Final Portfolio

MSED Elementary Portfolio Project
Sabrina Olivia Castaldi
July - 27, - 2020
An Elementary Portfolio Project submitted to the
Faculty of the Graduate School of Education of
Medaille College
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Science in Education
Sabrina Castaldi
Sabrina Castaldi
Medaille College Graduate Student
______________________________
Dr. Susan Dunkle
Project Director
MSED ELEMENTARY PORTFOLIO PROJECT 2
Table of Contents
Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project……..… 3
Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences…………………………………….11
Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts……………………... …………………………….30
Artifact #1: ELA Learning Segment ……………………………………………………32
Artifact #2: Science Professional Development ………………………………………..65
Artifact #3: Diversity Essay ……………………. ………………………………………70
Artifact #4: IEP Analysis ………………………………………………… ……….........79
Artifact #5: Google Classroom …………………….…………………………………....85
Artifact #6: Weebly Website………………………………………. …………………...88
Artifact #7: Cyber Safety Presentation……… ………………………………………….91
Artifact #8: Child Abuse & SAVE Workshops…………………………………………93
Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum & Professional Standards …………………………….98
Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection …………………………………………..………115
Section Six: Teacher Candidate Interview Video …………………………………………......123
References ……………………………………………………………………………………...128
Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project
Introduction to the Portfolio Project
“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge”
(Albert Einstein). Throughout my time at Medaille College, and my previous experiences in the
education system, I have been able to grow through new experiences and developments in
learning about education and how to educate. Just as Einstein states above, an educator is not
someone who provides information directly to their students based on curriculum standards, but
someone rather who provides knowledge and encourages student expression to greater growth in
each individual student.
Something I have learned over my time at Medaille through my instructors who have
provided heartwarming experiences of their students, is the difference that educators have the
power to make with their students. An effective educator is someone who pushes their students
to new challenges and provides room for failure which leads to growth, while also understanding
that each child is going to have specific challenges which differ from other students. Through my
time at Medaille, I have especially learned to focus on challenging myself as an educator to
better my students. I have learned that every student comes with a different challenge at hand,
which will challenge me to find new and innovative ways to create a safe space for my students
where they feel included and invited to learn and share their thoughts, while retaining knowledge
and expanding their educational boundaries.
Throughout this portfolio, I will be able to take you into my journey through education
and some of the most important takeaways from my journey and my passion spark for education.
I will be providing artifacts that I have collected throughout the years that have given me both
great knowledge and growth as I experienced a wide range of educational experiences. These
artifacts will be able to exemplify my growth throughout my journey, as well as new passions I
have discovered along the way. The goal of this portfolio is for me is to showcase my knowledge
that I have attained and the skills I have been provided with, to become a well-rounded educator
who inspires their students.
Overview and Rationale
Throughout my educational experiences, you will be able to learn about my passion for
the importance of culturally responsive teaching and how that is integrated with learner
accommodations. My portfolio will demonstrate the importance of inclusivity on all forms and
the understanding of cultures and new experiences from students that children can bring to the
classroom and school. This will help with not only the educational growth of students but also
improve their knowledge of community. These aspects are able to create the foundation in a
classroom as being able to understand all your students allows success for their educational
growth.
This portfolio will also demonstrate the importance of classroom management as there is
an understood level of respect in the classroom from both ends. Having classroom management
provides access to the focus of learning through behavioral measures. Something that will also
be prevalent throughout this portfolio is the use of technology and how it is implemented through
planning, instruction and instruction. Technology creates innovative ways to experience
education as students will be able to discover new ways of learning that are engaging.
As an effective educator, professional collaboration is a large portion of the success of
your students as well as all students in the school community. It is important for educators to
work together to develop strong ideas that work for all students. A strong diverse teams allows
the greatest team building as all members are able to pull from experiences to relate to their
children to ensure the tools provided allow students the full potential to succeed. This well
constructed team is able to use the curriculum standards to base their instruction.
In my portfolio, I will demonstrate that the curriculum is a guideline for my instruction as
it provides the important takeaways that students should collect from these lessons. Professional
standards and professional development is imperative to education as educators must be up to
date in the growth of education. Over the years, I have learned many new advances in education
which has helped better my understanding and grow as an educator.
Social developments also help to understand your students as they will be bringing their
interest and ideas to the classroom. It is important to keep updated with new ideas in education
and the world to continue to grow as an educator with your students. My portfolio will outline
everything I have learned and experienced through my journey to express my growth and passion
for education.
Portfolio Development
The portfolio before you, demonstrates the building of my education through my
experiences and work done through the field of education. It is an outline of my knowledge,
skills and professional dispositions required of a professional educator. What you have read
above indicates my growth experience that you will be learning about, as well as, my ideas of
what I would like to bring to the classroom and my major focuses when it comes to education.
The next section will outline my work as a Closing the Gap tutor for the Hamilton
Wentworth Catholic District School Board, as well as my field experience throughout the years
in this board as a classroom volunteer and lastly, my field experience during my time spent at
Medaille College. This section will also provide my philosophy of education and how I have
been able to connect that throughout my experiences.

In section three, I will provide pedagogical evidence through artifacts to showcase my
subject matter, pedagogical knowledge, best teaching practices, skills, professional dispositions
and attitudes essential to become a professional teacher. I will be providing you with the tools
that I have been provided with along my journey and exemplify how I have connected these tools
to my own personal style to utilize them in the classroom professionally.
In section four, I will present my knowledge and ability to align curriculum and
professional standards to daily work and responsibilities that are expected on an elementary
teacher. I will also be providing making connections to my provided artifacts as this work will
provide evidence of my pedagogy and my effectiveness of becoming an educator. I will also
touch upon the professional and curriculum standards of both New York State and Ontario.
Section five of my portfolio is my teacher candidate reflection. I will be reflecting upon
my time in the Masters of Science in Elementary Education program at Medaille College and the
takeaways from my time. I will showcase my reflection and demonstrate my skills and abilities
of reflection. This will include the process, collection of materials, specific research materials
and specific artifacts and the organization of my content.
Lastly, in section six, I will be presenting my teach candidate interview video. This video
will be able to provide you with more about my work and the contribution that it has had on my
career. Throughout the interview, I will be making connections to my portfolio artifacts,
standards, teacher skills, strategies and professional dispositions. The objective is for you to have
an insight of me as an educator as I will share my passions and motivations behind my education
journey and the lengths I will take to provide my students with succeed.
Theories, Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education
In terms of theorists in education, there are many influential individuals who have been
able to bring forth their knowledge and change the way we look at education. Whether it be
through practical measures to be taken in the classroom or ideas to build upon in terms of
students, many have contributed to the field of education and helped it become what it is today.
It is constantly evolving with new technology and new practices which help educators ensure
they are providing the best support for their students. Three major theorists that have changed the
way I look at education and help me grow into new ideas are David Kolb, Harry Wong and Jean
Piaget.
David Kolb focuses on experiential learning through a step-by-step procedure that
completes an ongoing cycle. To Kolb, learning involves, “involves the acquisition of abstract
concepts that can be applied flexibly in a range of situations” (McLeod, 2010). Kolb presents his
model in a four stage learning cycle in which the learner is able to reach all stages and continue
their ongoing learner. The four stages include, concrete experience, reflective observation,
abstract conceptualization and active experimentation. The cycle builds on participation and
reflection. The learner is involved in having an experience and reflection upon it in order to
gather what was obtained.
For students, this brings attention to what the learner has gained and the educator can
engage in the accuracy of the task at hand that the child experienced. This is also a great theory
to utilize in lesson planning as an educator is able to analyze the effectiveness of the students
learning. By having the student reflect upon their experience, the educator is able to understand
what the child enjoyed or disliked, as well as the major takeaways each student had. Kolb
explains that “the learning stages and cycle could be used by teachers to critically evaluate the
learning provision typically available to students, and to develop more appropriate learning
opportunities” (McLeod). As educators, we want to ensure that the lessons we are providing our
students are attainable and challenge, yet comprehensive. Kolb provides and innovative approach
for educators to assess student learning (Kolb, 1976).
Building off of David Kolb’s theory, Jean Piaget focuses on the cognitive functions of the
learner as he introduces his theory of constructivism (Piaget, 1936). Constructivism can be
defined as, “learner actively constructing knowledge rather than passively receiving it from the
environment. This principle contradicts the traditional learning model where knowledge is
simply transmitted from a more knowledgeable person to others. In constructivism, prior
knowledge plays an important role in actively constructing knowledge” (Liu, Chen, 2010). Due
to the field of education expanding drastically throughout the years, there is a gap between
traditional learning and new modern approaches.
As an educator, Piaget explains that the focus should not be on what the child is learning,
but a focus on the experiences that can be shared through education. Students are able to expand
their knowledge when presented information through and experience rather than just through
verbal translation. In a classroom, keeping constructivism in mind, students should engage in
hands on activities, where they are able to experience their learning, ensuring they are able to
comprehend their knowledge (Piaget, 1936). This is something that I am passionate about as I
think it is very important to understand your students and understand what experiences can help
them succeed in their learning.
Finally, the last theorists which I think is a very influential person in the field of
education is Harry Wong. Wong (1991), discusses how to have a well-managed classroom and
the crucial moments of the first days of school, in which he wrote a book with his wife called,
The First Days of School. He describes an effective teacher as, “typically have specific
characteristics in common- positive expectations for student’s success, the ability to manage a
classroom effectively, a knowledge of lesson design that leads to the students’ mastery of
lessons, and the drive to continuously learn about and grow within the teaching profession”
(Wong, 2).
Wong (1991), speaks upon the importance of having a well-managed classroom and how
this manages behavior. He shares his thoughts of having to set standards very early so students
know what the expectations of the classroom are. He further explains this notion as he states,
“On the first day of school, you can begin teaching the procedures and routines that you will use.
Never assume that you will have time to tackle bad behavior later. Becoming an effective teacher
depends on classroom management—especially on the first day of school” (Wong, 3). As an
educator, this is very important to follow, as students need to have expectations set in the
classroom in terms of behavior. Having these standards that are important for students to be able
to constantly refer to in the classroom. Wong also speaks upon the positive reinforcement that
students should receive in a classroom. This is also a very important notion as students can learn
through constructive feedback, but also to ensure students are always positively reinforced to
help them be passionate about learning.
Lastly, Wong (1991), mentions to be consistent throughout the school year to keep
students in a routine. Having students constantly being put in new environments can spark
behaviors as they are trying to adjust. He also states that is it important to clearly state and
reinforce rules on a regular basis. I think Wong brings a lot of great instruction to the theory of
education as he presents tactics to control behavior, while ensuring you are receiving maximum
effort and progress from your students. I think he presents a great structure for the classroom
outline, that all educators should take into consideration when creating their classroom.
Conclusion
An educator is a leader who possess the qualities of understanding, compassion,
innovative and enjoy a challenge. As an educator, the importance lies within the children and the
understanding of their needs. An effective educator is able to utilize all learning styles in a
classroom to compose learning segments that relate to all students to succeed. I believe as an
educator you want to have all your students succeed and be pushed to new challenges. It is
important to be mindful of all students and the variety of your classroom. There is great joy as
an educator being able to watch your students grow and learn in their success.
Being an educator also means keeping up to date with innovative approaches that can reach all
students. This is important because it shows grow as a teacher as we never stop learning, as well
as compassion for all students who may need additional assistance to ensure their grow. I believe
that I possess these qualities of an effective teach as I will continue to highlight my strengths and
challenges overcome in artifacts that follow.
[Back to Table of Contents]

Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences
Introduction:
The field of education has always been at the forefront of my career choice, as I have
always had a passion for children and assisting in their care and well-being. During my early
ages, I pondered the thoughts of becoming a pediatrician or a social worker to be directly
connected in assisting with their difficult issues they may face in the early stages of their life. As
I grew older and began to have more experiences within the classroom, I was able to first handily
experience the impact teachers have on their students and the successful growth you witness as
an educator. After experiencing a powerful co-op position in secondary school where I learned a
tremendous amount of tools, I confirmed that teaching was the career for me. As I attended
McMaster University, where I studied English and Cultural Studies, I learned a lot about my
education and the impact of literacy into all fields. This information I gathered at my time at
McMaster helped me strengthen my passion for education in leading me to discover the true
importance of continual learning and the impact education has for success.
This section will take you into a deeper look at how my experiences have shaped my
journey and my philosophy of education. I will be able to share the challenges in my experiences
and the learning process I endured through forms of problem solving and mentorship. You will
also be able to discover the shift in passion from children to education and how they integrate
with one another to create my passion for growth in the classroom. My work experiences being a
classroom tutor and volunteer have opened my eyes to the importance of a one-on-one
connection with children to create a safe space for children to learn and grow. Lastly, you will be
taken into my experiences of learning and growth through applications outside of education and
how it formed my importance on community.

Teacher Candidate Educational Background and Work Experiences
My educational and work experiences have truly led me to where I am in my journey
today. The very first experience I was able to encounter was in post-secondary school where I
was involved in a co-op placement. In my eleventh grade of post-secondary I was able to gain
credits for going out into the field and obtain one-on-one experience to ensure I had chosen the
correct career path. In this placement, I was placed in a Junior/Senior kindergarten classroom in
the elementary school in which I attended. In the beginning of my placement, I was very imitated
at the age of the students as I had never seen myself teach such young students. Throughout my
time, I began to learn the importance of organization in a classroom, especially with these young
students. Due to the students not completing advanced curriculum, they were exposed to
activities that integrate basic learning with their creative expression. This grade level gives
parents the opportunity to understand the work of their children at school that help obtain their
skills in the classroom. As I was in the classroom every day, I began to form relationships with
these students and challenged myself to combine the value of work and play. My challenge
began how to integrate educational learning into creative activities for students to engage in? I
was provided the opportunity of create lessons of incorporating math into art. This provided me
the experience to appreciate the value of art in expressive ways while still ensuring the value of
education.
This experience had truly sparked my passion to continually and actively participate in
the classroom to diversify my learning and expose myself to new challenges. During my time in
this classroom, I gained heartwarming interactions with my students that sparked my journey
into progressing. I learned a lot about the importance of having a warm heart with your students
to ensure that all feel welcomed. These students at this young age are just being introduced to a
classroom setting and working with others, so I always reminded myself to be patient with my
students in the direction of classroom management. It is important to reward good behavior as I
began to see patterns in my students when they were acknowledged for their good work. I
learned a great deal about students during this experienced and the importance of having a kind
hear towards your students as they are attentive to your actions in the classroom.
The greatest takeaway I took from this experience was the mentorship I was given by the
classroom teacher Mrs. T. Before my placement, I had previous knowledge of Mrs. T, as she
worked in the school for several years, but she was never directly my teacher. My biggest
takeaways from this journey I acknowledge to her. She taught me about how to become an
inspirational educator. How to be involved in the school community, and how to use our voices
as educators to help change the world through our students. Not only does she have one of the
kindest hearts, she presents rules in her classroom that are to be followed. She taught me how to
have your students respect you. She did this by always ensuring to respect her students. She
outlined that your students will never show you respect, if you do not give respect. Mrs. T
ensured to make her classroom enjoyable for all students as her centers were constantly rotated
to provide all students the opportunity to enjoy. She also made sure to include educational
practices within these centers to include social skills and working together to problem solve.
Lastly, her classroom management is also something that I will always admire. When students
were presented with a problem, she would ask the student to evaluate the situation to determine
whether they needed assistance or if it could be solved independently. This promoted great
independence in the classroom as the students were exposed to self-growth. I am forever grateful
to Mrs. T and the tools she has provided me with to use in my own classroom one day. She has
always aspired me to become a teacher and follow in her glorious footsteps.

Lastly, my experience at my time at McMaster University, studying English and Cultural
Studies has largely influenced my passion to become an educator to provide equal opportunities
to all students no matter their race. It has exposed me to the trials and tribulations that minority
groups endure and sparked a passion to use my platform as an educator to influence the
diminishment of anit-racism within the classroom. It is very important to me that all my students
are given not only the same opportunities, but the same acknowledgement in the classroom.
The expectation for receiving my degree was the participate in many cultural studies
classes to diversify my knowledge. I participated in classes about Canadian literature which
informed my knowledge about residential schools and the exposure to traditional school styles
and the progression of education in the classroom. I also took classes about race where I was
expected to read and watch about the hardships of different races, where I then began to discover
my involvement in white privilege, and steps on how to provide proper acknowledgement to all
races in the classroom. I, as an educator have the platform to voice my opinions far beyond
curriculum. I have the power to not only include all students in equal education services, but
bring importance and relevance to the community on how to acknowledge and understand
privilege and what we can do with it. It is very important to me to use my platform to educate
both students and other educators on the importance of privilege and how to incorporate all
rights into the classroom so all students and staff are informed, educated and appreciated.
While in the program, I also learned the importance of literacy in all fields of education. I
was not able to appreciate my English degree until I began my journey at Medaille College. As
we continually begin to assess all aspects of the class and different styles of learning to present to
students, the basis for our learning comes from the understanding of literacy. When we present
students with vocabulary in all fields of learning (i.e science, math and technology), they are
more likely to understand the task at hand if they have advanced knowledge about the words they
are reading. This knowledge has inspired me to push the education and curriculum of literacy in
all aspects of learning fields to provide my students with a great opportunity to success.
As previously mentioned above, I had worked with Mrs. T during my informative co-op
experience. Due to my great grow during this time, I decided to take the next step and continue
to work alongside her as a classroom volunteer. With her, I was given the opportunity to work in
a Junior/Senior kindergarten class for an additional year, a grade seven classroom for two
consecutive years, and lastly a grade one classroom. Throughout the five years of working
alongside her, I was able to discover her adaptive teaching styles throughout different ages.
Through this time, I learned to adapt and apply basic teaching skills to fit the classroom I think
this is a very important skill that I can apply to my classroom one day, as anything can change at
any time. It is also important to apply this to my students as they will all bring something
different to the classroom. I learned to provide options for my students while still having
expectations. In order to succeed, students must be able to express their learning styles to ensure
their understanding. During these years, I was also provided with many opportunities to sit in on
meetings, and school activities to inform my attention of the importance of the school
community. As an educator, it is very important to become involved in the school community to
continue to educate and assist children through sports, extracurricular activities and events. Mrs.
T has been an exceptional mentor for six years and continues to inspire me with the work she
does.
My final experience, and most recent, involves the work for the Hamilton-Wentworth
Catholic District School board where I work as a tutor for the Closing the Gap Program. The
program itself has sub-program integrated into it to reach a variety of students. The target
students are junior/senior kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade and sixth grade.
The junior and senior kindergarteners where implemented into A.E.L (Activate Early Learning),
and I.E.L (Initiate Early Learning). A.E.L was a program which screens every student, asking
them questions about color, numbers, patterns and shapes. This then leads to analyzing the data
and working with those who meet the guidelines of the program based on a grading rubric. I then
would work with these students on reading and writing at the basic level to introduce them to
independent work and strengthen their skills. I.E.L provided students with the opportunity to
read and write based on stories that they read and that are read to them. All of this work is done
one-on-one to ensure students grasp understanding of the task at hand. The grade one and two
students work in the program of Reaching Readers. Again, done one-on-one, the students
practice their reading and writing. These are also exposed to phonemic awareness, vowel sounds,
and are assessed through questions and summarizing pertaining back to what they have read.
This program encourages students to consistently work on their reading and writing to develop
and strength skills. For the third and sixth grade students, their program was based on the
standardized testing in Ontario called EQAO, which I worked specifically with these students to
analyze text and work with skills of summarizing and decoding to answer the questions that they
will be given. To do this, I would use old samples of the testing from previous years to give
students an example of what they will be looking at when it comes to the testing. These students
were pulled out of class three times a week to focus on their skill sets to later apply in the
classroom.
This experience taught me a lot about communication amongst colleagues and the
professionalism that an educator must exude. I was in constant communication with teachers
about their struggles that I have seen as well as their learning style and areas they excel in. It is
important to be in constant communication so the teacher can be provided with their progression
and can narrow what they can provide them with their time spent in the classroom. It is important
that the student was provided similar attention with their learning both in and out of the
classroom. This is an experience that I greatly value as I learned the importance of
communication with both students and colleagues to ensure students are provided with the
proper education they need.
School Observations and Classroom Application
During my educational and work experiences, I have been able to grow and expand
my knowledge of an educator and how I will be able to apply this knowledge to my own
classroom. The only way I was able to grow through these experiences is to face challenges.
These challenges provided problem solving techniques to work through issues and educate
myself into taking the correct procedures to solve them.
During my time working with my first grade students, I was exposed to a classroom who
included a child with autism. Due to the understaffed educational assistant community in the
school, this child was not given assistance in the morning, having him left alone with only the
teacher. Although this child was strong enough to be left without assistance, it still created
challenges within the classroom. The student was able to complete work with the help of
assistance as he needed additional instruction to complete the work and benefited from having
the work provided to him, in which he would then copy. My role was to ensure the student was
able to express as many ideas as he could, which is where I would begin to write them down, and
he would copy.
The challenges arose when the student would begin to have an outburst. This typically
would happen once, maybe twice a week. Without an educational assistant present, these
outbursts affected the other students in the classroom as well as pulled our attention away from
the class as a whole as we tried to focus on providing the student with the attention and the
resources he needed, as he had very little verbal skills. Although he was able to show us through
pictures and pointing, when an episode happened, it became very difficult to interpret the
problem at hand. We were very blessed to have a classroom of students who were more than
understanding on the students’ needs and always remained in a calm manner. They also provided
the child a lot of love and respect in the classroom which created a safe space for this child.
To provide the needs of the child during an episode, we would have him use their iPad, in
which they had an application to press on emotions to communicate how they were feeling.
Although this application took time to get used to, for both the teacher and I and the student,
after much practice on both ends, we were able to use this to actively have the student
independently communicate their emotions. Once the child could tell us the emotion they were
feeling, we were able to provide the emotion behind the outburst. From there, showcasing
objects around the room was the most efficient way to determine his feelings and try to resolve
the issue. The true problem began when the student was trying to obtain something that they
were not permitted to and did not follow classroom expectations (i.e to go outside when it is not
recess or to have extra computer time than allotted). In this scenario, it was important to explain
and communicate to the student why they cannot proceed with their wants and must obey the
rules of the classroom as every other student. If the child continues with their episode after their
explanation, additional assistance was called into the class to relieve the situation.
The work of Daniel Goleman (1946), explains the theory of emotional intelligence and how
expression is important for all children to understand and express. According to Goleman,
emotional intelligence can be described as, “the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and
those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our
relationships” (Nunes, 2003, 2). This is an important theory to implement into the classroom as it
teaches students to advance their communication skills. As educators, it is fundamental to
provide a space where students are able to analyze and express their emotions. This can help
make progression in the student’s academics as you are able to educate yourself on the needs of
that child through expression. I will ensure to discuss this theory with my students, and much
like my experience with a student with autism, provide a visual for students to approach to
examine and share their emotions.
During one of my years volunteering in a seventh grade classroom, I was able to
experience the role of different behaviors in the classroom. this was my second consecutive year
being in a seventh grade classroom and the dynamic was very different. This class was one that
integrated many of the “behavioral,” students into one class. Usually, the students are split up to
have a balance of students in each grade, but this class was given majority of these students.
Going into this experience I was timid to the fact that it was a very big challenge. I had never
dealt with older students before and I was accustomed to the younger grades, and learning about
the different behaviors definitely intimidated me. Nonetheless, I have always projected that I
enjoy a challenge as it helps us grow, so at the same time I was optimistic in the education I
could gain from these students.
The students who were deemed behavioral, had the tendencies to act out during
instruction, cause havoc to other students, and often would become violent when asked to follow
instruction. This also created problems with other students as there would tend to be constant
arguments amongst different groups in the classroom. I would say the biggest challenge for this
class specifically was to work together as one. It became very difficult to provide equal attention
to all students in the classroom. Due to all the students requiring different types of attention, it
became difficult to reach all, which was where most of the outbursts derived from. As a
classroom assistant, I decided to take on the role to provide attention to those with behaviors to
relieve the classroom teacher to assist with educational needs. This challenge presented me with
a lot of hard work and consistency. My major challenge was to try and discover the cause behind
the outbreaks. I wanted to focus on what the child was missing in order to provide a need for
them to succeed in the classroom. Alongside the classroom teacher, we decided that one-on-one
work would be the best benefit to these children. It would cause them to get away from their
classmates and focus on the task at hand. After discovering that pulling the students away from
their classmates was not as beneficial as expected, I decided to try a lighter approach and make
these assignments more as a discussion. It was important to the classroom teacher that the
students were able to hand in some form of work. Knowing this, I tried to switch the approach of
how they would complete the assignment. I would mostly have the students partake in a one-on-
one conversation with me to interpret what they have learned. This was also able to help them
work on their communication and social skills.
Although these tactics were very beneficial to the work portion of the children’s
education, there outburst and behaviors did not seem to resolve. After much examination with
working with these students, we as a team (myself and the classroom teacher), began to
understand that these outbursts were acts for attention. Although these students always were
punished for their uncalled for behavior, they were still receiving some type of attention in the
only way they could. This made me direct my attention as well as the classroom teacher in how
to support these students. We allowed these students to provide more expression in the classroom
and focused more on their positive behavior rather than their negative. Over the course of the
year, we did begin to see a massive improvement with our students as there was less violence
and less acting out of term. We as educators decided to turn their outbursts to a positive learning
experience to provide the needs of the children while still being able to relay curriculum to all
the students.
The work of Abraham Maslow (1908), explains my challenges in working with seventh graders
as he outlines the hierarchy of needs for all, specifically when he speaks about self-actualization.
George Boeree further describes this notion when he states, “they involve the continuous desire
to fulfill potentials, to "be all that you can be." They are a matter of becoming the most complete,
the fullest, "you" – hence the term, self-actualization” (Boeree, 2006, 6). It is important for
educators to provide a safe space for students where their educational needs can be met to put
them on a path to success. Maslow’s notion of self-actualization is one of the growing points in a
classroom as students begin to realize their potential. My seventh grade volunteer experience was
the most rewarding experience I endured thus far in my teaching career. I truly was able to see a
massive development in my students when they were finally provided their proper needs.
Although it was a long process, I would have never given up on my students, because as an
educator, I am there to push them in independent discovery of self-actualization. I will take this
experience and apply it to my classroom to focus on needs of each students. I will ensure that
this is something that is focused on early on in the year to provide each of my students the same
level of success in different outcomes. I am forever thankful for the challenging students I have
been given as I feel they have made me a passionate teacher. I am very enthusiastic to see the
change in the students I will be given in the future, as I will take the tools I have learned and
apply them to my own classroom.

Philosophy of Education
The School:
The school as a whole is a very strong community in which students, staff and
parents/guardians should be involved in. Because children spend majority of their days at school,
it should act as a home. The school should also be an environment of support and growth.
Parents and guardians should be able to make suggestions to what their children part take in.
When you view the school as a home, the administrative staff acts as a parental role. There
should be inclusion for all students as they must feel comfortable to seek help or opinions to any
administration member.
Schools affect the societies in which they are found by presenting themselves with new
challenges. Based on the area, students who attend schools will always have different interests,
views and opinions based on the region of their upbringing. Although all schools are different,
this should not impact the importance of those students and the responsibilities of those on the
administration team. The focus of all schools should also surround the children’s growth.
The Curriculum:
New York State and Ontario Standard provide the outlines and basis of education. I
believe that these requirements should be the basis of your lessons. It is the role of the educator
to interpret the expectations and apply innovative ways to relay the standards to their students.
The lessons should impact the child to expand and challenge their knowledge, no matter what
their level is, and no matter if they require accommodations and modifications. When learning,
in order to see growth, students must be challenged to think outside of the box and problem
solve.
A theory that largely impacts the creation of lesson plans is Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956).
Bloom provides an exceptional outline to have students focus in developing their learning. He
provides a pyramid of terms which educators can refer to when creating their plans. To reach all
students, the taxonomy explains the importance of planning to ensure all students will be able to
learn through their lesson. This is a very important tool to refer to when tying in curriculum with
innovation for the classroom.
Learning:
One of the most meaningful educational theorists to me, is Harry Wong (1932). Harry
Wong’s theory of how to be an effective teacher and the tools and guidelines he provides on how
to create uniform in the classroom identify that simplicity is key. The reason I believe his work is
so influential is because it truly provides the skills and opportunities educators can create in the
classroom when they focus on the student. When he speaks about communication, I agree with
his notion that there should be open communication within the classroom among students and
parents (Wong, 1991). This provides the opportunity for students to be provided with full
potential. Outlining the day in detail or an assignment in detail breaks down intimidation from
student to teacher, as everyone is on the same page.
The major evolutionary notion that I have witnessed in the classroom is the involvement
of students with technology. Students have been given the privilege to work through a classroom
with assistive technology where they are provided relief in the skills of reading and writing as the
focus is turned to understanding the lesson at hand. The problem arises when the students begin
to lack those basic skills of reading and writing. Although I believe technology is a great tool for
providing innovation and accommodations to the classroom, I think too much of it can
deteriorate students learning as they begin to lack those basic skills. I believe their needs to be a
balance in the classroom as basic skills are the basis of our education.
I believe that one of the most important evolutions in education, is to create multiple
resources for students to complete their learning. Howard Gardner’s (1943) notion, explains the
importance of multiple intelligences and that students to do not collectively fit into one category
(Gardner, 1983). In order to assess student learning, one must be able to provide the student with
different tools to match their understand. Having a classroom that promotes this understanding,
will have students on their way to success, as their needs are being met.
The Learner:
Ideally, I would like to teach either the fifth or sixth grade. After my experiences with
older students, I was able to analyze my experience and appreciate the opinions and challenges
older students bring to a classroom. At that age, the students are growing into their own
characters and are able to develop strong conversations with one another which creates an
exciting classroom dynamic. Because I believe that education is so much more than curriculum, I
believe I can use my platform as an educator to teach beyond the classroom. I would like to
integrate my personal experiences into the classroom to relate to my students, as we have all
endured hard times, but we can come out stronger.
The only responsibility I expect my students follow is that every day they show up and
try their best. I want my students to communicate their needs and feelings so that I am able to
provide them with the tools they need. All I can ask of my students is to see their potential and
also put their best foot forward. It is hard to educate someone who does not want to grow. I want
to teach my students the importance of growth and where it can take you. I wish that my students
have large dreams in which I can be a small part of them attaining. Lastly, I wish all students
have an open-mind in the classroom and are willing to try innovative techniques to master
problem solving.
Assessment:
Students should be assessed on a variety of informal and formal assessments. In my
experience, I find informal assessments to be more telling of the students learning as they are
unaware that they are being graded. When a formal assessment takes place, students tend to
focus more on the objective of getting a good grade, rather than the task at hand. Although I
think it is important to communicate to students the importance of formal assessments and
integrate them into the classroom, I do not think this should be a means of all grading.
The goal of an assessment is to analyze the students learning. As an educator you must
analyze the students work and examine where your lesson was successful and unsuccessful. In
order to become an effective teacher, you must have your students acknowledge if your lesson
provided them with the basis of success, which can be done through informal assessments. The
goal is to have lessons reach all learners to have an understanding of the curriculum through
various expressions.
Classroom Management:
Classroom management plays a vital role in the success of a classroom and the role of an
effective teacher. Two major techniques for classroom management include communication and
respect. Communication with all students and parents sets the basis for the relationships that are
formed. If the students are provided proper instruction for assignments along with additional
support, they are likely to succeed. If a parent is provided with details of their child’s progress in
class, they will be more open to discussing issues that the student may be experiencing at home.
In a classroom, there should be open communication with the teacher and the students to provide
a safe space for students to learn in all areas of life.
With open communication, comes respect. The teacher must respect the student in order
to receive respect. The students must be aware that the classroom is not a dictatorship, and the
teacher is not the sole leader. The classroom must be a collaborative space where the teacher acts
as the guide. This will have students want to participate in learning and not afraid to fail. Strong
student-teacher relationships are important to the success of the child. Students must be aware
that failure is the only way to grow and they will not be ridiculed for their bad choices as we
don’t know to make good choices until we encounter the consequences of the bad ones. Having
these techniques present at all times will ensure great classroom management within your
students.
The Teacher:
The major component necessary for educational background for teachers is experience.
Although in class education is very beneficial in learning the theorists and history behind
education and the technical terms used in the classroom, I believe there is no better and more
educational experience than to be integrated into a classroom. The most important skills that
being in the field teaches you is application. It exposes you to real life situations and challenges
that are faced in a classroom. I think it is also important to diversify your learning experiences.
To work with children of all races, ages, disabilities and needs to ensure the well-rounded nature
of your portfolio.
The personality of an educator must be done who is open-minded and willing to learn.
They must have a kind heart and a passion for children. Effective educators are able to
incorporate their real-life experiences to relate to their students. Their classrooms are ones that
feel like home, as everyone is always welcomed. An effective teacher is one who helps their
colleagues with lesson planning and tools, as their main priority is the children. Lastly, the most
important attribute that a teacher must obtain is the willingness to grow and constantly educate
themselves on new topics in our world.
Resume
Introduction:
Below you will find my resume. My resume includes my education, my work and
volunteer experiences, as well as the skills and attributes I possess that contribute to my ability to
be a skillful teacher.
My resume.
Sabrina Castaldi
22 Millpond Place, Hamilton ON, L8W 2W7
905-741-7063
soc28@medaille.edu
CERTIFICATION: Seeking New York State Initial Certification in Childhood Education,

Grades 1-6
EDUCATION: Master’s of Science in Elementary Education, anticipated

December 2020
Medaille College, Buffalo, New York
Current GPA: 3.8
Bachelor’s of Arts and Humanities- English and Cultural Studies

McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
GPA: 4.3
RELATED EXPERIENCE: Closing the Gap Tutor, St. Michael CES, Hamilton ON,
2018- Present
 Assisted children with reading and writing strategies for
grades JK, SK, 1, 2, 3 and 6
 Focused on closing the level gap for students with their
reading, so that they are on track with curriculum
standards as well as class standards
 Generate lessons and interactive activities for the

children outside of the classroom
 Followed I.E.L (Initiate Early Literacy) and A.E.L
(Activate Early Literacy) with junior and senior
kindergarten students
 Prepared grade 3 and 6 students for EQAO standardized
testing
Pre-Student Teaching Experience, St. Teresa of Calcutta

CES, Hamilton ON, 2015- 2019
 Volunteered with students ranging from grades JK, SK,
1 and 7
 Assisted with guided reading practices in small groups
 Demonstrated literacy and math lessons
 Engaged and assisted with students with I.E.Ps and
provided them with the resources for lesson plans and
activities
Assistant Coach, St. Teresa of Calcutta CES, Hamilton,

ON, 2019
 Assisted boys and girls, junior and senior volleyball and
basketball
 Engaged children with teamwork and skills for games
 Attended games in support of students
TECHNOLOGY: SMART board, iPads, Chromebooks, Classroom Response

Systems (“clickers”), Widgets
CO-CURRICULAR: Zumba Dance Fitness Instructor, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Hamilton,

Ontario, 2014-2015
EMPLOYMENT: BestBuy Home Solutions Advisor, 2019- Present

Zarky’s Fine Foods Deli Server, 2016-2019
Private Nanny, 2018
VOLUNTEER: Public Speaking Honorable Judge, Hamilton Wentworth Catholic

District School Board, 2019
System Science and Engineering Fair Judge, Hamilton Wentworth

Catholic District School Board, 2019
EQAO scribe, Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School

Board, 2018-2019
Once Upon a Time Play Director and Creator, Hamilton

Wentworth Catholic District School Board, 2019
Play Day Coordinator, Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District

School Board, 2018
References available upon request
Conclusion
Section two of my portfolio outlines my experiences that I have had in my education
journey that have sparked my passion to educate others. The information I have provided you
about my philosophy of education was informed and influenced by my experiences. I look
forward to enduring more experiences on my educational journey to overcome new challenges
and develop a stronger philosophy for learning that I will be able to apply to my classroom one
day.

Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts

Introduction
Found in the below section of my portfolio, you will discover 8 different artifacts that I
have collected throughout my educational and work journey that demonstrate my application of
knowledge and practice as a teacher candidate. These pieces included speak to my ability of self-
development, planning for instruction, accommodations for all students, the use of technology
within the classroom and the importance of diversity. These artifacts display my ability to make
learning accessible for all students in the classroom through various methods.
The artifacts included are as follows: I have created an ELA learning segment which
includes a read aloud which indulges students in persuasive writing using their own opinions. In
this segment, I have included activities for the students, that cover multiple learning styles as
well as, differentiated topics for the students to choose from. I have included a science
professional development video and slideshow that outlines a science experiment to showcase
household items used for science experimentation. Next, I have included an IEP Analysis which
dives into accommodations for the student and innovative techniques to further help the child in
their learning success. I have also included a diversity essay which touches on the topics of
racism and the LGBTQ+ community to which brings notion to the importance of these
communities in the school and the power educators hold to their students.
Next, I have included multiple technology assignments that showcase the use for
technology in the classroom and the importance for innovative technology to be introduced to all
students. The Google classroom and the Weebly website included resources for both parents and
students to expand their learning outside of the classroom. Students will be able to access lessons
and tools from their devices at home. The cyber safety presentation outlines tips for students and
parents to stay safe online and the do’s and don’ts of online information.
I have also included the Child Abuse and SAVE workshops as they both bring attention
to the importance and relevance of social media and school communities and the implications
they have on students. They also provided educational resources and statistics that are important
for educators to be aware about for their students. All of the artifacts I have presented to you
have helped me face challenges throughout my journey and help advance my knowledge that
will help with my performance in the classroom.

Artifacts & Rationales
Artifact #1: ELA Learning Segment
Connection to Standards:
INTASC
Standard #4: Content Knowledge. The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry,
and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make
the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.
DOE Standards
Claim 1: Medaille College graduates know the subject matter in their certification area(s)
Claim 2: Medaille College graduates meet the needs of diverse learners through effective
pedagogy and best teaching practices.
Claim 3: Medaille College graduates are caring educators.
CAEP Standards
Standard 1: Content and Pedagogical Knowledge – The provider ensures that candidates develop
a deep understanding of the critical concepts and principles of their discipline and, by
completion, are able to use discipline-specific practices flexibly to advance the learning of all
students toward attainment of college- and career-readiness standards.
Ontario Teacher Ethical Standards

Care
The ethical standard of Care includes compassion, acceptance, interest and insight for
developing students' potential. Members express their commitment to students' well-being and
learning through positive influence, professional judgment and empathy in practice.
Integrity
Honesty, reliability and moral action are embodied in the ethical standard of Integrity. Continual
reflection assists members in exercising integrity in their professional commitments and
responsibilities.
NYS Code of Ethics Standards for Educators

Principle 1: Educators nurture the intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and civic potential of
each student.
Principle 2: Educators create, support, and maintain challenging learning environments for all.
Principle 3: Educators commit to their own learning in order to develop their practice.
NYS P-12 Common Core Learning Standards
New York State Standards: NY 3R7: Explain how specific illustrations or text features
contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a text.
New York State Standards: NY RL 2.5: Describe the overall structure of a story, including
describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
ISTE Standards for Teachers and/or Students

The Teacher:
Collaborator- Educators dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to
improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems.
Designer- Educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that recognize
and accommodate learner variability.
Analyst- Educators understand and use data to drive their instruction and support students in
achieving their learning goals.
ILA International Literacy Association Professional Standards

Standard 1: Foundational Knowledge- Candidates understand the theoretical and evidence-based
foundations of reading and writing processes and instruction
Standard 2: Curriculum Instruction- Candidates use instructional approaches, materials, and an

integrated, comprehensive, balanced curriculum to support student learning in reading and
writing.
Standard 3: Assessment and Evaluation- Candidates use instructional approaches, materials, and
an integrated, comprehensive, balanced curriculum to support student learning in reading and
writing.
CEC Standards
1. Maintaining challenging exceptions for individuals with exceptionalities to develop the
highest possible learning outcomes and quality of life potential in ways that respect their
dignity, culture, language, and background
2. Maintaining a high level of professional competence and integrity and exercising
professional judgement to benefit individuals with exceptionalities and their families
3. Promoting meaningful and inclusive participation of individuals with exceptionalities in
their schools and communities
Ontario Curriculum Standards
Ontario Grade 3 Standards: 1.4 Demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts by identifying
important ideas and some supporting details.
1.7 – Identify specific elements of texts and explain how they contribute to the meaning of the
texts
Medaille College Department of Education

Lesson Plan
Teacher Candidate’s Name: Sabrina Castaldi

Date: March 3, 2020
Context for Learning (edTPA)
Where is the school where you are teaching located? City: ___X____ Suburb: _______ Town:_______ Rural:
______
Grade level: ___3_____ Number of students in the class: ___20_____
Students with IEPs/504 Plans

Complete the charts below to summarize required or needed supports, accommodations, or modifications for your
students that will affect your instruction in this learning segment.
IEPs/504 Plans: Number of Supports, Accommodations,
Classifications/Needs Students Modifications, Pertinent IEP Goals
ADHD 1 Accommodations include the use of a fidget
object like a handball, a balance cushion,
bouncy band for chair, quiet space in the
classroom for breaks, repeated directions
and extra time to complete tasks.
Students with Specific Language Needs
Language Needs Number of Supports, Accommodations, Modifications
Students
English Language Learner (Level 4) 2 Accommodations include visuals with text,
translator dictionary, provide concept maps
when appropriate, clarify vocabulary and
language concepts in first language when
possible.
Students with Other Learning Needs
Other Learning Needs Numbers of Supports, Accommodations, Modifications
Students
Lesson __1____ of a __3____ Day Learning Segment

Subject and Lesson Topic: ELA- Literacy- Persuasive Writing
Grade Level: 3 Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Central Focus of the Learning Segment

The central focus is an understanding that you want your students to develop. It is a description of the important identifiable
theme, essential question, or topic within the curriculum that is the purpose of the instruction of the learning segment (Making
Good Choices, 2016).
The central focus of this learning segment is for students to organize their writing to persuade readers
using their opinions.
Knowing Your Learners

Using Prior Knowledge
What do you know about your students’ prior academic learning as it relates to the central focus? (edTPA Handbook, Task 1,
Prompt 2a)
I know that in Grade 2, my students covered the following standards; NY2W1: Write an opinion about a topic
or personal experience, using clear reasons and relevant evidence. Ontario Grade 2 Standard 1.3: Gather
information to support ideas for writing in a variety of ways and/or from a variety of sources.
My students have the skills to write their personal opinions and gather information to support those ideas.
How will you use this knowledge to inform your instruction? (edTPA Handbook, Task 1, Prompt 3a)
This knowledge will be used to inform my instruction because my students are able to apply these literary
concepts in their writing as they build stronger writing skills by supporting their ideas and opinions with
evidence. From having prior knowledge of what was covered in Grade 2, my students will be able to build upon
what they already know by supporting their ideas by using their own opinions to convince their peers and
authorities of the concerns they have by using strong supporting points to persuade their reader. My students
will use the syntax of an OREO graphic organizer to organize their ideas and opinions which will further help
them in engaging in their own persuasive writing piece.
Using Student Assets

What do you know about your students’ personal, cultural, and/or community assets as they relate to the central focus? (edTPA
Handbook, Task 1, Prompt 2b)
Over the time of getting to know my students, I have learned that many of my students have animal at home,
specifically dogs and cats. My students have also expressed that their animals and do tricks and tend to do silly
things around their house. My students also come from a generation where everything is done through
technology. The students were not exposed to how things were done before the times of technology. Having
this prior knowledge of my students, I thought using the story of a dog writing letters to his owner incorporated
the things my students enjoy as well as being able to teach them about a time before they were born. My
students also love cartoons, so a talking dog would be of interest of them as it is something they are accustom
to.
I will use this knowledge to inform my instruction by using the story as a visual to encourage participation
within students as well as have them engaged throughout the lesson as it is something they are interested in.
Having my students engaged in the lesson, helps their understanding when it comes time for seatwork. Having
my students attentive will also help in their response to my teaching, helping every student understand the
lesson at hand.
Curriculum Standards
New York State Standards: NY 3W1: Write an argument to support claim(s), using clear reasons and
relevant evidence.
Ontario Grade 3 Standards 2.5: Identify their point of view and other possible points of view on the topic,
and determine if their information supports their own view
Objectives Assessment Modifications to Assessments

Using Bloom’s Taxonomy, include Using formal and/or informal If applicable, explain how you will adapt
statements that identify what students assessment tools, how will you assessments to allow students with specific
will be able to do by the end of the evaluate and document your students’ needs to demonstrate their learning.
lesson and are aligned to the progress on each of the objectives? (edTPA Task 1, Prompt 5b)
standards identified above.
By the end of this lesson, Since this is the first lesson of my  For my ELL students at Level
students will be able to analyze students being exposed to 4, accommodations include
the text and determine the persuasive writing using their hard copies of the organizers
persuasive language that is used opinions, I will be using an and definition chart, and
in the writing of the letters. informal assessment tool to sentences frames filled out for
document my students progress. the activity sheet
After reading the story, I will put  For my student with ADHD, a
a graphic organizer on the board fidget tool of choice will be
with the completed information provided at their desk as well
filled out as this will serve as as time allotted for breaks and
definitions for the children to extra time for completion.
refer to. I will then hand out a
blank sheet of the same organizer
and have my students follow
along as we refer back to the
story and fill in the missing
information. As we do this, we
will be referring back to the book
and the filled out organizer that
are posed on the board.
Academic Language Instructional Supports

Demands Strategies teachers provide to help learners understand, use,
(edTPA Task 1, Prompt 4c) and practice the concepts (edTPA Task 1, Prompt 4d)
Function  I will be supporting my students using the

Looking at your Analyze language function by using the story to walk
standards and objectives, students through each term on the graphic
choose the one Bloom’s
word that best describes organizer. This will help students connect
the active learning the terms to examples in the story.
essential for students to  The graphic organizer provided below
develop understanding of follows in sequence how students should
concepts within your
find examples in the text; opinion, reasoning,
lesson.
examples and restating your opinion
 I will also guide students when filling out the
graphic organizer by prompting them with
questions like, “How did you know that it
belongs in the opinion area and not the
reasoning? Tell me how you know?”
 Asking the students who understand easily
these explanation questions can further help
students who may not understand but are
too shy to ask.
Vocabulary  Persuasion  I will support my students in having an

Key words and phrases  Concern understanding these terms by filling out the
students need to be able
to understand and use
 Opinion graphic organizer as a class as the students
 Reasoning pull examples to fill out the chart from the
 Examples story, Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from
 Restate Obedience School.
Syntax My students will use  I will support my students in their use of

Describe ways in which syntax by using the blank syntax by giving them the sentence frames
students will organize activity sheet to fill in the for their responses.
language (symbols,
words, phrases) to convey
missing lines for the
meaning. words, Opinion, Opinion: One of Ike’s opinions about obedience
Reasoning, Examples and school is….
Opinion (Restating).
They will complete these Reasoning: He says this because…..
lines by using text
evidence to match the Example: I know this because Ike says in the letter
word on their activity that….
sheet.
Opinion (Restating): This is how I know that Ike’s
opinion is…..
 I will be writing these sentence starters on

my graphic organizer on the board for
students to copy
Discourse My students will use I will support my students using discourse by

How members of a discourse by encouraging them to share their ideas of what part
discipline talk, write, and communicating their in the story belongs to each category on our activity
participate in knowledge
construction and
understanding on sheet. I will guide students to correctly match the
communicate their analyzing persuasive term with the evidence that they found in the text.
understanding of writing by sharing their If they use their example to the wrong word, I will
the concepts evidence that they found ask them why they chose to put it in a different spot
in the read aloud. as this will help other students struggling with the
same issue. The students will be orally giving me
their examples that they wish to fill the activity
sheet with.
Instructional Process Accommodations and/or Modifications

and/or Supports
Anticipatory Set/Motivator  For my student with ADHD, I will
1:00pm: ensure that they have a fidget tool
 I will tell my students to gather on the carpet for both on the carpet and at their
our lesson. Once they are all gathered on the carpet desk. I will have this student sit
I will start a small discussion and ask them, “Who near the back of the carpet so that
knows what a newspaper looks like? Perfect, it is accessible for them to get up
almost all of you!” “Now, who knows what all those when they need a break. I will also
words on the newspaper are about?” (Students will make sure to clearly outline all
answer). That’s right. They contain quite a few instructions and repeat them as
different things. They can be about new events that well as give this student extra time
are happening in the community. They can be about to complete the worksheet at hand.
good news and sometimes bad news. The
newspaper has a lot of information for us to read so  For my ELL Level 4 students, I will
we can know about new things.” provide them with all of the anchor
 Then I will ask the students if they have ever sent charts and graphic organizers as a
or received a letter. After the student’s answer, I hard copy to refer to throughout
will ask them why we send letters and I will explain the lesson. All sheets will have
to them that we can send letters to friends and definitions provided for the
family or even to send a concern to someone. students to be able to refer to. Also,
 “Now, who knows what a concern is? What does a their activity sheet will have all of
concern sound like? Someone give me an example.” the sentence frames already on
(Student responds). Great, a concern can be them, leaving them just to copy
something that you don’t like and want someone to what the students say, which will
fix, or it can be something that doesn’t make you be provided on the board. They
feel good inside.” will also be given extra time to
 At this point, I will pull out a graphic organizer complete the copying.
(photo below) that has three definitions on it
(concern, opinion and persuasion). I will go over
these definitions and tell the students that we are

going to be focusing on how we can use our
opinions or concerns to persuade someone to
change something.
 I will tell my students that today we are going to be
reading about a dog who writes letters to his owner
after he gets sent to obedience school (I will stop to
explain what obedience school is and why a dog
would get sent there), to try and convince her to
bring him back home.
1:10pm:
 I will read the students Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters
from Obedience School
 I will stop on each page to ask the students what
they think the letter we will be reading will be
about based on the pictures. I will then read the
letter and periodically stop to ask the children how
they think Ike is feeling.
 After reading, I will ask the students to give me a
quick summary of the story in their own words (I
will pick one volunteer for this). Then, I will ask
someone to tell me how Ike felt at the beginning of
the story (I will pick one volunteer). And lastly, I
will ask how Ike felt at the end of the book and ask
if it was different from how he felt in the beginning
(I will pick one volunteer).
Instructional Procedures
1:25pm:
 After the story has been read, I will ask the students
to go back and sit at their desks for the next portion
of the lesson.
 I will then hand them the activity sheet (photo
below) and pull up the same sheet in a larger
format on the SMART board for the students to see.
I will tell the students that we will be doing this
activity sheet together as a class and I will instruct
them to write whatever I write.
 I will also put on the blackboard, the filled out
activity sheet that the students have in front of
them will the correlating definitions for each so
that they can follow along and refer back to for
further support (picture below).
 I will then explain to the students that when we do
persuasive writing, we are trying to convince the
person reading it to see our point, just like Ike was

trying to convince Mrs, LaRue to bring him home.
 I will call upon someone to tell me one of Ike’s
opinions about obedience school. I will follow their
answer up with “how do you know?” once the
student explains their reasoning, I will write on the
SMART board under the opinion section of the
organizer their answer using the sentence frame,
“One of Ike’s opinions about obedience school is…..”
 After I write the sentence on the SMART board, I
will have the students copy.
 I will continue to do this for all of the missing
sections on the activity sheet, stopping after each
students answer to ask them, “how do you know.”
 If a student makes the wrong suggestion for the
definition at hand, I will stop to explain why that
example does not correctly fit into that stop and
suggest them to hold their idea for another spot on
the activity sheet.
 I will also continue to use the sentence frames
provided above for each one
Opinion: One of Ike’s opinions about obedience school

is….
Reasoning: He says this because…..
Example: I know this because Ike says in the letter that….
Opinion (Restating): This is how I know that Ike’s

opinion is…..
 The children will copy exactly what I have on the

SMART board on their paper.
 After the entire activity sheet is filled out, I will call
on select students for each section of the organizer
to read to the class.
 This activity sheet will act as my informal
assessment for the students. I will not collect these,
but I will have the students hold up their paper at
the end of the lesson to ensure that their work
matches mine exactly from the SMART board (I will
walk around to check their work). If students do
not have it copied correctly, they will be sent back
to their desk to properly copy down their work. The
students will be referring to the activity sheet

throughout the other lessons as well as the
completed graphic organizer that is on the board
with the proper definitions.
Closure
1:40pm:
 “Okay my friends, we are going to stop here for
today. After you are finished copying what you are
writing, you are going to put this worksheet in your
language folders because we are going to use them
again tomorrow when we start talking about ways
to make people believe our opinions and concerns.
So for tomorrow, we are going to have some fun
and come up with our own concerns and try and
persuade our classmates to believe our opinions.
Great work today my friends!”
List all materials and/or technology tools required for the lesson.
Key instructional materials must be attached. These materials might include such items as class
handouts, assignments, slides, and interactive white-board images.
CONCERN:
a feeling of worry or care about a person or
thing concern for the poor a cause for concern
PERSUASION:
to cause to do something by using
reason or argument.
OPINION:
a view or a judgment formed in the mind about
a particular matter
*this would be in the form of an anchor chart on the board for the students*

Lesson Plan

Date: April 17th 2020
______
Grade level: ___3_____ Number of students in the class: ___20_____

IEPs/504 Plans: Number of Supports,
Classifications/Needs Students Accommodations,
Modifications, Pertinent
IEP Goals
ADHD 1 Accommodations include the
use of a fidget object like a
handball, a balance cushion,
bouncy band for chair, quiet
space in the classroom for
breaks, repeated directions
and extra time to complete
tasks.
Language Needs Number of Supports,
Students Accommodations,
Modifications
English Language Learner (Level 4) 2 Accommodations include
visuals with text, translator
dictionary, provide concept
maps when appropriate,
clarify vocabulary and
language concepts in first
language when possible.
Other Learning Needs Numbers of Supports,
Modifications
Lesson ___2___ of a ___3___ Day Learning Segment
Grade Level: Grade 3 Lesson Duration:

50 min

theme, essential question, or topic within the curriculum that is the purpose of the instruction of the learning segment
(Making Good Choices, 2016).
The central focus of this learning segment is for students to organize their writing to persuade readers using
their opinions.

Prompt 2a)
I know that in Grade 2, my students covered the following standards; NY2W1: Write an opinion about a
topic or personal experience, using clear reasons and relevant evidence. Ontario Grade 2 Standard 1.3:
Gather information to support ideas for writing in a variety of ways and/or from a variety of sources. My
students have the skills to write their personal opinions and gather information to support those ideas.
This knowledge will be used to inform my instruction because my students are able to apply these literary
concepts in their writing as they build stronger writing skills by supporting their ideas and opinions with
evidence. From having prior knowledge of what was covered in Grade 2, my students will be able to build
upon what they already know by supporting their ideas by using their own opinions to convince their peers
and authorities of their concerns they have by using strong supporting points to persuade their reader. My
students will use syntax of an OREO graphic organizer to organize their ideas and opinions which will
further help them in engaging in their own persuasive writing piece by the end of the learning segment.

What do you know about your students’ personal, cultural, and/or community assets as they relate to the central focus?
(edTPA Handbook, Task 1, Prompt 2b)
Over the time of getting to know my students, I have learned that my students love animals and majority of
them have animals at home such as cats and dogs; I’ve also learned the different types of sweet treats my
students enjoy when they are allowed to eat their unhealthy snack at last snack. My students also enjoy
their break of recess during the day and are always asking for extra time to be outside, whether it is for
D.P.A, or to have gym outside.
Having this prior knowledge about my students is how I decided to come up with my writing prompts that
the children will be working on during the lesson. I decided to have my children go in pairs based on what
writing prompt they connect with most. Although my students will not be able to pick their own partner,
having them write about something they enjoy allows the activity to be more engaging. It also helps
generate more ideas for students who may fall behind as they can work with a partner to come up with
reasons for the answer to their question.
relevant evidence.
Ontario Grade 3 Standards 1.3: gather information to support ideas for writing in a variety of ways and/or
from a variety of source
Objectives Assessment Modifications to

Using Bloom’s Taxonomy, include Using formal and/or informal Assessments
statements that identify what students assessment tools, how will you evaluate If applicable, explain how you will
will be able to do by the end of the and document your students’ progress adapt assessments to allow students
lesson and are aligned to the standards on each of the objectives? with specific needs to demonstrate
identified above. their learning.
(edTPA Task 1, Prompt 5b)
By the end of this lesson, students For this lesson, I will be using a  For my student with
will be able to use their OREO formal assessment to evaluate the ADHD, a fidget tool of
graphic organizer (provided) to students. This formal assessment choice will be provided
come up with their own reasons to includes an assignment in the form at their desk as well as
one of the given prompts to of a worksheet that the students time allotted for breaks
attempt to convince the class of will work on in pairs. The and extra time for
their opinion. objective of the assignment is for completion.
the students to come up with three  For my ELL students at
reasons as to why they believe Level 4,
their answer to the prompt is yes accommodations include
or no. Students will fill in the hard copies of the
assignment sheet, which was definition chart from the
covered in lesson 1, with their day prior, as well as the
partner and will then present their organizer with the
answers in front of their class after sentence frames from the
writing it in a formal paragraph. day prior filled out. I will
Students will individually hand in also be walking around
their paragraphs for their formal to help with any spelling.
assessment.
Academic Language Instructional Supports

Demands Strategies teachers provide to help learners
(edTPA Task 1, Prompt 4c) understand, use, and practice the concepts (edTPA
Task 1, Prompt 4d)
Function  I will be supporting my students
Looking at your standards and using the language function by
objectives, choose the one using the graphic organizer from
Bloom’s word that best
describes the active learning the day prior to reiterate how each
essential for students to develop Analyze part of the story matches each
understanding of concepts within element. I will then present the
your lesson. students with a new graphic
organizer in which I will pick the
topic of “Should kids go to school
on the weekend?
 I will guide my students when
filling out the graphic organizer as
I will explain how I chose my
reasoning’s and what their
reasoning’s should look like.
 The graphic organizer provided
below represents the sequence in
which students will generate their
paragraphs before presenting to
the class.
Vocabulary  Persuasion  I will support my students in having

Key words and phrases students  Concern an understanding of these terms by
need to be able to understand reviewing the graphic organizer from
and use
 Opinion
 Reasoning the day prior and replicating a new
 Examples OREO chart as an example for my
 Restate students to understand where their
thoughts will go for each section.
The new example will be placed on
the SMARTboard for reference as
the students create their own
opinions.
Syntax My students will use syntax  I will support my students in
Describe ways in which students by using the blank activity their use of syntax by giving
will organize language (symbols, sheet to fill in the missing them the sentence frames for
lines for the words, Opinion, their responses.
meaning.
Reasoning, Examples and
Opinion (Restating). My Opinion: We believe that…
students will complete the
activity sheet as a pair using Reasoning: We think this because…
their own personal opinions
as their reasoning for their Example: Everyone should agree with this
answers. because…
Opinion (Restating): These are the reasons

that we think….
 I will be writing these sentence

starters on the board for the
students to copy of their activity
sheet.
Discourse My students will use I will support my students using

How members of a discipline talk, discourse by discourse by encouraging them to
write, and participate in communicating their generate conversation within their pairs,
knowledge construction and
communicate their
understanding of as I walk around the classroom. I will ask
understanding of the concepts persuasive writing by students to share their ideas with me as a
presenting their ideas to pair to guide them on the right track and
the class to try persuade to ensure that their reasoning’s are valid
their classmates that their enough to convince the class.
opinions are believable
after each presentation.
Instructional Process Accommodations and/or

Modifications and/or
Supports
Anticipatory Set/Motivator  My student with
1:00pm: ADHD will we
 After recess, I will tell my students to gather on the carpet for sitting closer to
today’s lesson. Once they are all gathered on the carpet, I will the side of the
hold up Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School, and I carpet so that it is
will ask the students who remembered what happened in this accessible for
book when we read it yesterday? (Students will raise their hands them to get up
and I will pick one to answer). “That’s correct. We learned for a break
about Ike and how Mrs. LaRue sent him to obedience school and without having to
he wrote her a letter every day to try and convince her to take walk through all
him back home.” “And we also learned some new definitions the students and
yesterday, who can tell me the new words we learned yesterday. become a
I’ll give you a hint, they are now on our word wall.” (Student distraction for
will answer: concern and opinion). “Great! Now there’s just one other students
missing. Does anyone remember the fancy word we learned that during the lesson.
started with a P?” (Student answers persuasion). At this point, I
will put the graphic organizer on the SMARTboard and the
anchor chart of the definitions on the board.
 “Okay so now that we have both our definitions and the activity
we did yesterday, let’s go over the work we did.” “So, who
would like to read the opinion section of our activity sheet?”

(Call upon student with their hand raised). “Next, we have our
first reason. (Student name), can you read this one please?” (I
will do continue this until the students have read the entire
completed organizer).
Instructional Procedures  My Level 4 ELL

1:10pm: student will be
 I will tell my students that today we are going to be coming up with provided the OREO
our own reasons to try and persuade our classmates to believe our graphic organizer
opinion, just like Ike was trying to do. I will tell my students that with the sentence
before we jump in to doing our own opinions, that I am going to starters already on
show them an example of what their work is going to look like. the activity sheet for
 At this time, I will pull up a blank OREO organizer on the them so they do not
SMARTboard and tell my students that the question I will be trying have to copy from
to convince you about is, “Should kids go to school on the the board. I will also
weekend?”. ensure to tell them
 I will write my name on the activity sheet and then write the topic that they can come
under the title that I will be writing about. As I model this on the ask me for any
SMARTboard, I will tell my students that this is the first step they spelling or
must complete. I will then complete the graphic organizer telling my clarification they
students that their reasons cannot be, “Because I like it, because it may need.
tastes yummy or because it smells good.” I will tell my students that
these types of sentences would not convince me that you like
something. I will tell them that their reasons must make your
audience think about why they should change your belief. I will
explain that when answering your reasoning, you must think about,
“why should everyone agree with this?”
 “I will be writing the sentence starters you MUST use to complete
each box. After you have completed your organizer, like mine, in
full sentences, you will then get a piece of lined paper and will copy
your organizer into a paragraph. You do not need to add any more
sentences, because you already have complete sentences. All you
are doing in copying what you have on your OREO sheet onto your
lined piece of paper. Does anyone have questions about that?”
 At this time, I will pull up the complete paragraph I have created
using my OREO graphic organizer, and I will read it to the students
and show them that all I did was copy my sentences from one sheet
to another.
 “Okay my friends, so this is what we are going to do. I am going to
put 4 different topics on the board. After I read each topic, I will ask
students who want to write about this topic to raise their hand. After
you raise your hand, I will put you in partners and you will complete
the activity sheet with your assigned partner.”
 I will tell my students that they must provide three reasons as to
why they think their opinion is correct. I will also explain that for
the example portion of the activity, students will tell me why

everyone should believe their opinion. I will tell them that they are
going to tell me in this sentence why everyone should agree with
their opinion.
 At this point, I will write the following writing prompts on the
board:
 Should recess be longer?

 Do you prefer cookies or donuts?
 Do you prefer cats or dogs?
 I will then ask my students who would like to do prompt #1, and
pair them accordingly and will continue to do so for the other two
prompts.
 After all my students are paired up, I will ask them to go find a spot
in the room where them and their partner would like to work
together. I will pair my students based on a mixture of academics as
well as relationships. Because I know my students at this point in
the year, I will try to pair students with whom they get along with,
but also students who will be able to challenge each other and work
well with each other. I will not pair friends together and I will not
pair students with opposite academic progression. I will try to make
it fair for all students.
 At this time, I will place the following sentence starters on the
board:
o Opinion: We believe that…
o Reasoning: We think this because…
o Example: Everyone should agree with this because…
o Opinion (Restating): These are the reasons that we think….
 Before my students begin their activity, I will ask one of my

students to repeat my instructions. (Student will answer with correct
instructions). I will tell my students that I will be walking around to
answer any questions they may have. I will also tell them that they
MUST use the sentence starters that are on the board and they must
copy them onto their activity sheet. I will tell them that when they
are completed the OREO sheet, the pair will come show me their
work and once I give them a check, they will receive their lined
sheet of paper.
 I will give my students 20 minutes to complete their activity sheet.
As I am walking around, I will check in with each group and ask
them to read me their reasons. After reading me their reasons I will
either give them the go ahead if their reasons are valid enough to
convince the class or if they need work, I will ask them the
following questions: What is good about it? Why would you pick
this option over something else? Have you always liked this option?
These questions will help my students develop more concrete
reasons for their opinions to persuade their readers.
 After all of the students have both sheets of work completed, we
will go around the class and have each pair stand in front of the
class and read their paragraphs. They will take turns alternating
sentences to make it fair for each student. After each pair is done
reading, I will ask the students how many agree with their opinion.
Students will raise their hands to answer.
Closure
1:45pm:
“Okay my friends, I am so proud of all of you for coming up here and
sharing your opinions with us. So just before recess, I want to review
everything we did today. Without looking at the board, who can tell me
what terms we learned, and remember there were three? (Student
answers). Perfect. And how do we make our reasons convincing to our
audience? Do we just say, ‘because I like it, or because it tastes really
good?’ No, we have to make sure our reasons are really strong that the
people you are telling will believe them. A good writer uses personal
experiences to convince their readers. So my friends, for tomorrow, we
are going to be writing our own letters, like we did last week, to try to
convince the principle of our opinion! When we are done writing them,
we are going to put them in his mailbox in the office to read! Alright my
friends, you may get ready for recess.”
CONCERN:
a feeling of worry or care about a person or

thing concern for the poor a cause for concern
PERSUASION:
to cause to do something by using
reason or argument.
OPINION:
a view or a judgment formed in the mind about
a particular matter
*this would be in the form of an anchor chart on the board for the students*

Lesson Plan

Date: May 5th, 2020
______
Grade level: ___3_____ Number of students in the class: ____20____

IEPs/504 Plans: Number of Supports,
Classifications/Needs Students Accommodations,
Modifications, Pertinent
IEP Goals
ADHD 1 Accommodations include
the use of a fidget object
like a handball, a balance
cushion, bouncy band for
chair, quiet space in the
classroom for breaks,
repeated directions and
extra time to complete
tasks.
Language Needs Number of Supports,
Modifications
English Language Learner (Level 4) 2 Accommodations include
visuals with text,
translator dictionary,
provide concept maps
when appropriate, clarify
vocabulary and language
concepts in first language
when possible.
Other Learning Needs Numbers of Supports,
Modifications
Lesson ___3___ of a ___3___ Day Learning Segment
Grade Level: Grade 3 Lesson Duration: 45

min

theme, essential question, or topic within the curriculum that is the purpose of the instruction of the learning segment
(Making Good Choices, 2016).
The central focus of this learning segment is for students to organize their writing to persuade readers
using their opinions.

Prompt 2a)
I know that in Grade 2, my students covered the following standards; NY2W1: Write an opinion about
a topic or personal experience, using clear reasons and relevant evidence. Ontario Grade 2 Standard
1.3: Gather information to support ideas for writing in a variety of ways and/or from a variety of
sources. My students have the skills to write their personal opinions and gather information to support
those ideas.
This knowledge will be used to inform my instruction my students are able to apply these literary
concepts in their writing as they build stronger writing skills by supporting their ideas and opinions
with evidence. From having prior knowledge of what was covered in Grade 2, my students will be able
to build upon what they already know by supporting their ideas by using their own opinions to
persuade their principle of the writing prompt question that will be posted on the board. My students
will use syntax of a graphic organizer to plan out their ideas and opinions which will then lead to them
to writing a friendly letter (which was previously covered) as their final writing piece.

What do you know about your students’ personal, cultural, and/or community assets as they relate to the central focus?
(edTPA Handbook, Task 1, Prompt 2b)
After getting to know my students over the duration of the school year, something they have been
talking about for some time as we approach the end of the school year is their end of the year trip. At
our school, the end of the year trip is something the students look forward to as they get to celebrate
their growth throughout the year with their friends that they have made along the way up until this
point. This is something that my students look forward to every year. The principle has allowed the
classes to generate ideas of where is somewhere they would like it go.
Having this prior knowledge about my students is how I decided to come up with the writing prompt
of “Where do you think we should go for our end of the year adventure?” that the children will answer.
I will use this prompt to have the children generate creative and possible ideas for my students to
develop stronger writing skills. Having my students play a part in the decision process gives them
some form of authority to be a part of a large decision. Having my students write about wherever they
would like to go ensures that they will formulate concrete reasoning of why they would pick that
destination as they should have a personal connection to it (e.g whether it is somewhere they have
gone or somewhere they have never been before).
relevant evidence.
Ontario Grade 3 Standards 1.3: Gather information to support ideas for writing in a variety of ways
and/or from a variety of source.
Objectives Assessment Modifications to

Using Bloom’s Taxonomy, include Using formal and/or informal assessment Assessments
statements that identify what students will tools, how will you evaluate and document If applicable, explain how you will
be able to do by the end of the lesson and your students’ progress on each of the adapt assessments to allow
are aligned to the standards identified objectives? students with specific needs to
above. demonstrate their learning.
(edTPA Task 1, Prompt 5b)
By the end of the lesson, my For this lesson, I will be using a  For my student with
students will be able to contrast a formal assessment to evaluate the ADHD, a fidget tool
friendly letter (previously learned) students. This formal assessment of choice will be
to their principle using their includes the final assignment of a provided at their
opinion to answer the prompted friendly letter. The objective of the desk as well as time
questions as well as providing assignment is for my students to allotted for breaks
concrete reasons to persuade their provide a valid opinion with and extra time for
reader. appropriate reasoning to persuade completion.
their readers.  For my ELL students
at Level 4,
accommodations, I
will provide them
with a definition
chart of previous
learned terms from
Day 1 and Day 2 as
well as provided
assistance for any
spelling inquiries
they may need or
help with further
understanding. They
will also have extra
time to complete
their work.
Academic Language Demands Instructional Supports

(edTPA Task 1, Prompt 4c) Strategies teachers provide to help learners
understand, use, and practice the concepts
(edTPA Task 1, Prompt 4d)
Function
Looking at your standards and  I will support my students by
objectives, choose the one Bloom’s Apply assisting them with writing their
word that best describes the active
learning essential for students to friendly letter by providing them
develop understanding of concepts with the opening sentences to
within your lesson. their letter to start them off with
proper sentence structure
 I will also be walking around to
help students apply what they
have learned in the previous
lessons by providing them with
prompt questions to strengthen
their reasoning’s and opinions
 The students will also have to
provide a rough copy of their
letter in the form of a graphic
organizer. The students must be
approved with their opinion and
reasoning’s before they can write
their final letter.
 I will be walking around to help
misconceptions the students may
have as well as sounding out
words for spelling.
Vocabulary
Key words and phrases students  Persuasion  I will support my students in

need to be able to understand and
 Concern having an understanding of these
use
 Opinion terms by reviewing the anchor
charts from the days prior. I will
also pull up the sample graphic
organizer from the day prior for
my students to reference will
they are completing their answer
to the question prompt.
Syntax My students will use syntax
Describe ways in which students by using the blank activity  I will support my students in
will organize language (symbols, sheet to fill in the missing their use of syntax by giving them
meaning.
lines for the words Opinion, the sentence frames for their
Reason 1, Reason 2, Reason responses.
3 and Restate Opinion.
Opinion: I think we should be going
to….
 I will also be providing them the

opening sentences for their
letter.
Miss Castaldi’s Grade 3 class is very

excited about our end of the year trip.
I am writing you this letter to help
you chose our destination. I think our
class should go on an adventure to…
Discourse My students will use I will support my students using

How members of a discipline talk, discourse by discourse by encouraging them to
write, and participate in communicating their generate strong concrete reasoning for
knowledge construction and
communicate their understanding
persuasive writing that they their opinions by asking further
of the concepts have done in their graphic questions like “so what?”, or “why would
organizer. By you chose this over somewhere
communicating to me their different and even have you ever been
work, I will be able to listen here before?” “What was your favorite
to comprehend their part?” This will help students to dig
understanding on deeper in their reasoning to generate
persuasive writing. stronger writing.
Instructional Process Accommodations

and/or Modifications
and/or Supports
Anticipatory Set/Motivator
1:00pm
- I will tell my students to sit at their desks and tell them that we are
going to continue from where we left off yesterday and continue to
talk about persuasive writing
- “Alright my friends, so over the last couple of days we have been
focusing on what type of writing skills. I hope everyone is able to tell
me. On the count of three…one…two…three!” (My students will shout
persuasive writing).
- “Amazing. And what were those terms we have been focusing on
using our chart?” (I will call on a student to answer). They will
answer, persuasion, concern and opinion.
- “Exactly! And remember, we use our opinions or our concerns to try
to persuade people into believing our opinion or concern. So recall
yesterday each of you partnered up and tried to convince your fellow
classmates of your opinion. How many of you were persuaded by
your classmates? (Students will raise their hand). Perfect. And we
persuade our audience by having really strong reasons that support
our opinion.”
Instructional Procedures - For my student

1:05: with ADHD, I
- “So today my friends we are still going to try and persuade people to will provide
believing our opinion or concern, but this time, we are going to be them with a
trying to convince Mr. Capa (school principle) of where we should go fidget tool of
for our end of the year trip. How are we going to tell him? Well, who choice as well as
remember when we learned how to write a friendly letter last week time for breaks
(students will raise their hands). and extra time to
- At this time, I will pull out the friendly letter chart for the students to complete the
reference. assignment.
- “Awesome, so for my friends who don’t remember, last week we
wrote friendly letters to a pen pal from across the world. We wrote - For my students
to fellow Grade 3 students to ask what are some of the activities they that are Level 4
have been doing this year. So, using that same format, we are going ELL, I will be
to send a letter to Mr. Capa and we are going to go deliver them in scribing for the
his mailbox when we are finished.” first part of the
- Next, I will then write the question prompt on the board for my assignment. My
students: “Where do you think we should go for our year end students will tell
adventure?” me what they
- I will then hold up the graphic organizer provided below and tell my would like to
students that this letter assignment will take place in two steps. I will write, and I will
tell my students that they MUST complete this organizer first to provide them
write down all of their ideas. Once they have completed this with the correct
organizer, they will show me and once they have been approved of writing on a
appropriate and strong reasoning’s for their answer, they will whiteboard to
receive the letter paper (provided below), to write their final copy to which they will
Mr. Capa. copy on their
- I will tell my students that their final copy will be seen by the paper. They will
principle so they must ensure that this is their best work. have extra time
- I will hand out the “In My Opinion,” graphic organizer to my students to complete this
and tell them they will have 20 minutes to complete the first step of assignment and
the assignment and then we will move on. I will tell them that if they have available
finish before that, then they must come see me before they can move help to any
on. misunderstood
- Students will then have 40 minutes to complete both tasks. instructions.
- When the students ask for their work to be checked, I will be looking
for strong claims with strong reasoning using persuasive language. I
will challenge my students to further explain their reasoning and
engage in more personal reasoning asking them to draw from their
own experiences.
- After all student’s graphic organizers are complete, they will receive
their letter paper.
- If they are finished before the allotted time, they will be given the
chance to design their envelop and letter for the principal.
Closure
1:45
- “Alright my friends, it looks like we have all finished our letters for
Mr. Capa. I love all of your design that you have created. I will be
putting your letters into their envelops and sending them to Mr.
Capa while you guys go out for recess. So my friends, this completes
our lessons on persuasive writing.”
- I will then ask my students to tell me their favorite thing they have
learned over the past three days, their least favorite part and
something they have learned.
- I will go around the room and encourage my students to say a
different answer from their peers to gauge their enthusiasm in the
learning segment. This will also help guide my future lesson as I will
learn what my students enjoyed as well as disliked.

Artifact #2: Science Professional Development
Connection to Standard:
INTASC
DOE Standards
CAEP Standards

Care
Integrity
responsibilities.

each student.
Principle 2: Educators create, support, and maintain challenging learning environments for all.
Principle 3: Educators commit to their own learning in order to develop their practice.

NGSS
3-PS2-1 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced
forces on the motion of an object.

3-PS2-2 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern
can be used to predict future motion.
ELA
W.3.7: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic
W.4.7: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation

The Teacher:
Collaborator- Educators dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to
improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems.
Designer- Educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that recognize
Analyst- Educators understand and use data to drive their instruction and support students in
achieving their learning goals.

N/A
CEC Standards
1. Maintaining challenging exceptions for individuals with exceptionalities to develop the
highest possible learning outcomes and quality of life potential in ways that respect their
dignity, culture, language, and background
2. Maintaining a high level of professional competence and integrity and exercising
professional judgement to benefit individuals with exceptionalities and their families
3. Promoting meaningful and inclusive participation of individuals with exceptionalities in
their schools and community
Grade 2: Understanding Structures and Mechanisms: 3.1/3.2
Grade 4: Understanding Structures and Mechanisms: 2.5/2.6
Grade 6: Understanding Structures and Mechanisms: 2.2


Artifact #3: IEP Analysis
INSTAC Standards:
Standard #1: Learner Development The teacher understands how learners grow and develop,
recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the
cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements
developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
Standard #2: 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.
Standard #3: Learning Environments The teacher works with others to create environments that
support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction,
active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
DOE Standards:
CAEP Standards:
Standard 1. Content and Pedagogical Knowledge: The provider ensures that candidates develop
a deep understanding of the critical concepts and principles of their disciplines and, by
Ontario Teacher Ethical Standards:

Care
Respect
Intrinsic to the ethical standard of Respect are trust and fair-mindedness. Members honour
human dignity, emotional wellness and cognitive development. In their professional practice,
they model respect for spiritual and cultural values, social justice, confidentiality, freedom,
democracy and the environment.
NYS Code of Ethics Standards for Educators:

each student.
Principle 4: Educators collaborate with colleagues and other professionals in the interest of
student learning.
ISTE Standards for Teachers and/or Students:

For Teachers:
Collaborator
Educators dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to improve practice,
discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems.
Analyst
Educators understand and use data to drive their instruction and support students in achieving
their learning goals
NYS P-12 Common Core Learning Standards:

N/A
ILA International Literacy Association Professional Standards:

N/A
CEC Standards:
6. Using evidence, instructional data, research, and professional knowledge to inform
practice.
7. Protecting and supporting the physical and psychological safety of individuals with
exceptionalities.
8. Neither engaging in nor tolerating any practice that harms individuals with
exceptionalities.
Ontario Curriculum Standards:

N/A
IEP Analysis Paper
Sabrina Castaldi
Medaille College
ESP600: Foundations of SPED
Instructor: Dr. Craig Centrie
May 1st, 2020

PLEPs:
Cai Davis is a very energetic healthy boy who is in the third grade. He has an IEP plan for his
learning disability which mainly is focused around his spelling. reviewing the IEP plan for Cai
Davis he has strengths and weaknesses that fall in different areas of academic social and physical
development. Under academic learning, Cai is assessed under three main categories; reading,
writing and mathematics. After reading his results, the focus area is spelling for this individual.
Based off of common core standards for New York State, Cai does not meet the requirements
falling below the expected standards. It is listed that Cai does well in Math and is able to meet
the standards as it is not his problem area. Although having and IEP, Cai succeeds in his social
development with his peers in the classroom and has no concern in the behaviour department. He
also excels in math as he is able to grasp concepts and show his understanding. The challenge
that Cai faces in math, has more to do with his writing skills, than his comprehension with the
math. His spelling becomes a setback in achieving the highest outcome for his work. Lastly,
Cai’s biggest strength is shown through his personality. He is a very positive student, who carries
this energy through his days at school.
Accommodations:
Cai is educationally classified as learning disabled and demonstrates delays in the areas of
phonemic, orthographic, and morphological awareness. These delays inhibit Cai's ability to
successfully function in his academic program throughout all subjects. The IEP states that Cai is
given an accommodation of a spelling device to help assist him in correcting his errors. It does
not explicitly give any detail about accommodations for tests. I am not sure if Cai is permitted to
use this device during test time. If this is the case, then Cai accommodations do not meet the
individual’s needs. Cai’s plan is based off his spelling needs. If Cai is not provided this device
during a test or assignments, then he is expected to meet the needs just as all the other students
are. This presents him at a disadvantage. In order for his IEP accommodations to meet his needs,
he should be provided with this device during tests and assignments. I appreciate the idea of Cai
using this device during seat work to correct his errors, but during assessment, he should have
full access as he may become discouraged while learning he has made various spelling errors.
Services:
In terms of services, Cai is provided with multiple services that are shown all within the
classroom setting. H is provided with 160 minutes of co-teaching provided by his teacher during
the subjects of English, Social Studies, Math and Science. For specific services, Cai’s teacher
checks his understand during lessons throughout the day. This provides him extra assistance to
achieve a higher understanding of the task at hand and the lesson that goes with it. Cai also
receives feedback from his teacher as he is to correct 100% of his misspelled words. For this, Cai
is allowed to use his spelling device. Some recommendations I have to improve Cais IEP to meet
his specific needs is, a speech to text device so he can fully explain his thoughts without feeling
like he cannot use a specific word because he cannot spell it. This allows him to improve his
writing skills and the educator can see all of his thoughts on the paper. I would also recommend
digital worksheets for Cai to have the opportunity to type and become more confident with his
spelling. Having Cai use additional accommodations can help in his growth of his learning.
Using different types of assisted technology can help to improve his spelling and engage in new
types of learning. I think it is also important to ask the student if their accommodation is working
for them. The student should have some say in how they would like to learn and the type of
learning they feel they need to succeed.

Goals:
Cai’s goals include both reading and writing. For reading. Because Cai is efficient with these
skills, the educator has him using something he is strong at to help him gain strength in his
writing skills. His writing goals included word recognition which helps him with his sounds to
match the annunciation of the word. Cai also uses editing and revising to strengthen his spelling
skill. The issue I found in the goal section of Cai’s IEP is the similarity between them all. They
all involved decoding words to correctly spelling them. Although this is a great way for Cai to
practice his spelling and it has a great success rate, I think there are other ways Cai can reach his
goal. I think a great goal for Cai is to implement a weekly journal into his learning. With the help
of his parents and teacher, Cai can write about the things he has done in the week prior. He can
start by only writing four sentences and can start by copying the words given to him by his
teacher or parent. Having something like this ensures that the child is providing weekly progress
of learning new words and consistently spelling words.
Educational Strategies:
Some instructional strategies that I think would benefit Cai in his learning would be to engage in
cooperative learning. Having students working in a small group with Cai allows him to see his
peers model the task given, and then he can follow and replicate what his peers modeled. I thin
also allowing Cai to use more technology in the classroom. There are multiple technological
advances in our society that I feel can benefit Cai. Also, Think, Pair, Share strategies would be
able to benefit Cai as he can build with a partner how to develop his thoughts and be able to
share with the class, without so much pressure on writing.

Reflection:
After assessing Cai’s IEP, and taking into consideration everything I have learned in this course,
I am now educated in how important IEP plans are to a student and how specific they must be.
IEPs should have a collaborative aspect when used properly as there is usually an entire team
behind one student’s IEP. Ultimately when we are working with an IEP we incorporate a lot of
theorists and their methods in fine tuning and embracing any changes that occur for that student.
With B.F. Skinner, we look at behaviourism and how the positive reinforcement can often times
strengthen behaviours and the likelihood of them occurring again. I began to think about the
team that puts together an IEP and I found that there is always one person missing, the student. It
is important that the IEP meets the needs of the student, but to truly understand what will work
for the student, I think the student should be involved. There should be things the student is not
involved with in their plan, as it can make them feel like an outcast, but there should be a trial
and error process of accommodations and goals that work for that specific child.
I also believe that the collaboration process is very important in the learnings of the
student in the classroom. The educational assistant provided to the student is not only seen as a
watch for the child, but they provide a massive support as the student is able to get a one-on-one
learning experience, which I think is beneficial to every student. Marilyn Friend, Lynne Cook,
DeAnna Hurley-Chamberlain and Cynthia Shamberger write in their article, “Co-Teaching: An
Illustration of the Complexity of Collaboration in Special Education,” that, “the notion began to
take hold that special education and related services could be offered in general education
settings through partnerships that crossed the traditional boundaries between professionals, and
thus the concept of co-teaching emerged.” I think that all students can succeed from
collaboration with special education assistants as all students begin to experience how to
respectfully engage with all students who are different than them. Looking forward, I think with
the involvement of the student in choosing their goals to ensure they are attainable can provide
success to the student as it is something they chose for themselves to work towards. I think
implementing this into Cai’s IEP can greatly help him with meeting all his needs.
References:
Friend, M., Cook, L., Hurley-Chamberlain, D., & Shamberger, C. (2010). Co-Teaching:
An Illustration of the Complexity of Collaboration in Special Education. Journal
of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 20(1), 9–27. doi:
10.1080/10474410903535380

Artifact #4: DASA Diversity Essay
Connections to Standards:
INTASC Standards:
Standard #5: Application of Content The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use
differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative
problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.
Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice The teacher engages in ongoing
professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the
effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the
community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.
DOE Standards:
CAEP Standards:

Respect
Integrity
responsibilities.

each student.
Principle 5: Educators collaborate with parents and community, building trust and respecting
confidentiality.

For Teacher:
Citizen
Educators inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibly participate in the digital
world. Educators:
3a
Create experiences for learners to make positive, socially responsible contributions and exhibit
empathetic behavior online that build relationships and community.
3b
Establish a learning culture that promotes curiosity and critical examination of online
resources and fosters digital literacy and media fluency.

N/A

N/A
CEC Standards:
9. Practicing within the professional ethics, standards, and policies of CEC; upholding laws,
regulations, and policies that influence professional practice; and advocating
improvements in the laws, regulations, and policies.
10. Advocating for professional conditions and resources that will improve learning
outcomes of individuals with exceptionalities.

N/A
Module 2
Reflection Paper
Sabrina Castaldi
Medaille College
Author Note
This paper was prepared on April 24, 2020 for ECI 535: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy:
Shaping Culturally Inclusive Classrooms, taught by Maria Cellino.
The article The Impact of “Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression Bias on African
American Students,” focuses on sexual orientation and gender expression and the affects they
have on African American students. The article reflects the struggles and hardships that these
people must go through as they face homophobia and racism, especially in the school setting.
The article speaks upon the difficulties to become a part of the community that a school
presents as well as the community of the LGBTQ+ community. The authors also discuss the
normative gender roles in schools and the accusations that are given to people which can lead to
violence such as school shootings. Our society has a large association with labels and placing
those labels on those who seem to fit the description of those labels. The issue that arises from
this societal norm is that the labels that are given are usually not correct or used to make a
mockery of the individual. The article references a young eleven-year-old boy who hung himself
because of the homophobic labels he was given after never explicitly identifying as either gay or
straight. the misidentification he was given by his peers pushed him to create harm. In this
situation the harm was inflicted on himself, but, there are many cases where the violence turns to
harm others. A large case of harm is seen in school shootings. The shooter is usually someone
who is or has been bullied by a large group of people. In the scenario of schools, the whole
school usually is aware of the labels that are being presented, but there is a specific group who
runs the these “jokes”. It is usually students who are insecure on the inside, but present
themselves to be confident and well liked on the outside. They pick on people who are deemed
are weak as they know they will not have the courage to stand up for themselves. This because a
larger problem of violence as many people are affected by one or a few people’s actions. The
victim also suffers as they move from victim to suspect and they ruin their lives as they spend
their lives in jail or end their lives as a result of what they have done. The root of the problem is
the labels that are being placed on people. So, how do we fix this as educators?
Being an educator means that you must ensure that your classroom is a safe space for
your children to come every day. You can’t expect all of your children to get along, but, as the
leader of the classroom, you must show your children respect and demand respect to one another.
Modelling the correct behaviour to your students and making sure to clear up ny misbehaved
actions is important to the well-being of your students.
For improvement of these critical violent acts, the article suggests the social support for
the LGBTQ+ community and ways to improve social settings in schools. The suggestion for
relief for these students reflects on the use of role models throughout the school. As teachers, we
unfortunately are unable to socially connect directly to all the figures of society. So the
alternative is to have influential posters or magazines around the classroom for the children to
have access to. Having these around the classroom and openly talking with your students about
the things they enjoy, shows your students that you appreciate and support their needs and
qualities. To engage the school community, it is important to have advocacy groups around the
school for the students to be able to witness and join if they would like. I think to make these
groups valuable, majority of the participants of the groups should involve a wide range of staff
members. Having staff members joined in the group not only shows diversity in support, but also
children are more likely to join if their favourite staff member is an advocate.
After watching the video More than a Woman: The intersections of Gender, Race and
Sexual Orientation, I was struck about the talks of gender and equality within the female
population. After reflecting on the video, it got me thinking about my role in the femininity. I
think it is very important, especially as educators to engage in active roles in femininity the
classroom is a diverse place. The video made me further understand the differences in
experiences and the tie in which various cultures play a role. Referring back to my previous
statement about having role models in the classroom, in is critical to ensure that these role
models come from very different experiences. The problem with having all role models come
from similar backgrounds (i.e. wealthy, two parents, private school) can defeat the purpose that
the role model is trying to serve. Diversity of role models gives children hope that their stories
can be related and aligned. Lastly, making sure to value experiences that ALL woman have the
choice to voice their feelings and opinions in an open forum. There is no social norm of
experience, nor are their guidelines to one’ personal experience. We are able to see the beauty in
one another as we all bring something different to the table. We as a society need to learn to
embrace these challenges rather than try to form them to match others.

Artifact #5: Google Classroom

INTASC Standards
Standard #3: Learning Environments
The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative
learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-
motivation.
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration
The teacher seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student
learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and
community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession.
DOE Standards
CAEP Standards

Care - The ethical standard of Care includes compassion, acceptance, interest and insight for
Integrity - Honesty, reliability and moral action are embodied in the ethical standard of Integrity.
Continual reflection assists members in exercising integrity in their professional commitments
and responsibilities.

Principle 1 – Educators nurture the intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and civic potential of
each student.
Principle 2 – Educators create, support, and maintain challenging learning environments for all.
Educators apply their professional knowledge to promote student learning.
Principle 5 – Educators collaborate with parents and community, building trust and respecting
confidentiality. Educators partner with parents and other members of the community to enhance
school programs and to promote student learning.

N/A
For Teacher:
Learner – Educators continually improve their practice by learning from and with others and
exploring proven and promising practices that leverage technology to improve student learning.
Citizen – Educators seek out opportunities for leadership to support student empowerment and
success and to improve teaching and learning.
Designer - Educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that recognize
Facilitator – Educators facilitate learning with technology to support student achievement of the
ISTE Standards for Students.
For Student:
Empowered Learner – Students leverage technology to take an active roles in choosing,

achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning
sciences.
Digital Citizen – Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living,
learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are
safe, legal and ethical.
Global Collaborator – Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their
learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally.
N/A
CEC Standards
N/A

N/A
https://classroom.google.com/c/MTEzMjE1OTk1NDkw
Google Classroom Access Code: vczm4ih

Artifact #6: Weebly Website
INTASC Standards
Standard #3: Learning Environments
The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative
learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-
motivation.
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration
The teacher seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student
learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and
community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession.
DOE Standards
CAEP Standards


Principle 1 – Educators nurture the intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and civic potential of
each student.

N/A
For Teacher:
Learner – Educators continually improve their practice by learning from and with others and
exploring proven and promising practices that leverage technology to improve student learning.
Citizen – Educators seek out opportunities for leadership to support student empowerment and
success and to improve teaching and learning.
Designer - Educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that recognize
Facilitator – Educators facilitate learning with technology to support student achievement of the
ISTE Standards for Students.
For Student:
Empowered Learner – Students leverage technology to take an active roles in choosing,
achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning
sciences.
Digital Citizen – Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living,
learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are
safe, legal and ethical.
Global Collaborator – Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their
learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally.

N/A
CEC Standards
N/A

N/A
Weebly Website: https://castaldieducation.weebly.com/

Artifact #7: Cyber Safety Presentation
INTASC Standards
Standard #4: Content Knowledge – teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry,
and structure of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the
content.
DOE Standards
CAEP Standards



N/A
For Teacher: Designer - Educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments
that recognize and accommodate learner variability. Facilitator – Educators facilitate learning
with technology to support student achievement of the ISTE Standards for Students.
For Student: Digital Citizen – Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of
living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways
that are safe, legal and ethical.

N/A
CEC Standards
N/A

N/A
Cyber Safety Prezi: https://prezi.com/p/fpeefnrcvwcn/?present=1

Artifact #8: Child Abuse & Save Workshops
INTASC Standards:
Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice The teacher engages in ongoing
professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the
effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the
community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration The teacher seeks appropriate leadership roles and
opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families,
colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to
advance the profession.
DOE Standards:
CAEP Standards:

Respect
Integrity
responsibilities.

Principle 4: Educators collaborate with colleagues and other professionals in the interest of
student learning.
Principle 5: Educators collaborate with parents and community, building trust and respecting
confidentiality.
For Teachers:
Citizen
Educators inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibly participate in the digital
world. Educators:
3a
Create experiences for learners to make positive, socially responsible contributions and exhibit
empathetic behavior online that build relationships and community.
3b
Establish a learning culture that promotes curiosity and critical examination of online
resources and fosters digital literacy and media fluency.

N/A

N/A
CEC Standards:
6. Using evidence, instructional data, research, and professional knowledge to inform
practice.
7. Protecting and supporting the physical and psychological safety of individuals with
exceptionalities.
8. Neither engaging in nor tolerating any practice that harms individuals with
exceptionalities.

N/A
Conclusion
Included above are the 8 artifacts that speak to who I am becoming as an educator.
Although I continue to build my portfolio which more diverse artifacts and build my skill set, I
believe the work I have done shows not only my dedication to students, but my willingness to
expand my knowledge and gather information on all subject areas. My hope is that you have
enjoyed getting to rad the work I have completed thus far, and recognize my passion for this
career. I am excited to continue on in my journey of becoming and educator as I continue to
build my portfolio and my skills set.

Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum & Professional Standards

.
Introduction
The field of education holds many standards to align their curriculum with the educator’s
lesson plans and activities. These standards are used to ensure that the educators are portraying a
specific target for the students to understand. These standards also build as the students grow
throughout their journey. There are also standards you will find below that focus more on the
integrity of the students and the educators. They focus on the well-being of the students and the
motives of the educator. As an educator, our priority is the student and their learning. These
standards set a guideline to ensure all activities done meet the criteria of the standards. Having
these standards is an important part of being an educator I am always trying to ensure that my
lessons and activities meet all students and their needs, as well as the needs of the community
and fellow educators. These standards ensure everyone’s well-being is being met through
curriculum and ethic

100
MSED ELEMENTARY
NYS
NYS DOE ISTE ILA CEC Ontario Ontario
Artifact INTASC NYS Code of P-12 Common Standards Internation Teacher
Title Standards Ethics Core Learning Learning Claims & Standards Curriculum
for al Literacy Ethical
Standards for Standards Standards CAEP Association
Standards Standards
Teachers
Educators Standards and/or Professional
Students Standards
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101
MSED ELEMENTARY
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102
MSED ELEMENTARY
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Table of Contents
Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection Guidelines
Introduction
My journey of becoming and educator has been a very rewarding and informative
experience. I have been given many opportunities and experiences that have been able to shape
my teaching style. Now that my Medaille College experience is coming to an end, I begin to
reflect on the things I have taken away from this experience and the people who have been able
to take a part in. I have been able to learn my strengths and weaknesses and how I can improve
myself to help better my students. In this section, I will be reflecting on my past experience at
Medaille, and the outcomes of each in how they have been able to improve myself as an
educator. I will also address how I am able to meet the demands of the TEAC Accreditation
claims as this will provide evidence of my readiness to begin my teaching career, and how I am
able to cater to my students learning.
Portfolio Project/Teacher Education Learning Experiences
My experience creating this portfolio has been a rewarding experience as I was able to
overcome many challenges that have come along the way. I was able to experience technology
troubles, and how to overcome them, as this prepared me to use the technology that is now
embedded in all classrooms. The portfolio was also able to remind me of all the experiences I
have gained along the way and the growth I was able to develop as a student.
Walking into the orientation on the first day at Medaille, I was confident in the previous
knowledge I was able to bring to my learning. I have had many experiences in the classroom, so
I was excited that I was able to add more knowledge to my pre-existing portfolio and grow
stronger in my teaching style. I was excited to have such a diverse range of required classes as I
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knew I was going to be given the opportunity to learn about aspect that I had not experienced
yet. I was also interested in the placements we were going to be attending. Being a Canadian
student, I was accustom to the curriculum and teaching done in Ontario, so I was excited to be
able to enter a new state and observe the types of teaching that are done in Buffalo. I began to
notice that all of our professor had first-hand in class experience, which was greatly appreciated
as they were able to make connections to the work they were teaching us, and how they apply it
to their classrooms on a daily basis.
Coming from a background in volunteering and tutoring, I was never given the explicit
opportunity to create lesson plans, as I was directed to work with the students. My first
experience in writing a formal lesson plan came in my first semester in my Core of Education
course. This was the first challenge I began to face at my time at Medaille. There was a lot of
information to be learned about new terms and definitions that we must incorporate to our lesson
plans. Unfortunately, our professor had a hard time communicating the proper instructions and
outcomes of the lesson plans, so I began to become confused with the terms and purpose of my
work. On a more positive note, my classmates and I were given the opportunity to learn from a
very knowledge and resource professor who was able to make things clear in terms of lessons
plans and gave us the foundational information in order to create them. By the end of my second
semester, I was able to create a detailed lesson segment that incorporated all of the requirements,
while ensuring it met the needs of all students (TEAC/CAEP Claim 1: Subject Matter,
TEAC/CAEP Claim 3: Caring Educator).
I was very fortunate to be given the proper skills in creating lesson plans as it became the
basis for the majority of my classes at Medaille. Through this opportunity, I was able to create a
full constructed learning segment for a Grade 3 classroom that focused on persuasive writing
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(TEAC/CAEP, Claim 1: Subject Matter). Furthermore, I also created a math and science lesson
plan as well as more literacy plans. I enjoyed creating these plans as it was able to prepare me on
how to make my lesson creative for the students to enjoy, while implementing interactive,
assessment based activities. It is also very important that I created these plans, as I was able to
work on how to create accommodations for students with modifications/ accommodations, and
students would need a challenge (TEAC/CAEP, Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for
Diverse Students). These lesson plans were able to showcase my creativity in the classroom and
engagement strategies, but also my ability to activate prior knowledge, instruction and my ability
to assess my students learning.
Along my journey at Medaille, I was able to gain a mentor, and someone how I look up
to in the field of educator. My professor for Early Field Experience in my first semester was able
to provide me with some of the largest takeaways from the program. She was an experienced
educator in the elementary school system in Buffalo, and was able to provide me with
information about parents, and students and the connection between the two. She exemplified a
very strong connection with her students and the expectations she had for all students (TEAC/
CAEP, Claim 2: Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse Students). She indicated the
struggles dealing with children from low income families and how to make all of your students
want to be in the classroom. Her stories her very inspirational as I could see the passion she had
for her students. I am able to implement her tips into my teaching style to ensure my students
have the desire to learn (TEAC/CAEP, Claim 3: Caring Educator). I am thankful to be able to
learn from a passionate educator who wants to inspire others by teaching them the importance of
failure and the accomplishments that failure can create. I will continue to aspire to be like her
throughout my teaching journey.

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A required class that I am thankful that the college implemented into this program is
Technology for the Elementary Classroom. When I was in elementary school, they just started to
begin to implement SMARTboards in certain rooms. I was given the opportunity as a student to
begin to work with the SMARTboard through its basic advances. My teachers were able to
present our class notes digitally, but that was as extensive as they used it for.
This class was able to give me an extensive list of tools that I will definitely be using in
my future classroom. Prior to this class, I had a small portion of knowledge on technology as I
am familiar with Chromebooks, and personally have MacBook’s and Apple products in my
household that I use on a daily basis. Entering this class, I was excited that I was going to be able
to learn the indepth processes of technology. I had not realized the great advances that
technology has made in terms of education. This class was able to provide me with a great deal
of tools that I will be implementing in my future classroom.
My classmates were very lucky that we were able to learn from a professor how helps
teach fellow professor about technology at the college. This ensured that she was very
knowledgeable and would be able to answer any questions or concerns about the information we
were being provided with. I was introduced to Google classrooms, a Weebly website and
additional sources that can be implemented into each of those (TEAC/CAEP, Claim 2:
Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse Learners). I was able to create a customizable
classroom that my students could access online. I was able to included lessons that I have created
and the following materials that go along with them. There was even an opportunity for my
students to complete assessments that I included, as I had the opportunity to select if it would be
formal or informal. This is a great resource for classrooms as students are able to continue their
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education at home. It is also beneficial for parents as they are able to get a glimpse of what their
child is learning in class, as well as have explicit instructions to help their child if needed.
The Weebly website that was required for this class also provided me with excellent
resources that I could share with my students and their parents. It is a great way to have parents
included in their child’s learning and browse the website for any information they might need
(TEAC/CAEP, Claim 3: Caring Educator). It is also great for students as they can explore the use
of technology as they take virtual fieldtrips and explore some of my favourite authors as they
play around on our website. This class was able to provide me with two great tools that I will
definitely be using in the future for my students.
Lastly, an experience at Medaille that I am thankful for was the opportunity the colleges
provided me with being able to work in community schools. Due to the fact that I was enrolled in
the weekend program, and there is no school for students on the weekend, I was placed in
various community schools where I was able to work with students of all ages and educational
backgrounds. The community schools allowed me to take part with families of lower income
neighborhoods. This was a very eye-opening opportunity for me, that I will never take for
granted. Our job as students, was to create educational activities that engaged students in
learning, while having fun. My classmates and I were able to team up and create engaging
activities that the students loved. A lot of activities included colouring and prizes to ensure that
students were being fulfilled by their time in the community school. I am very thankful to the
coordinators for allowing us to come in their schools and help with the students. It was a very
fulfilling experience to help students forgot about their personal lives, and focus on having fun
together as a community.
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Overall, Medaille has provided me with a variety of learning experiences that have
shaped the educator I am today. The experiences I have included in this section provide an
insight to some of my accomplishments on my educational journey. I am beyond proud of the
growth I have accomplished through my time a Medaille and the challenges I have been able to
overcome, and the people that were there along the way right by my side.
Reediness to Become a Teacher
When I reflect back on my journey of becoming an educator, I am beyond excited at what
lies ahead. Everything I have learned thus far, including my previous volunteer and tutoring
experience has shaped me into a ready and capable educator.
As an educator, I believe in the constant growth of the individual to ensure students are
being given the proper fundamentals of learning. I believe I possess the knowledge and skills that
are need to become a great teacher as my experiences have given be growing experiences that
have shaped me into becoming a well-rounded teacher. I am willing to dedicate my time to the
learning of students and myself in order to provide this opportunity to my students. Throughout
my previous work and educational experiences, I have always been willing to learn and grow,
and it is something I want to share with my students. I will teach my students the connection of
learning to their everyday lives. I will make it my mission to have my students engaged by
creating content they are interested and engaged in. With that being said, I am also willing to
dedicate my personal growth in staying connected with new trends in education to ensure my
students are being shown every outlet.
A large part of my work tutoring students, was creating the basis learning skills in a
creative way to ensure my students were able to grasp the concepts (TEAC/CAEP, Claim 3:
Caring Educator). I used various manipulatives found around the classroom to help the student
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connect what they already know and build upon it. The students that were being pulled for
tutoring were ones who fell below the C grade level. This constantly made me focus on ways to
included basic learning skills into the work I completed with each child (TEAC/CAEP, Claim 2:
Pedagogy, Best Teaching Practices for Diverse Learners).
For this experience and my time at Medaille, I learned the importance in reaching all
students and the quality of possessing basic learning skills. My goal in the classroom is to
provide students with these basic learning skills by having them make connections to their
everyday life. Having this tutoring experience has been able to provide diverse learning styles of
all students in the classroom. I believe that I have a perspective on teaching working with all
different types of students coming from different personal and educational backgrounds, that aids
in creating a unique and diverse teacher.
I also believe that I am ready to become an educator as I have been able to learn from
amazing mentors and colleagues. I have been able to work alongside some of the most dedicated
teachers and professionals that have shaped my professionalism inside and outside the
classroom. I’ve picked up on these amazing qualities they possess and have been able to include
them within my style. These amazing people have been able to show me the importance of
compassion, teamwork and personal stories, as we all bring something different to the classroom.
These qualities are ones that I embody, and want my students to embody as we learn together.
Conclusion
I am ready to embark into the teaching profession as I believe that all of the information I
have provided in the above sections demonstrates my capability and readiness to become an
educator. My passion for planning lessons, engaging students and helping everyone reach their
full potential exemplifies my enthusiasm for the profession. My dedication for the field and for
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learning, showcases the life-long learning that I will be taking part in. my hope in your reading
this portfolio is that you are able to understand my teaching style and efforts that I have made to
ensure I am prepared to enter the field of teaching. I am beyond excited and confident in myself
and ability in being a caring, compassionate and dedicated educator. I cannot wait to begin this
new chapter!

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Section 6: Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video
Teacher Candidate Interview Video
http://somup.com/cYit0l6IVC
Teacher Candidate Interview Questions & Responses
Becoming an educator has always been at the forefront of my career choices. Ever since I
was a young child, I have always desired becoming an educator. My grade three teacher is truly
the one who inspired me to continue on with my dream of becoming a teaching. I still vividly
remember the classroom setup and the lessons she taught me. Since then, I began perusing my
vision of becoming an educator. Throughout my time in secondary school, I was given the
opportunity to have a co-op placement in my elementary school. This experience was able to
give me a real life educational opportunities to work alongside children and begin developing my
teaching style. During this time, I was able to develop a deeper relationship with the classroom
teacher, as she later became my mentor. I later was given the opportunity to work as a classroom
volunteer for six years in grade 1, 7 and JK/SK classrooms. During these time is where I was
able to develop the basis of my teaching style. I then decided to continue my experiences and
became a tutor in the Hamilton- Wentworth Catholic District School Board. I worked alongside
students in a one-on-one manner to help further develop their basic skills for the classroom. I
was able to deconstruct concepts with the students to strengthen their understanding. Both
experiences were very rewarding in seeing the growth within my students.
My time at Medaille College in the Master of Science in Elementary Education, has
taught me the true meaning of teamwork and leadership between colleagues. Being placed within
a cohort was able to help me grow and strengthen my communication skills. My largest
takeaway from this problem was the opportunities I have been able to improve my educational
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knowledge and learn more about how personal experiences affect learning styles and create
unique teachers. Having a strong team of colleagues around you allows there to be growth
amongst everyone to create more advanced educators. I am thankful for my classmates as they
have reminded me the importance of teamwork and the validity of personal experiences in the
classroom as they are able to differentiate learning and connect people together. What I have
learned from my time at Medaille will ensure my excellence in the classroom as I am reminded
to create a space when students are able to share their personal stories, as aids in their learning. I
also am able to acknowledge that it is very important that my class comes together as learning
has no boundaries when we all put our minds together.
Very early on in my educational journey, I was given the opportunity to create and share
a lesson with my students. It was when I was in my co-op placement and I had little knowledge
of the work and material that goes into the lesson. The lesson was addition of single digit
numbers up to ten, so I decided to create a Nativity scene where my students would cut out the
individual and create their own addition sequence with the placements of their cut-outs.
Unfortunately, this lesson did not play out the way I intended. I was able to learn very quickly
learn that simplicity is best when you are creating lessons for the children. I learned not to focus
too much on making it complex, but rather focus on the objective you want the students to learn
from the lesson. I was able to learn this through my time at Medaille as I was given more time to
practice. I am now able to reflect on that experience and analyze how I could reshape this lesson
to make it better fit my classroom and students.
Medaille College has been able to give me the basis of the educational system and the
timeline of the changes that have occurred within it. Having knowledge on the current trends will
help me in ensuring that my students are given a wide range of information in their education.
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Having learned about so many educational theorists during my time at Medaille, has given me
the basis of important learning styles that should be implemented into the classroom. In saying
this, I am now able to build on these ideas as new changes are made and adapt to my students
and their learning. being current in educational trends will benefit my students as I am creating
ideas with tools that they are accustom to. This is important as you will be able to deeply reach
your children and connect to them through their learning.
I would be a great candidate for an educator, as my experience and educational journey
has helped me growth and develop a strong learning style. I am a dedicated educator whose
passion lies within the growth of my students. I am looking to create a safe space in the
classroom for students to learn about curriculum and social life and the connection between the
two. I want my students to make connections and find learning in their everyday lives. I will
create a safe space for failure and the learnings we find within failure. Teamwork and
communication are very important to me between my students and colleagues. I will be an asset
to the community as I have the best interests for the students and their succession throughout
each grade level. I am prepared and ready to aid in the learning of children, and assist in their
growth inside and outside of the classroom.
Conclusion
My educational and practical experiences have given me the opportunity ot grow into a
passionate and skillful teacher. During my time at Medaille, I have been able to grow so much
through the learnings of my required classes and through my classmates who kindly shared their
knowledge with me. I have learned the importance of teamwork and collaboration and the
outcomes of them. I am very excited to embark on this new chapter of education as I continue to
growth with my students!

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References
Armstrong, T (n.d). Multiple Intelligences. American Institute For Learning and Human
Development. Retrieved from https://www.institute4learning.com/resources/articles/mult
iple-intelligences/
Boeree, G. (2006). Abraham Maslow. Personality Theories. Retrieved from http://www.social-

psychology.de/do/pt_maslow.pdf
Liu, Chih Chu & Chen, Ju I. (2010). Evolution of Constructivism. Contemporary Issues In
Education Research, Volume 3 (4), 63-65.
Mcleod, Saul. (2010). Kolb's Learning Styles and Experiential Learning Cycle. Retrieved
from https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html
Nunes, R. (2003, April). Book Review (Review of the book Working with Emotional
Intelligence, Goelman, D). Retrieved from http: //www.Stephanehaefliger.com/campus/bi
blio/017/17_39.pdf
Wong, Harry. (n.d). The Well-Managed Classroom. Retrieved 28 May, 2020, from Professional
Reference for Teachers https://www.wtc.ie/images/pdf/Classroom_Management/cm6.

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MSED Elementary Portfolio Project

Sabrina Olivia Castaldi

July - 27, - 2020

An Elementary Portfolio Project submitted to the

Faculty of the Graduate School of Education of

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Science in Education

Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project……..… 3

Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences…………………………………….11

Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts……………………... …………………………….30

Artifact #1: ELA Learning Segment ……………………………………………………32

Artifact #2: Science Professional Development ………………………………………..65

Artifact #3: Diversity Essay ……………………. ………………………………………70

Artifact #4: IEP Analysis ………………………………………………… ……….........79

Artifact #5: Google Classroom …………………….…………………………………....85

Artifact #6: Weebly Website………………………………………. …………………...88

Artifact #7: Cyber Safety Presentation……… ………………………………………….91

Artifact #8: Child Abuse & SAVE Workshops…………………………………………93

Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum & Professional Standards …………………………….98

Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection …………………………………………..………115

Section Six: Teacher Candidate Interview Video …………………………………………......123

Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project

Introduction to the Portfolio Project

each individual student.

time at Medaille, I have especially learned to focus on challenging myself as an educator to

and expanding their educational boundaries.

who inspires their students.

Overview and Rationale

planning, instruction and instruction. Technology creates innovative ways to experience

As an effective educator, professional collaboration is a large portion of the success of

In my portfolio, I will demonstrate that the curriculum is a guideline for my instruction as

standards and professional development is imperative to education as educators must be up to

which has helped better my understanding and grow as an educator.

The portfolio before you, demonstrates the building of my education through my

been able to connect that throughout my experiences.

In section three, I will provide pedagogical evidence through artifacts to showcase my

to my own personal style to utilize them in the classroom professionally.

provide evidence of my pedagogy and my effectiveness of becoming an educator. I will also

Section five of my portfolio is my teacher candidate reflection. I will be reflecting upon

and specific artifacts and the organization of my content.

career. Throughout the interview, I will be making connections to my portfolio artifacts,

an insight of me as an educator as I will share my passions and motivations behind my education

Theories, Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education

David Kolb focuses on experiential learning through a step-by-step procedure that

gather what was obtained.

for educators to assess student learning (Kolb, 1976).

learner as he introduces his theory of constructivism (Piaget, 1936). Constructivism can be

simply transmitted from a more knowledgeable person to others. In constructivism, prior

traditional learning and new modern approaches.

verbal translation. In a classroom, keeping constructivism in mind, students should engage in

them succeed in their learning.

depends on classroom management—especially on the first day of school” (Wong, 3). As an

help them be passionate about learning.

An educator is a leader who possess the qualities of understanding, compassion,

challenges overcome in artifacts that follow.

[Back to Table of Contents]

Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences

ages, I pondered the thoughts of becoming a pediatrician or a social worker to be directly

how it formed my importance on community.

Teacher Candidate Educational Background and Work Experiences

My educational and work experiences have truly led me to where I am in my journey

students in the direction of classroom management. It is important to reward good behavior as I

Grade level: _3_ Number of students in the class: _20_____

Lesson 1 of a 3____ Day Learning Segment