Light and Sound:

Shadows and Engineering

Victoria Pecot’s TWS Unit
Contextual Factors
Mayfair Laboratory School- EBR Parish
27 238
Hispanic White

144 50
African
Asian
American

4 5
Population: 467 Students Hawaiian/Pacifi
Native
American c Islander
 Mayfair Laboratory School- More Facts

Opened in 2013 as a k-
3rd grade school

1. Average earnings of
families: Lower-Middle
Class
But, in 2019 added on to
2. Students with
become a k-8th grade disabilities: 14.5%

3. Active community
partner: LSU
 Classroom Factors
• There are 24 students in this 1st grade class
• Students sit in groups of six to a table (4 tables)
• There is one open area at the front of the classroom where students can sit in a large
group on the rug.
- This space is used for story time or to show modeling of lessons up close.
-We have a smaller space used for our classroom library, but because of COVID-19
restrictions we have not used this area all year.
• Parent involvement:
- We update parents throughout the day on the app, Dojo. We also have regular
conferences with parents whose children we need help with.
• Technology
- All students have access to a Chromebook provided by the school.
 Student Characteristics
• Ages: 6-7
• Gender: 14 boys, 10 girls
• Race:
- 6 black
- 12 white
- 3 Asian
- 3 other/multiple races
• Intervention and support:
- 1 boy pulled because of Autism, meets with speech counselor
- 2 boys are considered tier 2 of intervention and have to be pulled for
documentation. 2 girls and one boy are also pulled for teacher table even
though have not been formally tested. 1 of the girls which is an ESL student.
 Student Characteristics Cont.
• Grouping Preferences:
- Most of the students prefer working with peers
-3 students prefer working alone.
• Learning Preferences:
- This class does mostly visual learning as well as more hands-
on activities.

• Prior knowledge:
- Students have previously learned that scientists need to plan
and carry out investigations to test questions and theories.
- Understand science and engineering practices
 Instructional Implications
• Due to this group of students being virtual for kindergarten due to COVID-19, most of
them struggle with handwriting and writing in general. Also, due to virtual learning,
many are behind in understanding math and ELA, and are slower to learn these things
than my mentor’s previous classes.
• Many students get pulled to be re-taught lessons.
• Remind students to write their name on things multiple times.
• Must be re-read directions multiple times.

• This group of students enjoys hands-on lessons and partners. However, some students
prefer working alone.
• Lessons must tailor to be able to work alone and with a partner.
Learning Goals
 Learning Goals
• The learning goals are supported by standards in the 1 st grade Louisiana curriculum that ask students to make
connections between the science and engineering and how it affects their daily lives. Source: Amplify Science
Louisiana
• The learning goals build on basic science concepts students learned in kindergarten.

Learning Goal 1: Learning Goal 2: Learning Goal 3: Learning Goal 4: Learning Goal 5:
Students will be able Students understand
to make a shadow what a shadow is. Students will be able
with a flashlight. Students will know that Students will understand
to understand that
engineers have to that engineers have a set
Standard light can be blocked
evaluate the performance of practices they use to
Standard by some objects or of their solutions by
materials. design a solution to a
checking to see if they
LSSS Science and LSSS Science and problem.
met design goals.
Engineering Engineering Standard
Practices: P2, P6,
Practices: P3, P4, P6. Standard Standard
-PS4.B P8 LSSS Science and
-ETS1.A -PS4.B Engineering
LSSS Science and LSSS Science and
Practices: P3, P4 Engineering
-PS4.B Engineering Practices:
P3, P4, P6 Practices: P6
-PS4.B -PS4.B
-ETS1.C
Assessment
Plan
 Learning Goals
LG1: Students will be able to make
a shadow with a flashlight.
Criteria: 100%
LG2: Students understand what a
shadow is.
Criteria: 85%
LG3: Students will be able to
understand that light can be blocked
by some objects or materials.
Criteria: 70%
LG4: Students will know that
engineers must check their work
(essentially).
Criteria: 70%
LG5: Students will understand that
engineers have to follow certain
rules for solution designs.
Criteria: 80%
Assessment Rationale: Students will be learning about this
Pre/Post: Open discussion about topic to gather an understanding about how light
what shadows are. Science notebook
Formative: Exit ticket of science works. The format of the assessments are the same
notebook as others used this year, where students will have to
Pre/Post: Discussing how shadows
are made, taking questions on how
apply their understanding to paper. However, the
light works. Science notebook. second part of the post-assessment will not be the
Formative: Exit ticket of science
notebook same, it will be a new format- fill in the blank. This
Pre/Post: Discussing light blocking, will get students comfortable with doing this
materials activity. Science notebook.
Formative: Exit ticket of science
format in the future, which they will have to do.
notebook
Pre/Post: Activity, discussing Modifications: Assessments/lessons may need to
engineer designs. Science notebook.
Formative: Exit ticket of science be repeated if too difficult. Certain words will have
notebook to be explained more than once, and directions and
Pre/Post: discussing dark areas and text will have to be read more than once for
what we have learned this week.
Science notebook. assessments.
Formative: Exit ticket of student
notebook.
 Copies of Assessments
Link to pre-test, post-test, exit tickets:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DwvwPwVmMb8stHlRag
-Bft91ek-R8x5l?usp=sharing

• Messed up on the pre-post test, did a different test for the

post test but kept some questions the same.
• Both the pre/post test are out of as many points as there are
questions on the tests.
• These assessments are appropriate because they follow
each lesson with the same information, and the main points
of the lesson/unit are hit in the questions.
• For students who needed extra help, I gave extra assistance
on.
Design for
Instruction
Pre-Test Assessment Data
4%
4%
4%

8% 33%

13%
• % out of 100,
out 24 students

13%
21%
Questions Correct:

10 out of 13 12 out of 13 11 out of 13 5 out of 13

6 out of 13 7 out of 13 8 out of 13 9 out of 13
 Pre-Test Analysis
• The pre-test data showed that there are 8 students who have reached the level of
mastery for the learning goals of the unit. However, I believe it is also because I did
not include harder words and topics I knew they would have been very confused on.

• None of the students who receive accommodations were in this group of 8 students
who reached mastery.

• There were 8 out of 24 students who reached a basic level of understanding with a
10/13 questions correct
• 8 students did not reach mastery or basic.
• This test showed me I can spend less time on the main concepts of 2.1 and 2.2, and
more time focusing on in depth discussions on shadows (changing the shape of a
shadow, how shadows are made, if everything can have a shadow).
Design for
Instruction
 Topic: Pre-Test 2.1 Understanding 2.2 How Are 2.3 Light 2.4 Dark Areas 2.5 Bright, Post-Test
Shadows Shadows Blocking Medium Bright,
Made? and Dark
Surfaces and
Engineers
Standards: Pre-Test LSSS Science and LSSS Science and LSSS Science and LSSS Science and LSSS Science and
Post-Test
Engineering practices (P.3, Engineering Engineering Engineering Engineering
P.4, P.6); PS4.B, ETS1.A practices (P.2, P.6, Practices: P3, P4 Practices: P3, P4, Practices: P6
P.8); PS4.B -PS4.B P6 -PS4.B
-PS4.B
-ETS1.C

Learning Pre-Test Students will be able to Students Students will be able Students will know Students will understand
Post-Test
make a shadow with a to understand that that engineers have to that engineers have a set
Goal: understand what light can be blocked evaluate the of practices they use to
flashlight. a shadow is. by some objects or performance of their design a solution to a
materials. solutions by checking problem.
to see if they met
design goals.

Activity/ Pre-Test Intro flashlight activity Book reading (notice Lecture 2.3 ppt, 2.4 ppt, review 2.5 lecture ppt, book
Post-Test
observation. New vocab and wonder), new vocab, previous activity, reading, engineer
Materials: discussion. Video: powerpoint 2.2, blocking new vocab, stencil discussion, pg. 14-15
https://www.youtube.com/wat blocking model, investigation activity. (materials, science notebooks
ch?v=lOIGOT88Aqc shadow sorting (observed then flashlight, clips, (science notebook,
, 2.1 PowerPoint lecture, activity peers, pg. 8 peers). (Science pencil, scissors, pencil)
partner flashlight activity. Peter activity, discussion. notebook, paper, science
Pan shadow clip YouTube. (Science notebook, materials, clips, notebook)
(Need science notebook, shadow cards, pencil) paper, pencil).
flashlight, pencil)
Assessment Pre-Test Page 7 in science Page 9 in Testing Pg. 13 in Pg. 16 science Post-Test
notebooks scaffolded. science materials exit science notebook
notebook ticket notebook
worksheet
Instructional
Decision
Making
 Instance 1
After completing lesson 2.3 on Light
Blocking, my mentor and I decided I needed
to reteach it differently. I had originally done
the blocking investigation on my own for the
students to observe which materials blocked
light. However, not all were paying
attention, and they needed to see for
themselves what materials light could pass
through or not. So, I re-taught the lesson,
with them able to do it on their own in
partners.
Instance 2
I had been using Amplify’s science
PowerPoints for each lesson so far, but
for 2.4 I made my own. It was similar
concepts, words, and activities as theirs,
but theirs was too wordy. I thought it
was repetitive and over-explained what I
thought should be learned for the
concepts of that lesson. Also, I wanted
them to learn about translucent,
transparent, and opaque, so I included
this as well.
Analysis of
Student
Learning
 Whole Class Data
Pre-Test Post-Test
Pre-Test Post-Test
1. Student 1: 11/13- 85%, 15/17-88%
1. Student 14: 10/13- 77%, 9/17- 52%
2. Student 2: 11/13-85%, 15/17-88%
2. Student 15: 10/13- 77%, 14/17- 82%
3. Student 3: 5/13-38% , 11/17- 64%
3. Student 16: 8/13- 77%, 13/17- 76%
4. *Student 4: 5/13- 38%, 6/17- 35%
4. Student 17: 9/13- 77%, 8/17- 47%
5. Student 5: 10/13-77%, 17/17- 100%
5. Student 18: 10/13- 77%, 16/17- 94%
6. Student 6: 12/13- 92%, 14/17- 82%
6. Student 19: 7/13- 54%, 12/17- 70%
7. *Student 7: 6/13- 46%, 14/17-82%
7. Student 20: 11/13- 85%, 15/17- 88%
8. *Student 8: 5/13-38%, Absent
8. *Student 21: 6/13- 46%, Absent
9. Student 9: 10/13- 77%, Absent
9. Student 22: 10/13- 77%, 6/17- 35%
10. Student 10: 12/13- 92%, 14/17-82%
10. Student 23: 10/13 77%, 16/17-
11. Student 11: 12/13- 92%, 16/17- 94%
94%
12. Student 12: 12/13- 92%, Absent
11. Student 24: 12/13- 92%, 15/17- 88%
13. Student 13: 10/13: 77%, 9/17- 52%
* = Students with accommodations
 Data: Learning Goal 1
Number of Students Who Missed Number of Students Who Missed Questions on LG1 Post-
Questions on LG1 Pre-Test: Test:

1. 1 1. 1
2. 15 2. 6
3. 12 4. 1
4. 3 5. 8
5. 12 6. 1
9. 3 7. 6
10. 7
11. 6 Fill in the Blank:
12. 6 6. 3
 Data: Learning Goal 2
Number of Students Who Missed Number of Students Who Missed Questions on LG2 Post-
Questions on LG2 Pre-Test: Test:

1. 1 1. 1
6. 4 6. 1
13. 7

3- 12 Fill in the Blank:

4- 10
7. 3
5. 5
 Data: Learning Goal 3
Number of Students Who Missed Number of Students Who Missed Questions on LG3 Post-
Questions on LG3 Pre-Test: Test:

4. 3 3. 6
6. 4 4. 1
7. 4 8. 1
8. 8
Fill in the Blank:
4- 19 3. 5
6-20
4. 2
5. 5
 Data: Learning Goal 4
Number of Students Who Missed Questions on LG4 Post-
Number of Students Who Missed Test:
Questions on LG4 Pre-Test:
3. 6
6. 4 7. 6
7. 4 8. 1
9. 3
Fill in the Blank:
12. 6 2. 7
3. 5
4. 2
4- 17 5. 5
11- 60 6. 3
7. 6
8. 10
9. 9
 Data: Learning Goal 5
Number of Students Who Missed Number of Students Who Missed Questions on LG5 Post-
Questions on LG5 Pre-Test: Test:

4. 3 4. 1
8. 8 7. 6
12. 6 8. 1

Fill in the Blank:

3- 17 2. 7
6. 3
8-43 7. 6
8. 10
9. 9
 Analysis of Student Learning- Whole Class
• On the pre-test, the average score was a 9/13 (69%). For learning goal 1, the questions missed
the most were 2(15), 3(12), and 5(12). The question with the most wrong answers for learning
goal 2 was number 13, with seven students incorrectly answering. For learning goal 3, the
question with the most wrong answers was number 8, with eight students incorrectly answering.
For learning goal 4, the most incorrect question was number 12, with 6 students missing it.
Finally, for learning goal 5, the most incorrect question was number 12 again, with 6 students
missing it.
• For the pre-test, 8 out of 24 students gained mastery (84%+).
• On the post-test, the average score was a 15/17 (88%). For learning goal 1, the questions missed
the most were 2(6), 5(8), and 7(6). The question with the most wrong answers for learning goal 2
was the fill in the blank number 5, with five students incorrectly answering it. For learning goal 3,
the question with the most wrong answers was question 3, with six students answering
incorrectly. For learning goal 4, the questions with the most wrong answers were fill in the blank
numbers 8(10) and 9(9). Finally, for learning goal 5, the questions with the most wrong answers
was the fill in the blank question 8, with 10 students missing it.
• On the post-test, there were 8 students who met the criteria for mastery. 6 students met the
criteria for basic understanding, and 10 students were under.
• This tells me that the number of students who mastered the concept stayed the same, but almost
every single student did raise their grade in understanding the unit.
 Analysis of Student Learning- Individual
• One of the students who showed exceptional performance from the pre-test to the post-test is
identified as Student 7. She is an ESL student, so we have to make accommodations for her at times
even though she is fluent in English. She went from making a 46% on the pre-test to making an 82%
on the post-test. Even though it is not mastery, it is really close and is a big jump. One of her
challenges is that she does not talk in the classroom. She has never asked questions, and rarely
talks to her peers. We can tell she does understand most subjects and receives average grades.
The barrier is really a language issue, which is why she misses some questions. Her mother has
said that even at home she is shy and quiet. However, she stays attentive the whole day, and does
everything as she is supposed to in class.

• The second student I want to discuss is identified as Student 22. He received a 77% on the pre-test,
and a 35% on the post-test. We do not pull him for accommodations; however he does have a
focusing issue, especially at the table he is at. I am not surprised that his percentage went down, but
I am surprised by how much it went down. He was on average attentive to the unit and answered
most of the questions correctly during discussion. He even asked questions on his own. However, he
rushes through his assignments and tests very fast, I think to get it over with. It is really disappointing
because he is a very smart student.
Reflection and
Self-
Evaluation
 Most Successful Learning Goal
• I believe my most successful learning goal was #1. This is because I kept the number of questions
for LG1 around the same amount for the pre-test and the post-test. For the post-test, the number
of questions missed was significantly lower than the pre-test questions.
• I believe the success of this learning goal was from how much we went over the concepts within it.
The concepts from lesson 1 were carried over throughout every section, which were the key points
of the unit anyway. This really helped gain a deeper understanding through more discussions and
review of it. Also, I included multiple fun videos to understand more about shadows, and they were
able to do an activity to learn about this goal as well.

• To improve this lesson, I want them to write more. It would help them grasp a better understanding
of the fact that engineers have to take notes on their observations, which would help tie in for the
next few sections that some struggled with.
 Least Successful Learning Goal
• My least successful learning goal was #5. I believe it was just a little bit more different than the
other sections we had talked about in this unit. Also, we did not have more time to review it. With
each other section, I was able to review it the next day in the next lesson to tie into the lesson we
were learning that day. However, this lesson was the last one, so I was not able to do this. I also
believe I should have found a better assessment than the one I used in their science notebooks
for LG5. It did not sum up the lesson well enough, and I should have prepared to have a better
one.
 Professional Development

I think that students need more hands-on activity, and to be able to learn through play. In every
subject I have seen, almost every student benefits from these, and develops a deeper understanding
through them. I love being able to do activities with them when they are well thought out and involve a
small, attainable challenge.
Play has been taken out of our curriculums in many public schools. I know the critical issues on why,
but I think that idea needs to be challenged because this is how children, especially young children,
learn (and learn to love school). I am interested in involving more activities in my lessons as well as
play in my curriculum. I also think I need to be more confident in teaching lessons, and grow away
from using lesson plans that are already available to me.