Teaching Practice Portfolio Guidelines

Specific TP tasks *
Week 1. Mathematics in the School & My Classroom.
Examine the table of contents for the math textbook used at your Teaching Practice
Placement.
o How does the content align with the CCSS for your grade level?
Observe the math classroom arrangement (desks, shelves, materials, walls, etc.) Take
pictures to post in your portfolio.
Post the typical weekly schedule for one group of students for all their classes.
Examine your MSTs lesson plans. Take pictures or collect samples to post in your
portfolio.
o How does she write plans for the week?
o For the semester?

The CCSS content of grade four this course book contain three unites related to fractions. The
first unit lessons are focused in comparing the fraction and simplifying. So their basic unit object
is to make students able to write equivalent fractions, simplifying, and comparing fraction by
using comparing singles. The second unit focused in adding and subtracting the fractions. The
third unit is about dividing and multiplying the fractions. My MST thing that the satiable
classroom arrangement for studying math is set as groups. Also, she divide the class wall as
parts to keep the materials organized. She pest students work in special part at the wall which
will make students proud about themselves. In addition, there are a lot of math companions
which happened between the schools, and teacher hang their competition works in the wall after
they finish the competition. My MST have a monthly plan for what they should achieve exactly,
so she depend on it to prepare her weekly lessons.

Week 2. Classroom Manipulatives.

Identify models and manipulatives that are available to use in a mathematics classroom
that you visit.
o Did you see them being used?
o If so, what models and manipulatives were used?
Ask your MST about how she organizes her class when she uses manipulatives.
o Does she write her lessons differently?
o Does she use more or less time for the activities?
o How does she prepare the materials before the lesson?
o How does she give directions or model the use of the manipulatives?
Take pictures of the materials for your artifacts collection, if appropriate, take pictures of
students working with the materials.
My teacher divide the class wall by making shelves to but her materials. Before each class
she select the materials that she will use and put them in her table to not forget to use them.
Because they are in fraction unite, I note my teacher used the place value cubes, place
value board, Dirham and Fills models, and pizza pieces. My MST prepare one differentiated
lesson for each two weeks because preparing differentiated lesson demand different
materials and models for each level in the class which need more works. She provide two

activities for each level to fat with the class time, because she spend more time to explain
the instructions cards for each groups.
Week 3. Analyzing Classroom Discourse.
Observe in a classroom, keeping a record that lets you answer the following questions.
Record/write down a list of what is said for 10 minutes during the CORE part of the
class:

What proportion of time does the teacher talk?

o Time the class for 10 min, how many of those minutes is the teacher talking?
What types of questions does the teacher ask?
o List all the exact words you hear the teacher uses when asking questions about
the math topic (not review or procedural questions)
What evidence do you see that children have learned some mathematics?
o What are children saying or doing that shows they understand a new topic?
How many of the children have an opportunity to talk?
o Are children talking only when the teacher calls on them?
o Do children talk to partners or in table groups?
o Do children raise their hands to ask questions? What are they asking?
In your opinion, is the classroom discourse about important and new mathematics?
o Why or why not?

Teacher tart the core part of the lesson by write a question on the board thats contain some of
their prior knowledge but they need to learn more skills to solve it. She let them trying to solve
it and then she tell them that she will teach them new skills to solve this question. After she
solve the first question, she write other example and solve it with explanation. Before she let
them o work in group she tell them some procedures such as work in group cooperatively and
raise your hand if you have question. Then teacher give them work sheet or questions in their
students book to solve it in group. She stop them if she fined many mistakes in their answers to
solve the questions on the board.

Week 4. Observe an Assessment

Observe an assessment, a formal test is preferable.
o What is the math skill or concept being assessed?
BEFORE
Before the assessment, watch and listen as the teacher distributes the test or
assignment.
o What does she say before giving out the papers?
o How does she hand out the papers?
o What sort of directions are given?
o How does she ensure that all students are listening?
DURING
During the assessment (give examples):
o How does the teacher respond to students who raise their hands with questions?
o What sorts of questions or comments does she make? Are directions reiterated?
o Are students directed to reread or to thing about the meaning of the problems?
o Are the students told how to proceed?

o What sorts of hints are given, if any?

During the assessment, If no student raise their hands, what does the teacher do?
o Does she sit at her desk?
o Circulate around the room?
o Does she look over the students; shoulders? (If she does, ask her later what she
was looking at)
During the assessment, are there times when the teacher addresses the whole group?
o What precipitates (happens before) these announcements and what are their
topics?
o During the assessment how does the teacher deal with students who finish
early?

AFTER
After the assessment, how does the teacher end the test or the class session?
o Does she make announcements about the time remaining even before time is
up?
o How are papers collected?
o What happens with students who are not yet finished?

In the last month of each course teachers start to finish the lessons and make a review lessons
for the students to prepare them for the exams. She follow some steps to achieve the exam:
1. Before the exam: teacher start by ask students to clear their desks and arrange it as
lines. She make sure that all students have the materials to solve the exam. I note that
teacher prepare basket with pencils for the students who dont have pencils or for the
students we forget their pencils case. Then she divide the papers.
2. While the exam: Before students start to write, teacher read for them the questions.
Then they start to solve the questions and if they have any question they raise their hand
quietly.
3. After the exam: Teacher ask them to make sure that they answers all the questions, then
she collect the papers and ask them to leave the class.

Reflection one: (MST) add decimals horizontally and vertically

The first lesson that I did for grade four students was adding decimals, as a routine
of math class teacher do a review to engage students before she start the new
lesson. In my class I used two pictures of two students from the class to make a
story contains a review for adding whole numbers as a first step, then adding the
decimals. Related to students reaction, my MST also like the story idea because it
break class routine and motivate students to participate. In the second step of the
lesson they used the place value board on the PowerPoint to present the numbers. I
note that they remember how to use this board from the other lessons. In
converting the fractions to decimals, I used a useful strategy which is selecting one
student to explain in the board how to convert the fractions to decimals, as a
review for the other students. My MST feedback was very positive because she
said that my class management was excellent. Also, my instructions were clear
which avoid the misconception and the misbehavior. But she asked me to use the
Classical Arabic in the class while I teach. In general, it was a nice experiment to
teach boys, and I note that they are more active than the girls.
Reflection two: (MST) differentiation lesson
Related to the review lesson of adding fractions, I note that students find some
difficulties in solving the question while I walked around the groups. When I
divide the baskets, I tell them to give each student in the group the chance to select
the fruits from the back of the class, but I observe that some students don't want to
give the basket to other students. To solve this problem, I draw a table on the board
to estimate their group work, answers, and speed. Also, when I divided the
worksheets, I gave each group only one paper. Before they start, they were some
students who are fighting because of writing on the sheet. So I give each group two
sheets to work in pears and then discuss the answers together. In general, students
had fun with the activities because they were very active in the class. Related to
my MST feedback, she likes the way that I solve the problems, but she asked me to
prepare plan B to be more ready for any misconceptions. Also, she asked me to but
procedural for groups work to avoid misbehaviors.
Reflection three: (MCT) drawing lines, rays and angles, geometry lesson.
In the beginning of the lesson I used a game to review for students the ray, lines
and angles. The game was by hiding one students eyes and let them to discover
the shape by using their hands only. Students and my MST enjoyed this game
which break class routine. Also I hide some questions under students chairs and

let them to find the questions and answer it. I used this activities because my MST
asked me to apply more interesting activities for each lesson to engage students
and take their attention. My lesson was including clear steps related to drawing and
I used worksheet after each steps. My MST likes this way and she advise me to use
it in each class.
Reflection four and five: Transformation (Reflection)
Related to MCT feedback
Today lesson was the best lesson that I was done because students understood
clearly the meaning of reflection. Also my MCT notes were very active. Firstly,
students reaction and participation were reflected their understanding. But some
low-level students found some difficulties in drawing the reflection of the shapes.
But I covered this problem by showing them more examples on the board to let
them note their wrongs. Related to my MCT feedback, she said that I am excellent
in teaching math, and I am showing my understanding of the concepts while I
teach. She also likes when I used the mirror to present the meaning of reflection
and let them imagen that the mirror is the line of symmetry. As that makes the idea
very clear for the students and connect the lesson with real life. But she asks me to
do more exciting activities which meet their levels to reinforce their understanding
before let them answering their students book. In general, there was the very
important change in my performance in the class and students reaction was the
evidence.
Related to MST feedback
My MST likes using the puzzle in groups to know the title of the lesson and
presenting the instructions and the rules in a good way. Also, using the thinking
question for example when I asked them if all the shapes have congruent
reflection? In each slide in the PowerPoint I wrote the objective related to the mean
lesson. My MST regard that a strength point. In addition to using the mirror to
explain the reflection in the beginning of the lesson. But she were asking me to try
to control the students more and improve my classroom management.