Julia Riggle

Student Teaching Professional Reflections

01/09/23

Reflection 1 Due 01/17/23

(This will be answered based on what your cooperating teacher has done.)
● What rituals and routines have you encouraged in your classroom to set a tone of
respectful behavior? How do you encourage your students to share roles and
responsibilities with non instructional routines for efficient classroom operation?
● How is your classroom organized to accommodate:
○ Students with special needs
○ Cooperative learning
○ Appropriate use of technology
○ Teacher-student conferences
○ Safety and movement

Rituals and routines have been incorporated into Miss Roberts’ Emotional Support
classroom to encourage and set a tone of respectful behavior. Miss Roberts created a “Good
Learners” board in her classroom that is decorated with traits that make a good learner. This
board consists of reminders such as “Focus”, “Raise Your Hand”, “Listen, Think, Speak” and
more. Before the students begin working, they will read the reminders as a whole group. By
reading these reminders the teacher establishes expectations for the student’s behaviors.
Secondly, Miss Roberts prepared the class that they will have a substitute for the next four days
by stating that the substitute may not teach the same exact way she does but that the students
should still respect the substitute the same. Lastly, Miss Roberts introduced me to the class
because I was new and told them to make sure I felt welcomed. These three things were done to
create a classroom that encourages respectful behavior. Students are encouraged to share roles
and responsibilities with non instructional routines for efficient classroom operation. Students
have access to toys including art supplies, building blocks, and sorting games that include many
materials to use during their brain break. At the end of the brain breaks, students are responsible
for putting away any and all materials they get out. Students are held responsible for their actions
when transitioning from brain break to work and vice versa. The students are responsible for
transitioning when the timer sounds. These responsibilities allow for efficient classroom
operation.
My classroom at North Side is organized to accommodate students with special needs,
cooperative learning, appropriate use of technology, teacher-student conferences, and safety and
movement. To accommodate students with special needs, there are small tables, desks, and
flexible seating arrangements. Small tables are used for small group instruction. There is a “chill
corner” for those who need to take a break when they feel overstimulated. Secondly, the
schedule is created to integrate a brain break to accommodate students with short attention spans.
The schedule allows 15 minutes of work followed by 15 minutes of a brain break. Lastly,
students who qualify for Occupational Therapy (OC) may use small tables instead of a desk to
expand the space they need to complete the tasks given by the teacher. For example, one student
who has OC uses the larger table to glue words to his paper. The classroom is organized to
accommodate cooperative learning. Miss Roberts groups the students into groups of 2-3 at one
time for small group instruction. The students are able to learn with each other during small
group instruction or whole group instruction throughout the day. The teacher uses the strategy “I
do, We do, You do”, Gradual Release of Responsibility with small group and whole group
instruction. For example, the teacher will read the sight word flashcards, then read them together
with the students, and then ask the students to read the words on their own. Cooperative learning
is done through whole group instruction at the carpet in front of the room. The teacher reads the
students a story about to go along with a social skills lesson about greediness. The students work
together to describe the main character from Pig the Pug. The classroom accommodates
appropriate use of technology through use of an analogue timer and interactive whiteboard
located at the front of the classroom and chrome books for each individual student. Miss Roberts
plays background music to create a calming atmosphere in the mornings and after lunch. The
students use their chrome books for independent instruction in math. The students utilize the
online program Mathseeds which provides differentiated instruction based on the needs of each
student. At the end of each school day, Miss Roberts meets with each student one to one in order
to review their behavior charts and assess how the day went. Miss Roberts will write a summary
of the student’s day and send it home for a parent signature. This conference is to assure the
students' awareness of their actions. For example, Miss Roberts has commented on one student’s
state of fatigue throughout the day and encourages the student to get better sleep to be prepared
to learn the next school day. Safety and Movement is accommodated in Miss Roberts classroom
throughout the day. Students learn better when they are allowed movement. Students move from
their seat to get their tool boxes to complete various activities that involve cutting, gluing or
writing. Similarly, the students are allowed to move from their seats during brain break to
retrieve materials from the center against the wall. Throughout the day students move to the
weather and calendar, “How am I Doing” and “Counting the Days” centers to complete the
activities planned by the teacher. For example, in the morning students will look out the window
to check the weather then move to the weather center to place an accurate picture that represents
the weather on the board. Miss Roberts does not allow students to run in the classroom for
safety. Lastly, students must ask permission before leaving the class to use the restroom. These
accommodations are integrated to create an organized classroom.

Reflection 2 Due 01/24/23

● What is the most persistent behavior problem in your classroom? What are
your current solutions?
● How is individual progress shared and/or celebrated with students?
● Student engagement is about the nature of the work and who does it. In
what ways do you encourage your students to be active participants?
 The most persistent behavior in my classroom is non-compliance and distractedness. The
current solution to these behaviors is implementing a behavior management plan. Miss Roberts
created a system for positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. The students have a
behavior progress monitoring chart that they take with them throughout the school day. The
behavior monitoring chart is differentiated for each student. The progress monitoring charts have
2-4 behavior goals written for the teachers to look for throughout the day. For example, “Cade
Goal 1: will comply to directions and complete activities in 2 or fewer prompts, Goal 2:
demonstrate self-control in 2 or fewer prompts, Goal 3: will maintain attention to complete a task
with 2 or fewer prompts, Goal 4: during transitions and unstructured settings, Cade will
demonstrate self-control by keeping his hands, feet, and body to himself with 2 or fewer
prompts.” The students will get a star or an X depending on success of reaching the goals for
each class. If the students get enough stars, they get a sticker to put on their chart located on the
bulletin board in the front of the classroom. The students work toward getting three stickers in a
row for a reward from Miss Robert’s treasure chest. The behavior chart is also sent home with
written comments and summary of the day from the teacher to explain any events. The paper is
signed by the parent and sent back to school the next day. By sending home a behavior progress
report parents are able to reinforce the goals and behaviors at home. Teachers and parents are
also able to collaborate on making behaviors goals that are most important. Miss Roberts has
implemented a negative reinforcement by giving each student a neon colored plastic shot glass
with bingo chips inside. During instructional lessons, Miss Roberts can take away a student's
chips and put them in her shot glass if they are distracted or are in non-compliance to her
instruction. This relieves Miss Roberts from constantly verbalizing their misbehaviors and allow
the students to self-correct. Lastly, Miss Roberts implemented a positive reinforcement plan that
includes a Hole Punch card for each student. The student must earn 10 hole punches to play with
the new toys during their brain break at the end of the day. Her goal is to save the extra fun
materials like playdough, markers, moon sand, and toy cars as a special reward the students must
earn at a reward to play with at the end of each day. Miss Roberts implemented this plan to
reduce the amount of time the students spend playing with the toys she has. The students are able
to earn punches but cannot lose them so this is to be an encouraging reinforcement.
Individual progress is shared and celebrated between the teacher and the individual
student. The teacher calls each student to her desk at the end of the day to discuss their behavior
throughout the day. If the student had a good day, the student will celebrate by pasting a sticker
on their chart. The student is rewarded after earning 10 or more punches by the end of each day.
They get to celebrate their punches by playing with the special toys. The student are also able to
celebrate after three consistent days of good behavior by choosing a reward from the treasure
chest.
Student engagement is about the nature of the work and who does it. Some ways I
encourage my students to be active participants is by listening to the other students answer
questions in small groups. Students should not only be waiting to be called on to answer
questions. Rather, the students should be thinking about the answer in their head and listening to
see if their classmate is right and for the correct answer given by the teacher. Secondly, to
encourage students to be active participants is to by saying daily rules before instruction. The
students say rules such as “Participate, Eyes Watching, and Ears Listening” to establish the
expectations they have as students. By reading these rules daily, the students are able to
remember what behavior is expected from them. The students read these rules in unison so they
are all responsible for following these expectations.

Reflection 3 Due 02/07/23

● Describe the process you use as you plan your daily lessons.
● What strategies do you use to check students' misconceptions as you begin the study
of a new concept?
● How do you adapt instructions for those students who need extra time and
alternative strategies to master a concept?
● What enrichment is available for those who have mastered the concept you are
teaching?
● How are you utilizing technology in your classroom?

To plan my daily lesson, I use the Geneva lesson plan format. I begin filling out the first
blocks: name, date I plan to teach that lesson, lesson start and end time, academic area, and grade
level. Then, I choose standards from PA common core and create objectives that tie into the
standard. Lastly, I create lesson activities that will accomplish that objective and support student
growth. The part that takes the most time is creating and planning activities. To do so, I will
research ideas to create my own, look at subject and grade curriculum provided by the school,
and use resources from other teachers. When planning the sequence of activities, I always choose
to hit on the foundations first. For example, I choose to review phonemic awareness including
letter and letter sound and sight word recognition for ELA first then go into more complex
standards including rhyming, syllables, letter teams, and other skills that fall under the umbrella
of phonological awareness. I like to include essential questions, time duration, assessments, and
instructions for each activity listed in my lesson plan under the Lesson Presentation section
labeled sequence of activities. I separate each activity in a different column for organization.
Lastly, I list all of the materials needed for the lesson in order for when I need them. I will use
bold text, dashes, bullets, or asterisks to create organized and personalized notes and will
sometimes include a key if I know others will reference these notes.
To check for student’s misconceptions as I begin the study of a new concept I ask
essential questions. For example, today I asked students these two questions “Why is it important
that we read?” and “What words start with qu?” Students gave me the answers “to learn” and
“king”, respectively. The students were confused that king started with /k/ and not /qu/. Asking
essential questions before I begin a lesson is a good way to gauge the students misconceptions or
strengths and weaknesses.
I adapt instructions for those students who need extra time and alternate strategies by
scaffolding their development in the new skills or concept. For example, a student who does not
know the letter h make the /h/ sound, I may ask what sound does the word hat begin with.
Secondly, I use to help students who need extra time or can use help from adaptations to
instruction is use of visuals. I will use visuals to help students picture the answer. Lastly, I like to
give the students the option to phone a friend. If a student does not seem to know the answer, I
encourage them to ask their friend so they build relationships and trust in the classroom and the
helper can model the correct answer.
Enrichment activities I have implemented in my lesson plans for students who have
mastered the concepts include increased difficulty in letter teams and word recognition. I provide
students who are more proficient in certain skills with advanced and challenging words to decode
and practice spelling. For example, I had Mason write the word “shine” while the other students
were writing the words “zero” and “stop.” Shine is a word that has two letter teams. Letter team
sh, and the magic e rule.
I am utilizing technology in my classroom by creating appealing flashcards, google
slides, games, and hand held white boards. Today, I had all of the students use a white board to
write the letter that made the “_____” sound. The students were able to practice phonological
awareness while having so much fun using the white boards. Using multiple means of
technology allows students to stay actively engaged in the instruction and stay excited about the
learning process.

Reflection 4 Due 02/14/23

● After you look at the standards you are teaching toward, how do you determine the
goals you will set for your students?
● What connections have you made to the Pennsylvania Department of Education
(PDE) Standards Aligned System (SAS) website for updates that support your
practice?
● Before you design your instruction, do you consider what you want the students to
know and how will you assess it? Explain your process.
● How do you use data to guide your planning and instruction?

After I look at the standards I am teaching toward, I determine the goals I set for my
students. I determine the goals by getting an overview the students skills and where their ability
level is currently. For example, I used the Social Skills standard, 16.2 1.B Recognize and tolerate
the uniqueness of all people in all situations, to teach uniqueness of each student. I created a
lesson plan by recognizing the specific need for the class I was teaching. Then, I choose what I
want the student to learn or the objective of the lesson. In this case, I wanted my student to
understand what unique means and what makes each of them unique. Finally, I chose the
appropriate lesson activities and materials including books and craft supplies.
I have made many connections I to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE)
Standards Aligned System (SAS) website to support my practice. First of all, I use this website to
find common core standards. Secondly, I will sometimes get ideas for lesson plan activities from
the website. Lastly, I use the PDESAS website to research the expectations for each grade. For
example, I use the website as a map to understand what my student should already know from
the grades before, what they should be learning in their current grade and what they should know
by the end of the school year to be ready for the following grade.
Before I design my instruction, I always consider what I want my students to know and how I
will assess it. For example, I want my students to know that the e at the end of the word, we call
the “sneaky e” or the “magic e”, makes the vowel before it same it’s name. In order to assess
their grasp on this rule, I like to create games or a lot of the time I use formal assessment. One
game I create was with a spinner and flashcards. The student would spin the spinner and the
arrow could land on short i, long i, short e, long e, and so on. Once the student spins, they must
find a word with that sound on the flashcards laid on in front of them. This game is easily
differentiated. Based on the student’s skill you may decrease the amount of options the student
has to pick from. If the student chooses the word with the correct vowel sound 80% of time, I
can consider it mastery. Since I am teaching a learning support classroom, I can consider 8-%
mastery for the students. Although, I will often reteach and review the same skills to assure the
student stay proficient overtime.
I use data to guide my planning and instruction. First, when I create lesson plans, I like to
plan for the week but I know I will also need extra time for review and reteaching skills that
were not learned. Consequently, I often plan a weeks of instruction which comes out to about
two weeks in the end. That being said, I end up adding supplemental activities to my written
lesson plans for reinforcement. This proves, that as I teach and collect data my lesson planning
and instruction is modified and altered to their needs.

Reflection 5 Due 02/21/23

● Tell me about your greatest challenges with your students and the strategies you are
using to meet those challenges.
● What resources have you investigated to support your efforts?
● What alternatives are available for students who need extra support and time to
meet the instructional goals and for those who may have already mastered them?
● In your planning, how do you determine groups of students who will work together
cooperatively?

The greatest challenge with my students is non-compliance. In order to distinguish the

noncompliant behaviors, I employ multiple behavior management strategies. For example, I use
a warning system to redirect students off-task behavior and reduce teacher prompting. If I have
to ask the student to stay on task more than once, I may give out a warning. To support the
efforts of increasing the positive behavior we ask all the teachers of those students with
emotional support to use the warning system in order to help generalize the positive behavior.
This implies that the other general education teachers and paraprofessionals use the behavior
charts to support our efforts in reinforcing positive behaviors.
There are alternatives available for students who need extra support and time to meet the
instructions goals and for those who have already mastered them. Going further in depth of the
behavior chart mentioned last paragraph, each student’s behavior chart is customized for that
particular student. Each students behavior chart has 2-3 behavioral goals. These behaviors may
include off-task, defiance, and _____. The warning system is used to correct each students
specified behavioral goals. Furthermore, the behavior charts are differentiated by amount of
years in the Emotional Support classroom. For example, a student in 2nd grade with more than
one year in the Emotional Support classroom and has been familiar with the behavior charts
longer gets one warning whereas a student who is in kindergarten for the first year in an
emotional support classroom may get up to three warnings before they receive an X for that
class. Depending on the situation, a student may have extra support form an additional behavior
chart. For example, a student in kindergarten who has melt downs throughout the time I have
student taught was given an alternative behavior chart that is increasingly interactive. This
student has a chart that has velcro stars and each class he gets to put a physical star on his chart.
This simple yet attractive alteration in the behavior chart increases Sebastian’s participation in
self-regulating his behaviors.
On the topic of instruction goals, students who need extra support are given additional
one-to-one or small-group instruction. One real life example is in the math class that I teach. I
teach 5 students math in two small groups. Group One including 2 kindergarteners and a 1st
grader. Group Two including one first grader, who was held back, and one second grader. Since I
took over teaching math, I have had the first grader in Group One stay for the instruction in
Group Two as well. The student does not seem to mind the extra work. Rather, he has benefited
from being in both groups. Besides the differentiating I explicitly list in my lesson plans, I am
able to use students who have already mastered such instructional goals as tutors and teacher
assistants. My only seconds grader is a little further ahead so I often use him as a leader and role
model for my other students. This gives Mason more responsibility and he is able to build
confidence in his skills from teaching other students.
I do not need to do much planning to determine groups of students who will work
together cooperatively because my groups are so small. When it comes to social skills class, I
like to do turn and talk activities. So far my turn and talk strategy seems to be unfamiliar and my
students are still getting used to it. Reminder, this is a social skills class and I purposefully use
the turn and talk strategy to increase student’s social skills. One thing I will avoid is grouping
two students who are constantly getting off of task specifically with each other as the cause. This
does not take much planning or effort. Rather a basic understanding of my students and
understanding what they can and cannot handle.

Reflection 6 Due 02/28/23

As the designer of your classroom instruction, how do you plan to meet the needs and
interests of all of your students to give them varied experience and keep them engaged and
motivated to learn?
● Explain how you clarify expectations for students by using:
○ Exemplary student work
 ○ Rubrics
○ Explicit directions
○ Modeling
○ Student repetition of details
● Share some ways you provide students with timely feedback on their learning and
give them opportunities for improvement.

As the designer of my classroom of my classroom instruction, I plan to meet the needs

and interests of all of my students to give them varied experience and keep them engaged and
motivated to learn by creating engaging lesson activities. When creating classroom instruction, I
rotate between or combine learning styles such as visual, kinesthetic, aural, and social to
accommodate different learners. These activities include making games such as scavenger hunts
that involve movement around the room or partner work that increases social skills and active
engagement. For example, this week I planned a lesson for my Social Skills class targeting
sharing. The students listened and viewed the pictures to the book “Rainbow Fish.” Next, the
students were directed to complete a worksheet asking “I like to share... When I share I feel...” I
accommodated my students in kindergarten who are not able to think as abstract by creating a
sheet with visual choices to fill in the blank. Finally, the students colored a picture of their own
Rainbow Fish. This is one example of how I incorporated visual, aural, and kinesthetic learning
styles in one lesson plan.
I clarify expectations for students by using exemplary student work, rubrics, explicit
directions, modeling, and repetition of details. First, I use exemplary student work if I find a
student’s work to be outstanding. I may take time to stop the class and point out one student’s
work or I may even keep the students work for future reference when I teach the lesson next. By
keeping a portfolio of student’s past work, I am able to show the future students the expectations
I have for them. The current class will look at past work from students of the same grade level to
gauge the potential work they can produce. Secondly, I use rubrics coupled with explicit
directions to set expectations. By giving the students physical rubrics and verbalizing the
directions the students are not able to say they don’t know what to do. To accommodate students
who cannot read, the teacher can create a rubric or checklist with pictures representing different
steps or expectations the teacher has for the students who complete the assignment. Thirdly,
modeling the work myself gives the students the best idea of what the teacher is asking.
Although, using a teacher model may get the teacher the most accurate results in terms of
completing the assignment it may consequently affect the creativity from each student. Lastly, to
assure student’s clarity of expectations the teacher may use student repetition of details. The
teacher may get into the routine of giving the same or similar three directions, “Get your tool
box, write your name, and park your pencil.” This direction may take time to learn but once the
student’s understand they become familiar and the expectation for the student becomes clear.
Some ways I provide students with timely feedback on their learning is by assessing the
student immediately after the assignment. For my K-2 emotional support classroom, this is
important because their attention does not last as long. By giving immediate feedback to these
students, they are able to make corrections from that point on. Without that immediate feedback
the student may not make the connection between the work they did a few days ago. For
example, in ELA when my students write in their journals, I give them feedback as they
complete their writing or shortly after. The students are given the feedback in time to make
corrections for the rest of the writing or the next time they write. When it comes to giving
students opportunities for improvement, I am very generous with time limits and redos. My
students who need emotional support can have unexpected moods. If the students does not work
on it during the given time in class they are given the opportunity to complete it during recess or
their brain breaks. I realize all of my students work at different paces and to accommodate each
individual, I will assign additional work or extend time limits.

Reflection 7 Due 03/03/23

(For one placement, this will be answered based on what you have done.)
● What rituals and routines have you encouraged in your classroom to set a tone of
respectful behavior? How do you encourage your students to share roles and
responsibilities with non instructional routines for efficient classroom operation?
● How is your classroom organized to accommodate:
○ Students with special needs
○ Cooperative learning
○ Appropriate use of technology
○ Teacher-student conferences
○ Safety and movement
Since I started at Primary Patterson, I have implemented a classroom behavior chart. This ritual
allows me to set boundaries and student expectations off the bat with my students. By
implementing this behavior management system I have created a great foundation for classroom
management. This routine encourages a tone of respectful behavior in my classroom.
I encourage my students to share roles and responsibilities with non-instructional routines for
efficient classroom operation. One way I do this is by electing one student classroom helper each
day. This student is chosen to lead the class in pledge, calendar, taking notes to the office, and
leading the line during transit to lunch, bathroom breaks, and specials. My keeping a classroom
helper each day, the student learn classroom responsibilities.
My classroom is organized to accommodate students with special needs through planning and
implementing differentiated lesson plans. Additionally, assessments are given with
accommodations for students with special needs. For example, during math assessments, I may
work with a group of students who need more time or directions read to them aloud in order to
answer the questions successfully.
My classroom is organized to accommodate cooperative learning. The classroom is set up so the
students’ desks create tables of 4-5. Secondly, the students are often working in small groups or
partners to complete reading or assignments. Cooperative learning is essential in all of my lesson
plans whether it is a turn and talk or it is a whole activity in partners.
My classroom is organized to accommodate appropriate use of technology. Technology is
advancing every day. I believe it is important for students to understand how to use technology
responsibly so I try to incorporate technology as much as I can. Besides using the Promethean
white board for whole classroom instruction, I like to find creative and engaging activities for
students to use independently or in partners. This week students create Flipgrid videos of them
reading sentences with weekly sight words written by other classmates. This app allows students
to edit using filters and gifs. It is a fun activity while also being productive.
My classroom is organized to accommodate teacher-student conferences. At the end of each day,
the teacher initials each student’s agenda. The agenda is set up so that the teacher will initial on
one of four emoji faces. Each face has a different meaning, blue for exceptional, green for great,
yellow for ok, and red for terrible. The teacher will discuss the reason for her decision. Secondly,
any student who had to owe time at recess talks with the teacher before resuming play.
Throughout the day there are many other miscellaneous times the teacher will talk one-to-one
with the student.
My classroom is organized to accommodate safety and movement. The classroom is organized
so that it is not to cluttered. Although, with 26 students in one classroom it can become tricky
and slightly hazardous. For example, each student has a book box that stays besides their desk
while they read. This can become an issue for students walking between clusters of desks.
Fortunately, there has been no serious accidents and as ling of students are cautious of their steps
and have managed to navigate through the room safely.

Reflection 8 Due 03/21/23

● What is the most persistent behavior problem in your classroom? What are
your current solutions?
● How is individual progress shared and/or celebrated with students?
● Student engagement is about the nature of the work and who does it. In
what ways do you encourage your students to be active participants?
The most persistent behavior in my classroom is talking. My current solution is enforcing
the behavior management system. I have implemented a classroom management system, BINGO
chart. Each day the students are able to earn up to five 5 popsicle sticks. If they have an
exceptional day, they could earn more popsicle sticks. On the other hand, if they are not
behaving, I will take away one of their popsicle sticks. The students pull popsicle sticks with
number 1-100. Once they pull ten numbers in a row (they get “BINGO”) they win their reward.
Since the behavior I am targeting is a group act, the chart is working well.
Students celebrate after each day when they pull the sticks. This is one of the classroom
helpers job, to pull the sticks. The classroom is motivated by earning sticks. Currently, the
students are working toward earning a lunch with the student teacher, otherwise known as Miss
Riggle. If an individual student is acting out, Mrs. Terry still has a stop light chart in place.
Students move their popsicle stick if they are not behaving after a warning and they risk losing
recess.
 Student engagement is about the nature of the work and who does it. I encourage my
students to be active participants in all of the lessons and activities during the day. One thing I
remember is “They won't be interested if you're not.” This means if I, as the teacher, as my
interested in my lesson plans, activity, or books the class is reading, neither will the students be!
I love creating lesson plans that I think will be fun and that so happens to be very engaging to the
students in my class. I also take surveys after I try something new. I ask my students, “Do you
like that activity?” and “Would you want to do that again?” This way I get to know my student
better and can make my lesson plans to target their interests.

Reflection 9 Due 03/28/23

● Describe the process you use as you plan your daily lessons.
● What strategies do you use to check students' misconceptions as you begin the study
of a new concept?
● How do you adapt instruction for those students who need extra time and
alternative strategies to master a concept?
● What enrichment is available for those who have mastered the concept you are
teaching?
● How are you utilizing technology in your classroom?
The process I use as I plan my daily lessons includes writing objectives based on the common
core standards. Then coming up with a fun activity to achieve these objectives. As I begin the
study of a new concept I use informal pre-testing, typically through classroom discussion to
analyze my students strengths and weaknesses. To adapt instruction for those students who need
extra time and alternative strategies to master a concept, I will reteach the subject or provide
supplemental activities. Furthermore, I find a way to integrate what we are learning in other
subject areas. For example today, I made a connection to the reading assignment when we were
practicing spelling. Students read a book “A Bird Named Fern.” This week one of their spelling
words is also fern. By making this connection students will be able to recall their spelling word is
the same as the name of the bird and the title of the book. Enrichment is available for those who
have mastered the concept I am teaching. I like to have something for students to complete when
they finish before the rest of the class. For example this week I assigned a writing project that
required each student to write compliments on eggs for the other students at the small tables.
Two students were absent this day so I assigned the students who finished first to write and
design one egg for the missing two students. This meant that the first six students finished would
be writing an additional sentence or adjective to complete the activity. When I plan my daily
lessons, I like to incorporate technology. First, I find technology can be super engaging and
motivating for students. Second, technology is great way to help students visualize concepts. A
few ways I have utilized technology in my second placement of student teaching is assigning
student to create a Flipgrid and creating and implementing a game of Jeopardy to study
vocabulary and sight words. These fun activities had students practicing reading, writing, and
vocabulary skills.
Reflection 10 Due 04/11/23
● After you look at the standards you are teaching toward, how do you determine the
goals you will set for your students?
● What connections have you made to the Pennsylvania Department of Education
(PDE) Standards Aligned System (SAS) website for updates that support your
practice?
● Before you design your instruction, do you consider what you want the students to
know and how will you assess it? Explain your process.
● How do you use data to guide your planning and instruction?
After I look at the standards I am teaching toward, I determine the goals I will set for my
students. I create the goals by choosing specific skills from the standard. For example, when I
teach spelling I use Standard - CC.1.1.1.C,
Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). • Distinguish
long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words. • Count, pronounce, blend, and
segment syllables in spoken and written words. • Orally produce single-syllable words, including
consonant blends and digraphs. • Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds
(phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words. • Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in
one-syllable words to make new words.
Once I have chosen the standard, I will select specific skills I will focus on teaching and assess
each day. For example, I have chosen to specifically focus on counting and segmenting syllables
in spoken and written words. The goal would be worded as followed, TSWBAT count and
segment syllabled in spoken and written words. Then, I would tach that skill and finally my
assessment would test that skill.
I have made connections to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Standards
Aligned System (SAS) website for updates that support my practice. First, over the last four
years, I have become much more efficient at navigating the PDESAS website. Next, I use the
standards and resources on this website to guide my instruction and sometime glean ideas from
lesson plans that are available. I am aware of how important the PDESAS website or any SAS
website is for the country’s teaching profession. The PDESAS provides the public with an
outline of what is expected from each student at a specific grade level. Students are then assessed
on meeting these expectations though standardized tests. This is because the purpose of the
common core is to provide students with a fair and beneficial education that will prepare them
for most jobs available. That is why I make connections between my practice and the PDESAS.
Before I design my instruction, I consider what I want the students to know and how I will assess
it. First, I list a standard and create objectives that connect to that standard. Then, I design a fun
and engaging activity to help students achieve these objectives and increase their skills. Finally, I
assess the students with a variety of assessments. For example, sometimes the assessment may be
oral, written, or created like a model or poster. The assessment will always be used to assess the
skill that was targeted.
I use data to guide my planning and instruction. By analyzing the progress of each student I am
able to plan instruction that is most beneficial to each student. It is important to keep a progress
monitoring record to see the progress each student is making. Quantitative data is especially
important because numbers do not lie. For example, when a student reads, you may keep track of
words per minute along with Lexile level. Additionally, in math you may keep record of the
number of questions a student's gets correct in one topic area. For example, when I teach my
students ratios I like to give them three questions then I will assess how many questions they
answer correctly. The goal is might be to have three out of three, three consecutive times before
you record the student has mastered the concept. Using quantitative data is the key to your
progress monitoring. In summary, I will use my data to guide whether or not my student has
mastered a skill or needs to review the concept further.

Reflection 11 Due 04/18/23

● Tell me about your greatest challenges with your students and the strategies you are
using to meet those challenges.
● What resources have you investigated to support your efforts?
● What alternatives are available for students who need extra support and time to
meet the instructional goals and for those who may have already mastered them?
● In your planning, how do you determine groups of students who will work together
cooperatively?
The greatest challenges I face with my students is talking and acting out for attention. In
my eyes, this is one of those answers to the interview, “What your biggest weakness?” If your
answer is talking, it's probable you're going to get the job. Here’s why, talking is a result of well-
developed social skills. This is exactly what I want in my classroom... most of the time. The
strategies I use to meet the challenges of students talking out, is to acknowledge the benefits of
good conversations and designate an appropriate time to do so and then designate some more. I
have students working in small groups, partners or as a whole class the majority of my teaching.
Students should be able to learn next to their peers and learn how to work on a team. While I
give plenty of time to talking, there are still times I need it to be silent to give instruction, when I
assign independent work, when students are being assessed, or we are walking in the hall. This is
why I have implemented a classroom behavior chart to motivate students to be respectful of the
classroom environment that the teacher sets the tone for. The students are not deprived of
socializing and they are also motivated to stay quiet in light of the reward system.
The resources I have investigated to support my efforts include my cooperative teachers
and their real life experiences. During my field experience at Seneca Valley, my cooperative
teacher, Kayle Hixon, utilized the same chart and I witnessed firsthand the engagement and
motivation from her fourth grade class.
Alternatives that are available for students who need extra support and time to meet the
instructional goals and for those who may have already mastered them include an individualized
behavior chart. I have witnessed other teachers use these charts. They all are a little different and
customized to preferences and age/development of each student. For example, during my student
teaching at Northside Elementary in the emotional support K-2 classroom, Mrs. Roberts had
implemented a Mario themed behavior chart. Each class or subject during the day he was well-
behave he earned a star to velcro to his chart. By the end of the day if he earned all of his stars
(minus one was the allowance), he was given a sticker. This chart worked for a student in
Kindergarten. For a student in a fourth grade level the rewards might be different depending the
student’s preferences and the chart would be simplified. At that point the student would be using
a self-managed behavior plan.
In my planning I determine groups of students that will work together cooperatively. As
the classroom is set up right now, students are placed in small tables based on similar skill level.
The classroom is set up so that the students who struggle are in the front and the students who
have more strengths staying on task and accomplishing the assignment correctly are in the back.
So when I plan for partner work or groups of students, I may have the students work with their
small groups. While I oversee the entire class, I tend to stay closer to the three groups in the
front. Other times, I may partner one student from the front and one from the back. This way, I
can trust my students in the back be responsible to stay on task and model for the students who
may struggle with these skills. Finally, when I call reading groups, I read with a group of about 5
who are on the same reading level.

Reflection 12 Due 04/25/23

As the designer of your classroom instruction, how do you plan to meet the needs and
interests of all of your students to give them varied experience and keep them engaged and
motivated to learn?
● Explain how you clarify expectations for students by using:
○ Exemplary student work
○ Rubrics
○ Explicit directions
○ Modeling
○ Student repetition of details
● Share some ways you provide students with timely feedback on their learning and
give them opportunities for improvement.
As the designer of the classroom instruction, I plan to meet the needs and interests of all of my
students to give them varied experience and keep them engaged and motivated to learn. I do so
by first knowing the interests of my students by asking questions about them and seeing what
they are into. Once I know what interests my students, I use this information to create lesson
plans that will be fun and engaging to students. For example, during inside recess my students
love to play this game on their iPad that allow them to create their own games, similar to Mario
Maker on Nintendo Switch. The students spend their time creating and designing their own
levels and then challenge their classmates to complete their level. After I knew this, I was
convinced creating games for this class is the perfect way to engage students in learning. The
students love friendly competition and combined with technology is a win for everyone. I have
implented Nearpods and Jeopardy so far in my student teaching. Additionally, my first graders
are the more artistic kiddos. They love to color and craft so that is something we do quite often
and it's a good thing because some of them are still learning to cut on the black line!
To clarify expectations for students I model how to appropriately answer and play each game or
what a finished product should look like. I also create my own product so the student know what
to expect and can imagine their own. For example, the students created easter egg baskets with
egg compliments and I had completed my own prior to the class to model for the students. Along
with my model, I will hold up students work as we complete the activity to show the students
some unique ideas or correct presentations in the making. During writing, I provide a checklist.
The checklist lists everything needed in a complete sentence including a capital letter, a
punctation mark, and finger spaces. The students can use this checklist as a rubric or reference to
assure they are completing the assignment correctly. Lastly, providing explicit directions and of
course repetition of details and explicit directions.
Some ways I provide students with timely feedback on their learning and give them opportunities
for improvement include instant or immediate feedback and grading quizzes or assignments
within the week. By giving instant feedback, students are able to make corrections immediately
in real time. Second by grading assignments within a week, the student are able to apply those
corrections more timely. If you wait too long, you risk the students forgetting the skill and not
being able to apply the corrections. I provide my students with timely feedback every day. Every
day my student have morning work. It is a routine, I will go around to each student and check
their work. Second, student would complete timed math facts each day of addition families.
After they completed the math facts, I would grade them so they would either move on to the
next addition family or they would have ot repeat this one they were on. If I did not grade those
papers, they would not be excelling through their addition properly.