Paul Farbman

DE ECE 3790
Individual Lesson Week Assessments Reflection
Background Information
All of my lessons for individual lesson week were centered around the theme of
pumpkins. In a Language Arts lesson centered on a read-aloud of Spookley the Square Pumpkin
by Joe Troiano, the objective was given the opportunity to participate in an interactive read
aloud of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano, TSW will order three
main events in the story of Spookley the Square Pumpkin using illustrated pieces in order to
demonstrate retelling familiar stories, including key details. In social studies, I continued with
the idea of retelling by retelling the personal history of a pumpkin. My objective was given an
example of the personal history of the growth of a pumpkin, TSW create a personal history book
for the growth of a pumpkin, ordering 5 pictures, demonstrating an understanding that personal
history can be shared through stories and pictures. In science, we learned about the parts of the
pumpkin and the objective was given the opportunity to observe and describe a variety of
pumpkins and gourds, TSW be able to name at least two traits of a pumpkin and describe how
those traits help the pumpkin to survive to demonstrate that living things have physical traits that
help them to survive. In math we focused on increasing quantities and determining that the last
number said when counting tells us the total amount of objects in a set. The objective was
given a set of ten pumpkin seeds, a ten frame, and a sample quantity on a ten frame, TSW be
able to increase the quantity by a given factor and write the numeral representing that quantity to
demonstrate an understanding that each successive number refers to a quantity that is one larger
and the last number said when counting tells the number of objects counted.

Pre-assessments were administered in each content area to gage student readiness and
determine where extra teaching would be necessary within the course of the lesson. In the
English Language Arts Lesson on beginning, middle and ending; the students were shown a
series of pictures of the beginning, middle and ending of their day and were asked to jump up to
vote on whether or not they felt each picture represented the beginning, middle or ending. In the
middle of this pre-assessment, I needed to clarify that beginning meant the first events of the day.
After I did, the majority of students voted for the correct picture signaling readiness to move on.
In the social studies lesson relating personal history and human growth to that of a pumpkin, the
students were asked questions to gage their understanding of the stages of the growth of a child
and how pumpkins might be like people in this respect. In a science lesson on the parts of the
pumpkin, we completed a class K-W-L chart to determine what students already knew about the
parts of the pumpkin and if they already knew the names of any of the parts of the pumpkin. In a
math lesson on increasing quantities by an amount of one, students were pre-assessed through an
interactive whiteboard activity in which they counted a series of objects and were asked how
they knew how many objects they had in all. They were also asked to predict how many objects
we would have when we added one more.
In language arts, students were asked to order three illustrations from The Legend of
Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano on a graphic organizer under the words beginning,
middle and end. This was scored on a three level rubric. Students received three points and a
rating of I did it if they put all three pictures in the correct order, one point and a rating of I
almost did it if the pictures were not in the correct order but they could offer an explanation of
why they thought that they came where they came in the story, and a score of zero and a rating of
Next time if their pictures were placed in random order. Each score level had a corresponding

emoji to help communicate the score to students in a developmentally appropriate way.

In social studies, the children ordered the pictures of a pumpkins personal history
(growth cycle) in their own pumpkin photo album. This lesson was scored on a three-point
rubric. Students received a score of three and a rating of I did it if all five pictures were in
order, a score of one and a rating of I almost did it if at least two of the pictures were in order,
and a score of zero and a rating of next time if none of the pictures were in order. As with
language arts, each scoring level included an emoji to help communicate the score to students.
In science, students participated in a one-on-one conference with the teacher in which
they were asked to look at pictures of three parts of a pumpkin, name them and then describe
how these parts help the pumpkin to survive. Students were assessed via a checklist on which
the teacher was able to take anecdotal notes based upon what they had said. Each part of the
pumpkin named correctly and each correct explanation of the role of a part of the pumpkin was
awarded of a point. The highest possible score was a three and the passing score was 2/3.
In math, students were given a ten frame filled in with two seeds. Students were asked to
increase the total amount of seeds to three by drawing however many seeds they need to do so on
the ten frame. The students were also asked to write the numeral three. Students self-assessed
their work on a three-point rubric by putting a checkmark by their ten-frame if they only drew
one more seed and a check mark by their numeral if it looked like my example. If students had a
total of two checkmarks, they were to circle the smiley face with a thumbs-up to give themselves
the three-point rating of I almost did it. If students only had one checkmark, they were to
circle the regular smiley face to give themselves the one point rating of I almost did it. If
students had no checkmarks, they were to circle the shy face to give themselves the rating of
Next time.

During the course of my TEC teaching, I have had the opportunity to observe two
students that I will be offering feedback to throughout the semester. I have recorded my
observations one to two times per week on an observation log. Here each of the students will be
referred to by a pseudonym to protect their identity. The first of my students, Cassidy, is being
observed because she is on a speech IEP. During the course of the semester, I have noticed that
she is an active participant in all activities that involve speaking such as Think-Pair-Share, choral
counting and singing with the class, and raising her hand to answer questions and share thoughts.
In one instance during week six, I noticed that Cassidy shared her thoughts on how her group
could sort objects in science with me but would not communicate her thoughts to the group. My
other student, Henrietta, is a very active learner who needs space to move around on the carpet
and does well working with manipulatives and hands-on materials. On several occasions I have
observed her to work well with unifix cubes and ten frames when determining the number of
cubes needed to make five, ten and other quantities. A verbal and auditory learner, Henrietta also
does very well with remembering chants, songs and catchy phrases used in teaching. When
asked a question, Henrietta has been known to respond with a chant learned on the previous day.
Reflection in Action
Beginning on the next page, there are several tables describing the formative assessment results
for each lesson. Language arts, social studies and math follow the format of the actual
assessment rubrics used in class, but show the total amount of scores for each level.

Language Arts Assessment Results for Pictorial Retelling

3
I did it!
Three pictures are
in order of
beginning, middle
and ending.

1
I almost did
it!
Three pictures
are in order of
beginning,
middle and
ending.

18

0
Not yet.
The pictures
were not in
order this
time, and the
student could
not justify
reasoning.
0

Students
Absent

As As all

students present in class met the objective for the Spookley pictorial retelling, I knew that the
class was ready to order the five pictures in the pictorial retelling of the growth cycle of the
pumpkin. These results were expected because all students had participated in retellings
throughout the year and students had participated in formative assessments throughout the course
of the lesson to prepare them for the final task. In order to review with the students, I would
think that it would be helpful to review the language arts retelling at the beginning of the next
lesson to review what we had learned the previous day and to help the students who was absent
to catch-up before moving on.

Social Studies Pumpkin Photo Album Retelling

1
I almost did
it!

3
I did it!
All five pictures
are in order.

16

At least two
pictures are in
the correct
order.
1

0
Not yet.

Students
Absent

The pictures
were not in
order this
time.
1

In this lesson, most students met the objective. Based upon the previous days
assessment, I expected these results. A review would still be important the next day to catch up
the two students who fell behind and the one student who was absent. I did this the next day by
reviewing the song about the parts of the pumpkin that the students had participated in the day
before followed by having students volunteer parts of the pumpkin life cycle. I made sure to call
on the two students who had missed items on the assessment as they raised their hands to ensure
that their understanding was improving.
Science Discussion Checklist (All students present)
Scores of
3
5

Scores of
2
6

Scores of
2
4

Scores of
1
4

Scores of
1
0

Scores of

Scores of
0
0

Of the 19 students in class, 15 met the lesson objective of having at least a score of two.
Four students were below the passing level. I had expected less students to be at a level of three
at this point due to the amount of information that students had learned in the lesson. I had to
change my scoring plan at the beginning of the assessment. I had planned to assign one point for
each name of the part of the pumpkin and the description of what that part does to help the

pumpkin. While assessing, I noticed that some students knew the name of the part of the
pumpkin but not its job, or its job but not its name. For this reason, I decided to assign point
for each individual task so as to measure students partial understandings as well.
Counting Seeds Math Self-Assessment Results

3
I did it!
I drew one more
seed and wrote
the numeral for
three.

11

1
I almost did
it!
I drew one
more seed or
wrote the
numeral for
three.
6

0
Not yet.
Next time I
need to draw
one more
seed or write
the correct
numeral.
1

Students
Absent

Based upon their performance in the lesson, I had expected that more students would be
at level three (I did it!) in their performance. When asked to predict how many students they
would need to add to a line to get a certain total, many were able to predict the correct number.
Similar results could be seen when students were asked to increase the number of objects on
counting racks and when counting seeds on ten frames. I even had students increase quantities
by more than one to challenge them. I feel that I did not give students enough opportunities to
transfer what they did with concrete objects to written examples. If I were to teach a follow-up
to this lesson the next day, I would begin by helping students to work similar examples where
they had to draw enough objects on a ten frame to finish with a desired total.
All children in the class received positive oral feedback throughout each lesson. As
students ordered pictures on the board during Language Arts, I would ask them to explain their

thinking and praise them for using the story as the basis of their answers. All students were also
able to determine their rating level by the emoji assigned to it. One of my students, Henrietta,
shows strengths as an auditory and tactile learner. I discussed her score level with her and helped
her to circle her own scoring level on the rubric. The other student that I observed, Cassidy, is on
a speech IEP, so I took the time to have a conversation with her after the activity and have her
explain what she did to receive her score.
In social studies, students were asked to lay their pictorial retelling pieces on their table in
the order in which they thought they should be placed. Then, students received feedback from
their peers as they were asked to compare their work to those around them. We reviewed the
correct order of pictures at the end of the lesson and students were provided with written
feedback via a child-friendly rubric. I sat down with Henrietta and had her sort large laminated
pieces of the pumpkin growth cycle so that I could provide her oral feedback on her ordering
process. As she is a verbal/auditory learner, I also decided to discuss some of the vocabulary
terms that she was missing as she described parts of the pumpkin. I also had Cassidy sort the
same illustrated pieces as Henrietta, but I had her name the parts of the growth cycle as she was
going so that she could practice her speaking skills.
In science, I told students which answers they got correct and helped them review the
answers that they had missed following our conversation. I also reviewed all answers with the
class during the closure of the lesson. When working with Henrietta, I had her name the parts of
the pumpkin and describe their jobs by using an actual pumpkin. I gave Henrietta some
additional prompts during the course of our conversation to encourage her to explain her thinking
and to help her maximize her performance. When working with Cassidy, I needed to ask her
follow-up questions to increase the specificity of her responses. For example, when she said that

the skin helps the pumpkin to grow, I helped her to learn the vocabulary word protects and we
discussed how the skin helps to protect the seeds inside of the pumpkin.
In Math, I provided oral feedback and examples of a completed project after students
completed the activity. I helped students to determine any differences that they saw between my
work and their own when walking around the classroom to work with students one-on-one.
Students were encouraged to check their work against my own. When working with Henrietta, I
explained the scoring levels to her individually while referencing the child-friendly rubric.
During whole group discussion I was able to provide some individualized feedback to Cassidy
when she commented that she knew there were five students in a line of students because there
were no more students in line to count. I praised her for her precise language in explaining her
answers.
Overall, I felt that the feedback was appropriate to the needs of the children because
common misconceptions were addressed for all students in the groups discussions. The feedback
provided to Cassidy and Henrietta was effective because each student was given feedback after
doing activities that related to their strengths. This allowed them to give their best performance
before being assessed and made it more likely that they would apply what they were learning to
the ways that they actually go about completing learning tasks.
When using child friendly rubrics in the future, I will work to improve on involving all
students in specific discussion about how they did in relation to the criteria for success. After
passing back scored rubrics and helping students to review what each scoring level meant, I
could ask students to share what they did well that day, what they could do better the next time,
and what they could specifically do during a lesson to do better next time. For example, on the
retelling lessons, I could ask students to tell how they think they remembered the order of the

pictures and help the other students to tell how they can better remember them next time or
return to the text for further help. We could add these strategies to a learning strategy chart to be
reviewed and referenced during future lessons. If I were teaching the math and science lessons
in my own classroom, I would place students into small groups to increase their opportunities to
work more examples and get further feedback on their performance.
In teaching my pumpkin themed lessons and conducting related assessments, I learned
that good assessment is the key to providing links between the learning tasks in each successive
lesson. When I look back at each scoring guide, I see which students are getting the material and
which are not. This shows me what I should review in the introduction to the next lesson and
where I should attempt to connect to prior knowledge. This is especially important in areas
where students have shown need for improvement because it gives them an opportunity to hear
the thinking of others and attempt to explain what they have learned and to receive further
feedback. Additionally, assessment in each lesson helps me to determine whether or not the
criteria I have set for success are truly appropriate for the students that I am teaching. If I see
that a given criterion in my objectives is significantly higher or lower than student performance,
this should serve as a signal that I should adjust my objectives and methods for future lessons or
for the next time that I teach the given lesson to a group of students.
The most important lesson that I have learned about teaching and learning related to
assessment and feedback during Individual Lesson Week is that constant assessment is the key to
the carry-over in learning from one day to the next. Whenever we discuss motivation and
opening techniques for a lesson, it is common practice to write that we are attempting to draw on
students prior knowledge. The only way to know what this prior knowledge is or is not is to
keep notes on student performance each day. If this is done, it makes it possible for the teacher

to prepare strategic opening questions or devise a short mini-lesson for the opening of the next
learning segment so that students can review previously learned skills and have an opportunity to
work on those areas in which they are week.
If I were to teach this lesson segment again, I would attempt to better involve students in
self-assessment during the language arts and social studies lessons. When teaching, it often
becomes hard to find additional time to provide feedback to students within the framework of
many classroom activities. If students can learn to evaluate their own work using a simple
rubric, it builds in more immediate results and ties in well with a brief closure discussion of what
was done well and what needs improved upon. The language arts and social studies scoring
guides could be easily adapted for self-assessment by showing a picture of the correct order of
retelling at the top for students to check their work against. Students could even circle the
pictures that were placed in the correct order for a more concrete review.
Student Perceptions Survey Results
Student Perceptions Survey Averages
98.00
96.00
94.00
92.00
90.00
88.00
86.00

In order to determine the averages shown above, I calculated my entire score out of a
possible 171 in each of the seven areas above: care, control, clarify, challenge, captivate, confer
and consolidate. Each answer had possible scoring levels that were as follows: yes was 3
points, maybe was 2 points, and no was 1 point. As there are three questions in each area,
there are a total of 9 possible points in each area. Multiplied by 19 students we get 171 points
per each area overall.
Overall, I learned that I have established positive rapport with my students in all areas. I
earned between eighty-nine and ninety-six of the possible points in each area. My greatest
strength, as rated by my students, appears to be in consolidating, or making connections between
lessons and letting my students know how they are doing in their learning.
I was surprised that I only scored eighty-nine percent in the area of caring. Most students
answered yes when asked whether or not I care about them or whether or not I am nice to them.
The area where I earned the most nos and maybes was in asking students about their feelings. I
am not sure that all students understood this question as I do not directly ask them about their
feelings, but rather ask them how their day is going or if they are feeling alright. I fear that
students may have taken this question very literally and not responded exactly as they feel. Still,
I will air on the side of caution and make this area my number one focus in my implementation
of the unit and throughout the remainder of the year. After visiting the website on Teacher
Tripod Toolkit, I learned about some very concrete ways to ask students about their feelings and
let them know that is what I am doing. On this website I viewed a video entitled Creating a
Safe and Postive Classroom: Classroom Management Strategies in which the teacher began the
day by having the students hold up fingers to rate how they are feeling that morning. Students
can volunteer to share why they feel this way. This allows the student to feel heard and the

teacher to know how they need to tailor their interactions to best serve the student that day. For
example, if a child did not sleep the night before, the teacher may know that help and support
will be more important than consequences that morning. I plan to implement this system during
the remainder of my time in the field in order to open up that line of communication with my
students and ensure that they know I have their best interest at heart.

Works Cited
Teaching Channel. Creating a safe and positive classroom-classroom management strategies.
Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/create-a-safe-classroom?fd=1