Katherine Hewett

Teacher Work Sample: Students A, C, E, F, and L

I. Student Characteristics, Impact on Educational Needs, and Self-Reflection

Student Characteristics and Impact on Education

This small group of students are in first grade at Edgewood Elementary in Anderson. They are
identified and labeled with the following disabilities: ASD, CD, DD, LL, MI, OHI, SI, and SLD.
All students have an IEP. All students receive between 30 and 45 minutes of specialized math
instruction in the special education resource room each day, and some students also receive
specialized reading instruction. Additionally, all students perform academically below grade
level in math. Their primary mode of communication is spoken English; however, one student
has some level of fluency in Spanish. These students are Caucasian, Latina, and African-
American, respectively. Several of these students come from single-parent or foster homes,
which is similar to that of their peers at Edgewood Elementary, as well as Anderson Community
Schools. Generally, this small group has a very positive attitude towards school and learning, and
are socially cooperative with their peers, both in the special education classroom as well as their
own general education first grade classrooms.

The students’ background affects their education in multiple ways. The presence of a disability is
a primary influence on the students’ education, especially those students who have a specific
learning disability (SLD) for math. This could also affect how the students receive instruction. If
teaching or directions are too advanced, students with a cognitive or developmental delay (CD,
DD) may become confused, and sometimes needs statements or questions repeated a few times
before they understand what is being asked of them. Additionally, these students struggle to
complete math problems without the assistance of visuals and/or manipulatives. Family
background may also play a significant role. For students coming from single-parent homes, they
may not always receive the academic help they need after school. As a result, these students

Self-Reflection

In my previous classroom experiences, I have worked with a variety of students with different
disabilities, as well as students of many ages. Because of this experience, I felt well equipped
with skills to work effectively with this particular small group. One major difference with this
group from others is the variety in ability levels between the students; some were close to grade
level, while others were more behind. One struggle I repeatedly faced while implementing the
intervention was presenting the instruction in such a way that all students were able to access the
content, no matter their ability level. In order to avoid confusion, I would intentionally phrase
statements or questions in a way that the students could easily understand; they were not too
advanced in the particular phrasing, yet still conveyed the overall “message” of what I wanted
them to accomplish with the interventions. I am still working on my phrasing of statements and
questions so as to elicit the appropriate and desired response. I also attempted to structure the
interventions in a way to minimize certain distractions. Most of the interventions I used involved
manipulatives and other tactile objects to help the students access the content in a more concrete
way. Students were engaged by using the manipulatives, and were able to focus on learning
because they were engaged. The use of manipulatives was also beneficial in that the students
were able to make connections to the content by engaging with it concretely before moving to
the abstract concept of numbers. Overall, I would say that these interventions were fairly
successful with this particular group of students.

II. Unit Overview with Rationale

These lessons were based off of the following standard:

K.NS.2: Write whole numbers from 0 to 20 and recognize number words from 0 to 10. Represent
a number of objects with a written numeral 0-20 (with 0 representing a count of no objects).

The short unit I taught this small group included identifying numbers 0 through 20 in written
form, and representing a quantity of objects with a written number. Through my own
observations and information from the resource room teacher, I learned that these students were
about a year or two below grade level in the area of number sense. The majority of students in
that group struggle to correctly identify numbers as well as represent numbers with a quantity of
objects, and a couple of students struggle to correctly identify numbers 0 through 10. Though
they are working on addition and subtraction within 20 in the general education classroom, these
students struggle so much with their number sense that I decided to work on strengthening that
fundamental skill. I decided on these specific interventions in order to improve the students’
accuracy in identifying numbers as well as recognizing numbers as a quantity of objects.

Day 1: The students began by completing the pre-assessment. The students looked at a list of
numbers 0 through 20, organized in a random order. As they went down the list, they told
me the name of the number if they knew it, or moved on to other numbers if they did not
know that particular one. Responses were marked correct if they correctly identified the
number, and responses were incorrect if the student did not know it or did not say the
correct number name. Answers were totaled at the end of the assessment to give a total
score for the pre-test. After the assessment, students went around in their small group and
orally identified flashcards of numbers 0 through 20.

Day 2: The students started by identifying numbers on flashcards. After using the flashcards to
practice identification, I had students participate in an activity where they had to match
the written number to a created quantity. I handed the students a ten-frame sheet, and
using Unifix cubes, students represented the number on the flashcard.

Day 3: Students began by identifying more numbers on flashcards. After that activity, I played a
short game with students called “I Have, Who Has”. On a set of cards, there are two
numbers: the top number is what “I Have,” and the bottom number is “Who Has”. The
 students went around the table with their cards, identifying what “they had” and asking
their peers “who has”. We completed a few rounds as a group, and I played the last round
with the students.

Day 4: Students started the day by identifying numbers on flashcards as a warm-up activity. It
was more like a “flyswatter” activity, where students had to rush to the whiteboard and
touch the correct number that was called out. We played a couple of rounds of this game
as a group. I then had the students come back to the table and work on independent math
activities while I administered the post-test to each student individually.

III. Alignment Chart

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4

Lesson Pre-Test Unifix Cubes "I Have, Who Post-Test
Has”
Standard K.NS.2: Write K.NS.2: Write K.NS.2: Write K.NS.2: Write
whole numbers whole numbers whole numbers whole numbers
from 0 to 20 and from 0 to 20 and from 0 to 20 and from 0 to 20 and
recognize number recognize number recognize number recognize number
words from 0 to words from 0 to words from 0 to words from 0 to
10. Represent a 10. Represent a 10. Represent a 10. Represent a
number of objects number of objects number of objects number of objects
with a written with a written with a written with a written
numeral 0-20 (with numeral 0-20 (with numeral 0-20 (with numeral 0-20 (with
0 representing a 0 representing a 0 representing a 0 representing a
count of no count of no count of no count of no
objects). objects). objects). objects).

Learning The students will The students will The students will The students will
Outcomes be able to be able to use be able to be able to
identify written manipulatives to identify different identify written
numbers 0 identify the numbers 0-20 by numbers 0
through 20. quantity of a playing a through 20.
given number cooperative
0-20. game.
Purpose “Today we will “Today we are “Today we are “Today we are
be focusing on going to continue going to play going to see how
the numbers 0 numbers 0 another number many more
through 20, and through 20 by game with the numbers 0
we will see how using Unifix numbers 0 through 20 you
many numbers cubes to show through 20.” have
you know.” the quantity.” memorized.”
Anticipatory Set Pre-Assessment: Flashcards: Flashcards: “Flyswatter”:
Students Students sit Students sit Students line up
individually around a table as around a table as a few feet away
identify written a group, and they a group, and they from the
numbers 0-20 identify written identify written whiteboard,
organized in a numbers 0-20 on numbers 0-20 on where there are
random order. flashcards, both flashcards, both numbers 0-20
individually and individually and taped in order on
as a group. as a group. the board. When
I call out a
number, students
rush to touch that
given number.
Instructional • Pre- • Anticipatory • Anticipatory • Anticipatory
Design assessment/ set set set
anticipatory set • Unifix cubes • “I Have, Who • “I Have, Who
• Number activity Has” game Has” game
flashcards • Post-
assessment
Materials and • 0-20 student • Number • Number • "Flyswatter"
Resources assessment flashcards flashcards game cards
sheet • Unifix cubes • “I Have, Who • Number
• 0-20 recording • Ten-frames (7 Has” game flashcards
sheet total) cards • 0-20 student
• Number • Dry erase assessment
flashcards markers sheet
• Board erasers • 0-20 recording
sheet
Assessment • Pre-assessment • Formative • Formative • Post-
Strategies • Formative assessment assessment assessment
assessment through through • Formative
through observations observations assessment
observations (during (during through
(during flashcards and flashcards and observations
flashcards Unifix cubes “I Have, Who (during
activity) activities) Has” activities) flashcards and
“I Have, Who
Has” activity)
 Management • Monitoring • Monitoring • Monitoring • Monitoring
Strategies student on-task student on-task student on-task student on-task
behavior behavior behavior behavior
• Pre-correction • Pre-correction • Pre-correction • Pre-correction
• Specific verbal • Specific verbal • Specific verbal • Specific verbal
affirmation affirmation affirmation affirmation
Closure Review of Review of Review of Review of
learning learning learning learning
outcomes, switch outcomes, switch outcomes, switch outcomes, switch
groups groups groups groups

IV. Data Analysis

Pre-Assessment Post-Assessment Growth

21

18

15

12

0
A C E F L
V. Reflection on Interventions and Self-Evaluation

Reflection on Interventions

Overall, I would say these interventions were successful. I designed them specifically to target
this group’s educational needs, while providing the most efficient interventions in the shortest
amount of time. My interventions were structured more around short activities rather than full
lessons, due to time constraints. I only worked with this small group for about thirty minutes
before I had to switch groups, so I did my best to make sure the interventions I implemented
were effective in the short amount of time. They were also activities I had done with some of the
students earlier in the semester, so the familiarity of the interventions made them run more
smoothly and overall more successful. Through working with these students, I observed that he
enjoyed their time in the resource room more when they were playing a game and/or working
collaboratively with peers, so I tried to incorporate those aspects of interest into my
interventions.

I used the flashcard warm-ups as an anticipatory set for the students in order to show the
different numbers we were going to learn, while simultaneously capturing their attention and
preparing them to receive intervention. I decided on using Unifix cubes early on in the
intervention to determine how comfortable students were with the manipulatives, but also to see
if any students could already make the connections between the written number and a concrete
quantity. The presence of manipulatives allowed students to be engaged, while also giving them
the opportunity to make connections between the physical quantity and the written form of a
particular number. The “flyswatter” and “I Have, Who Has” games were the most effective
interventions because of the high levels of engagement the students experienced. They also
allowed the group to collaborate with each other, which helped them solidify the skills we were
working on.

As it relates to future interventions, I would continue to use games and/or collaborative activities,
as those kept the students most engaged. I would also suggest spending more time to focus on the
quantities of numbers, attaching meaning to the written digits, so the group would be more easily
be able to move from number identification to computations such as addition.

Self-Evaluation

I think I did well overall, considering how little time I was working with this small group. I did
not have much of an opportunity to work with any particular student one-on-one, so part of the
challenge was creating interventions that would not only benefit each student individually, but
also the group as a whole. In terms of creativity, I think I selected good interventions that not
only were effective but also creative in their approach, disguising the learning as more of a game
that intervention. One aspect of this process that I did not take into account was the fact that
some of the students might become so caught up in the game that they struggled to stay focused
on the task at hand, which was developing number sense. Another aspect I had not initially
considered was the current lack of prior knowledge, and therefore I should have included more
opportunities for the students to demonstrate what they already know. Overall, I think this was a
beneficial learning experience.