ITL 514 Self-Assessment

INTRODUCTION   

After completing the self-assessment for vocabulary terms, I believe I have a good general understanding of concepts and vocabulary used in the RICA exam. I have taken the RICA once before in October, and missed the passing score by 9 points. Since then, I have studied using the Cliff Notes version of the RICA study guide, as well as the CTC’s practice version of the exam. Most recently, I’ve been using different Quizlet study guides to refresh myself with terminology used on the test. I am retaking the exam in January, and was excited to learn that this course relates to the RICA, and that we will be completing assignments similar to a case study, as that was one of my weaknesses on the previous exam.

DOMAIN 1

            In regards to domain 1 of the exam, planning, organizing, and managing reading instruction, I think I was able to define and identify the terms relatively well. Words that I struggled with were anecdotal records and implicit instruction. A book I could use to help me study for these concepts would be Phonics They Use by Cunningham, chapter 11. This chapter discusses assessment and coaching, which would coincide with domain 1. Another book that would be beneficial for review would be Ready for RICA by Zarrillo, which would go over all domains and offer a review before I retake the test.

DOMAIN 2

            Domain 2 covers word analysis, and this is the domain I had the most trouble defining words for. Other than the Cliff Notes RICA review I’ve been practicing, I have not spent time studying word analysis. The words I was unable to define were: closed syllables, consonant substitution, conventional spelling, directionality, Dolch words, Elkonin boxes, graphophonic cues, implicit instruction, initial position, listening comprehension level, miscue analysis, open syllables, saccade, schemata, syntactic cue, systematic instruction, The Names Test, nifty thrifty fifty, and vowel diagraph. Books I could use to help me learn these words in depth would be How the Brain Learns to Read by Sousa: chapter 5. This chapter discusses complications with reading that students could have, which would be why they are unable to decode and recognize words. I could also use Phonics They Use by Cunningham, chapter 11 and chapter 16 for coaching students on how to decode words, and become more familiar with new words. Lastly, the most helpful book I can use for review would be Words Their Way by Bear, chapter 1-3 because these chapters discuss word knowledge in a developmental stage. This is the domain I will need to spend the most time reviewing and studying for, as I did not feel confident in my short response answers for this domain.

DOMAIN 3

            Domain 3 is fluency, which is the domain I believe I’m the most familiar with. This is the domain I have been able to work with the most in my course work, along with each day I substitute teach. In this area, if I continue to review reading material from the Cliff Notes books, along with Ready for RICA by Zarrillo, I am confident I will be able to receive a passing score in this domain.

DOMAIN 4

            Domain 4 relates to vocabulary on the RICA. In the given list of words, there were not many words I felt fell into this category. I am aware of word walls, word sorts, and other word games I can use with students to improve their vocabulary. I also know students benefit from writing their own definition of a word, along with a visual representation of the word. This helps students remember new vocabulary, and can be converted to long-term memory. I believe if I review domain 4 in Ready for Rica by Zarrillo, along with the Cliff Notes version of the Rica study guide, I will be well prepared for the test.

DOMAIN 5

            The last domain covered is comprehension. For this domain, I missed “listening comprehension level.” I would say this is an area I need to review as well, because I didn’t feel confident in my short answer to the comprehension domain on the last RICA I took. To review for this domain, I would focus on the early chapters in How the Brain Learns to Read by Sousa, because they chapters discuss the fundamentals of reading. If the student isn’t fluently reading, they won’t be able to comprehend what they are reading. I would also study the book by Zarrillo,  “Ready for Rica” by focusing on the comprehension domain of the book. The Cliff Notes book I have been studying has gone in depth into comprehension strategies to use with students to improve their overall understanding of what they are reading.

CONCLUSION

            Overall, I feel fairly confident that I will pass the RICA this time around. I believe this course will be beneficial in the sense that I will be able to get more practice with real-life case studies, and will become more comfortable recognizing strengths, weaknesses, and strategies for improvement (which will greatly help me on the test.) Reading the noted chapters and books above will also be great study tools to help prepare me to ace my upcoming exam.

ITL 512 Reflection Video

ITL 512 Learning Map Part 3

Teacher: _______Ms. Kuiper______________________________________                                        

Grade: ______________________6th_________________________

CCSS Standard: _____CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.3

_______________CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.3.A

STAGE 3: ANALYZING/REFLECTING

What evidence of student learning have you collected? I collected the Roots, Prefixes and Suffixes worksheet that we had worked on in small and whole group settings. I also collected the exit ticket at the door to see what students had learned from the lesson. How will you analyze this evidence? I reviewed the answers students wrote in comparison to what we went over in class. I also reviewed what students wrote for their exit tickets, which was something ne they learned from the lesson. What instructional decisions can you make as a result of your analysis of the evidence? Overall, the class did well on the worksheet, and had various answers for what they learned from the lesson. In the future, I need to use more visual aids to help students, along with more kinesthetic aids for students to use. This will help students remained focused, and ensure students have an inclusive learning environment.

STAGE 4: APPLYING

My Personal Reflection: What new information did I get about my students in relation to their learning preferences? The students in Mrs. Kuiper’s class benefited from visual aids. After reviewing the worksheet I collected, most students missed answers I gave verbally, but wrote the correct answers for the ones I wrote on the board. Towards the end of class, students started to get antsy, and a few students said they were bored with the assignment. How will I use this information to plan my future instruction? In the future, I will use more visual and kinesthetic teaching aids in the classroom to maintain focus, and ensure each student understands the material. I will also give students ‘brain breaks’ so they are not overwhelmed with the material, and remain engaged in the lesson. How effective were my practices? What will I keep, what will I improve and what will I discard? My lesson was strong in the sense that I kept students engaged in the class; students were paying attention and focused. I need to improve with visual, kinesthetic and auditory aids for students so each type of learner is able to express themselves during the lesson. What new understanding do I have about my own teaching practices? After watching the recording of the lesson, I saw that I mainly used auditory components to incorporate into my lesson. This is something I will need to work on in the future. Overall, I believe my lesson was strong and students enjoyed what I had planned What have I learned about myself as a teacher? I was confident in myself during the lesson, but I still struggle breaking the ice with students in the beginning of the class. This is something I will continue to work on in future lessons. I was comfortable with my stage presence, and enjoyed my lesson. As a professional learner, where do I need to continue to grow and strive for? I will continue to incorporate a variety of teaching strategies into my lessons, and strive to meet the needs of each type of learner in the classroom. I need to incorporate more visual aids in my lessons, and include kinesthetic units for students, as well. As a learner, I need to research different classroom management styles, to create the most inclusive learning environment for my students.

512 Learning Map: Part 1

STAGE 1: PLANNING

YOUR TARGET: Standard, Goals & Outcomes Teacher:___________Ms. Kuiper___________________________Grade: ___________6______________ TARGET: Unpack Your Standard Part 1: My Standards, Goals and Outcomes Academic Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.3.A Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context. Students will learn about suffixes, root words, and prefixes through teacher modeling, small group, and whole group work. Students will learn about morphology, and how to decode words. *Highlight the main idea/knowledge (what)           *Underline the skills/verbs (how) Big Questions What is a root word? How can we find root words with prefixes and suffixes? Does adding prefixes and suffixes change the meaning of the root word? Knowledge (Concepts to be understood and applied) Students will learn what a root word is. Students will learn about prefixes and suffixes. Students will understand how to identify different parts of a word. Skills Students will learn how to identify a root word. Students will know what suffixes and prefixes are. Students will be able to independently identify different parts of a word. Student Learning Goal: State your Goal for the students to share Students will gain knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, and root words, and will learn how to identify different parts of a word. After this lesson, students will be able to use morphology, letter-sound correspondence, and syllabication patterns to decode new words. Students will now be aware of different tools that can be used to understand new vocabulary. Student Social-Emotional Goal (LEARNER): For this activity, students will be working in small groups and come together as a whole group. This activity gives students the opportunity to talk amongst each other, and build social communication skills. Students are able to contribute ideas, and must also listen to what other classmates say. This activity builds social connections between students, and improves small/whole group essential skills. Barriers to learning (LEARNER): ELL and special education students might struggle with vocabulary. Students who are behind grade level performance might struggle with this activity. Students who are shy and don’t speak much to the rest of the students will have to exit their comfort zone. Common Misconceptions (LEARNER & TARGET): It may be harder for ELL students to understand this assignment. Students who are not fluent in English may struggle with presenting information in small/whole groups.

Part 2: My Class My Classroom Composite: (TEACHER & LEARNER):   Whole group Mrs. Kuiper’s class is a 6th grade class at Pinion Mesa Middle School. The class is composed of 20 students: 16 boys and 4 girls. Several students have learning disabilities, and students are also ELL. The students enjoy working in group settings, and are highly motivated by extrinsic rewards. Students get distracted easily, and benefit from lessons with action and short intervals, with breaks in between.

Accommodations/Adaptations/Intervention (Teacher, Learner, Instruction, Management) Focus Student #1: Special Needs There are several students in the class who have a variety of different learning disabilities. For students with ADD or ADHD, I will give students the opportunity to take small rest breaks in between activities. Focus Student #2: English Language learner ELL students will be mixed into groups throughout the classroom. They will be able  to see the words students make, and will benefit from being paired with fluent English speakers. ELL students can write new vocabulary into their word journals, and will gain new knowledge of words they are unfamiliar with.

(TEACHER, LEARNER, TARGET, ASSESSMENT, INSTRUCTION, MANAGEMENT)

Multiple Means of Representation (modeling & practice)	1.     I will model what a root word is, and show students how to identify the suffixes and prefixes in the word.  (Visual) 2.   I will talk students through the process of breaking up a word. (Auditory) 3. Students will have the opportunity to work with small groups and create a model of a root word that contains a suffix and prefix (Kinesthetic)
Multiple Means of Engagement	1.      Students will create their own visual representation of a root word with a suffix and prefix, this gives students the opportunity to  express themselves whichever way they see fit. 2. Students will write what they learned in the lesson, each students answers will vary. Lower level students might have learned something different that higher level students. (exit ticket) 3. The exit ticket will serve as motivation for students to pay attention to learn, as this will be how they receive credit for this assignment.
Multiple Means of Expression (practice & assessment)	1. When presenting information to the class, students will be able to showcase their talents. (powerpoint slides, hand-made model, etc.) 2. Exit ticket can display whatever students have learned today, and will vary in each student. 3. Students will work together as a group to answer questions on the Roots worksheet.
Managing the Classroom Environment	I will continuously circulate throughout the room to listen to group conversations, and ensure each student is able to share their knowledge. The timer will serve as a way to transition between activities. I will give each student an opportunity to share what they have learned from this exercise. The winning group with earn 5 bonus points for this activity, and this will help keep each group motivated to win in this activity. Before the lesson begins, I will go over proper group behavior for this activity, and verify that each student is aware of how to behave.

STAGE 2: TEACHING

DAILY AGENDA: What will you use to manage daily instruction? What is your Learning Map sequence for Day 1? I will introduce the topic of roots, prefixes, and suffixes to the students. I will demonstrate one word on the whiteboard, and ask students to tell me what other words they see in the word that is written. Then, I will pass out the Word Parts worksheet and Roots worksheet. Students will work together to complete the assignment. Next, I will ask students to create a visual representation of roots, suffixes, and prefixes, which they will present to other students in the class. We will discuss what students have learned today. Students will be asked to write down one thing they learned today, and that will serve as their exit tickets. What materials will you use? ●      Sticky notes for exit tickets ●      Roots, suffixes, and prefixes worksheet ●      Word parts worksheet How will you assess student learning? I will provide multiple examples of root words, suffixes, and prefixes for the students. I will ask a variety of students questions, to gauge comprehension levels. I will rotate throughout the class during group work. I will assess the exit tickets to verify students were paying attention to the lesson.