TASK 1: Contextual Factors Template

This template is designed to help you organize and understand the many factors that affect teaching and learning. The subcategories
listed in each factor are just suggestions. Select subcategories (listed or not) that help you determine the instructional strategies and
approaches that will support your students learning. In this chart, list the factors as they relate to your teaching.

Types of Factors Contextual Factors

Community Lewisburg Elementary School is located in Lewisburg West

Urban community Virginia. Lewisburg is what most would call an affluent
Affluent community, made up of many diverse cultures.
Diverse The population in Lewisburg is predominantly white, and the
Predominantly white rest are a combination of black, Asian, Hispanic, and a mix of
two or more races.
(e.g., urban, suburban, or rural; census data for the
community, race/ethnicity, family structure; socio-
economic information; communitys school support)

School
Students population of 537
46 teachers Lewisburg has a student population of 537 students and 46
teachers, with a total of 94 special education students.
94 special education students
Sixty-three of these students are male, and 31 of them are
63 male sped
females.
31 female sped
Nine students have 504 plans; eight are English Language
9 students have 504 plans Learners.
8 ELL These students are housed in a large, bright, new building less
Free and reduced lunch is 42% than three years old and modeled on the historical aspect of the
town.
(e.g., enrollment; percent of students receiving free or The schools setting sits on the edge of town, and the
reduced lunch; AYP data; ethnicities; percent of playgrounds and fields surrounding the school are spacious and
students with IEPs; percent of ELL students; teacher- well-maintained.
student ratio; schedule) Out of all the schools in Greenbrier County, the schools located

Family
Median income $47,515, exceeds WVs median
income by $6,000
Population of roughly 4,000
(e.g., percent of families with college degrees, annual
income; parental involvement in classroom; support
for education; family configuration; socio-economic
profile)
in Lewisburg are exposed to more diversity than the other
schools. Lewisburg has a community college, downtown shops,
ethnic restaurants, the Greenbrier Resort, and a lot of other
places that bring in people from all places and all walks of life.
The school is located within walking distance of the county
library, with a trail linking the school to the library and the
adjacent Confederate cemetery.
The median income is $47,515, which exceeds West Virginias
median income by over $6,000.
Lewisburg has a population of roughly 4,000 people and has
grown 8.7% in the past 10 years
In comparison to other schools in Greenbrier County,
Lewisburg Elementary is home to the wealthiest families but is
also home to a large number of the poorest.
The free and reduced lunch percentage is 42%, so nearly half
the 537 students are living in poverty.
The learning gap between the two socioeconomic statuses can
be very hard to close when considering childrens educational
needs. Children from a lower socioeconomic status often start
school more than one year behind the children of college
graduates.
Research shows that as school years progress, this gap only
grows wider. One would think that this gap would start to close
when less-privileged students encounter a great teacher who
invests time into bringing them up to speed, but that is not
always the case.
Parents of many of the students at Lewisburg Elementary are
very involved. They take an active role in field trips, they come
in during volunteer times to read or help teachers, and they are
 encouraged to attend Parent Teacher Organization meetings.
Parents are especially involved during special occasions, and
teachers allow this to help build positive relationships with
parents from all socioeconomic levels.

Classroom Factors Classroom management is the key to allowing students to learn.

Schoolwide discipline program
Consistent schedules
Smooth transitions
Extensive access to technology
(e.g., classroom arrangement; classroom rules and
routines; extent of parental involvement; scheduling;
availability of technology)
If a classroom is out of control nobody is going to grasp
anything the teacher has to say.
The classroom management of the classes I have witnessed in
this fourth grade are impeccable. I was so impressed to see how
well these students behaved and how they knew what was
expected of them from one moment to the next. It is obvious
that these students started the year working on transitions,
procedures, and rules to be followed.
Students and teachers have extensive access to technology, with
three computer labs in the school, four student computers in
each classroom, 3 laptop/Chromebook carts, and various iPads
and tablets available for student use.
Also, each classroom has a SMARTboard, a projector, a
SMART document camera.
Grades 1 and 2 have a SMART Table that can be used by up to
eight students at one time, for small group work or stations.
In addition, a full-time Technology and Curriculum Specialist
provides professional development to teachers on the many
software programs available.

Content Specific Factors Each classroom has clearly defined areas for learning, and these
Clearly defined areas for learning are organized to minimize disruption and maximize time on
SMARTboard task.
SMART document camera The SMARTboard has a floor seating area for students to sit
Computer area during whole group instruction when the SMARTboard is being
used, and the teachers desk is set up so that the teacher can
 Seats in groups
Library
Lockers
(e.g., content area(s), materials, resources, technology
specific to your area)
Student Factors (In terms of the whole class and
individual students)
Motivation
Affective characteristics
Effective characteristics
Personalities
(e.g., identify the cognitive, social, emotional
characteristics such as grade level, age, gender;
language needs; special needs; race/ethnicity;
achievement/developmental levels; approaches to
learning; prior learning and experiences; academic
proficiencies/behavioral differences; areas of interest;
learning styles; students skill levels)
switch between showing her screen and what she places under
the SMART document camera.
The students computer area is in a small cubby are apart from
the classroom, which allow for some degree of quiet out of the
mainstream learning area.
Student desks are grouped by fours or fives to allow for
individual or small group learning.
A classroom library offers students immediate access to reading
materials, and a resource center provides a place to set up
science experiments that the students can move to in small
groups.
Students have lockers outside the room but also have pails at
their desks to keep highlighters, markers, glue sticks, etc. For
social studies, the area I am teaching, students have interactive
textbooks, which means they can liberally use highlighters,
answer questions within the text, and do whatever helps them
remember and learn using this resource.
There are several factors that influence classroom learning.
Some of these factors are effective while others are affective.
As teachers, we aim to create a classroom environment that
promotes effective and proficient students.
Researchers say that motivation, personality, and cognitive
characteristics are a few affective factors that can alter the way
students learn. All three of these aspects can overlap or override
another.
In some combinations, they work together in a way that is best
for the learner. For example, a student who is highly motivated
can overcome the effects of a negative personality.
Many interrelationships can be formed amongst the many
affective factors.
 Lewisburg aims to provide a highly structured environment for
their students.
The school-wide discipline program is consistently taught and
enforced throughout the grades.
Students spend the first week of school learning and reviewing
rules and procedures that teachers have developed and
discussed.
Lines are orderly; schedules are consistent, and students know
what to expect from day-to-day and year to year.
 Molly Wickline

TPA Task 1 Narrative

1-22-17

Task 1 Contextual Factors

Community and School Factors

Lewisburg Elementary School is located in Lewisburg West Virginia. Lewisburg is what most would call an affluent

community, made up of many diverse cultures. The median income is $47,515, which exceeds West Virginias median income by over

$6,000. Lewisburg has a population of roughly 4,000 people and has grown 8.7% in the past 10 years. The population in Lewisburg is

predominantly white, and the rest are a combination of black, Asian, Hispanic, and a mix of two or more races.

Lewisburg has a student population of 537 students and 46 teachers, with a total of 94 special education students. Sixty-three

of these students are male, and 31 of them are females. Nine students have 504 plans; eight are English Language Learners. These

students are housed in a large, bright, new building less than three years old and modeled on the historical aspect of the town. The

schools setting sits on the edge of town, and the playgrounds and fields surrounding the school are spacious and well-maintained.

Out of all the schools in Greenbrier County, the schools located in Lewisburg are exposed to more diversity than the other schools.

Lewisburg has a community college, downtown shops, ethnic restaurants, the Greenbrier Resort, and a lot of other places that bring in
people from all places and all walks of life. The school is located within walking distance of the county library, with a trail linking the

school to the library and the adjacent Confederate cemetery.

Family and Student Factors

In comparison to other schools in Greenbrier County, Lewisburg Elementary is home to the wealthiest families but is also

home to a large number of the poorest. The free and reduced lunch percentage is 42%, so nearly half the 537 students are living in

poverty (West Virginia Educational Information System). The learning gap between the two socioeconomic statuses can be very hard

to close when considering childrens educational needs. Children from a lower socioeconomic status often start school more than one

year behind the children of college graduates. Research shows that as school years progress, this gap only grows wider. One would

think that this gap would start to close when less-privileged students encounter a great teacher who invests time into bringing them up

to speed, but that is not always the case (Porter).

Interestingly, the proficiency gap between children of different socioeconomic backgrounds tends to close when the parent or

parents of the less-privileged children are educated in the best practices of parenting and what they can do to help their children at

home. Lewisburg has attempted to capitalize on this information by sending home information to parents about how to help with

homework, signature pages for homework, and similar information. Students receive points for getting parents to sign papers or

participate in some way. Some teachers worry that students are penalized for their parents lack of involvement (e.g., signing papers),

so the degree to which this is carried out varies.

 With so many students coming from prosperous families, one can often expect them to have the resources at home to complete

assignments. For example, many students at this school have access to computers and internet connection at home. Unfortunately,

there are some who do not and a concern for teachers is that they not hold lack of resources against less-privileged students and allow

it to hurt their grades. Less privileged children may also be less worried about their grades, in general, because they are more focused

on where their next meal will be coming from. I know of at least one child who is currently in one of my classes who relies on school

meals as her primary source of nutrition. It is nearly impossible for a hungry child to concentrate at the task at hand, and this proves

true for this child. She is the most disruptive one in her homeroom class. As a teacher, I know that there is not a lot I can, do but I can

keep parents and students informed about what types of programs are out there so that they can take advantage and get some

assistance. The school also sends home SnackPacks with some disadvantaged children over the weekends so that they have nutritional

snacks (Hunger in the Classroom).

Parents of many of the students at Lewisburg Elementary are very involved. They take an active role in field trips, they come

in during volunteer times to read or help teachers, and they are encouraged to attend Parent Teacher Organization meetings. Parents

are especially involved during special occasions, and teachers allow this to help build positive relationships with parents from all

socioeconomic levels.

Classroom and Content Factors

 There are several factors that influence classroom learning. Some of these factors are effective while others are affective. As

teachers, we aim to create a classroom environment that promotes effective and proficient students. Researchers say that motivation,

personality, and cognitive characteristics are a few affective factors that can alter the way students learn. All three of these aspects can

overlap or override another. In some combinations, they work together in a way that is best for the learner. For example, a student who

is highly motivated can overcome the effects of a negative personality. Many interrelationships can be formed amongst the many

affective factors. Lewisburg aims to provide a highly structured environment for their students. The school-wide discipline program

is consistently taught and enforced throughout the grades. Students spend the first week of school learning and reviewing rules and

procedures that teachers have developed and discussed. Lines are orderly; schedules are consistent, and students know what to expect

from day-to-day and year to year (Ripple).

Classroom management is the key to allowing students to learn. If a classroom is out of control nobody is going to grasp

anything the teacher has to say. The classroom management of the classes I have witnessed in this fourth grade are impeccable. I was

so impressed to see how well these students behaved and how they knew what was expected of them from one moment to the next. It

is obvious that these students started the year working on transitions, procedures, and rules to be followed.

Students and teachers have extensive access to technology, with three computer labs in the school, four student computers in

each classroom, 3 laptop/Chromebook carts, and various iPads and tablets available for student use. Also, each classroom has a

SMARTboard, a projector, a SMART document camera. Grades 1 and 2 have a SMART Table that can be used by up to eight students
at one time, for small group work or stations. In addition, a full-time Technology and Curriculum Specialist provides professional

development to teachers on the many software programs available.

Each classroom has clearly defined areas for learning, and these are organized to minimize disruption and maximize time on

task. The SMARTboard has a floor seating area for students to sit during whole group instruction when the SMARTboard is being

used, and the teachers desk is set up so that the teacher can switch between showing her screen and what she places under the

SMART document camera. The students computer area is in a small cubby are apart from the classroom, which allow for some

degree of quiet out of the mainstream learning area. Student desks are grouped by fours or fives to allow for individual or small group

learning. A classroom library offers students immediate access to reading materials, and a resource center provides a place to set up

science experiments that the students can move to in small groups. Students have lockers outside the room but also have pails at their

desks to keep highlighters, markers, glue sticks, etc. For social studies, the area I am teaching, students have interactive textbooks,

which means they can liberally use highlighters, answer questions within the text, and do whatever helps them remember and learn

using this resource.

Another tool used for classroom management is Slip-Up Intervention. Students who do not slip up during the week get extra

recess during a weekly Slip-Up time. Students who are identified by teachers as slipping up have activities that help them write

about the decisions they made and how they will react differently next time. The teacher keeps a basket of slip-up tickets on her desk.
Some teachers give these tickets liberally, but my student teacher only gives them for incomplete homework or more serious

infractions, such as disrespectful language.

All of these factors interact together to help inform a teacher about students needs and how to best differentiate instruction to

best suit their students. As teachers, we must always maintain communication with parents so that no one is left behind. Students as

well as parents need to feel accountable for students academic and social success.
 Works Cited

Hunger in the Classroom: Share Our Strength Teacher Report 2012. APCO. http://join.nokidhungry.org/site/DocServer/2012-

teacher-report-full-final.pdf?docID=8902. Accessed 22 Jan 2017.

Porter, Eduardo. Education Gap Between Rich and Poor Is Growing Wider. The New York Times: Economic Scene, 22 Sept. 2015.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/business/economy/education-gap-between-rich-and-poor-is-growing-wider.html?_r=0.

Accessed 20 Jan. 2017.

Ripple, Richard E. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development: Affective Factors Influence Classroom Learning.

Educational Leadership, 1965, pp. 476-532.

West Virginia Educational Information System (WVEIS). http://wveis.k12.wv.us. Accessed 20 Jan. 2017.
 TASK 2: UNIT FRAMEWORK TEMPLATE

1. BIG IDEA: What is worth fighting for?

2. STANDARDS 3A. LEARNING GOALS 3B. TYPE/LEVEL OF GOALS

1. SS.4.H.CL2.1 - 1. Students will describe the effects of the colonists 1. Cognitive Bloom: Comprehension
explain the political protests.
and economic 2. Cognitive Bloom: Analysis
factors leading to 2. Students will analyze how the actions of Parliament led
the American to protests against British rule. 3. Cognitive Bloom: Knowledge
Revolution (e.g.,
the French and 3. Students will identify Patriot and British leaders at the
Indian War; British beginning of the Revolution and their activities.
colonial policies,
and American
colonists early
resistance, etc.).

2. SS.4.H.CL2.2 1. Describe the purpose and actions of the Second 1. Cognitive Bloom: Comprehension
explain the major Continental Congress.
ideas reflected in 2. Cognitive Bloom: Comprehension
the Declaration of 2. Describe how and why the colonies declared their
Independence. independence from British rule. 3. Affective Krathwohl: Organization

3. Students will examine how the Declaration of

Independence expresses their ideals as an American.
 Molly Wickline

TPA Task 2 Narrative

1-29-17

TPA Task 2: Standards and Goals

What is worth fighting for? This question, which can have many different answers for many different people, is the big idea of

this unit plan. This unit focuses on informing students that in the 1700s people believed that freedom was something worth fighting

for and helping them understand the time period and context of the decisions colonial Americans made. This lesson also allows

students to put themselves in the mindset of a colonist in the 1700s and has them question whether freedom is something they believe

is worth fighting for.

The three main domains of learning are cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. All teachers should know and use these when

creating their lessons. Cognitive is associated with thinking. When describing learning goals as cognitive we use verbs from Blooms

Taxonomy. Blooms taxonomy is broken down into six sections. These sections are knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis,

synthesis, and evaluation. Learning goals that are apart of Blooms will contain verbs like know, identify, list, define, recall, compare,

analyze, translate, etc. Affective learning goals deal with emotions or feeling. When discussing affective learning goals there are five

different sections. Receiving, responding, valuing, organization, and characterization. Affective learning goals will contain verbs like
examine, internalize, create, persuade, justify, etc. Psychomotor objectives are specific to physical functions. There are six different

types of movements that can be a part of the psychomotor domain. These movements are reflex, fundamental, perceptual, physical,

skilled, and nondiscursive.

To explore this idea the students will be focusing on two specific standards. The first is SS.4.H.CL2.1 which deals with

explaining the political and economic factors leading to the American Revolution (e.g., the French and Indian War, British colonial

policies, and American colonists early resistance, etc.). The second standard is SS.4.H.CL2.2 which deals with explaining the major

ideas reflected in the Declaration of Independence.

Most of the learning goals for this lesson will be cognitive because the students will need a lot of information and background

knowledge on the topic to fully understand what is going on. Students will be exercising a lot of analysis, comprehension, and

synthesis skills throughout this unit plan. I also added a few affective and psychomotor to touch on other modalities as well. I chose to

use cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning goals in order to deepen students understanding.

To begin the lesson, students will access their prior knowledge through analyzing visuals and predicting consequences in

relation to the American Revolution. For students who do not have any existing prior knowledge, this goal will be hard for them to

achieve. For example, on the first page of this lesson, there is a picture of a cannon that was used during the American Revolutionary

war. If a student does not know what a cannon is or what it looks like, then they will have no idea about its use. The time difference

between this war and the ones that happen now is what keeps the students from knowing these types of things. If students have
difficulty grasping this concept, we can briefly research weaponry used throughout that time period. Because I have several students

from disadvantaged backgrounds I know they will not have a lot of prior knowledge. To address this I will first read If You Lived at

the Time of the American Revolution by Kay Moore and discuss how our lives are similar and different. This will help those without a

lot of prior knowledge to relate to this topic.

In the beginning of this unit, I also asked the students to choose whether they were Patriots or Loyalists so that they could

somewhat place themselves into the shoes of the colonists at that time. I knew that it would be hard for these children to do something

like that without much knowledge on the topic, so I did as much role playing as possible in the unit. Throughout the unit students

could, for example, remain loyal to Britain or become a Patriot as they obtained more knowledge on the topic. During a lesson titled

Declaring Independence, we briefly acted out what it was like to sign such an important piece of American history. We also

discussed things like why John Hancock signed his name so big? Students came up with answers like he was proud of what he was

signing and he wanted to make sure that everyone knew he supported it. From answers like this, I know that I successfully had my

students understanding the thought process of a colonist in the 1700s. I also have planned to perform a readers theatre with the class

so that they can act out feelings and emotions of that time period based on how a colonist might feel. These goals focus on both

affective and psychomotor learning domains.

Once students have a basis of knowledge about the American Revolution, they will begin to do things such as identifying

Patriot and British leaders at the beginning of the Revolution and leaders who organized protests against British rule. Goals like this
one and the few that include them listing or identifying people or events are best taught and demonstrated through the use of graphic

organizers. Graphic organizers provide students with visual aids that help them to categorize and communicate their ideas in an

organized and easy to read way. I incorporated a few graphic organizers for topics such as the people, groups, and places that were a

part of the American Revolution. I did this because there are a lot of facts to study, and I think it made it less overwhelming for the

students to comprehend once the information was structured into graphic organizers. This learning goal could prove challenging for

students who do not have strong organizational skills. To improve mastery for everyone, students will first work independently and

then together at their tables to check for understanding.

The students also had the chance to create a foldable about the battles that took place during the American Revolution. This

foldable allowed the students to exercise some of their psychomotor skills. It took skilled movements for the students to properly

create this foldable. I made the foldable ahead of time so that the students had something to go from. When it comes to things like this

it is best for the student to see what they are making so that they have a better understanding of how to do it. Students without strong

psychomotor skills found this activity to be difficult. I had anticipated this and premade an example of the foldable that students could

use as a sample. As the students were making this foldable, and because I had already made an example, I was able to walk around the

room and assist any students that needed help measuring and cutting.

The learning goals mentioned all play a role in helping the students achieve the big idea. From personal experience to putting

themselves in other peoples positions they were able to understand what they believe is worth fighting and what people in the 1700s
found was worth fighting for. Not only did the students learn facts from this lesson but they also took away a sense of newfound pride

in the groundwork of the United States of America.

 Works Cited

myWorld Social Studies: Building Our Country Teachers Guide. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2013.

"Teach21 On-line Next Generation CSOs Resources." Teach21 On-line Next Generation CSOs Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan.

2017.

"Three Domains of Learning - Cognitive, Affective, Psychomotor." The Second Principle. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.
 TASK 3: ASSESSMENT PLAN TEMPLATE

LEARNING ASSESSMENTS LEVEL OF RATIONALE FOR

GOAL (Methods matched to outcome types and content area. For each goal MASTERY ASSESSMENTS (use
(from Task include one or more assessment where appropriate. The same assessment (e.g., 75%, 9 this column to assist
2, 3A) can provide evidence of learning for multiple goals, provided that the parts out of 10) your narrative by
of the assessment are aligned with the appropriate goal.) writing short, bulleted
notes of rationale
ONLY)

1. Students Pre-Assessment Pre-test- Question #20 40%, 8 out I created and

will describe 20 administered this
the effects of pretest to help me see
the colonists where I needed to
protests. direct my lessons and
to help students get an
idea of what will be
covered in this chapter.

Formative Lesson Quiz 4 80%, 4 out of This quiz was

5 administered to
progress monitor how
much the students
were comprehending
from the lessons.

Post-Assessment Post-test- Question #20 90%, 18 out This test is the exact
of 20 same as the pretest I
administered first.

2. Students Pre-Assessment Pre-test 40%, 8 out of I created and

will analyze 20 administered this
how the pretest to help me see
actions of where I needed to
Parliament direct my lessons and
led to to help students get an
protests idea of what will be
against covered in this chapter.
British rule.
Formative American Revolution Jeopardy Game Assessed I created this game
through online as a review for
observation. the upcoming test.
Worked with
groups and
got 90% of
them correct.

Post-Assessment Post-test 90%, 18 out This test is the exact

of 20 same as the pretest I
administered first.

3. Students Pre-Assessment Pre-test- questions 5, 13, and 17 were about Patriot 40%. 8 out of I created and
will identify and British leaders and their activities in the 20 administered this
Patriot and American Revolution. pretest to help me see
British where I needed to
leaders at the direct my lessons and
beginning of to help students get an
the idea of what will be
Revolution covered in this chapter.
and their
activities. Formative American Revolution loop game I found this game
online and tweaked it
to cover the people
and events we had
covered. I chose to
have such a high level
 of mastery because all
the students had to do
was listen for their
question to be called
and then respond with
the card they had. It
was simply a review
game that tested
listening skills.

Post-Assessment Who is who? 80%, 16 out I created this

of 20 assessment to check to
see if the students
were keeping track of
the people who had
been covered in the
chapter. The students
were allowed to use
their textbooks and
refer to the graphic
organizer on the wall
containing all of the
people that we had
learned about. This
was for a grade.

Molly Wickline
 TPA Task 2 Narrative

2-12-17

Task 3: Assessment Plan

Until completing this task I was unsure how the phrase teaching to the test was meant. Ive heard it said with a derogatory

connotation. I created the lesson plans of this unit with the assessment in mind. Obviously, teachers should know what they what they

are going to test when they are creating their lesson plans. I created the pretest for this unit before creating my lesson plans, and little

did I know that was a genius idea. While creating this pretest, I could clearly see what was going to be covered in this lesson. The

students found it very interesting that they were going to be given a test that was not for a grade. I also told them after taking the

pretest that they would take this test again in 2 weeks to see if their grades improved, after learning more about the American

Revolution. There are a few students in this 4th grade class who suffer from test anxiety to the point of crying. I was glad that I was

able to relay to them that this test was not for a grade and that I just wanted to see how much that might already know about the

American Revolution. They took their time and actually tried on this test as opposed to just marking random answers. I was happy to

see that they took this assessment seriously. This pretest allowed students to see what they would be expected to learn in the upcoming

chapter.

The social studies lessons are all followed by lesson quizzes that the students take the day after reading the lesson. These

formative assessments had only five questions and I considered a student at mastery if he answered four out of five correctly. I used
the results of the quizzes to guide our daily discussions. Ms. Holden was able to supply me with these quizzes. I created the pretest

with questions like the ones on these quizzes. I was very excited to administer and grade the pretests just to see where the students

stood with this lesson before beginning. I had a few students with actual passing grades. That was very impressive to see. On these

pretests, I didnt mark any of the questions wrong. Instead, I chose to put check marks beside the ones that they got right. And on the

front, instead of putting minus however many they got wrong, I put plus however many they got right. I gave the tests back for the

students to see how they did and then I collected them. I will be retuning these pretests with their posttests and the grade

improvements written on the tests. The pretest and the posttest contain the same exact questions. I added in a vocabulary portion and

an essay question, but when I evaluated my data, I only took the results from the same 20 questions they answered on the pretest. Both

the pretest and the posttest had answer keys, and I created a rubric for the essay question that I added to the posttest. To achieve

mastery the student had to mention all three facts that were covered the day we completed the study guide and also had to add one

descriptive sentence to elaborate the point.

Students also spent a lot of time in the interactive textbooks on cause and effect questions; therefore, students described the

effects of the colonists protests against British rule. They were able to recognize that because of the protesting and boycotting, many

acts were repealed by parliament, and question number 20 specifically asked this of them on the pretest and posttest.

Throughout the chapter, the students and I completed a graphic organizer that included the key individuals names, whether

they were Loyalists or Patriots, and what they specifically did in the American Revolution. I checked for understanding with the
graphic organizer by walking around and checking each students name off when he or she had the people in the correct place. I found

that the people were very important to learn and remember, so I emphasized that they learn this. I found an American Revolution loop

game, which is just like I have, who has, for the students to play. I tweaked it a little to make sure it only covered the people and

events that we had covered so that the students would not get confused. This was used as my formative assessment for my third

learning goal. I made my level of mastery high because all they had to do was read their cards, make sure they knew their people or

events, and listen carefully for the cards to which they must respond. This was a great review game that everyone was able to

participate in and the students absolutely loved it. There were also four questions on the pretest and posttest that asked specifically

about people from the American Revolution.

To spice things up with a different type of summative assessment review, I created an American Revolution Jeopardy game.

The kids were placed into groups and were able to choose a category and an amount, and then the whole class worked within their

groups to come up with an answer. I formatively assessed from this because I could tell within the groups who was coming up with

the answers and who was not participating at all using a check list of all students names. If a student was not participating, I made it a

point to call on them to get them involved.

Assessments are so important for not only students but also the teachers. It lets you know how well the students are doing but it

also lets the teacher know if they are effectively teaching their lesson.
 Works Cited

"Teach21 On-line Next Generation CSOs Resources." Teach21 On-line Next Generation CSOs Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan.

2017.
 "The Importance and Use of Pretests." About.com Education. N.p., 06 Feb. 2017. Web. 12 Feb. 2017.

TASK 4: Focus Students Template

Identify two focus Rationale for Focus Student 1: Cole- I chose Cole because he is a high functioning autistic student. Cole
students with diverse does not leave the room for any type of instruction but he does have a 1-1 aide that is with him
learning needs. Provide throughout instructional times. She does not go to lunch, recess, intervention, or specials with him. This
your reasoning for
choosing the 2 students.
Describe what you will do
to differentiate instruction
for each focus student.
aide is just to help as needed. He is easily frustrated so she is there to help calm him down and keep him
on task for when he loses focus.
Rationale for Focus Student 2: Mystery- I chose Mystery because she is a struggling student from a low
socioeconomic background. She also lost her mother at a very young age and is a part of an adoptive
family. There are 12 other children in this family.
Focus Student 1:
I had to make sure that I went over my lesson plans with his aid so that she was fully aware of what the
upcoming lesson was about and so she would know when she might need to intervene and help out to
keep him up to speed. Cole is easily frustrated when he isnt keeping up with the rest of the class so she
is there to make sure he is focused on the task at hand. Cole can handle the workload just like everyone
else but sometimes needs extra time to complete assignments. He is able to keep working while the other
students are finished and if we are moving onto something that might distract him from completing his
work he will go outside of the room with his aid and complete the assignment and then when he returns I
get him right on track with the rest of the class. I never move onto something that is important for him to
be there for because he does not need to miss that but if we were moving onto a review game or
something he would leave the room. Although his aid helps to keep that from happening.
Focus Student 2:
She is average student but her performance is below average due to the fact that she has had a very
unstable home life and currently lives in a home with twelve other children. Where she does not receive
a great deal of individual attention. She acts out by insulting other students and even challenging her
teacher. She gets the attention she needs in negative ways. She lacks an intrinsic desire to prove herself.
The challenge with mystery is to help her develop an intrinsic drive and satisfaction in mastering content
and demonstrating proficiency. We might require her to demonstrate mastery with fewer spelling words,
in addition I make time to work with her after school since she rides a late bus. In this way, she gets
attention and positive reinforcement for working to achieve success, which in return causes her to want
to achieve more.
Bluefield State College
Daily Lesson Plan
Name: Molly Wickline Date: 1-24-17

Subject: Social Studies Topic: History

Grade: 4th Length of Lesson: 1 hr.

Introduction (Essential Question): What is worth fighting for?

Standard: SS.4.H.CL2.1 - explain the political and economic factors leading to the American
Revolution
Cluster: History

Objective: Students will know that the colonists believed that fighting against unfair laws was
worth the risk.

Specific Objectives:

Know that the British government wanted the colonists to accept British rule.
Understand how the actions of Parliament led to protests against British rule.
Identify leaders who organized protests against British rule.
Analyze how British actions caused the colonists to stage boycotts.
Explain how British actions caused the colonists to work together.
Describe the effects of the colonists protests.

Method(s):

Review
 Read aloud
Graphic organizer

Materials:

Textbooks
Social Studies Textbook projected on smart board
Graphic organizer

Direct Instruction:

Tell students to get out their social studies textbooks, turn to page 248, and get out their homework from the day before.
Introduce the lesson: Say The name of this lesson is Tensions with Britain. Does anybody know what the word tensions
mean?
Tell students to complete the Envision It activity at the top of the page. While students are completing the Envision It check for
completion of the homework assignment that they got out.
The Envision It activity shows the British colonies as separate parts of a snake with the caption Join, or Die. Students
are to draw what the cartoon might look like if the colonies worked together and write a new caption.
Read the section titled Trouble of Taxes and complete question #1 together at the bottom of the page. Write the answer on
the smart board where the textbook is pulled up.
Cause and Effect: Ask students aloud: Why did Britain decide to tax American Colonists? to pay for part of its debt
Academic Vocabulary: Ask students aloud: What was the Stamp Act? a law to tax printed material in the colonies
Academic Vocabulary: Ask students aloud: What is Britains Parliament? its a law-making body, with members who
represent different regions of Britain
Read the section titled No Taxation Without Representation! and complete question #2 together on the smart board.
Check Comprehension: Ask students aloud: Why did the colonists think that Parliament should not tax them? The
colonies thought that Parliament should not tax them because the colonies had no representatives in Parliament.
Read the section titled The Colonists Take Action. Read question #3 aloud. This question is part of the homework
assignment.
 Check Comprehension: Ask students aloud: Why was Patrick Henrys speech a significant event leading up to the
American Revolution? The speech inspired protests against the Stamp Act.
Cause and Effect: Ask students aloud: What was the effect of the colonists protests? No one would sell the stamps.
Some merchants boycotted British goods. Parliament repealed the Stamp Act.
Read the section titled New Taxes From Great Britain on page 251. Read question #4 aloud. This question is part of the
homework assignment.
Academic Vocabulary: Ask students aloud: What is an imported good? a good that was made in another country.
Check Comprehension: Ask students aloud: What were the Townshend Acts? laws that placed tariffs on imported
goods
Finish reading the section titled New Taxes From Great Britain on page 252. Read question #5 aloud. This question is part of
the homework assignment.
Check Comprehension: Ask students aloud: What group of women played a significant role in boycotting English
goods? The Daughters of Liberty.
Check Comprehension: Ask students aloud: How did the Daughters of Liberty protest the Townshend Acts? They
sewed their own cloth so they did not have to buy it from Britain.
Read the section titled Townshend Acts Repealed, Mostly. Read questions 6 and 7 aloud. These questions are part of their
homework assignments.

Guided Practice:

Guided Practice will be given through the graphic organizer that will be completed throughout the unit.
By completing this graphic organizer throughout the unit, we will be covering the following standard:
o SS.4.H.CL2.3 - summarize the roles of the principal American, British and European leaders involved in the conflict
(e.g., King George III, Ben Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine, Patrick
Henry, and Marquis de Lafayette, etc.)
Graphic Organizer: Key Individuals of the American Revolution
Key Individuals Loyalist or Patriot Contributions
 Add the people we read over from lesson 1.
King George III- Loyalist- Supported the idea of taxing colonists.
Patrick Henry- Patriot- Gave a powerful speech to lawmakers.
Charles Townshend- Loyalist- Called for a new set of laws to control the colonies.
Mercy Otis Warren- Patriot- Through writing she showed her opposition to the British.

Differentiation:

Differentiated instruction when discussing the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts.
Special Needs: Tell students that some people so disliked the Stamp Act that they decided not to buy the stamps at all.
Discuss how this refusal hurt Britain.
Extra Support: Have students write a list of different ways that the Stamp Act Congress, Sons of Liberty, and merchants
tried to get Great Britain to change the Stamp Act.
On-level: Explain that the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts contributed to the start of the American Revolution. Ask
students to work in groups to list the ways that colonists responded to these acts.
Challenge: Ask students to write a short essay, historical journal entry, poem, or a song about why a combination of
protests, boycotts, and an official request for repeal were effective ways to respond to the Stamp and Townshend Acts.

Lesson Closure:

Ask students: What from this lesson tells you that the colonists believed fighting against unfair laws were worth the risk?
Independent Practice:

Homework: Chapter Questions (3-7)

Assessment:

Think-Pair-Share: Students will get with their partner and discuss something they learned from the chapter or if they have any
questions they can ask each other to gain a better understanding.
Ask a few students to share with us what they or their partner learned.

Reflection:

The first block class I had was shortened because they go to the library at the beginning of class. Once they got back I felt
rushed and I dont think my lesson was as good as it couldve been. I also handed back the pretest that I aimed to collect from
all the students but it turns out I didnt get them all collected so Ill have to do that. I needed to have a system in keeping track
of who turned in what. That was for sure a learning experience. I thought I was super organized. Apparently, I can be more
organized. I didnt even know that was possible. I accept that challenge!

The second block class just isnt a fun group of kids. They are a pretty rough group. So, things never go as well. They just
dont participate when I ask questions they dont raise their hands like the other classes do. I did well with the time
management yesterday but today was not as good. this class went through very fast. I should have spread it out more. Ill do
that for third block.

Third block still went by a little fast. I guess I just need to plan more extra things. I am learning that they are just not enough
hours in the day.
 Bluefield State College
Daily Lesson Plan

Name: Molly Wickline Date: 2-2-17

Subject: Social Studies Topic: History

Grade: 4th Length of Lesson: 30 min

Introduction (Essential Question): What is worth fighting for?

Standard: SS.4.H.CL2.1 - explain the political and economic factors leading to the American
Revolution

Cluster: History

Objective: Practice American Revolution facts through an educational game.

Specific Objective: Students will work cooperatively in groups to play American Revolution
Jeopardy.

Method(s):

Review
Educational game
Materials:

Lesson 4 review sheets

Offices
Smart board
Jeopardy game ready on smart board
Mini dry erase board for each group
Dry erase markers

Direct Instruction:

Pass out Lesson 4 review sheets.

o Ask a student to pass out the offices so that they have privacy.
o Ask students to complete the review.
o When they are done tell them to read their AR book.
o Collect review sheets and offices.
Tell students that they will be playing an educational game of Jeopardy.
Tell students that their team is who they are currently sitting with.
Assign a person in each group to be the recorder, this person will write the teams answer down during the game.

Guided Practice:

The game will be played together in a whole group setting.

Differentiation:

Students are placed into groups.

Lesson Closure:

To close this lesson I will have each student tell me a new fact that they learned today.

Independent Practice:

Lesson 4 review quiz.

Assessment:

Exit ticket
Reflection:

Well Ms. Hall the guidance counselor is supposed to come in on Thursdays, making classes only 30 minutes long but she was
not here today so I had to come up with a 30-minute time filler. I added in a timeline to lengthen the lesson. The timeline
outlined major events that happened during the American Revolution. I created a document for them to write on and I
completed it with them on the smart board. The kids went crazy over these exit slips. They are obsessed with emojis!
Timeline consisted of:
Stamp Act Congress- October 1765- representatives from 9 colonies met in NYC. They repealed the Stamp Act.
The Boston Massacre- March 5, 1770- Colonists in Boston argued with a British soldier. Shots were fired, killing 5 people.
The Boston Tea Party- December 16, 1773- Sons of Liberty members threw chests of British tea off a boat that was anchored
in the harbor.
First Continental Congress- September 1774- representatives from 12 of the 13 colonies met to discuss the events in Boston.
Patrick Henrys Speech- March 1775- Patrick Henry gave a speech in Virginia. He wanted to prepare people for the war with
Britain.
Paul Reveres Ride- April 8, 1775- racing west from Boston. He woke minutemen up warning The British are coming!
 Bluefield State College
Daily Lesson Plan

Name: Molly Wickline Date: 2-9-17

Subject: Social Studies Topic: History

Grade: 4th Length of Lesson: 1 hr.

Introduction (Essential Question): What is worth fighting for?

Standard: SS.4.H.CL2.3 - summarize the roles of the principal American, British and European
leaders involved in the conflict (e.g., King George III, Ben Franklin, George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine, Patrick Henry, and Marquis de Lafayette, etc.)

Cluster: History

Objective: Students will use technology for research purposes.

Specific Objective: Students will use laptops to research an important person from the American
Revolution and write a report on them.

Method(s):

Research
Technology
 Rough Draft

Materials:

Mobile lab
American Revolution Report Guide
Names of important people the board

Direct Instruction:

Tell students that today we will be choosing an important person from the American Revolution to write a report on.
Show the Report Guide on the smart doc and explain carefully how this assignment will be completed.
Tell students to use the Guide to aid them in taking notes on their person. This will be considered their rough draft.
Have students choose who they want to write their report. Students can choose the same person if they want.
Go over rules of the use of the laptops.
o Stay on topic when searching.
o Follow directions when turning on and off.
o Take care of the equipment.
o Do not use Wikipedia for research.
Pass out laptops.
Guide students to the website titled mrnussbaum.com and go over how this site could be helpful in their research.

Guided Practice:

Review of the Report Guide.

 Review of rules of laptops.

Differentiation:

For students who need assistance I will be moving around the room as they research their person.

Lesson Closure:

Ask students if they learned anything new about their person and have them share that fact with the class.

Independent Practice:

Research and note taking.

Assessment:

No assessment will be taken.

Reflection:

We were able to start on this assignment but we only had 30 min in each class so we will be finishing it up tomorrow. The kids
were super pumped to get to use the Chromebooks.
 Molly Wickline

TPA Task 4

2-18-17

Factors in Planning

To start my unit, I administered the pre-assessment test that was taken by all of the students in the 4th grade. After reviewing the

results of the pretest, I could tell that the students were confused on important people from the American Revolution and their

contributions. To stress this point, I planned three daily lessons to give students opportunities to learn about the key people of the

American Revolution. First, I created a graphic organizer that had three columns. The first column was for the key individuals name,

the second was to label whether that person was a Loyalist or a Patriot, and the last was to list their contributions to the American

Revolution. This graphic organizer was hung in the classroom throughout the whole unit so that they could refer to it at any time. I

also created a worksheet that was matching. I gave the students short descriptions of a person from the American Revolution and then

they had to match that description to a persons name. Second, we played a game of Jeopardy that I created. To achieve the objective

of helping students of roles various people played in the American Revolution I used several instructional strategies. These included,
creating a graphic organizer which helped students to visually organize their names and contributions, playing Jeopardy which

required students to work cooperatively and quickly recall information in a fun stress free l game, and research using Chromebooks

which gave them the opportunity to use technology and independently research a person that was most interesting to them.

Consultation

On Fridays, during planning, I meet with my mentor teacher to make a layout of what I am going to cover in the next week.

She makes a paper and tells me what she thinks I need to cover and then we look at the assignment together and decide what will be

done. Then I have the weekend to construct my lesson plans. I find myself setting expectations of the students too high and Ms.

Holden has to remind me of the things that they are and are not capable of doing. I had to find out what was appropriately challenging,

yet not overwhelming to the students. She will also tell me what I should assess after every couple of lessons and then I am free to

create the assessments. I also met with the aide that is in the room at all times with a student to make sure she knew what was going to

be covered in the upcoming lessons.

Instructional Strategies and Rationale

For my first instructional strategy, I created a graphic organizer that would help students keep up with and better understand

the roles of important people during the American Revolution. When students can see, and organize information their ability to learn
and comprehend it climbs considerably. According to Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences many different modalities are

reached by the use of a graphic organizer. For example, visual and spatial learners (McKnight). My second instructional strategy I

employed an educational game of Jeopardy as a review for the upcoming test. Students love to play games because they are fun! When

you can connect learning to a game you have hit the jackpot. Games make the perfect Velcro to connect student interest to students

learning goals. Getting students dynamically involved with curriculum content is dire to their achievement and success (Bafile). My

last learning strategy was to implement technology into the lesson so that students could independently research the person from the

American Revolution that they found to be interesting. Technology is a huge part of our lives today and it is important that students

understand how to research on the internet. The use of technology makes students excited to learn, it prepares students for the future,

and it keeps them focused for a longer period of time. Learners take more of an interest in a project that allows them to use technology

as opposed to paper and books.

Learning Resources

To begin the lesson, I introduced a graphic organizer that would be used throughout the lesson and added to everyday when we

would encounter a new important person. Which showed students an easier way to organizer and study information. I also created a

few games that helped to aid students recall of information. To close this lesson, we spent the last two days researching an important

person from the American Revolution. Students had the opportunity to choose anybody that had been mentioned in the chapter that
they wanted to learn more about. In order to research these important people, we used the mobile lab of Chromebooks. The students

absolutely loved getting the chance to use these. In order to use these I had to contact a technology resource to get username and

passwords for students who had not yet logged in. also, a technician helped me locate the cart and understand how to use it.

Differentiated Instruction

In order to differentiate instruction for my two focus students a few things had to be done. First, with Cole, I had to make sure

that I went over my lesson plans with his aid so that she was fully aware of what the upcoming lesson was about and so she would

know when she might need to intervene and help out to keep him up to speed. Cole is easily frustrated when he isnt keeping up with

the rest of the class so she is there to make sure he is focused on the task at hand. Cole can handle the workload just like everyone else

but sometimes needs extra time to complete assignments. He is able to keep working while the other students are finished and if we

are moving onto something that might distract him from completing his work he will go outside of the room with his aid and complete

the assignment and then when he returns I get him right on track with the rest of the class. I never move onto something that is

important for him to be there for because he does not need to miss that but if we were moving onto a review game or something he

would leave the room. Although his aid helps to keep that from happening. Mystery, on the other hand does not have the same types of

issues as Cole. She is average student but her performance is below average due to the fact that she has had a very unstable home life

and currently lives in a home with twelve other children. Where she does not receive a great deal of individual attention. She acts out
by insulting other students and even challenging her teacher. She gets the attention she needs in negative ways. She lacks an intrinsic

desire to prove herself. The challenge with mystery is to help her develop an intrinsic drive and satisfaction in mastering content and

demonstrating proficiency. We might require her to demonstrate mastery with fewer spelling words, in addition I make time to work

with her after school since she rides a late bus. In this way, she gets attention and positive reinforcement for working to achieve

success, which in return causes her to want to achieve more.

Works Cited
Bafile , Cara. "Showcasing Marcia Baldanza and "Games"." Education World: Teacher Feature: Showcasing Marcia Baldanza and

"Games". N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

Huneycutt, Timothy. "Technology in the Classroom: The Benefits of Blended Learning." National Math Science Initiative Blog |

Technology in the Class. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

McKnight, Katherine, Dr. "Use Graphic Organizers for Effective Learning." TeachHUB. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.
TASK 5

Molly Wickline

TPA Task 5 Narrative

2-26-17

Reflections of Lessons:

Video 1: Introduction of Unit Reflection

I gave the pretest very first thing so they had no idea about the content. That way I can honestly tell if they have any prior

knowledge on the topic.

I also added a graphic organizer to introduce the lesson. This graphic organizer will be used throughout the whole unit. It is

divided into two sections. One side is labeled Patriots and the other side is labeled Loyalists. I gave each student a small post it

to put their name on. Then one at a time they were called up to put their post it on whichever side they wanted.
During my first block, I gracefully spilled coffee all over my mentor teachers desk. I played it off well I guess. She wasnt

mad, just smiled and told me to keep on teaching and that she would clean it up.
Everything went great! I had the perfect amount of stuff planned!

Video 2: Actively Engage Students to Reinforce Instruction

 The kids really loved getting to play American Revolution Jeopardy. I was so happy I got to do this with them because I do not

think they get to play very many educational games. It was a great review of the content that we covered. This game

incorporated many different types of questioning strategies.

Video 3: Closure of Unit Reflection

Today was a very easy day. We completed the study guide together as a class. They did really well answering the questions. I

expect many good grades from these students. Now all they have to do is study!

I sent home permission forms a week prior to videoing so that they had time to return them. All students in video had consent from

their parents to be videoed taped.

Video 1: Introduction of Unit

To begin my unit plan on the American Revolution I started simply by asking the students if they knew what a revolution was

to check for prior knowledge. It was essential for the students to know the meaning of a revolution before they spent two weeks

learning about one. After reviewing the meaning of a revolution, I wanted the students to be more involved with what they were about

to learn. I set up a graphic organizer that was labeled Patriots on one side and Loyalists on the other. The students then wrote their

names on a post it and then came up to the graphic organizer and chose which side they wanted to support. I knew that they did not

have much information on either group so I told them that both the Patriots and Loyalists lived in the colonies. But that the Patriots
were in support of the thirteen colonies becoming independent of Great Britain and that the Loyalists wanted to remain a part of Great

Britain. This graphic organizer would be used throughout the length of the unit. I told the students that as we learned more about each

group that would be able to change sides if they wanted to or remain loyal to the side that they chose. This part of the lesson gave

students a sense of ownership to the unit and it motivated them to be more involved with what they were learning because they felt as

if they were alive at the time.

Video 2: Actively Engage Students to Reinforce Instruction

In order to actively engage students to reinforce instruction I created a game of Jeopardy to help students review the content

that we had learned in a fun, new and exciting way. The kids loved it! The game was played a little differently that what is usually

done. The students were in their groups and each group took turns choosing a category and an amount of money. Once the question

was read the students could talk within their groups to come up with an answer. Then the students were to write their answer on their

white board. Once every group had an answer I asked each group, one at a time, to hold up their answers. The groups that got the

answer right were awarded points and the groups that got the question wrong lost points. I used a jeopardylabs.com to create my

Jeopardy game and the categories were vocabulary, people, battles, acts, and hodge podge. The vocabulary section was simply the

definition and the students had to supply the word that matched the definition. The people category provided the students with a

description of an important person from the American Revolution and the students had to supply the name of that important person. I

placed a lot of emphasis on the people that were a part of the American Revolution throughout the unit. The next category was battles.
The battles categories provided students with a description of a battle that took place during the American Revolution and the students

had to name that battle. The acts category provided students with the meaning of an act and the students had to supply the name of that

act. The final category was hodge podge and it could be anything from vocabulary to acts. Students were actively engaged throughout

this whole class. I will definitely be using Jeopardy with my future students to reinforce instruction.

Video 3: Closure of Unit

To close the lesson, we spent the class working on a study guide for the test that was to follow. In order to do this, I projected

the study guide onto the smart board and answered the questions along with the students. The video captures the last question on the

study guide which is an essay question. I do not like how my back has to be turned away from the class when I am writing under the

Elmo. That is the only downfall I see to using it. But the classes I have are very well behaved so that is not a problem I encountered. I

just did not like seeing that in the video. To end this unit, I also added something that I knew the students would really enjoy and this

was the famous Emoji exit ticket. The kids love this exit ticket. On this exit ticket the students were to choose a face that represents

how they feel about the lesson and then they had to explain why they chose that face.

TASK 6
 Molly Wickline

TPA Task 6 Narrative

3-19-17

The pretest was extremely hard for the students due to their lack of knowledge about the American Revolution, although

students did correctly answer questions that involved sayings, dates, or people that are well known pieces of history. These include

Patrick Henrys speech and his quote Give me liberty or give me death! the date when the colonies declared independence from

Britain, and the fact that Paul Revere was the name of the man who warned the Patriots that the British were coming. Without having

learned specifically about the American Revolution, students could recall answers to these questions from prior knowledge they

possess. It was most difficult for the students to recall information such as where and why battles took place and their outcomes. I

expected this to be most difficult for them because this is information one would only know if they had specifically studied the topic

of the American Revolution. To help my students organize information about the battles I had them create a foldable that listed the

battles, when they took place, and their outcomes.

My first learning goal was for the students to be able to describe the effects of the colonists protests during the American

Revolution. Students needed to know that colonists were boycotting and threatening people who supported British rule over the

colonies. Actions like these resulted in the repeal of the Stamp Act. On the pretest students knew some the basic facts about the

Revolutionary War. On the posttest, all of the students but two met this goal. Less than 1% of the class were unable to describe the

effects of the colonists protests during the American Revolution.

 My second learning goal was to have the students analyze how the actions of Parliament led to protests against British rule. It

was desired that students know that the actions of Parliament led Patrick Henry to become to a Patriot leader who wanted nothing but

to be independent from Great Britain and for them to know why the phrase no taxation without representation was so important to

the colonists. For students to understand how serious the protests were, they learned about events such as the Boston Tea Party, which

showed extreme rebellion from the colonists who supported independence. This goal was probably one of the hardest for my students.

They really had little to no background information about Parliament and they performed very poorly on the pretest. In fact, only 78%

of students met this goal on the posttest.

My third learning goal was for the students to successfully identify Patriot and British leaders at the beginning of the

Revolution and their activities. To help my students understand and organize the information about important leaders I created a

graphic organizer that we filled out as soon as we would learn about someone who was a leader in the Revolution. We wrote down

their names, whether they were Patriots or Loyalists, and what their contributions were to the American Revolution. This visual aid

helped the students to see more clearly the people and the role they played in that time period. Specifically, for the test, students

needed to know facts such as that the main author of the Declaration of Independence was Thomas Jefferson, that Nathan Hale was a

spy that was sent out to collect information about British battle plans, that King George III was the ruler of Great Britain, and that

Deborah Sampson was a woman who entered the army disguised as a man. Students were familiar with some of the more famous

participants in the American Revolution and did fairly well on the pretest. On the posttest only one student failed to meet this learning

goal.
 My fourth learning goal was for students to describe the purpose and actions of the Second Continental Congress. For this

learning goal, students needed to comprehend that actions that took place at this meeting led to further actions that led them to

escalated war participation. This learning goal was used so that students could better understand cause and effect in relation to the

American Revolution. Students initially knew very little about this, but classroom activities on cause and effect worked well and all

students met this learning goal on the posttest.

My fifth learning goal was for students to describe how and why the colonies declared their independence from British rule.

This goal also falls back on the students understanding that the colonists were most outraged by the fact they were being taxed but had

no say in the matter. Further comprehension of the phrase no taxation without representation was needed. I used scenarios to aid the

students in achieving this learning goal. I told the students that this would be like a principal from another school telling them what

they can and cannot do at the school. This helped the students to see how the colonists were feeling about being controlled by another

person from outside of the thirteen colonies. Students struggled with underlying causes of colonists dissatisfaction. On the posttest

74% of students were able to reach this goal.

My sixth learning goal was to have the students examine how the Declaration of Independence expresses their ideals as an

American. Although this learning goal required higher level thinking, students did well on both the pretest and the posttest,

demonstrating a strong basic sense of American ideals. Students enjoyed discussing how everything we studied related to them

personally today.
 Focus student one, my student with autism, got only one question right on the pretest because he was having a bad day. I

arranged for him to retest to get a better idea of where he really was. In addition, I met with his aid prior to starting the unit to

familiarize her with the material so that she could assist him as needed. Focus student two, who lagged behind her peers, did fairly

well on the pretest, and I praised her during our afterschool session, where I regularly made it a point to spend time with her. During

the learning activities, I arranged with the aid for focus student one to see material ahead of time or have extra time to complete tasks.

Focus student two kept up with the class fairly well with only a few disruptions. When she would get off task I would stand close to

her desk. I called on her a lot, which made her want to pay attention so that she knew the answers to the questions I posed. This extra

attention worked in a positive manner to keep her engaged. Both students were, at times, judged based on effort and not so much on

accuracy. This reinforced their confidence and helped them to stay motivated.

Focus student one went from 5 to 70 percent mastery on the pre- and posttests. This dramatic improvement was a result of me,

his aid, and the student himself working as a team to reach the learning goals that were laid out for him. Focus student two had a more

modest improvement from 60 to 75 percent mastery. Although she performed as well as most students in the class on the pretest she

did not show as much growth as I would have predicted. When compared to student one there are some obvious reasons that might

explain this discrepancy. Focus student one not only has a full-time aid but also has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to help

him reach his full potential and overcome learning obstacles. Focus student two on the other hand struggles with personal issues

outside the control of the classroom teacher. During this unit focus student two made remarks that indicated she does not get much

attention or assistance at home and that the large number of children in her household hinder her ability to study and complete
homework assignments. In a way, it is better for student one to have a defined disability that the school can offer help for as opposed

student two who has problems that cannot be helped by school professionals. I made it a point to give student two extra time and

positive reinforcement, which made a difference in her motivation. However, she continued to struggle. Both students made gains, and

working with them taught me a lot about meeting specific needs through differentiation.
TASK 7
Molly Wickline

Task 7 Narrative

3-17-17

The American Revolution was the topic of my unit plan. Being the first topic I have ever taught I think I did well. Of course,

there were high points and low points to all of my lessons. I felt confident in how I delivered the content to the students. There were a

few aspects of this unit that did not go as planned, but I was able to learn from all of those experiences. All of my students improved

from their pretest to their posttest, so I feel as if they learned what was expected of them. The incorporation of engaging activities and

technology left students always wanting more.

The most successful part of teaching this particular unit is the interest level the students maintained throughout the whole unit.

In the beginning, I was able to make the students feel like they were a part of the American Revolution by having them choose to be

either a Patriot or a Loyalist. This specific activity sparked their interest. Students loved to voice their reasoning as to why they chose

the side that they did. Throughout the unit students could change sides, or they could remain on the same side. By placing them in

the time period, I helped them to pay more attention to what each side was responsible for during the American Revolution. This role

playing made them want to know more about the side they were choosing. Then, as a cumulative activity, I had the students choose an

important person from the American Revolution to write a short report on. It also helped that we were able to use the schools

Chromebooks; the kids were so excited to get to use them. Once students finished their reports, some even asked if they could pick
another person to begin researching. Actions like this told me that they enjoyed what they were doing and that they wanted to do more

of it. I was able to keep their interest throughout the whole unit with this beginning and ending activity, and their excitement fueled

my desire to be more creative.

The least successful part about teaching this unit was that a lot of reading had to be done from the textbook before I could

implement engaging activities for the students to do. It was very important that the students get a solid background on the topic before

bringing in other, more fun, teaching methods. There was a lot of material to cover and the text was pretty dry, but we did the best

with what we had. I was just happy I was able to spice things up with games like Jeopardy, Bingo, and the American Revolution Loop

Game. This aspect is something I find to be inevitable, so I accept that it was the least successful part of the unit. Looking back, I

think as I move forward, I will try to intersperse reading materials with activities and seek out other reading sources rather than just

relying on textbook materials when they are not engaging.

My mentor teacher was very helpful in everything that I did during this placement. No matter what I needed, she was always

there to help, I could ask her to do anything for me. We often met during her planning period on Fridays to go over what needed to be

taught in the upcoming week. We would get the books and materials out so that I fully understood what needed to be done. I found out

early that I had really high expectations set for these fourth graders because I was not really aware of their capabilities. This was when

my mentor teacher was the most helpful in the planning of this unit. She was able to tell me what the students could and could not do.

She helped me to decide what would be too hard for them and what was more on their level. I do think it is good to have high
expectations set for students, but it is also important that the work be on a level that allows them to complete work on their own so

they do not get discouraged by it. I also collaborated with the aide that was in my mentor teachers classroom during the same time as

one of my focus students. I kept her aware of the assignments that the class would be completing just so she would know if the student

needed extra guidance at that time.

My mentor teacher has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to social studies because she has taught it for 30 years. I already

knew going in there that I did not have the same kind of knowledge that she did. When she teaches and reads to the class, she is able to

add in many things that I do not know about. These can be things like fun facts, interesting people, or personal experiences. This keeps

the class more engaged, as well, because she can provide extra and interesting information to them at the drop of a hat. I know that this

type of knowledge will come with time after teaching something so often, and I accept that. My mentor teacher also told me many

times that I have taught her many things in my time with her. I was able to bring in a fresh new style to teaching. I did some things that

she usually does not do. I used a lot of graphic organizers with the class that they referred to a lot throughout the unit. I also realized

that I needed to add activities that used technology because this was so engaging for students. As a result, I consulted with our

schools Technology Integration Specialist and used the Chromebook cart, which my mentor teacher had not used before, and now she

plans to use them again soon. There were even a few ways that I organized documents in the classroom that she says she will continue

to use even when I leave her classroom. We taught each other so much! I learned a lot of time management and that things do not

always go as planned. Sometimes lessons go faster than anticipated, and a good lesson includes enrichment activities for these

instances. After a few classes of experiencing downtime, I prepared extra activities for the students to do when they finished their
work. For example, a word search with the topic of the American Revolution or a cause and effect sheet about the Boston Tea Party

challenged students who finished early and gave me time to help those who struggled.

I got to attend two Professional Learning Community days at my school, and these helped me set professional development

goals. Teachers discussed challenges they have in their classrooms, and I quickly realized many teachers struggle to use technology

because classroom management can be challenging when using technology tools. So my first goal was to utilize more technology in a

way that would engage all students and especially those who were struggling, which included my two focus students. The students

were excited when they found out we would be using the Chromebooks, but I had to do a little research to structure the lessons so that

they could all work at their own pace. I talked to other teachers and read articles, as well as consulting with my mentor teacher about

realistic goals for my fourth grade students. The most helpful part of the PLCs, for me, was talking to other teachers about my own

goals and getting their input on ideas I had for my unit.