AYERS TWS ELA

Rachel Ayers – Teacher Work Sample (TWS)

Abstract

I believe that meeting students where they are academically and providing direct

instruction within small group settings will increase student achievement and engagement

compared to teaching students on their age level in a whole class setting. This claim is supported

through lessons planned and administrated during my two weeks take over in a middle school

special education classroom.

South Carolina Standards Addressed

2.RL.MC.5.1: “Ask and answer literal and inferential questions to demonstrate

understanding of a text; use specific details to make inferences and draw conclusions in texts

heard or read.”

5.4 Correctly spell words with short and long vowel sounds, r-controlled vowels,

consonant-blend patterns, and common irregularly-spelled grade appropriate high- frequency

words.

Introduction
Contextual Factors

The class I spent my internship with is located at Merriwether Middle School in North

Augusta, SC and is a part of the Edgefield County School District. Meriwether Middle has 379

students enrolled and 26 teachers, providing a student-teacher ratio of about 23:1 (South

Carolina, 2017). This ratio provides relatively small class sizes which allows students and

teachers the opportunity to build closer relationships and makes it easier for teachers to work

with each student. The school is located on the Edgefield and Aiken County line which runs
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through North Augusta, South Carolina. Due to being located off an interstate exit, the school is

surrounded by an area that was once rural but has now begun to shift into a developing area

while the other schools in the district are still located in rural communities. The wide spectrum of

the socio-economic background at Merriwether Middle ranges from lower class, with around 45-

50% on free/reduced lunch, to higher class with some families that bring home incomes over

100,000, as well as those in between (South Carolina, 2017). Merriwether Middle School’s

population is made up of primarily white at around 75%, around 15% African American, and

around 4% Hispanic (Merriwether Middle, 2017).

Over all, the community is supportive of education and parents are involved. There is a

group that lives in the area who usually pull their students out of school after eighth grade due to

their cultural background. Apart from a few groups, the high rate of parent involvement allows

teachers and administration to contact parents concerning behavioral issues and parents are

usually willing to bring in supplies or volunteer if needed. The building used to be a school that

contained Kindergarten through eighth grade and it was later turned into a sixth through eighth

grade middle school. This lead to the school having two different additions which are now used

as wings for each grade. The building has been kept up to date and taken care of, resulting in the

building still looking newer. Students have many opportunities to use technology while at

school. There are many Chromebook carts and computer labs that teachers and students have

access to. This gives students a chance to use technology even if they may not have the same

resources at home.

The classroom I was assigned for internship is locate at the end of the seventh-grade hall,

near the sixth-grade bathrooms. This location is close to centered between the sixth, seventh, and

eighth grade halls, making it a central location since students from all grades are in the class at
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least once a day. Mrs. Ray uses a set of norms for classroom management. Some of the norms

include raise your hand to speak and respect others. The norms are posted in the room where

everyone can see as well as a list of consequences. The students also made a goal banner at the

beginning of the year where each person in the class, including the adults, wrote one personal

goal for themselves for the year and signed it. Students’ time in Mrs. Ray’s class depends on

their IEP (Individualized Education Plan). For example, there are three students who are only in

the class for math (two periods a day), two students who are only in the class for ELA (English

Language Arts), five students who are in the class for both ELA and Math, and three students

who are in the class all day with the exception of two exploratory periods. The students are

divided into three small groups for reading and math based on their present levels.

Overall, the students in the class have supportive parents and guardians. There are two

sets of parents who either do not speak English or can only understand English. To

accommodate, we send home important forms in Spanish and have translators during phone calls

and conferences. This makes communication more difficult, but my CT has learned how to work

around the communication barriers. Both students are fluent in English and helpful when it

comes to relaying and explaining information to their parents. All the students in the class are at

least three grade levels behind and have either an emotional disability, learning disability,

intellectual disability or other health impairment. Due to being behind in reading, materials and

assessments are either on their reading level or orally administrated if above their reading level.

The gender and ethnicity makeup of the class consists of six females and eight males, two

students are Hispanic, six are African American, and five are White. The students’ disabilities

and the fact that many of the students are visual learners are taken into consideration when

planning lessons. Two of the students who are diagnosed with an emotional disability are
AYERS TWS ELA

allowed time to calm down before beginning or continuing their work if they are upset; this is

example of how the disability affects how we plan and implement lessons, activities, and

discipline. Lessons also include many visualizations including the use of mini white boards,

pictures, drawing things out, and showing step by step on the board. The visualizations are

helpful for all of the students, especially those that have more visual learning styles.

Methodology

Learning Goals

Week 1:

Reading: (R1) The student will be able to ask and answer literal questions to demonstrate

understanding of the text by using specific details to make inferences and draw conclusions in

texts heard or read with 80% accuracy (4 out of 5 questions) by February 23, 2018.

Spelling: (S1) The student will be able to spell the words lugging, mountain, binoculars,

bandage, and woodpecker with 80% accuracy (4 out of 5 words) by February 23, 2018.

Week 2:

Reading: (R2) The student will be able to ask and answer inferential questions to

demonstrate understanding of the text by using specific details to make inferences and draw

conclusions in texts heard or read with 80% accuracy (4 out of 5 questions) by February 23,

2018.

Spelling: (S2) The student will be able to spell the words grouchy, bothering, trotting,

wagged, and watched with 80% accuracy (4 out of 5 words) by March 2, 2018.
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During my two weeks take over, the small group that I worked with during spelling and

reading was the group on a second/third grade reading level, which was known as the red group

due to the color of LLI (Leveled Literacy Intervention) level folders. Each week, the group

received five new spelling words that were pulled from the book of the week. Week one’s words

included lugging, mountain, binoculars, bandage, and woodpecker. These words align with the

second grade, South Carolina State Standard 5.4 through the words containing short and long

vowels, r-controlled vowels, and consonant blends. Week two’s words included grouchy,

bothering, trotting, wagged, and watched. These words also aligned with the second grade, South

Carolina State Standard 5.4 through the words containing short and long vowels, r-controlled

vowels, and consonant blends. The spelling goals were based off their current reading levels and

the number of words were shortened to five compared to many classes that have ten to twenty

words a week. These changes allowed the students a chance to be successful while still

challenging them academically.

In reading, the second-grade standard 2. RL.MC.5.1 was split between two weeks. The

students focused on asking and answering literal questions during the first week and inferential

questions the second week. During the first week, we used the book Bea Prepared from lesson

19 in LLI to practice reading for comprehension asking literal questions and answering literal

questions. In order to learn about literal question, the students first needed to have an

understanding on questions versus statements. During the second week, we used the book The

Grouchy Neighbor from lesson 20 in LLI to practice reading for comprehension, asking

inferential questions, and answering inferential questions. In order to learn about inferential

questions, the students needed to understand questions versus statements as well as the difference

between literal and inferential questions.

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Assessment Plan

Goal Assessment Assessment Format Assessment

Adaptations
Spelling Test on the
Teacher calls out the
words lugging, Students have five
word, student writes
S1 mountain, binoculars, spelling words
the word on a piece
bandage, and instead of 10
of notebook paper
woodpecker
Reading test on Used standards and
Short Answer – 5
R1 asking and answering text on students’
questions
literal questions academic levels
Spelling Test on the Teacher calls out the
Students have five
words grouchy, word, student writes
S2 spelling words
bothering, trotting, the word on a piece
instead of 10
wagged, and watched of notebook paper
Reading test on Used standards and
Short Answer – 5
R2 asking and answering text on students’
questions
inferential questions academic levels

At the beginning of each week, the students took an informal spelling pre-test using white

boards. The teacher called out the words and the students wrote each word on their white board.

Throughout the week, the teacher continued to conduct spelling quizzes on white boards at the

beginning of each lesson to check student progress. The spelling post-assessments were given at

the end of the week, after four days of instruction and practice. The assessment was your

standard spelling test where the teacher would say the word and the student would write the word

on a piece of notebook paper. The goal is for the student to spell four out of the five words

correctly (80%).

For reading, a written pre-assessment was given on Monday with an identical post-

assessment given at the end of week one. There were five short answer questions. See Figure 1

for the pre/post assessment with the answer key included. Two of the five questions required the

students to come up with a literal question using the text on specific page numbers. These two
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questions met the part of the standard concerning asking literal questions. The other three

questions asked the student a literal question that the students could use the book to answer.

These three questions covered the answering literal portion of the standard. While reading the

text throughout the week, the teacher paused throughout to ask the students literal questions. This

activity modeled asking literal questions while also checking for understanding concerning their

ability to answer literal questions.

The pre-assessment for reading on week two consisted of the teacher going around from

student to student asking them inferential questions and having them ask her inferential

questions. This gave the teacher an idea on where each student stood on asking and answering

inferential questions. On Friday, the students took a five question, short answer post-assessment.

Two questions had the students ask an inferential question based off predetermined page

selections and the other three questions asked the students inferential questions that the students

then answered, covering the asking and answering inferential questions portions of the standard.

Throughout the week, the teacher would pause while the students read the text aloud to ask

inferential questions and have students practice creating inferential questions themselves. This

modeled asking and answering inferential questions and allowed the teacher to check for

understanding and monitor progress concerning asking and answering inferential questions.
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Design for Instruction

Reading Pre-assessment Results Week 1: (Green = Correct, Red = Incorrect)

Student Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5

1
2
3
4
5

For reading, the pre-assessment results included three 0s, one 20, and one 100. The

student who made a 20 answered question one correctly, which had the student ask a literal

question. The student who made a 100 answered with basic questions and answers; this left room

for improvement in wording for questioning and more detailed answers. The remaining three

students made 0s, showing that the students had little to no understanding on how to answer and

ask literal questions. These results told me that we needed to focus on both answering and asking

literal questions.

Spelling Pre-assessment Results Week 1: (Green = Correct, Red = Incorrect)

Student Lugging Mountain Binoculars Bandage Woodpecker

1
2
3
4
5

For spelling, one student made an 80, one a 20, and three made 0s. The student who made

the 80 is usually higher in spelling than others, but since he still struggles with grade level words,

he continues to receive the same words as the rest of the group. Once this student masters the
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words, we then move on to practice using the words in sentences. The other students showed

little to no understanding on how to spell the words of the week.

Reading Pre-assessment Results Week 2: (Green = Correct, Red = Incorrect)

Student Answering an Inferential Question Asking an Inferential Question

1
2
3
4
5

For reading, all the students struggled when it came to asking inferential questions and

two struggled with answering inferential questions. Many of the students in the small group are

very literal, making it more difficult to switch to inferential questions. Because of this, we

focused on the difference between literal and inferential questions and practiced forming

inferential questions.

Spelling Pre-assessment Results Week 2: (Green = Correct, Red = Incorrect)

Student Grouchy Bothering Trotting Wagged Watched

1
2
3
4
5

For spelling, there was one 60, one 40, and three 0s. This showed that these words were a

good fit for the students because they would spell the words close to correct but mess up a couple

letters throughout.
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Unit Overview

Week 1:

Subject Day Goal Activity

Pre-Assessment/Overview of what a literal question
is/read story with teacher modeling how to ask literal
Reading Monday R1
questions about the text/have students practice near the
end of the lesson
Read through the story, have students take turns
Tuesday R1 practice asking and answering literal questions, the
teacher models as needed
Read through the story, have students turn to specific
Wednesday R1 pages, each student comes up with a literal question
about that page
Read through story, continue to review for test
Thursday R1
tomorrow
Friday R1 Post-Assessment
Pre-Assessment, Rainbow words (write each word in
Spelling Monday S1
four different colors)
White board quiz, Letter it (use magnet letters to spell
Tuesday S1
each word)
White board quiz, Pyramid Words (for example the
word cat: you would write:
Wednesday S1 c
ca
cat
White board quiz, Sentences (use each word in a
Thursday S1
sentence)
Friday S1 Post-Assessment

Week 2:

Subject Day Goal Activity

Pre-Assessment/Overview of what an inferential
question is/practice asking inferential questions with
Reading Monday R1 things around the room/read story with teacher
modeling how to ask inferential questions about the
text/have students practice near the end of the lesson
Read through the story, have students take turns
Tuesday R1 practice asking and answering inferential questions, the
teacher models as needed
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Read through the story, have students turn to specific

Wednesday R1 pages, each student comes up with a inferential
question about that page
Read through story, continue to review for test
Thursday R1
tomorrow
Friday R1 Post-Assessment
Pre-Assessment, Rainbow words (write each word in
Spelling Monday S1
four different colors)
White board quiz, Letter it (use magnet letters to spell
Tuesday S1
each word)
White board quiz, Pyramid Words (for example the
word cat: you would write:
c
ca
Wednesday S1
cat
Make your own word search using the spelling words
then trade with other classmates and try to solve their
word search
White board quiz, Sentences (use each word in a
Thursday S1 sentence), continue solving each other’s word searches
from Wednesday
Friday S1 Post-Assessment

Materials and Resources:

Reading: Bea Prepared, Grouchy Neighbor, pre and post assessments, pencils

Spelling: List of words, students’ writing books, color pencils, pencils, magnet letters in Ziploc

bags for each word, pan, blank word searches, white boards, expo markers, socks, notebook

paper, page protectors

Activities:

The first activity I used was a small group read aloud. This provided each student the

chance to practice fluency and reading comprehension which then assisted each student in being

able to create and answer literal and inferential questions from the selected text. Pre-assessments

showed that the students were low when it came to asking and answering literal and inferential
AYERS TWS ELA

questions. By using the same book all week, the students were able to practice the reading goal

with a material they were already familiar with, allowing the students to focus on learning how

to ask and answer questions instead of comprehending a new story each day. This activity

required a copy of the book for each student, making it easy to teach the lesson anywhere in the

case of an evacuation. In order to assess student learning, the students took a written, short

answer quiz with five questions at the beginning of the week. Throughout the week, the students

were provided opportunities to practice asking and answering the specific types of questions

which provided me with continuous feedback on what each student understood and where they

needed more guidance and practice. At the end of the week, the students took a formal, short

answer, five question quiz to assess what they had learned during the week.

The second activity was word searches using the weeks spelling words. For this activity,

the students received a blank word search. Then, the student fills in the words search with their

spelling words before filling in the remainder of the squares with trick words or random letters.

Once the student completes the word search, their word search goes into a page protector and

they trade with a friend. The students then take turns trying to solve each other’s word searches.

This provides the student practice writing and finding the correct spellings of their spelling

words mentioned in goal S1 and S2. This activity required the blank word searches, pencils, page

protectors, expo markers, and socks. This activity turned spelling practice into a game, which the

students enjoyed more than simply writing the words ten times each.

The third activity was the white board quizzes at the beginning of each spelling period.

My students enjoyed using the white boards and it provided me with a daily update on their

progress with each spelling word based off goals S1 and S2. After seeing what words each

student missed and how they missed it, I was then able to show each student the specific area and
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help them come up with ways to remember the correct spelling. The activity required white

boards, expos, and socks.

Technology:

Due to sharing a room with two other small groups, technology, such as the smartboard,

was unavailable, as it would have been a distraction to the other students in the room trying to

learn. There are a set of four computers in the classroom, but they are unreliable, extremely slow,

and not enough for the entire group. Therefore, I did not choose to use them in my reading and

spelling lessons.

Unit Lesson Plans:

USC Aiken School of Education Lesson Plan Template

(Reading – Week 1)

Candidate Name: Rachel Ayers

Lesson Title: Bea Prepared – Red Lesson 19
Subject Area(s): Reading
Grade Level(s) Age level: 6th-8th, Academic: 2nd-3rd
Number of Students: 6
Date: February 19 - 23
Duration: 40 minutes per day
Standards: 2.RL.MC.5.1: “Ask and answer literal and inferential questions to demonstrate
understanding of a text; use specific details to make inferences and draw conclusions in
texts heard or read.”
Theoretical Perspective: I will use behaviorism by working on behavioral IEP goals while teaching as well as the
Lifespan Development theory by building a relationship with the students.
Learning Objective: The student will be able to ask and answer literal questions to demonstrate
understanding of the text by using specific details to make inferences and draw
conclusions in texts heard or read with 80% accuracy (4 out of 5 questions) by
February 23, 2018.
Essential Question(s): How can I ask questions to check for understanding and to draw conclusions about what I
am reading?
How can I use specific details to answer questions of the story?
 AYERS TWS ELA
Evaluation /
Suggested Assessments:
*Attach a copy of all
assessment sheet(s) to your
lesson plan. Include any
rubrics, checklists, rating
sheets, scoring guides, etc.
that will be used.
Accommodations
and/or
Modifications for
Special Needs
Differentiation
Grouping
Materials/Resources:
*Attach a copy of all
handouts for your lesson.
Educational Technology:
Pedagogical Strategies:
Procedures:
Structure the lesson
according to your
instructor’s prescribed
instructional model (e.g.
Pre-Assessments: Formative Assessments: Summative Assessments:
See attached Ask students questions as See attached
they read and have students
ask questions as they read.
See specific questions under
“Procedures” - “Monday”
Students are taught using books on their reading level
Repeating instructions and prompts
Redirection
Oral reading
Lesson taught multiple days (repetition)
The students are in a small group based on their academic level
Book – Bea Prepared, pre-test, post-test.
N/A
What are you going to do to achieve your learning objective? Check all that apply.
☐ Hands-on Activity ☐ Manipulatives ☐ Modeling
☐ Graphic Organizer ☐ Lecture ☐ Guided Practice
☐ Thinking Map ☐ Drawing/Artwork ☐ Brainstorming
☐ Small Groups ☐ Mnemonic Device ☐ Movement
☐ Think-Pair-Share ☐ Game ☐ Music
☐ Interactive Read ☐ Web Quest ☐ Video
Aloud
☐ Reading Workshop ☐ Inquiry Stations ☐ Roleplay
☐ Writers Workshop ☐ Project-Based Learning ☐ Journal Writing
☐ Other:
Monday:
1. Once the bell rings and attendance is taken, do a Move to Learn or another type
of brain break
2. Pass out copies of Bea Prepared
 AYERS TWS ELA
Learning Cycle, The E’s,
Gradual Release, etc.).
Include time estimates for
each phase of your lesson.
Provide a detailed
description of the lesson’s
step-by-step procedures in
chronological order.
Include:
1) Launching the lesson
with a strong opening
2) One or more
opportunities for student
exploration
3) Direct teaching
4) A meaningful closure
Formative assessment/
comprehension checks
should be embedded
throughout the lesson.
Safety Considerations:
Follow Up:
Reference(s):
Candidate Name:
Lesson Title:
Subject Area(s):
Grade Level(s)
Number of Students:
Date:
3. Say: “Today we are gong to practice asking literal questions as we read and
using specific details to answer those questions. For the first few pages, you will
follow along as model what this may look like.”
4. Have everyone look at the cover
5. Have students look at the front cover.
6. “Okay first I am going to look at the cover, the title is Bea Prepared…. Hmmm
prepared… maybe the story is about being prepared... how to be prepared… why
we need to be prepared? Okay now I am going to look at the cover, there seems
to be two girls on the cover and they look shocked or worried. Maybe something
bad happened? One girl has a backpack so maybe she will have what ever it is
that they need? Now let’s turn to the next page.”
7. Have students follow along as you read. Stop after the 1st paragraph and ask
yourself questions such as: “Early? Early for what? Before the sun came up?
Well the picture looks like it is light outside… maybe she was supposed to show
up at a specific time, but she was there before that time. They mention Bea,
Nichole, and Keesha… so looks like there are three people. And they mention a
school project, maybe they all go to school together. I wonder what kind of
project it is for…”
8. Continue making comments and asking yourself questions out loud until you get
to page 6.
9. For pages 6-9, ask the students literal questions and have them answer.
10. For pages 10-16, have the students read and ask each other questions.
Tuesday: Read through the book, asking questions to check for understanding
Wednesday: Continue with Monday’s lesson by reading through the book and continue to
practice asking and answering literal questions.
Thursday: Read through the book as a group and go over the questions for the test Friday
Friday: Reading Test
Students will be reminded to walk as they move around the classroom. If a student begins to
escalate or have a meltdown, the students evacuate the room and go next door when given
word from the teachers, as they have been taught and practiced.
Continue practicing words the students missed.
USC Aiken School of Education Lesson Plan Template
(Spelling - Week 1)
Rachel Ayers
Bea Prepared – Red Lesson 19
Spelling
Age level: 6th-8th, Academic: 2nd-3rd
6
February 19 - 23
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Duration: 40 minutes per day

Standards: 5.4 Correctly spell words with short and long vowel sounds, r-controlled vowels, consonant-
blend patterns, and common irregularly-spelled grade appropriate high- frequency words.
Theoretical Perspective: I will use behaviorism by working on behavioral IEP goals while teaching as well as the
Lifespan Development theory by building a relationship with the students.
Learning Objective: The student will be able to spell the words lugging, mountain, binoculars, bandage, and
woodpecker with 80% accuracy (4 out of 5 words) by February 23, 2018.
Essential Question(s): How do you spell the words lugging, mountain, binoculars, bandage, and woodpecker?
Evaluation / Pre-Assessments: Formative Assessments: Summative Assessments:
Suggested Assessments:
Have the students spell the Quiz students during the Give the final spelling test on
*Attach a copy of all words lugging, mountain, week as practice. Friday.
assessment sheet(s) to your binoculars, bandage, and
lesson plan. Include any woodpecker on paper or
rubrics, checklists, rating white boards when called out
sheets, scoring guides, etc. to them.
that will be used.

Accommodations Students are taught with spelling words on their reading level.
and/or
Modifications for
Special Needs
Differentiation

Grouping The students are in a small group based on their academic level
Materials/Resources: Paper, pencils, color pencils, spelling word list, white board, expo marker, sock, writing
book, magnet letters and pan
*Attach a copy of all
handouts for your lesson.
Educational Technology: N/A
 AYERS TWS ELA

Pedagogical Strategies: What are you going to do to achieve your learning objective? Check all that apply.
☐ Hands-on Activity ☐ Manipulatives ☐ Modeling
☐ Graphic Organizer ☐ Lecture ☐ Guided Practice
☐ Thinking Map ☐ Drawing/Artwork ☐ Brainstorming
☐ Small Groups ☐ Mnemonic Device ☐ Movement
☐ Think-Pair-Share ☐ Game ☐ Music
☐ Interactive Read Aloud ☐ Web Quest ☐ Video
☐ Reading Workshop ☐ Inquiry Stations ☐ Roleplay
☐ Writers Workshop ☐ Project-Based Learning ☐ Journal Writing
☐ Other:

Procedures: Monday:
Structure the lesson
according to your
instructor’s prescribed
instructional model (e.g.
Learning Cycle, The E’s,
Gradual Release, etc.).
Include time estimates for Tuesday:
each phase of your lesson.
Provide a detailed
description of the lesson’s
step-by-step procedures in
chronological order.
Include:
1) Launching the lesson
with a strong opening
2) One or more
opportunities for student
exploration 3) Direct
teaching
Wednesday:
4) A meaningful closure
Formative assessment/
comprehension checks
should be embedded
throughout the lesson.
Thursday:
 Rainbow words – the student writes each word in four different colors (i.e. the word
cat in red, green, blue and purple and repeat for each word)
 Call out the words for the students to spell on their white boards, rewrite words on
their board that they misspelled so they can see it correctly
 Have students write the words they missed five times
 Quiz the students again
 Magnet words –
o 1. the student is given a bag with the magnetic letters that spell one of their
spelling words,
o 2. the student dumps the letters out and rearranges them to make the spelling
word,
o 3. once each student makes their word, they put their letters back into their
bag and passes their bag to the next person in the group,
o 4. repeat 1-3 until all students have a turn with each word
 Call out the words for the students to spell on their white boards, rewrite words on
their board that they misspelled so they can see it correctly
 Have students write the words they missed five times
 Quiz the students again
 Pyramid words- students spell each word starting with the first letter and adding the
next letter each line to make a pyramid shape.
Ex:
C
Ca
Cat
 Call out the words for the students to spell on their white boards, rewrite words on
their board that they misspelled so they can see it correctly
 Have students write the words they missed five times
 Quiz the students again
 Sentences: - student write a sentence using each spelling word
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 Call out the words for the students to spell on their white boards, rewrite words on
their board that they misspelled so they can see it correctly
 Have students write the words they missed five times
 Quiz the students again
Friday: Spelling Test – student get blank sheet of paper
Safety Considerations: Students will be reminded to walk as they move around the classroom. If a student begins
escalate or have a meltdown, the students know how to evacuate the room and go next door
when given word from the teachers.
Follow Up: Continue practicing words the students missed.
Reference(s):

USC Aiken School of Education Lesson Plan Template

(Reading – Week 2)

Candidate Name: Rachel Ayers

Lesson Title: Grouchy Neighbor – Red Lesson 20
Subject Area(s): Reading
Grade Level(s) Age level: 6th-8th, Academic: 2nd-3rd
Number of Students: 6
Date: February 26 – March 2
Duration: 40 minutes per day
Standards: 2.RL.MC.5.1: “Ask and answer literal and inferential questions to demonstrate
understanding of a text; use specific details to make inferences and draw conclusions in
texts heard or read.”
Theoretical Perspective: I will use behaviorism by working on behavioral IEP goals while teaching as well as the
Lifespan Development theory by building a relationship with the students.
Learning Objective: The student will be able to ask and answer inferential questions to demonstrate
understanding of the text by using specific details to make inferences and draw
conclusions in texts heard or read with 80% accuracy (4 out of 5 questions) by
February 23, 2018.
Essential Question(s): How can I ask questions to check for understanding and to draw conclusions about what I
am reading?
How can I use specific details to answer questions of the story?
 AYERS TWS ELA
Evaluation /
Suggested Assessments:
*Attach a copy of all
assessment sheet(s) to your
lesson plan. Include any
rubrics, checklists, rating
sheets, scoring guides, etc.
that will be used.
Accommodations
and/or
Modifications for
Special Needs
Differentiation
Grouping
Materials/Resources:
*Attach a copy of all
handouts for your lesson.
Educational Technology:
Pedagogical Strategies:
Procedures:
Structure the lesson
according to your
instructor’s prescribed
instructional model (e.g.
Pre-Assessments: Formative Assessments: Summative Assessments:
Go from student to student, Ask students questions as See attached
asking them inferential they read and have students
questions and have them ask questions as they read.
come up with an inferential See specific questions under
question. “Procedures” - “Monday”
Students are taught using books on their reading level
Repeating instructions and prompts
Redirection
Oral reading
Lesson taught multiple days (repetition)
The students are in a small group based on their academic level
Book – Bea Prepared, pre-test, post-test.
N/A
What are you going to do to achieve your learning objective? Check all that apply.
☐ Hands-on Activity ☐ Manipulatives ☐ Modeling
☐ Graphic Organizer ☐ Lecture ☐ Guided Practice
☐ Thinking Map ☐ Drawing/Artwork ☐ Brainstorming
☐ Small Groups ☐ Mnemonic Device ☐ Movement
☐ Think-Pair-Share ☐ Game ☐ Music
☐ Interactive Read ☐ Web Quest ☐ Video
Aloud
☐ Reading Workshop ☐ Inquiry Stations ☐ Roleplay
☐ Writers Workshop ☐ Project-Based Learning ☐ Journal Writing
☐ Other:
Monday:
1. Once the bell rings and attendance is taken, do a Move to Learn or another type
of brain break
2. Pass out copies of Bea Prepared
 AYERS TWS ELA
Learning Cycle, The E’s,
Gradual Release, etc.).
Include time estimates for
each phase of your lesson.
Provide a detailed
description of the lesson’s
step-by-step procedures in
chronological order.
Include:
1) Launching the lesson
with a strong opening
2) One or more
opportunities for student
exploration
3) Direct teaching
4) A meaningful closure
Formative assessment/
comprehension checks
should be embedded
throughout the lesson.
Safety Considerations:
Follow Up:
Reference(s):
Candidate Name:
Lesson Title:
Subject Area(s):
Grade Level(s)
3. Say: “Today we are gong to practice asking literal questions as we read and
using specific details to answer those questions. For the first few pages, you will
follow along as model what this may look like.”
4. Have everyone look at the cover
5. Have students look at the front cover.
6. “Okay first I am going to look at the cover, the title is Bea Prepared…. Hmmm
prepared… maybe the story is about being prepared... how to be prepared… why
we need to be prepared? Okay now I am going to look at the cover, there seems
to be two girls on the cover and they look shocked or worried. Maybe something
bad happened? One girl has a backpack so maybe she will have what ever it is
that they need? Now let’s turn to the next page.”
7. Have students follow along as you read. Stop after the 1st paragraph and ask
yourself questions such as: “Early? Early for what? Before the sun came up?
Well the picture looks like it is light outside… maybe she was supposed to show
up at a specific time, but she was there before that time. They mention Bea,
Nichole, and Keesha… so looks like there are three people. And they mention a
school project, maybe they all go to school together. I wonder what kind of
project it is for…”
8. Continue making comments and asking yourself questions out loud until you get
to page 6.
9. For pages 6-9, ask the students literal questions and have them answer.
10. For pages 10-16, have the students read and ask each other questions.
Tuesday: Read through the book, asking questions to check for understanding, use thumbs
up/down to check for understanding
Wednesday: Continue with Monday’s lesson by reading through the book and continue to
practice asking and answering literal questions.
Thursday: Read through the book as a group and go over the questions for the test Friday,
use pair-share to have students practice asking questions
Friday: Reading Test
Students will be reminded to walk as they move around the classroom. If a student begins to
escalate or have a meltdown, the students evacuate the room and go next door when given
word from the teachers, as they have been taught and practiced.
Continue practicing with the students who missed.
USC Aiken School of Education Lesson Plan Template
(Spelling – Week 2)
Rachel Ayers
The Grouchy Neighbor – Red Lesson 20
Spelling
Age level: 6th-8th, Academic: 2nd-3rd
 AYERS TWS ELA

Number of Students: 6
Date: February 26 - March 2
Duration: 40 minutes
Standards: 5.4 Correctly spell words with short and long vowel sounds, r-controlled vowels, consonant-
blend patterns, and common irregularly-spelled grade appropriate high- frequency words.
Theoretical Perspective: I will use behaviorism by working on behavioral IEP goals while teaching as well as the
Lifespan Development theory by building a relationship with the students.
Learning Objective: The student will be able to spell the words grouchy, bothering, trotting, wagged, and
watched with 80% accuracy (4 out of 5 words) by March 2, 2018.
Essential Question(s): How do you spell the words grouchy, bothering, trotting, wagged, and watched?
Evaluation / Pre-Assessments: Formative Assessments: Summative Assessments:
Suggested Assessments:
Have the students spell the Quiz students during the Give the final spelling test on
*Attach a copy of all words grouchy, bothering, week as practice using: Friday.
assessment sheet(s) to your trotting, wagged, and  white boards
lesson plan. Include any watched on paper or white  writing books
rubrics, checklists, rating boards when called out to  Thumbs up/down if
sheets, scoring guides, etc. them. spelled right or
that will be used. wrong

Accommodations Students are taught with spelling words on their reading level.
and/or Prompting
Modifications for Redirection
Special Needs Small groups
Differentiation One student is given extra time to get started (he takes a few minutes to get going but
usually joins in if you leave him alone)

Grouping The students are in a small group based on their academic level. Students will pair up to
review and quiz each other on their spelling words.
Materials/Resources: Paper, pencils, color pencils, spelling word list, white board, expo marker, sock, writing
book, magnet letters and pan
*Attach a copy of all
handouts for your lesson.
Educational Technology:
 AYERS TWS ELA

Pedagogical Strategies: What are you going to do to achieve your learning objective? Check all that apply.
☐ Hands-on Activity ☐ Manipulatives ☐ Modeling
☐ Graphic Organizer ☐ Lecture ☐ Guided Practice
☐ Thinking Map ☐ Drawing/Artwork ☐ Brainstorming
☐ Small Groups ☐ Mnemonic Device ☐ Movement
☐ Think-Pair-Share ☐ Game ☐ Music
☐ Interactive Read Aloud ☐ Web Quest ☐ Video
☐ Reading Workshop ☐ Inquiry Stations ☐ Roleplay
☐ Writers Workshop ☐ Project-Based Learning ☐ Journal Writing
☐ Other:

Procedures: Monday:
Structure the lesson
according to your
instructor’s prescribed
instructional model (e.g.
Learning Cycle, The E’s,
Gradual Release, etc.).
Include time estimates for Tuesday:
each phase of your lesson.
Provide a detailed
description of the lesson’s
step-by-step procedures in
chronological order.
Include:
1) Launching the lesson
with a strong opening
2) One or more
opportunities for student
exploration 3) Direct
teaching
Wednesday:
4) A meaningful closure
Formative assessment/
comprehension checks
should be embedded
throughout the lesson.
 Rainbow words – the student writes each word in four different colors (i.e. the word
cat in red, green, blue and purple and repeat for each word)
 Call out the words for the students to spell on their white boards, rewrite words on
their board that they misspelled so they can see it correctly
 Have students write the words they missed five times
 Quiz the students again
 Magnet words –
o 1. the student is given a bag with the magnetic letters that spell one of their
spelling words,
o 2. the student dumps the letters out and rearranges them to make the spelling
word,
o 3. once each student makes their word, they put their letters back into their
bag and passes their bag to the next person in the group,
o 4. repeat 1-3 until all students have a turn with each word
 Call out the words for the students to spell on their white boards, rewrite words on
their board that they misspelled so they can see it correctly
 Have students write the words they missed five times
 Quiz the students again
 Pyramid words- students spell each word starting with the first letter and adding the
next letter each line to make a pyramid shape.
Ex:
C
Ca
Cat
 Word search/Make your own word search
 Solve each other’s word search
 Call out the words for the students to spell on their white boards, rewrite words on
their board that they misspelled so they can see it correctly
 Have students write the words they missed five times
 Quiz the students again
 AYERS TWS ELA

Thursday:
 Sentences: - student write a sentence using each spelling word
 Call out the words for the students to spell on their white boards, rewrite words on
their board that they misspelled so they can see it correctly
 Have students write the words they missed five times
 Quiz the students again

Friday: Spelling Test – student get blank sheet of paper

Safety Considerations: Students will be reminded to walk as they move around the classroom. If a student begins to
escalate or have a meltdown, the students know how to evacuate the room and go next door
when given word from the teachers.
Follow Up: Continue practicing words the students missed.
Reference(s):

Classroom Environment

When it comes to classroom management, I am a firm believer that students feed off the

attitude and expectations of the adults in the room. The first few weeks of my internship I

focused on building relationships with the students and getting to know their personalities. My

CT and the students created a set of norms at the beginning of the year along with a set of

consequences. I chose to continue to use these norms and consequences becuasePositive

reinforcement, based off the Behaviorism theory, plays a large part of the classroom

management in Mrs. Ray’s classroom. We do our best to praise positive behaviors as often as we

can. If there is a student that is not following directions, or the norms set in place, we look

around and praise or reward every student we see following directions.

Another classroom management tool we use is clear and consistent routines. Our students

do not handle change well, so our days look similar to one another with the exception of the

material the students are learning. This goes along with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. The

consistent routines provide the students a sense of stability and safety. Another way we use
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Maslow’s theory, is by allowing student to take breaks or time to calm down when they become

overwhelmed or if they become upset. This is especially true for our students who have

emotional disabilities. When a student is mad or upset, their brain is not going to absorb anything

they are being taught. It is better to give them 5-15 minutes to calm down and then start their

work peacefully then to try and force them to work right away. Forcing them to work simply

causes the student to shut down.

GoNoddle and other brain breaks are a common transition tool in the classroom. Between

each period, we do a GoNoodle or a Move To Learn video. These videos are three to five

minutes long and have a song along with a dance or a mini workout routine that the students can

do in their own space. The movement wakes their brains up, helps to get the wiggles out, and

makes it easier for them to focus the next period. The days that we do the brain breaks have

around 50% less behavior issues then the days that we skipped or forgotten to do the breaks.

Mrs. Ray has seen this pattern true over her years teaching. She said that once she implemented

the brain breaks on a regular schedule, the students were able to focus better and the rate of their

negative behaviors dropped significantly.

During the lesson, students have very clear behavior expectations. The school has a list of

rules that are consistent throughout the building. Mrs. Ray used these rules to help influence the

norms the students created at the beginning of the year. The students have a selected area to put

their belongings when they come in each period and then either have a seat in their desk or go to

their spot for the brain break. Once the brain break is over, the students go to their seat and wait

quietly for their small group lesson to begin. Because the small groups are so small, they do not

have to raise their hand to ask a question, however, the questions and comments are expected to
AYERS TWS ELA

be on topic. Once the mini-lesson is complete, the students are allowed to talk quietly while

doing independent work as long as conversation says in line with the lesson topic.

Many warnings are given in the classroom because the majority of our students need

reminders or do not realize that they are getting off topic, becoming loud, or that their phrasing is

coming off as rude or disrespectful. When this happens, the small group leader explains what

behavior is incorrect, why it is incorrect, then helps the student come up with a replacement

behavior. Most of the time, it only takes a look at the student or saying their name for them to

recognize the behavior and fix it. If the student continues to behave negatively, then the student

may earn lunch or canteen detention, a call home, or a favorite item taken away for a period of

time depending on the student.

To maximize the effectiveness of classroom management, we give warnings as soon as

we see a behavior developing, even if it does not seem like a big deal at the moment because it

does not take long for the behavior to escalate and then the negative behaviors spread through the

room quickly. The same is true for positive behaviors. As soon as we see a student who was

displaying a negative behavior display a positive behavior, we call them out and praise them. An

example of a praise might include, “I love how ___ is waiting patiently.”, or “Thank you ____

for following along while we read.”. Many of our behaviors are attention seeking, so if we know

that they are acting out for attention, we will ignore their negative behavior and instead recognize

as many positive behaviors from other students as we can. Then, as soon as the student acting out

does something correctly, big or small, we praise them for their positive behavior.
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Classroom Arrangement Diagram:

Shelves Computers
Door

Small group 2

Para’s Desk
Small Group 1

CT’s Desk
Small Group 3
Closet

The classroom is laid out so that there are three designated small group areas. The class is

divided into three small groups based on their academic levels. At the beginning, the higher

group was always at small group 1, the middle group at small group 2, and the lower group at

small group 3. Half way through the semester, we gained another student for reading and two

students from the middle group moved up to the higher group in reading. This caused three

additional students to join the higher group so as a result, the middle and the higher group

switched small group tables because small group 2 has more room. Small group 3 is the smallest

and the lowest group so they are at the area with only one table.
AYERS TWS ELA

Findings/ Conclusion

Instructional Decision Making

During the first week, I spent the first five to ten minutes of each lesson modeling how to

ask and answer literal questions. After I modeled, we went around the small group and took turns

asking and answering literal question about the text we were reading. While we went around the

small group, I noticed that the students were beginning to pick up how to answer literal questions

but some of the students continuously read a sentence from the story when they were asked to

come up with a question. This told me that some of the students were confused on the difference

between a question and a statement. These results told me that I needed to take the time to focus

on the difference between questions and statements. I decided to do a mini lesson on questions

versus statements. The students understood that questions ask something, but they had a difficult

time forming the questions.

To assist the students with forming questions, I went over common question words, such

as did, can, how, who, what, when, where, why, etc. because the students were able to pull ideas

from the book, they were just struggling to start it as a sentence. The question starter words

would help jump start their idea into a question form. I was able to incorporate this mini lesson

in with my current lesson plan without completely changing my activities. We continued to read

the same book, this time, I focused more of my time modeling questions and put extra emphasis

on the question words at the beginning of the question. After modeling, I spent more time asking

students to form questions about a page we had just read. If the student formed a statement

instead of a question, I would help them transform their statement into a question. I started by

reminding them that it was a statement, not a question and gave them another chance to fix it on

their own. If they continued to state a statement, then I would offer some of the common
AYERS TWS ELA

question starter words that we went over and have them try again. If they still struggled asking a

question, I would use their idea and model a question or two that they could have used.

Throughout the week, I continued to go around the small group and practice forming questions

with each student.

During the second week, I noticed that the students needed extra practice with their

spelling words, but they tended to get bored with writing their words multiple times. This

boredom lead to behavior issues so I knew I needed to come up with another idea. My small

group loved competition, games, and being creative. I saw the idea online about solving word

searches with the spelling words hidden in the search. I liked the idea but wanted to take it a step

further. I decided to make a blank word search by making a blank table for the students to put a

letter in each box. See figure 2 for a sample blank word search. I would then write their spelling

words at the bottom of the word search.

After we finished pyramid words on Wednesday, I pulled out the blank word searches

and the entire small group looked at me in confusion, curious as to what we were going to do

next. As I passed out the blank word searches, I explained how to fill it out with the spelling

words first, then to go back and put in random letters or trick words and then once the entire page

was filled out, we would switch word searches and try to solve each other’s word searches. The

students were excited at the idea that they could trick their friends and see who could make the

hardest word search. I also filled out a few of my own word searches for the student who

finished first. The students liked the idea of trying to beat the teacher’s word search. Because I

put the completed word searches in page protectors, the students could use expo markers to solve

the word searches and then erase when they finished. This allowed us to use the same word
AYERS TWS ELA

searches over and over throughout the week. This proved to be an excellent activity for early

finishers throughout the rest of the week.

Analysis of Student Learning

Whole Group:

Student R1 S1 R2 S2
Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post
1 100 100 20 80 0 20 40 80
2 0 60 0 100 0 20 0 100
3 0 100 0 80 20 60 0 80
4 20 100 80 100 60 100 60 80
5 0 40 0 80 0 42 0 100

R1
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Student 4 Student 5

Pre Assessment Post-Assessment

For R1, one student met the goal on the pre-assessment. For the post-assessment, three out of

five students met the goal of 80%. One out of the two students who did not met the goal was

close to meeting the goal.

AYERS TWS ELA

S1
100

80

60

40

20

0
Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Student 4 Student 5

Pre Assessment Post-Assessment

For S1, one student met the goal of 80% on the pre-assessment. For the post-assessment, every

student met the goal of 80%.

R2
100

80

60

40

20

0
Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Student 4 Student 5

Pre-Assessment Post-Assessment

For R2, for the pre-assessment, two out of five students were able to answer inferential

questions, while zero out of five students could ask inferential questions. For the post-

assessment, all but one student could answer inferential questions and one out of five could ask

inferential questions.
AYERS TWS ELA

S2
100

80

60

40

20

0
Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Student 4 Student 5

Pre Assessment Post-Assessment

For S2, zero out of five students met the goal of 80% on the pre-assessment while five out of five

students met the goal of 80% on the post-assessment.

The graphs above show that all students made progress towards their goals and all

students met their spelling goals. For reading, student one met R1, student two did not meet

either reading goal, student three met R1, student four met both reading goals, and student five

did not meet either reading goal.

ELA Only vs ELA and Math Students:

The following graphs show the students that see us for only ELA versus those that see us

for both ELA and Math. The ELA Only group is higher than the ELA and Math group. I chose

these two groups to compare due to their difference in placement as well as their difference in

processing speed. The two students that see us for both ELA and Math have slower processing

speeds and lower IQs.

AYERS TWS ELA

ELA Only ELA and Math

100 100
80 80
60 60
40 40
20 20
0 0
Student 1 Student 3 Student 4 Student 2 Student 5

Pre Assessment Post-Assessment Pre Assessment Post-Assessment

Student 4 vs Student 5

R1
100

80

60

40

20

0
Student 4 Student 5

Pre Assessment Post-Assessment

I chose to compare student 4 and student 5 because both students consistently work hard

throughout the week and always try their best, no matter what mood they are in. As you can see

above, they shared the same score on their pre-assessment, yet their post-assessment scores have

a 60-point difference. Both students are very literal, visual learners; however, student 4 always

asks questions in class so he has a firm background on the difference between questions and

statements while student 5 only asks learned questions such as “Can I use the bathroom?” or “Do

we need our books today?”, showing that he does not have a firm background and understanding

of what separates a question from a statement.

AYERS TWS ELA

Student Examples:

Student 4 Pre-Assessment for R1

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Student 5 Pre-Assessment for R1

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Student 4 Post-Assessment for R1

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Student 5 Post-Assessment for R1

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Discussion

Reflection and Self-Evaluation

My most successful goals were my spelling goals, S1 and S2. Both goals received three

80s and two 100s. There are multiple reasons for why my spelling goals were more successful

than my reading. For one reason, the spelling is a visual and literal learning goal compared to the

reading goals. Understanding questions can be more complex than memorizing how to spell

reading level words. The second reason my spelling goals were more successful is because there

were more of a variety when it came to the activities the students participated throughout the

week. Because the activities were different from day to day, the students were more engaged

during the lesson. The different activities were also visual and hands-on, which allowed the

students to have more hands-on interactions with the material.

My least successful goal was R2. This goal was more difficult because forming questions

is a complex skill that involves reading comprehension, being able to arrange details in an order

that makes sense, as well as understanding the difference between a question and a statement.

Another reason this goal was unsuccessful is due to the lack in variation between activities.

Because it takes multiple reads for our students to comprehend the text, we had to focus on

reading the book everyday for comprehension more than you would in a standard classroom.

Looking back, I would have spent more time on each portion of the standard. This would have

allowed the students time to practice and gain confidence in the skill of asking questions. I also

would have spent a week or two going over the difference between questions and statements

because that was a big struggle for some of the students. During the week or two of learning how

to form a question, I would have spent time doing different activities to help them learn some of
AYERS TWS ELA

the key questioning words. This would have provided the students a better foundation in

questioning before we got into the different types of questions.

My first professional development goal is to be more creative and diverse with the types

of activities I prepare. I felt that I did a decent job with the spelling assignments, but reading was

more difficult. One way to improve in this area is to talk more with other teachers and see how

they teach their reading lessons. Another idea is to do more research about activity ideas for the

topic or book I am teaching before I plan the lesson.

My second professional development goal is to improve small group grouping. Following

my two weeks take over, two students joined the small group I ran. This meant that there were

now seven students in one small group. Near the end of the internship, I realized that the group

could have been divided again. This became a goal for the CT to work on for next year. The

main struggle was figuring out a way to run four small groups with only three adults. This

situation reminded me that scheduling and managing many levels with few leaders will be a

challenge that I will have to figure out in the future. In order to help with this, I plan on listening

to how other teachers group their students, talk through ideas with my paraprofessionals and

keep my eyes open online for ideas.

AYERS TWS ELA

References

Merriwether Middle. (2017, October 2). Retrieved April 3, 2018, from

https://www.schooldigger.com/go/SC/schools/0207000038/school.aspx

South Carolina Department of Education. (2017). Retrieved April 3, 2018, from

https://ed.sc.gov/data/report-cards/state-report-

cards/2017/opportunities/students/?d=1901&s=010&t=M&y=2017
AYERS TWS ELA

Appendix

Figure 1:

1. What literal question could you ask on page 12?

Answer requirements: must be a question, and the answer can be found directly in the

text from page 12

2. What were the girls meeting to work on?

Answer: School project

3. How did Nicole twist her ankle?

Answer: on the rocks or taking a short cut

4. What literal question could you ask on page 6?

Answer requirements: must be a question, and the answer can be found directly in the

text from page 6

5. What kind of woodpecker did the girls see?

Answer: pileated
AYERS TWS ELA

Figure 2:

____________________ ____________________ ____________________

____________________ ____________________ ____________________

____________________ ____________________ ____________________

____________________ ____________________ ____________________