TEACHING ARTIFACTS AND THE CALIFORNIA STANDARDS FOR THE TEACHING PROFESSION (CSTP)
This artifact library will demonstrate my understandings of the California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTPs). I have included my own personal lesson plans, reflections, and student work to illustrate how I make content accessible and how I support different types of learners in the classroom. As an educator, it is important to consider the various factors of a child’s learning experience such as language proficiency, skills in the content area, prior knowledge, community resources, and the different types of intelligences. I try to always be cognizant of these factors in order to support the learning of all of my students.
STANDARD 1: ENGAGING AND SUPPORTING ALL STUDENTS IN LEARNING
-SCIENCE LESSON 'HOW MANY BEARS?'
Teachers know and care about their students in order to engage them in learning. They connect learning to students’ prior knowledge, backgrounds, life experiences, and interests. They connect subject matter to meaningful, real-life contexts. Teachers use a variety of instructional strategies, resources, and technologies to meet the diverse learning needs of students. They promote critical thinking through inquiry, problem solving, and reflection. They monitor student learning and adjust instruction while teaching.
One of my favorite science lessons I have taught is called ‘How Many Bears?’ This lesson allows students to experience how limiting factors such as water, food, and shelter impact the ability for an animal to survive in its habitat. In the activity, students are pretending to be bears collecting food and bringing it back to their den. Food consisted a pieces of colored paper and the dens were envelopes; each bear was only allowed to gather one piece of food at a time. In our bear population there were four special bears: a blind bear, a mama bear with a baby bear, and an injured bear. The reason I love this activity is that it allows students to have a personal experience in a simulation with the concepts of limiting factors, survival, and habitat. The students must critically think and reflect on why many of their bears in the class were unable to survive, they began to play with these concepts in their heads to make meaning of their experience. Throughout this lesson the students are highly supported with visuals, hands on experience, varied sentence stems, and partner talks. The lesson is meaningful, engaging, and applicable!
Lesson: How Many Bears?
One of my favorite science lessons I have taught is called ‘How Many Bears?’ This lesson allows students to experience how limiting factors such as water, food, and shelter impact the ability for an animal to survive in its habitat. In the activity, students are pretending to be bears collecting food and bringing it back to their den. Food consisted a pieces of colored paper and the dens were envelopes; each bear was only allowed to gather one piece of food at a time. In our bear population there were four special bears: a blind bear, a mama bear with a baby bear, and an injured bear. The reason I love this activity is that it allows students to have a personal experience in a simulation with the concepts of limiting factors, survival, and habitat. The students must critically think and reflect on why many of their bears in the class were unable to survive, they began to play with these concepts in their heads to make meaning of their experience. Throughout this lesson the students are highly supported with visuals, hands on experience, varied sentence stems, and partner talks. The lesson is meaningful, engaging, and applicable!
Lesson: How Many Bears?
STANDARD 2: CREATING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTS FOR STUDENT LEARNING
-HOME/SCHOOL/COMMUNITY PROJECT WITH EVERYBODY COOKS RICE
Teachers promote social development and responsibility within a caring community where each student is treated fairly and respectfully. They create physical or virtual learning environments that promote student learning, reflect diversity, and encourage constructive and productive interactions among students. They establish and maintain learning environments that are physically, intellectually, and emotionally safe. Teachers create a rigorous learning environment with high expectations and appropriate support for all students. Teachers develop, communicate, and maintain high standards for individual and group behavior. They employ classroom routines, procedures, norms, and supports for positive behavior to ensure a climate in which all students can learn. They use instructional time to optimize learning.
I enjoy incorporating multicultural text into the classroom to encourage conversations about diversity and in order to instill respect and love for one another. I think building a safe and comfortable classroom community is vital for a conducive learning environment. During my student teaching in National City I implemented a Home-School-Community project and the experience was wonderful! I began this project with a read aloud of the text Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley. The book is about a girl looking for her younger brother in the neighborhood, during her search she visits her neighbor’s home to inquire whether they have seen her brother. At each house she stops at there is a family cooking a rice dish and she has a little nibble. The families are of various descents including Haitian, Barbadian, Puerto Rican, Vietnamese, Indian, Chinese, and Italian. After the reading I presented a project to my students, they could either write a recipe or restaurant recommendation about a rice dish with any family member in whichever language they feel most comfortable in. In addition, the student must discuss his/her memories of this dish with their family member. Once all the projects were collected each student shared their project and I created a class book for all to read at their leisure. It was a wonderful experience that valued home language and culture to create a respectful and loving classroom environment in which we celebrated our cultural memories with each other!
I enjoy incorporating multicultural text into the classroom to encourage conversations about diversity and in order to instill respect and love for one another. I think building a safe and comfortable classroom community is vital for a conducive learning environment. During my student teaching in National City I implemented a Home-School-Community project and the experience was wonderful! I began this project with a read aloud of the text Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley. The book is about a girl looking for her younger brother in the neighborhood, during her search she visits her neighbor’s home to inquire whether they have seen her brother. At each house she stops at there is a family cooking a rice dish and she has a little nibble. The families are of various descents including Haitian, Barbadian, Puerto Rican, Vietnamese, Indian, Chinese, and Italian. After the reading I presented a project to my students, they could either write a recipe or restaurant recommendation about a rice dish with any family member in whichever language they feel most comfortable in. In addition, the student must discuss his/her memories of this dish with their family member. Once all the projects were collected each student shared their project and I created a class book for all to read at their leisure. It was a wonderful experience that valued home language and culture to create a respectful and loving classroom environment in which we celebrated our cultural memories with each other!
STANDARD 3: UNDERSTANDING AND ORGANIZING SUBJECT MATTER FOR STUDENT LEARNING
-READING, WRITING, AND ART WITH 'I WISH I HAD A MONSTER'
Teachers exhibit in-depth working knowledge of subject matter, academic content standards, and curriculum frameworks. They apply knowledge of student development and proficiencies to ensure student understanding of content. They organize curriculum to facilitate students' understanding of the subject matter. Teachers utilize instructional strategies that are appropriate to the subject matter. They use and adapt resources, technologies, and standards-aligned instructional materials, including adopted materials, to make subject matter accessible to all students. They address the needs of English learners and students with special needs to provide equitable access to the content.
I have learned the importance of understanding the developmental level of your students and adjusting lesson plans accordingly, this was especially true when I worked with kindergartners. In kindergarten students are forming their foundations for reading, material must be presented in digestible pieces to facilitate this process. Thus, each week for shared reading the process of reading was broken down into steps, I will use the text I Wish I Had a Monster to illustrate this. Day 1 was a picture walk, the students and I looked at the pictures in the book to determine what type of text it was (fiction or non-fiction), who is the main character, and what might the book be about. Day 2 we decoded the book, we read it together discussing strategies for reading words such as using our sight word knowledge, sounding it out, looking for words within words, etc. Day 3 we reread the text to make meaning of what we read the day before, the pressure was taken off of decoding to now discussing content. Day 4 was a exciting day in which we read for expression, the text was especially fun to read because we developed body motions for sections such as ‘wild waving legs’ and ‘yellow terribly teeth’, just to name a few. Day 5 I incorporated a fun art and writing activity to build upon the reading of the text. Students wrote descriptions of their monsters and created them out of geometric pieces of paper. The results were amazing because student applied their knowledge from the reading of text, included their personal interests, and expressed themselves creatively. This activity was well supported for all learners with the use of the day by day process, sentence stems, modeling, student interests, and art component.
Arts Integration Lesson Plan 'I Wish I Had A Monster'
I have learned the importance of understanding the developmental level of your students and adjusting lesson plans accordingly, this was especially true when I worked with kindergartners. In kindergarten students are forming their foundations for reading, material must be presented in digestible pieces to facilitate this process. Thus, each week for shared reading the process of reading was broken down into steps, I will use the text I Wish I Had a Monster to illustrate this. Day 1 was a picture walk, the students and I looked at the pictures in the book to determine what type of text it was (fiction or non-fiction), who is the main character, and what might the book be about. Day 2 we decoded the book, we read it together discussing strategies for reading words such as using our sight word knowledge, sounding it out, looking for words within words, etc. Day 3 we reread the text to make meaning of what we read the day before, the pressure was taken off of decoding to now discussing content. Day 4 was a exciting day in which we read for expression, the text was especially fun to read because we developed body motions for sections such as ‘wild waving legs’ and ‘yellow terribly teeth’, just to name a few. Day 5 I incorporated a fun art and writing activity to build upon the reading of the text. Students wrote descriptions of their monsters and created them out of geometric pieces of paper. The results were amazing because student applied their knowledge from the reading of text, included their personal interests, and expressed themselves creatively. This activity was well supported for all learners with the use of the day by day process, sentence stems, modeling, student interests, and art component.
Arts Integration Lesson Plan 'I Wish I Had A Monster'
STANDARD 4: PLANNING INSTRUCTION AND DESIGNING LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR ALL STUDENTS
-QUADRILATERAL EXPLORATION MINI UNIT
Teachers use knowledge of students' academic readiness, language proficiency, cultural background, and individual development to plan instruction. They establish and articulate goals for student learning. They develop and sequence long-term and short-term instructional plans to support student learning. Teachers plan instruction that incorporates appropriate strategies to meet the diverse learning needs of all students. They modify and adapt instructional plans to meet the assessed learning needs of all students.
I planned a lesson sequence focused on quadrilaterals and their characteristics. I carefully designed this lesson based upon Van Hiele’s levels of geometric thought to progress my students from level 0 (basic recognition of shapes visually) to level 2 (ability to describe characteristics and explore relationships between shapes). My students possessed different abilities and levels on the Van Hiele scale, thus I planned my sequence accordingly allowing for self-differentiation during the quadrilateral explorations. This is illustrated in student work in which my prompts were open ended to encourage students to explore quadrilaterals at their own pace. I provided scaffolds for students including vocabulary banks with visuals of the terms, sentence stems to support mathematical discussion/sharing of findings, and partner work to receive help/collaborate with a peer. The creation of the scaffolds was determined by my understanding of my students. In my classroom, I had a handful of English Language Learners who needed language support. At the same time, I had student with various geometric proficiency levels, thus I needed to both support and challenge these students and was able to do so with the use of multiple entry and exit points in my open ended exploration. Lastly, I used strategic pairing to group students based on their behavioral, language, or conceptual needs. It is important to know each of your students to be able to modify and adapt lessons for them.
Quadrilateral Sequence Lesson Plans and Instructional Materials
I planned a lesson sequence focused on quadrilaterals and their characteristics. I carefully designed this lesson based upon Van Hiele’s levels of geometric thought to progress my students from level 0 (basic recognition of shapes visually) to level 2 (ability to describe characteristics and explore relationships between shapes). My students possessed different abilities and levels on the Van Hiele scale, thus I planned my sequence accordingly allowing for self-differentiation during the quadrilateral explorations. This is illustrated in student work in which my prompts were open ended to encourage students to explore quadrilaterals at their own pace. I provided scaffolds for students including vocabulary banks with visuals of the terms, sentence stems to support mathematical discussion/sharing of findings, and partner work to receive help/collaborate with a peer. The creation of the scaffolds was determined by my understanding of my students. In my classroom, I had a handful of English Language Learners who needed language support. At the same time, I had student with various geometric proficiency levels, thus I needed to both support and challenge these students and was able to do so with the use of multiple entry and exit points in my open ended exploration. Lastly, I used strategic pairing to group students based on their behavioral, language, or conceptual needs. It is important to know each of your students to be able to modify and adapt lessons for them.
Quadrilateral Sequence Lesson Plans and Instructional Materials
STANDARD 5: ASSESSING STUDENTS FOR LEARNING
-SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT AREA TASK
Teachers apply knowledge of the purposes, characteristics, and uses of different types of assessments. They collect and analyze assessment data from a variety of sources and use those data to inform instruction. They review data, both individually and with colleagues, to monitor student learning. Teachers use assessment data to establish learning goals and to plan, differentiate, and modify instruction. They involve all students in self-assessment, goal setting and monitoring progress. Teachers use available technologies to assist in assessment, analysis, and communication of student learning. They use assessment information to share timely and comprehensible feedback with students and their families.
As a requirement for my credential program I completed an assignment known as a content area task (CAT) in social studies/history. This particular CAT focused on developing my understanding of assessment, in particular analyzing prompts, determining student patterns of understanding, understanding individual students, collaboration with peers, and creating next step instruction based upon assessment. In this project I analyzed the work of 24 students to create tables displaying patterns of gaps in knowledge and understandings on the class, group, and individual level. In addition, I worked with a close group of peers to evaluate the assessment prompt, analyze student work, and discuss next steps. I found it very helpful to collaborate on this activity with my peers because it is similar to how we will be grading once we complete our program. It was helpful hearing other perspectives and discussing the different elements of the assessment. Although, these students are not my own I provided feedback on their assessments and created next steps for the whole class to further develop understanding of this topic.
Content Area Task: History and Social Science
As a requirement for my credential program I completed an assignment known as a content area task (CAT) in social studies/history. This particular CAT focused on developing my understanding of assessment, in particular analyzing prompts, determining student patterns of understanding, understanding individual students, collaboration with peers, and creating next step instruction based upon assessment. In this project I analyzed the work of 24 students to create tables displaying patterns of gaps in knowledge and understandings on the class, group, and individual level. In addition, I worked with a close group of peers to evaluate the assessment prompt, analyze student work, and discuss next steps. I found it very helpful to collaborate on this activity with my peers because it is similar to how we will be grading once we complete our program. It was helpful hearing other perspectives and discussing the different elements of the assessment. Although, these students are not my own I provided feedback on their assessments and created next steps for the whole class to further develop understanding of this topic.
Content Area Task: History and Social Science
STANDARD 6: DEVELOPING AS A PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR
-CALIFORNIA MATHEMATICS COUNCIL-SOUTH CONFERENCE 2013
Teachers reflect on their teaching practice to support student learning. They establish professional goals and engage in continuous and purposeful professional growth and development. They collaborate with colleagues and engage in the broader professional community to support teacher and student learning. Teachers learn about and work with families to support student learning. They engage local communities in support of the instructional program. They manage professional responsibilities to maintain motivation and commitment to all students. Teachers demonstrate professional responsibility, integrity, and ethical conduct.
In addition to receiving my Preliminary Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential and Masters of Education, I will obtain an Elementary Math Emphasis Certificate. I enjoy teaching mathematics and have sought out additional training in this area. Fall 2013 I attended the California Mathematics Council South Conference in Palm Springs. This was a wonderful experience that exposed me further to engaging and valuable mathematics instruction. I listened to fabulous speakers such as Joa Boaler and Kathy Fosnot share wonderful lesson ideas and discuss the role of mathematics on our society. I left the conference with a plethora of ideas and resources to use during my own teaching.
In addition to receiving my Preliminary Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential and Masters of Education, I will obtain an Elementary Math Emphasis Certificate. I enjoy teaching mathematics and have sought out additional training in this area. Fall 2013 I attended the California Mathematics Council South Conference in Palm Springs. This was a wonderful experience that exposed me further to engaging and valuable mathematics instruction. I listened to fabulous speakers such as Joa Boaler and Kathy Fosnot share wonderful lesson ideas and discuss the role of mathematics on our society. I left the conference with a plethora of ideas and resources to use during my own teaching.