Lesson Week Reflection – Julia Szenborn

Formative Assessment Results

Science
Student Name Question #1 Question #2 Question #3 Question #4
1. Mikayla ✘ ✘
*differentiated
2. Elvin ✘ ✘
*differentiated
3. Angelica ✘ ✘
*differentiated
4. David ✘ ✘ ✘
*differentiated
5. Eiden ✘ ✘ ✘
6. Josueff ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
7. Lexis ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
8. Sergio ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
9. Dianalyz ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
10. Angel
-Absent-
11. Valentina ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
12. Jaydriel ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
13. Abiu ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
14. Brooklyn ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
15. Keyriel
-Absent-
16. Elliot ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
17. Ha’layah ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
18. Iovanni ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
19. Jeremy ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
20. Luis
-Absent-
21. Haniel ✘ ✘ ✘

Results
In science, the results were mostly consistent. When students were asked to identify a living

thing, 18/18 students were able to do this in writing and drawing, or with a picture and verbally

explain to the teacher candidate what the living thing is. When students were asked to identify
the living thing’s nutrients such as its food and water, 15/18 students were able to identify

both, and 3/18 were only able to identify one source either just food or just water. When

students were asked to identify the living thing’s environment, 10/18 were able to, and 8/18

were not. Lastly, when students were asked to describe the living thing’s shelter, 11/18 were

able to do it, and 7/18 were not.

How Results Would be Used

Based on these results, the students all showed a great understanding of what a living thing is

and all were able to provide an example of one. The results also revealed that the majority of

the class had a good understanding of what basic nutrient sources a living thing would need to

survive. When it comes to the class understanding an environment and shelter, the results were

close to being half and half. These results show that the whole class would benefit from

another lesson on environments, shelter, and the difference between the two. According to the

article, Review vs. Reteach: Using Both To Benefit Your Students, Alicia Betz states, “Reteach is

different. It’s targeted to a specific objective that was a struggle for students. It’s not a large-

scale review. Reteach requires you to constantly have your finger on the pulse of your

classroom, finding misunderstandings and fixing them before they become large-scale

problems.” (2024). The point that Betz is making here is that students who struggled in a

specific area of learning would greatly benefit from a reteaching of the material rather than a

whole review of everything. This is because the students' specific weak area is identified and

focused on in reteaching. This is why the teacher candidates students would greatly benefit

from reteaching in their main concern area in comparison to the beginning topics (living things
and their nutrients) that would not need to be covered because the majority of the students

understood this based on the data.

Were the Results Expected

The results were a bit surprising to the teacher candidate, but understandable as the concepts

of an environment and shelter can be confused.

Social Studies

Student Name Question #1 Question #2 Question #3

1. Mikayla ✘ ✘
*differentiated
2. Elvin ✘ ✘ ✘
*differentiated
3. Angelica ✘ ✘
*differentiated
4. David ✘ ✘ ✘
*differentiated
5. Eiden ✘ ✘ ✘
6. Josueff ✘ ✘ ✘
7. Lexis
-Absent-
8. Sergio ✘ ✘ ✘
9. Dianalyz ✘ ✘ ✘
10. Angel
-Absent-
11. Valentina ✘ ✘
12. Jaydriel ✘ ✘ ✘
13. Abiu ✘ ✘ ✘
14. Brooklyn ✘ ✘
15. Keyriel ✘ ✘ ✘
16. Elliot ✘ ✘ ✘
17. Ha’layah ✘ ✘ ✘
18. Iovanni ✘ ✘ ✘
19. Jeremy ✘ ✘ ✘
20. Luis ✘ ✘
21. Haniel
 -Absent-

Results
In Social Studies, the results showed much success. When the students were asked to describe

a rule in writing or verbally, 13/18 students were able to, and 5/18 students were not. When

students were asked to give an example of a rule that could be followed in writing or verbally,

18/18 students were able to. When students were asked to give an example of breaking the

rules, 18/18 students were able to.

How Results Would be Used

These results would be used to determine the next steps in instruction. The data shows that the

students understood the lesson very well. The only area of concern the data showed was the

five students were not able to explain what a rule was. Since this is such a small group, the

whole class would not benefit from a review, so the teacher candidate could pull this small

group for a review of what a rule is. This is beneficial because then the teacher candidate can

focus on these students' understanding and hopes to further it through a review. In the article,

The Benefits of Small Group Instruction in Primary Grades, McCumber states, “The next benefit

of small group instruction, and perhaps the most important, is the fact that you’re able to

differentiate activities and provide individualized instruction on a smaller scale for your

students.” (2022). This article sheds light on the idea that in small group instruction, the

instruction could be differentiated to each student's level and target all of their common

weaknesses.
Were the Results Expected

The teacher candidate did not expect the results to be so successful. The teacher candidate was

not very confident in this lesson at first and didn’t know how it was going to go over. This is

because the students do not have experience with Social Studies content at their grade level in

the teacher-candidate school.

English Language Arts

ELA Formative Assessment Results

20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Setting Characters Problem Soultion

Series 1 Column2 Column1

Results
Based on the results from the Google Form exit slip, 19/21 students participated. The two

missing students were not present for the lesson. column graph, 19/19 answered the setting

correctly, 19/19 answered the characters correctly, 19/19 answered the problem correctly, and

17/19 answered the solution correctly.

How Results Would be Used

Based on the student's results, the teacher candidate will use the data to inform how teaching

can be improved moving forward. Since the only area that had two students answer incorrectly

was the question referring to the “solution” in the story, the teacher candidate will keep this in

mind and understand that they may need to rephrase the solution situation in upcoming

readings so that the students can have a clear understanding. The two students who did not

answer correctly could have not clearly understood the concept in the story because of their

unfamiliarity with the language. This is one weakness of some ELLs as they do usually not have

much background knowledge when it comes to reading literature. In the article, Listening Like a

Pro: How Paraphrasing Can Help ESL Students Comprehend Better, it states, “For ESL students,

paraphrasing can be particularly helpful for several reasons. First, it can help them better

comprehend what others are saying, even when they may not understand every word or

phrase. By restating the message in simpler or more familiar terms, paraphrasing can make it

easier to grasp the meaning behind complex or unfamiliar language.” (2023). This article

capitalizes on why it is so important to rephrase concepts and ideas for ELLs. By doing this, ELLs

will be able to understand the language more deeply.

Were the Results Expected

Out of all the lessons, the teacher candidate did expect this one to go over the easiest for the

students. Therefore, the results do represent what the teacher candidate expected. The

teacher candidate felt confident in this part of the lesson in comparison to the Social Studies

part because the TC knew the students had a great understanding of story elements from

discussions with her mentor teacher.

Math

Student Name Question #1 Question #2 Question #3 Question Question

#4 #5
1. Mikayla
*differentiated
- not present
during the
lesson
2. Elvin ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
*differentiated
3. Angelica
*differentiated
-absent
4. David ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
*differentiated ✘
5. Eiden
-absent
6. Josueff ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
7. Lexis ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
8. Sergio ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
9. Dianalyz
-absent
10. Angel ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
11. Valentina ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
12. Jaydriel ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
13. Abiu ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
14. Brooklyn ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
15. Keyriel ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
16. Elliot ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
17. Ha’layah ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
18. Iovanni ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
19. Jeremy ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
20. Luis ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
21. Haniel
-not
enrolled
in class
at this
time
Results
When students were asked which charm they had the most of, 16/16 answered correctly based

on their graph. When students were asked which charm they had the least of, 16/16 answered

correctly based on their graph. When students were asked how many hearts and moons they

had in all, 14/16 answered correctly based on their graph. When students were asked how

many clovers and stars they had in all, 14/16 students answered correctly based on their graph.

Lastly, when students were asked, how many total charms they had, 16/16 students answered

correctly based on their graph.

How Results Would be Used

Based on the results, since there were only a total of four students who answered a question

incorrectly, the teacher candidate will individually conference with each student to clarify the

question and have each student answer again, but now with one-on-one guidance from the

teacher candidate.

Were the Results Expected

The teacher candidate did expect the results from the students because math is one of their

stronger areas. Luckily this saved the teacher candidate because it could have gone a lot worse

considering the small amount of modeling done by the teacher candidate.

Reflection of Feedback

When reflecting on lesson week and the feedback that was provided to the two

students, as well as the whole class, the TC provided appropriate and concise feedback

to all. Depending on the content area and the students' results, if a student didn’t do so

well, the TC provided helpful feedback to further help the student understand what they
 did wrong. The TC also then provided positive feedback so that the student didn’t only

focus on the corrections that needed to be made. If the student excelled in a specific

content with the assessment, the TC still provided feedback, even if it was just positive.

Regardless of how the students did on the assessments, they all received authentic

feedback about their results. The feedback that was provided was also specifically

related to the content and the skills students were trying to master through the

assessment. Following that, all the feedback that was provided to the students was to

benefit and help support the students moving forward in their learning.

Helping Students Use the Feedback

There are a few ways the TC has and will plan to help the students use the

feedback provided to them. One way the TC has already started to implement the

feedback is by conferencing with the students. After the math lesson, the TC met with

each student and discussed how they did. The TC went over the positives and the

negatives. Some conferences were shorter than others because many students did very

well and did not need much support. Meanwhile, there were a few who needed some

areas pointed out to them. With these few students, the TC brought up the areas and

explained in detail their mistakes and the correct answers. Through this process, the TC

modeled the quantities so that the students could visually see, recount with the TC, and

find the new/correct answer. After conferencing, the TC found that three of the five

students she had longer conferences with needed some reteaching of the terms like

most, least, and in all. The TC did go over these again in the conferences and for unit

week, since these terms may reappear, the TC will make these three students a little
 flashcard to keep on their desks during the math activities of this information to help

them remember what they talked about.

Another example of how the TC will incorporate the feedback they gave to the

students is by returning the feedback shortly after the lesson. This way, students can

have time to reflect and ask questions before working with the content again. The TC

will allow students to utilize the feedback in coming up with lessons as they apply. They

can have it out on their desk and refer to it as they need. An example of this would be

for science lesson that was taught during lesson week. The data was split because on

questions one and two, the students answered very well, but when it came to questions

three and four, almost half the class was a bit more confused and not sure what to write

and draw for the living thing's environment and shelter. With these results, during the

unit week, the teacher candidate will need to do a follow-up of the concepts mentioned

in this lesson and reassess students. With that, the teacher candidate will give students

a similar assessment after the review and allow them to use their feedback from their

previous assessment in hopes of helping. The teacher candidate will also incorporate

some conferences to further students' comprehension of the assessment they

completed.

What the Teacher Candidate Learned

Throughout lesson week, the teacher candidate conducted three lessons in four content

areas. The lessons consisted of one Math, one Science, and one combined lesson of English

Language Arts and Social Studies. One thing the teacher candidate learned about assessments

through teaching is that there are many ways to assess and collect data. This can be done
through observations, note-taking, discussions, self-assessments, exit slips, etc. As the teacher

candidate was implementing and trying different assessments per content, she found much

insight into all the different data that could be collected from each. Another thing the teacher

candidate learned through her teachings when it came to assessments is that some will need to

be modified and or differentiated depending on the students and their academic levels. During

the first lesson, in the content area of Math, the teacher candidate found that the assessment

had mixed results. This hands-on experience gave the teacher candidate a visual of what

differentiation looks like in a classroom setting. This was because some students were more

advanced in the skill and were able to work ahead and fill in the questions by themselves, while

other students needed the teacher candidate to read each question and explain how to find the

answer. This showed the teacher candidate how important it is to differentiate, accommodate,

and at times modify assessments to meet all students at their levels. In the article, How

Differentiated Instruction Supports All Students, it states, “Differentiated instruction works to

ensure that all these students can excel, regardless of their distinct backgrounds, abilities, and

interests. Education degree programs often focus on this teaching approach as a way to

promote equity in learning for today’s diverse student population.” (n.d., 2023). This

information is important because it captures the idea that differentiated instruction helps

students excel, promotes equity, acknowledges students' backgrounds, and targets their

interests.

Along with assessments, the teacher candidate also learned how to give both

verbal and written feedback through teaching, as well as how to receive feedback from

students. As the teacher candidate was teaching, she found that many students would
ask questions throughout all stages of the lessons, beginning, middle, and end. This then

prompted the teacher candidate to give the whole class, small groups, and individuals

verbal feedback and answer their questions. The teacher candidate would have to

sometimes re-explain concepts, give examples, or model for students to understand

more efficiently. According to the article, 5 Research-Based Tips for Providing Students

with Meaningful Feedback, Marianne Stenger states, “When students have access to this

information, they develop an awareness of their learning, and are more easily able to

recognize mistakes and eventually develop strategies for tackling weak points

themselves. (2014). Stenger mentions that when students receive feedback, they can

better understand themselves and their learning. They then can use this information to

move forward to better their learning and thinking.

In addition to giving verbal feedback, the teacher candidate also learned how to

give written feedback. When looking over students’ assessments and scoring guides, the

teacher candidate was able to understand what the students understood and how they

applied it. The teacher candidate had left positive and constructive written feedback for

both Science and Social Studies. These assessments and scoring guides showed the

teacher candidate the students' strengths and weaknesses and how to address both in a

friendly manner.

Not only did the teacher candidate give verbal and written feedback, but she also

received verbal and somewhat written feedback from the students’ rating scale scoring

guide. The verbal feedback was from the students asking questions, which helped the

teacher candidate understand their thinking. The written feedback from the student
 rating scale based on the Social Studies lesson, helped the teacher candidate see how

the students felt about the material, and what they were able to do on their own.

What the Teacher Candidate Would Have Done Differently

During lesson week, there are a few things the teacher candidate would have done

differently when it came to her Math lesson. The first thing is the amount of modeling in the

lesson. The teacher candidate did model a couple of times for the students while completing

their sort and graph, but the candidate realized that she did not do enough. For example, the

first thing the teacher candidate should have modeled was how to sort the Lucky Charms and

where each charm should be located on the sorting sheet. The teacher candidate thought that

this would be self-explanatory, but as she was teaching the lesson, she saw some students were

confused and did not understand. One student even asked for the teacher candidate's help

during this first step of sorting, which gave the candidate another awareness of why she should

have modeled this. The next step in this lesson was for the students to count how many they

had of each charm. During this step of the lesson, the teacher candidate did model and say, “If

you have 3 balloon charms, you will color in 3 boxes in the balloon column.” If the teacher

could do this step differently, she would have had a blank copy of the graph and shown some

marshmallows sorted, counted them up, and then graphed the amounts in a few marshmallow

columns. This is because since the teacher candidate did not visually model this part, some

students were confused and needed assistance in doing this step. The teacher candidate

realized that if she had done this, then the students would have visually seen how to do this

step and then referred to the teacher candidate's example on the overhead if they got stuck.

The last thing the teacher candidate would have done differently during this lesson was her
approach to the saying of the marshmallow's names. For example, after conferencing with the

teacher candidate's mentor teacher, she received a great suggestion. Her mentor teacher

suggested that next time, instead of having the students just repeat after the teacher candidate

in saying the names of the marshmallows, take it a step further by tying in their phonemic

awareness skills and have the students say the word, finger stretch it, and identify how many

phonemes are in each to help them pronounce them correctly.

References

(n.d.). (2023). How Differentiated Instruction Supports All Students. School of Education Online.
https://soeonline.american.edu/blog/differentiated-instruction/

(n.d.). (2023, September 30). Listening like a pro: How paraphrasing can help ESL students
comprehend better. Learn Laugh Speak | Learn Laugh Speak.
https://learnlaughspeak.com/listening-like-a-pro-how-paraphrasing-can-help-esl-students-
comprehend-better/

Betz, A. (2024, January 19). Review vs. reteach: Using both to benefit your students. Education
Corner. https://www.educationcorner.com/review-reteach-education/

McCumber, A. (2022, November 9). Small group instruction in primary grades. CSP Global.
https://online.csp.edu/resources/blog/small-group-instruction-in-primary-grades/

Stenger, M. (2014, August 6). 5 research-based tips for providing students with meaningful
feedback. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-providing-students-meaningful-
feedback-marianne-stenger