Ariana Szep

Professor Suk
EDUC 230-03 Education Field Experience
Spring 2023
Rationale Statement-Standard #2

Standard # and Title:

2. Standard Two: Learning Differences
The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities
to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards (“New
Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers alignment with InTASC,” 2014, p. 2).

Artifact: Lesson Plan and Assessment 1

Date of Completion: Spring 2023

Course Completed in: EDUC 230-03

Rationale Statement:

The artifact that is being reflected upon is Lesson Plan and Assessment 1 that I completed

for this course. I designed this lesson specifically for second grade and targeted the subject area

of math. This lesson plan begins with a carpet group lesson where the teacher conducts a review

on ones and tens place value to help students recall previous knowledge. Next, students watch a

Kids Academy Youtube video that introduces them to the hundreds place value. Afterwards, the

teacher completes a lesson based on the hundreds place value, its corresponding base-ten block,

and the symbol used to represent it on paper. Then, students begin a worksheet where they

practice drawing three-digit place value. Finally, students conclude the lesson by filling out an

exit ticket and practicing place value with any spare time left with a dice activity. The artifact

best correlates with Standard #2 as each student’s individual needs are being met through the use

of modifications and accommodations throughout the lesson plan in order for every student to

excel in comprehending the new place value concepts. Specifically, in the performance indicator

group, indicator number one connects seamlessly with the lesson plan, “The teacher designs,

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adapts, and delivers instruction to address each student’s diverse learning strengths and needs

and creates opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning in different ways,” (“New

Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers alignment with InTASC,” 2014, p. 2). During

instruction and assessment, the teacher uses a variety of diversified teaching strategies and

methods to ensure that each student’s needs are being met. The teacher models and explains

concepts verbally and visually through the use of base-ten blocks and drawings. Additionally,

every student has strengths and weaknesses, which means every student may not succeed in each

type of assessment. In the lesson, the teacher takes this information into account by having

multiple forms of assessing students' understanding and progression throughout the lesson, either

informally or formally. Finally, students also are given the option to use additional resources,

such as base-ten blocks and place value mats, to help them accomplish their individual task to

the best of their ability.

Instead of completing another lesson plan with English being the main content area,

which I tend to feel more comfortable with as English is a great interest of mine, I wanted to

challenge myself and create a lesson plan with math being the main content area as I have never

created one before or have had much experience with teaching elementary math. Through this

process of making a math lesson plan, I learned that I enjoy creating lesson plans and teaching

math much more than I anticipated. Reflecting on myself as a student, math did not become a

difficulty to me until the last few years of high school. Possibly, the experience of high level

math swayed me away from math as a whole, however, through this assignment, I discovered

that I just gravitate towards teaching the foundational math concepts, such as addition, place

value, multiplication, and fractions, instead of more advanced concepts taught in secondary

education. While English and math contain many differences, such as English being more

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interpretive and math being more structured, they both grasp my attention equally. This new

knowledge I have acquired about myself will aid me in being a more well-rounded teacher.

In the future, in all subjects, especially math, I want to make use of visuals and

manipulatives throughout lessons and assignments in order to expand the way key concepts and

skills are expressed, modeled, and practiced in the classroom. Hands-on activities and tools help

students gain a greater comprehension of the new concepts taught due to having the ability to

explain and express their answers in distinct forms rather than only one singular form. All

students can benefit from the use of manipulatives and visuals, especially students who require

modifications and additional help. Some examples of visuals used in a lesson include drawings

created on the board, illustrations shown in a book, and pictures used in daily slides. Adding

visuals into a lesson can be very effective as students can correlate the verbal instruction with the

provided visual aids. Then, some examples of manipulatives used in a lesson include base-ten

blocks, counting chips, and pattern blocks. Allowing the use of manipulatives into a lesson can

be very effective as well by allowing students to work through and develop answers in active

participation. Not only are these tools engaging to students due to the use of color and keen

similarity to entertainment gadgets, they help build strong connections to the material being

taught as multiple parts of the brain are actively being used at once.

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 Reference

New Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers Alignment with InTASC. (2014, August 4).

Retrieved from New Jersey State Department of Education:

https://www.state.nj.us/education/profdev/profstand/ProfStandardsforTeachersAlignment

withInTASC.pdf

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