Assignment 1: Data Project

Veronica Eksteen

Regent University

UED 496: Field Experience E-Portfolio

Dr. Flannagan

April 11,2022
 Part 1

Data assessments of a classroom are critical to ensure students are given the resources

they need to succeed in the classroom. “Data-driven instruction looks at the whole picture and

uses dynamic student data to gauge individual and classroom comprehension, giving teachers

insight into specific adjustments they can make to the curricula to improve student

understanding” (2020), This is important because it allows the teacher to meet individual

students and the class as a whole where they are. I completed this data project in my first

placement at Princess Anne Elementary in third grade. This third-grade class was made up of

thirteen boys and seven girls. This classroom was one of the most diverse in the building. The

class makeup consisted of one Asian or Pacific Island, three African-American, five Hispanic,

three multi-racial, and eight White students. In my class, there was also one student with a 504

and one student with an IEP. This pre-assessment was designed to test what students know about

points, lines, line segments, rays, and angles. This pre-assessment was given before students

were introduced to the geometry unit that was about to be started. The data from this pre-

assessment was used to design lessons concerning points, lines, line segments, rays, and angles.

The SOL on which this pre-assessment was based was “MA. SOL 3.11 The student will identify

and draw representations of points, lines, line segments, rays, and angles.” The pre-assessment

was designed so that students could draw examples of a point, line, line segment, ray, and angle.

The pre-assessment asked students to draw an example of a point, line, line segment, ray, and

angle in the corresponding box that was labeled. The highest grade on this pre-assessment was

two out of five. “Pre-assessments provide essential data about the knowledge, skills, and

dispositions students bring to learning tasks,” (Guskey, 2018) It was essential to see where the

students were to plan accurately so that they could have the most success in identifying each of
the different geometric terms and drawing them. I think this pre-assessment was a good one

because it measured the basics of the unit without being overwhelming to the students. In the

pre-assessment I gave these students, I only asked them to fill the top half and not the bottom

half. This pre-assessment was suitable for my current class because they were mostly below

grade level. If my class was advanced, I think this pre-assessment would be too easy, and I

would have them fill out the bottom sections of the pre-assessment.
 Part 2

Activity 1

Before I started with my first documented activity, I had students participate in the

motions of the geometric terms while making motions. I instructed students by saying, “First:

Point- everyone makes a fist with your hand- a point is an exact location in space with no length

or width.” The students repeated the definition of point while making a motion of a point with

their fists. I then said, “Next, we have a line- everyone hold out your arms and make your hands

flat- a line is a collection of points going on indefinitely in both directions.” The students

repeated the definition of a line while making the motion of a line with their arms. After that I

said, “Next, a line segment- everyone hold out your arms and make a fist with your hands- a line

segment is part of a line; it has two endpoints and includes all the points between the two

endpoints.” The students repeated the definition of a line segment while making the motion with

their bodies. I then said, “Next, ray- everyone stretch out your arms and make a first with one of

your hands and hold the other one open- a ray is part of a line; it has one endpoint and continues

in one direction.” The students repeated the definition of ray while making the motion with their

arms. I then said, “Lastly, we have an angle- everyone hold your arms above your head- thus

making a V- an angle are two rays with a common endpoint.” The students repeated the

definition of an angle while making the motion with their hands.

After I had students participate in the body movements and go over the definitions of

what each term is, thus ensuring that every student had the same basis of knowledge, I led the

class in completing a flipbook. I had pre-cut the desired amount of flipbooks and passed them

out to the students. Each flipbook had five flaps. I displayed a pre-made and filled out one to the

students and described that this is what we would be filling out. I then showed a pre-made but
not filled-out flipbook on the smart board via the document camera. I asked students to write

“point” on the outside of the flap. After about one minute, I asked students to give me a thumbs

up if they were done. After my students gave me a thumbs up, I opened the flap, and on the

inside, I wrote the definition of a point, “an exact location in space.” I asked my students to copy

the same information on their flipbooks. After two minutes, I asked my students to give me a

thumbs up if they were done, and after, my students gave me a thumbs up. I then drew a point on

the inside of the flap where “point” was written and asked my students to replicate it on their

flipbooks. I gave my students thirty seconds and then asked them to give me a thumbs up when

they were done. I repeated this process with each of the remaining terms for this unit. I identified

line as our next term, wrote the term down, defined line as a collection of points extending

indefinitely in both directions, and drew an example of a line. Between each part, I had students

copy the information from my flipbook onto their own and give me a thumbs up when they were

done. After the line, I identified line segment as our next term, defined it as a part of a line with

two endpoints, and then drew a picture of a line segment. Students copied down the information

on their flipbooks and gave me the thumbs-up signal whenever they were done. I then moved to

ray as our next term, defined it as having an endpoint and then extending indefinitely in one

direction, and drew an example. Students copied down the information in their flipbooks. I then

identified angle as our last term, defined it as two rays with a common endpoint, and drew an

example. Students copied it down in their flipbooks. I told students that this would be their

reference sheet as we went throughout the unit. It is something that they can always look back at

if they are confused or needed to be reminded of the terms.

I believe a way in which I could differentiate in this lesson, would be to differentiate by

process. I would allow students who are dyslexic or who are unable to write, to use an iPad and
do a speech to text version. This way my students are able to have the information and are not

overwhelmed by the fact that they have to write down all of the content. For this, I would also

differentiate by having a pre-made google doc with various pictures of the geometric terms

which students would have to drag to the correct box. Also, I would have a pre-made graphic

organizer on the google document so that students would have their information organized. After

my students fill in their information, I would print it and fold it to look like the rest of the

students. Therefore, they would have access to the same information as the rest of the class.
Student Work:
Student G’s foldable
Student D’s Foldable
Activity 2:

Before leading my students in the second activity the following day, I had students

participate in a game of Simon's says regarding the geometric terms. I would say, "Simon says,

'Show me a point.'" And the students would make a fist with their hands. I would continue this

until all five of the geometric terms were covered and their definitions. For example, I would

say, "Show me an exact location in space," to which students would respond by making a fist

with their hands. I continued this until all the definitions for the geometric terms in this unit were

covered.

After refreshing students' minds on our geometric terms, I instructed students that they

would be completing a vocabulary match. The vocabulary match provided students with the

geometric terms. They had to draw a picture of the term, define it, and then give an example of

where they could see or find it in the world. For example, for point, students drew a picture of a

point, shared the definition, which is an exact location in space, and then provided a real-life

example of where they could find it, like a period at the end of a sentence, or a star in the sky.

Students were to complete all the geometric terms sections (point, line, line segment, ray, and

angle). For this activity, students were given a choice to work alone or work with a partner. I also

advised students to use their geometry foldable from the previous day if they needed help with

the picture and definition. I gave students about fifteen minutes to complete the assignment. As

students were completing the task, I walked around the room, helping students when they needed

it. After the allotted time had passed, I asked students to put their work in the basket. This

activity was good because students were allowed to work with a partner if they wanted to or

work by themselves, which gave them a choice. Also, they referenced the foldable that they had

made the previous day, which allowed them to make connections with their learning.
 If I were to do this activity in the future again, I would complete the first section with the

students so that they can see what I am looking for (for example, the whole row dealing with

points). I also would go over the vocabulary match with the entire class, calling on a different

student to tell me what they put in each section, thus allowing students to check their work

before turning it in.

In this activity, I would be able to differentiate by process by calling students who were

struggling to my back table and allowing them to use me as a resource. Also, I could differentiate

by choice in this activity. I would do this by allowing students to choose if they wanted to work

alone or with a partner and this gives them the freedom to choose what they would like to do.
Student Work:

Student B’s Vocabulary Match

Student E’s Vocabulary Match
Student F’s Vocabulary Match
Activity 3:

For my third activity with students, we did a Modified Frayer for Geometry. For this

activity, there were four terms which were point, line, line segment, and ray. Students were to

give the definition of the term, an example of what it looks like, and then a non-example of the

term. I walked students through completing the first term which was a point. I asked, “What is

the definition of a point?” I then called on a student to share the definition. I filled in the

definition in the corresponding box and asked students to do the same. Then, I asked, “What

does a point look like? Show me with your hands.” I watched as students made a fist with their

hand and then said, “Correct!” I drew a point in the corresponding box and asked students to do

the same. Then I asked, “What is something that is not a point?” I called on a few different

students to share and then drew the non-examples that they were sharing. After the students

finished copying the work on their own graphic organizers, they were instructed to finish the rest

of the Modified Frayer Geometry on their own. I walked around while students were completing

it and answered any questions that they may have had. After the ten minutes had passed, I

displayed the blank Modified Frayer for Geometry on the board via the document camera again

and called on different students to share the definitions, examples, and non-examples for the

remaining terms. As they shared I wrote them down on the graphic organizer and asked students

to make corrections on their own organizers. This activity allowed my students to be creative as

they had to think of something that was not a point, line, line segment, or ray. My students

enjoyed thinking outside of the box and provided a lot of fun discussions.

I think next time that I do this, I would ask students to also include angle and answer all

the questions for angle as well. I think I would also ask students to try and not use their flipbooks

and to see if they can remember the definitions and images on their own. I would ask them to
look at the flipbook after they have filled out their Modified Frayer for Geometry and use it to

check their work.

Student Work:

Student A’s Modified Frayer for Geometry

Student C’s Modified Frayer for Geometry
Student E’s Modified Frayer for Geometry
 Activity 4

Before starting this activity, the class again reviewed points, lines, line segments, rays,

and angles by making the motion with their body while saying the definition. After doing this,

students completed two worksheets that identified the different geometric terms and matched the

term with their descriptions. On the first worksheet, students were to determine if the picture was

a line, point, or line segment. On the second worksheet, students identified if the picture was a

ray, line, or line segment, and then they matched the term to the definition. Students completed

this activity during their independent work time, and as they finished, they came up and showed

me. After that, I checked it and either told them they could move on or worked on their

corrections with them. I wanted students to do this independently because I wanted to see what

they knew on their own, as this was the day before we took our post-assessment.

If I were to do this again, I would have the different geometric terms posted around the

classroom and give students a sheet labeled A-K. I would ask students to walk around the

classroom and identify the various terms and the term that matches each definition. I believe

students would enjoy this as they could move around. I did not think of this until after, and I

wish I had done this instead.

Student Work:

Student G’s Worksheet 1

Student F’s Worksheet 1
Student A’s Worksheet 2
Student F’s Worksheet 2
Part 3

The post-assessment asked students to name the geometric representation and to give a

description of that geometric term. The post-assessment was harder as students had to identify

the representation and define it. Students were not allowed to use their foldable or other

resources to complete this post-assessment. From the pre-assessment, for my whole class, one

student scored a two out of five, eight of my students scored a one out of five, and eleven of my

students scored a zero out of five. This made me conclude that my students did not know much

and needed a good amount of instruction. My students could not identify and draw

representations of points, lines, line segments, rays, and angles. Therefore, I picked the four

activities I did so that they could grow in their knowledge. The body movement and the

definitions of the terms were tremendous in helping my students succeed as they could connect

signals with knowledge. I chose the foldable at the beginning of the unit so that students could

have something to reference throughout the unit as they kept learning about points, lines, line

segments, angles, and rays. Also, allowing students to work in pairs to complete the vocabulary

match and use their foldable was beneficial because they could discuss the terms and help one

another out. I chose the Modified Frayer for Geometry so that students were able to define again

and draw their terms for the unit and extend their learning by identifying what the term is not.

Finally, the worksheets helped students see what they knew independently and get ready for their

post-assessment. I believe my students increased tremendously from the pre-assessment to their

post-assessment. For my whole class, fourteen of my students got a ten out of ten, three of my

students got a nine out of ten, one of my students got an eight out of ten, and two of my students

got a five out of ten. The two students who got a five out of ten still increased from zero out of

five to five out of ten. One of my students, who got a five out of ten, was in the process of being
tested to receive an IEP and was not able to read. My other student, who got five out of ten, did

not read the instructions and did not do what was asked. From my post-assessment data, I would

look at the students who missed one or two and see if it was a common mistake in all of them

and discuss the corrections with students to see if they understand why they got it wrong. Next,

for my two students who got a five out of ten, I would pull them to my back table, read the

instructions to them, and see if that would make a difference. Also, I would help them write their

answers for the description part of the post-assessment. If they did not improve, I would continue

remediation by calling them to the back table during small math groups and incorporating sorts,

modified vocabulary matches, and asking them to draw the terms that the definitions were given.

Through all of this, I was able to see that data driven instruction is crucial in the classroom as

you can meet students where they are and provide the instruction that is most beneficial to them.

“When teachers use data to drive their decisions and plans, they are able to respond to problems

more effectively, construct new teaching methods, and advance skill sets faster” (Holley, 2017).

I was able to see the benefits of data driven instruction first-hand and to see how it helps the

students. Also, it allows one as the educator to see if your teaching is effective of if one should

change the way one teaches to meet students' needs. I am excited to use this in my classroom one

day.
*The students who are not showing a pre-assessment score is because they received a zero on
it.
 Works Cited

Guskey, T. (2018, February 1). Does pre-assessment work? ASCD. Retrieved April 11, 2022,
from https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/does-pre-assessment-work

Holley, M. (2017, November 21). The benefits of data driven education.

method_white_unity_font. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from
https://www.methodschools.org/blog/the-benefits-of-data-driven-education

LSU Online. (2020, June 11). How educators can use student data to drive instruction. LSU
Online. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://online.lsu.edu/newsroom/articles/how-
educators-can-use-student-data-drive-instruction/