Quote “Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” Coco Chanel

Melanie Pryor Master of Arts in Teaching: Early Childhood Education Carmel Elementary First Grade Mrs. Julie Ziemecki All subjects

Carmel Elementary 1300 Students Woodstock, Georgia Predominately middle class community. Current Principal is Keith Bryant Mission Statement The mission of Carmel Elementary School is to enable students to develop cooperative skills while becoming life-long learners and productive citizens.

Mrs. Pryor’s Class Composed of 21 students Diversity: Males- 11 Females-10 Caucasians- 16 African Americans- 1 Chinese- 1 Mong- 1- Russian- 1 Hispanic- 1 Gifted Students- 4 IEP- 2 Average Students- 11 Below Target Students- 6 RTI Students- 3

Schedule 7:30 – 8:00 Unpack and morning meeting. 8:00 – 8:30 Morning work. 8:30 – 9:15 Specials. 9:15 – 9:30 Snack and Break. 9:30 – 10:20 Reading rotations. 10:20 – 11:00 Math 11:00 – 11:30 Recess 11:42 – 12:12 Lunch 12:30 – 1:00 First grade enrichment rotations. 1:00 – 1:40 Social Studies/science/ re-teaching. 1:40 – 2:00 Pack up and dismissal.

Thoughts and Feelings, Fears, Strengths and Weaknesses as I began Candidate Teaching. I can’t believe I’m finally student teaching. I began this journey when I was eighteen and here I am twenty years later finally finishing. In between there has been several jobs, a marriage, and two children. What a ride it has been! I feared I would be an ineffective teacher that couldn’t get through to the students. I was confident I could care about and be a good roll model for the children in my care. I was afraid my weakness would be managing behavior.

DOMAIN I: PLANNING FOR DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION & ASSESSMENT Summarizing Cause and Effect Introduction to Telling Time

Domain II. Providing Differentiated Instruction & Assessment: Telling Time Pre-Assessment Telling Time Performance Based Tasks Telling Time Post Assessment Telling Time Rubric Summarizing Pre- Assessment Summarizing Performance Based Tasks Summarizing Post Assessment Summarizing Rubric Cause and Effect Pre- Assessment Cause and Effect Performance Based Tasks Cause and Effect Post Assessment Cause and Effect Rubric Ongoing Check List

DOMAIN III: IMPACTING STUDENT LEARNING Proficiency 3.0: The teacher candidate uses systematic formal/informal assessment as an ongoing diagnostic activity to measure student growth and to guide, differentiate, and adjust instruction. Reflective Analysis: How did you use systematic formal/informal assessment as an ongoing diagnostic activity to measure student growth and to guide, differentiate, and adjust instruction?

Cause and Effect Cause and Effect Pre-test Scores

Cause and Effect Ongoing Check List

Adjusted Assignments ADJUST ASSIGNMENTS FOR APPLIED PRACTICE: Applied practice will be based on If You Take a Mouse to School and If You Give a Pig a Pancake. Based on the pre- assessment, divide the class into groups based on their level of understanding of cause and effect. The groups will be good understanding, very good understanding, and needs more instruction. For all groups begin by: Ask your students if they have ever heard phrases like: “If you finish your dinner, you can have dessert.” “If you finish your homework, you can go outside.” Explain that the beginning of each sentence states something that might happen, the cause. Explain that the second part of the sentence tells what might happen because of the first thing happened, the effect. So if you eat your dinner, you get ice cream. If you finish your work, you get to play. What would happen if you didn’t eat your dinner? What would happen if you didn’t finish your work? Introduce the book, If You Take a Mouse to School/If You Give a Pig a Pancake. Have the students look at the outside of the book and point out the author and illustrator. Read the first line of the story, If you take a mouse to school…/If you give a pig a pancake…… and ask the students what they think the effect might be. Continue to read the rest of the book stopping occasionally to let the students predict what might come next.

Needs more instruction/ongoing assessment and task. If You Give a Pig a Pancake. Have students fill out a graphic organizer that shows how each cause in the book had an effect. Have them think of three or four examples from the book of things the pig asked for and what effect it had (what he’ll want next). If time allows, have them illustrate their choices. Good Understanding/ongoing assessment and task. If You Take a Mouse to School After reading the book, review the cause and effect of each section. Ask the students what activities they are involved in outside of school. Give the students the following prompt: If you take a monkey to soccer (substitute any activity the student is involved in). Have them come up with their own mini book for the prompt. Have them illustrate their book. Very Good understanding/ongoing assessment and task. If You Take a Mouse to School After reading the book, review the cause and effect of each section. Have the students come up with their own mini book that is similar using cause and effect. They can use an animal or a person and come up with their own situation. Have them illustrate their book.

Ongoing Assessment Sample 1

Ongoing Assessment Sample 2

Cause and Effect Completed Rubric

Completed Post 1

Completed Post 2

Impact on Student Learning Reflections Impact on Cause and Effect Interpret the data and reflect on the status of each student in light of the data. Looking at the pre-assessment I could see that six of the eighteen students successfully matched the cause with its effect. Five of the children got most of them right, four of the children got a few right and six seemed to be completely lost. The ones that missed the questions on the pre-assessment didn’t understand that the effect is directly tied to the cause. If “a” happens it makes “b” happen. Without “a” there is no “b”. To reinforce this concept I randomly read some of the ways the causes and effects were put together such as: cause- the phone rang, effect- she gave it a bottle. The students all laughed but it was a good way to point out what would be a logical effect to the cause stated.

Retests Was it the content they didn’t understand? Was it the way they were tested?

DOMAIN IV: PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES IN SUPPORT OF DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION & ASSESSMENT Proficiency 4.0: The teacher candidate displays a professional commitment to the teaching philosophy of differentiated instruction to support students’ diverse learning needs and to maximize learning. Reflective Analysis: How did you display a professional commitment to the teaching philosophy of differentiated instruction to support student’ diverse learning needs and to maximize learning? How has your teaching philosophy changed during Candidate Teaching?

Professional Development Activities

Philosophy Beginning of the JourneyNew Beginning  Behaviorist  You teach things one way.  Lessons are words on a page.  Worksheets  Start the lesson.  One way of doing things.  Afraid of technology.  Give post test and move on.  Constructivist  You teach to meet the needs of all of your students.  Lessons are about doing, not reading.  Hands-On Activities  Pre-assess and see what you need to teach.  There are multiple ways of doing things.  Isn’t technology fun?  Re-teach to those who don’t get it.

PART III. CONCLUSION:

Continuing Plan Continue to be a substitute for Cherokee County. Prove myself to the administration so they’ll beg me to be on their staff. Complete the Rosetta Stone Language Program for Spanish. Study for and pass the GACE for Special Education. Have an impact on student learning. Never forget that I should be learning along with my students.

Never give up! Put your priorities in order. Your never too old. Be patient. Remember you’re their for the children. Never stop learning. Advice for those who come after me.

Resources Microsoft Office Microsoft Office Clip Art Mrs. Ziemecki Carmel Elementary School Reinhardt University