Trey Thompson October 26, 2012 EPS 513 Planning and Assessment Paper Draft 1.

Content Focus and Standards Summarize the central focus for the content you will teach in this learning segment. Describe the standards that relate to this content The focus of this learning segment is on reading standards and objectives based on both the AUSL 3rd grade Reading Pacing Guide, and therefore, the Illinois State Standards. (1.3.20) (1.3.24) Use inferences, drawing conclusions, t-s, t-t, t-w connections, and prior knowledge to respond to an extended response prompt (2.3.02) Recognize and describe relationships between characters. The concepts addressed in these standards are broad and imply that the students come in with prior knowledge on many literary concepts and text elements. The main focus of this learning segment will be to provide opportunities for the students to make deep connections to the text they are reading. 2. Knowledge of Students to Inform Teaching a) Academic development (e.g., prior knowledge, prerequisite skills, ways of thinking in the subject areas, developmental levels, special educational needs) This learning segment requires that students have prior knowledge on the literary elements such as character, plot and setting. These are concepts that we have or will explicitly teach to the students in preparation of this learning segment. It also requires that the students be comfortable with the academic rigor that is required to examine text to make inferences and connections. I know that for some of my students there will be times they feel stretched or may misunderstand, but the concepts covered should allow for an overall understanding of the objectives and standards addressed. We will use texts that are appropriate for their age, and

developmental levels. I will use previous exit slips and do nows that have been made to assess the students understanding and application of the literary elements mentioned. These exit slips will provide insight into the areas of strength and struggle with individual students and the class as a whole b) Academic Language development (e.g., students abilities to understand and produce the oral or written language associated with the central focus and standards/objectives within the learning segment) The academic language required within this learning segment is rich, but the majority will be words and concepts that we have taught, and practiced through-out this year. Our students from day one have been required to take notes and have discussions about many things, but literary concepts particularly. These notes and discussions have laid the foundation for the academic language that is required within this learning segment. c) Family/community/cultural assets (e.g., relevant lived experiences, cultural expectations, and student interests) The books that I will use to teach the concepts in this learning segment have been carefully selected to best meet the needs of the students in my classroom. I know that my students have rich and diverse experiences outside the classroom. The lessons within this learning segment are made to meet my students where they are out based on many of those experiences. I picked books that have characters that interest the students and reflect who they are as individuals. I have tried to spend time with my students outside the classroom, at recess, pe, art, afterschool clubs, and other activities to gain a better understanding of the cultural differences and similarities and on their own personal interests and experiences. d) Social and emotional development (e.g., ability to interact and express themselves in constructive ways, ability to engage in collaborative learning, nature of contributions to a positive literacy learning environment). I have observed my students both formally and informally and feel as though I have a good understanding of their social and emotional development. I will use activities

like think-pair-share within this learning segment because it has been a proven stagey in our classroom and works well as an opportunity for collaborative learning. We will also use many of the thinking, writing, and speaking stems that we have taught and discussed in class. This is a common practice in our classroom so I know that my students will be able to associate these stems with literacy and a positive and appropriate way of talking, thinking, and writing about literacy. e) Learning strategies: what instructional and learning strategies have been effective for your students? How do you know? As mentioned about we will use the proven practices of thinking stems and activities like think-pair-share. I know these strategies will be effective because they have been used in our classroom since day one and have provided space for learning for our students. 3. Supporting Student Learning a) Explain how your understanding of your students prior learning, experiences and development guided your choice or adaptation of learning tasks and materials, to develop students' abilities to successfully meet lesson segment outcomes. As I have planned this learning segment I have tried to pay particular attention the needs of my students. I know there are certain students in my class who will have different needs than others because of who they are, what they have experienced, and their current learning level. I will use differentiated assessments to be sure to meet the needs of all of my students. I have also paid particular attention to the students BAS level and RIT scores as these give great insight into the level my students are at and what can been done to support them to ensure success. b) How are the plans for instruction sequenced in the learning segment to build connections between students prior learning and experiences and new content skills and strategies? Every lesson within the segment will devote time to engaging the students prior knowledge and experiences. I will do this in many different ways including but not limited to: review of previous anchor charts, discussions of students experiences

and how they compare and contrast to the experiences of the characters within the text, review of previous lessons notes. I will also use the post it method identified in the Doug Lemov book Teach like a Champion. Posting the objectives on the board and talking about them before during and after the lesson will for to activate the students prior knowledge because the objectives contain words and phrases that we have already studied in class this year. c) Explain how, throughout the learning segment, you will help students make connections between skills and strategies in ways that support their abilities to deepen their content learning. The concepts within this learning segment require that the students build upon their learning as the segment progresses. I will use the exit slips and do nows to help build those required connections and skills. d) Describe common developmental approximations and misunderstandings within your content focus and how you will address them. It is inevitable that there will be misunderstandings within the content focus. I anticipate the students will struggle specifically with the concept of making inferences. I assume that they will mistake an inference with a prediction because they are similar ideas and we have spent substantial time learning how to make predictions. I will address this issue by explicitly teaching that what an inference is and what things we can make inferences about such as setting, characters feelings, ect.. e) Describe any instructional strategies planned to support students with specific learning needs. This will vary based on what you know about your students, but may include students with IEPs, English learners, or gifted students needing greater support or challenge. As discussed earlier the exit slips and do nows for this learning segment will be differentiated. There will be two sometimes three different exit slips designed to meet the needs of my struggling students, typical students, and those performing at a high level. I will also provide some students with individual and group meetings

to address misunderstanding, provide deeper support, or to challenge and stretch my students. 4. Supporting Student Understanding and Use of Academic Language a) Identify the key academic language demand and explain why it is integral to the central focus for the segment and appropriate to students academic language development. Consider language functions and language forms, essential vocabulary, and/or phrases for the concepts and skills being taught, and instructional language necessary for students to understand or produce oral and/or written language within learning tasks and activities. This lesson segment has a few key words and phrases that will be vital for the students to know and understand: inferences, conclusions, text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world connections, and characters. These vocabulary words and concepts are important for the students to understand so that they can internalize their meaning and make the necessary connections for learning to take place.

b) Explain how planned instructional supports will assist students to understand academic language related to the key language demand to express and develop their content learning. Describe how planned supports vary for students at different levels of academic language development. All of the words and phrases discussed above will be explicitly taught and explained. The majority of the definitions of these words will be written and connected to some image, either one drawn on an anchor chart, or the cover of a book or picture that helps us understand the word. The students will also be writing the words and their meanings in their reading notebooks as a part of their notes. We will take time to discuss the meaning of the words as well. I will use think-pair-share to drive home the understanding and application of the words and phrases. This range of activities will help to meet the diverse learning levels and styles of my students. 5. Monitoring Student Learning a) Explain how the informal and formal assessments you select and/or designed will provide evidence you will use to monitor student progress toward the

standards/objectives. Consider how the assessments will provide evidence of students use of content specific skills and strategies to promote rigorous learning. The exit slips used will come mainly from the 3rd Grade Reading Pacing Guide. This tool was created by teachers within AUSL including my mentor, and is designed to give the most complete and appropriate assessments of the standards and objectives. I will use mainly these assessments because they have been made collaboratively by experts who have the experience and expertise required to formulate assessments. Each day within this learning segment will have many forms of both formal and informal assessments. I will use do nows to both engage prior knowledge and assess students understanding of important concepts. I will use the exit slips as a way to check for understanding and to make the appropriate adjustments to the lessons when necessary. I will also be using observations as a way to assess the students informally throughout the lesson to increase the students chances for success. b) Describe any modifications or accommodations to the planned assessment tools or procedures that allow students with specific needs to demonstrate their learning. As discussed earlier most of the exit slips provided will come in two or three different forms. There will be exit slips that do not require as much writing for the students whom have shown significant struggles with writing.