Running Head: PLANNING AND PREPARATION

Planning, Preparation, Instruction, and Assessment of Learners

Carly Assaid
Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Fall 2015

PLANNING AND PREPARATION

2
Introduction

Each of the four main subjects taught in elementary school (math, social studies, science,
and language arts) require in-depth planning and instruction in order to successfully teach the
predetermined standards. This type of planning, along with careful instruction and precise
assessment, ensure that objectives are being met. For this competency, I chose to explain the
planning, preparation, instruction, and assessment of SOL 3.1c dealing with comparing whole
numbers.
Rationale
The first element of assessment involves a pre-assessment. It is important to determine
where students are at in the learning process. A pre-assessment provides valuable information
concerning the current knowledge of students in a given subject, on a certain topic. Most often,
the pre-assessments and post-assessments are very similar (sometimes even identical) to one
another. Both types of assessments for comparing numbers included eleven questions- six
questions asking students to give either the greater than, less than, or equal sign and five
questions asking students to write out the answer in words. The pre-assessment data helped to
drive instruction, and provide an essential focus for the lessons.
When it came to planning and instruction, I ensured that the standards and objectives
were being met by following the math curriculum guide. Oftentimes I added my own flare to the
lessons, and included extra elements; I double-checked these extra touches, however, to
guarantee their alignment to the standards. One of the lessons on comparing whole
numbers involved students figuring out a "mystery number" in which I placed a two, three, or
four-digit number on each student's back. I then instructed the students to gather clues from their
peers, in order to figure out what their specific number was. Students asked questions such as:

PLANNING AND PREPARATION

"Is it greater than 100? Is it less than 1000? The questions that were asked became more and
more specific as students got closer to solving the mystery. A second lesson/activity that I
conducted was a "candy corn comparison." Students were given a worksheet and were told to
compare three or four-digit numbers using a couple pieces of candy corn. The candy corn
presented a fun way to represent the greater than and less than symbols. Small group rotations
were a time to work with those students who were still struggling in whole group, or to challenge
the ones who were excelling in the topic.
After the completion of a week's worth of SOL 3.1c lessons, and feeling confident that
the students had mastered the concept, I administered the post-assessment. The post assessment
mirrored the pre-assessment, and reflected all that the students had been learning about
comparing whole numbers. A logical time-frame for all elements of lesson/unit planning is
crucial when it comes to pacing, and maintaining success in the learning environment.
Reflection
Having a wide variety of instructional strategies is key when attempting to plan multiple
lessons dealing with the same topic. In math especially, days or weeks are sometimes spent
mastering a single concept in order to build onto another concept. So many times, students need
to fully grasp one skill, so that they may become successful with the next. When teaching
multiples lessons, however, it is important to approach the topic in different ways. Although the
"mystery number" and the "candy corn comparison" were effective strategies for teaching SOL
3.1c, some students responded better to one strategy than the other. Due to different learning
styles and personalities, a greater understanding of the concept came about when approached in a
variety of ways.

PLANNING AND PREPARATION

There was a great deal of instruction about Robert J. Marzano and his "high-yield
instructional strategies." In his book, Classroom Instruction that Works, Marzano presents nine
strategies for effective instruction in the classroom: Identifying similarities and differences,
Summarizing and note-taking, Reinforcing effort and providing recognition, homework and
practice, non-linguistic representations, cooperative learning, setting objectives and providing
feedback, generating and testing hypotheses, cues, questions, and advanced organizers (Marzano
and Pickering, 2001). Kymberly Tyson references Marzano when discussing the effectiveness of
using the nine instructional strategies in the classroom. "Its been shown that teachers who have a
large repertoire of effective instructional strategies teach differently. Theyre more intentional in
their objectives, strategies, and intended outcomes" (Tyson, 2014).
My use of reinforcing effort and providing recognition, non-linguistic representations,
and cooperative learning proved to be successful for teaching students how to compare whole
numbers. When it came time to assess, the students were prepared and I realized that true
learning had occurred. Implementing a variety of instructional strategies, based on the students'
learning styles, creates better understanding in the material. Lessons should be diverse and
detailed to obtain the greatest possible outcome of learning.

References

PLANNING AND PREPARATION

Marzano, R., & Pickering, D. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based
strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, Va.: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Tyson, K. (2014, January 5). Infographic: Marzano's 9 effective instructional strategies {12 days
of literacy}. Dr. Kimberly's Literacy Blog. Retrieved October 18, 2015,
from http://www.learningunlimitedllc.com/2014/01/infographic-marzanos-9-effectiveinstructional-strategies/