Lesson Week Reflection

Jalynn Nicholas

Section 1:

ELA:

How I would use these results:

I would use these results to inform my planning for the next day. I can review the number

of students who got only one or no key details correct to figure out the next steps. Out of twenty-

one students, only five got one or no key details out of the book that was read during class. I

would be able to place the students into groups based on their scores to help them get extra

assistance and go over the topic again with the small group of students who did not understand

key details.

Small group learning allows students to improve their academic achievement and many

other things. “Students are better at solving problems and develop a deeper understanding of the
material when working in groups” (Harvard Kennedy School). Using the knowledge from the

graph, I would be able to place students into groups according to how much extra help is needed

to get these students to where they need to be. The students in the lower group would need to be

retaught in the small group to enhance their understanding and comprehension of key details.

Students in the other groups would be able to practice their skills to assist their comprehension of

the topic and grow their knowledge.

Did I expect these results:

I did expect these results. Most of the students were having a good day academically and

were engaged in the lesson. The students mostly understood what key details were from previous

lessons where they learned a little bit about them. They were able to use their prior knowledge

plus this lesson to understand what they needed to look for and write down. The five students

who did not understand are students who have difficulty with reading and writing. They are not

able to verbalize or write down their thoughts as well as the others inside the classroom.

These results were better than I expected but I did expect something like them. The

students do well learning about new topics in ELA but will have more difficulties in other

content areas. The results did surprise me when looking over the student’s answers since some of

the students did not seem to be paying attention to the book while it was being read. Since this

was the first full lesson I taught to the students, I was not sure about how they would react to me

teaching instead of my mentor teacher. They seemed to enjoy it and liked that I switched up their

normal learning. Since it was a new change for the students, they were interested in what I was

teaching. The students did well with this assessment and wanted to learn more. The students

wanted to try another one but did not have time to read another book and complete another

graphic organizer.
Social Studies:

How I would use these results:

The light blue shows how many pictures out of twenty-one they were able to sort

correctly. The purple is how many students in the group out of three participated with their

group. I would use these results to show that the students were able to recycle the pictures into

their correct places fairly well. Only a few groups were not able to complete the entirety of the

assessment as a group. Whether they got confused or they gave up I am not completely sure. The

standard was about working towards common goals in the community which we did a topic on

recycling. For the most part, the students all worked well in their groups besides 2 students in

different groups who did not participate fully. Those students became distracted and did not want

to help the group complete the assessment.

I would use these results in order to pick new groups for different lessons. These students

did work well together in their groups but they should not always stay together. The students will

need to work with different peers inside the classroom so that everyone has a chance to work
with other people. I can also use this data to see which students should not work with each other

since they get distracted easily. The students enjoy sorting things into groups and it helps them in

many ways. In other lessons, I could add more sorting for the students. “Learners need to be able

to recall, identify, compare, reorder, extend, see relations, explain…. In order to sort

things/objects/etc.” (Inquiry Into Learning, 2018). Students use many different things to sort.

They are important for students to learn and understand.

Did I expect these results:

I did expect these results. This is because the students love to do sorts. They can think

about what they are sorting and use the pictures to place them into the correct categories. The

students were engaged in the lesson and love to do group work. Working in groups is one of their

favorite things to do in class. Placing them in groups was easy since most of the students get

along with each other and will not have any problems. There are a few students who struggle

with working in groups and try to do it on their own but are reminded that they need to work

together to help the community. The students then began to work with their groups to complete

the sorting assessment. The assessment was about how they worked in groups to accomplish a

common goal, which happened to be recycling.

I expected that the students would work well in groups in order to complete the

assessment. While observing the students in their groups, I saw the students keeping each other

accountable and on track during the assessment. The students worked together to complete the

assessment, each taking turns to do a part. I was surprised to see how well the students kept each

other on track throughout the lesson and the assessment. Normally when the students are in

groups, they become off trace and start talking but during this lesson, they worked well with each

other and took responsibility.

Math:

How I would use these results:

This graph shows the number of students who know their tens and ones, how many got

all the answers correct, and how many know the difference between tens and ones. For this

assessment, the students took turns on the computers in the room to take the assessment online.

For this assessment, the students had to learn about place value using ten and one blocks. The

students had to count the number of blocks to find the numbers. I was able to go back through to

see how many the students got correct and see what they did wrong. The online assessment

totaled up their score at the end. Based on the scores there are many things I can do with the

results.

Using these results, I know that the students understand tens and ones and know the

difference. Based on the results I know that they can use the blocks to count the numbers but if

they have the number, they struggle to make the correct number with the blocks. That means I

need to work with the students using manipulatives and giving them numbers to make out with
the manipulatives. Using manipulatives helps students have a hands-on experience that allows

them to expand their knowledge. “Manipulatives help children understand and remember new

concepts because they serve as analogies; the things manipulated are symbols for the new, to-be-

understood idea” (Willingham, 2023). I can also use the results by doing small group activities

for the students who did not get all the answers correct or do not understand the difference

between the two.

Did I expect these results:

I did not expect these results, the students have been struggling with place value and have

not been able to understand. The students have been learning about place value in their scripted

program. I did expect some of the students to do well but not as many. I knew that the students

were working on place value in different ways. The students love computers so I figured that

using an online website might work out well with them. They were able to manipulate the blocks

using the computer mouse to get the correct amount. Since there are only a few computers in the

classroom, the students had to take turns taking this assessment.

I did expect that the students would know their tens and ones and be able to complete that

part of the assessment. The students have been doing well knowing that part but I think they get

confused when they only have the number in front of them and have to determine how many tens

and ones they need. They either added one too many or not enough. I do not think that they were

double-checking their work before moving on to the next question. I expected that the students

would enjoy using the computers to complete an assessment since they do not use them very

often for class. Being able to use the computers is always fun to the students and it also helps

them work on their computer skills they will need later on in school. The students have been

working with computers to work on their skills so this also allowed them to get more practice.
Science:

How I would use these results:

This assessment was about the basic needs of plants and animals. After learning the

difference between living and non-living things, the students learned about all of the basic needs

that living things have. The students learned that the basic needs may be different between the

different kinds of living things. The students had to place the needs into either the plants or

animals categories on the chart. The students also had to figure out which needs both plants and

animals have. The result of this assessment shows that there needs to be a small review of the

topic before moving on to the next lesson.

I would use these results by going back over the different basic needs of living things.

The students did relatively well with this assessment but still seem to need a review of the basic

needs. I would also go back over that different living things have different needs. There are

different needs that different living things have and being able to differentiate between them is

important. Since we will be learning how weather can affect living things soon, it was important

for the students to understand the basic needs. The students will also be learning about how the
seasons can influence living things. Seeing that the students did well with the animal and plant

needs on their own but need more help with both category, I will mostly review the needs that

they both have.

Did I expect these results:

I did expect these results. The students were engaged in the lesson and loved deciding

whether the images were of living or non-living things. They were engaged in the video at the

beginning of the lesson while it discussed the basic needs of living things. During the discussion

as a class, the students were able to tell the different basic needs and explain why they were

needed. There was only a small discussion about how some needs are universal for living things

so it is understandable why the students were confused about that aspect of the assessment.

While all of the needs were talked about for each plant and animal, I think that the students got

confused about how the assessment was formatted. Since it was a Venn diagram, the students

seemed to not fully understand how they were supposed to add the images of the needs into the

different categories.

I did not expect that the students would struggle with placing them all in the right places.

Since there was a discussion and assignment before the assessment, I felt like the students were

prepared for the assessment. While some of the students were distracted throughout the lesson

and seemed not to be paying attention, they still did decent for this assessment. I also did not

expect there to be students who stopped doing the assessment or just placed the pictures

anywhere on the assessment page. I could tell some of the students were becoming bored and did

not want to finish the assessment, even after they seemed so engaged in the lesson at the

beginning. This assessment was basic and did not have many steps to it other than cutting and

pasting the pictures onto the page.

Section 2:

When giving feedback to the two students and the whole class, I feel like it effectively

gave them insight into their learning. This is because it went along with what we were learning

about and the students were able to understand what they got wrong and what they did right. The

students were able to learn about what they needed more practice with in each specific content

area. I feel like the feedback I gave effectively helped them with what they did right for each

assessment and what they still needed to work on. This is because the students were able to work

on the skills they needed the next few days and were able to work on it independently and with

other lessons from my mentor teacher.

As a class, I feel like the students were able to gain a deeper understanding of what the

students needed as a whole. The students were not being called out for their mistakes but were

talked to as a group. The students were able to hear about what they did good on and what they

needed more help with. The students were able to help each other out with different things that

some needed a better understanding of. There were discussions that the students were able to

input their feelings as well. The students could speak out about what they felt they needed more

help understanding and what they understood.

For the two students, I gave them feedback based on the way they liked. The students

were all given verbal feedback but also written feedback. For the two students, I was able to

pinpoint to them what they needed to work on and what they were doing well. The students liked

that I was able to explain what they needed and listened to what the feedback from me said. They

worked on what they needed to based on the feedback. I feel like the feedback I provided gave

them the information they needed to work on the content they were learning. When we went

back over the different things that were learned, I could tell the students were working hard.
Section 3:

For each assessment, I gave verbal feedback to the whole class, but I also provided

written feedback. The students were able to have written feedback on the different scoring guides

for each assessment that the students kept in their stay-at-school folder in their desks. Most of the

scoring guides were self-assessments for the students so they were able to assess themselves of

their work. The students were able to keep their self-assessments as well. For ELA, I plan to

print out a key details guide for each student that they keep on their desk whenever they need

help or to look back on it for the next lesson. There are different charts around the room about

different topics so those are a way to help the students remember as well. The students can look

back on their work and their feedback when needed for each content and also look at the posters

and charts around the classroom in order to help them remember key points of each lesson. Some

other concrete ways I can help remind them of feedback is by giving hand-outs for the students

to keep in their folders about the different lessons from each content and explaining the

important details they need to remember.

Some teaching strategies I will incorporate are having group or small group discussions

about each topic where the students can put their input on what they need more help with and the

students can discuss ways to help each other. I can also model as I teach; I can model the

different behaviors and actions that are needed from the students during the lesson. I can show

the students that it is okay to make mistakes by making some and asking the students what I did

wrong and having them come up to the board to help correct my mistakes. By making my own

mistakes, I can model for the students that it is okay to make mistakes while learning. I can have

class discussions with the class about what more they need from the lesson and ask them about

what they are confused about before moving on so I can add more learning in those places.
Section 4:

I have learned many things about assessments and feedback related to teaching and

learning from this preclinical experience so far. Assessments are meant to measure learning in

order to provide feedback. It is a gathering of data to inform instructional actions by determining

students’ accomplishments (Possibilities for Learning). Assessments are used to see how much

knowledge is comprehended by the students and what more needs to be taught or reviewed

before moving on. Feedback is based on the student’s performance on different content and

criteria for a lesson. Feedback is more effective when it is provided immediately instead of days

after (Woolf, 2020). I learned that it is better to give students feedback right after the lesson or

assessment so the students can see what they did right and wrong while the information is fresh

in their minds. Giving assessments allows me to see what I need to work on as an educator and

what ways I can help my students learn better.

I also learned about differentiated assessments and feedback. “Differentiated

assessment is the way by which teachers modify and match assessment with the varied

characteristics/profiles of students in order to meet the students’ individual needs, thereby

enhancing their learning and boosting their ability to show what they have learned” (Daizeabdao,

2015). Educators use differentiated assessments to match to varying learning needs of students

inside the classroom. It is important to differentiate content so students with learning needs are

still able to retain and understand the information that they are learning in class. Without

differentiating, those students are not going to be able to get the information they need in school.

I learned a lot about differentiating assessments and assignments in this preclinical experience. I

learned that there are many different ways to differentiate assessments, by providing various

options and opportunities to show their learning.

Section 5:

I think I would have done a few things differently during lesson week. From the feedback

my supervisor and mentor teacher gave me, there are a few things that I need to work on as well

before unit week. Mostly, there was not much in the consider column for either my supervisor or

my mentor teacher but their comments allowed me to think more in-depth about my

performances. Some things I would have done differently are finding new ways to keep the

students engaged, asking them different questions, using different assessments, and

differentiating more.

I would have found different ways to keep the students engaged because I could tell that I

did not have some of the student’s full attention. By finding new ways to keep the students

engaged, I could have had the students engaged during the whole lesson. My lessons were pretty

basic since the whole week is appointed to many of the topics from my lessons, I was able to

start the students in the right direction. I would also have asked different questions. By asking

questions, I could gauge where my students were at in the lesson and if they were paying

attention. I also would have found different ways to see if the students were ready to move on

and if they finished a certain part of the lesson. I found myself saying “Raise your hand if you

are ready to move on” throughout all of the lessons and was not creative with it.

I would have also used different assessments and differentiated more throughout the

lessons. I feel like I did not go in-depth enough in my lesson plans or my lessons about

differentiation. I would have used different assessments as well, while some of my assessments

were fun and interactive for the students, some of them were not. If I had used more interactive

assessments, I feel like my students would have been more engaged with the assessment. These

are some of the things I wish I would have done differently for lesson week.
 References

Daizeabdao. (2015, July 22). Differentiated assessment. Principles and Methods of Assessment.

https://abdao.wordpress.com/2015/07/18/differentiated-assessment/

Harvard Kennedy School. (n.d.). Using small groups to engage students and deepen ...

https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Academic%20Dean's%20Office/Guide%20

to%20Small-Group%20Learning.pdf

Inquiry into learning. (2018, May 12). Beyond the sorting activity.

https://inquiryintolearningblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/12/beyond-the-sorting-activity/

Possibilities for Learning. (n.d.). Feedback and Assessment. Feedback and assessment.

https://possibilitiesforlearning.com/curriculum-differentiation/product-differentiation-

options/feedback-and-assessment/

Willingham, D. T. (2023, July 13). Ask the cognitive scientist: Do manipulatives help students

learn?. American Federation of Teachers.

https://www.aft.org/ae/fall2017/willingham#:~:text=It%20suggests%20that%20manipulati

ves%20help,to%2Dbe%2Dunderstood%20idea.

Woolf, N. (2020, March 10). What research says about giving effective feedback to students.

Social emotional learning - Inside SEL. https://insidesel.com/2020/02/10/researchbrief-

feedback/#:~:text=Numerous%20studies%20indicate%20that%20feedback,interventions%

20actually%20decreased%20student%20performance.