Running

head: EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

Evidence of Student Learning
Kate Zachar
November 26, 2014
Towson University

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

Part A: Learning Context, Topic and Objectives

St. Elizabeth School (SES) is a nonpublic special education school in Baltimore City
that works with students from ages 6-21 in grades 1-12. The total student body in the
elementary/middle and high school programs is 112 students, with 67% male students and
33% female. 63% of students are eligible for free and reduced meals. 69% of students at
SES are White, 38% are African American, and 5% are Asian or other . SES serves students
with a wide range of disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual
Disabilities, Emotional Disabilities, and Multiple Disabilities. The number of students with
Autism at SES has steadily increased over the years. SES provides an intensive academic
program that focuses on individualized instruction and PBIS behavior plans to students for
whom an inclusion setting cannot offer them the level of support that they need. Students
at SES come from many of the surrounding counties, including Carroll, Howard, Harford,
and Baltimore Counties, as well as Baltimore City. Most of the students who attend SES are
referred by their local school system (LSS), in which case the LSS will pay their yearly
tuition, but some parents may independently elect to send their child to SES and pay the
tuition on their own in order to place him/her in the best possible educational
environment.

SES is known for its outstanding Transition Services, which helps prepare students

for future employment after they graduate. All students at SES begin working on campus at
the age of 13, and many students at the high school level go to jobs 1-2 days a week in the
Baltimore community accompanied by a job coach from the school. In addition, SES also
offers comprehensive related services, including occupational therapy, physical therapy,

Running head: EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

speech therapy, and assistive technology carried out by full-time experienced staff
members. 63% of students at SES receive occupational therapy and/or physical therapy,
and 93% of students receive speech therapy.
In the Elementary/Middle team where I work at St. Elizabeth School, there are 5
homerooms that travel as a group to each class during the day. These homeroom groups
have about 7-10 students each, which means that the class size at SES is never larger than
10 students. Currently, I am doing my internship in the Elementary/Middle Social Studies
classroom at SES where I am a Teaching Assistant.
The students in the homeroom I have chosen to teach for my Evidence of Student
Learning project are between the ages of 13 and 16, and their instructional level for
reading and writing is between grades 3-5. In this class, there are six boys and three girls.
This class has Social Studies four times a week for 45 minutes each class period. There is
one African American student in the class, and the rest of the class is White. This class is
somewhat unusual for the school because there is more school diversity than is
represented in this particular class. Each student in this class has his/her own behavior
plan, as well as the school-wide program that awards Eagle High Fives to students based
on five values: Achievement, Encouragement, Rethink, Respect, and Responsibility. In this
program, students have the opportunity to win weekly prizes in a school-wide drawing.
Each student carries a point sheet with them that outlines their behavior goals for the day.
This may include doing their work, having safe hands, and using nice words. Teachers in
each class fill out the point sheets, awarding full points if the student meets all of his/her
goals.

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

The students in this class have a number of behavior problems that can interfere
with a class lesson, and all of the students have IEPs that call for significant modifications to
lesson content. Student D can be very disruptive in class, talking loudly and complaining,
and often refuses to do his work. He may put his head on the desk for the entire hour, or
verbally abuse the teacher or agitate/threaten other students. Student D often works
better in individualized settings with a staff member. Student C can also be very disruptive;
he may say loud, inappropriate things at inappropriate times, and he is very physically
active around the room. Student C becomes easily bored with normal classwork. It is
important that the lesson has planned alternative activities for Student D and Student C,
such as working on the computer on MSA Government practice questions or a webquest
activity. For a lesson in this particular class to be successful, it is important that the
students have optional pathways for learning. If they feel they have chosen their own
pathway, they are more likely to work quietly, and the classroom environment will
maintain the optimal level of student learning. If, however, Student D and Student C dont
want to participate in the main lesson activity and there are no alternatives available, they
are more likely to become disruptive and prevent others from learning.
As of this year, St. Elizabeth School is using the Howard County Public School System
(HCPSS) Curriculum Framework. This framework is aligned with the Maryland College and
Career Readiness Standards (MCCRS) for Social Studies. The unit I taught used MCCRS
Standard 3.0 Geography: Students will use geographic concepts and processes to examine
the role of culture, technology, and the environment in the location and distribution of human
activities and spatial connections throughout time. My unit also uses MCCRS Standard 2.0
Peoples of the Nation and the World: Student will understand the diversity and

Running head: EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

commonality, human interdependence, and global cooperation of the people of Maryland, the
United States, and the World through a multicultural and a historic perspective. Under the
MCCRS, the Suggested K-12 Pathway for College, Career, and Civic Readiness states that by
the end of Grade 5, individually and with others, students will (D2.Geo.2.3-5.) use maps,
satellite images, photographs, and other representations to explain relationships between the
locations of places and regions and their environmental characteristics. In addition, in the
same framework, D2.Geo.6.3-5. states that individually and with others, students will
explain how the cultural and environmental characteristics of places change over time.
Under the MCCRS Framework Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social
Studies, I will use the Anchor Standard #1: Read closely to determine what the text says
explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or
speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. For 6th grade students, I will use the
standard RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary
sources. The Essential Skills and Knowledge that I will use for this standard are:

Select and apply during reading strategies to monitor comprehension e.g., rereading,
paraphrasing, summarizing, connecting related ideas within a primary or secondary
source, verifying or modifying predictions, visualizing, and connecting text ideas
with prior knowledge or experience.

Demonstrate comprehension of a primary or secondary source with after reading

strategies by explaining the central ideas and paraphrasing and summarizing.

I will also use CCR Anchor Standard #3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, and
ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. For 6th grade students, I will use the

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

standard RH.6-8.3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact
over the course of a text. The Essential Skills and Knowledge that I will utilize for this
standard is:

Use appropriate graphic organizers or other note-taking techniques to record

important ideas or information from a source.

Finally, I will also use CCR Anchor Standard #4: Interpret words and phrases as they are
used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and
analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. For 6th grad students, I will use
the standard RH.6-8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies. The
Essential Skills and Knowledge that I will use for this standard are:

Acquire and apply new vocabulary through investigating, listening, independent

reading and discussing a variety of print and non-print sources.

In the HCPSS Curriculum, I use the 6th Grade Geography and World Cultures
curriculum, and specifically the topic of Geography, under which the Learning Outcomes
include: 1. Identify Africas relative location in the world. 2. Identify the various geographic
regions within Sub-Saharan Africa and describe the characteristics that make them distinct
regions. 3. Describe the major geographic and climatic features of Sub-Saharan Africa. 4.
Identify selected countries and major cities of Sub-Saharan Africa. 12. Identify the
characteristics of selected Sub-Saharan African cultures.

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My unit will be taught over the course of three days during a one-week period. The
students in this class will require a review of Africa to refresh their memory, and prepare
them for the subsequent two days of lessons that are more in-depth and specific. The
objectives for my lessons are as follows:
Lesson 1 Objective: Students will be able to recognize Africa and its sub-regions on a map
and identify Africas important natural resources, animals, and climactic features by
participating in an interactive SMART board presentation and by completing a worksheet
packet.
Lesson 2 Objective: Students will understand the importance of Nelson Mandela to South
African history by reading a book about Mandela, watching a video documentary, and
completing a graphic organizer and/or art project.
Lesson 3 Objective: Students will recognize Ghana and its cultural and historical features,
by participating in an interactive SMART board presentation while filling out a graphic
organizer, and completing a worksheet packet and art activity.
The students I am teaching will demonstrate the knowledge they have gained from these
lessons by participating in the questions that are embedded in the SMART board
presentations, and they will complete subsequent activities, worksheets, and writing
assignments that will follow the presentations.

Part B: Assessment Plan

In order to identify students prior knowledge and learning needs, students must be
pre-assessed before the unit begins. The pre-assessment for my unit was a five-question

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

quiz that tested students basic knowledge about Africa. Question #1 asked the students to
circle Africa on a world map. The students had been learning about the 7 continents for the
previous few weeks, so the location of the continent of Africa should have been familiar to
them. 2 out of 9 students in the class answered this question correctly. Question #2 on the
pre-assessment asked students to identify one country in Africa from four choices: India,
Ghana, Europe, and Afghanistan. Ghana is a country in West Africa that will be discussed
in-depth during Day 3 of the unit. 1 out of 9 students correctly answered this question.
Question #3 of the pre-assessment asked the students, Which person is the former
President of South Africa. There were four choices to choose from: Barack Obama, Michael
Jordan, Nelson Mandela, and Madeline Albright. Nelson Mandela will be discussed
extensively during the second day of the unit, during which I will introduce South Africa,
and the importance of Nelson Mandela to that country and to the world. 1 out of 9 students
answered this question correctly. Question #4 of the pre-assessment asked students to
identify one major region of Africa from four choices: West Africa, Ireland, Madagascar, and
Eastern Europe. 4 out of 9 students answered this question correctly, probably because the
region had Africa in its name, and thus it is a little easier. The final question of the pre-
assessment asked students to identify one animal that lives in the wild in Africa but not in
the United States. The correct answer was the cheetah, and 4 out of 9 students answered
this correctly. I can infer from this pre-assessment that students have been exposed to
African animals in a variety of contexts, and this is an area of interest for them and a
relative strength.
Based on the pre-assessment results, I planned a unit that would give the students
one class period of overall Africa review (Day 1), that includes the regions of Africa, climate

Running head: EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

zones/landforms, natural resources, animals, languages, etc. One major theme I intend to
stress is the great diversity of Africa; the continent is not simply how it is narrowly
portrayed in Disney movies. It is important to me to engage the students existing interest
in African animals, but also to expand on those interests by introducing them to all the
similarities and differences that exist between our lives in America, and the lives of people
on the African continent. I have tried to design lessons that are as dynamic and interactive
as possible while also conveying the needed information about Africa and accurately
assessing their new knowledge.
In order for students to exhibit understanding of the lesson objectives, I have
developed a number of formative assessments that are embedded throughout the
lessons. Each lesson begins with a PowerPoint presentation of varying length that
introduces the students to pictures and videos of selected areas in Africa. Throughout
these presentations I have included comprehension questions to test what they are
retaining from each slide, and to teach them how to use the various types of maps I am
showing them. During the presentation on Ghana (Day 3), I am giving students a graphic
organizer to take notes as I am presenting the information. The graphic organizer is
broken into several categories, including Food and Arts.
Following each days PowerPoint, I offer students a number of ways to exhibit their
comprehension of the material. The students in this particular class are most productive
and the least disruptive and defiant when they have choices, so I have developed a
Research Project and WebQuest, which are internet-based assignments for the students
who do not like traditional worksheets. There are other students who respond very well to

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the simplicity and finite nature of worksheets, so I have developed a number of worksheets
to meet their needs. These include worksheets to practice the lessons vocabulary using
sorting, matching, and cloze sentences. In addition, I have made multiple-choice
worksheets that ask students questions about a climate map and a natural resources map.
I have also made multiple-choice worksheets that are similar to the pre-assessment and
will prepare them for the summative assessment. Students will also be asked to label a
map of Africa with the 5 major regions, and if time allows, they may complete a climate
region comparison chart.
During the lesson in which we are discussing Nelson Mandela, the students will
complete a 5 Ws graphic organizer as a formative assessment. I think this format is
excellent for helping students to identify why Nelson Mandela was important and what he
did for South Africa. On this day, students will also have the choice to draw a picture of an
important moment in Nelson Mandelas life to show their comprehension. On the final day,
when we are discussing Ghana, students will make a kente cloth art project using strips of
paper. My mentor teacher and I plan to extend the Africa unit to five days by incorporating
extension activities such as the climate region comparison chart and a SMART board-based
Who Wants to be a Millionaire trivia game. I have also developed a number of modified
materials so that I can teach these lessons to students in all the other elementary/middle
classes. These other classes include students who need more modified materials including
picture matching using Boardmaker tools, topic boards, and simple SMART board games.
It is important to assess how well students have grasped the skills and knowledge
necessary to meet the objectives developed from the Maryland College and Career

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Readiness Standards. I designed a summative assessment that would test students

overall level of understanding gained from the unit. The summative assessment for the
Africa unit is a multiple-choice and short answer quiz, which looks very similar to the pre-
assessment, but it covers a more extensive knowledge of Africa, its regions, climate, history,
and the arts. Based on their IEPs, the students in this class require simplified content and
fewer choices when answering questions, so this quiz is tailored to the needs of the
students.
This summative assessment quiz includes 17 multiple-choice and short answer
questions. The first question on the quiz tested their knowledge of African animals, a
subject that I knew students were more familiar with based on the pre-assessment.
Students were asked to identify the African animal from a list of four animals. Four
questions on the quiz were related to the geography of Africa. First, students were asked
to circle Africa on a world map so they could demonstrate their knowledge of the general
location of Africa. Then students were asked to identify whether Africa is a continent or a
country. This is a subtle distinction in vocabulary that may be difficult for my students, but
it is important for them to recognize that Africa is a continent. This concept was reviewed
in the Day 1 PowerPoint presentation. Next, using a map of Africa and a highlighted region,
students were asked to identify the region that is highlighted. Students can use their
knowledge of the cardinal directions to answer this question. The correct answer is North
Africa, and this was discussed in-depth on Day 1, during which the students watched a
video about North Africa. The final geography question asked students to circle the
continent of Africa from two choices. The incorrect choice is North America, so students
may use their prior knowledge of the shape of the United States to correctly answer this

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question. The next section of questions included three questions about the Climate of
Africa. The first question asked them to identify the climate of North Africa. The correct
answer is Desert and the two wrong answers are Very Cold and Wet. Students will use
their knowledge of what the word Climate means to answer this question, as well as
information from the video we watched about North Africa. For the following two climate
questions, the students used a color-coded Climate map of Africa to identify several
countries that are in certain climate zones, such as Desert and Tropical Rainforest. These
questions will assess students ability to use a map to discern information about a place and
will reinforce their knowledge of the climate regions of Africa.
The next set of two questions asked students to use a Natural Resources map of
Africa to name one country that has Diamonds and one country that has Oil. These
questions also assess students map-reading skills, and encourages students to use a map to
find important information. The following three quiz questions were about the lesson on
South Africa. These questions focused on Nelson Mandela. I repeated the question from
the pre-assessment, which asked students to identify the former president of South Africa.
Students will use the knowledge they gained from our various activities related to Nelson
Mandela to answer this question. One of the incorrect choices is Barack Obama, so
students should use their background knowledge of the current President of the United
States to rule out this incorrect answer. The next question assessed what students had
learned about apartheid from the South Africa lesson. Students were introduced to
apartheid during the South Africa presentation, plus it was discussed in the subsequent
book and video. Students also practiced the vocabulary in follow-up worksheets and a
graphic organizer. The last question about Nelson Mandela asked students to identify

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where Mandela spent many years of his life. Students learned during the book and video
on Day 2 that Mandela spent 27 years in prison.
The final set of four questions was about the lesson on Ghana. The first question
was related to geography and asked students to identify the region of Africa where Ghana
is located. This information was initially given during the PowerPoint presentation about
Ghana, and was reinforced in subsequent worksheets and activities. The second question
asked students to identify a major art form in Ghana. The correct answer, Kente Weaving,
was shown in several slides and a video of kente weavers during the presentation on
Ghana, as well as an activity in which the students weaved their own Kente strip using
colored paper. The third question was about the food of Ghana, and asked students to
identify one important food in Ghana. During the presentation on Ghana I showed students
images of Fufu, then they noted this in their graphic organizer, and this was reinforced by
vocabulary sorting worksheets as well as a short Ghana quiz. The final question of the
summative assessment was about Slave Castles in Ghana, which is a topic that was
discussed at length in connection with Colonialism and Slave Trading during the Ghana
presentation. Students were also asked about Slave Castles during the lessons worksheets
and short quiz.
All assessments used in this unit plan are directly aligned with each other as well as
with the unit goals and objectives. The assessments are also aligned with the MCCRS and
HCPSS curriculum and standards as stated in Part A, including:

Use maps and other representations to explain relationships between the

locations of places and regions and their environmental characteristics.

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Use appropriate graphic organizers or other note-taking techniques to

record important ideas or information from a source.

Acquire and apply new vocabulary through investigating, listening, and

discussing a variety of print and non-print sources.

Identify Africas relative location in the world.

Identify the various geographic regions within Sub-Saharan Africa and

describe the characteristics that make them distinct regions.

Describe the major geographic and climatic features of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Identify selected countries and major cities of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Identify the characteristics of selected Sub-Saharan African cultures.

The skills and knowledge that students learned during the PowerPoint presentations on all
three days were reinforced during subsequent worksheets, art activities, and internet-
based projects. The assessments used in this unit plan include appropriate principles of
UDL and differentiation. Students were given a variety of options to demonstrate their
knowledge of Africa, and information was presented in a variety of ways, including using
pictures, videos, and reading a book with illustrations. In order to collect data for this
unit, I used worksheets, short daily quizzes, art activities, and alternative assignments, such
as a Research Project, in addition to the summative assessment quiz.

Part C: Instruction

For each lesson, the objective was written on the board in student-friendly

language so that every student would understand what was expected of them and what
would happen during the class period. Students in this class benefit from a simplified

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version of the objective that is written as a To Do list on the board. The teacher checks off
items on this list throughout the lesson. Some 1:1 assistants in the class write these
simplified items on a task analysis chart so that students know what they have to
accomplish before they can earn their preferred reward (i.e. computer time).

I analyzed my pre-assessment data to determine if my objectives were

appropriate. From the pre-test on Africa, it was clear that the students needed a review of
general information about Africa and its geography, even if they had learned about Africa
during previous years. I could see from the pre-test that they had not retained much from
the prior years Africa lessons. The first day of my unit will be devoted to this general
review of Africa. I also gathered from the pre-test that students did not remember the
importance of Nelson Mandela, despite having learned about him fairly recently in a
Scholastic News Magazine. I also learned from the pre-test that students generally could
not identify any African countries, and therefore it would be valuable to go in-depth into
several countries to have a more detailed view of the culture and climate of several areas.
One area of relative strength for the students was identifying African animals, and this is
something that I will use in the lessons as a way to develop their interest in the unit.

In order to motivate and engage students, I began each lesson with a question for

students to think about and respond to. During the Day 1 lesson about Africa, I asked
students to tell me what they knew about Africa, and all answers were welcomed. By doing
this, I hoped to hear if students had certain stereotypical ideas about Africa, and from that
point onward I tried to give them a more full picture of the continent of Africa. During the
start of the Day 2 lesson, I asked students to look at a picture of Cape Town, South Africa,

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and tell me what they saw in the picture. I hoped that they would notice and mention the
high-rise buildings, the beaches, the big boats, and the large soccer stadium. These are all
things that we see in American cities as well, and I wanted students to understand that
Africa has many very contemporary cities. During the opening of the Day 3 lesson, I
showed students a smock from northern Ghana (a real one), and I asked them if they knew
what it is and what it is used for. I hoped that showing an authentic item from Ghana
would stir their interest in the days lesson and incite discussion and speculation.
I also motivated students through my PowerPoint presentations. Each days
presentation used numerous photos and maps, as well as integrated short videos that gave
students a window into regions of Africa and their unique qualities. Also embedded into
these presentations were questions that were intended to keep students focused while also
assessing what they had retained from the previous slides or video. Finally, I also
motivated students by offering them choices to exhibit their comprehension. Students
were offered the choice to do worksheets, art activities, graphic organizers, a WebQuest,
and/or a Research Project on any of the three days of the unit. Students who would
typically be unmotivated to complete class work would have little reason to complain with
so many options to seize their interests.
In this unit, new skills were introduced in a way that was engaging and met the
needs of a unique group of students. In the Day 1 Lesson, students were introduced to
Africa as a continent. The lesson objective for Day 1 was: Students will be able to recognize
Africa and its sub-regions on a map and identify Africas important natural resources,
animals, and climactic features by participating in an interactive SMART board

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presentation and by completing a worksheet packet. This objective was re-written and
stated to students as a list of items for the day. The lesson began with an interactive
PowerPoint presentation that asked students, first, what they already know about Africa.
After the initial question, I showed students a series of pictures, which illustrate the great
diversity of landscapes that exist in Africa. This is intended to upend any assumptions they
may have about Africa as being one giant safari ride. I end this intro by showing the
students a brief video of Ghanaian students dancing a contemporary hip-hop style dance. I
want them to see that African students live in a modern world just like American students.
I then showed them a map of the world, and asked a student to come to the SMART board
and point to Africa. The following slide asked students if Africa is a continent or a country,
a concept that I tried to quickly clarify. We continued through more slides that asked
students to come to the board and identify the continent of Africa from three choices. Here,
I reinforced the shape of the African continent through repetitive activities. We moved on
to a slide of a Climate map of Africa. The students had the same color Climate map at their
desks, and we discussed some of the major climate zones and where they are located. The
following slides asked the students questions about which countries are in certain climate
zones. They used their own Climate map to answer the questions from their desks. They
completed a similar activity independently in their worksheets later. We then looked at a
Natural Resource map of Africa, and I helped the students to read the map and locate
countries that contain various resources. This was also an activity the students completed
independently later. The next slide showed the many tribes of Africa, illustrating the
thousands of languages in Africa, and then a slide that showed the diverse appearance of
Africans across the continent. We then discussed the regions of Africa and delved into

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North Africa in-depth by watching a short video on North Africa, followed by several
questions about the climate of that region. The PowerPoint ended with a few slides about
African animals, and then a Safari video. Students were then asked to name some of the
animals they saw in the video. This concluded the introduction of new knowledge for the
Day 1 Lesson.
I modeled new skills and allowed for guided practice for Lesson 1 by showing
students how to locate Africa on a map, how to distinguish between a continent and a
country, and how to use a Climate map and a Natural Resources map. I modeled these
skills using pictures and printed maps. Students came up to the SMART board to help me
locate Africa on maps and answered other questions from their seats. This process allowed
me to see if students were retaining and comprehending what I was describing to them.
Students were then instructed to choose a path for their independent practice.
Most students completed worksheets individually that utilized their new vocabulary and
map skills. Other students were given the choice to complete a Research Project using the
computer. These students put together a poster about an African animal along with details
about where that animal lives, what they eat, etc. This alternative project was intended to
encourage students to use some of their new knowledge, map skills, and vocabulary about
climate zones in Africa to describe where their chosen animal lives. This project, in
particular, engaged the students critical and creative thinking skills as they designed
the animal poster and searched for information about their animal on the internet.
The students in this class require a significant amount of prompting and support
throughout any class period, so even though this portion of the class period required

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students to work independently, they had the support of a number of staff members to help
them work through any difficult questions and to encourage them to continue working. I
walked around the room during this time, making sure students knew how to complete
each worksheet, and providing assistance where needed. I also met with individual
students to check their understanding. I gave encouraging feedback to all students as
they completed their work. Students in this class have point sheets that are filled out
during each class period. They earn points for completing their work and for other good
behavior.
The vocabulary and map skills worksheets and the Research Project acted as the
formative assessments for this class lesson. The formative assessments addressed each
students learning needs in that they are modified to meet the needs of students who are on
different reading and writing levels. Some worksheets required no writing and were
simply multiple choice and matching/sorting. Other worksheets required students to
develop short answers in response to a prompt, or complete cloze sentences. I also created
more heavily modified worksheets that used Boardmaker pictures and asked students to
match pictures to vocabulary words or sort pictures. The freedom inherent in the Research
Project may not be suitable for all students in this class.
For Lesson 2, I introduced new knowledge in a similar way as in Lesson 1. I
showed students a PowerPoint presentation about South Africa that acted as a brief
introduction to a new area in Africa. The lesson objective for Day 2 was: Students will
understand the importance of Nelson Mandela to South African history by reading a book
about Mandela, watching a video documentary, and completing a graphic organizer and/or

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art project. During the presentation, I showed South Africa on several maps and then
showed images of the landscape of South Africa. I then asked students to come to the board
to point to South Africa on a map of Africa to see if they remembered where it is located. I
then showed students a short video about South Africa, and followed it up with questions
about what they saw in the video, including the kinds of animals that live in South Africa.
The last slides in the PowerPoint gave students a brief introduction to apartheid in South
Africa. I simplified this long historical story into just a few slides that would convey the
essence of how apartheid came to occur. I then asked students if racial segregation only
happened in South Africa, or if it occurred in other places in the world. I wanted students
to make the connection between our own countrys struggle for civil rights, and another
country that was fighting a similar battle for equality. I then showed a picture of Nelson
Mandela, and I said that this man changed the lives of South Africans. I asked the students
if they knew who the man is in the picture. I told the students Mandelas name, and asked
them if they know anything about him. I finished by telling them that they will learn about
Mandela and what he did to change South Africa.
After the initial set of slides, I introduced an illustrated childrens book about Nelson
Mandela. I held up the book for the students to see, but I also had a scanned version of the
book inserted into the PowerPoint presentation. I handed out a note-taking worksheet of
cloze sentences so that students could follow along while I read the book. I read the book
aloud to the students, stopping when there was new vocabulary, and I wrote the
vocabulary words on the board. I also stopped to allow students to fill out their note-taking
worksheet and to ask comprehension questions to ensure that students were following
along. The book is simplified story of Mandelas life through to his presidency. Following

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the book, I showed students a short video of Nelson Mandelas life to reinforce the
information from the book. Some students benefitted from the simplicity of the book, while
other students benefitted more from the documentary video about Nelson Mandela.
Following the video, I asked students what they learned from the video about Mandela. I
concluded the presentation with several slides with comprehension questions about
Mandela that are taken directly from the pre-assessment and the summative-assessment.
I modeled new skills during Lesson 2 by asking a number of comprehension
questions throughout the presentation, book, and after the videos. I asked students to
come to the board to identify South Africa, and I also asked students to describe what they
had learned about Nelson Mandela, and why he was important. During the book reading, I
modeled new skills by helping students to fill out the cloze sentences on their note-taking
worksheet. After the main presentation with book and videos, I gave students a 5 Ws
graphic organizer to fill out about Nelson Mandela. I asked students to tell me whos name
would go in the Who box. I told students that they would fill in the other 4 boxes using
details about Mandela and South Africa. I described that students were to try to fill out the
graphic organizer independently (or with their 1:1 assistant) for the first 5-10 minutes,
and then we would review the answers as a group. I then asked a student to repeat back to
me the directions. This was a challenging assignment for the students because it asked
them to go beyond simply filling in a blank; they needed to think about why Mandela was
important and how he helped South Africans.
The 5 Ws assignment encouraged the students critical thinking skills because the
answers were not stated directly in the book or video; they had to process what they had

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seen in the video and develop appropriate responses. I did not expect that the class could
complete this worksheet entirely on their own, so I circulated the room throughout this
independent practice, and gave students hints that would help them to develop their
responses. After they had worked independently for a short time, we reviewed the
answers as a group, and I asked students to read aloud some of their responses. Students
filled in the remainder of their answers as needed.
The 5 Ws worksheet acted as the formative assessment for this lesson, and I used
this data to determine if students had learned anything from the presentation. Students
who needed an alternative assignment were given the option to draw a picture of Nelson
Mandela and an important moment in his life. If time allowed and in subsequent class
periods, there were also vocabulary worksheets that students could complete that were
aligned to this lesson. I differentiated this lesson by creating a modified version of the 5
Ws worksheet that asked students to cut and paste images with words into the 5 boxes
instead of generating their own written answers. This lesson was also filled with many
visuals and multiple means of representation so that all students could access the content.
During Lesson 3, I introduced new knowledge by showing an extensive
PowerPoint presentation about Ghana. The lesson objective for Day 3 was: Students will
recognize Ghana and its cultural and historical features, by participating in an interactive
SMART board presentation while filling out a graphic organizer, and completing a
worksheet packet and art activity. I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana for two years, so
this lesson draws heavily from my own photographs and experiences. Prior to the first
slides, I handed out a graphic organizer that allowed students to list new vocabulary words

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under categories, such as Food and Art. They were asked to fill this out during the
presentation. I showed students the smock, as described above, and asked students what it
might be used for. I then began by showing students a map of Africa and I located Ghana on
the map. I show them pictures of the flag of Ghana, and the currency, the Ghana cedi. I then
had a student come to the board and point to which region of Africa Ghana is located in, to
see if they had remembered from the previous slides. I gave a brief introduction to
colonialism and the slave trade in Africa by showing students several slides of the Slave
Castles along the coast of Ghana. Ghana had one of the largest slave trades in Africa, but it
also was the first country to gain independence from Colonialism, which are two very
important facts I hoped to convey. I showed the students that Ghana is the closest country
to the center of the world, where the prime meridian and the equator intersect. This
intersection is just off the coast of Ghana. I asked the students what they think the weather
is like near the equator, and the students offered their guesses. I then showed them a
weather chart from Ghana, and it showed that the temperature hovers around 90 degrees F
all year. I showed them the two major climate regions in Ghana (tropical rainforest and
savanna), and some of the interesting landforms throughout the country, such as the
highest mountain, and the large Volta River. I then showed them what schools look like in
Ghana, how people travel, what they eat, the important large animals, and the major art
forms within the country. I also showed slides of how people shop for groceries in Ghana,
and the various festivals that occur. Students took notes in their graphic organizer as I
went through these slides, and I encouraged them to write down important words as
needed.

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

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There were a number of videos embedded in this presentation that showed

Ghanaian dancers, kente weavers, and women pounding a dirt floor. I ended the
presentation by showing pictures of major export crops in Ghana, and then I asked
students to guess the favorite sport in Ghana. The last slide is an image of children playing
soccer. There are questions throughout the presentation to further engage students in
participation and discussion about Ghana. For example, I showed them a slide of a map of
Ghana and told them that there are 72 distinct languages in Ghana, and then I asked them
to think about how people from different regions can talk to each other if they all speak
different languages. This encouraged their critical thinking skills as they tried to decide
how Ghanaians speak to each other.
Following the presentation, I give the students the choice to either make a kente
cloth art project using paper or to complete worksheets using Ghana vocabulary and map
skills. I modeled new skills during the art project as I showed students how to cut and
weave their own kente strip using colorful strips of paper. The students then
independently completed their kente project. Other students independently completed
their worksheets. I circulated the room throughout this period to ensure that students
were working, and gave assistance and feedback as needed. The feedback that students in
this class generally require is in the form of encouraging them to complete their work in
order to earn their points for the period, and then to praise them if they complete their
work successfully. At the end of this class period, I gave students an exit ticket and asked
them to tell me one interesting thing they had learned about Ghana. There were several
formative assessments during this lesson, including the questions I asked throughout the
presentations, the kente cloth art project, the vocabulary and map skills worksheets, and

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the exit ticket. I was able to assess the students new knowledge of Ghana from these
assessments. I differentiated this lesson in much the same way as the other 2 lessons: by
creating modified worksheets with Boardmaker pictures, by giving students choices of
assignments, and by embedding multiple means of representation within my PowerPoint
presentation.

Part D: Analysis and Instructional Decision-Making

I examined student work samples for evidences of student achievement by

creating several graphs that illustrate the data. The following graph shows student scores
for each assessment. The blue bars show scores for the pre-test, and the red bars show
scores for the summative assessment. I have not included the formative assessments, such
as worksheets, in this graph because they were not graded, but were instead checked for
accuracy as the students completed them. The students revised and corrected their work
immediately. 5 out of 9 students work closely with classroom assistants, so as a result, the
pre-test and the summative assessment were the only two assessments that were
completed independently; thus, they are the best measure of student growth and
attainment of the learning objectives. Four students were not present in class for the pre-
test and/or the summative assessment, in which case their score for that test is missing.
One student, C2, was in class for several of the lessons, but was absent for both formal
assessments. Student absences are often due to Related Services, such as Speech or
Occupational Therapy, that coincide with academic classes.

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

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Unit Formal Assessment Scores

100
Scores

80
60
40

Pre-Test

20

Summative Assessment

The graph below shows student growth from pre-test to summative assessment.

Each student is represented by a notch on the line graph. Students who did not take both
the pre-test and the summative assessment were not included on this graph. The blue line
represents scores from the pre-test, and the red line represents scores from the summative
assessment. According to the graph, 4 out of 5 students scores increased from the pre-test
to the summative assessment.

Growth from Pre-Test To Summative

Assessment
100

Scores

80
60
Pre-Test
40

Summative Assessment

20
0

Students

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Assessment data was collected for each student prior to beginning the unit, and at
the end of the unit. Informal data was collected throughout each lesson as students
answered comprehension questions and completed graphic organizers and worksheets.
Student achievement of Maryland College and Career Readiness Standards and
corresponding Essential Skills and Knowledge was determined by examining all data
collected during the unit. According to the assessment data, 4 out of 5 students exhibited a
percentage change increase from pre-test to summative assessment, indicating that they
have mastered the MCCRS and corresponding Essential Skills and Knowledge. Percentage
change was calculated using the pre-test score and the summative assessment score. The
pre-test score was subtracted from the summative assessment score, and then the resulting
change was divided by the pre-test score. The result was then multiplied by 100 to obtain
to final percentage change. Positive percentage change means that students have gained
knowledge from pre-test to summative assessment. Negative percent changes mean that
students have not gained knowledge from pre-test to summative assessment.
Percentage Change from Pre-Test to Summative Assessment
Student C -11%

Student M2 225%

Student C3 47%

Student D 10%

Student J 120%

It is difficult to draw definitive conclusions from this data, however, because many
students were absent for one or more lessons due to Related Services sessions. If a student
was absent from a lesson, it means they missed valuable information that would be
included in the summative assessment. In addition, students in this class struggle with

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

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reading assessments; they have reading goals with grade equivalencies significantly below
grade level. These formal assessments may not be the best test of their content knowledge.
However, despite the flaws of formal-type assessments with these students, most did
exhibit a significant increase in knowledge from pre-test to summative assessment.
Contextual factors, such as race, gender, and disability appear to have had a very small
impact on student achievement. 3 boys and 2 girls completed both the pre-test and the
summative assessment. Of these students, one student (Student D) was African American,
and he exhibited high scores on both the pre-test (80%) and the summative assessment
(88%), mainly due to extensive background knowledge. The two girls, Student M, and
Student J, exhibited the largest percent change (225% and 120%), but they had the
advantage of being present in class for all three lessons.
I have identified several students who may not have mastered all the lesson
objectives. Student M, Student D2, and Student L were not present during both
assessments, and therefore their scores are not appropriate for comparison. Student C
exhibited a small decrease in his score from the pre-test to the summative assessment,
however his summative assessment score (71%) was strong nonetheless when compared
with this peers. His pre-test score was very good (80%), showing that he had a strong
knowledge of Africa before starting the unit, and giving him a high bar to surpass. His main
area of difficulty in the summative assessment was reading a climate map for information
to answer several questions, and recognizing the cardinal directions to answer a question.
These are skills that have been practiced extensively in previous classes this semester, so I
have to conclude that some of Student Cs incorrect answers were due to impatience and
rushing through the test. On the day of the summative assessment, Student C was very

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preoccupied with drawing, and was trying to quickly finish the test. He had to be prompted
several times to go to the next page to continue the test. In general, Student C is very
impatient with class work, and is often moving quickly around the room from one thing to
the next. However, he is highly verbal and intelligent, so formal tests may not accurately
represent the extent of his knowledge and abilities. In the future, I would ask Student C to
complete one page of the assessment, and then allow him to take a break to draw or go on a
walk, and then complete the next page, etc., until he finishes the assessment.
To address the lack of student achievement with a needed intervention, in the
future, for a student like Student C who did not exhibit an improvement in his scores from
the pre-test to the summative assessment, I would offer him and others an alternative
summative assessment. I think the students would be much more motivated to make a
poster or a research project about Africa than to complete a multiple-choice test.
Alternative assignments are more difficult to grade objectively, but I think they would be a
better representation of Student Cs interest and investment in the unit. I could tie the pre-
test to the alternative summative assessment by creating a rubric that would assess the
extent to which students had demonstrated their knowledge of various aspects of Africa.
Through the rubric I could ensure that the alternative summative assessment was an
effective measure of the students new skills and knowledge. Student C is very interested in
Africa and geography in general, and throughout the week we discussed details from the
lessons that he liked. He wanted to know if he could buy baobab seeds to plant a baobab
tree (like the ones I had shown him), and he wanted to do further research into baobabs.
This would have been an excellent research topic for him that would have illustrated his
ability to delve deeper into a topic.

EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING

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To address the lack of student achievement with needed instruction, when I

teach this unit in the future I will spend longer on individual skills, such as map reading. On
the summative assessment, many students answered questions incorrectly that asked them
to locate countries on a climate map and identify the climate of the country. Although I
spent a full week on Africa, it would be beneficial to break down the lessons even further to
teach students specific skills necessary to analyze Africa from a geographic and climactic
perspective. One day could be set aside specifically for modeling map-reading skills so that
students could see how maps can illustrate aspects of Africa, such as climate, natural
resources, elevation, etc. These are skills that students could then use to analyze other
continents and countries in subsequent units. I learned from this unit that teaching is not
just about giving students information about places and things, but it is also about skill-
building. In Social Studies, there are skills that help students to interpret and analyze
information about the world, and I can build upon those skills with each lesson.

Part E: Reflection and Self-Evaluation

I have reflected on the effectiveness of my instructional strategies, and based
on the data that emerged from this unit on Africa, it is clear that students learned and that
the instructional strategies I utilized were effective for building knowledge. The data
shows that 4 out of 5 students who completed both the pre-test and the summative
assessment improved their scores and therefore met the learning objectives and standards
for this unit. In addition, the 5th student whose score did not improve from the pre-test to
the summative assessment still had a passing score on the summative assessment, and it
can be concluded from this that he also met most of the learning objectives.

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Instruction influenced student learning in a variety of ways. For lesson 1,

students participated in an interactive PowerPoint presentation with videos, during which
I showed the students slides and asked them a series of comprehension questions about
Africa. In general, students in this class are most engaged when there is a technology
component and when they are asked to participate verbally. I found this to be the case as I
taught the Africa unit as well. Many of the students struggle with writing, but their verbal
and comprehension skills are relatively good. Students answered all of my questions
thoughtfully and were highly engaged by the pictures and videos that gave them an
introduction to the continent of Africa. I made the presentation visually stimulating so that
the visual learners in the class would have the help of pictures to enhance their
comprehension.
Before I gave this lesson, I was concerned that I had put too much information into
the slide presentation; however, the students responded remarkably well to the pace and
intensity of this lesson. I was well planned and had incorporated a number of questions
into the presentation, so students were kept engaged in analytical thinking throughout the
lesson. While developing this unit, I decided that whole group instruction would work best
with this class of students who have emotional and behavioral problems. I continue to
believe this is one of the best methods with this group because they have difficulty with
self-monitoring and do best when prompted and paced directly by the instructor.
During Lesson 1, I gave the students each a color climate map of Africa, then we
looked at pictures and watched a short video on North Africa, and then I asked the students
to look at their climate map and tell me what the climate is like in North Africa. They could
have deduced this information either from the video or from the climate map, or both

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sources. Through this exercise, I tried to build upon the students map-reading and
geography skills. I think this was an important and successful component of this lesson and
engaged multimedia resources to analyze climate regions in Africa. As I mentioned in Part
D of the ESL, this map-reading section of the lesson was relatively brief, and I could have
stressed this skill further to increase student comprehension.
During Lesson 2, students were introduced to South Africa and Nelson Mandela.
While I read aloud a book about Nelson Mandela projected on the SMART board, students
completed a cloze sentences note-taking worksheet. Prior to giving this lesson, I was
concerned that reading a complete book might lose the attention of students, many of
whom are used to the intense stimuli of videos. However, this particular book worked well
with these students, and they seemed engrossed in each page. I think it helped that this
book was authentic and the illustrations were realistic and rich. Most students in all the
classes I taught this lesson to recognized story time and sat in front of the SMART board
as I read the story. The cloze sentences note-taking worksheet helped to keep the students
engaged and focused during the book. Some students needed the help of classroom
assistants to spell the words that went in the blanks. In subsequent classes, I created a
word bank that assisted students with word choice and spelling. I learned from this
experience that I must anticipate all the areas where students may struggle so that I have a
support ready for them. The students contributed a great deal to all of my questions during
this lesson and were very focused throughout. Following the book, students completed a 5
Ws graphic organizer related to Nelson Mandela. All students who were present in class on
the day I taught this lesson (6) completed the 5 Ws graphic organizer with at least 80%
accuracy. In some instances, completion took significant prompting and support from

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classroom assistants and from the teacher. Most students have difficulty writing, so the
answers on the page were often abbreviated, misspelled, or used incorrect grammar, but
the concepts conveyed during the lesson were comprehended well by the students as was
demonstrated by their verbal responses.
For lesson 3, students completed a graphic organizer during the PowerPoint
presentation on Ghana. The graphic organizer asked the students to categorize things from
the presentation into the following categories: Food, Weather/Landforms, Arts, and
Houses. Students who have difficulty writing were given pictures with words to cut out
and categorize. Students really enjoyed this lesson because it related to my personal
experience in Ghana, and I brought in a number of items for them to see and touch,
including beads, fabric, a smock, and a drum. The graphic organizer and subsequent
vocabulary worksheets helped students to stay focused and identify the main points that
they should know about West Africa and Ghana. During this lesson, I tried to connect
elements of Ghana to the students own lives. I showed them a picture of a school in Ghana,
and I asked them, Does this look like a school in America? Why, or why not? The
students discussed how the school in the picture did not have glass windows, and how it
was very small. I added that the school in Ghana didnt have electricity, air-conditioning, or
fans. If I were to change anything about this lesson it would be to reduce the amount of
content. Students impressed me with their level of engagement, but I could have slimmed
the lesson down to emphasize fewer topics; then I would not have to talk so quickly to get
through all the material.
I chose a multiple-choice summative assessment for this unit because it is a format
with which the students are very familiar. My mentor teacher makes a lot of multiple-

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choice worksheets for the students, and they do very well with them because the answer
choices are given, and they dont have to generate their own answers. Students in this class
have significant difficulty independently extrapolating from class lessons to generate
answers, and therefore a summative assessment that asked them to analyze or summarize
what they had learned into a poster or other format would require significant prompting
and support. Ultimately, the multiple-choice quiz was a good representation of what they
had learned from the unit in terms of facts and information without requiring them to
utilize additional higher-level thinking skills that are much more challenging for them. For
example, it is challenging for the students in this class to analyze lesson material to
examine why a person like Nelson Mandela was important to South African history. I tried
to scaffold this learning as much as possible, by pausing and emphasizing certain points
when I thought specific information might help students to discover answers to these more
difficult questions. I asked questions such as, What is Mandela doing here in this picture?
(Hes protesting.) Why is he protesting? These questions led to student understanding,
and helped students to achieve the lesson objective. Although the students followed along
with me throughout the lesson on Nelson Mandela, asking and answering questions with
no problems, when I gave them the blank 5 Ws worksheet with just the words, Why and
What etc., I think the students were overwhelmed. I tried to prepare the students for this
worksheet by emphasizing the 5 Ws during the book, but the students are more
comfortable with additional scaffolding, such as pictures or a word bank. I might offer
these students a word bank in any future similar assignments. I also need to make sure
that I do not answer questions for the students when they do not answer immediately.

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Instead, I can scaffold my questions by asking further questions that may lead them to the
correct answer.
I have identified several implications from this instructional activity. Based on
my analysis of this unit, I will try to further engage the students critical thinking skills
during future lessons. I believe if the students practice the skills necessary to analyze texts
that they may be able to do so more independently in the future. This may require
continued use of simple graphic organizers or word banks, but if the process, of the 5 Ws
for instance, becomes more routine, students may learn to generate answers more
independently. I hope to weave text analysis activities into more lessons in the future that
are aligned with Social Studies literacy standards.
During Lesson 2 on Nelson Mandela, I knew that I would talk about the civil rights
movement in America when I discussed apartheid, but I think I stumbled a little because I
had not scripted exactly what I would say. It makes me nervous as a white person to teach
about the history of Africa and the tragic consequences of the presence of white people in
Africa. In the future, my background knowledge needs to be rock-solid, and I need to know
exactly what I will say to any anticipated uncomfortable questions. Unfortunately, it is not
always possible to anticipate everything students will ask.
In addition, I also noted a few other important insights that I have gained from
creating and teaching this unit. 1. I forget things Im supposed to do or say, so it is a good
idea to always write a checklist of important items. This checklist can be on the board or
on a piece of paper for me to refer to. 2. I talk faster when Im nervous or when I have a lot
of content to cover, so I need to make sure I am allowing students to comprehend the
information and answer my questions. I should not jam so much into one lesson if I have to

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speak faster to get through the material. 3. The lesson should have less information. For
my students, less is more, and they will understand better if it is broken down into smaller
chunks.
I have also identified ways that collaborating with school-based professionals
can assist me in developing the above changes to my future instructional activities.
In the future, I can work with my mentor teacher to identify the most important points to
cover during lessons. This will help me to break down lessons so as not to overwhelm
students with too much information. My mentor teacher is very good at modifying content,
and she does it almost without thinking after her years of experience, so I can work with
her to help me to simplify my lessons. I will also observe my mentor teacher to see how
she effortlessly delegates responsibility during classes. She makes sure that every assistant
in the room is doing what they should be doing, and that every student has the assistance
that they need. I can also work with the English teacher at my school to find ways to
scaffold the process of text analysis, summarizing, and other literacy skills that are tied to
the MCCRS Social Studies literacy standards. I know how to summarize and analyze texts
myself, but I am not experienced at teaching those skills, and so I could use some additional
guidance.
Two professional learning goals that emerged from my experience creating this
unit are #8 Instructional Strategies and #11 Use of Technology. I want to find new and
better ways to teach students the content that they are required to learn. I have discovered
some strategies that work well with my unique group of students, but I also want to
challenge these students to dig deeper into course content and make connections to their
own lives. This will require instructional strategies that go beyond the teacher-led format.

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I also want my lessons to be cross-curricular so that as students are learning about a topic
in Social Studies, such as the Indian holiday Diwali, they will also be reading authentic
literature and using literacy skills to assess what they have learned from the book. In
addition, I want to incorporate technology more fully into my lessons, particularly using
computers as a research tool for the students. I also want to explore more software that is
available to enhance my lessons, with the intention to make the lessons more interactive
and fun. Students at my school are very motivated by digital content, and I need to use that
to my advantage, creating meaningful, resonating content that utilizes a variety of
technology and software.