My Work
"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and
I remember. Involve me and I learn."
- Benjamin Franklin
Distance Learning
Held daily office hours via Zoom, called to check-in, and sent email and ClassDojo messages to connect with students and families. Helped families access technology and internet resources and transition to distance learning.
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Utilized Google Classroom, Zoom, Nearpod, Flipgrid, Padlet, i-Ready, Zearn, and Prodigy to create interactive, standards-based lessons for all core subjects and small groups. Used Google Slide Add-ons, such as Nearpod and Peardeck, to increase student engagement, collect data, and gage student understanding.
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Used lesson data reports and Google Classroom exit tickets to inform future lessons and identify students in need of Zoom small group re-teach reading lessons.
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Reworked differentiated small math groups to include all 72 4th Grade students, using i-Ready diagnostic data to group students based on their domain-specific needs and held interactive Zoom lessons.
Data Driven Teaching
I believe in assessing students before, during, and after instruction. I work both independenlty, and collaborately closely with instructional coaches (ELA, ELD and Math) and grade level teams to analyze student data and make informed decisions about not only future lessons, but my own teaching.
Using student data collected through informal knowledge checks, exit tickets, and assessments, I am able to identify my students' areas of struggle, find patterns and trends in misconceptions, inform possible re-teach lessons, differentiate small groups for guided reading and math, and asses my teaching efficacy.
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The data charts below show an analysis of students previously assessed writing skill levels (kindergarten) compared against a writing sample used as the summative assessment for a unit on informational writing. I used this data to assess student learning as well as my own teaching for the unit and designed a re-engagement lesson to address patterns of needs students showed.
Integrating Technology
In today's world, it is essential that students be fluent and comfortable using technology as both a productive and receptive tool. Children are naturally curious and with the right support and culture of error, fearless, so introducing them to new programs and applications is a great way to allow them to learn through doing. A child with technology in their hand has limitless possibilities.
The screenshots shown in this section are from a learning segment on the native people of California, addressing the common core standards in social studies, literacy, and technology:
H-SS 3.2.2 Discuss the ways in which physical geography, including climate, influenced how the local Indian nations adapted to their natural environment.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.A Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.B Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.) and technology.
CCSS W.6 Use technology, including the Internet to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
The purpose of integrating technology in this unit was for students to organize and present the information they gathered as a result of the learning segment. The technology served as a vessel for students to show off their knowledge.
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I required a lot of my students for their summative assessment. Each region group’s Glogster was required to include: the title of their region, a map showing their region, images from the text or internet safe search (safesearchkids.com), 3 passages per group member (groups of 3 or 4), and 1 audio clip of a member of their group narrating the presentation.
Even with these extensive requirements, the students were so excited to use the program, they asked to do more! Using this new technology was motivation in itself for students to want to do their best on this assignment and they learned so much along the way; I couldn't be more proud!
Click the images to check out these amazing 3rd Graders' creations!
Exploring Through NGSS
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) approach teaching science through questioning, exploring phenomena, hands on learning, and learning through doing. NGSS contain three dimensions, Crosscutting Concepts, Science and Engineering Practices, and Disciplinary Core Ideas, that work together to help students build a cohesive understanding of science over time.
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The photographs in this section show my kindergarten class exploring science through NGSS. (K-ESS3-1:Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.) Our class was engaged in a learning segment about how animals interact with their environment. In this lesson, students explored with hands on materials, collaborated with peers, and practiced questioning and reasoning, while working in groups to create a habitat for their specific animal.
When our habitats were complete, the class regrouped and presented their projects. Students were asked to justify why certain materials were used, what their purpose was, and where the animal would find those materials. Students gained understanding through exploring and justifying their decisions, many groups even made adjustments to their habitat while presenting after working through their thinking in the discussion. As groups shared, we created a class Venn-diagram and listed animal needs on the left. After all groups presented, we added to our Venn-diagram and listed our needs (as humans and also animals) on the right. We then discussed how the needs of humans and other animals are similar and different, and how both we use the environment to meet our needs, making adjustments to the class Venn-diagram as needed.
