Tuning Protocol

Amber L. Robinson

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Table of Contents
1. Context for learning 3
2. Educational Themes 6
3. Classroom Practices 10
4. Three Connected Lessons 14
a. Recorded Lessons 29
b. Self-analysis 32
5. Student Assessments 35

a. High 36
b. Middle 39
c. Low 41
6. Data Collection 44

7. Reflection 45

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Section 1: Context for Learning

School District

I completed my six week clinical experience in a large school district, at their 45/15 grade

school which serves grades kindergarten through fifth grade. A 45/15 schedule means that the

students attend school for nine weeks, then receive a three week break, return for nine weeks and

keep that rotating schedule for the year with a 6 week break in the summer. According to the

MDE, approximately 14% of its students are English Learners, another 14% are special

education, and 33% of its students receive Free or Reduced-Price meals. This building hosts

approximately 300 students, and has the capacity for twice that many. There are three classes

each for Kindergarten, First and Second grades, and two classes each for Third, Fourth and Fifth

grades. The building is brand new, and has just finished construction, which meant that all the

staff was learning their way around the building at the same time as me. All the classrooms had

brand new furniture and technology as well, which did prove to be complicated to learn for much

of the staff.

The Building

I found both the environment and staff of this building to be very welcoming and

friendly, and was always greeted warmly by everyone throughout the day. The building’s

principal would often stop by to ask how things were going in the classroom, check in on my

cooperating teacher to see if there was anything she needed or anything the principal could help

with. The principal would also ask me frequently how my clinical was going, and to thank me

for being there. I was very impressed by the atmosphere, both the new building and the inviting

teams.

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The Students

I was assigned to a first grade classroom, with 16 students. There were nine boys and

seven girls. Seven of the students were white, four black (primarily of Somali descent) and five

students of Hispanic descent. Two of the students were English Language Learners, two in

special education with Individual Education Plans (IEPs), and two students in speech therapy.

The two English learner students did not have any issues communicating with their peers or their

instructors. One of the special education students was diagnosed with Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder, and spent one and half hours of the morning in a special education room,

receiving services in math and reading, in addition to a social group to work on social skills. This

student followed a classroom behavior chart in the general education classroom. The other

special education student is non-verbal, confined to a wheelchair, and tube fed. This student was

not often in our classroom due to lack of paraprofessional support; by the end of my six weeks,

this student was coming into the classroom only twice per day, typically during the times slotted

for a movement break and the Star of the Week presentation by that week’s student.

The Classroom

The classroom itself was well-lit, with big windows lining one entire wall. The student

desks were part of a system that could be rearranged into a number of different ways to allow for

more choices in how students could collaborate within their table groups. The room had a small

library, an area for toys and games, another space for math specific games, and a learning area in

the front of the room at the Smart TV. There were 3 large

cork boards and 3 large white boards to display and present

information. On the largest white board, my cooperating

teacher had me put together the “Vowel Valley'', a display

of letters with their sounds and pictures to represent that

The school PBIS Rule Display.
sound. Next to “Vowel Valley'' was a display of all the
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 vowels and their sounds as well. I set up the displays on the cork boards, the first being a school

mandated display for their behavior expectations, which displayed the rubric for behaviors and

the consequences of not abiding by the rules. Each

classroom was required to display these for the students.

The second board was a list of the rules for the classroom,

and the last was a self positivity board, with pictures of the

students that I took on blank ‘cell phones’ with positive

The Vowel Valley Bulletin Board.
messages around their pictures. One of the white boards housed the number chart and daily

calendar. The student birthday list was put onto magnets and

Here I am setting up one of the displayed on the side of one of the large container systems.
bulletin boards
My CT gave me a wide license when creating the

classroom atmosphere; she would frequently ask for my advice

on how to use something, or would give me free reign to put

items where I felt they would go best. The school where I have

been employed for many years uses a similar table system, and I was familiar with the different

ways to utilize them and showed

her a few different ways to create

small groups.

The setup for the classroom birthdays,

writing supplies.
Theand
classroom setup of the desks, small
library, and carpet for group lessons.
Section 2:

Educational Themes
Social Emotional

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 The school district I was placed in used a social-emotional curriculum called Second

Step. They have a specific time they use the curriculum set into their day; however during my

short time there we had not yet implemented specific SEL instruction. The school’s counselor

came in to give a short presentation on emotions and mental health, and ways she can help the

students on the days she is in the school (she splits her time between two schools). We did give

reminders about being kind to each other, how to be a good friend, and how to show good

sportsmanship. The students who had been in the district the previous year seemed to have a

good grasp of these skills, though everyone needed reminders from time to time. My CT and I

also modeled this behavior.

Collaboration

In the classroom, we had set up the student desks in

small group settings; two groups of five, and two

groups of three. The purpose of this was to promote

collaboration between the students, so they could

easily work together. Over the course of the first few

A student is using Seesaw to complete their
assignment. weeks, we discovered that some students worked

well together, while other students needed to be separated due to conflict or being overly chatty

during work time.

Carpet time was used very often throughout the day, and the teacher would ask the

students to join her at the carpet while she gave the whole group instruction. During this time, we

would also use group participation techniques such as turning and talking to a partner, or Four

Corners where the students would be given directions to go to a corner of the corner based on an

answer they would be giving. We also used the Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down technique for certain

group instruction answers. After whole group instruction at the carpet, the students would often

go work in small groups of two or three to work on the collaborative portion of the assignment.
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During this time, the teacher and I would rotate between the groups to ensure they understood

the instructions. Once they had completed that, they would return to the carpet for a brief

discussion before sending them to their desks for independent work. Again, while the students

were working independently, we would walk around the room and check their work to make sure

they understood the assignment.

Learning in the Classroom

Another way students worked on their learning was through collaborative small groups.

After the initial lesson the teacher would split students into small groups that were on the same

academic level. These students would go through stations, working both together and

independently. One of the stations was at the

front carpet, where students could use

manipulatives for math, or for reading it was at

the back table with the teacher where she would

work on reading skills or a short book with the

group.

The students’ independent work was This student is using a tracing sheet to learn how
to write their numbers.
typically done on a worksheet or on their iPad. The school uses Seesaw for students to utilize and

submit their coursework. Teachers can make their own work for this, or pull slides from

Seesaw’s online library to use. Most of the students were familiar with the application, as they

had also used it in Kindergarten. Those who had not used it before did require a lot of help to get

started on their assignments. By the end of my assignment in the classroom, there was only one

student who still required significant assistance with their Seesaw assignments.

Alternative Learning

I did use other methods to assist students in retaining information that they were having

difficulty with. In one instance, I had a small group of students who were struggling with skip
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counting by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. Repetition with manipulatives helped these students improve their

skip counting skills. Over the course of my assignment, I would work with this group in a

separate area. For the first activity, I had them organize “Top-It” cards, and then asked them to

pull out the cards that did not belong. After that I had them count the number out loud. Then, we

turned the cards over and said them again. For the second activity, I had them use linking cubes

to build groups of 10 and had them make 12 lengths of the cubes. We then counted those lengths

giving the students a visual while they were counting. We broke those lengths down into groups

of 5 and repeated the activity, and again into groups of 2. This was very effective for visual

learners. For the last activity, I had the students count as we hopped in the hallway. This was a

great way to get them up and moving, and counting at the same time. Another activity was

counting backwards from 30, where I did a similar movement activity where the student would

walk backwards while counting. The faster they counted, the faster we walked; but if they

skipped a number or began counting forward we had to adjust our movement to reflect that. The

students really enjoyed this movement activity, and I utilized it for more than one session of

practice.

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Section 3: Classroom Practices

Building Routines

When it comes to work, no matter the environment, routines

and consistent practices are the key to a functioning environment.

My cooperating teacher and I sat down during Teacher Workshop

to brainstorm the best ways to have students come into the

classroom each day, and what they students could expect each

day they arrived. We decided together that the routine would be

straightforward, and the same every day, and I created this

infographic to display in the classroom, with pictures, so they could

get a reminder. Our goal was to build the student’s ability to do

these things independently with little assistance from the teacher,

so they could gain confidence in their own skills, and to be purposeful to their day (The First Six

Weeks, 2015).

The school’s newness brought a number of changes, and the best practices that the

veteran teachers had used for so long needed to adapt to the new environment as well. To

begin, the school had the students arriving between 8:55 and 9:10. Once the students arrived,

they had the option to enter the cafeteria for breakfast or they needed to wait in line on the front

sidewalk with their class. Kindergarten and First Grade lined up at the front door, which was

closest to their classrooms. In the event of inclement weather, the students repeated the same

procedure in the front hallway of the building.

Once the students were brought into the building by a para or teacher, they went to the

lockers to drop off their backpacks. In our classroom, we had the students hang up their bags,

and then bring in their home folder, water bottle, and afternoon snack. After they had all their

things gathered, they brought them into the classroom. The home folder went into a bin so the

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teacher could look through them for notes from home, their snack went into their mailbox, and

their water bottle to their desk. After they had these items in order, the students then retrieved

their green writing folder and took out their daily writing packet. The daily writing packet had a

page for each day of the week which the students would complete, typically a fun exercise such

as “Make-it Monday” or “Fun Friday”, and the page would ask them to write about something

they enjoyed, along with a picture or a fact. Once they were done, they had a teacher check it,

then the first two students who had finished could pass out the classes’ iPads.

After finishing with their daily packet, the students could use their iPad to go onto Teach

Your Monster, which is a reading app that helps children build their literacy skills through games

and puzzles. At 9:40 specialists began to pull students out for intervention groups and special

education services. During this time, the teacher would have students move onto the IXL

application on their iPad to work on reading skills, and pull small groups of students to the back

work table in their reading groups for approximately fifteen minutes. As students returned, she

had them cycle through the apps on their iPads as well. Each child was supplied with a list of

skills they needed to work on, and they did this independently. Students began to return from

their groups after 15 to 20 minutes, though some students left soon after to work with another

specialist if they needed to work on other skills. By 10:40 all students had returned to the

classroom. At this time, the teacher gathered the students at the carpet for their whole group

reading lesson. Typically she began the whole group lesson with a lesson in phonics from her

Heggerty curriculum, then moved on to the Blast into Reading curriculum.

After the whole group lesson, we did a movement break for the students to get up and

stretch, typically a YouTube video from KooKooKangaroo and a bathroom break, after which the

class moved on to math groups. The students repeated a similar process of small groups and

iPad applications for the math block. The skills that were introduced during the previous lesson

were reinforced through practice on a worksheet, Seesaw activity, or IXL. Students were also

given time to use math manipulatives in groups of 2 to 3. They had a list of skills on IXL that had

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to be completed, as they had had in reading as well. The whole group math lesson was in the

afternoon, after lunch.

When it was lunch time, we first took the class to the bathrooms to wash up before

eating, and then went to the cafeteria as a group. The students then had twenty minutes to eat

their lunch, and twenty minutes outside for recess. When recess was over, the students lined up

outside the cafeteria door and we guided them back inside, where they washed up in the

bathroom once more. Once everyone was back in the classroom, the students had a quiet

break time. This break time varied from day to day; some days it was a read to self where they

looked at books, other days they could read books on Epic! an application on their iPad, and

sometimes it was a free choice between two different quiet activities.

After the quiet break, we delivered the whole group math lesson, followed by a group

activity that corresponded with the lesson. After the activity, the class had another bathroom

break before heading to the special class for that day. Each day had a different special; music,

art, physical education or media. The special lasted approximately 25 minutes, except for art

which was 40. The special was at the same time each day, which helped to promote the regular

routine for each day. Once we returned from the daily special class, the students collected their

snacks and headed back to their desks. After finishing their snacks, the class had their free play

time for 20 minutes. During this time they were allowed to play with certain toys, games, or on a

choice of two educational apps on the iPad.

Dealing with Behaviors

In regards to behavior issues, as briefly mentioned earlier in the Context for Learning

portion, the entire school used the same system for behavior expectations which made it simple

for students and teachers to know how to deal with any issues. As stated in “Teaching Children

to care”, teachers should communicate their expectations and have logical consequences for

their behavior (Clarney, 2002). When students did not follow the expectations of being safe,

kind, respectful, and responsible, they would be told to “flip a card”. This system was used to

track behaviors throughout the day, and used a green, yellow, red system. The first card flip was

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to green - which was a warning. Yellow was for a 5 minute break, and red was a 10 minute

break. After that, if the behavior continued the student would talk to the principal and they would

call home. There was only one instance of this while I was there. The teacher, principal and

student spoke with the parent and decided that this would be addressed with a specific behavior

chart. The student, AA, was having problems with keeping his hands to himself, listening to

directions, and at one point was trying to climb the walls in the hallway as the class was walking

to the bathroom. The CT asked me if I would create a behavior chart for this young man to help

him better visualize his behavior

throughout the day. Each day, the CT

would send a picture of his chart to his

mother. At the end of the week, his goal

was to earn 100 points (each day he

could earn 20 points) and then he would

get to pick out a reward. This picture is of

the behavior chart I created for him, which I

The behavior chart I created for AA.
laminated for the CT, so she could keep it and reuse it each day. The emoji faces represented

whether he had met his expectations or needed to keep trying. This practice helps us to focus

on the behavior, and help us identify when the student made good choices, and we could all

focus on the specifics to help him understand it wasn’t him but the behavior that was an issue

(Clarney, 2002).

The majority of the behavior issues were addressed through the card chart system.

There were no names on the chart, only numbers, and the students only knew their own

number. For good behavior, the school passes out “Gold Slips” that would be filled out with what

behavior it represented (such as responsible, safe, or kind) and signed by the teacher who gave

it to them. The students then put the gold slip into a box created for this purpose, and each

week the PBIS team would pull slips for prizes from each classroom. One special student would

earn the classroom trophy, which would make its way to each grade level classroom. This would

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happen at the weekly PBIS assemblies in the cafeteria. I felt that having each classroom on the

same behavior system was very well planned out; with each classroom receiving the same set

of rules to abide by, and handing out the same consequences and rewards. It made it very easy

to understand what the expectations were no matter where you were in the building.

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Section 4: Three Connected Math Lessons

For my three connected math lessons, my cooperating teacher and I discussed what we

felt the students needed to work on. We agreed that the entire class could use a review of skip

counting. I created these lessons to review skip counting basics with the students, and then

delivered the lessons of the course of three consecutive days. My goal was to ensure that the

students were all able to skip count by the end of my clinical with them. While the majority of

them had learned skip counting in Kindergarten, many of the students still needed reinforcement

in this skill.

I began each lesson at the circle with the students. I feel that getting down with the

students at their level and playing a game or reading a story will help them feel a connection to

the material being presented. I began my first lesson by gathering them into a circle, and then

playing a short game to count by 10’s, 5’s, and 2’s to see what they remembered, and made an

anchor chart together. We then went into station work, where they were placed into small groups

divided by skill level. I worked with each group on how to count and write their numbers. I also

assigned Seesaw activities for the students to complete, which I aimed to have enough of to keep

even the high flyers engaged in their station. I had planned to have the students organize labeled

popsicle sticks during an activity, however we did not get to that during my lesson. I revisited

this during a review with students who were struggling with their skip counting. The subsequent

lessons worked in the same ways; with the exception of counting by 2 which I started with a

story “How Many Feet in the Bed?”

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edTPA Lesson Plan Template
Teacher Candidate Name: Amber L. Robinson
Grade & Subject Area: Grade 1, Math
Date for Planned Lesson: 8.1.2022
Lesson Part
Phase 1
State Target & Activate
Prior Knowledge
a) Post the learning
target statement and
indicate whether the teacher
or student(s) will read it
aloud
b) Engage students in
activity to elicit / build prior
background knowledge
Activity description / teacher does Students do
Ex Learning Target: Teacher will read: Participate in group
“Explain how X plays a role in….” activity, demonstrate
ability to count by 10
Ex Activate Prior Knowledge:
Brainstorm what class has heard
about different forms of government
-Teacher will ask the students: Who can
count by 2s? (wait for student
answers) What about by 5s? (wait for
student answer) Can we count by
10s? (wait for student answer)
Assist students if needed.
* Make a note if anyone has trouble
with this exercise. Work with those
students first in small group time.
Play a song to count by 10s
https://youtu.be/Ftati8iGQcs
-Teacher will create an anchor chart with
students help, to explain why we count by
10s, how we count by 10s, an explanation
of counting forward/backward, make a list
facts and then demonstrate with a number
line.
Teacher will have all students put their
hands in a circle, then count the total
number of fingers in the circle by
10s.
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Phase 1 Assessment
Explain the plan to capture
data from this phase of the
lesson
Assessment Example: Note responses with
+ or – on class roster
-Teacher will make note on roster of
anyone who has difficulty with previous
exercise of skip counting

Phase 2 Teacher Input / -Teacher and students will collaborate to Collaborate to create
Inquiry - Explain create a large number sentence (which will number sentence
procedures later become an anchor chart).

- Demonstration the
task

- Teacher think aloud

Phase 2 Assessment Assessment Example: 3 quick questions Continue work

(write out the questions). Individuals will
Explain the plan to write answers on indiv whiteboards and
check for understanding teacher will make note of students who
of steps / procedures miss 1 or more.
demonstrated in this
phase -Students will assist the teacher in creating
an anchor chart

Phase 3 Guided Practice -Students will work in groups to be able to Sort sticks in order
sort popsicle sticks that are numbered by
- Paired/collaborative 10s into the correct order. The teacher or
work an ESP will check their work.

- Teacher(s) may roam

& assist

Phase 3 Assessment Assessment Example: Ask “turn and talk” Demonstrate ability,
question. Walk around and make note of explain how they
Explain the plan to overheard misconceptions. decided the order
check for ability to
apply demonstrated -Teacher will check for understanding, and

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 steps/procedures during make note of any students struggling with
guided practice this task. Assist in correcting any mistakes.

Phase 4 Independent practice
- Individual student
work
using dice and unifix cubes, the student Count by tens with
will roll the dice, then create that many cubes
stacks of 10 unifix cubes (i.e. if they roll 5,
then they create 5 stacks of 10 unifix
cubes, and count them out loud “10, 20, 30,
40, 50”)

Phase 4 Assessment -teacher or ESP will check each students Demonstrate ability to
work teacher
Explain plan to check
for ability to apply
demonstrated
steps/procedures during
independent practice

Phase 5 Restatement & Assessment Example: Students will raise 1 Complete handout
Closure a) Restate to 3 fingers in the air to indicate how solid
learning target their understanding is from 3 (I could
explain this to someone else) to 1 (I want
b) Explain a planned would want it explained to me again before
opportunity for students explaining it to someone else)
to self-assess their
perceived level of -Students will be able to demonstrate their
mastery for the target. ability to skip count by 10’s by writing or
tracing on the sheet their numbers.

Phase 6 Summative Next Assessment Example: (3 columns on

Steps attached roster)

Attach a class roster Reteach, Extend Slightly, Transfer to new

(first names only) with situation/topic
space to indicate for
each student the needed -On roster, make note of students who need
next steps of additional assistance with this skill, reteach

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 instruction.
edTPA Lesson Plan Template
Teacher Candidate Name: Amber L. Robinson
Grade & Subject Area: First Grade, Math
Date for Planned Lesson: 8.2.22
Lesson Title
MN/CC State Standard(s)
- direct quote from MN
standards
documents
- if only focusing on one part
of a given standard,
underline the part being
focused upon
Central Focus
- derived from standard,
- communicates general goal
as necessary.
*Examples are given in the right hand column. When submitting your
lesson plan, you may either replace the given examples or leave them
intact.
Example: Line symmetry
-Skip counting by 5’s
Example: MN Standard: Geometry.4.G.3: Recognize a line
of symmetry for a …
-1.3.3 Skip count by 2s, 5s and 10s to 100. Represent proportional
relationships in mathematical and real-world situations, using
graphs, diagrams, tables, symbols and verbal descriptions, in
various cultures, especially in historical and contemporary Dakota
and Anishinaabe communities.
Example: Read and comprehend nonfiction texts.
-skip count by 5
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Learning Target for this Possible language functions: Identify, explain, summarize,
Lesson interpret, contrast, justify…

Example: Explain how X plays a role in….

- concisely says what
students will be able to know Students will be able to count to 100 in increments of five.
and do
Students will be able to explain that this counting is adding five to
- start with appropriate the previous number to count large amounts quickly in groups of
language function (active five.
verb)

Academic Language a. Domain-specific academic vocabulary ex: perpendicular,

(AL) separatist, fable..

a. Domain-specific Acad -addition, subtraction, increasing, decreasing, pattern,

vocabulary sequence

b. General Academic
vocabulary
b. General academic vocabulary ex: essay, illustrate, contrast,
critique, table …
(words used in school
across many subject
-skip count, bigger, smaller, more, less, count
areas)

c. Syntax Sentence
Frame: Example c. Sentence Frame ex: X & Y are different because... I agree with
sentence that students X because the text says
can use to accomplish
target -I can show an ______________ pattern by counting by 5s. I can
see that the pattern is _______________ by 5s.
d. Point in lesson where
students will be given
opportunity to use
Academic Vocabulary d. In Lesson Part 2 Assessment (below), students will be asked
to explain X to a partner using at least 2 of the following
(Note: It
words…
is important that this -increasing, decreasing, pattern, sequence, bigger, smaller
appear in TPA
videotape segments

Needed Ex: BP will accomplish the stated target, with the added support of
modifications/supports sentence frames and a word

a. Identify how some form
of additional support will be
provided for some aspect
of the lesson for given
-If the students did not learn the objective, then the
student will play math games with students in small
groups who need extra reinforcement on this skill, then
re-evaluate.
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student(s) -For students who already know the content, the
student will play more difficult math games in small
- visual, graphic, groups (see SeeSaw).
interactive

- reduced text, rewritten

text, fill-in the blank
notes, word banks

- graphic organizers,
sentence frames

Resources & materials Ex: handout on X, Graphic organizer on Z, McGraw Hill textbook
needed chapter 4, pp. 48-52.

-TV/Computer

-Pencils

-Markers

-Large Sentence Strip

-Popsicle Sticks, toys, small objects

-handout

-iPad

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Phase 1 Ex Learning Target: Teacher will read: Participate in group
“Explain how X plays a role in….” activity
State Target & Activate
Prior Knowledge Ex Activate Prior Knowledge:
Brainstorm what class has heard
a) Post the learning about different forms of government
target statement and
indicate whether the teacher -Teacher will gather students at the front
or student(s) will read it and have students count hands by 5s in a
aloud circle. Assist any students (and make a
note) who are having difficulty with this
b) Engage students in task.
activity to elicit / build
prior background Play song counting by 5s
knowledge https://youtu.be/EemjeA2Djjw

Explain why we count by 5s, how to count

forward/backward, count hands again,
show groups of 5s.

Phase 1 Assessment Assessment Example: Note responses with Demonstrate ability

+ or – on class roster
Explain the plan to capture
data from this phase of the -Note responses of group activity
lesson

Phase 2 Teacher Input / -Create sentence strip/anchor chart with Assist in creation of
Inquiry - Explain students help (add this to the counting by strip
procedures 10s anchor chart). Sentence strip will be
partially filled in, students will assist
- Demonstration the teacher in where to put missing numbers.
task

- Teacher think aloud

Phase 2 Assessment Assessment Example: 3 quick questions Demonstrate

(write out the questions). Individuals will
Explain the plan to write answers on indiv whiteboards and
check for understanding teacher will make note of students who
of steps / procedures miss 1 or more
demonstrated in this
phase -Students will assist teacher in creating
anchor chart.
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 Phase 3 Guided Practice -Students will work in groups to create Work together in small
groups of 5s to count with objects chosen groups
- Paired/collaborative by teacher, and work together with
work partner/group to count the objects.

- Teacher(s) may roam

& assist

Phase 3 Assessment Assessment Example: Ask “turn and talk” Demonstrate ability
question. Walk around and make note of
Explain the plan to overheard misconceptions.
check for ability to
apply demonstrated -Teacher or ESP will roam/assist and check
steps/procedures during understanding.
guided practice

Phase 4 Independent practice Students will be able to write/trace/orally Work independently

count by 5s. on handout
- Individual student
work

Phase 4 Assessment Assessment Example: Check indiv answers Turn in work,

on handout. demonstrate ability
Explain plan to check
for ability to apply -teacher or ESP will check each students
demonstrated work, have student repeat the numbers they
steps/procedures during wrote/traced for additional practice and to
independent practice demonstrate ability.

Phase 5 Restatement & Assessment Example: Students will raise 1 Participate in group
Closure a) Restate to 3 fingers in the air to indicate how solid activity

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 learning target their understanding is from 3 (I could
explain this to someone else) to 1 (I want
b) Explain a planned would want it explained to me again before
opportunity for students explaining it to someone else)
to self-assess their
perceived level of -Students will be able to demonstrate their
mastery for the target. understanding by participating in a group
counting session of skip counting. Have
students gather again, and practice skip
counting by having each student take a turn
as they count in a group.

-Have students count groups of 5 objects in

room.

-Students will complete SeeSaw activity

Phase 6 Summative Next Assessment Example: (3 columns on

Steps attached roster)

Attach a class roster Reteach, Extend Slightly, Transfer to new

(first names only) with situation/topic
space to indicate for
each student the needed -Make note of any student who is unable to
next steps of count to 100 by 5s
instruction.

edTPA Lesson Plan Template

Teacher Candidate Name: Amber L. Robinson

Grade & Subject Area: Grade 1, Math

Date for Planned Lesson: 8.3.2022

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Lesson Title
MN/CC State Standard(s)
- direct quote from MN standards
documents
- if only focusing on one part of
a given standard, underline the
part being focused upon
Central Focus
- derived from standard,
- communicates general goal
Learning Target for this Lesson
- concisely says what students
will be able to know and do
- start with appropriate language
function (active verb)
Academic Language (AL)
a. Domain-specific Acad
vocabulary
*Examples are given in the right hand column. When submitting
your lesson plan, you may either replace the given examples or
leave them intact.
Example: Line symmetry
Skip Counting by 2s
Example: MN Standard: Geometry.4.G.3: Recognize a line of
symmetry for a …
-1.3.3 Skip count by 2s, 5s and 10s to 100. Represent proportional
relationships in mathematical and real-world situations, using
graphs, diagrams, tables, symbols and verbal descriptions, in
various cultures, especially in historical and contemporary Dakota
and Anishinaabe communities.
Example: Read and comprehend nonfiction texts.
-Skip count by 2
Possible language functions: Identify, explain, summarize,
interpret, contrast, justify…
Example: Explain how X plays a role in….
-Students will be able to count in increments of 2, adding 2 to the
previous number or subtracting 2 from the previous number. Be
able to count groups of 2.
a. Domain-specific academic vocabulary ex: perpendicular,
separatist, fable..
-addition, subtractions, increasing, decreasing, pattern, sequence
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 b. General Academic b. General academic vocabulary ex: essay, illustrate, contrast,
vocabulary critique, table …

(words used in school -skip count, bigger, smaller, more, less, count
across many subject
areas)
c. Sentence Frame ex: X & Y are different because... I agree with
c. Syntax Sentence Frame:
X because the text says
Example sentence that
students can use to
I can count to _____ by 2s! 2 ___ 6 ___ 10 12 ____ I can start at
accomplish target
______ and count by 2s to _______
d. Point in lesson where
students will be given
opportunity to use d. In Lesson Part 2 Assessment (below), students will be asked to
Academic Vocabulary explain X to a partner using at least 2 of the following words…
(Note: It
-increasing, adding, bigger, smaller, decreasing, less, more
is important that this
appear in TPA videotape
segments

Needed Ex: BP will accomplish the stated target, with the added support of
modifications/supports sentence frames and a word

a. Identify how some form of -Additional support for some students will be in the form of
additional support will be interactive (see Seesaw) or being able to orally count from 2-100.
provided for some aspect of
the lesson for given student(s) -Fill in the line charts

- visual, graphic, interactive -use of sentence frames, anchor charts, additional reinforcement
from teacher/esp
- reduced text, rewritten
text, fill-in the blank
notes, word banks

- graphic organizers,
sentence frames

Resources & materials Ex: handout on X, Graphic organizer on Z, McGraw Hill textbook
needed chapter 4, pp. 48-52.

TV/Computer, pencils, markers, large sentence strip, stickers,

small counters, handouts, iPad
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Lesson Part
Phase 1
State Target & Activate
Prior Knowledge
a) Post the learning
target statement and
indicate whether the teacher
or student(s) will read it
aloud
b) Engage students in
activity to elicit / build
prior background
knowledge
Activity description / teacher does Students do
Ex Learning Target: Teacher will read: Watch, listen, work
“Explain how X plays a role in….” together
Ex Activate Prior Knowledge:
Brainstorm what class has heard
about different forms of government
Watch video
https://youtu.be/GvTcpfSnOMQ
Read “How many feet in the bed?”
Have students count groups of feet/hands
by two’s
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 Have students go around the room with a
partner and see what else they can count by
two’s, have the make notes of what they
counted (using pictures or words).

Phase 1 Assessment Assessment Example: Note responses with Give notes to

Explain the plan to capture
data from this phase of the
lesson
+ or – on class roster teacher/assistant
Use their notes to capture the data of their
ability to count by two’s. Reinforce/make
note of any students struggling

Phase 2 Teacher Input / -Students will collaborate with each other Work together on
Inquiry - Explain and teacher to create the final anchor chart sentence strip to create
procedures for skip counting, skip counting by two’s. anchor chart

- Demonstration the
task

- Teacher think aloud

Phase 2 Assessment Assessment Example: 3 quick questions

(write out the questions). Individuals will
Explain the plan to write answers on indiv whiteboards and
check for understanding teacher will make note of students who
of steps / procedures miss 1 or more.
demonstrated in this
phase -make note of any student not able to count
by 2s, or able to explain how to count by 2s

Phase 3 Guided Practice
- Paired/collaborative
work
- Teacher(s) may roam
& assist
-students will work together in small Work on handout
groups, and will place stickers on a
handout in groups of two, and their partner
will count the groups. Students will take
turns doing this task

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 Phase 3 Assessment Assessment Example: Ask “turn and talk” -describe how they
question. Walk around and make note of counted by 2
Explain the plan to overheard misconceptions.
check for ability to
apply demonstrated -students will be able to describe what they
steps/procedures during did on their handouts to demonstrate their
guided practice knowledge

Phase 4 Independent practice Students will be able to write/trace/orally Demonstrate ability

count by twos
- Individual student
work

Phase 4 Assessment Assessment Example: Check indiv answers Demonstrate ability

on handout.
Explain plan to check
for ability to apply -teacher will assess if each student is able
demonstrated to skip count by 2
steps/procedures during
independent practice

Phase 5 Restatement & Assessment Example: Students will raise 1 Demonstrate ability,
Closure a) Restate to 3 fingers in the air to indicate how solid complete seesaw
learning target their understanding is from 3 (I could
explain this to someone else) to 1 (I want
b) Explain a planned would want it explained to me again before
opportunity for students explaining it to someone else)
to self-assess their
perceived level of -students are able to skip count by 2s to
mastery for the target. 100

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 -students will complete a SeeSaw activity

Phase 6 Summative Next Assessment Example: (3 columns on Demonstrate their

Steps attached roster) ability to count by 2s.

Attach a class roster Reteach, Extend Slightly, Transfer to new

(first names only) with situation/topic
space to indicate for
each student the needed -teacher will assess each student for their
next steps of ability
instruction.
-reinforcement for students that need
additional support

Video of Recorded Lessons: https://youtu.be/G73JZlEGqg0

Reflection on my lesson:

What did I learn? I learned that I am still working on my classroom management techniques.

During my story and the group chat afterward, the students got a little restless and stopped

listening. This may have been a time management issue as well, since first graders cannot always

sit that long. I feel that this is a growth issue, and will come with teaching regularly. I also feel

that I can improve my use of academic language in my lessons.

I learned that I can model what the students need to do well, and that I really enjoy reading to

them. I feel that I can keep them engaged if I can keep my pace up more. The students really

enjoyed when I modeled or made mistakes and helped me while I modeled. Additionally, it's

always a good idea to repeat the directions, be specific, and have them repeat the directions.

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What would I do differently? I feel that I would make a specific list of objects for students to

count by 2’s in the classroom rather than allowing them to wander the room. The students

enjoyed it, and enjoyed the discovery of the activity as well; however it did feel a little chaotic

and time intensive. In the future, this could be changed to a list of discoveries, and that would cut

down on the amount of time that the activity took.

Secondly, I tried to make the Seesaw activities accessible for everyone, however some

students needed more than what was there. They finished the activities in a much faster time

frame than I had anticipated, and needed something more difficult. In the future, I would add

some activities with more difficulty. I felt that the activities that I had assigned were on target for

the majority of the class, with roughly three students who needed additional assistance.

What would I do next? Reinforce the counting by 2’s in lessons. I noticed a number of students

doing this on their “Math Buzz” worksheets that they did each day in the classroom. They used

their skills to make counting faster, and I felt that this was a great use of the skill. Some students

still needed reinforcement to use this on their own, and I would do this through modeling and

repetition. I would show students that this skill works in many different settings to make

counting faster and easier.

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 Appendix E Clinical Experience Evaluation Rubric Senior Year: First Six
Weeks & Global Studies

Clinical Student’s Name: Amber L. Robinson

NOTE: Clinical student must earn a “Basic” or “Proficient” in every category to pass the
particular clinical experience. For areas not observed, the evaluator should rate as N/O.

Field Experience Observation Form – Clinical Supervisor or Course

Instructor

WSU-R Teacher Candidate Name: Amber Robinson Date: 8/26/22

School: Longfellow Choice School Location: Classroom
Classroom Teacher: Beth Carey Setting/Level: 1
Subject: First Grade Number of Students: 16

TIMELINESS and COLLABORATIVE PLANNING: 4 3 2 1 N/O

Materials are prepared, ready, and appropriate ✔

Engages in an exchange of ideas with classmates ✔

Develops and submits a lesson plan ✔

Creates an organized teaching area ✔
Gives clear, concise directions ✔
Uses time efficiently ✔

IMPLEMENTATION OF PLANNED LESSON: 4 3 2 1 N/O

Demonstrates knowledge of content area ✔
Uses appropriate pacing ✔
Constructs aligned and varied learning ✔
opportunities in assigned edTPA Lesson Plan
format
Facilitates developmentally and culturally ✔
appropriate relationships
Delivers hands-on, meaningful, relevant learning ✔
experiences
Pre-teaches relevant vocabulary ✔
Checks for understanding ✔
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Uses a variety of questioning strategies ✔
Gives adequate wait time for responses ✔
Solicits student inputs and opinions ✔
Models corrective feedback as needed ✔
Re-teaches when need is indicated by student ✔
response
Differentiates for individual learner needs ✔
Provides a structured closure and review ✔
Redirects off-task students ✔
Provides varied reinforcement ✔
Demonstrates proactive behavior management ✔
Models personal calm and self-control ✔
Demonstrates understanding and implementation ✔
of Gradual Release of Responsibility

Assesses and analyzes teacher instruction and ✔

student outcome data

PROFESSIONAL DISPOSITIONS: 4 3 2 1 N/O

Uses Standard English in oral and written work ✔
Dress and grooming are appropriate ✔
Finds ways to be helpful/show ✔
interest/enthusiasm
Conveys a sense of belonging and support to all ✔
regardless of background
Ensures the safety and well-being of all students ✔
Attends consistently ✔
Is prompt ✔
Is dependable ✔
Takes Initiative/Is Self-Directed ✔
Interacts with colleagues and staff in a respectful, ✔
purposeful way
Interacts in a respectful, purposeful, and ✔
professional manner with families and the
community
Maintains student confidentiality in spoken, ✔
written, social media and other online forms of
communication
Does not condone, support or participate in acts ✔
that are unethical or illegal

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4 – Distinguished 3 – Proficient 2 – Basic 1 – Unsatisfactory N/O - Not
Observed

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Student Assessments
For the formal assessments I chose to utilize Seesaw, an application on the student iPads

that allows the teacher to assign work to students both as a group and individually. The app has

many uses, and the students enjoy working on it. It also reduces paper waste by not printing

worksheets, and is interactive. Additionally, I would have students count out loud to me

throughout the lesson to ensure they understood how skip counting worked. As a summative

assessment, I pulled each student aside to assess their ability to orally skip count by 2’s, 5’s and

10’s. The few students that could not complete this task I worked with one to one in a separate

area during their math small group time, as I described on page 8. At the time of my departure,

only one student was unable to complete their skip counting. This student needed more

intervention at the time of my departure.

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High

My high student will be known as NR. He came into first grade with very high math and

reading test scores. He was frequently the first one done with any assignment he was given. In

his Oral Counting Assessment, he was very capable of

counting very high in any method that was asked of

him. In fact, the education support specialist who

administered the assessment had to ask him to stop

counting during all but one of the sections of the

assessment.

In the formal assessments I gave him during

my student teaching, which were done orally as well

as assigned through Seesaw, he completed all the

objectives very quickly. In the future, I would prefer

to assign him work that would be specific to him, and

would challenge him.

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Figure 1: The Summative assessment given for the first unit.

Figure 2: A formal assessment I assigned through SeeSaw,

students needed to determine what the missing number would be.

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 Figure 3: One of the formal assessments I assigned through SeeSaw.
Students needed to place all the hands in the correct order.

What I would plan for next: NR needs to be challenged. I would have additional materials

available for him to work on after finishing the assigned materials. While the other students are

working independently on their assignments, I would take NR aside into a one on one side group

and show him how skip count in different ways, such as starting at 1 instead of 2, then moving

on to skip counting by 5’s and 10’s starting at other numbers as well. For example I would pick

some numbers, such as 23 28 33 38 and leave one missing so he could determine the missing

number.

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Average

My average student will be known as BM. BM typically took her time to finish her work

carefully and accurately, and in an appropriate amount of time. If she had a question, she would

ask the teacher. Below is the oral counting assessment used by the ESP at the beginning of the

school year. BM hit all the standards for this school district in math for first grade.

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 This is from the Unit 1 assessment. BM made very few mistakes (one being that her 3 was

Backwards). All are age appropriate, and meet the standards.

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 What I
Part of one of the formal assessments I had assigned to the class in SeeSaw. BM
completed the assignment with no mistakes, and could count with me by 2’s from
any number we began at. would plan

for next: I would continue to work with BM on her math skills and some challenge work in the

form of games. Placing her into a small group with peers at the same skill level, I would assign a

skip counting game to them such as an “I have… Who has…” game they could play as a group.

Low

The below average first grade student will be referred to as PG. PG scored very low on

all of her formal and summative assessments entering first grade. At the time of my departure,

she was receiving intervention with a specialist three times a day, for both reading and math. She

would get frustrated very quickly when given work, and would struggle with even basic tasks.

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 These are the oral counting assessments she was given the first week of school. She could

count to 29, however this was inconsistent and she could not visually recognize the numbers.

One of the formal assessments I assigned on Seesaw. This was completed with assistance.

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This is the second formal assessment assigned through Seesaw. Here she
was not given any assistance as the requirement was to trace the numbers

Here is a copy of her Unit 1 Assessment. This was completed after receiving two weeks

of intervention with specialists and an ESP.

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 What I would plan for next: PG would continue in her intervention groups, which consist

of no more than 2:1. She is in need of basic skills in both reading and math, and will need to

have assistance in most assignments in the classroom. I would place her in a small group to work

with the teacher for all assignments, with one to two other students in the room. Before

continuing any more skip counting lessons, she will need to be able to count and recognize up to

the number 120. I would begin this by working with manipulatives and games to help her

visualize the numbers, and understand that the number symbol equates to an amount.

Data Collection

I tracked student progress on a table after my lessons. I used a Check or Minus system in

my notes to track students' progress. My CT used the oral counting assessments shown in each

student’s information above to track this data as well. This only shows the three students for this

example.

Name Counting by 10s 5’s 2’s Revisit?

8/1/22 8/2/22 8/3/22

NR ✔ ✔ ✔ -

BM ✔ ✔ ✔ -

PG - - - 8/10 -
8/23 -

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Reflection
This project has helped me learn more about my abilities in the classroom. While I have

been in classrooms for the past eight years as a substitute and a para, I have never needed to track

and collect data to this extent, and I learned that each teacher has a little bit different tactic on

how to do this. It all depends on what works best in each teacher’s situation, but the important

piece is to track it. I learned that I need to pay more attention to the high flier’s in the classroom

who may finish their work with time to spare, leaving them bored or distracting their peers. Most

of the time, I felt that my time was so taken up with the low achieving students that I didn’t get

to give as much attention to those who were over achieving, and I need to look and find a

balance between those students. In the future, I will be looking for better opportunities for

student collaboration, student engagement as a group, and ways to promote peer relationships. In

these six weeks, it felt that the students weren’t quite as connected as they could be, however that

could simply be because it was still early in the school year.

As to what I could do differently in my three connected lessons, I feel that I could find

better ways to differentiate for students; particularly the over achieving students. At the end of

each lesson, they would be looking for more to do and I would not have something prepared for

them while waiting for the remainder of the students to finish. Next, I feel that my delivery was

good but it could be improved. For the first two lessons, I felt that I went too fast and

deliberately slowed myself down for the final lesson. Last, I felt that I didn’t do well with my

closing on the lesson. The first two lessons it felt rushed and awkward. I believe this was due to

my not explaining what I would like the students to do well enough. Additionally, we always

finished just before leaving for a specials class, and that also made it feel rushed. In the future, I

would better track the amount of time I was using for independent work, differentiate the

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independent work for the overachieving students, and be more deliberate in my execution of the

lesson’s closure.

My next steps would be to begin the next math lesson per the curriculum and complete

working on the students’ station skills. When I did my lessons, they had just started utilizing

stations that week, and it was difficult for them to switch from one station to the next. I would

also assign Seesaw assignments to students according to their skill levels.

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 Reference List

Anderson, M. (2015). The first six weeks of school (2nd ed.). Center for Responsive Schools, Inc.

Clarney, Ruth S. (2002). Teaching children to care. Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc.

Himmele, Pérsida and William (2017). Total participation techniques making every student a

learner (2nd ed.). ASCD.

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