Strategy

No Opt Out

Effectiveness Rating
+ = effective
- = challenging
+

Teacher does not accept I dont know

for an answer. Instead, the teacher
prompts/guides/and encourages student
to try his/her best and come up with an
answer.

Date
Implemented/Reflection/Comments

(11/18/14) The students in my

kindergarten class are learning how to
write by sounding out the letters they
hear in the words. My mentor says that
this helps them learn how to blend letter
sounds together to form correctly spelling
words. Obviously this does not work for
every word, but it is a good starting point
for them. I had a lot of students come up
to me very frustrated and say ..but I just
cant! However, I tried to be as positive
as possible and say, Yes, I know you
can! You can do it, and just try your best!
Me being upbeat really excited them. You
could tell that they felt that I truly and
genuinely believed in them, and they
went back to their seats and tried their
very best. A lot of them spelt a lot of
words correctly!
Next step: The more sight words that
students learn, the more they will be
taught content on phonemic awareness. I
would continue to have them try their
best and will not accept I dont know for
an answer. When students arent allowed
to say that, they usually always figure it
out!
I will also be using this for my 5th lesson
about Native Americans. I will be asking
them questions regarding the various
homes that Native Americans lived in. I
will not accept I dont know

(01/22/15) My mentor had me working

with lower ability students during guided
reading to help assess their reading
comprehension. After my students read a
little to me, I would stop them and ask
them questions about what they had just
read. They didnt respond the best to me
because I think they still need time to get
to know me. They seemed a little nervous
when I asked them questions regarding
meaning in the text.
Next step: Continue this strategy during
guided reading until students become
comfortable and understand that there is
no right or wrong answer when I am
formatively assessing them.

(01/29/15) I can tell that my students are

getting more used to working with me
during guided reading. They enjoy
reading to me and answering my
questions. They are more understanding
of my expectations of their answers. I
want them to give me an well thought out
and educated response when I ask them
comprehension questions. Because they
know that, they seem to really focus more
when reading.

Break It Down

Using the wrong answers to help

students discover the correct ones.

(09/18/14) This worked good for

formative assessment. Students were
able to identify the pictures that did not
start with the letter c. I could tell which
students needed extra help.
ex: Does the word frog start with the
letter c? (show students picture of frog)
Next step: use this for the remainder of
the alphabet letters as a formative
assessment

(02/13/15) Today I let my students collect

their own data using a topic of their
choice to construct their own bar graph.
They needed to collect data using tally
marks and then use that information to
make a bar chart. Before sending my
students off to collect their data, I showed
them examples of bar charts on the
board. Some of them were done correctly
and some of them had errors. I had them
point out what needed to be fixed as a
way to formatively assess them. They
were less likely to make the same
mistakes that were shown to them.
Next step: Have them peer assess each
other. They will be used to looking at their
peers work and picking out what needs
to be fixed and/or added.

Hook It

Introducing activity in an exciting way to

get the attention of your students.

(10/07/14) I introduced my lesson by

explaining to students that they would be
going on a leaf hunt. I read a book about
the different types of leaves they may find
during this season. They got so excited
and became very engaged and focused.
Next step: use this to introduce topics in
next lessons. The younger kids really
need this type of excitement in order to
become engaged.

(03/11/15) I taught students about how

light travels and reflects off of objects. To
grab their attention right from the
beginning, I showed them short clips
about the topic. They loved it and it really
got them excited about the topic. I also
used this strategy during the plenary. We
played a game on the Smart board where
they had to correctly spot the items in
rooms that were sources of light.
Next step: Incorporate more clips and
games in my future lessons to get them
excited about the topic.

Vegas
Glitz to liven up instruction!

(10/07/14) Students glued their leaves to

their journals and were able to draw
pictures of their trip to the park. They
were so proud to show their parents and
teacher which leaf they selected to glue.
It was a good way to wrap up the lesson.
Next step: make hats for another lesson
since we ran out of time

(11/18/14) Students had an ABC

Fashion Show today. Each student was
assigned a letter, and they were to
decorate a paper bag with pictures of
things that start with that letter. They
walked with attitude and striked a pose
for the Pre-K students in the cafeteria.
They had SO much fun with it, and they
really enjoyed having the time to be
creative and decorate their bags.
Next step: Allow students more time to be
creative during lessons. It really livens it
up! Try and incorporate a craft/fun
activity. It helps the learning material to
sink in.

Entry Routine
Structured entry routine so that students
get ready to learn

(03/26/15) In the afternoon I taught art

with the students. Since it was their last
day before Easter Break, we made
Easter cards. I gave them a couple
different options to choose from and let
them add to it whatever they chose using
paint. They have been working so hard
lately and have not had much time for art
these past couple of weeks, so I thought
that it was a much needed subject to fit
in. They had an absolute blast, and it was
so much fun seeing all of their creations.
They are all such great artists! I had a lot
of fun making some cards of my own as
well :) Its so important to not loose focus
on the fact that they are kids. We need to
let kids be kids and incorporate as much
fun as possible into the curriculum. Those
are the memories they will look back on
and cherish! I know I do!

+/-

(10/14/14) Sometimes this is effective

and other times it is not. It really depends
how the students mornings are going at
times. Since they are younger, it seems
that they can either be extremely happy
to be at school, or very sad to leave their
parents. Regardless of how I greet them
at times, it can be challenging getting
them ready to learn.
My mentors routine consists of the
following:
1. Greet students
2. Students hang up coats and
backpacks.
3. Students get out journals (silently) &
write the date at the top of their paper.
4. Students write a sentence about the
picture that they see on the SmartBoard.
Next step: try other techniques for
greeting students
-high fives, talk to parents, have students
go to centers to complete their journal
(will maybe be less distracting)

+/-

(03/05/15) Students have their Star

Assembly every Thursday afternoon. I
had to bring them into the hall, and I
made sure to go over the rules for
entering the hall with them. I asked them
to show me what a good line looks like,
and I asked for volunteers to remind the
class how they should behave while in
the hall. This worked fairly well, but I
need to continue with this routine in order
for them to know what is expected.
Consistency is key. Currently, there are
too many reward systems in place with
this class. It needs to be narrowed down
because I can tell that students are
acting out more lately.
Next step: Work on establishing my own
reward system with them.

Right is Right

Instead of the teacher saying that part of

a students answer was correct, they lead
students to finding the complete right
answer. It is okay for teachers to reward
students for effort, but they must be
careful not to confuse students by them
thinking they have answered correctly.

(11/06/14) This wasnt as successful as I

thought it was going to be. Students at
this age really need extra guidance and
prompting, so they seemed a little lost.
However, students really need to know
that squares are special rectangles
because all of their sides are equal
(instead of only their opposite sides being
equal). It is something they need to be
able to recall automatically when working
with geometric shapes. There is really no
in-between answer.
Next step: I will mostly likely go over this
strategy with my students, so that they
understand why I was not accepting
partial correct answers. I believe that will
help motivate/encourage them think
about their answers more.

Stretch It
When students give you a correct
answer, have them add more depth to it
by explaining more about the answer that
they gave.

-/+

(10/28/14) I used this during my ELA

lesson for the story The Three Little Pigs.
When I asked my students
comprehension questions and they gave
me a correct answer, I asked them to
elaborate on them. Only a few students
were able to understand what I meant by
that. I put a - sign for its effectiveness
because of the age group that I work
with.
Next step: I believe that the questions
asked need to be very basic for
kindergarten in order to effectively use
the strategy Stretch It; however, I am
sure that if I practiced this with students
on a regular basis, they would get the
hang of it. I will have to wait and see!

Format Matters

Answering questions with good grammar

and in complete sentences. Teachers are
to identify the error and give students a
reminder how to properly answer a
question.

(11/06/14) I used this during my math

lesson about rectangles. My mentor is
encouraging students to answer
questions in complete sentences to make
it more strong. I asked them various
questions regarding the characteristics of
rectangles, and when students did not
say their answer properly or if they did
not add enough detail, I prompted them
with key words. I also asked them
questions to help guide them to
answering giving more of an
explanations.
Next step: I will be using this a lot during
my last lesson and time in the classroom
because it really helps students to think
before they answer. It allows them to
double check what they are about to say
and perfect it.

No Apologies

Teacher motivates students for learning

in an exciting and engaging way. Some
students might not find some curriculum
exciting to jump into, but teachers must
never apologize for it. Teachers must
explain why they should be excited to
learn about things and how it will help
them.

(03/24/15)
This week students were introduced to
column addition for the first time. Many of
them struggled after the first lesson, and I
knew that some of them would not be
happy to re-visit it during the week.
Because of that, I made sure to make it
as exciting and positive as possible. I did
this by praising them for trying their best
and by explaining to them that mastering
this concept is something they will use for
the rest of their educational careers.
One particular comment that my mentor
and I made: If you can add together onedigit numbers, which I know you all can,
you can add huge numbers together with
no problem! Watch!

Do It Again

Repetition to make sure students know

what is expected of them.

(09/18/14) I had students walk back to

their seats and try again if they did not
walk to the carpet following the rules. It
really got them to focus and follow the
rules.
Next step: I will have students repeat
procedures for any rule they break
because it seems to really help with
classroom management.

(09/18/14) A couple of students had to

walk back to the carpet for not walking
back to their seats quietly. They seemed
embarrassed by this, but it stopped the
behavior from reoccurring.
Next step: use for all classroom
procedures if needed to brake bad
behavior

Post It

The learning objective is posted for

students to see. The objective is followed
by steps to success. These steps are
specific and tell the student what steps
they will follow in order to achieve the
objective. The learning objective is also
explained in lesson openings.

(02/10/15) Carfield Primary requires all

teachers to print out a MYLO (my
learning objective) for each student.
These MYLOs have the objective for
each lesson and steps to success listed
underneath so that students are aware of
what steps they must successfully follow
in order to achieve the objective. I found
this not useful because it did not mean
much to the students. Not only did it take
up a lot of time preparing, it took a lot of
time out of instruction because the
students had to wait for glue to be
passed around and then place them in
their notebooks. Although that seems like
a simple task, for younger students it is
much more time consuming than you
would think. The steps were also more
for my benefit and too lengthy. Im sure it
confused a lot of the students.
Next step: Shorter steps with childfriendly explanations. Incorporate it into
the opening and plenary of lesson to
make it beneficial and useful.

(02/23/15-02/27/15) This week I switched

schools with Anna. I really benefited from
seeing the way Bradway Primary makes
their MYLOs. They had much more
success and use for theirs because they
were much simpler and child friendly
language. The students referred to their
MYLOs all during the lesson because
their steps helped them successfully
complete their learning activities.
Next step: I used an example from
Bradway to help me with my MYLOs for
next week. I think that my students will
find them helpful.

Name the Steps

Teacher gives students simple and easy
to follow steps for achieving their learning
objective. The teacher explains each step
and then goes into detail about each
specific step so that they know what it
looks like and how to apply it.

(01-26-15) I taught my students how to

solve word problems that dealt with
finding fractions of numbers. They started
with one-step problems and worked their
way up to two-step problems. Word
problems can be a very stressful thing for
students because without steps they
usually get overwhelmed and do not
know where to start. I taught them the
following steps:
RUCSAC
R-Read the problem carefully.
U-Understand what the problem is asking
us to do.
C-Choose a strategy.
S-Solve using the chosen strategy.
A-Answer.
C-Check your work.
I went over each one in detail and
showed the what each step looked like.
My students read their problems carefully
and highlighted important parts. When
they followed the RUCSAC method, they
were more likely to answer correctly.
Next step: I will review this strategy with
students whenever we re-visit word
problems.

Circulate

Teacher moves around the classroom to

help engage each student. This helps
hold students accountable for
participating and completing their work
because they know that their teacher is
paying close attention and observing/
assessing.

(11/20/14) This is something that I do

every day in practicum because I am
learning a lot from walking around and
assessing the students. It is also
beneficial because I am able to help out
students that are struggling. When I walk
around, students get excited to show me
their work and progress. I will also be
using this strategy in my 5th lesson
during centers.
Next step: Use during lesson 5 for
centers

(03-27-15) After assessing students

knowledge on column subtraction by
marking their books, I planned on
circulating to every student while they
were working on their activity. I definitely
need to practice with this more. I ended
up spending way too much time with only
a couple tables. I didnt have time to
make it around to every student. Part of
that was because a lot of students were
forming a line behind me wanting to ask
questions.
Next step: Establish ground rules for
table work. Have students hold questions
until I am able to meet with them at their
table. I could create a check list for what
to do if I cannot answer their question
right away.

Check for Understanding

This is formative assessment during and
after instruction when the learning activity
is taking place. I usually do this by asking
for a show of thumbs. Students either
give me a thumbs up, thumbs inbetween, or thumbs down depending on
how they feel about the material being
taught. This helps determine my next
steps in instruction and whether or not I
need to review or move on to more
instruction. Once students are back at
their tables, I walk around and see how
they are doing with the activity by using
questioning strategies and checking their
work.

(02-06-15) Today students were taught to

take data from tally charts and use it in a
pictogram. When I asked students on the
carpet how they felt about it, a lot of them
did not respond. Most of them seemed
upset that they were not 100%, so they
didnt want to show me how they felt at
all. I panicked at first and had to think on
the spot about the next steps I would
take. I chose to go over the material a
little more because the thumbs strategy
did not help me properly assess them.
Next step: I am going to assess the work
in students notebooks after lesson, so
that I have a better understanding of how
to further instruction for tomorrows
lesson.

Cold Calls

(03/23/15-03/27/15) After I taught wholegroup math, I asked my students to

show thumbs so that I could formatively
assess them. Students have been much
better at answering honestly, but some
students always say they are ready to
move onto the activity because they are
focused on completing their work rather
than truly understanding the material. I
have kept mental notes on the students
who do this, so when I ask who is ready
to leave the carpet and start the activity, I
nicely tell certain students, I think thats
great that you feel confident! I want you
to stay here and try to work out this
problem with me. I assess students work
from yesterdays lesson so that I know
which students need some more
guidance.

(10/28/14) This worked out great. Calling

students at random really keeps them on
their toes and engaged. Because they
are aware that I could call on them at any
moment, they seem to focus more and try
their hardest. They want to be able to
answer questions if I call on them. It has
also helped with students who like to chitchat during lessons. Students seem to
listen more and not engage in socializing
with their classmates unless they have a
question about the content being taught.

Call out student names at random when

asking questions. This will keep students
on their toes, and it is a good way to
formatively assess students
understanding of the content being
taught.

Next step: I will be using this strategy for

all lessons throughout my time in this
kindergarten class. It is very effective and
a great way to formatively assess
students understanding on content.
What to Do
Teacher gives specific and detailed
procedures to follow whether it be for a
learning activity or behavior standard
when receiving instruction. The teacher
carefully goes over what is expected of
students. The expectations must be
specific, concrete, sequential, and
observable.

(01/20/15) Showed students steps to

follow in order to find fractions of
numbers. I had students look at the
denominator and make that many
groups. I then had them share equally
between these groups from the number
they were given. I carefully went over the
steps, and we worked through many
problems together. They got the hang of
it really quickly after a few examples and
seemed to really enjoy it.
Next step: I am going to try this strategy
with literacy. I think it would help my
students write their narratives if they had
a step by step process to follow.

(02/02/15) I was really pleased with how

well this worked. My students have been
learning about pictograms, and I had
them use that prior knowledge towards
constructing a pictogram with their tables.
I gave them very detailed and easy to
follow procedures for creating their
pictograms. Organization and being
prepared was key for me. I had
everything laid out very neatly, and I
listed the steps on the Smart board for
students to see. However, posting them
is not enough. I had to show them what
those steps looked like. We went over
them continuously. They benefited from
that repetition. They knew exactly what
was expected of them, and it was really
neat to watch them work together as a
team to follow the steps and complete
their pictogram.
Next step: I completed the next step after
the learning activity was completed. I had
students peer assess each other by
completing the check-list given to them.
The check-list had the steps that needed
to be completed listed as well as a simple
explanation of what the pictogram should
look like if each step was completed
correctly. Each group was to work
together to decide whether or not they
thought the other groups completed each
step correctly. I made sure to leave room
for each group to leave a positive
comment for every pictogram. The
students loved this! They were very
proud of their work.

+/-

(03/26/15) I still dont find having the

students glue in their MYLOs helpful. It
distracts them and takes a lot of time
away from instruction; however, I do think
that it is important that the objective is
posted on the flip charts at the beginning
and during the entire lesson. Students
benefit from knowing exactly what it is
they are learning and why. They need to
know what steps to follow and what the
outcome for following the steps should
look like.
Next step: Find more creative and fun
ways to post daily learning objectives.
How else can it be used as a tool for
students?

Positive Framing

+/-

When correcting behavior, teacher talks

about what the next steps are for
students to follow.
Teacher also assumes the best from
class. He/she knows that students are
understanding of procedures and
therefore should always follow them. If
not, the teacher redirects behavior in a
way that lets them know she knows they
are capable.

(03-10-15) This was both effective and

challenging because I am becoming
more comfortable with this strategy. I
didnt realize that I was picking out
students bad behavior more than what
they were doing right. Because of that, it
made the transition a little more
challenging. However, I have to say that
it does make a huge difference. When I
notice that students are off task, I always
point out the students who are following
the correct classroom procedures. I like
the way Daisy is facing forward and is
waiting patiently for instructions. Thank
you Faiza for following directions. Nice
presentation Hashim! etc. Students
really notice this, and whenever I make a
positive comment, they quickly look to the
student to see what they need to be
doing to be recognized for their good
work and for following directions.
If the majority of the class is off-task, I
make sure to say comments such as: I
know you all know the classroom
procedures and are good at following
them, so we need to double check that
we are doing the right thing. I know that
today is a little different than usual
because you were able to wear your
costumes, but we still need to make sure
we are following directions. We can still
have fun!
Next step: Continue using this strategy
for behavior management. The more I
use this, the smoother it will be and the
more the students will catch on to it.

Precise Praise
Teacher lets student know exactly what it
is they are praising them for. This
reinforces positive behavior to continue
with student and class. They are made
aware of what is expected of them
because the teacher is pointing out what
it is they are doing right.

(03/19/15) I find this strategy very similar

to Positive Framing because I always
make sure to point out students who are
following directions by saying comments
like the following: Kai, I love how you are
writing so neatly in your notebook.
Cara, your focus is brilliant! etc. I use
this more when I want specific results.
Todays lesson required students to take
their knowledge on column addition to
come up with their own column addition
problems. Students had specific steps to
follow, so I pointed out students who
were following them. I pointed it out by
stating the exact step that they were
following. That way, students who werent
were able to use that precise praise to
their advantage.

Normalize Error

(03-04-15) This week students were

learning how to compare numbers using
<, >, and = using number lines. I gave my
students a couple different methods to
use with solving problems of this sort. A
lot of them had trouble understanding the
symbols, and I explained to them that the
most important thing was that they were
trying their best. I stressed the
importance of trying and asking lots of
questions. They are learning this material
for the first time and it is tricky, and it is
perfectly normal to get answers wrong at
first. The positivity helped them, and it
made them work outside of their comfort
zones.

+/-

(11/18/14) My mentor gave me the job of

rearranging the students seats. He likes
to change them up every month, and he
thought it was a good opportunity for me
to practice my management skills. Since I
feel like I know the students well, I
thought it would be too challenging.
However, I was very wrong. It was
difficult! I had to make sure that my
students who had vision problems
remained in the front of the class, but I
needed to make sure that I had my
problem students separated. I also tried
to place all different levels of learners at
each table. This helps with differentiation.
So far, it seems to be a successful
seating arrangement; however, there are
a couple students that I should have
moved differently. It was a great learning
experience to say the least!

Teacher helps students understand that it

is completely normal and expected to
make mistakes. Making mistakes is part
of learning, and effort is what is
encouraged. When a student answers
incorrectly, teacher does not make too
much of it. Instead, teacher makes a
positive comment (almost, but not quite.
etc), and reviews with students. Also,
when students get an answer correct,
teachers do not give too much praise.
This makes it look like students were not
expected to ever answer correctly. It will
also keep other students who are not
positive from answering questions in fear
of getting it wrong.
Draw the Map
(planning strategy)
arranging the students seats in a way
that will make for a positive and
successful learning environment

Next step: My mentor gave me a layout

of the classroom to experiment on paper
with different arrangements. It really
helped a lot, so I will definitely be using
this strategy in my future classrooms!