1

Portfolio Part Two

Portfolio Part Two

Content Knowledge and Instructional Practice

Hayley Simmons

Vermont State University- Castleton Campus

Spring 2024
 2

Portfolio Part Two: Content Knowledge and Instructional Practice

Students A, B, and C- During this portion of my educational portfolio I will be analyzing and

reflecting on the work of three students I selected to follow during my student teaching

experience. In order to protect their identity, they are simply referred to as Students A, B & C.

This description is to provide the reader with background knowledge of who these students are

as individuals and their learning strengths and needs.

Student A This student is one student who excels in all core subjects. He is five years old

and has a sister who is seven, who happens to be deaf, as well as his mother. He enjoys playing

with his friends, and loves to talk about the things he does with his sister. He is always on time to

school and comes in ready to learn. He is held to an expectation that he always meets. He shows

a good example to the rest of his peers on how they should act, and even gives assistance to other

peers when needed. He excels in reading and writing, with the same talent in math. He looks

more for reassurance than assistance. There are some instances when places with another peer

where he needs the reminder to stay on task, but for the most part, he is very independent. He is

usually one of the ones who finishes his work first and we always allow him to read a book or

work on his center's bins, which are a continuous activity the students may do for each unit they

are working on.

Student B This student is new to our school, starting shortly after the Christmas break.

He is five years old, and he came from a rural upstate New York school, just to start at another

one. His previous school was extremely behind where they should be, so he lacks skills in

reading and writing. However, he does do pretty well with math. This student does have some

trauma that came about when he was younger, which triggers anxiety and pain to parts of his
 3

body. He is a pretty go - with - the - flow student and will do whatever is asked of him. He does

well interacting with students, but sometimes it becomes too much so he will remove himself

from them. He is willing and eager to learn new words and how to read. He looks for reassurance

on his work often, when in most cases his work is correct.

Student C This student is the kind of student who always comes in happy with a smile

on his face. He is five years old, and in kindergarten. He has a speech impediment that interferes

with his learning of letters, words. He does receive speech services once a week for 30 minutes.

He succeeds in school, but it does not come naturally. He has to really apply himself and it truly

shows most days. He gets excited when he gets something right, and works to try and fix

something when it is wrong. He is a prime example of a student who will put in the effort, and

use the strategies he has been given. When it comes time to work on letters and sounds, he uses

the different hand motions, tricks, and facial movements to remember the correct sounds. This

has been shared throughout the whole class and has been something the other students who

struggle have picked up on.

Introduction:

In a room full of students that are close to the same age, there is a diverse spectrum of

reading abilities, learning needs and past experiences. For a classroom teacher who is trying to

help students not only learn new materials, but make connections and personal meaning, there is

a lot at stake when choosing presentation methods. One starting point is the reading level and a

knowledge of what is appropriate to support not only the lower level readers, but the top readers

as well. In addition, activating prior knowledge or letting students demonstrate what they already

know is a key starting point. Lastly, allowing for student choice, sharing and activity is a way to

engage learners and provide a method to help make connections. My two pieces of evidence for
 4

this performance criterion focus on now only what I am communicating and how I choose to, but

what allows students to have choice and make meaningful connections with the content and

skills.

Performance Criterion 4- Content Knowledge

PC .4.1 Candidates accurately communicate central concepts of the discipline.

Description:

When planning what you want your students to learn, the importance in the content is

how meaningful it is. Every subject has meaning, which should be translated well for students.

When beginning a new unit the learning objectives should be clearly stated and talked about.

When teaching an ELA lesson, presenting what the students will learn before it even starts gives

them the ability to get their minds thinking in that direction. Presenting the vocabulary words

allows them to think about what they could be learning about. Explaining the theme of the unit is

another way to activate their knowledge. For a subject like math, it is a good practice to have

posters on the wall or a bulletin board accessible in the classroom to have all the skills they will

be learning. This can help them to learn, but then serve as a reminder if needed.

Salient Evidence & Analysis

Content knowledge is extremely important for an elementary teacher. In the article The

Importance of Content Knowledge for Elementary Teachers (2021) by Hannah Putman, they

interviewed teachers who all said that “teachers should be expected to demonstrate content

knowledge before they begin teaching” (Putnam, 2021). While in college, pre-service teachers

take classes that cover many different content areas that allow for them to learn about the content

they will need to know while teaching. It has been shown that a wide range of content knowledge

supports reading comprehension. “Higher levels of background knowledge enable children to

 5

better comprehend a text. Readers who have a strong knowledge of a particular topic, both in

terms of quantity and quality of knowledge, are more able to comprehend a text than a similarly

cohesive text for which they lack background knowledge” (Smith, R., Snow, 2021).

As a teacher, it is important for students to be able to understand what they are teaching,

before they actually teach it. When teachers fully understand their subject area they are teaching,

they then can begin to differentiate instruction. With the increased use of technology in the

classroom, the ability to differentiate instruction has grown drastically. The depth of

understanding of the teacher directly impacts the levels of connections that can be made for the

students. Using examples from their community, area and state also can help students see real

value to learning any content, as they can relate it to their world.

One way of differentiating instruction in the classroom is giving students a choice of how

to complete work. Katie Usher, the author of Providing Differentiated Instruction by Giving

Students Choices (2019), talks about how her students are able to make their own choices and

still learn. “When I give my students a choice on how they’ll complete a project, they have to

meet certain criteria, but I allow them to find an outlet they find most enjoyable, such as creating

a Google Slide presentation, a trifold board, or a pamphlet. Giving Students a choice allows them

to take ownership of their learning as well as create a product that feels authentic to them. They

work on something that they’re good at creating, or try something they want to get better at”

(Usher, 2019). For younger children, this can easily translate into writing, drawing and turning

and talking to a friend about what they have learned.

Once the student has completed the work the teacher has assigned for them, however that

may be, they have their own portfolio to reflect on. “With e-portfolios, students reflect on their

learning while putting their own mark on their assignments. Students are able to showcase their
 6

learning and the process they used to create their final product while individualizing it with their

likes and interests” (Usher, 2019). With the use of eportfolios, it gives the teacher the ability to

see the students progress in the way that best suits them. The way students learn is never the

same. The use of choice and differentiating the instruction help the students. In the future, and

the way technology is evolving, I would use this method in my classroom for certain subjects.

However, it would not be the end all way to do their work. Some students still need to be a more

hands-on learner using a pencil and paper. The idea of having a folder, similar to an e-portfolio

where their work would belong, would be something I could implement into my classroom to

meet the needs of all of my learners.

Evidence: Annotated Video

When watching this annotated video, you will see a phonics lesson, math lesson, and

writing lesson. In this classroom, the teacher followed the Science of Reading model. The use of

differentiation was seen when doing the follow-up worksheets for all of these lessons. While

watching myself teach, it leads me to be reflective of myself and the lessons given. Having

never worked with kindergarteners before, I was unaware how I should speak to them. Taking a

video of my teaching and being able to reflect on how I was standing, how I was communicating

the information, my tone of voice, and the examples I chose help me to see what needs to be

changed, or what needs to be kept the same.

Reflection

While content is very important to the process of educating children, the way it is

communicated is what invariably determines the level of success. I have watched people in the

past who are known experts in fields of study be unable to communicate a simple concept in

ways that everyone in the audience can comprehend. For teachers, knowing their students is a

starting point. How do they learn best? What do they understand? How can you help them solve
 7

problems, make predictions and test theories? Most importantly, are you using techniques that

will allow each child to learn and grow at their own speed? My student teaching supervisor was

fond of saying to me, “ The devil is in the details”, meaning not necessarily what was the

content, but how would the students experience it and how would I check for understanding and

strengthen their connections to the content.

Performance Criterion 5-Application of Content

PC 5.2 Candidates integrate cross-disciplinary skills (such as critical thinking, creativity, and

collaborative problem solving) to help learners demonstrate their learning in unique ways.

Description

While people often divide learning up into content areas including reading, writing and

mathematics, learning seldom, if ever happens in isolation. Children and adults learn at multiple

levels at once and the brain stores information using multiple labels and pathways. When a

teacher thinks about learning, the planning process should include skills, content and cross

disciplinary skills such as critical thinking and collaborative problem solving. When the content

is already linked, the strength of the learning activities take on new depth and potential.

Over the past two decades there has been a lot of focus on planning mathematics and

science together and language arts paired with literacy. While these are natural ways to look at

learning, they fall short of truly planning learning for children across the disciplines. Some of the

best teachers I have observed might be teaching writing, but they are linking the story from the

morning, with the math skill from before noon and bringing it full circle with a creative writing

story that allows student choice in expressing what they have learned. As a new teacher, I will
 8

work hard to look at learning as a connection spanning all content areas and see what pathways

that open for my students and myself.

Salient Evidence & Analysis

Teachers are always encouraged to think outside the box and to be creative. One gift that

New York teachers have access to in abundance is a natural world that engages students at so

many levels. The natural world fosters exploration, excitement, and connections between all

content areas. In an article, Cross disciplinary teaching: “A Pedagogical Model to Support

teachers in the development and implementation of outdoor learning opportunities”( 2023)

authors Neville, Petras and Benn that learning not only occurs outside the classroom walls, but

that “The scope for outdoor learning is dependent on school interests, teacher expertise and

pre-service teacher training opportunities (Gray & Pigott, 2018)”. In addition, the articles shares

studies related to the farther reaching benefits of an outdoor experiential education. “It is also

apparent that the inclusion of outdoor learning experiences in K-12 curricula results in reduced

discipline and classroom management problems, increased engagement in and motivation for

learning and enhanced performance on standardized tests (Breunig et al., 2008; Fägerstam, 2014;

James & Williams, 2017; Meighan & Rubenstein, 2018; Scott et al., 2013).”

In my own experiences in schools, the outdoors is incredible for helping students make

connections with content that is both concrete and abstract in nature. In the lesson, Out Of My

Mind, students read the story Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper. In this story, it follows a

girl named Melody. She is an eleven year old girl who has Cerebral Palsy. She is unable to walk

and talk, but is very smart. While reading this during English, the students use their engineering

skills to develop a way to allow Melody to communicate with her peers, teachers, and family.

This lesson engages students by teaching them about Cerebral Palsy and inclusion of classmates
 9

with learning disabilities. This gets the students thinking of how they were going to develop a

communication device that works for everyone in the classroom, including students like Melody.

Ways this can be used within the classroom and outside of the classroom can include things that

can be labeled with pictures of the words, that then can be connected to the device the students

invent that Melody can use to create sentences and communicate between the two.

Out of my Mind book lesson

A second article Creative problem solving in primary school students(2023) authors Mare

Van Hooijdonk , Tim Mainhard , Evelyn H. Kroesbergen , and Jan Van Tartwijk discuss a

teaching model where problems are presented to students with the goal of multiple solutions and

thinking patterns the identified goal. Although the research and study was based on grades

four-six, the approach to learning was applicable to all grades. The authors stressed that the roles

for the process had to be established. Instead of being a teacher, they were administrators that

directed activities but did not dictate the thought process. “Our society changes rapidly.

Consequently, children grow up with many possibilities and challenges (Craft, 2011). To meet

these challenges, creative products are needed. As commonly used definitions point out,

something can be considered creative when it is both original and useful (Plucker et al., 2004;

Runco & Jaeger, 2012; Stein, 1953). “ They explore art, music and scenarios where there are

problems to solve and engage different pathways to learning .

In many science curriculums, hands-on activities rely on students making decisions and

testing their own hypothesis. When working with kindergarteners in a rural upstate New York

school, we were given state issued science kits. The one we were given was for Pushes and Pulls.

Each lesson was laid out for us including disciplinary core ideas, cross-cutting concepts,

materials and step by step instructions. Having used this kit before in another grade, I was wary
 10

about how these students would grasp this. As it turned out, they were very fascinated with the

kit and how we did science for those days. There were many lessons that were too much for

them. When it was broken down for them, and ourselves as the teachers, it was much easier for

them to understand.

Reflection

Moving into my own classroom, I plan on engaging the students in similar problem

solving situations. Experiment and engineering lessons are one of the most productive ways to

involve the concept of problem solving skills. In lessons like Out Of My Mind, the students need

to invent a way for a fellow classmate to communicate. This presents a problem that they then

need to solve in order to include all of their classmates. What also happens a lot is that students

who don’t excel in some traditional areas of expression thrive in the mode of problem solver.

They are often able to think outside traditional models and share with their peers multiple

pathways to learning.

Performance Criterion 6- Assessment

PC 6.2 Candidates analyze an individual student’s work over time using multiple methods of
assessment to adjust instruction.

Description

While most teachers use standardized tests to assess students' growth in a subject area,

the analysis of student work is important so when it comes time for the standardized test,

students will show real, true growth within the content area. Looking at all of the subjects you

are instructing can help you to narrow down what kind of aid a student needs in increasing their

knowledge.
 11

Throughout the years, the way teachers have assessed student learning has changed.

When focusing on assessments to determine learning can range from grade to grade. The most

common one across the grade levels can be exams, portfolios, final projects and standardized

tests. When the teachers then have a baseline of student learning and understanding, it may

benefit to work with their peers to make sure their students are getting the necessary help they

need, or generate new ideas to help make those marks.

Salient Evidence & Analysis

In the article 6 Types of Assessment (and How to Use Them) (2021) written by Maria

Kampen, she goes on to talk about the different kinds of assessments that can be used in the

classroom. Due to the advances of technology, school closures and hybrid learning, the way

teachers have been able to give assessments have changed. Six types of assessments Kampen

talks about are “Diagnostic assessments, Formative assessments, Summative assessments,

Ipsative assessments, Norm-referenced assessments, Criterion-referenced assessments”

(Kampen, 2021).

All of these different styles of tests can help the teacher understand so many different

things such as student progress. According to Kampen, “assessments generally have one of three

purposes: 1. Assessment of learning 2. Assessment for learning and 3. Assessment as learning”

(Kampen, 2021).

Assessments of learning are simple in the fact that they are assessments to help the

teacher see if students are meeting grade-level standards. “Exams, portfolios, final projects, and

standardized tests… often have a concrete grade attached to them that communicates student

achievement to teachers, parents, students, school-level administrators and district leaders”

(Kampen, 2021). Assessments for learning give teachers a clear snapshot of student learning and
 12

comprehension as you teach, which gives you as the teacher time to adjust everything from

classroom management strategies and the lesson plan as you go. Assessment for learning should

be “ongoing and actionable” (Kampen, 2021). Assessments as learning is actively involving the

students in the learning process. This would involve teaching the students critical thinking skills,

problem solving and motivating students to set goals that can be achievable for themselves.

In a second article, Teachers Gain From Peer Review from the George Lucas Education

Foundation, they discuss how teachers sharing their students work with their peers can help to

improve their instruction. At Two Rivers Public Charter School in Washington, DC, they follow

what's called the “Analyzing Student Work Data Protocol… where they meet every student

where they are in their understanding” (p.) Following the Student Work Protocol, there are six

simple steps. The first step is “Share the task (1 minute)”, which is simply just reading the

assignments directions to your peers to see if it was understood. Step two is “Silent observation

(4 minutes): After reading the task, have your peers examine the student work silently, and ask

themselves: How would I respond to the task? How did students respond? How do we assess

students on this task? What is a high-quality response to this task? (Useful for assessing students’

understanding against the exemplar, suggests Peacock) What do I notice and wonder about the

student work?” (p.) The peers who are reviewing the student work should really think about why

the students did what they did. The best way to understand how to move forward is to really

understand what is the cause for how the students chose to solve this problem. Step 3, 4 and 5

includes noticing patterns in the student work, reviewing as a group, and then having an open

discussion about how they can go about changing their lesson to better benefit their student(s).

As a future teacher, and someone who has reflected on past work, I have found it to be

beneficial to be able to talk with your peers and be able to get new ideas. In my future classroom,
 13

I will be very open to hearing new ideas, trying new ideas, and having a mentor or peer

accessible to help. I believe the only way that you can become better at what you are doing is to

have the criticism or ideas brought to your attention.

Evidence: Analysis of Student A,B,C Work

In this selection of student work, there is a piece of work from science, math and phonics.

Throughout my student teaching, there have been a wide range of topics covered. Being in a

rural upstate New York kindergarten class, they do things a little differently. My mentor teacher

follows the science of reading approach. Every subject comes from a teacher who created her

own lessons, also following the science of reading approach, which consists of Math, Writing,

Reading and Phonics. The science work however comes from a science unit created by BOCES

in New York.

Sample Work 1: Math Lesson 9.5 worksheet

During this math lesson, students were working on numbers that were more or less with

numbers eleven through twenty. This topic was spread out over the course of three days

beginning with comparing numbers one through ten on day one, comparing numbers eleven

through twenty on day two, and then more and less of numbers one through twenty. After

reviewing the students' work, it appeared all three had difficulty with the specific worksheet. In

the directions for the worksheet, it says “Count and Write. Circle the number that is LESS”.

Student A appeared to be able to visually see which group of blocks were less, so there

was no issue circling the one that was less. When counting the blocks however, they made some

small mistakes and miscounted the blocks. This student doesn’t usually make small mistakes like

this, so I would assume he was distracted or rushing for some reason. Student B made multiple

different mistakes. In the directions, it asks for the student to circle the one that was less. Usually,
 14

the teachers asked the student to circle the blocks and not the numbers. This student circled the

numbers, which is fine and not something, as the teacher, you should stress over. However, he

circled all of the numbers that were more, not less. In that aspect, he did circle them all correctly

as they were all the numbers that were “more”. He also made a small mistake counting his

numbers. This student tends to rush through his work, doesn’t always follow directions, but is a

strong math student. When mistakes are pointed out to this student, he is very good about fixing

them and understanding where his mistakes come from, which benefits him in the long run

because he learns from his mistakes. Student C tended to miscount and circle the wrong number.

This is something that he has done in the past, but it is not common for him. The chances that

student A and student C were sitting together when this was completed is high, as they are a

large distraction for each other. Student C is a strong math student and usually comprehends the

skill at hand within the first practice question or two. When the mistakes were pointed out to

him, we fixed them almost instantly and moved on.

Sample Work 2: Phonics Quick Check Lessons 6-10

This selection of work comes from their phonics unit that follows the Science of Reading

technique. During this chunk of lessons, they were working on the “ch and wh” sounds. In the

quick check, students had to decode the word and circle the matching image and write the word

that matched the picture. These were words and images the students had been working with for

the last few days.

Student A answered all of the questions correctly and clearly. His circles are clear and the

image he chose is clearly stated. The words he needed to fill in were written clearly and legible.

This student has a very large vocabulary for a kindergartener. These types of quick checks for

him come extremely easy. There is no doubt that this paper was done within a reasonable amount
 15

of time. Student B was able to decode and encode the words and pictures part. His circles are

pretty clear and legible. However, when it came time for him to write the words we have been

practicing, he struggled with them all. Instead of writing the sound of the bat, which was

“Whack” he wrote the word bat. In the image of the girl pointing to her chin, he wrote the word

“Chick” instead of the correct answer, chin. Lastly, for the image of a check, he wrote a string of

letters that appears to be the word “check” but is not. This student came from another district in

January and had been extremely behind where he should have been. Not being able to read his

words was something that happened more often than not. Seeing the letters written clearly in

some words was something we had been working on with him. So, this appears to be a good step

for this student. Lastly, student C answered everything correctly and as clearly as can be for a

kindergartener. This specific student has a speech impediment which translates to his writing and

letters. Sometimes his letters are not as clear as he is unsure of what the letter is because of how

it sounds when he says it. In this case however, he did a very good job writing and decoding his

letters.

Sample Work 3: Science Worksheet Lesson 1

In this lesson, students were beginning to learn about Pushes and Pulls. This specific unit

came from BOCES which was a program schools in the BOCES region were getting to try out.

The students seem to really enjoy anything science related, but really enjoyed this science unit

because of the hands-on activities we were able to do. This specific activity was about

differentiating toys and whether they needed a push, pull or both in order to be used. When that

was completed, they were given a worksheet where they had to draw a picture of themselves

either pushing or pulling something. They then had to write about it on the lines below.
 16

Student A chose to draw a picture of him pushing a box in. It appears to be a box under

his bed. This student has a very good imagination and drawing skills. It is a clear picture that

shows the boxes and the student. The sentence he then wrote about said “I will push my box in”.

It is clear, neat handwriting and his sentence correlates with the picture above it.

Student B chose to draw a picture of him pulling his bed. This doesn’t necessarily make

the most sense. From what we could gather, it appears he was pulling his sheets up to make his

bed. This student struggles to make sentences make sense on most occasions. For this student, I

wrote lines in yellow marker to indicate for him where his words need to go and what words he

needed to write. I did not correct him on what he needed to write for it to make sense as this is

only kindergarten and he did the best he could. This student also tends to draw his pictures with

one color and does not put much detail into them. He has expressed to me in the past he is not a

fan of coloring or drawing, so we take whatever he does draw or color as a win.

Lastly, Student C chose to write about his scooter. He said “I can push my scooter”. In his

drawing, it is him riding on his scooter using his foot to push the scooter. Seeing as this student

has a speech impediment and writing can sometimes be difficult for him, I talked with him and

drew the lines for him to write on for his words. This student has neat handwriting, so we can

clearly read and understand what he is trying to say.

Reflection

Being able to reflect on your teaching has many different positives that come with it. You

are able to change how a lesson goes, or keep it the way it is if it worked perfectly for you. You

can understand how much the student is learning, and how it should be modified to make sure

the learning is the best it can be. The three students I collected work from all have their own
 17

strengths and weaknesses. Student A tends to test at above a kindergarten level. He has a wide

variety of vocabulary, can recite the math facts we are learning or even before we have learned

them, and can write and draw clearly. Student B has had an extremely difficult past. He is just

now beginning to get the help he needs in a school setting involving OT and speech. Student C

has been receiving speech services before he entered a school setting. He is an extremely smart

little boy, but can struggle in certain subject areas where words and sounds are coming into play.

Without the ability to review the students' past work from Pre-K or discussing the student

with their previous instructors, these students may not have been able to complete the work that

was given to them. I feel that it is very important to be able to talk with other teachers of other

grade levels to see what they have experienced with different kinds of students. That can range

from students' personalities, learning abilities, struggles with lessons or weaknesses. In the

future, I will make sure that I am using the resources at my fingertips and discussing different

ideas with my colleagues.

Performance Criterion 7- Planning for Instruction

PC 7.2 Candidates plan instruction by drawing upon knowledge of learners

Description

When planning a unit plan, I begin with what they may already know. Questions that

need to be answered are: Have they even remotely heard of this topic in previous years or in this

class? If so, what have they learned and how in depth? How are their skills? Can they

comprehend this topic in a certain amount of time? All of these questions go into play with how

the unit will need to be designed. Knowing your students is a big plus when designing a unit as

well. Are they visual learners? Do they learn better from taking notes, watching videos, reading
 18

stories? If some students learn better from videos then I will incorporate videos into the lesson as

well as words on the screen for others to take notes.

Once the unit has been decided, I will then go back to the questions I asked myself when

planning it and see best how to instruct this unit. For example, I was working in a fifth grade

classroom of twenty- two students. They expressed an interest in the military surrounding the

upcoming Veterans Day holiday. Having many family members in the military, I was very

familiar with how it worked. I created an interactive Armed Forces unit for the students which

focused on the main branches as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In this unit there

were worksheets, videos, scavenger hunt games on their chromebooks, picture books, real life

stories. As we wrapped it up, we were approaching Veterans Day.

I allowed the students to write letters to someone they knew in the military, a veteran or

to my boyfriend who is in the Marine Corps. They were so excited to be able to put what they

learned into a letter to someone who lived the life they just spent so much time learning about.

The instruction method was extremely effective for these students as it was something everyone

could learn from and take away from. When trying to choose an assessment for this specific unit,

I allowed them to write the letter. This showed me their writing skills, use of vocabulary they

established, and the knowledge they had acquired.

In future lessons, the use of formative assessments will not be used as often, unless

needed. As a student myself, I was never a good test taker. I struggled to focus on the test in front

of me and never did well. What I was extremely good at was presenting the information I had

learned. In my own classroom, there will be opportunities to do any kind of presentation that gets

the students' points across. I will be looking for understanding of content within their speeches or

slide shows, videos, posters, whatever it may be. In the case that the diverse type of assessments
 19

cannot be used, like during the state test, the students will still be prepared to take those

formative assessments. With the use of discussions, experimentation, pair and share, and more

will help students become better test takers.

Salient Evidence & Analysis

Many nations begin social studies or history education at a very young age. While each

may look at the learning targets differently, all share in the belief that being linked to the heritage

of your area, state, nation and world are a foundational part of learning who you are. In the

article, Learning history in early childhood: Teaching methods and children’s understanding

(2017) author Yngve Skjæveland teaches all of the education majors at his college that children

are natural storytellers and that this gift is the doorway through which to introduce learning about

the past. In fact, “storytelling was very important for the children’s growing knowledge, and that

stories were central in the preparation of projects and excursions. Many scholars have stated that

stories are the essence of learning about the past for children (Farmer and Heeley, 2004). In my

own lessons, I believe storytelling is incredibly important. Students find this approach engaging

and want to share their own stories. In the unit plan I developed, students have the opportunity to

ask family members and friends about decades they grew up in and make connections with

family and friends.

A second research article addresses the changing instructional needs and interests of the

middle grades students and also promotes the use of oral histories, storytelling and making

personal connections with history as a goal to engage and motivate young teens to learn. In the

article, Engaging Students Using Local History and Perspectives(2021) authors Cameron and

Habikirk acknowledge that teachers today have a hard task ahead of them. “Current teachers of

high-school history have a difficult task: They must find out where their students are coming
 20

from to connect them to the multi-faceted and complex story of Canada beyond the simple

‘narrative’ of great men and women, which should not be fully dismissed, but instead be told in

all its complexity with local perspectives and knowledge. There is conflict. There is

accommodation. There is assimilation. There is progress. There are set backs. All of these

themes bring us to where we are now as a nation – one that seems cohesive..” (Cameron, p.1)

The approach of looking at history as a chronological set of dates and facts to memorize

has in the past forty years been set aside as not productive. While some content is required as a

baseline of understanding key events in the past, most students today can look up anything they

want to learn. What links them is the cultural themes, stories and lives of people who lived it. In

fact, talking about the past with family members, community members and even online peers

bridges the gap from content to culture and makes it come alive. One key way to keep interest is

the use of storytelling. “To enter history…each generation of youth must find an identity

consonant with its own childhood and consonant with an ideological promise in the perceptible

historical process' ' (Erik Erikson in Kroger, 1993, 363). Telling and sharing stories about the

past is a part of who we are as members of the human race, but being open to the ways we come

to these stories allows us all – student and teacher – to start telling more inclusive stories about

the past. Since that encounter, my teaching practice has shift” (Habikirk, p.7) This approach also

allows students to see history as the story of people, not dates and events. When history comes

alive and has a texture and storyline, they make stronger connections with the past and present.

Planning lessons for students with different learning abilities takes time and

consideration. When planning, I focus on the last lesson. I reflect on how the students were able

to do it and ask myself questions like were the questions clear enough? Were they able to

complete the questions in the allotted time? Did they ask questions where there was confusion?
 21

If so, was the confusion cleared up? Students who tend to struggle with certain aspects of the

lesson, will have the ability to work more one on one or in smaller groups to better develop their

understanding. If needed, the use of manipulatives can be involved as well.

Knowing my students will also be able to help design lessons that meet their needs.

Student interest in this case is a big thing. Knowing your students will also be able to influence

how the lesson will run. If they have an interest in social studies, then the focus of the ELA

lesson could involve social studies. If there is an interest in math, then math could be

incorporated into social studies. For example, in the Zooming Through the Decades unit, there

are math lessons that help students calculate costs for dinner. This specific lesson used real prices

from the 1950’s. Talking about the history of price changes could implement the social studies

piece, while also involving math.

Evidence: Unit Plan Decade Week Zooming Through the Decades

While selecting assessments, I feel that student interest also comes into play as well. If

they struggle with a pen and paper test, I may allow them to do presentations. As a student

myself, I always struggled with pen and paper tests. When I was able to use different styles like

presentations or discussions, I was able to show my understanding of the topic much better.

Knowing all students learn and present knowledge differently, I would be open to allowing this

as well. In the Zooming Through the Decades unit plan, at the end, the students would be broken

up into groups and present their information on the topic given to other classes, parents, and

faculty members. It is made to be something fun and not so strict like a paper test. Students are

still able to have fun, while getting to show what they have learned.

In this unit, I knew that fourth graders were very interested in history. They found things

that happened in the fast fascinating. This lesson was developed from learning about different
 22

musicians in different decades. Seeing how they adapted those musicians to the different times, I

developed this unit plan. If I were to do this again, I think I would stray away from doing

something in all core subjects and just find all different kinds of information to teach the

students. I think students would appreciate quality over quantity, so if that means we focus on

more social studies than science, then that is something I am willing to change.

Reflection

When planning for a unit for a new classroom, I will engage and use student interest. Any

time I have worked with students for a longer period of time, I create student interest surveys

based on the grade they are in. From here, I am able to know what those students' favorite

subjects are, where they may fall behind, what their interests are outside of school, how many

siblings they have and their family dynamics.

Using a student interest survey, this can give me insight into so many different things

about this student. In the past, I have used these to help pick books for students to read during

their independent reading time. This then gives me the chance to get to know them one on one by

selecting books for them. From experience, it is usually boys who struggle to find books because

it’s not “cool”. Using this technique gives me an insight on what they like, which develops that

connection between student and teacher. A great example of this was learning the students

favorite musicians. Whether students realize it or not, the type of music they listen to can give

you a really good understanding of their life. When working in a rural upstate New York school,

I was working with fifth graders who expressed their love for musician Zach Bryan. Knowing

this, we used it as a motivational tool. So, if their work was completed, we could listen to Zach
 23

Bryan. During an ELA lesson, we were able to connect one of his songs to a story we were

reading that had the same emotional feelings.

Using the Zach Bryan song, we were able to activate prior knowledge the following day

by discussing what we had read and how it presented the feelings the character in our story was

feeling. Along with that, asking the students what we had done the day before activates that

thinking process to help understand what they did. I would then give them a brief glimpse into

what was going to happen during that lesson to get them prepared to think ahead.

Performance Criterion 8- : Instructional Strategies

Description

One subject area that brings out strong reactions in adults when you discuss their

childhood and education is mathematics. While some were successful and found ways to link

math to their lives, still many more state publicly they survived math and are not good at it. The

perception of many adults is that mathematics is difficult and they could not learn it in school.

Furthermore, they can’t help their children or grandchildren with math homework because they

don’t teach it like they did when they were in school. The choices of which instructional

strategies to use when teaching mathematics are critical for the success of young learners.

Central to success is for the teacher to realize and embrace the concept that there are multiple

pathways to solving math problems and students should learn them. Mathematics education is

not “ one size fits all.” Even with the youngest students, learning mathematics is about teaching

different strategies and sharing how to solve problems from multiple pathways.
 24

Salient Evidence & Analysis

When teaching mathematics to students, it is important to make sure the methods are

effective. From the article Math Seeds 7 Effective Strategies for Teaching Elementary Math

(2018), they give seven different ways to help teach math in order to maximize success. Those

methods include; “Make it hands on, use visuals and images, find opportunities to differentiate

learning, ask students to explain their ideas, incorporate storytelling to make connections to

real-world scenarios, show and tell new concepts, and let your students know regularly how they

are doing” (p.3 ). Using these seven different methods can help the students who struggle with

math to increase their knowledge and understanding of how to solve math problems. When

working with a kindergarten class, the use of manipulatives, images, discussion between students

and teachers, and using real-world objects helped them to learn. There were images of animals

on a farm they needed to count, fruit they had to compare, pair and share discussion questions,

and unifix cubes to use to make sure their answers were correct. Several times during my student

teaching I saw a young child make the connection and grasp a math concept. It was incredible to

see them get it and to see their confidence grow. In both cases, the student had been exposed to

the concept several times and we used different instructional techniques and hands- on practice

to help them .

In a second article, Four teacher-Recommended Instructional Strategies for Math (2021)

by Larry Ferlazzo, he talks about the Concrete Representational Abstract approach (CRA). “The

CRA approach provides students P-12 to have multiple opportunities to explore concepts and

make connections with prior concepts” (Ferlazzo, 2021). In this approach, students use real life

objects or models to explore the new concept. Using physical objects, it gives the students the

ability to hold and move the objects around to visualize the math problem at hand. During the
 25

representational step, students use objects or images to represent their answers. When that step is

completed, the students will then transfer to using symbols and writing to solve their problems.

While not all mathematical concepts can be linked immediately to real world applications, the

more that children can see math as usable, important and relevant, the more they will try to learn

it.

When working with kindergarteners, I have used a similar method, but instead of it being

single lessons, it has been used throughout the whole school year. In the beginning of the year,

the students used manipulatives for all of their math problems. However, at the beginning of

kindergarten, many students are still learning numbers 0-10. As the year has progressed new

games, manipulatives, and words have been introduced. For example, the use of the phrase “9 is

how many more than 3” has been now changed to “what is the difference between 9 and 3”

indicating the use of subtraction. This would be considered the abstract step in the CRA model.

Evidence: ​ K.OA Activity

To begin with the use of manipulatives, K.OA Activity uses multiple different methods to

get the answer. For the first question it says to use your fingers to solve the addition problems.

When those are completed, the student will then move on to using colored pencils to solve the

subtraction problems. Moving to question three, the students will use their unifix cubes to

represent the number it takes to make 10. Questions 4-7 then go on to word problems where

students are given a work space to solve the problems, where they can draw the images and use a

cross out method, make shapes with different colors, or whatever other method they chose to use.

In these activities, the refresher of different manipulatives are given. This sets the student

up to be familiar with different tools to use. As they progress through the worksheet, they will
 26

use more and more abstract thinking to solve the problems given. In my future classroom, I plan

to use a similar model. I think math is a much harder subject to understand, so given the many

different methods to solve the problems, it should set the student up for success in math.

Reflection

As a student, math was a difficult subject for me. I never was given the opportunity to use

manipulatives as I progressed through school. Had I been given those, the chances of me doing

better in math could have been higher. In my own classroom, I plan on using a model that is

similar to the CRA. Students need many different ways to experience math. As a hands-on

learner myself, the use of manipulatives, images, coloring tools, and others, I believe that a

younger group of students would benefit greatly.

When teaching an older group of students, Math Journals tend to have a great impact on

their learning. In these math journals, students will have notes on how the math problems need to

be solved using whatever methods are given to them. This will be something they will be able to

look back on when needed. The ability to look back and see work examples helps students build

on those skills and move forward with their understanding and application of math.

Portfolio Part 2 Final Reflection

When beginning in a new classroom, there are always so many different things that will

have to be planned. Those include content deliverance, assessments, lesson planning, applying

strategies, assessments, instruction planning and so much more. What is the most important

however is the students. Without the ability to understand your students and understand the

different abilities they have, you will not be able to efficiently plan a lesson.

Content knowledge, application of content, and instructional strategies can easily go hand

in hand when teaching. During the Annotated Video, there are three different subjects being
 27

taught - Math, Writing and Phonics. Careful consideration was taken into these lessons as they

are geared toward student understanding and the deliverance of information. The Out Of My

Mind Book Lesson uses two different subjects, ELA and Engineering to cross the two subjects.

When learning about science and engineering, the students need to use all kinds of prior

knowledge and what they have learned in the unit to understand what the content is and how it

needs to be applied to the activity at hand. In K.OA, the lesson includes using different

manipulatives and strategies to do addition and subtraction. When planning a unit, Zooming

Through the Decades gives a perfect example of one topic being stretched into all core subject

areas.

When given the opportunity to work with colleagues and peers in the education field, the

best thing you can do is reflect on your work. Whether that be personally or with a committee of

people, the ability to learn and grow from reflection is important. As a future classroom teacher, I

hope to be able to use these techniques of planning lessons, reviewing different strategies and

assessment styles.
 28

Works Cited

“7 Effective Strategies for Teaching Elementary Math.” Mathseeds Schools Edition,

mathseeds.com/articles/2018/02/01/teaching-elementary-math/. Accessed 14 Apr.

2024.

Van Hooijdonk, Mare, et al. “Creative Problem Solving in Primary School Students.”

Learning and Instruction, Pergamon, 10 Aug. 2023,

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959475223000920.

Cameron , Meghan E, and Evan J Habkirk . “Engaging Students Using Local

History and Perspectives.” Booth Library ,

thekeep.eiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1192&context=the_councilor. Accessed

14 Apr. 2024.

Ferlazzo, Larry. “Four Teacher-Recommended Instructional Strategies for Math

(Opinion).” Education Week, Education Week, 12 July 2021,

www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-four-teacher-recommended-instructional

-strategies-for-math/2021/07.

Kampen, Maria. “6 Types of Assessment (and How to Use Them).” Prodigygame.Com,

www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/types-of-assessment/. Accessed 14 Apr. 2024.

Neville, Ian A., et al. “Cross Disciplinary Teaching: A Pedagogical Model to Support

Teachers in the Development and Implementation of Outdoor Learning

 29

Opportunities - Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education.” SpringerLink,

Springer Nature Singapore, 8 Nov. 2022,

link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42322-022-00109-x.

Person. “Teachers Gain from Peer Review.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational

Foundation, 1 Nov. 2016,

www.edutopia.org/practice/analyze-student-work-inform-instruction.

Putman, Hannah. “The Importance of Content Knowledge for Elementary Teachers.”

National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), 8 July 2021,

www.nctq.org/blog/The-importance-of-content-knowledge-for-elementary-teachers.

Skjæveland, Yngve. “Learning History in Early Childhood: Teaching Methods And

...” Sage Journals , journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1463949117692262. Accessed 14

Apr. 2024.

Usher, Katie. “Differentiating by Offering Choices.” Edutopia, George Lucas

Educational Foundation, 10 Apr. 2019,

www.edutopia.org/article/differentiating-offering-choices/.