Arehart 1

Saint Mary-of-the- Woods College

Teacher Work Sample

Teacher candidate name: Paige Arehart

Licensure/program area: Elementary Education K-6
College Supervisor: George Bakker
School: Happy Hollow Elementary
Grade: Fourth
Subject: Language Arts
Date: November 10, 2015
Course Number: ED-422
Score:______________

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Teaching Context Description

Class/Classroom Information
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Grade levels in class: 4th

Ages in class: 9,10
Number of students enrolled in class: 25
Number of students typically present: 23-24
Time available each day to teach all students:
Resources: Well supplied and equipped
Community, district, and school factors:
a. Geographic location: large metropolitan area; West Lafayette, Indiana
b. School population: 476 Students
c. Socio-economic profile: (Provided by DOE)
i. 8.4% eligible for free lunch
ii. 2.5% eligible for reduced lunch
d. Race/Ethnicity (provided by DOE)
i. 62.4% Caucasian
ii. 5.9% Hispanic
iii. 21.2% Asian
iv. 4.2% African American
v. 6.1% Mixed Race
The community surrounding Happy Hollow Elementary is an affluent and supportive

one. A large majority of parents or guardians are very involved in their childs day to day
activities in addition to being room parents, clubs, PTO, and Book Fair volunteers. West
Lafayette is considered the most densely populated city in Indiana, largely in part due to the
nearby college, Purdue University. Through student led parent teacher conferences 95% of the
student parents have met with my collaborating teacher and me. The socio-economic status of the
community is very high, while maintaining a fair amount of diversity. There is however, a great
deal of students in and out of the district, many of which being ESL students as children come
with their Graduate degree seeking parents. Additionally, there are many children of professors
from Purdue University. As a predominantly education based community, education is highly
valued as a part of the community and the emphasis on education from both parents and the
school system is set very high.

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Individual Differences
1. Number of students in class with diverse languages: 3
2. Number of students in class with IEPs: 1
3. Number of students in pullout or supplementary programs:
Title 1: 0

Gifted: 0

RTI: 2

Other: 2 (ESL)

4. Patterns of development:
Atypical: 4

Typical: 15

Advanced: 6

5. Plot the range for each factor listed on the continuum.

Ages

10

Languages (22/25)

ESL

11
English

Developmental Levels (12/19) Minimal

High

Cultures (14/25)

White

Multiracial

Note other class/classroom conditions, if any, which have caused you to adjust
instruction in some way: Students in the class are exceptional overall, largely in part
due to the routines and consistency implemented throughout the classroom. Some
students however have various issues that force an adjustment in classroom curriculum.
Some students have vision issues and subsequently they are placed at the front of the
room and text is blown up for them. Additionally, the classroom had a new student join
late in the year with extenuating circumstances having him coming from a fifth grade
classroom in the same school, but being enrolled incorrectly and spent months in the
wrong grade. Curriculum often had to be individually altered at times to assist in
implementing background knowledge for said student.

STEP 2: Assessment of Prior Knowledge

Student pre-test, administered to determine a baseline of knowledge as it applies to pro-nouns.
Test measured using multiple choice, short answer, and circle correct.
Name:____________________

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Pronoun Test
Circle the pronoun(s) in the following sentences.
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)

She went walking down the street.

The desks are ours.
Which kangaroo is yours?
All of these pencils are mine.

What are the 2 things that must agree when using pronouns?
5.) _____________________
6.) _____________________

7.) What is an antecedent?

______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
8.) Write a sentence using a subject pronoun:

9.) Write a sentence using an object pronoun:

10.)Write a sentence using a demonstrative pronoun:

_________________________________________________________________

11.)Circle the SINGULAR pronouns. Underline the PLURAL Pronouns

I

We

You

He

Him

Them

It

They

Us

Upon administering the pretest to set a base line of prior knowledge I was able to better
assess and address the concepts and skills that needed to be taught to students. Through
implementing various mediums of testing forms students were able to be more properly assessed.
The test is graded as an overall score of twenty points with one point for each question answered

Arehart 5

correctly and two points awarded if you is both underlined and circled. The responses provided
by students will be graded for overall correctness and then graphed so that they can be compared
to the students overall scores on the final performance assessment. This assessment also further
provides specific areas that are lacking for specific students, so that proper differentiation can be
provided.

STEP 3: Planning Instruction

Connect Standards/ Foundations
Standard/Foundation

Objective(s)

Learning
Activities

Assessment

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4.W.6.1-Demonstrate
command of English grammar
and usage, focusing on:
4.W.6.1a- Nouns/Pronouns
Writing sentences that include
personal, relative pronouns
(e.g., who, which) and reflexive
pronouns (e.g., myself,
ourselves) and explaining their
functions in the sentence.

4.W.6.1e- Usage Writing

correctly complete simple,
compound, and complex
declarative, interrogative,
imperative, and exclamatory
sentences.

Students will identify

basic and reflexive
pronouns (I, me, he,
she, myself,
ourselves) in a series
of sentences using the
reference text.
Students will
correctly write 2
sentences using
personal pronouns.

Sentence writing Informal checklist with

and practice
dry-erase boards.
using individual
dry-erase boards. Formal grading
through individual
sentences written
checking for
correctness and
pronoun usage.

Students will write

their own sentence
that includes a
demonstrative or
reflexive pronoun on
their dry-erase
boards.

Sentence writing Informal checklist with

and practice
dry-erase boards.
using individual
dry-erase boards. Formal grading
through individual
sentences written
checking for
correctness and varied
sentence structure.

Arehart 7
4.SL.2.4- Pose and respond
to specific questions to clarify
or follow up on information,
and make comments that
contribute to the discussion
and link to the remarks of
others.

4.RI.2-Determine two or more main

ideas of a text and explain how they
are supported by key details;
summarize the text.

Students will
collaboratively work
in a group to form a
singular sentence
with a properly used
pronoun that forms an
entire cohesive
paragraph.
Students will work
with a partner to edit
and make corrections
on determined
sentences and fix
mistakes based on
comments.

Work with
partner, make
comparisons,
and
constructively
critique the work
of others.

Informal checklist with

dry-erase boards.

Students will identify

basic and reflexive
pronouns (I, me, he,
she, myself,
ourselves) in a series
of sentences using the
reference text.

Sentence writing
and practice
using individual
dry-erase boards.

Informal checklist with

dry-erase boards.

Formal assessment
through individual
sentence correctness
and overall cohesion
while following
grammar rules and
pronoun inclusion.

Formal assessment
through application of
key concepts about
pronouns from the text
applied into correct
pronoun usage with the
written sentences.

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SMWC Teacher Work Sample Lesson 1

Teacher Candidate: Paige Arehart

Name of Lesson: Pronoun Basics

Subject: Language Arts

Grade: Fourth

Rationale for lesson: Pronouns represent an integral part of language and writing skills. Students
have previously learned about nouns and basic pronoun concepts in previous grades. In this
lesson, students will explore and be reminded what a pronoun is, why they are used, and a basic
overview of various types of pronouns.
Learning outcomes:

Students will identify basic and reflexive pronouns (I, me, he, she, myself, ourselves) in a
series of sentences using the reference text.
Students will correctly write 2 sentences using personal pronouns.

Assessment of student outcomes:

Students will be informally assessed through oral prompts of identification of pronouns in
sentences on the board and in the text Students will formally be assessed through the writing of
two sentences using personal pronouns correctly. Exercise will be scored on a 2 point
participation and correctness basis.
Related Foundations/Indiana Academic Standard:

4.W.6.1- Demonstrate command of English grammar and usage, focusing on:

Arehart 9

4.W.6.1a- Nouns/Pronouns Writing sentences that include personal, relative pronouns (e.g.,
who, which) and reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves) and explaining their functions in
the sentence.
4.RI.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by
key details; summarize the text.
4.SL.2.4- Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and
make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.

Materials Needed:

Write Source Text

25 White Boards (students already equipped)
25 Dry-erase markers (students already equipped)
Computer
Projector

Lesson/Activity Presentation:
Anticipatory set:
Good morning ladies and gentleman, today we are going to start our language time with
a little video. Before we begin, who thinks they know what a pronoun is? What do pronouns do
and how can we use them in sentences? Are pronouns any different from nouns?
Teaching procedures:
Teaching candidate will show a video about pronouns from YouTube, Pronouns Schoolhouse
Rock. After viewing the video students will be asked the initial prompting questions again.
Students will then be prompted with the questions:

Why do we use pronouns instead of nouns/proper nouns?

What do pronouns replace in a sentence?
How can you use a pronoun in a sentence to replace a noun/proper noun?

Students will then be directed to the text Write Source and will be read a brief passage about
pronouns and how they are used. Students will then be shown a chart of personal and relative

Arehart 10

pronouns on pg. 580 of the text to use as a resource. Students will then be directed to take out
their white boards and dry erase markers. Teacher candidate will write three sentences on the
board that students must re-write using and correcting punctuation and capitalization as well as
then circling the pronoun within the sentence on their personal white board. Teacher candidate
will circulate to check student work and manage behavior. Once complete, Teacher candidate
will then provide students three more sentence to correct, however students must not change
nouns/proper nouns to pronouns independently and then circle the new pronoun in the sentence.
Teacher candidate will repeat the aforementioned circulation and checking. Teacher candidate
will then direct students to write two of their own sentences using personal or relative pronouns,
reminding them to use pg. 580 as a reference if needed. Students must use correct punctuation,
capitalization, and circle pronoun in sentence to receive full credit. Once each student has
individually written their sentences and their scorers have been recorded students will be
prompted through a lesson re-cap as well as have an opportunity to share their sentences if
desired.
Closure: Ladies and gentleman, why in the world would we use pronouns when we could just
use nouns/proper nouns like a persons name. Why would I say she, instead of Mrs. Hanna, use
your text to provide me with an example. Each group can have 3 minutes to come up with an
answer, make sure you are listening to everyone in your group and thinking about this from al
possibilities. Can pronouns replace any noun? What is very important when pronouns are being
used?
Technology (if appropriate): Students will view a School House Rock video on YouTube

Computer
Projector

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Differentiated Instruction:

Students have the ability to be actively engaged and participate in the group lesson, no
matter the level, when being orally read to and prompted.
Students who require more individualize attention can receive more one-on-one attention
as needed when teacher candidate circulates the room to check boards. These students
could also complete this lesson through the use of paper and pencil as an at home or
individual assignment instead of during whole class instruction.
Students who are progressing rapidly through lesson can be prompted to write another set
of sentences (for extra practice) using more than one pronoun.

Reflection on Lesson:
The students were very engaged and interactive in this lesson. Providing students the
opportunity to work as individuals while also teaching a whole class lesson worked very
successfully. The students also enjoyed having the opportunity to share their work. Many of the
students do not always enjoy language arts, so I purposefully made it more interactive than some
of the past lessons, and it was very effective. In the future I am going to provide more examples
to the students in tangible text format as the students who were below level improved greatly
once they had something they could see in front of them on the in class activities. Modeling is
helping these students improve not only in learning these new concepts, but also to remind them
how important it is to use and implement punctuation and be grammatically correct.

Arehart 12

SMWC Teacher Work Sample Lesson 2

Teacher Candidate: Paige Arehart

Name of Lesson: Pronoun Plurality and Types

Subject: Language Arts

Grade: Fourth

Rationale for lesson: Pronouns are used to replace nouns or proper nouns, but must maintain the
integrity of the sentence. In this lesson, students will use examples and modeling to compare and
apply singular verses plural pronouns as they apply to demonstrative and reflexive pronouns
using standard and correct methods of writing.
Learning outcomes:

Students will identify the difference between singular and plural pronouns by writing the
correct form in place of a noun/proper noun.
Students will write their own sentence that includes a demonstrative or reflexive pronoun
on their dry-erase boards.
Students will collaboratively work in a group to form a singular sentence with a properly
used pronoun that forms an entire cohesive paragraph.

Assessment of student outcomes:

Students will be informally assessed through practice sentences written on their dry-erase boards
and examples given by teacher during mini lesson. Students will be formally assessed on their
individual sentence on correct capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and sentence agreement.

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Additionally, students will be assessed on if their sentence cohesively melds with the overall
group sentence to form a paragraph. One point will be awarded for each factor correctly used, for
a total of four (4) points.
Related Foundations/Indiana Academic Standard:

4.W.6.1e- Writing correctly, complete, simple, compound and complex, declarative,

interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences.
4.W.6.1- Demonstrate command of English grammar and usage, focusing on:
4.W.6.1a- Nouns/Pronouns Writing sentences that include personal, relative pronouns (e.g.,
who, which) and reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves) and explaining their functions in
the sentence.
4.RI.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by
key details; summarize the text.
4.SL.2.4- Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and
make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.

Materials Needed:

Write Source Text

25 White Boards (students already equipped)
25 Dry-erase markers (students already equipped)

Lesson/Activity Presentation:
Anticipatory set:
Good morning everyone, does anyone remember what we talked about yesterday in
language? Pronouns, very good. Now why would you choose to use a pronoun in place of a noun
or proper noun? Are there different kinds of pronouns? What are some examples that we
discussed?

Teaching procedures:
Teaching candidate will review previous days concepts about pronouns with students
through prompting and questioning. Students will then be directed to use pgs. 581-582 in their
Write Source text to read about demonstrative and reflexive pronouns. Students will be given 3-5

Arehart 14

minutes to complete this exercise. Examples of each demonstrative and reflexive pronouns will
then be written on the board. Students will be provided with an example of sentences by sentence
paragraph that shows how to use different descriptive sentences to using pronouns.
The class will then be divided into 6 groups based on their table groups, there are 6, and
be assigned their task. Each member of the group will assign themselves a number 1-4(5) and
then write a sentence that includes a demonstrative or reflexive pronoun as well as tells a story
through a paragraph that matches what the other group members are writing. Students will be
directed to write down their examples on their white boards using correct sentence structure and
grammar rules, including number and gender agreement. After 7 minutes, students will be
directed to the front of the room as individual groups to read their sentences, during this time
teaching candidate will grade and record the scorers for each example of the sentences and if the
overall paragraph makes sense and is cohesive.
Closure: Ladies and gentleman, it is very important to realize that being grammatically correct
when using pronouns can be tricky, but is a must. The gender, if it is about a girl or boy as well
as the number need to make sense in the sentences that your write. I certainly wouldnt replace
Miss Arehart in a sentence with He teaches the class. Would I? I also would not replace
Sarah, Jacob, and Harrison went to the movies. With I went to the movies because the number
does not agree with how many people we started with. Please keep this in mind as we move
forward.
Technology (if appropriate): n/a
Differentiated Instruction:

Students have the ability to be actively engaged and participate in the group lesson, no
matter the level, when being prompted during the whole class instruction.

Arehart 15

Students who require more individualize attention can receive assistance from their peers
as they work in groups as well as from the teacher candidate while others are working
with their group.

Reflection on Lesson:
The students greatly enjoyed being able to work in groups, as well as create something on
their own as well as with a whole group. Explaining the activity to the students took some effort,
and not everyone understood it initially. In the future I would use student examples and model
with my own small group instead of a mentor text. The students all enjoyed sharing their topics
and ideas with the class and were able to understand the concepts about pronouns and properly
apply them a great deal of the time. Overall, the students are showing improvement and
comprehension of the lessons activities and concepts.

Arehart 16

SMWC Teacher Work Sample Lesson 3

Teacher Candidate: Paige Arehart

Name of Lesson: Subject and Object Pronouns

Subject: Language Arts

Grade: Fourth

Rationale for lesson: Pronouns can be used to replace the subject, object, or both within a
sentence. In this lesson students will apply what they have previously learned about pronouns
and apply it to subject and object pronouns within all types of pronouns, particularly reflexive
and relative.
Learning outcomes:

Students will identify the difference between subject and object pronouns by writing the
correct form in place of a noun/proper noun.
Students will write 3 of their own sentences that include subject or object pronouns using
correct grammar rules and varied sentence structure.
Students will work with a partner to edit and make corrections on determined sentences
and fix mistakes based on comments.

Assessment of student outcomes:

Students will be informally assessed through practice sentences written on their dry-erase boards
and examples given by teacher during mini lesson. Students will be formally assessed on their
individual sentences written and turned in on paper, for documentation. Students will be graded
on the individual parts of their sentence on a one point scale for each element: punctuation,

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capitalization, grammar, sentence agreement, and pronoun usage, for a total of five (5) points per
sentence, fifteen (15) total points.
Related Foundations/Indiana Academic Standard:

4.W.6.1e- Writing correctly, complete, simple, compound and complex, declarative,

interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences.
4.W.6.1- Demonstrate command of English grammar and usage, focusing on:
4.W.6.1a- Nouns/Pronouns Writing sentences that include personal, relative pronouns (e.g.,
who, which) and reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves) and explaining their functions in
the sentence.
4.RI.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by
key details; summarize the text.
4.SL.2.4- Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and
make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.

Materials Needed:

Write Source Text

25 White Boards (students already equipped)
25 Dry-erase markers (students already equipped)
Paper
Pencil

Lesson/Activity Presentation:
Anticipatory set:
Good morning everyone, as weve been talking about pronouns this week, Im going to
say two words to you and Id like you to tell me what you think of in terms of language when I
say the word subject or object.

Teaching procedures:
Teaching candidate will review previous days concepts about pronouns with students
through prompting and questioning. Students will then be directed to use pgs.583-584 in their
Write Source text to read about subject and object pronouns. Students will be given 3-5 minutes

Arehart 18

to complete this exercise. Six numbered examples of each subject and object pronouns will be
written on the board. Students will be numbered 1-25, odd numbered students will find and circle
to identify the subject/object pronoun in each sentence, even numbered students will perform the
same exercise for even numbered sentences. Students will then find a partner that is the opposite
to them, i.e. even with odd, odd with even, (one grouping of three) to trade and check their work.
Students will then be provided with a dozen more sentences that need the nouns/proper
nouns in the sentences changed to subject/object pronouns. Students will be directed to change
the subject or object of the sentence to a proper pronoun that matches the sentence in gender and
number, while maintain its grammatical integrity. Again, even students will do this with even
sentences and odd students with odd numbered sentences. Students will then join together in
pairs again and check each others work for pronoun accuracy, number, gender, and grammatical
content.
Students will be directed to return to their seats and take out a piece of paper. Directions
to write three sentences that include a subject, object, or both pronouns using correct
capitalization, punctuation, grammar, etc. should now be given. Students should be reminded to
use the skills that they have learned in previous lessons and apply these concepts to the sentences
they are now writing. Remind students to use relative and reflexive pronouns in their sentences.
Closure: Ladies and gentleman, it is important to learn new things, like different types of
pronouns, but it is also vital that you remember the basics of pronouns. Who can remind us what
an antecedent is? Why is an antecedent important to pronouns? What about agreement, what
parts or things need to agree in a sentence for it to be correct?
Technology (if appropriate): n/a

Arehart 19

Differentiated Instruction:

Students have the ability to be actively engaged and participate in the group lesson, no
matter the level, when being prompted during whole class instruction.
Students who require more individualize attention can receive assistance from their peers
as they work in pairs as well as from the teacher candidate while others are working with
their partner. Furthermore, if necessary, instead of having a group of 3, teacher candidate
may be the partner of a student who requires more assistance in order to model and
display the tools they need to be using.

Reflection on Lesson:
Dividing the students into odd and even numbers and having those then coincide with the
odd or even sentences turned out to be very useful. Students picked up on the concept easily, but
when it came time to work in partners were happy they still were able to somewhat pick their
pair. I did end up working one on one with a student who was struggling instead of having a
group of three, which worked out wonderfully. I also made a point of numbering our ESL
students all even so that they could not work together because I wanted them to have another,
fluent English speaking, student to help with modeling and assistance. Students are remembering
many of the concepts from the beginning of the week, and are even referencing the School
House Rock video in many examples they use. If I could change one thing, it would be that
instead of writing the sentences out on the board I would type them and print them on a paper
that could be projected so that I did not have to take time from direct instruction to be writing.

Arehart 20

STEP 4: Implementation: Teaching & Learning

Describe an assessment plan to monitor student progress toward learning objectives.

Objectives
Students will
correctly write 2
sentences using
personal pronouns.

Assessments

Summative
Assessment

Format of
Assessment

Adaptations

Write sentences on
white boards that
include personal
pronouns, teacher
check.
Individual sentence
including a pronoun
that is part of a larger
paragraph.

Model and
demonstrate multiple
examples with
individual students in
small group setting.
Provide concrete
model to assist
students as well as a
descriptive example
using 3-4 students and
Teacher Candidate to
provide said example.

Students will
collaboratively work
in a group to form a
singular sentence with
a properly used
pronoun that forms an
entire cohesive
paragraph.

Formative Assessment

Students will write 3

of their own sentences
that include subject or
object pronouns using
correct grammar rules
and varied sentence
structure.

Formal Assessment

Paper and pencil,

writing of individual
sentences that support
the standards.

Work in a small group

with selected students
to target the needs that
need to be met, i.e.
grammar, sentence
cohesion, etc.

Students can recall

information pertaining
to reflexive, relative,
plural, singular,
object, and subject

Post-Assessment

Multiple Choice,
Short Answer,
Circle/Underline Quiz

Read the questions to

a select group of
students who need
assistance. Provide
study guide.

Arehart 21

pronouns.
Describe how technology will be used in the planning and/or instruction. If there is no plan
to use any form of technology, provide a clear rationale for its omission.
Technology will be used when viewing the YouTube video of School House Rock with
the computer and power point projector.
Describe the assessments that you conduct before, during, and after instruction. The
assessment should be aligned with the objectives, contain both qualitative and quantitative
data. These assessments should authentically measure student learning and may include
performance-based tasks, paper-and-pencil tasks, or personal communication.
Before instruction, a pre-test assessment will be given that I have created based on
standards and state requirements. This will be performed through a paper and pencil task and
turned in for grading to perform a proper baseline for instruction. During instruction, I will use
observation, group work, and formal assessment to monitor student progress and comprehension
of the applied tasks. Through the use of dry-erase boards I am able to receive immediate
feedback and answers from students so that instruction can be adapted on the spot if needed.
Additionally, it aids in the identification of specific students who may need to be pulled for small
group or one on one instruction. After instruction, I will implement the post-assessment test that
is the same as the pre-assessment to properly gauge and compare student growth. This paper and
pencil task will directly measure student progress from the beginning to now.
Discuss how you changed your instruction based on what you learned from your
assessments.
On several occasions the instruction of the lesson had to be changed because some
students did not comprehend the concepts, particularly the non-native language speakers in the
class. To do this I would often break the students into groups or pairs so that I could pull those

Arehart 22

students into a small group of their own to work with me. I also provided more examples and
modeled more concepts on the board based off the informal assessments taken during wholeclass instruction from the sentences written on the student dry-erase boards. This immediate
assessment feedback allowed me to clear up any misconceptions with students right away.

Pronoun Pre -Assessment

80% and above
Name
Correct
Percent
Answers/20
age
Walla
Alyiah
Max
Bea
Adam
Ashlynn
Lexi
Maurice
Jacob
Spencer
Jenny

18
18
18
17
17
17
16
16
16
16
16

90%
90%
90%
85%
85%
85%
80%
80%
80%
80%
80%

60% - 79%
Harrison
Zoey
Madelyn
Joyce
Mike
Camden
Liam
Jaylon

14
13
13
13
12
12
12
12

70%
65%
65%
65%
60%
60%
60%
60%

Below 60%
Chris
Sarah
Juheyon
Owen
Shania
Elijah
CLASS
AVERAGE - -

9
9
6
6
5
4
(BASELINE)

45%
45%

30%
30%
25%
20%
62%

Additionally, the pre-test

provided me with the
information on specific students
that may need extra assistance
and I was able to specifically
watch for those students
performance.
After administering the preassessment, analyze student
performance relative to the
learning objectives. Create a
table, graph, or chart to
depict the results of the
pretest to clearly indicate the
baseline of performance. Find
patterns
of
student
performance relative to each
learning objective. Describe
the pattern you found that
would guide your instruction
or modification of learning
objectives.

Arehart 23

After administering the pre-assessment it was clear the students knew some of the basics
but a pattern emerged that many of them struggled with the main concepts and overall
application of writing with pronouns. As a result, we focused on writing a great deal while
including the pronouns as well as the different types of pronouns and their meanings.
Additionally, the aspects of sentences that is important to consider when working with pronouns.
Having the baseline data and the focused information on specific students that were struggling
and had not as much background knowledge allowed me to write and apply the concepts from
the standards in the most effective way for the learners that I was encountering.
Show evidence of re-teaching and adapting lessons/activities beyond the original lessons.
How does re-teaching or adaptation affect student-performance, please refer to baseline.
Through the use of reviewing key concepts in introductions and conclusions through
prompting questions with students I was able to re-teach and reiterate the vital concepts from the
lessons from the previous day as well as the current lesson. I adapted some of my lessons
through the use of modeling and examples. I also used student volunteers to provide examples
with real life situations. Students received their work back before the post-assessment so they
could use it to review, as well as receiving a study guide. I was able to perform further reteaching with specific students at the end of the day in their study time block by pulling them and
having them work in a small group situation with print offs that provided them examples that
they could keep as reference material outside their given text. As a result of re-teaching and
adaptation with the students the baseline improved dramatically, 24% better to create a class
average of 86%.

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STEP 5: Assessment Results and Analysis of Student Learning

Analyze the assessment data, including pre, formative and post assessments to determine
students progress related to the lesson learning objectives.
Upon analysis of the pre and post assessment data, it is clear that the students made a vast
improvement. All of the students were able to improve or maintain their initial score, even our
IEP and ESl students. The results could potentially have improved even more for specific
students, particularly ESL, if their pull out service was not sometimes during the whole class
instruction time. At times the amount of instructional time was somewhat rushed due to language
time being shared with spelling, which may have also affected the performance of the students.
However, there was an overall significant improvement in the targeted areas, as well as a
dramatic improvement in writing and sentence structure skills, which apply to many subjects and
concepts outside of language arts. I believe the students made significant progress and improved
the class average in a very positive way.
Use visual representations and narrative to communicate the performance of the whole
class, groups, and individual students.
Below you will see a visual representation of the whole class scores broken down based
on scores of students in each category in the aforementioned graph. Upon analyzing the data it is
clear that the overall impact on student learning was positive. Almost all students improved their
grade, and at the very least maintained their original score. Realizing that students of different
abilities and even language speakers exist within the classroom impacts the overall class average,
but the students still greatly improved overall. The lowest grouping of below sixty percent shrank
and there were many more high performing students. An increase of twenty four percent shows
that students are understanding and applying the concepts being taught to them.

Arehart 25

Pre-Assessment Pronoun Test

Above 80%
60-79%
Below 60%

Post Assessment Pronoun Test

Above 80%
79%-60%
Below 60%

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STEP 6: Reflection and Self-Analysis

Since the conclusion of the work sample, what have you done to help students accomplish
the objectives and improve their learning?
Upon the conclusion of my teacher work sample I have made efforts to help students
improve their learning by directly tying assessment and objectives in everyday teaching with the
activities that they are performing. I have also made a very strong attempt to link and connect
concepts across subject matter. Thinking conscientiously about the objectives that need to be met
in all subject areas through the whole day and linking them together helps to form more concrete
ideas and reiterate the objectives that need to be learned by the students.
What was the original expected outcome of the lesson taught?
In the beginning, I expected that some of our lower performing non-English speaking
students would struggle the most, but this was not always the case. I also assumed that some
students simply would not make progress while others would make a great deal of progress they
had simply not learned the material. I also expected that students would be able to easily separate
and keep straight the different types of pronouns, which ended up being tricky for some of them.
What were your assumptions of the students knowledge prior to teaching the lesson?
I assumed students would have a less specific knowledge of pronouns, and a more overall
basic knowledge of what they were. However, some students did not have any idea what they
were at all. I also assumed that it would be easy for them to understand and pick up on gender
and number because they already typically automatically use pronouns in their writing or in
speech so it would be easy to take that concept and apply it to a concrete idea. I found out this is
not the case at all, and many students struggled with finding the correct gender or making the
number agree when altering the sentences.
Based on the result you obtained and your experience with this body of instruction, what
will you do differently in planning, teaching, and assessing the next time you teach this
content or concept?

Arehart 27

Based off of the results, I would definitely do things somewhat different in the future to
teach this material. I feel that the assessment was a good form and tool, but other things could be
changed. During planning, I would make the lessons shorter and break up the concepts more so
that it spanned two weeks instead of one. I would also re-order the way that I taught the material,
starting with subject and object pronouns, because the students would have understood the
concepts of reflexive and relative pronouns as well as been able to apply that to singular and
plural pronouns better. As time went on pacing of the lessons got better, but it could still use
some improvement, perhaps if I implemented a timer to keep my mini-lessons to a specific time
limit. During teaching, I would implement the use of the image projector more, instead of using
the large dry-erase board for the sake of time and then be able to use that time to work one on
one with specific students.
What did you learn about your own teaching and assessment skills?
Through teaching and assessing, I learned that I am very animated and involved with my
students. I make a big point of pulling the students up to the front of the room as examples to
help to keep them engaged in the lesson and to make it interactive. Performing these lessons
helped me to view student differentiation from a different perspective, but allowed me to work
with them as needed. I believe my assessment skills, in terms of formal assessment, could
improve. However, the informal assessment with the dry-erase boards was very successful at
gauging student progress and comprehension. Furthermore, I teaching these lessons helped to
solidify my knowledge that it does not matter how prepared you are, if you do not actively
engage your students in the lesson, then your teaching will be ineffective.
What adaptations did you need to make based on the formative assessment you did during
the lessons? How did you adapt your instruction for individual needs?
The formative assessment allowed me to know when I needed to make changes during
the lessons. I found this particularly vital when posing questions to whole class, as well as
individual students. I often found some students would need questions re-worded for them or
they needed more information to properly answer the question. I would also pull students to the
front for examples or have students at the front give an example so that it was on the student
level and from a peer.

Arehart 28

Does the evidence support actual student learning?

The evidence supports student learning from pre-assessment to post-assessment data.
Very few students, only 2, did not improve their score and those students were high scoring to
begin with. The data shows a significant overall improvement of the class, directly correlating to
actual student learning as well as application.
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your own teaching.
As an educator, I feel that my true strength is my passion for my students on an academic
and personal level. I also enjoy getting to know my students and using that knowledge in my
lessons and activities that I plan. I strive to make learning fun and interactive for my students
every day. My planning is effective and concise so that students are receiving the instruction that
they need but are not overwhelmed by the material being presented to them. However, with
strengths do come weaknesses. I often struggle with timeliness and making sure my lessons do
not run over time. Sometimes the goal was to teach a 15-20 minute mini lesson and it will end up
a half an hour. Trying to effectively meet the needs of all the students in a concise period of time
is tough, particularly with IEP and ESL students who may not always understand all of the
concepts. With time I feel that these skills will come, and greatly improve.
Identify some areas for your future professional growth.
In the future I would like to gain a stronger understanding of mild-intervention with
students. I sometimes struggle with differentiation of the lessons, as mentioned above. There are
many professional growth opportunities devoted to differentiation and inclusion of all students. I
also feel that communicating with other faculty and staff members can be improved up because,
though I am outgoing, I can sometimes feel out of my comfort zone and be somewhat shy
initially. Additionally, I feel that professional growth can come from realizing that it is vital to
never stop learning myself so that I continue to grow and learn, just as my students do.

Arehart 29