Minimally
Proficient 19 2
(69% and below)
Post-Test Analysis: Whole Class
Based on your analysis of the whole class post-test data, what is your interpretation of the
students learning? Cite examples and provide evidence of student learning that helped you come
to this conclusion.
When I gave the pre-test, I was concerned that students were struggling with the format of the
test. I think as teachers, seeing really low scores on a test of any kind, even a pre-test, is cause for
discomfort. I think it’s in our nature to wonder what we did wrong, and I immediately wanted to
change the format.
Fast forward to the post-test and I should have trusted my teaching and my students more because
they definitely exceeded my expectations. I was especially worried about question number 2
because it was a 2-part, 4-point question. They were to draw a picture of what it means to be a
good citizen and write a complete sentence explaining their picture. Students performed very well
on that question and were able to take examples from the lessons that we did together and insert
those concepts into their test. One of my students drew a picture of him pushing his grandma in
the wheelchair, which was one of the examples that was used on the slides.

Based on the whole class post-test data, write one paragraph analyzing the effectiveness of your
instruction and assessment and effect on student learning. Cite examples and provide evidence of
student learning to support this analysis.
I truly believe that they retained much more information than I originally gave them credit for at
the end of each lesson. I don’t have a lot of time in my social studies block so I felt rushed. One
thing that really stuck out to me was how much of the examples that were used in the lesson, they
were able to implement into their drawings on question 2. I also noticed that most of the students
who missed both parts on question 3, got them correct on the post test. This tells me that my
interactive sorting activity on day 4 was effective. This activity was to help them understand the
difference between a rule and a responsibility.

If there is anything that I would have done differently for the post test, it would have been to add
more visuals on the assessment to align better with this activity however, they still did a really
good job.

Post-Assessment Analysis: Subgroup Selection

Using the information obtained in Standard 1(Student Academic Factors section), select one
subgroup population to focus on for this analysis. Provide a brief rationale for your selection (1-
3 sentences).

For my subgroup I chose to focus on the boys of my classroom. I don’t really have a lot of
diversity in my classroom and my classroom has been split pretty evenly down the middle with
males and females. I knew that I had a lot of really solid leaders in my group of girls, so I wanted
to focus on and push the boys in my class.

Post-Assessment Data: Subgroup (Gender, ELL population, Gifted, students on IEPs or 504s, etc.)

Number of Students Number of Students

Pre-Test Post-Test
Highly Proficient 0 5
(90%-100%)
Proficient
0 4
(80%-89%)
Partially Proficient
0 1
(70%-79%)
Minimally
Proficient 11 1
(69% and below)
Post-Assessment Analysis: Subgroup

Based on your analysis of the subgroup post-test data, what is your interpretation of the student
learning? Cite examples and provide evidence of student learning that helped you come to this
conclusion.

For my subgroup I chose to focus on the boys in the class. Our class is split pretty evenly with boys and
girls. I noticed on the pre-test that all of the boys measured as minimally proficient. Only one of them
stayed in that category on the post-test. The rest of them were able to move out and most of them, besides
two of them, moved on to meet our learning target and be proficient (80% or above) in our unit about
citizenship. I matched each student’s pre and post-test up so I could put them side by side in order to see
their growth. I am so proud of how far they came and how much they grew. We have really been focusing
on our writing and the sentences that they gave me for #2 were really impressive from a writing standpoint
as well as a social studies standpoint.

I had boy in the class who was so frustrated and almost left his entire pre-test blank because he didn’t
know the material.
To see how much detail, he added in his drawing, and to see his confidence was truly a treat. He didn’t
provide me with a sentence, so I asked him to verbally express his answer, which he was able to do so. He
said he was picking up trash and watering plants to make our earth pretty.
Based on the subgroup class post-test data, write one paragraph analyzing the effectiveness of
your instruction and assessment and effect on student learning. If there is a student or group of
students who have not mastered the objectives, discuss what you will do in future days to aid
students' understanding with respect to the unit’s objectives. Cite examples and provide evidence
of student misconceptions to support this analysis.

I was a little disappointed that I was not able to get 100% the boys into the proficient or highly proficient
category. The two that I was not able to get there seemed very engaged in our lessons and our activities.
The questions in common that these two boys missed were the law vs. responsibility questions. I realized
that I used the term law instead on the test and in the lesson, I used the term rule. I am optimistic that this
is what threw them off and that it was not lack of information retention.

I try to remind myself that I too am not a great test-taker. Sometimes it’s the format and sometimes it’s the
pressure that gets to students. Next time in order to better assess them, I may pull those two boys and assist
them with the assessment to see what factors were throwing them off. I truly believe that my instruction
was effective and that they retained the necessary information. For future references, maybe I need to
differentiate my instruction a little better to meet every student’s needs.

Post-Assessment Data: Remainder of Class

Number of Students Number of Students

Pre-Test Post-Test
Highly Proficient 1 4
(90%-100%)
Proficient
2 4
(80%-89%)
Partially Proficient
0 0
(70%-79%)
Minimally
Proficient 7 1
(69% and below)
Post-Assessment Analysis: Subgroup and Remainder of Class

Analyze the data of the subgroup as compared to the remainder of the class. In one paragraph,
describe the effectiveness of your instruction for this unit using the finding from your analysis.
Overall, the rest of the class performed very similarly to the boys in the class. I am holding my
head high and very proud that I only had one student in this group out of 9 who didn’t hit the
proficient mark. I have a lot of girls in the class that are leaders and I noticed during our activities
throughout the unit that the girls were really taking the reigns in the group work.
The way that I grouped students for groupwork throughout the lesson was intentional with the
thought of having one strong leader (mostly girls) in each group. I am not surprised at the
outcome of these scores.

Based on your analysis of student learning, discuss the next steps for instruction, including an
objective that would build upon the content taught in this unit of instruction.

As we move forward with social studies, we move on to maps and learning about the places that
we live. We will take the information of being good citizens and learn about being good citizens
in the places that we live. This go round, I will be doing a lot of the same kind of instruction
(questioning, hands-on/interactive activities) but I will also be adding more checkouts at the end
of every lesson to make sure that students are retaining information.
I will also set an objective that 100% of my students be proficient on their unit test because I am
very confident that they can get there even if that means differentiating format for students who
 need the tools to succeed.
Since our next chapter is focusing on geography, we could use the standard SS.1.2.2 2. Describe
the characteristics of a community and how they are influenced by the environment. A good
objective would be 100 percent of students will be proficient in locating where they live on a map
and describe two ways their lifestyle as effected by their location.

STEP Standard 7 – Reflecting on Instruction to Improve Student

Progress
Improved Practice Based on the Unit of Study
Based on the experience of developing and delivering your instructional unit, list three short-
term goals to improve specific areas of your teaching practice based on the unit of instruction
and describe your plan to reach each short-term goal.

Plan to Reach the Goal (i.e., professional

Short-Term Goal
1. Use better questioning throughout
instruction.
2. Differentiate instruction and
assessments for student’s needs
3. Aligning learning activities and goals
with standards
development, research on the Internet,
observation of a veteran teacher, etc.)
Study and follow the DOK levels of
questioning and also follow Costa’s Level’s
of thinking
Observations in various classrooms with more
diversity than what we have in my
cooperating classroom
Practice making SMART goals with a
mentor teacher. Research developing
measurable goals.

Long-Term Goals: Teachers who are dedicated to their profession and to improving the lives of
students will continually look for ways to grow and learn. The best way to ensure that learning is
prioritized is to create a long-term goal. Create one long term goal that is specific and
measurable. Make sure to discuss the following:
Long-Term Goal: My long-term goal is to become a certified elementary teacher in the
state of Colorado and work in my local school district in Weld County within two years
of completing my student teaching.
Rationale: Why did you choose this goal? How The reason that I chose this goal is because I
do you expect it to improve the outcomes of your really struggled to pass my PRAXIS exam
future students? and I know that I am going to have to work
really hard to pass my licensure exam.
The school district in which I live (not the

End Date: By when do you expect to accomplish
this goal?
Action Timeline: What steps will you take to
complete this goal, and by when will you take
them? Example:
1/31/18: Join AACTE
Resources: What resources are available to assist
you in accomplishing your goal?
school district in which I am student teaching
in) is highly competitive, so I also know that I
am going to have to really fine tune my
portfolio to be considered.
I am invested in the future of students that
live in my town because it is a small
community and somewhere that my husband
and I will be raising our family. I want to
create good learning opportunities for the
children in my community.
I wish to accomplish my goal within the next
two academic school years. The district is
currently going through reconstruction—
building a new high school, adding on to the
middle school and rearranging the two
elementary schools in town so I don’t
necessarily want to start in the middle of the
move.
Also, as I mentioned, I know that this school
district is competitive when it comes to
finding jobs as an elementary teacher so I
have to take that into consideration when
making my long-term goal.
I will do a lot of studying to pass my licensure
exam. I will work with my mentor teacher to
fine tune my portfolio and my resume. I will
also do mock interviews in order to prepare
and get rid of the nerves that come with the
unknown of interviews. I will also continue to
substitute teach to create and maintain a
rapport with the administration.
There are many PRAXIS practice tests online
for purchase so I will be using those to study
for my licensure test. For interview practice,
my mentor teacher and our admin offer mock
interview opportunities to help prepare for
real-life situations.