Cassie MacDonald

Teacher Work Sample

Instruction II: Standards and Assessment

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Section I: Setting and Context

School Community:
The belief statement at Thompson Valley High School is that, Students will build skills
to: achieve academic and career goals; contribute to society; achieve an understanding of cultural
diversity; achieve self-pride and confidence; and achieve learning as a lifelong experience,
(2012). After reading the belief statement and seeing Thompson Valleys day to day activities, I
agree that those attitudes and beliefs are being transformed into the classroom each and every
day. The community, classroom and daily duties performed at Thompson Valley show me that it
is a school devoted to their students.
In the morning when I walk into Thompson Valley High School, students are formed in
groups talking and waiting for class to begin. Typically, I am the first one there in the morning to
observe and list out objectives for my own day. When I ask the office secretary for the key, she
is usually talking to students about life and what they have to do for the day. She hands me the
keys and I open up the meeting room where our seminar takes place. The culture at Thompson
Valley seems very inclusive and open. While walking through the halls, teachers know the
names of several students and I have also not yet see students being bullied. High School feels
very different than when I was in school, just three years ago. The students and teacher seem
more equal and students opinions and arguments in the classroom are welcome. When I was
going through high school, it was not OK to talk unless your hand was raised and you greeted
every teacher with Mister or Misses whomever. It is nice to see that the relationships between
teachers and students are more open. Students ask their teachers and administration about their
personal lives and teachers freely open up about it. My match up teacher Dirk Habigs son got
married last weekend and a student and Mr. Habig were discussing how the wedding went. I

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thought that was really cool, I only remember discussing the personal lives of a couple teachers
when I was in high school.
Thompson Valley has so much to offer the students. According to Thompson Valleys
website, the school offers 24 AP Courses, an achievement center, 30 state sponsored sports and
20 clubs, everything from National Honor Society to Harry Potter Club, (Thompson Valley,
2014). During the first couple weeks in my classroom, I handed around a piece of paper asking
the students what activities and sports they were involved in. Nearly all of the students were
involved in some sort of activity offered at the school. Most students were involved in two or
more activities. If some students were not involved, they wrote that they were working students.
It was great to see that so many students were involved inside the school and in the community. I
have even gotten the chance to come see a volleyball game of one of my students, and will be
working with another during her yearbook class. Participating in the events offered at Thompson
Valley is very important because it builds school morale and classroom culture at the same time.
While going to the volleyball game, it is obvious to see that parents care and participate
in their students lives. Many of the parents had passes to get into the game and purchased
Thompson Valley spirit gear. Another thing that I noticed that was very different from my own
school was that the students in the crowd were very respectful. Instead of booing the other team,
students were focused on their own success. I remember being in high school and it was better to
try and boo the opponent, then cheer for our own team. Parents are held accountable in the
school and are involved in many committees. According to the Thompson Valley website,
parents are involved in the Building accountability committee; parent volunteer programs and
school-to-career programs. Parents are active in the community at Thompson Valley and also
are a part of three booster clubs (2014). These organizations help students and the school as a
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whole. The boosters club organizes events and raise money for the school. The teachers,
students, coaches and even parents at Thompson Valley seem to stay involved in order to keep
the school culture alive.
The demographics at Thompson Valley are diverse and each and every student is an
individual who has different needs. According to the US News website, 11% of the schools
population is Hispanic students, and 86% of the population is Caucasian. The skills of each and
every student varies, and the school has several programs such as the achievement center and
BASE to help all students succeed. The US News also states that, 28% of the students are on
free-reduced lunches. Paying attention to the diversity of a school is very important when being a
teacher. Each student has a different background, different needs and as a teacher I need to
realize that I have to differentiate my instruction. I will learn to do this by building a culture in
each class and building relationships with these students. Every school varies in the types of
students it has, and realizing that will help me become a better teacher.
Students and Classroom:
During my semester here at Thompson Valley High School, I have been matched up with
Dirk Habig with students in AP Micro Economics. Most of the students in the class are seniors in
high school. They are mostly all high achieving students, but some students are being challenged
by their course work in the class. The material for most of the students is hard because
economics is very hypothetical, and most of them are high achieving in subjects like algebra and
chemistry. Because I passed around the worksheet asking what activities they are involved in, I
know that most of the students are active in the classroom, school and community environment.
It is a very diverse group of students with different interests, talents and opinions. The class is
mostly white students, but there are a few Hispanic students as well. The structure of the
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classroom is difficult since there are 33 students; they sit in rows of 4 and 5. The students have
the freedom to sit where they want in class, and it is easy to spot the groups of friends in the
classroom.
Ms. Albers and I changed the sitting arrangements, and because we did this, the groups
broke a part some and it was good to see that the students in the different groups would interact.
When Mr. Habig teaches the class, students are open to discuss their opinions and thoughts.
Some of the time though, students just yell out answers, and discuss the topic with their friends.
The classroom management piece of the class could be improved, but the students are
independent seniors and Mr. Habig gives them the freedom to explore the topics. When students
have to work in groups, they work well. They all have gone to school together for years and it is
great to see students in the different groups bond. I do not really like the way the tables are set up
in the classroom. I think that it takes away from the learning environment and the classroom
culture. The class is very interactive and outgoing, so I think that grouping the students would be
beneficial. I also think that a seating arrangement would help with the behavioral problems of the
class as well, but the students are pretty well behaved, for such a large class. I have enjoyed
getting to know the students in my class, and I am very excited that I will continue to work at

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Thompson Valley High School next semester.

Topic and Rationale:

Advanced Placement Micro Economics is a very tough subject to be taking as a senior in

high school. The students in the class are most likely taking several other AP courses as well.
The students are gaining a lot of relevant information that will be useful to their own success and
future. They have learned about the importance of supply and demand, scarcity of resources and
discussed the difference between equity and equality. The class has also discussed differences in

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government interventions and the difference between elastic and inelastic in term of consumers
wants and needs. History has even been incorporated into the classroom, with discussion over
gas prices in the 1970s. The students class is headed into more difficult content and graphing.
The students will soon incorporate more difficult mathematics into their work. Graphing supply
and demand graphs has been a main focus thus far. Typically on Thursdays, students get into
groups and work together to graph and solve problems. A lot of instructional, hands on strategies
have been incorporated.
One day, Mr. Habig assigned each group of students to work on graphing different types
of problems. We all were able to go outside and graph with chalk. The students loved working
outside and it was fun to use chalk and sit in the sun. Mrs. Albers and I taught a lesson on
consumer and producer surplus, and we gave them an activity to perform. We asked questions
like, what happens when there is a draught. What happens when a product has a shortage or a
surplus? The students in the class had to trade monopoly money for Reeses in the activity, and it
was so great to see them be creative. We gave each group a different amount of money or
Reeses depending on if they were a producer or a consumer. The poor groups had a more
difficult time trading, but I explained to them that that is what happens in a real market. Some
suffer, while others prosper. I love using hands on activities in the economics course, because it
gives me one on one time with the students, while also having the students teach each other the
material. Mr. Habig also has an opener at the beginning of class, which is a great instructional
strategy, and it is typically a video or song. The learning targets for the class are on the board and
the discussion is always very lively. Mr. Habig is teaching AP Micro Economics for his first
time, and I respect that he took a chance at doing so. The class contains very difficult content,
but he is willing to take the time to get to know his students, and try to get them at the level they
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need to be at for the Advanced Placement test next spring. Overall, my time in 450 so far has
been an amazing learning experience. I am excited to grow here at Thompson Valley High
School as a teacher candidate, and hopefully one day as a teacher.

Section II: Lesson Plans

Teacher: Mr. Dirk Habigs Class
BY: Sam Albers and Cassie MacDonald
School: Thompson Valley High School
Title:

Date:
Grade Level: 12

Peanut Butter Chocolate Time

Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson:

October 2, 2014
Content Area: AP Micro Econ

Lesson #:_1_ of _1_

(Write Content Standards directly from the standard)

Economics 3.1:

Productive resources natural, human, capital are scarce; therefore, choices are made
about how individuals, businesses, governments, and societies allocate these resources.
Understandings: (Big Ideas) Students understand that.
Active participation within the market and evaluation of supply and demand models impact students
lives.
Evaluation of a consumers willingness to pay and a producers willingness to sell will effect supply and
demand of market prices.

People cannot have all the goods and services they want; as a result, they must choose some
things and give up others.
*** Buyers and sellers benefit from participating in a market, which increases the overall welfare
of society ( Mankiw, 137)
Inquiry Questions: (Essential questions relating knowledge at end of the unit of instruction, select
applicable questions from standard)
How is willingness to pay and willingness to sell by consumers and producers relevant in
influencing societal and economic decision-making?
Should scarce resources be allocated according to efficiency or equality??
What are some of the ways that the values of a society affect the goods and service it
produces?

Evidence Outcomes: (Learning Targets)

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Analyze the relationships between economic goals and the allocation of scarce resources (DOK 23) (3.1).
Understand that effective decision-making between producers and consumers within the market
require compromise and negotiation.

Every student will be able to: (Create your own lesson objectives from the standard, follow the ABCD
format, using student voice)
Teacher:
(C) Using economic models of supply and demand within a classroom market environment, (A) students
will (B) in small groups analyze, compromise, and participate (D) in a role playing classroom market
system in which producers and consumers buy and sell products based on willingness to sell and
pay.
Students:
I can:
1. Evaluate economic models in order to allocate resources.
2. Wrestle with the concepts of what is equitable and what is efficient within a society.
This means:
1. I will be able to evaluate supply and demand models by using the concept of willingness to
sell and buy in order to compromise with others and comprehend how free markets
function.
2. I am able to wrestle with the concepts of efficiency and equality and how they work within
the market structure through analyzing photos , writing, graphing, and participating in a
market structure.
List of Assessments: (Write the number of the learning target associated with each assessment)
1. Quick Write:
What do see? How does scarcity affect the market? (Target 2)
Is this efficient? Equitable?
2. From Mini Lecture: Fill out vocab. Cold Call on groups. (Target 1)
3. Relate Mini Lecture to practice problems. Work and discuss in groups while filling out worksheet.
Then discuss as class. (Target 1)
4. Activity (Verbal/Graphing Assessment): Trade between consumers and producers (Target 1 and 2)
Graph results of activity on worksheet
5. Wrap up
Go back to picture. What is the balance between equity and efficiency?
Quick write for a ticket out the door: What did you learn? What do you still have questions about?
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Planned Lesson Activities

Name and Purpose of Lesson
Should be a creative title for you and the students to
associate with the activity. Think of the purpose as
the mini-rationale for what you are trying to
accomplish through this lesson.
Approx. Time and Materials
How long do you expect the activity to last and what
materials will you need?

Anticipatory Set
The hook to grab students attention. These are
actions and statements by the teacher to relate the
experiences of the students to the objectives of the
lesson, To put students into a receptive frame of
mind.
To focus student attention on the lesson.
To create an organizing framework for the
ideas, principles, or information that is to
follow (advanced organizers)
An anticipatory set is used any time a different
activity or new concept is to be introduced.
Procedures
(Include a play-by-play account of what students and
teacher will do from the minute they arrive to the
minute they leave your classroom. Indicate the
length of each segment of the lesson. List actual
minutes.)
Indicate whether each is:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Time

Economic Books (chapter 7)

Large Note Cards for each table: Name Groups
Bread, Peanut butter, Jelly
Paper and pencils
Worksheet (quick write, relevant vocabulary, activity, graph of producers vs. consumers
See, Think, Wonder
+Show picture of the dichotomy between wealthy and poor.
Grapple with the dichotomy between equity and efficiency of markets. Can you strike a
balance?
How does willingness to pay affect the market?

1. Expectations of Class!: No phones, open minds, engaged participation, fill out

worksheet, ask questions, have fun. (teacher directed) 2 min
2. Learning Targets: See above. We will write on board 2 min
3. Agenda: See, think, wonder, quick write, quick mini lecture, group work activity
(Graphing and Discussion), ticket out the door. (teacher directed) 2 min
3. See, Think, Wonder: Show picture. Ask them What they see, quick write, discuss in
groups, talk as class. (Questioning strategies, Modeling, Guided and Unguided
Practice)(10 min)

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-teacher input
-modeling
-questioning strategies
-guided/unguided:
-whole-class practice
-group practice
-individual practice

Transition: How does this photo relate to equity and efficiency? How could market
structures influence
4. Mini Lecture: Review concepts of chapter 7. Specifically vocabulary and the graphs of
willingness to pay and buy. Show a changing price line. ( teacher input; whole class
practice) I DO and WE DO 15 min
5. Group Practice: Work through the worksheet as group You DO Section (10 min)
6. Cold Call Review: Check for Understanding (5 min)
7. Mini Market: Consumers and Producers trade goods based on supply, demand,
and market prices. (Group Practice) (Check for Understanding) (25 min)
8. Closure: Picture. What do you see now? Discussion. (10 min)

-check for understanding

-other
Closure
Those actions or statements by a teacher that are
designed to bring a lesson presentation to an
appropriate conclusion. Used to help students bring
things together in their own minds, to make sense
out of what has just been taught. Any Questions?
No. OK, lets move on is not closure. Closure is used:
To cue students to the fact that they have
arrived at an important point in the lesson or
the end of a lesson.
To help organize student learning
To help form a coherent picture and to consolidate.
Differentiation
To modify: If the activity is too advanced for a child,
how will you modify it so that they can be successful?
To extend: If the activity is too easy for a child, how
will you extend it to develop their emerging skills?

Transition: Question from our worksheet about efficiency and equality. Transfer from
our activity to our closing picture.
Show picture: How did you relate scarcity and the affect on our free market classroom to
the picture presented at the beginning of the period.
Ticket out the door: Quick write. Discuss your reactions within your groups. Discuss as a
class.

Each individual has time to think on their own and within a small group at their own
pace. This scaffold instruction allows for students who desire to question in a deeper
context to take the project further; however, students who are struggling with the
concepts are able to ask for help, observe others, and move at a slower pace.
+Activity mandates that all students actively participate collectively which urges all
learners to grow in their knowledge at their own pace.
+In our activity scenarios, the questions vary on level of difficulty ranging from easy to

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challenging. This allows for multiple learners to push their understandings.

Assessment
How will you know if students met the learning
targets? Write a description of what you were
looking for in each assessment.

Discussion, participation, quick write, group activity, quick write ticket out the door (all
included in the packet given to them at beginning).
1. Quick Write: What do you see? How does scarcity affect the market? (Target 2)
+Attention to detail, inferring information, including economic terms and ideas within
their analysis.
2. From Mini Lecture: Fill out vocab. Cold Call on groups. (Target 1)
+Following expectations followed above, verbal answers.
3. Relate Mini Lecture to practice problems. Work and discuss in groups while filling out
worksheet. Then discuss as class. (Target 1)
+Complete worksheet with obvious effort. Right answers not necessary, but worksheet
must be attempted and student must ask questions and give good faith effort. This will
be graded both on written and verbal participation effort.
4. Activity (Verbal/Graphing Assessment): Trade between consumers and producers
(Target 1 and 2)
+Participation and completion. Are the students critically analyzing the scenarios given in
class and thinking actively (verbal).
Graph results of activity on worksheet
5. Wrap up
Go back to picture. What is the balance between equity and efficiency?
Quick write for a ticket out the door: What did you learn? What do you still have
questions about?

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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Post Lesson Reflection

1. To what extent were lesson objectives achieved? (Utilize assessment data to justify
your level of achievement)
The lesson objectives for our class period were, students will be able to, evaluate supply
and demand models by using the concept of willingness to sell and buy in order to
compromise with others and to understand what equality versus efficiency is. I believe that
these lesson objectives were achieved. For the first learning target, students watched Ms.
Albers and I graph, then we moved onto graphing in their separate groups and then
individually. First, we went over how to complete the graph, and then went through
theoretical situations where students had to figure out how to graph it. After each problem in
our activity, we graphed the problems and discussed why the price line would change in the
market. I thought that the activity went well. Students had a great time trading money for
Reeses and going through the different scenarios presented in the worksheet.
Some students were given less money or fewer Reeses and had a hard time
understanding why. With those students, we had a great discussion of equality versus
efficiency. We also had a great discussion on the moral implications of that. In a free market
society, some are given more than others and putting them in that situation was a great way
to show that. During our anticipatory set, we showed students a picture of a poor man
walking besides a BMW driving by. The students have to think about why that might happen,
and discussed what they saw, thought and wondered. I think the students grasped the idea of
efficiency versus equality easily. The students struggled with graphing, but it helped that
Mrs. Albers and I were both there. As she taught, I circled and helped students who didnt
understand the material. It is a hard subject to teach and understand, but I think that we put it
in a way that students had fun with it and could understand it.

2. What changes, omissions, or additions to the lesson would you make if you were to
teach again?
After teaching a full block lesson, I would definitely make changes, but I also think that I
did a great job keeping the students engaged and being positive. I am new at teaching, and I
know I have much to learn, there will always be room to improve and grow. First, the
students struggled with the last problem that we gave them. The problem was discussing
peanut butter mold, and what would happen to the consumer/producer surplus if something
like that were to happen. We had a good debate on whether the demand or supply line would
shift. We had a great talk about how economics is very theoretical, and we cannot know for
sure what would happen unless it actually happened. I also talked about how there is not
always a right answer. If there were right answers in economics every time, recessions would
not happen and businesses would always run smoothly. Unfortunately though, we did not get
to finish with our closure. I think that is OK though. The discussion at the end was
informative and interesting and students were engaged and asking questions. Just like in
teaching, I will not get to everything during a class period and I have to learn to be flexible.
I really enjoyed getting to know the students more during the lesson and having them interact
with one another.

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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Another issue was the classroom management piece of class. At the beginning, one
student kept just yelling out the answers, (he typically does this during regular class). He is a
very intelligent student, and kind of the class clown too. While students were individually
working, I went up to him and just let him know that I value what he has to say and that he
makes very credible points. I just asked him to raise his hand, he just smiled and laughed and
apologized. I do not think it hurt my relationship with him and for the rest of the class, he
raised his hand and shared his answers. I hope that that was the right thing to do, but it
seemed to work.
I have so much to learn within the next few months in 450, in my student teaching and in
my career. I cant wait to teach again and connect with the students even more. I am very
thankful that Dirk Habig let us teach an entire block lesson, and helped guide some of the
ending discussion. Being in AP Micro Economics has been a great learning experience, both
with content and with management skills. Being a part of this AP Micro Economics is very
beneficial to my future career as an educator. Economics is an area that most Social Studies
teachers struggle with, so I am happy to get involved early in my career.

3. What do you envision for the next lesson? (Continued practice, reteach content, etc.)
Sam and I hope to complete our next lesson within the next couple of weeks. During our
next lesson together, I think we will try to focus on some management issues first. The class
is large and all the students ask such great questions that learning to co-teach better will give
us an upper hand during our next lesson. I think it will also be important to continue to
develop relationships with the students and let them know that we care about their success in
this class. I really liked the activity that we did, so hopefully we will come up with another
creative activity to get the students engaged. I also really liked our opener, and I hope to
incorporate the skills we learn in 450 seminar. One thing I want to focus on is a ticket out the
door, and a closure activity, since we did not really get to do that, in the past lesson. I think
that teaching this class is a great experience and will help prepare me for my student
teaching. I am ready to learn more and continue to work hard in the classroom!

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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

Lesson Plan II
Teacher: Sam Albers and Cassie MacDonald

Date: November 20, 2014

School: Thompson Valley High School

Grade Level: 12

Content Area: AP Economics

Title: Just Do It!: Monopolistic Competition and Advertisement

Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson: (Write Content Standards directly from the standard)
Productive resourcesnatural, human, capitalare scarce; therefore, choices are made about how
individuals, businesses, governments, and societies allocate these resources (CDE, Standard 3.1)
Understandings: (Big Ideas) Students understand that. . .
Advertising and differentiation of products influence economic decisions; therefore, students should be
aware of these tactics within the market.
Understand that effective decision-making requires comparing the additional (marginal) costs of
alternatives with the additional (marginal) benefits (CDE, p. 20).

Inquiry Questions: (Essential questions relating knowledge at end of the unit of instruction, select
applicable questions from standard)
How do individuals and companies differentiate their needs and products? How does this affect market
prices and outcomes, and, therefore, individual lives?
What are some of the ways that the values of society affect the goods and services it produces (CDE,
p. 20).

Evidence Outcomes: (Learning Targets)

Every student will be able to: (Create your own lesson objectives from the standard, follow the ABCD
format, using student voice)
I can:
(C): Using the economic packet, power point, and butcher-block paper, (A): students will (B) in small
groups analyze differentiation of monopolistic competition (D) by creating an advertisement that
demonstrates the main points of differentiation in monopolistic competition and graphing the
differences between the markets structures (perfect competition, monopolistic competition, and
monopoly).

This means:
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STEPP Lesson Plan Form

1. I will be able to identify factors that make a monopolistic competition market and apply this
knowledge to a real world example through the creation of an advertisement.
2. I will be able to compare and contrast the differences and similarities between a monopoly and a
monopolistic competitive market.

List of Assessments: (Write the number of the learning target associated with each assessment)
1. Introduction and Market Structure Game: Fill out the characteristics of each type of structure
(control over price, number of firms, types of goods, barriers to entry). Students will do in
group(Target 2).
2. See, think, Wonder: Discussion started by Cold Call of groups. (Target 2)
3. Advertisement Project : Draw an advertisement for a monopolistic competitive restaurant.
Furthermore, list three key attributes of monopolistic competition. How might advertising
make markets less competitive or more competitive? Give an example of each. (pg. 354 in
Textbook). Name company, what they are selling, price point, location, population within our
small town (Given on power point). Graph differences of market structures. (Target 1 &2)
Town is Sassieville.
4. Oral Presentation of Advertisement: Students (in groups) go over their rationale for
advertisement. Why is it a monopolistic competition market structure? Why did they locate
their business in their chosen area? (Target 1)

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Planned Lesson Activities

Name and Purpose of Lesson
Should be a creative title for you and
the students to associate with the
activity. Think of the purpose as the
mini-rationale for what you are trying
to accomplish through this lesson.
Approx. Time and Materials
How long do you expect the activity to
last and what materials will you
need?
Anticipatory Set
The hook to grab students
attention. These are actions and
statements by the teacher to relate
the experiences of the students to the
objectives of the lesson, To put
students into a receptive frame of
mind.
To focus student attention on
the lesson.
To create an organizing
framework for the ideas,
principles, or information that
is to follow (advanced
organizers)
An anticipatory set is used any time a
different activity or new concept is to
be introduced.
Procedures
(Include a play-by-play account of
what students and teacher will do
from the minute they arrive to the
minute they leave your classroom.
Indicate the length of each segment of
the lesson. List actual minutes.)
Indicate whether each is:
-teacher input
-modeling
-questioning strategies
-guided/unguided:
-whole-class practice

Just Do It!
Purpose: Students will understand the power of advertising on
the market and how it affects their daily lives. Also, how
monopoly, perfect competition, and monopolistic competition
compare and contrast.
Time: 90 min (Block period)
Materials: Power point, butcher-block paper, markers,
economic books (use of graphs and charts).
*** Review of past chapters dovetailing into See, Think,
Wonder photo of an advertisement that will spark their
interest in how advertisement is critical to market structure,
specifically monopolistic competition and how this affects their
daily lives.
Game: Follows small review and then gets the kids actively
involved by having them orally label the different products that
will be given to them on the board.

1. Meet and Greet: give expectations to each student as they

enter the classroom (relationship building) (Pre-class time).
2. Anticipatory Set: Questioning Strategies: Review of previous
knowledge with cold call strategies. This will dovetail into See,
Think, Wonder where students will question the importance of
advertising and its role within market structures. (Questions
strategies and guided whole class practice) We DO (10 min).
3. Mini Lecture: What is Monopolistic Competition? Attributes
include: Many Sellers, Product differentiation, Free entry and
Exit. Examples: Restaurants, Piano Lessons, cookies. (Teacher
Involvement, Modeling, Guided Practice) I DO and We DO
(15 min)
4. Game: Cold Call Assessment. List products and have
students label them and argue why they are a certain market
structure. (Oral Assessment) We DO (10 min)
5. Mini Lecture: Advertising and Brand Names: why part of the
monopolistic competition. (Teacher input, Modeling, Whole
Class Practice, Questioning Strategies) (10 min). I DO and We

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-group practice
-individual practice
-check for understanding
-other

Closure
Those actions or statements by a
teacher that are designed to bring a
lesson presentation to an appropriate
conclusion. Used to help students
bring things together in their own
minds, to make sense out of what has
just been taught. Any Questions? No.
OK, lets move on is not closure.
Closure is used:
To cue students to the fact
that they have arrived at an
important point in the lesson
or the end of a lesson.
To help organize student
learning
To help form a coherent picture and
to consolidate.
Differentiation
To modify: If the activity is too
advanced for a child, how will you
modify it so that they can be
successful?
To extend: If the activity is too easy
for a child, how will you extend it to
develop their emerging skills?
Assessment
How will you know if students met the

DO
6. Group Project and Simulation: Students will in effect be an
advertisement company. They will have to explain in economic
terms their location, their product, their price, and their
population. How do these relate to the market which they are
in ( Monopolistic Market). On a butcher-block sheet, they will
create an advertisement for their restaurant. Also, on the
butcher-block paper they will give three reasons why they are a
monopolistic competitive market. Including, how might
advertising make markets more or less competitive? (25 min)
You DO
7. (Closure) Each group will present posters (Restaurant chosen,
why monopolistic-how does it fit characteristics, and graph of
monopolistic market vs. monopoly.) (Whole class practice/
teacher imput) You Do (15 min)

***After presentations, , we will highlight and collectively

discuss how this might be important to their own economic
lives. How will they view the economic world they live within
differently (advertisements, name brands, companies etc). (5
min)
*** Total time is 90 Minutes

1. Multiple Intelligences: Use of visuals, note taking, lecture,

movement, discussion, drawing, and application through
creative project.
2. Each student will have access to both peer and teacher
instruction on na individual basis. If student is not challenged
enough, the student will be given a harder scenario in which to
build their company and make their advertisement.

1. Introduction and Market Structure Game: Fill out the

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learning targets? Write a description

of what you were looking for in each
assessment.

characteristics of each type of structure (control over

price, number of firms, types of goods, barriers to
entry). Students will do in group(Target 2). We will be
looking for active participation by all groups and
correct answers. If answers falter or are incorrect,
we will review this section again.
2. See, think, Wonder: Discussion started by Cold Call
of groups. (Target 2)We will be looking for active
participation and asking questions that urge the
students to make connections between market
structure, individual choices, and advertisements.
3. Advertisement Project : Draw an advertisement for a
monopolistic competitive. How might advertising
make markets less competitive or more competitive?
Give an example of each. (pg. 354 in Textbook). Name
company, what they are selling, price point, location,
population within our small town (Given on power
point). (Target 1) Town is Sassieville. We will be
looking for both participation and content-based
assessment. Teachers want students to fully answer
EACH question with answers that explain
monopolistic market qualities and make sense within
the town setting. Students use economic thinking
and terms to answer questions and create
advertisement.
4. Oral Presentation of Advertisement: Students (in
groups) go over their rationale for advertisement.
Why is it a monopolistic competition market structure?
Why did they locate their business in their chosen
area? (Target 1) Teachers will be looking for if each
student participated in the process while circulating
throughout the class during group project time.
Furthermore, teachers will expect students to orally
explain how scarcity of resources and MC vs. MB
come into making decisions on both an individual and
company based level within our economy.
5.

Part III: Data Analysis

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Data Analysis
Narrative:
This semester, I have been able to work and participate in an AP Micro Economics
course. The students that I work with are definitely some of the high flyers within the school.
The majority of the students are taking 5-6 Advanced Placement courses and work hard and want
to do their best. They always are asking intriguing questions, and want to understand the
information and material. I have broken up the data analysis into two subgroups. The first
subgroup that I analyzed was introverts, mixed and extroverted students within the classroom.
Sam and I realized that the different types of personalities in the class are wide ranging, and
looking at how their personality affects their grade is interesting. The second subgroup that we
decided to assess and compare was male versus female. The class has a large population of
females, so we thought that it would be interesting to see how the two groups do on their
assessments. Most of the table groups were either female or male, therefore their grades are
affected by the choices they made in their seating arrangement during that day.
At first, I wanted to examine, the difference between the students who are taking the AP
exam, and those students who are not, but not many of the students are taking the exam, so I
decided on other sub groups. The reason that the students are most likely not taking the AP exam
is because the course is over in a month, yet the AP exam isnt until the last week in May.
Students are going to struggle with taking 5 AP exams first, and then after, taking an AP
economics exam, with material on it from months ago. I think that the mixed group is going to
do the best, because they do not spend the entire class talking, but they also ask questions and
participate in class. The standard that is being addressed is, Productive resources, natural,
human, capital are scarce; therefore choices are made about how individuals, businesses,
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governments and societies allocate these resources, (CDE, 20). Students were given a
worksheet at the beginning of class, where they had to analyze the difference between equality
and equity and evaluate the difference between consumer and producer surplus. Throughout my
data analysis, I hope to find that the majority of my students completed the work, and understood
the material, enough to at least meet expectations.
Introverted, Mixed, Extroverted Analysis

Introverted vs. Extroverted Scores

12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Completion

Vocabulary
Introverted

Graphing
Extroverted

Mixed

In the graph above, you can see that all 29 students completed the packet and the
vocabulary section with accuracy. The thing that students struggled with the most was the
graphing section of the in class work. The graphing section, displays the number of students who
either exceeded or meet expectations, and that number is much lower than the completion and
vocabulary columns. The introverted students had the highest numbers of students who meet or
exceeded the in class work expectations. Maybe that is because the introverted students took
more time focusing on their own assignment then discussing the problem with another student.
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The graphing on their homework was accurate, complete and labeled. If students received a 3 or
a 4, it is meant that they completed at least of the graphs and did it correctly. The other
students may have only completed 1-2 with accuracy and were unable to finish the rest. The
problems got harder each time, so I think this may have frustrated students a bit, and some of the
students who usually complete all their work, ended up spending extra time on the first
problems. If this were my class, I would have given them more time to complete the assignment
or to complete it at home. Unfortunately though, students have a ton of material to cover in the
short semester and needed to move forward.
In the graph below, I broke up the students by their personality types and how many
students need improvement, met expectations and exceeded expectations. A larger percentage of
introverts met or exceeded the expectations, compared to the extroverts, or mixed students. To
me this is very surprising, but analyzing the data is worthwhile, because I find out new things
that I did not already know. Overall, analyzing the personality types and students grades was
interesting and very necessary. I think doing this during student teaching and in my career will
help me change my instruction to cater the needs of all my students.

Personality Types and Grades

Mixed
Extroverted
Introverted
0

2
Needs Work

Meets Expectations

10

12

Exceeds Expectations

Female vs. Male Analysis

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Number of
Students

Female-20

Male-9

There are 29 students in the class.

Male vs. Female Grades

Male
Female
0

Exceeds Expectations

Meets Expectations

10

Needs Improvement

The second subgroup that we decided to look at is Female versus Male. The class seems
to be pretty divided during a typical class period. The girls work with each other, and the males
pair up, so it was interesting to view how the two groups did on their assignment. According to
the above data, four males exceeded expectations, two met expectations and three need
improvement. For females, eight exceeded expectations, six met, and six girls need
improvement. Therefore 44% of males exceeded expectations, while only 40% of females
exceeded expectations. This is interesting, because during class, the ones who seem to discuss
things other than economics or who seem to be more disruptive, are usually males, but they
actually did better on the assignment as a population. Hopefully in the future, I can place my
students into cooperating learning groups not only based on content knowledge, but on interests,

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and even gender. I think that it is important for different type of people to work together, because
they will have to work with all types of groups as they grow older.
Teaching Strategies:
The three teaching strategies that I would use to improve my students scores would be to
place my students into jigsaw groups, use pre-test, posttest techniques and utilize a ticket out
the door. The first thing I would do in my classroom is place the students in jigsaw groups. The
reason I think that Jigsaw groups would be beneficial for this class and others, is because the
material is lengthy, difficult and students can learn more by teaching others. Instead of throwing
all the content at the students at once, I would break them up into their expert groups and
students would learn about material from one subset such as, consumer surplus. Then they would
all go to different groups learning about different ideas such as, consumer surplus, producer
surplus, equity vs. equality, deadweight loss and total surplus. Each group would teach the others
about the different ideas and then we would come back as a class and put all of the content areas
together. I think that this would help the students learn more, and remember more, than they
themselves are the ones teaching the material. I really like jigsaw being incorporated into the
classroom for other content areas as well, but especially in AP Micro Economics, because it
helps slow down the learning experience and get more in depth within each group. Another
teaching strategy I would incorporate into the lesson I did, would be using a pre-test, post-test.
We did not really have the time to use a pre-test, posttest, but we could have given them a
short pre-test at the beginning. Yet, because we have been working with them for the majority of
the semester one on one, we have a good idea of where they are at. I wish I was also able to look
at the data from before and after, but unfortunately we did not make the students do a pre and
posttest. I think it is great that I have assessed my data, and realized what I could have done
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better, being a part of the STEPP program is about being able to reflect on my lesson and decide
on what I could do better in my future. The third thing that I would have done better and hope to
use in my future classrooms, are ticket out the doors.
After that lesson, the students were able to apply the concepts into real world issues, but
we did not have time to reflect on the lesson and wrap it up during that same class period. We
did do a ticket out the door, but not during the same class period. I think that the students would
have wanted the ticket out the door to be during the same day, because they would leave with a
closure and an understanding, instead of in a rush. Time management is a huge part of lesson
planning, and taking the time to wrap up a lesson, is important. A ticket out the door would make
students reflect on what they have learned and it might even be about what they did not learn.
This would be great for me as a teacher to have because then the next day, I can work on the
things that the students are struggling with. I think it is important to make sure that the students
understand the material, especially since they just continue to move on to more difficult material.
If the students are left stuck on one part, they might give up and stop paying attention in class.
Even having student just turn in the answer to, what specific ideas or concepts are you not
understanding? The students do not even need to put their name on it, it just helps me see what
students need help with the next day. Or if students do put their names on it, maybe discuss with
them a time outside of class to help them one on one. I have learned so much this semester, about
who I am as a teacher, and how I will fit my instruction to meet the needs of all learners.
Looking at data and comparing and contrasting subgroups is important and will help me become
a more equal and efficient teacher.

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Part IV: Modifications

Modifications
The students in the AP Micro Economics course that I shadow two times is a week is
very gifted group of 12th grade students. A majority of the class is in several AP courses, and
many are in up to five or six AP courses. Although the class is full of very busy and intelligent
individuals, most of them still struggle with the hypothetical work in the economics class. Many
of the kids are very advanced in subjects such as chemistry and calculus. They are used to being
challenged in the classroom with adequate instruction and want to work hard and want to
understand the material. There are a few students in the class, that are only taking this one AP
course, and they seem to be more prone to giving up or not focusing on the task at hand. That is
definitely the hardest part about being in the class. Catering to those students who have no
motivation, who just want to get their C and move on, and who have no intent of taking the AP
test.
The class is structured very much like a college class, where students have the freedom to
do what they want, and are given the time to work on their problems either individually or within
groups. This can be hard for the students, they are used to coming in to a class, always given
exactly what to do, when to do it, and are forced to do the reading. Instead, students are expected
to read and follow along in their own time, just like in a college course. They are in a college
course, they should be keeping up the reading, taking the time to understand the material on their
own, but they are not taking the time to do so and continually do not understand why they are not
understanding the material in the fast paced classroom. Although they are still in high school,
Mr. Habig is preparing them for the next four years at a university. I believe that this is a good
mind set to have, but I think that the students are looking for structure and more instruction. I
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think they would work better if they were always put into cooperation groups, or given a lecture
where they have to take notes and follow along, because many are used to the idea that they will
always be successful, so think that they do not need to. I try to help level the playing field in the
classroom and cater to the needs of the students a little more.
Some of the ways in which I accommodate for the students changes based on what their
needs are. When I did my lesson, we laid out expectations, encouraged questions, went through
visual examples of what the supply demand chart would look like, we separated the students into
groups, lectured, wrote on the board, and made sure that every student had a copy of all the
notes. As a class, we did the graph together, then the students worked on them individually as
Sam and I circled the class. Then as a class we shared our answers and why. This helps all
different types of students. Some love participating in a group setting to do their work, while
others work better alone. This gave every student a chance at being successful. The visual graphs
helped visual learners understand what happened in the marketplace, while the lecture helped
auditory learners, and the hypothetical examples helped the kinesthetic learners of the classroom.
Another way in which students become more successful in the AP Micro Economics course is by
giving them step by step directions. The questions the students have the answer and work
through are usually very dense and require a lot of focus. I make sure to say, whats the first
thing you need to do? It is important to focus on the small details before going into the big ideas.
I think I have done a good job at modifying the classroom for the students, but I wish that
we had more time to work together. Sometimes I only have time to help out 6-8 students. Some
of the specific examples where I have modified work for the students is by giving them step by
steps, having them rely on each other and correcting behavioral problems. First, I helped a very
frustrated student last week. We sat down together in a group of three students. I asked what the
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first step was, and we worked through it together. I gave her some of the formulas to finish the
problem and asked her why the formula would be that. It is important to have formulas, but they
are useless unless you know why they are important. When she could not understand why, her
classmates chimed in to help. When they worked together, it helped because two students
transformed into teachers and now understood the material more, while the other student listened
to them patiently because they are friends and respect each other. Another way in which I
modified instruction had to do with behavioral issues. When Sam and I taught our lesson, the
first thing we did for the day was lay out expectations. One student kept blurting out the answers,
and I know that this particular student is very intelligent and has very valid remarks to make. I
went up to him, and just stated that I understand that he has a lot to say, that he is very intelligent
and I want to hear what he has to say, but that the expectation for the rest of class was to raise his
hand. For the rest of the class period, he never blurted out another answer and raised his hand.
The end result was that it actually positively affected our relationship. When he comes into class
now, he always asks me how I am doing and we continually get to know each other more. When
he knew what was expected of him, he did it, but before that he had never been told not to do
that.
Accommodating instruction and adapting to my students needs is very important in the
classroom. Every single one of them is very different and needs to be given an equal opportunity
at being successful. This is one of the hardest things to do in a classroom of 33 students, but
having the chance at being in this environment now will help me in the future.

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Part V: Reflection
This past semester has been a huge learning experience. A learning experience about who
I am as a person and as a teacher. This semester has helped shape who I will become. It has
taught me so many important things about myself, and I have even seen some of things I need to
improve on, or what my limits are. At the beginning of the semester, I was terrified to get up in
front of kids and teach, and now I get excited and I worry about more important issues such as,
are the students understanding the way I am delivering material? What questions do they
have, and how can I answer all of them? I have realized that I really like to layout lessons in a
very obvious way. When I enter the classroom, I want to write down all the tasks for the day on
the board, with the learning targets. I like to hand out materials, watch videos, look at pictures
and analyze different perspectives. I take the time to make sure the quiet students get the
attention they need. I try to develop positive relationships with all of my students. My
philosophy, personal goals and beliefs about assessment and management have evolved and
become real and important this semester.
First, my philosophy has been sculpted throughout my instruction and method courses. I
believe that every student should get an equal chance at understanding and developing opinions
and perspectives on the subject I teach, whether its economics or government. I want everyone to
get the opportunity to learn, and not give up. I have also learned that although every teacher says
that relationships come first and it sounds clich, it is completely true. Maintaining positive
relationships with every single student is crucial to not only their learning, but their lives. I have
no idea the impact I have on the students I affect, and I need to make sure that I positively make
a difference in their day, every day. With working with peers and professors, I have realized that
I am pretty good at staying calm, and thinking positively. I have had the opportunity to work
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with students more anxious then myself, and have helped the situations I have come across by
maintaining cool and calm. Another huge part of a classroom is the management piece. This
semester I have realized that creating guidelines and expectations for all my students is very
important, and calling it out the first time I see it is very important. I also have realized that not
all battles are worth the fight, and to pick the right ones. I am still nervous about planning from
day to day, but I think that fear will go away when I am actually doing the planning, day to day, I
just havent gotten that experience yet and cant wait to in just a month! I have learned to be
flexible with my lesson plans, because students want to learn about different things, and when
conversation gets interesting, I do not want to get away from that. Another huge part of this
semester has been devoted to summative and formative assessments.
I think that it is very cool that education is going into a more formative era. I think
assessment should be frequent and should not always have such a huge cloud of its head. I think
that when we give students summative assessments, to not make the questions tricky or difficult.
If the student studied and understand the information, they should be able to receive a good
grade, the test is already hard enough. Before this semester, I would have thought that it is
important to make multiple choice tests tricky or hard. Now, I see that I need to get my students
all the resources in order to be successful. Formative assessment is huge in getting learning
underway, and I need to be able to track my students progress every single day. Whether its
through a written paragraph or a simple thumbs up, middle or down, tracking my students
progress is crucial.
I have learned so many things about who I will be as a teacher, and I think I will be an
amazing teacher. I have the passion and enthusiasm needed to enter a classroom, build
relationships and learn essential content. I have built so many positive relationships this semester
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with professors, peers, teachers and students and cant wait to continue building these
connections. I understand that I have to work hard and stay positive, but I am so excited for the
journey ahead, and feel prepared thanks to my time at Thompson Valley High School this
semester.

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