Telling My Story and TPE Domain A

Good Day and welcome to my PDQP Blog. I hope you enjoy learning about my story and how I have demonstrated my abilities for Domain A TPEs.

My blog posts over the next four weeks will cover the following categories:

Week 1: Telling My Story and TPE Domain A
Week 2: Looking Forward and TPE Domain F
Week 3: TPE Domain C and Domain D
Week 4: TPE Domain B and Domain E

The Six Teaching Performance Expectations

          The California Teaching Performance Assessment is a requirement of all California multiple and single subject credential candidates attending a teacher preparation program. According to the CTC website, the assessments of the TPAs are designed to give candidates the opportunity to develop, refine, and demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and teaching abilities during the preparation program. This TPA program is aligned with state-adopted standards and frameworks. The TPEs describe what beginning teachers need to know and be able to do before being recommended for a preliminary credential. The TPEs are organized into six domains:

·         Domain A: Making Subject Matter Comprehensible to Students

·         Domain B: Assessing Student Learning

·         Domain C: Engaging and Supporting Students in Learning

·         Domain D: Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for Students

·         Domain E: Creating and Maintaining Effective Environments for Student Learning

·         Domain F: Developing a Professional Educator

          In our textbook by Costantino (2009), it states that “there is a direct correlation between performance standards for student learning and performance standards for teachers. What teachers know and are able to do is the most important influence on what students learn” (p. 11). These domains help teacher candidates to develop and demonstrate their knowledge of the state-standards and how they used the standards to lesson plan and perform lesson plans that demonstrate success in the above domains.

Telling My Story

            I began my journey in the teacher preparation program at National University 17 long months ago. During the process I have completed all the required teacher credential courses as well as all Masters of Education classes required of me. I have also completed and passed all four of my TPA’s, and my RICA. Despite finishing all the requirements outside of this last Capstone course, I still feel I will continue to improve and strengthen the skills I have learned as well as develop new skills and ideas once I have my own classroom. Domain A focuses on demonstrating my ability to teach the state-adopted academic content standards to students. “They understand how to deliver a comprehensive program of rigorous instruction in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language within standards that establish a progression of increasing complexity. They strategically plan and schedule instruction that ensures that students meet or exceed the standards” (CTC, 2013, p. 2).  

Domain A

Artifact 1:

For my first Artifact, I am attaching a Math lesson plan that I created and implemented in a Kindergarten classroom.

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11255 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA  92037-1011 • Phone (858) 642-8320 • Fax (858) 642-8724 • www.nu.edu

Lesson Plan Design                   

Subject: Math                      Grade: Kindergarten           Lesson Topic:       Subtraction          

Candidate’s Name: Kelli Murphy                                                                                    ID #        023364934

Site Supervisor:   Les Delos Santos   NU Supervisor:  Cathi Dow                                            

Date:  ____February 22, 2016_____________________________

1.  Introduction: (Identify Grade Level K12 Academic Content Standard(s), rationale, focus learner, create bridges from past learning, behavior expectations)

Content Standards: K.CC.3 Write numbers from 0 to 20. Represent a number of objects with a written numeral 0-20. K.CC.4 Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality. K.CC.5 Count to answer “how many?” questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1-20, count out that many objects. K.OA.1 Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds, acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations. K.OA.2 Solve addition and subtraction word problems, and add and subtract within 10. Purpose: Students will learn how to subtract within 0 to 20 by using manipulatives. They will also practice writing equations so they can further practice writing their numbers and organizing given information to solve. Prior Learning: Students are already familiar with and can write their numbers from 0 to 20. They have learned how to add numbers. They understand the basics of subtraction and have had practice with numbers 0 to 10. They have been practicing solving word problems. They can sit and listen to age appropriate stories and understand concepts from the reading. Focus Learner/Behavioral Expectations: During the reading of the story they will be asked to sit quietly with no talking and to pay attention to the reader and the story. When they are asked to return to their tables, students are expected to work cooperatively with their peers. Students will be working with personal white boards and will be expected to work on their math while the lesson is in session.

Rationale: This lesson plan is meant to meet the common core requirements for Kindergarten. The main focus areas for this lesson are Counting and Cardinality and Operations and Algebraic Thinking. We are in the second half of the school year and the focus is shifting from addition to subtraction. Students have been exposed to subtraction basics already, so we will be focusing on expanding to numbers 0 to 20 and asking them to show more of their work or be able to explain their work. We are also working on understanding multiple strategies to get the answer. The students are familiar with equations because we have done extensive work with them while they were learning addition. Students have learned how to use manipulatives, tally marks, their fingers, 10 frames, and number lines. Students are familiar with the numbers from 0 to 20 so we have focused on practicing subtraction already with the numbers 0 to 10. Students have practiced using word problems in their morning work so they have the skills necessary to be successful in this lesson plan. The students in the class are always very chatty, so when they are asked to come join me on the carpet we will have a reminder talk that there should be no talking while the reader is reading. They should be focused on the story and prepared to answer any prompted questions. The second part of the lesson plan involves students using their own personal whiteboards to solve math problems. Since the kids have not used whiteboards much this year I know they will want to doodle, so to avoid this happening during the lesson, I will provide them a few minutes to get that out of their system. Once the minutes are over, they will be expected to focus on their math. We will also be pairing some of the students so they are expected to work well as a team and be respectful of their partner and other peers.

 2.  Learner Outcome(s)/Objective(s): (What will students learn from this lesson?  How will you measure mastery of the outcome?)

Learner Outcomes/Objectives: Students will demonstrate their understanding subtraction concepts by forming proper equations and by showing their thinking on number lines or with manipulatives. Mastery: Formative assessment: Mastery will be measured by observation. Both myself and my master teacher will be walking around while students are working to watch them use their manipulatives, writing their equations, and solving the word problems.

Rationale: The goal for this lesson plan is to further familiarize students with subtraction concepts. They have learned basic subtraction terms so we will be continuing to use these words in the lesson. They have also had much practice on forming equations so we will continue to work on that with this lesson. Lastly, I have been trying to incorporate more use of manipulatives in the class so that we can get a visual understanding of their learning and so that students can provide multiple ways to solve the same problem. We will allow them to show us by using a number line and manipulatives.  Formative assessments will be done by both teachers throughout the lesson’s entirety through observations and through working with students and interacting with them as they complete their problems. Since we will be doing this as a class, one equation at a time, we will be able to observe multiple pairs and students at a time.

3.  Pre-assessment Activity: (Determine students’ abilities to achieve the learner outcome and prescribe instruction accordingly.  Consider:  linguistic background, academic language abilities, content knowledge, cultural and health considerations, interests and aspirations, physical development, social development, emotional development.)

Linguistic background: The class is very multicultural and there are a few ELL students in class, but they are all very comfortable speaking English and keep up with the unit vocabulary just as the other students do. 1 student goes to Speech 2 times a week. Academic Language Abilities: There are very diverse levels for reading and math in our class. About 6 of 26 students require more teacher interaction and assistance on math and reading/writing activities and are below grade level. Content knowledge: Students are expected to do well in this lesson supported by prior experience and through teacher guidance. Students have been guided on learning multiple strategies to solve problems so they can pick a strategy that works for them. Cultural and health considerations: We have a mixed class with Spanish students, Middle Eastern students, European, and White students. 1 student has a peanut allergy. Physical, social, and emotional: Students are active, social and mostly cooperative. Most of them are involved in afterschool activities or go to ESS. Socioeconomic Considerations: Most of the students are from upper-middle class and upper class socioeconomic neighborhoods. Parents are very involved in the campus both financially and physically. A few students are from a lower class socioeconomic neighborhoods and do not have as much help at home. Interests, Motivations, and Extra Curricular Developmentally appropriate interests. Average motivation to learn.

Rationale: Students have been assessed over the past 3 weeks that I have been in the class. Most of the students can read and write their numbers easily and with no assistance and can understand equations and the multiple strategies we have taught them to solve the equations. They have proven their abilities to complete addition problems, and have shown us that they can subtract within the numbers 0 to 10. They understand the basic concepts of subtraction. There are a few students, about 6 of them, who will likely require extra assistance because they tend to struggle with understanding directions, staying on task, and with solving math equations. They require manipulatives to solve problems and often have to physically count each item when adding or subtracting. These same students still prefer to count all items in a full 10 frame while their peers can understand that a full 10 frame means to start with 10 and count up.

4.  Differentiation, Adaptation & Accommodation Strategies: (Based on the pre-assessments, modify Learning Activities based on learner characteristics to meet the needs of ELL & special needs students, highly achieving students and low achieving students)

Modification for Low Achieving and ELL Students: ·         Time allotted was to allow for all student levels to complete the activity. ·         Numbers are displayed in the classroom as a visual aid for assistance with number order and writing numbers ·         Students strategically paired with peers during math lesson ·         Modeling the multiple different strategies that can be used to solve the problems (number line, manipulatives) and how to write an equation ·         Review of math terms such as subtraction, take away, less than, fewer, how many, left, minus, remains. Modification for High Achieving Students: ·         Allow them time to work on more subtraction with no help from the teacher in the form of a fun game.

Rationale: For the Low Achieving and ELL students, I will make sure to model how to correctly write an equation. I will point out where the numbers are in the classroom so they can use them as a reference for writing them and for number order sense. I will model the different strategies that we have previously covered as well as review the key terms of the lesson. Students will also be paired with another peer to assist with the lessons activities and the time given to complete each problem will be modified so they can follow along. High achieving students will have the opportunity to work on an additional game related to the story if extra time permits. The game is an “I have, who has” format with the math subtraction equations. This game will allow them to use their subtraction skills in a more advanced setting where they will be with peers who are at a similar level and will not have manipulatives so it will be mental math to challenge them.

5.  Resources: (Identify materials needed for this lesson accounting for varying degrees of skill level)

·         Book: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by: Eric Litwin and Illustrated by James Dean ·         Personal whiteboards, markers, and erasers ·         Individual number lines that go from 0 to 20 ·         Buttons ·         Groovy Button word problem cards ·         Document Cam ·         Poster paper ·         Groovy Button “I have, Who has” game cards

Rationale: Personal whiteboards, markers, and erasers will be provided to each student so that they all can practice writing their equations and showing me they can write their numbers. The individual number lines from 0 to 20 will be used as a support for them. They can use their dry erase markers on them for each equation and erase for the next problem without having to physically draw a number line. Buttons will be used as their manipulative since we are reading the book Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons as a class, a story about a Cat losing his shirt buttons. Groovy Button word problem cards will be displayed one at a time on the document camera for students to visually see the word problem they will be solving. Each card has a different word problem with the same verbiage, just different numbers to solve. Poster paper will be used to brainstorm with students the subtraction ideas such as take away, less than, remaining, etc. Groovy Button game cards are for the students who want to play a game for additional subtraction practice. Designed for more advanced students.

6.  Learning Activities:  Explicit Teacher Instruction - (Explain, model, demonstrate, check for understanding)

Introduction: I will invite students to the carpet to enjoy a book. I will tell students that we are about to do a math lesson, and that I want them to think about what kind of math we might be focusing on after reading the story. Explain: After reading the story we will discuss the math focus (subtraction). We will review key words and concepts. We will talk about our strategies for solving math problems and focus on 2 or 3 types (number lines, manipulatives, and drawing a picture).  We will also review how to form an equation. Check for Understanding: I will discuss with students how they will be receiving their own white boards and markers and erasers and what is expected of them. I will let them know that I want to see how they are solving the problems when I walk around, and that I expect them to write the equation with an answer and hold up their white boards when prompted. We will also discuss how to work correctly in partners.

Rationale: I wanted to include multiple subjects and since reading is so great for this age student I chose to read them a grade level book that involves the subtraction concepts. This will serve as a bridge from their prior knowledge of subtraction concepts to the subtraction concepts we will focus on today. Also be reading and hearing the math it serves as a warm up for how we will solve our word problems. The students are coming off of a week break from school, so it is especially critical that I spend time refreshing their minds with subtraction concepts. I also will do this to assist students who are lower achieving so they can see some modeling and get a better idea of what is expected of them and how they can solve problems. I will check for understanding while I walk around and observe them solving the word problems, but I will be able to check for understanding when I have them all show me their whiteboards in the air at the same time so I can make sure their equations are all correct. I can ask students to explain how they got their answers so they can describe their thought process for others to hear.

7.  Learning Activities: Guided Practice/ Collaborative Practice (Check for understanding and provide feedback and re-teaching)

Transition: I will ask students to return to their desks and prepare their desks for the activity. Once I see that they have everything put away I will hand out their whiteboards and pens and erasers. At this point they will have 3 minutes or so to doodle and draw on their whiteboards. Since we will just have read Pete the Cat, I will prompt them to draw their best version of Pete the Cat. After a few minutes I will ask for the class attention again and ask them to please clean off their white boards and put their pens down ready to learn so we can do some examples together and begin our math practice. Guided Practice/Collaborative Practice: We will begin by doing 2 word problems together as a class. I will display the word problem on the Document Camera so they can follow along, but will read it for those who cannot read very well. I will model how to write my equation. Then I will demonstrate how to use the number line correctly and how to use the buttons for this example problem. I will show them how I solved the problem and ask for questions. Then I will ask them to try one with me. We will work on another example together. Check for Understanding: Students will answer questions as I ask them to check for understanding and to also ask their own questions.

Rationale: I want students to have their desks cleared so that they are distracted by other supplies during the activity. They also will need their entire desk for their white boards, number lines, and buttons. I will give them time to doodle because I know that whiteboards are exciting to these kids and I want them to get the fun part out of their system so they can focus when we are working on our math. I like to use the I do, we do, you do format for math with my students because it really seems to help them grasp the concepts when it is modeled for them, and then again when they do it with me. This is the first time they have used these particular number lines, so I want to make sure they are understanding how they can use them to help with seeing the numbers from 0 to 20 as well as to solve the subtraction equations. We will also review using manipulatives. Not all the students need them, but there are several low achieving students that do rely on them, so we will go over how to use them again and practice together so it is fresh in their heads. To check for understanding, I will ask them to answer my questions during the guided practice.

8.  Independent Practice: (Provide practice that supports the learning outcome.  Note: Independent activities are assigned assuming that students understand the concept well enough to work on their own.)

Independent Practice: After they have watched me solve a word problem, and then completed one with me, I will have them do it in their pairs or individually if they were not assigned a partner. We will still be solving one problem at a time. I will also try to throw in a challenge problem or 2 at the end for those students who want an extra challenge and use higher numbers for them to practice with. Check for Understanding: Teacher observation will occur for the activity duration. Teachers will be walking from table to table and interacting with students during the activity.  When students are struggling, teachers will assist them in using their strategies and prompting them with questions that get them to think of the way to solve. After the time is up, we will ask each person to raise their whiteboard up to the front so we can check that each person has the correct equation and answer.

Rationale: I decided to do one problem at a time so that I can have time to walk around and interact with students as they are solving problems and allow partners to work together to help those who are struggling. I like to be able to read the problems out loud because we have several students who have trouble reading. I want to take that aspect out so the focus can be math. I want to make sure that I am allowing the advanced students to perform at their level, so having a few challenge questions at the end can help with deepening their learning. To check for understanding, I will be observing during the activity. I will be walking around from table to table to offer help when partners or individuals are stuck. When I have all students raise their whiteboards I can use this time to prompt students with questions about what strategy they used to solve their problems. I know that by hearing peers describe how they solved the problems that other students can make connections they hadn’t thought of during their own thought process and the learning can be deepened. I also can see how well the understanding is of the sharing student because if they can teach it to me I know they have that understanding of the concepts.

9.  Assessment and Evaluation: (Describe how you will assess and/or evaluate the students’ learning.   Describe differentiating assessment strategies you will use for ELL, special needs students, highly achieving students and low achieving students.)

Formative: Teacher observation throughout entire activity. White board check at the end of each word problem.

Rationale: I will be observing throughout the lesson. I want to ensure that students are answering questions I ask appropriately, that they are following guidelines, and that they are comprehending the information I am providing. I will make sure to spend extra time observing the low achieving students so that I can ensure that they are learning the concept and not just copying their partners. This way I can step in if additional assistance is needed or determine whether or not these students will need additional practice to grasp the concepts.

10. Closure: (Describe how students will reflect on what they have learned.)

Once we are done with all the word problems I will ask for students to clean up their whiteboards. I want to find out what students liked about the learning activity. As we end the lesson and I am collecting whiteboards I will be asking students to raise their hands and tell me something they learned today or have them share their favorite part of the activity. I will ask them if they have any questions about subtraction or about the strategies we used so we can answer them next time we have math.

Rationale: I want to give students a chance to reflect on the assignment. I also like to hear feedback as this will be one of the first times that they will be using whiteboards of their own and using the new number lines. Also, they have used manipulatives, but I want to hear if they found them helpful so we can encourage use of the items they like in the future. I also want to make sure there are no questions or concerns about the learning. If there are, I will document them so we can address them together as a class.

Artifact 2:

For my artifact 2, I am attaching the observation feedback for TPE Domain A I received from my University Support Provider for the above included lesson.

Artifact 3:

The artifact I am attaching is pictures that represented assessment for this lesson plan.

References:
California Teacher Performance Expectations. (2013, March). Retrieved June 05, 2016,  http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/standards/adopted-TPEs-2013.pdf

Costantino P.M. & De Lorenzo M.N., (2009). Developing a Professional Teaching Portfolio: A guide for Success. Upper Saddle River, NJ.