Context for Learning Form

Provide the requested context information for the class selected for this task.
Use as much space as you need.

About the subject area/course

1. How much time is devoted each day to specific instruction in science, social studies,
mathematics, and language arts in the class which is the focus of this task?
Science: Tu. and Th.: 9 10
Social Studies: Mon. and Fri.: 9 10
Math: 1.5 hrs everyday
ELA: 3 hrs everyday

About the students in the class

2. How many students are in the class you are documenting? 24

3. How many students in the class are: English learners 13
Redesignated English Learners 5 Proficient English speakers 6

4. Please complete the following table about your English Learners latest CELDT scores (if
available):

# of Students at Each CELDT Level in Different Modalities
Score Level Listening Speaking Reading Writing Overall
Beginning

0 0 2 0 0
Early Intermediate 1 0 3 3 1
Intermediate

10 5 8 7 10
Early Advanced

2 7 0 3 2
Advanced

0 1 0 0 0

5. How many students have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or 504 plans? 1

6. How many students participate in a Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program? 5

About the school curriculum and resources
7. Describe any specialized features of the classroom setting, e.g., bilingual, Structured
English Immersion, team taught with a special education teacher. - Structured English
Immersion

8. If there is a particular textbook or instructional program used for science, social studies,
mathematics, and language arts instruction, what is it? (If a textbook, please provide the name,
publisher, and date of publication.)

Science: FOSS: Science Resources, Delta Education, 2007
Social Studies: Reflections: California: A Changing State, Harcourt, 2007
Math: enVisionMath: California, Pearson, 2009
ELA: Houghton and Mifflin

9. What other major resources are typically used for science, social studies, language arts, and
mathematics instruction in this class?

Science: Musical songs that deal with science
Social Studies: Social Studies Alive!, Internet and primary sources
Math: Marilyn Burns
ELA: Planning with the grade level curriculum team, passages, read alouds


History and Social Studies
Content Area Task (CAT)

Introduction:
The CAT is an analysis of my ability to score student using a rubric and plan future
lessons based upon my evaluation of a set of assessments. In this paper, I will describe the
student assessment and the rubric used to score their work. Following that, I will summarize the
score the students received. Based on these scores, I will explain the next steps I would take to
support and continue my students learning.

Overview of Assessment and Rubric:
This was an assessment for a fifth grade class. In this social studies unit, the students
learned about the different factors of settling in new land. The unit assessment asked for students
to write a response to the prompt: Write an essay below describing the factors that are involved
when settling in a new place. Be sure to include the benefits, challenges, and possible outcomes
and the big ideas of the different settlements that we discussed in class. Use the shared readings,
charts, and activities to help answer the big idea questions about settlement. You might want to
brain storm your ideas before you begin.
The rubric (shown below) used to score students responses looked for historically
accurate listings of benefits, challenges, and outcomes settlers faced when settling in the new
land. Their responses were placed in Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, or Advanced depending on
the accuracy and depth of their responses. While scoring student work, I took notes of patterns in
individual students and in targeted group responses to prepare for my next steps.

Below Basic Basic Proficient Advanced
Benefits Does not list
any benefits for
settling
Lists one or two
benefits for
settling
Lists three
benefits for
settling
Lists four benefits for
settling
Challenges Does not list
any challenges
to settling
Lists one or two
challenges to
settling
Lists three
challenges to
settling
Lists four challenges
to settling
Outcomes Does not list
any outcomes
of settling
Lists one or two
outcomes of
settling
Lists three
outcomes of
settling
Lists four outcomes of
settling
Historically
Accurate
Historically
Inaccurate
Makes three or
more historically
inaccurate
statements
Makes two
historically
inaccurate
statements
Does not make or
makes only one
historically inaccurate
statements

Next Steps:
Whole Class
For the benefits rubric, about half of the student scored Basic and the other half scored
Proficient. While most students responded with three benefits, the students who scored Basic
often gave a response that was invalid or inaccurate. Student 21, 22, 1, 23, and 25 listed three or
more benefits for settling in a new place, but only two of their responses were acceptable. For
example, Student 21 listed a third and incorrect benefit that the Native Americans wanted
freedom of religion when the prompt was clearly asking for the settlers perspective. A more
appropriate response would be that a benefit for the Pilgrims was their ability to practice freedom
of religion. There were also several students who scored basic because of their confusion
between the concepts of freedom, freedom of religion, and spreading of religion. For example,
Student 28 listed that Pilgrims wanted freedom, as opposed to specifying that Pilgrims settled for
freedom of religion. In my next step, I would distinguish the differences between freedom,
freedom of religion, and spreading religion in a class discussion to clarify the misunderstanding
that many students seemed to have. I would also reteach the benefits of settling in new land by
having students imagine or role-play the different perspectives of the settlers. This lesson would
explicitly teach the students about the benefits of settling.
The whole class scored mostly Proficient or Advanced in their responses to the
challenges settlers had to face. Student 5, 3, and 33 were the only students to score basic or
below basic. My next steps to reteaching the challenges the settlers had to face would be targeted
towards helping these three students specifically. My next steps for these students will be
discussed in Targeted Support for Groups.
In outcomes, the class was divided between Basic and Proficient but more towards Basic.
Two students scored Below Basic, ten scored Basic, seven scored Proficient, and four students
scored advanced. Many students who scored Basic often confused Challenges with Outcomes.
Student 21 wrote, One outcome is that there was not food for them. This was taught as a
challenge settlers had to face and not an outcome. A next step would be to clarify the differences
between the factors. There were also four of the ten students who scored in Basic because the
main outcome they discussed was the survival of different colonies. I decided to make the idea of
survival as one outcome, so these did not get three points for listing the chance of survival of
three colonies. In my next step for these students, I would reteach the outcomes using a pair-
matching task, where students can match the different benefits, challenges, and outcomes with
the different settlements. In doing so, students talk about different outcomes beyond survival.
The language objective was to introduce key social studies term: settlement, colony,
presidio, mission, pueblo, Roanoke, Jamestown, Plymouth, colonist. As a class, the students
used many of these terms in their papers, but there were many of these key terms that were not
mentioned or acknowledged. Students did not show understanding of presidio and pueblo in
their work because students did not use these terms at all. The next step I would take to support
the continual learning of these key terms would be to reteach these terms and put them on an
anchor chart with visuals for my English language learners. In addition, many of the terms were
incorrectly used. For example, many students used the settlements interchangeably to talk about
the colonists. Student 18 wrote, One of the benefits is that some of the [people claim land] like
the Roanokes. Student 22, who is not an English language learner, wrote, The outcome was
that the Roanoke did not survive. While these mistakes could be grammatical and writing
errors, it could also be that students do not know how to correctly use these terms. In my next
steps, I would teach sentence frames on how to use these vocabulary terms. One example would
be: A benefit to settling in a new place would be to gain more land such as the colonists in the
Roanoke settlement. I would introduce these sentence frames making the class anchor chart and
have the students practice them when playing the pair-matching task to ensure they understand
the concept of the words and know how to use them.
A pattern I noticed for my whole class was many students often mislabeled the
settlements or colonies and the factors. There were students who would match the different
factors to wrong settlements. For example, Students 10 incorrectly stated that Pilgrims stole food
from the Native Americans, when it was actually the colonists from Jamestown who stole food.
There were also student who did not list the settlements and referred to the settlers collectively.
Also, based on the assessment responses, many students also seemed confused about definition
of the factors (benefits, challenges, and outcomes). There were students who would give
historically accurate information but categorized it under the wrong factor. Student 1 wrote,
they had the Native Americans attack as a benefit to settling, when this is actually a challenge.
Since the Big Idea Question, as stated in the Overview of Settlement Unit, was What factors are
involved when settling in a new place, my next step will focus, first and foremost, on making
sure my students understand the factors. This means I will define benefits, challenges, and
outcomes and then clarify which historical fact falls under which factor. I would do this by
teaching the pair-matching task, in which students will have to match the historical facts to the
correct factors category. For students who understand this concept or is ready to move on, the
next step would be to categorize the historical facts into the correct factor category and the
correct settlement. While it is important that students know the settlements, the stronger
emphasis would be on students understanding the differences between the benefits, challenges,
and outcome because of the Big Idea Question.

Targeted Support for Groups
In the class, thirteen out of twenty four students are English language learners. The
majority of these students scored between Basic and Proficient when describing the factors the
settlers had to face. In this big group of English language learners, there were many students who
lost points for inaccurately describing the benefits, challenges, or outcomes. Many of the
responses were historically accurate but misplaced. For example, when describing a benefit for
settling, Student 7 wrote, The Native American people thought that the settlers were going to
take [their] land so the Native Americans attack the settlers. Some settlers died and some
survived. While it is accurate that the Native Americans attacked the settlers, it was incorrect to
list this as a benefit, so Student 7 did not get this point. This is a flaw in their understanding
regarding the meaning of benefits, challenges, and outcomes. In my next step, I would teach the
meaning and difference between these factors so students could learn the content as expected.
The pair-match task would allow my English language learner to practice categorizing the
historical facts with the correct factors. This would bridge many of the English language learners
to the next score. In addition, I would teach lesson frames to encourage students to be more
detailed when discussing specific settlements.
There are 5 GATE students in the class. However, this group is a bit hard to target
support for because require different kind and levels of support. For the most part, the GATE
students were detailed in their responses and listed the specific settlements thought some were
incorrect. For example, Student 12 scored Advanced on Benefits, Challenges, and Outcome
because of their ample support. However, this student matched the wrong settlements to the
incorrect historical event. A possible next step for these students would be to use a more
challenging pair-match task, in which they have to match the historical fact to the correct factor
and settlement. Student 23 was a special case because the student showed an immense amount of
historical inaccuracies. I will discuss the next step for this student individually.

Patterns for Individuals 3 students
Student 14 is an English language learner. This students response did not answer or
recognize the prompt. However, the student seemed to be able to write about settlements,
specifically Roanoke and Plymouth. While I did not take points off for the students unorganized
writing skills, I was not able to give points for something I could not read. As a result, there were
sentences that were not legible to me, so it did not count for or against the student. It was unclear
whether or not the student had bad organizational writing skills and was not able to formulate
their answers into paragraphs, or if the student did not understand the meaning of the benefits,
challenge, or outcome and just wrote what they knew. This was the one assessment that I did not
score. Instead of failing the student because of their inability to write a written response to the
prompt, I will find an alternative means of assessing the student. I could clarify with the student
what they wrote. Another means of assessment may be needed. So, I may interview the student
to evaluate their understanding instead.
Student 5 is a reclassified English language learner. This student scored below basic in
every category. He or she did not show understanding of the factors or the lesson. While some
students incorrectly categorized the historical facts, they were still able to come up with points
discussed in class. Student 5, however, did not show much sign of understanding because he or
she only gave one or two examples for each factor, and all of which were historically inaccurate.
To explain the benefits of settling, the student wrote, Another [benefit] is that the people that
were in the baut [boat] did not servid [survive] and didnt know how to do anything and told
others to do things for them. This answer is vague and does not show understanding of the
benefits of settling or of the colonies/settlements. For challenges, the students wrote, One
[challenge] is that the one that discoverd a new place found some Nattive America and made
friend. Some came to California and named it San Diego. It seems like this student is making
some connects, but incorrectly. In my next steps, I would talk with this student to discuss what
he or she may not have comprehended. I will ask the student the prompt so he or she can verbally
answer, while I take notes. In doing so, I can be sure that their response is not due to any writing
difficulties. Having a discussion could clarify the misunderstandings the student may have. In
addition, I would reteach the historical lesson using the pair-match task, in which the student has
to place the historical fact into the correct factors category, to bridge the student to learn the
benefits, challenges, and outcomes faced by the settlers. Working in pairs on this assignment
could benefit the student by clarifying any misconceptions and confirming what they already
know. I would pair this student heterogeneously with a student who scored proficient so their
peer could challenge the student and help continue Student 5s learning. During the whole class
task, I would check in with this student more than most to check for understanding.
Student 23 is a reclassified English language learner and GATE student who showed
many historical inaccuracies. The student scored Basic for benefits, Advanced for challenges,
Proficient for outcomes, and Below Basic for historical inaccuracies. It appears the student is
making connections with information in his or her own way, but this was done so incorrectly.
For example, one such inaccuracy the student wrote, There are many outcomes like at roanoke
30 years later the colony was gone because they went with the native americans. To make sense
of the lost colony, the student inferred the colonist went with the Native Americans, even though
it was taught that it is unknown as to what happened. In another example, the student wrote, the
settlers were friends with native americans but the native americans attacked their own friends.
This might have been confusion between the different settlements because there were some
settlements that got attacked, but it was taught that the Native Americans were friendly at
Plymouth. As my next step for this student, I think it would be beneficial to have the student do a
research presentation about a settlement of his or her choice. In doing so, the student can
possibly fill in the historical narrative in order to make the correct connections and have a more
in depth understanding of what happened in the settlements.

Conclusion:
In this process, I learned to grade students on a rubric and use my evaluations to plan my
next step to teaching. Using the given rubric, I had to make sense make sense of how I wanted to
calibrate it. The rubric graded based on the number of factors listed. While this seemed simple at
first, it was more complicated than it initially seemed. Some students were more detailed than
others and identified the settlement along with the factors, but if the settlement was wrong I had
to mark the answer off as a historical inaccuracy. In that way, it would have been more beneficial
to students to give less details for the chance they would decrease their historical inaccuracy.
There were students who listed many benefits, challenges, or outcomes for one settlement. A
couple students only gave one benefit, challenge, or outcome but categorized the different
settlements for the factor. For example, in response to the outcomes of the settlers, Student 11
wrote about the settlers of Jamestown dying in the early years and the Pilgrims and the mission
settlers not dying. These outcomes are all about the survival of the settlements, but the student
was specific with the settlements. In summary, this process taught me that student work could be
difficult to grade because the rubric can be interpreted in different ways. However, as the teacher
who gave and graded the assessments, I will understand what I am looking for in the responses
and this will help me evaluate what my student have learned and how to advance my next
lessons.
After using the rubric to assess the students, I evaluated the scores and my notes to
prepare my next step. This process is very important because this is when I am really reflecting
on what my students know and how I can further support them. I looked at the class as a whole,
focused on target groups, and identified individual students who needed support. While it would
be easy to grade their assessments, pass it back, move on, that would not be beneficial to neither
me nor the students. Reflecting on the student assessments can really show me a lot about my
students understanding. For example, this set of assessment has taught me the majority of my
students need help clarifying benefits, challenges, and outcomes. Teaching these factors
for my students again can help them better understand what the settlers had to face when coming
to the New World. Preparing my next step is beneficial for me because it allows me to evaluate
my own teaching and build on students understanding.
This process is effective in allowing me to calibrate my students work based on what I
taught and allows me to plan what I will teach next. I will indubitably reuse this process because
it allows me to plan lessons based on what my students understand. The evaluations were rich in
showing what my students learned and their flaws in understanding. Looking at targeted groups
showed me different ranges for which I needed to differentiate my next lesson. For example, in
this assessment, the students who needed support in understanding the different factors would
use the simple pair-match task, where they would work in pairs to match the different historical
events to the correct category (benefits, challenges, or outcomes). For students who have a firm
understanding of this would also match the historical event to the correct settlement. In
conclusion, I will use this process to calibrate my assessments on student work based on a set
rubric and then use this information to plan how to continue my students learning.