TWS 8- Reflections Whole class: The three lessons I taught were all basic multiplication lessons.

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point of these lessons was to teach students to find products using different methods. On the pre-assessment, students may get the right answers for the problems, but if they do not show the work I am looking for, then they only receive half credit. Most 4th graders should be able to find the product for the multiplication problems found on the assessment. What I am assessing, however, is if they know how to do the different strategies. For questions 1 and 2, I am looking to see that students could identify the basic multiplication fact and then multiply by multiples of 10, 100, and 1,000. The students could do this mentally or write the basic fact out. Anything more than that is not the strategy I am teaching. For questions 4-6, I am looking to see that students can round and then multiply, once again using their knowledge of basic facts and multiples of 10, 100, and 1,000. For questions 7-9 students should find the product by drawing base-ten models. 12 out of 22 students made gains on getting the correct answer. 7 out of 22 remained the same. 15 out of 22 students made gains on showing correct evidence. 3 out of 22 students remained the same. Based on this data, more than half of the class showed that they gained on both parts that were tested. I feel that my lessons were successful because I have evidence that the majority of the class increased their assessment scores based on my instruction. However, I did not reach all of my students and that is my goal. I could certainly make improvements to my lessons and hopefully reach the students whose scores remained the same or decreased. Individual Students: The three students that I chose to analyze all made gains. I was very pleased to see that I was able to reach an above average learn, an average learner, and a below-average learner. After lesson 1, I gave an exit slip for my post-assessment. Two of my students answered both questions correctly. One student incorrectly answered only 1 question. I took the independent practice sheet up after lesson 2. My above average student answered all question correctly. My average students

answered 5 out of 8 questions correctly. Finally, my below average student answered 6 out of 8 questions correctly. Student 11 is the below average learner I focused on. In my opinion, this student was the most successful. She made significant gains in both assessment categories. Even though she made the same amount of gains as the above-average student, I chose her as the most successful because of how much effort she puts forth. This student is definitely a struggling learner but he/she puts forth a significant amount of effort and for that reason, he/she is making progress in all subject areas. This student has such a positive attitude towards learning and truly wants to gain knowledge and increase her grades. She is also very athletic, which I believe is her incentive to herself for bringing her grades up. I am so pleased that this student, who is categorized as a below-average learner, made these significant gains. Student 14 (average) is similar to student 8, in that he/she is sometimes too talkative but puts forth good effort in class. I believe that in this situation this student was the least successful. This student made progress on both components of the post-assessment. The student correctly answered more question on the postassessment, but they only showed the right kind of evidence on 2 of the questions. I am uncertain if this is because he/her did not understand what kind of work to show, or if they just chose not to show the evidence. The student scored 1/2 and 5/8 on the during-assessments. The student made progress based on the postassessment, but I feel that this student could have scored better and gained more from the lessons. Student 8 is always very positive towards learning. This student is very talkative, but has a great attitude when it comes to learning. I chose this student as being average-successful. This student made gains towards the objectives and scored 8/9 and 7/8 on the post-assessment. On both assessments that I used to evaluate the students progress after lesson 1 and 2, the student answered all questions correctly. This shows me that the student made progress after receiving instruction from me. This student was one of the first students to understand the point I was trying to make in lesson 3. Overall, the above average learner I chose to

focus on made important gains based on my instruction and assessment, but because he is above average, I expected more from him. Reflection of lesson 1 The first lesson I taught during immersion was a science lesson about transparent, translucent, and opaque materials. I began the lesson by going over these three definitions and also adding that there are two types of opaque materials: absorbing and reflecting. The students were placed in groups of three for the activity part. They were given four screens to look through. These were small cups I made with the bottoms cut out. The top of the cup was covered with saran wrap, wax paper, wrapping paper, or aluminum foil, and secured in place by a rubber band. Within each group, the students were instructed to look through these lenses at different objects and lighting, such a paper with words, the SMART board, the window, etc. Before they began, I told them that they were trying to identify each material as transparent, translucent, opaque-absorbing, or opaquereflecting. We gathered back together and the students shared what they found. I asked each group to look around the classroom and find one object of each material. They shared these with the class after a few minutes of brainstorming. Finally, they were given a small piece of each of the four materials we used in class to tape in their science notebooks and label so they could have something to refer to while studying. With this lesson, I decided that doing a hands-on activity would be the most effective. The students were engaged by knowing we would be doing something hands-on and that they would be able to work in groups. I have no doubt that my students will remember the materials they actually looked through when they take the test. This lesson did not use much technology, other than writing the definitions at the beginning on the SMART board. The students were very involved in the lesson and when it was time to share an answer or response, I had many students who wanted to share. The one aspect of the lesson that I would change for future use is the preparation. I had the lenses premade for the students, but I did not have the small pieces of each material made. In the future, I would have each

groups materials in a container so I would only have to give each group one thing during the lesson. I would also improve the lesson by having a flashlight for each group and several objects (glass, plastic, tissue paper, etc.) for them to also look at. I gave the students the definition of each word at the beginning so they would be able to use the vocabulary while working. I felt that I managed the classroom well, other than a few times while the students were engaged in group work. In the future, I will go over the expectation for working in groups so they know at what noise level they are expected to be. I summarized the lesson by having the class put things in their notebooks so they could use it to study for the science test. This made the information important to them because they knew it could help them. I felt good about my time management during this lesson. I adjusted the times as needed when I could tell the class was getting restless after they had completed something. The lesson took around 30 minutes, which is the amount of time I had planned. Overall, I think the lesson went well. I know that I can always improve, and will do so if I use this lesson in the future.

Reflection of lesson 2 I taught a social studies lesson on the Vikings and the accomplishments they made, such as places they discovered and the various routes they used. I chose to have the students begin by watching a short video about the Vikings from Brainpop. This video was a way to engage and interest my students in the subject matter. From there, I asked three key questions, followed by pictures of what Vikings really looked like and the boats they used, called Longships. The students seemed engaged in the video and really loved seeing the real-life pictures. After that, the students cut out pieces and created a map that identified the routes that two important Vikings made while exploring. I ended the lesson by having the students work with the person beside them to read a passage and complete a fill in the blank sheet about the Vikings and the two main explorers we studied. I chose these instructional strategies because I knew the students would enjoy a hands-on approach to social studies. They work well with partners and

benefit from being able to collaborate with someone. During the lesson I had to make slight adjustments, but no major adjustments were needed. Some parts took a little longer to explain to the students when creating the map. I think this hands-on approach of having the students create something was very appropriate for my class and I would use again in the future. I used the Brainpop video and the real life pictures of Vikings to engage my students. I think the real life pictures worked better at engaging them, so in the future I would probably try to find more pictures to use. I only used the SMART board for a small part of the lesson, and it worked fine for me. The manipulative I used was the map that the students created. It was a good idea, but it could have been more useful and meaningful. My lesson focused on having the kids make the map and then identifying the important information that they needed to know about Vikings. In the future, I would make this a two-day lesson and teach more content by using the map. I felt that my students were actively involved in the lesson, and that I presented the information clearly, but I did not relate the content to the map they made as well as I could have. I think there was a disconnect between the content they learned and how it related to the map. I quickly went over the routes that the two explorers we focused on used, but in the future I feel that I could do a better job of helping the students see that by using their map more. It took longer for the students to create their map (cutting out pieces, taping the map together, folding the small pieces on dotted lines, and placing them in the correct places) than I had planned for. I spent too much of my time answering questions and explaining things I had already explained and answered multiple times. In the future, I know to give directions one time thoroughly, and then refer students with questions to students who get it. Other than that, I thought I managed the class very well and corrected students as needed in appropriate ways. I treated my students fairly and respectfully by not being rude or yelling at anyone. Instead, when I needed to call a student out, I sternly said their name and looked at them and they knew to stop what they were doing wrong. I have a good relationship with all of my students because of the amount of time I have gotten to spend with them in their classroom. I

feel that we have mutual respect for each other and that greatly contributes to the positive classroom environment. I know the areas that I can make improvements on in the future, and I plan to do so. In the aspect of classroom management, I feel like I have more confidence in myself. Overall, I was pleased with how the lesson turned out, but am certain that I will make improvements.

Professional Development I have two goals that I set for myself in conjunction with my cooperating teacher. I plan to implement these during student teaching in order to move towards being a better teacher. 1. When teaching, I need to give more examples (especially in math) and more explanation before sending students into group or independent work. 2.I will more thoroughly explain directions for activities before letting my students begin the activity/game. This will also prevent having so many questions about instructions, making my students more independent.