Standard Biology Differentiation: Analysis and Reflection on Student Learning

Mary Osborn

MAT Cohort 2017

Part 1:

The skill that I would like my students to develop is from the 21st century skills which

was developed by the partnership for 21st century learning. This is composed of 4 main parts

which include: Content Knowledge and 21st Century Themes: Learning and Innovation Skills,

Information, Media and Technology Skills, and Life and Career Skills. The skill in which I want

my students to develop from these 21st century categories is critical thinking and problem

solving. Being able to think critically in science is important for figuring out how biology works

and making connections with the real world. I want my students to use the content in a way to

solve problems and think critically in how it relates to the real world.

In science and in life, being able to think critically about a subject and looking for further

implications besides face value allow us to understand the depth of knowledge the world around

us possesses. By teaching my students about biology and encouraging them to think critically

about it this can increase awareness and appreciation for the world around them and their own

bodies. During my cellular unit, I wanted my students to think critically and make connections

between cellular structures and functions and their bodies as well as the world around them. By

implementing different teaching and differentiation strategies I hoped to foster 21st Century

Skills in my students.
Part 2:

The three students I picked for my analysis include Noah, Timothy, and Jessica. Noah

and Timothy are in my 3rd period standard biology course and Jessica is in my 1st period standard

biology course.

Noah is a student in my 3rd period standard biology that started off the semester with

some behavioral issues and has had ISS from disrupting the class. After contacting his guardian,

his behavior improved yet sometimes he has days in which it is hard for him to focus. I chose

him for my analysis because I wanted to see how a student who has behavioral issues is able to

keep up with the content of the course and apply problem solving to their learning. He is very

smart and is able to pass a majority of quizzes and tests but seems disconnected during class and

complains about taking notes and doing work. His EVAAS data has him in the 27th percentile

which is a low 2.

Timothy is a student in my 3rd period standard biology that is retaking biology and needs

the class to graduate this year. He has an IEP in which we print out the notes for him. He has

trouble keeping up with the pace of the course but often comes after school to get caught up on

everything he misses. He turns all of his work in yet does not pass a majority of quizzes and

tests. He also has missed many days of class which have put him behind but is working hard to

get all caught up. His EVAAS data has him in the 7th percentile which is a low 1.

Jessica is a student in my 1st period standard biology that works hard every day in class.

She is rarely absent, pays attention, and rarely has behavioral issues. She turns in all of her work

and makes sure that she is asking questions for clarification. Although she comes every day and

participates, she still struggles to pass quizzes and tests. She is bilingual and speaks Spanish as

well as English. Her EVAAS data has her in the 4th percentile which is a low 1.
Part 3, Part 4B&C: See Attached

Part 4A & D:

Pre-Assessment was given at the beginning of the semester. This was used to analyze

current biological knowledge that each student has. This consisted of 27 multiple choice

questions and a writing pre-assessment. This consisted of 4 questions in which the student had to

problem solve and critically think about a parasitic insect and how it biologically affected its

host. These were used to see how they critically think about scientific issues and current reading

level.

For the multiple choice pre-assessment, Noah scored a 12, Tim scored a 7, and Jessica

scored a 15 out of 27 multiple choice questions. For the writing pre-assessment, Noah got all 4

questions correct, Jessica got only 2 of the questions correct, and Tim did not take the writing

pre-assessment due to an absence.

Noah did better on the written pre-assessment than the multiple choice. He was very

strong in being able to describe the benefits of the fecal shields to the beetle. By using critical

thinking, he was able to figure out that this benefits by providing camouflage. As well, he

inferred that the population of beetle will eventually die out due to the parasites.

Jessica only got the first 2 questions of the written pre-assessment correct. She was able

to infer where the beetles were found in the world and where they lay their eggs. She was unable

to think critically about what the benefits of the fecal shields were to the beetle or what would

happen if the species could not protect itself from parasites. Although, she did write in complete

sentences which were grammatically correct.

I will assess critical thinking and problem solving through laboratory activities as well as

quizzes, tests, and a project. The laboratory activities include a microscope lab, gummy bear lab,
and lab analyzing plant and animal cells. The quizzes include vocabulary quizzes each week

which consist of up to 10 words related to the content taught. The tests include one large cellular

test including topics such as cell theory, organelles, prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and cell

transport. Mitosis and cell differentiation was a separate final assessment. The project grade for

this unit included a foldable which students used their own knowledge to describe what was

happening at each stage in the cell cycle. These formative and summative assessments allowed

me to see how they were critically thinking and making connections between real world

examples and the content.

Part 5:

For Noah, my differentiation strategy aimed at keeping him engaged in class even when

his behavior was not the best. I also wanted to increase his motivation to do well in class so he

can succeed on formative and summative assessments. The strategy that I tried in order to keep

him motivated was group pairing, rewards, and experiencing the content. As far as groups are

concerned, for a majority of the activities and labs I made sure that I thought critically about

which students would work best together based on skill level and behavior. I paired Noah up

with students that were on a higher level than him to keep him motivated and focused during

activities and labs. For rewards, we use bug rewards with our students. If Noah answered a

question correctly or tried he would receive a bug which could be traded in for candy or another

type of prize. I also made sure that I was providing him with positive feedback during class. A

wonderful part of science is being able to see biology in action. For my lab activities with the

microscopes, I planned for students to see the concepts we have been learning and relate to them

in a real way. For a lab comparing plant and animal cells, Noah was able to use a microscope to
observe his own cheek cells and identify organelles within them. This helped reinforce what we

had been learning by engaging with the content in a real way.

For Tim, since he has an IEP I followed the guidelines as far as providing him with

printed notes for class time but also encouraged him to write it down with us in class to help

reinforce the content. I also gave him the ability to come and retake any and all of the quizzes

and assessments in order to improve his grade. I made sure I spent more one on one time with

him during class and after school to make sure he caught up if he had missed days of class. The

ways in which I differentiated for Tim and my other students with IEPs was by allowing them to

use their different intelligences to explore activities. For many activities, I included notes that

were written, content that was said out loud, and gave the students the opportunity to engage

with the content in many different ways including flip books, graphic organizers, note taking

organizers, and color and label activities. All of these different ways at looking at the content is a

way to push my students when they may not feel most comfortable with the content but also help

them feel more comfortable when they worked on an activity that appealed to their specific

learning style. For Tim, providing him with the printed notes and encouraging him to show his

intelligence in many different ways provided more opportunities for success and learning.

For Jessica, who struggles with passing vocabulary quizzes and tests, I have provided her

with multiple study guides as well as opportunities to make back those points on her quizzes and

tests. She has been provided with vocabulary practice worksheets in which she has to write the

definition, draw a picture, write a test question, and write an example. She does a good job of

keeping up with work in class and turning in all her work which shows she is keeping up with

the pace of the class and takes in the material. When we had labs and other activities, I

specifically matched her up with other students that will help her stay focused as well as students
that are ELL that she feels comfortable communicating with. For many content specific

assignments I differentiate the instruction for her by including not only auditory instruction but

pictures, coloring, hands on activities, and other labs to test her knowledge. These formative

assessments also help bring up her grade since she does not pass most quizzes and tests.

Part 6A: See Attached

Part 6B:

My implementation plan for the differentiation strategies for these students were adapted

on days needed. For Noah, I made sure that I went around to him every day to make sure that he

was writing his notes down and paying attention. I also made sure that he was staying on task

and not using his phone during class time. I also encouraged him to come in during lunch to

work on things if he had any questions. To work on the project foldable, he came in during lunch

and with my assistance was able to complete the foldable and get a good grade on it. In addition,

I gave him the opportunity to retake quizzes and tests for extra points.

For Tim, I had to adapt my implementation strategy by providing him with a print out of

the notes every day and encouraged him to write the notes himself as well. In addition, by

providing him with extra tutoring time after school, I believe he was able to get more of the work

done and did better on the tests. I saw that he struggled with the first mitosis quiz so I decided to

go back and after re-teaching mitosis he was able to succeed on the second quiz.

For Jessica, I sat her towards the front of the class so that she would be able to focus

away from any distractions. I also made sure I went around to her every day to check to see if

she understood the information. I found that she usually doesnt ask questions when she doesnt

understand something so I made sure I asked her thought provoking questions and clarified the

content for her to make sure she fully understood the content.
Part 7A & B: See Attached

For the final assessments for this unit, I divided up cell structure and function and mitosis

to make two separate final assessments. I did this to decrease the amount of information needed

for each assessment. For the cell test, I included pictures and wording that we used in class as

well as questions that we practiced together. I also allowed my students to use their study guide

on the test which allowed them to have a supplement to help them. I also provided the essay

questions ahead of time so that they could prepare for what they wanted to write or say to show

their knowledge. For the mitosis final assessment, I allowed students to use their mitosis foldable

to supplement them on the test. The foldable had most but not all the information they needed to

get the correct answers.

The reason why I provided each of my students with supplements for their tests is

because most of the students struggle with multiple choice questions and test structure. I wanted

them to feel more comfortable with the information and know that they have the information in

their mind and in front of them. I also provided each of them with the essay questions because I

did not want to have any of the questions be a surprise so that they could think about their

answer ahead of time. Each of the students seem to understand the content but struggle on tests

which is why I wanted to provide them with as much supplement to help them with those

assessments as possible.

Part 7C:

For Noah, the implementation plan seemed to improve not only his vocab quiz grades but

his behavior. After spending more time making sure he is on task and talking with his mom, we

were able to improve his grades and behavior during class. I noticed his focus on the information

increased as well as the amount of work he turned in. He had his good days and bad days where
he was on task and paying attention and then other days in which he was attempting to sleep

during class and use his phone. During labs and other activities, he was working hard and

thinking critically about how cells under the microscope relate to the cells in our body and

successfully completed all of the classwork for this particular unit. On the organelle quiz, we

quizzed once with their notes and one without their notes. He got 7 out of 11 answers correct on

the first one and after reviewing and labeling organelles (Student #1 Ex 3 and 4) on plant and

animal cells he was able to improve his organelle quiz grade without using his notes to get all 11

questions correct (See Student #1 Ex 10). This displays that he is thinking critically about what

each part of the cell does and applying problem solving to improve his quiz grades. Although he

did better on quizzes, his test grade did not turn out the best. Despite providing him with the

essay questions ahead of time he did not fill out all of the essay questions on the test which

brought his grade down (Student #1 Final A). Also on the test day, he decided to put his head

down instead of focusing on the test. After that, we learned about mitosis and tested on it after

reviewing. He did well on the mitosis foldable (Student #1 Ex 5) and was able to use that on the

mitosis quiz but only got 9 out of 15 questions correct (Student #1 Final B). He was provided

with the opportunity to retest to get more points for both of these assessments but did not take me

up on the offer.

Since that point and time, Noah has been continuing to stay focused and work hard in

class yet still has his bad days. After asking to put his phone away several times, he was removed

from the classroom for cursing at my mentor teacher. I took him to the office and gave him the

option to either give me his phone or I would call an administrator. He still refused so I ended up

calling an assistant principal and he was given ISS. We have not had any behavioral issues since

then and he is passing all of his vocabulary quizzes. My mentor and I have continued to monitor
his progress and provide him with study guides and opportunities to gain back points lost on tests

and other assignments.

For Tim, in addition to the differentiation strategies, I also monitored his work and made

sure he was focused and on task during class. For learning the organelles, he did a good job on

labeling (Student #2 Ex 2) and creating an organelle fact sheet (Student #2 Ex 4) that ultimately

helped his grade overall yet did not translate over when tested on the material. We have moved

him to a separate setting when he wants to take quizzes and tests according to his IEP. We have

also provided him with all of the study guides and essay questions ahead of time. He was then

able to prepare his essay questions ahead of time which allowed him to get almost full points for

the essay questions on the cell test (Student #2 Final A). After that test, we learned about mitosis

and he turned in his cell foldable which displayed his understanding of the steps of mitosis and

the cell cycle (Student #2 Ex 5). He successfully wrote all of the information that happened in

each phase and drew his own picture about what was happening. For the mitosis final

assessment, he struggled the first time and received a grade of 6.5 out of 15 (Student #2 Final

B1) but after more review and retaking the test he was able to improve his overall grade to 11 out

of 15 and pass the assessment (Student #2 Final B2).

Despite his hard work and improvements, during the cellular unit Tim missed a whole

week of school which resulted in a loss of a lot of points towards his grade. When he returned, he

did a good job of focusing and paying attention yet the loss of class time most likely resulted in

his grade slipping and his inability to pass the cell test. Since that point and time, my mentor and

I have provided Tim with continued opportunities to retake quizzes and tests. His overall grade

and attendance has improved. He also has been showing up after school on Thursdays for

tutoring and extra help. Since this is his second time taking biology and he needs it to graduate I
think the effort of both my mentor and I will help him understand the content better and

ultimately pass the class.

For Jessica, in addition to the differentiation strategies I made sure I spent extra time

going over concepts with her to make sure she understood what we were learning. In addition to

taking notes on organelles, I had her color and label plant and animal cells (Student #3 Ex. 3).

Another way to remember the organelles is creating rhymes which I used to help her understand

each of the organelles (Student #3 Ex. 6). I also provided her with the diagram that was used on

the final assessment to label the organelles on both plant and animal cells (Student #2 Ex 11).

She excelled in all of these activities which were designed to work with different intelligences

where she had the opportunity to write, model, and explore cells. The way in which I helped her

with her project modeling mitosis is when she turned it in she had not followed the rubric fully

so I allowed her to work on it more and turn it in for full points. She ended up turning in a

perfect foldable and was in turn able to use that on her cell test (Student #3 Ex. 4). Jessica

continued to struggle on the vocabulary quizzes but was given the opportunity to retake. She did

a really good job on the essay portion of the cell test which I provided the students ahead of time

to prepare but struggled with the multiple choice questions (Student #3 Final A). In the future, I

would provide Jessica with more help with her vocabulary so that she could have gotten better

grades on those assessments.

After this unit, my mentor and I continued to support Jessica by providing her with extra

assistance when needed. We also have provided her with the opportunity to use vocabulary

matrices to receive full points on vocabulary quizzes. She also has done better on tests by being

able to use her notes which she does a good job in working on. I am impressed by her resilience

and ability to push herself. I am confident in her ability to pass biology.