Standard: 1.

0 Development, Learning, and Motivation--Candidates know,

understand, and use the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to
development of children and young adolescents to construct learning opportunities
that support individual students development, acquisition of knowledge, and
motivation.

Artifact #1: Theoretical Framework
Knowing the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to
development of children in critical in the teaching profession. By taking classes
where I learned these things plus my experience in the classroom I have gained a
better understanding of theories and principles that will help me become a better
educator. It is important to know your students and how they develop. By doing this
you are able to adjust your lessons and curriculum to best fit the needs of the
students in your classroom. Knowing different theories allows a teacher to pull what
they feel is appropriate out of each theory and put it together to make their
classroom the best fit for the students in it.


Standard : 4.0 Assessment for instructionCandidates know, understand, and
use formal and informal assessment strategies to plan, evaluate and strengthen
instruction that will promote continuous intellectual, social, emotional, and physical
development of each elementary student.

Artifact#2: Formative and Summative Assessment for Sink or Float lesson
Ive learned that teachers can use formative and summative assessment to address
whether or not the class is meeting the needs of their students. If during formative
assessment the students do not seem to be grasping the concepts you are trying to
teach that you can use different methods and techniques to scaffold them. This will
help all students succeed in the end for summative assessment.
Assessment can take place using antidotal notes, tests, rubrics, checklists,
projects, etc. There are many ways to test students, just as there are many ways to
teach them. It is important to find a way to assess students that fits the student and
the curriculum. The best way to test one concept may not be the best to test another
and each student excels in different ways. Some students are good test takers while
others can present the same information to you in a power point more effectively.
Again it is important to know your students and adjust curriculum and testing to
best fit them.

Standard : 3.1 Integrating and applying knowledge for instruction
Candidates plan and implement instruction based on knowledge of students,
learning theory, connections across the curriculum, curricular goals, and
community;

Artifact #3: Sink or Float Lesson
We have learned throughout our classes and experience that there is a lot to
teach in very little time in the elementary setting. It is important to know your
students well so that you can get the most amount of information to them in the
most effective manner. Often times integrating curriculum is a great way to
multitask in the classroom.
For the lesson I attached combines math and science concepts for a
kindergarten classroom. In this lesson I created worksheets, had students work in
pairs, taught sinking and floating, completing a chart, and reinforced counting and
writing letters and numbers. I know that this lesson is appropriate for my class
because is it simple and the students will have each other and myself for support.
The students will also be engaged in the activity instead of just listening to me talk,
which for this group of children is a good way to keep their attention. By knowing
my students I was able to plan a lesson that I feel is on their developmental level and
will keep their attention.

Standard: 3.2 Adaptation to diverse studentsCandidates understand how
elementary students differ in their development and approaches to learning, and
create instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse students;

Artifact #4: The Creed
Artifact #5: IEP Lesson
Many classes and experiences I have had in my college experience had focused
greatly on diverse students. Students can be diverse in ability, culture, family, or
socio-economic status. As a teacher it important to be aware of these differences
and embrace them in the classroom. Teachers are responsible for adjusting
curriculum and classroom procedures to help all the students in the classroom
thrive. This could mean anything from adapting lessons for students with special
needs to recognizing that not all the students in the classroom celebrate Christmas
or might not have money for fieldtrips or school supplies. It is vital to be aware of
the different types of students you have in your classroom and to make sure they
are comfortable in the classroom. Students learn better when they feel safe and
comfortable. It is important to show diversity as something that makes each child
special and unique.

Standard : 3.3 Development of critical thinking and problem solving
Candidates understand and use a variety of teaching strategies that encourage
elementary students development of critical thinking and problem solving;

Artifact #6: Oh Deer! Lesson plan
I have learned that too often in classrooms students are given information to
learn but are only memorizing it enough to get by. From elementary school on we
should be giving our students to the tools to think critically. Our lessons should not
involve facts geared toward students earning good grades, but they should be
geared toward teaching students how to discover, understand, and use this
information in their lives. Students need opportunities to digest material on their
own and come up with solutions to problems.
In the lesson Oh Deer!, students are pretending they are deer in search of
resources they need to survive. When there isnt enough food, water, or shelter the
deer dies. This lesson allows students to make the connection that food, water, and
shelter are vital for survival. They also then can be scaffold to come up with reasons
why there wouldnt be enough food, water, or shelter for a specific species. By doing
this lesson students are teaching themselves and learning a working understanding
of the information.

Standard : 3.4 Active engagement in learningCandidates use their knowledge
and understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior among
students at the K-6 level to foster active engagement in learning, self motivation, and
positive social interaction and to create supportive learning environments;

Artifact #7: Diagramming Sentences
It is important while teaching in a classroom to help children become
engaged in learning. Students learn best when they are having fun. When given the
chance to work together in groups students are able to bounce ideas off of one
another. Students who may be struggling are then also able to get some assistance
from observing and talking to peers.
In this lesson the students were asked to diagram sentences using the
Kellogg-Reed model. The classroom was divided into two groups that were allowed
to talk and negotiate and work together as much as they needed to. Diagramming
sentences is a tough concept for students to learn so being given a chance to make it
a group assignment allows students a little room for error. We turned the lesson
into a game. The first group to put up 5 correctly diagrammed sentences won a
prize. By doing this the classroom became fun and the students were positively
engaged while learning and practicing a tough topic.

Standard : 3.5 Communication to foster collaborationCandidates use their
knowledge and understanding of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media
communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive
interaction in the elementary classroom.

Artifact #8: Letter to Winchester
Throughout my career as a pre-service teacher I have had many instances where I
had to collaborate with teachers and principals to foster collaboration. I have done
many internships, where I both had to send letters and call educators. These
experiences have helped me better my communication skills and to understand
what communications are best fit for certain situations. There are situations where
a letter is more appropriate then a phone call, but there are also situations where a
phone call is necessary for a speedier response. It is important to be able to
communicate efficiently as an educator. You will need to be able to communicate
clearly and effectively with parents, special service providers, principals, and other
teachers.

Standard : 2.1 Reading, Writing, and Oral LanguageCandidates demonstrate a
high level of competence in use of English language arts and they know, understand,
and use concepts from reading, language and child development, to teach reading,
writing, speaking, viewing, listening, and thinking skills and to help students
successfully apply their developing skills to many different situations, materials, and
ideas;

Artifact #9: Small Reading Group
Artifact #10: Decoding Mini Lesson
Artifact #11: Guided Reading
Throughout my classes and experiences in schools I have had to teach many
different children reading, writing, and language skills. These experiences have
strengthen my abilities in these areas. In these same instances I have observed
many different techniques that different educators use to teach their students. I
have added these techniques to my arsenal so that I will be able to differentiate ELA
instruction for my students as needed.
Language is the basis of our society. Students need to be able to communicate
efficiently with peers, teachers, co-workers, and bosses. Throughout their lives they
will need to be able to communicate verbally and non-verbally, listen and
comprehend information, and write ideas clearly and legibly. Being an effective
communicator is a must in todays society. It is a teachers job to help students
achieve these goals so that they can succeed in life.

Standard: 2.2 ScienceCandidates know, understand, and use fundamental
concepts of physical, life, and earth/space sciences. Candidates can design and
implement age-appropriate inquiry lessons to teach science, to build student
understanding for personal and social applications, and to convey the nature of
science;

Artifact #12: Food Chain
It is important for teachers to familiarize themselves with science concepts.
Teaching science to students is something, though difficult at times, can be very fun.
Science lessons can be done as experiments or as research based. Both of these
forms of teaching allow students to become involved and engaged in their learning.
It also gives them an opportunity to process the information in a way that gives
them a better working understanding. The more information on the topic the
teacher knows the better they will be able to facilitate the learning to the children.
In the food chain lesson students are able to derive the concept of the food
web by working together. They need to talk to each other and build on their prior
knowledge to understand the bigger concept. The teacher needs to be aware of prior
concepts, the childrens ability, and food chains to help students along in this lesson.

Standard : 2.3 MathematicsCandidates know, understand, and use the major
concepts and procedures that define number and operations, algebra, geometry,
measurement, and data analysis and probability. In doing so they consistently
engage problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connections, and
representation;

Artifact # 13: Air Mass
Mathematics is an important subject to teach to students. Math concepts build off of
one another throughout the grades. This is why it is vital to teach children how to
think of the problems they have critically. Students who have a working
understanding of a topic and who know how and why the procedure works will
better understand the next step in their mathematical career. Math concepts not
only tie into one another but they tie into other subjects as well.
The lesson plan on the mass of air uses many different math concepts and
skills. Not only are students required to add and subtract but they also must
properly be able to use a three-beam balance or a scale to weigh the object. In this
lesson children are required to critically think to solve the problem on their own.
Discovering how to find the mass of the air by using math concepts on their own,
allows students to better retain this knowledge to use at other times.


Standard: 2.4 Social studiesCandidates know, understand, and use the major
concepts and modes of inquiry from the social studiesthe integrated study of
history, geography, the social sciences, and other related areasto promote
elementary students abilities to make informed decisions as citizens of a culturally
diverse democratic society and interdependent world;

Artifact #14: Propaganda Lesson

It is important to teach social studies effectively to students. Social studies contains
such a large variety of topics that are important to create educated well rounded
students. This is the subject where students learn about the past, other cultures,
individuality, citizenship, geography, and many other topics. Informing students
about the past and about the world around them will help them succeed better in
their future. The clearer the students understands the world around them and
where it came from the more likely they will be to accomplish their goals.
The lesson on propaganda deals with the election. Propaganda is something that is
taught by definition but students are not given an opportunity to really experience
or participate in propaganda. There ability to recognize propaganda will help them
understand better that not everything they see or hear is true. They will then be
better informed and have the knowledge to research their information from
multiple non-bias sources.

Standard: 2.5 The artsCandidates know, understand, and useas appropriate to
their own understanding and skillsthe content, functions, and achievements of the
performing arts (dance, music, theater) and the visual arts as primary media for
communication, inquiry, and engagement among elementary students;

Artifact #15: Rosa Parks Multimedia
Using dance, music, and theater in the classroom is a great way to get students
involved in their learning. Not only are you introducing students to these topics and
helping them become a broader minded student but you are also allowing them to
get their creative juices flowing. To have students experience learning in a unique
way through the arts will help the ideas you teach stick in their minds. Visual arts
are also a tool that helps many learners. Putting pictures and videos with words to
help teach a subject helps students make multiple connections to the topic. The
more senses a student uses to learn, the more information will be added to the
memory.
In our multimedia project on Rosa Parks we used media such as music, video, and
pictures. As we talked about Rosa Parks and the events she was involved in we
played the music and showed the pictures to go along with it. This helped students
connect pictures and faces and moods to the events. We also showed a video of the
Montgomery Bus Boycott. Some topics are hard to imagine unless you get the
chance to actually see them or a reenactment of them. We then had the students
reenact the day Rosa Parks refused to get off the bus. This allowed students to
become involved in the history and experience some of the same feelings that Ms.
Parks did that day.

Standard : 2.6 Health educationCandidates know, understand, and use the
major concepts in the subject matter of health education to create opportunities for
student development and practice of skills that contribute to good health;

It is the teachers job to educate the whole child. This means we are
educating them not only for the sake of their cognitive well being but for their
hygienic well being as well. Teachers need to educate children on what it means to
be healthy and the steps they need to take to stay that way. Health is a subject that
educates the child along with keeps them happy and healthy. Teachers must be able
to teach ideas of hygiene, sexual education, good eating habits, and safety to
students in ways that they will feel comfortable with and understand. Many
students do not have someone they feel comfortable talking to about health related
topics, so it is important to create an open atmosphere of support in your health
classrooms.

Standard : 2.7 Physical educationCandidates know, understand, and useas
appropriate to their own understanding and skillshuman movement and physical
activity as central elements to foster active, healthy life styles and enhanced quality
of life for elementary students.
It is important for teachers to be able to promote healthy life styles in
children. Using physical activity in the classroom and at recess is a good way to get
children to stay physically active. Teaching students games such as Mr. Fox or Red
Rover during recess is a good way to have students stay physical at home as well.
Playing outside and physical activity is something that is being lost to video games
and television. It is to the point many children may not know how to play outside.
Therefore this is something you can teach in your classroom. The use of imagination
and outside games are a part of physical education children need to have.
Students also need to know what exercises use what muscles and about heart
rate. Students also need to know how to take care of their bodies before and after
physical activity. This involves teaching students to stretch and how to stretch and
teaching them to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated.

Standard: 5.1 Professional growth, reflection, and evaluationCandidates are
aware of and reflect on their practice in light of research on teaching, professional
ethics, and resources available for professional learning; they continually evaluate
the effects of their professional decisions and actions on students, families and other
professionals in the learning community and actively seek out opportunities to grow
professionally.

Artifact #16: Volcano Boarding Lesson Evaluations
It is important that teachers reflect on all of their experiences in the classroom.
Learning what works and what doesnt work for you and your students is a good
way to become an even better teacher. It is also a good strategy to seek advice from
other teaching professionals and resources. Keeping a journal is another good way
to reflect on your thoughts and experiences to help better yourself as a teacher.
After teaching a Fact or Opinion lesson on Volcano Boarding, we did a self-
reflection and evaluation on the lesson as well as got evaluations from our professor
and mentor teacher. This method was a good way to receive constructive feedback
on our teaching methods and also evaluate ourselves. By evaluating ourselves and
having teachers evaluate us we were able to change the way we teach the topic to
better meet the needs of our students.

Standard: 5.2 Collaboration with families, colleagues, and community
agenciesCandidates know the importance of establishing and maintaining a
positive collaborative relationship with families, school colleagues, and agencies in
the larger community to promote the intellectual, social, emotional, physical growth
and well-being of children.
Artifact # 17: Family Collaboration
It is important to maintain a healthy open relationship with students
families, colleagues, and the community. All of these things influence your classroom
environment and the information you teach. Communicating with colleagues and
the community allow for new ideas and opportunities to be afforded to your
students. Having police officers or fire fighters come into your classroom is a great
way to get the community involved. Anytime a guest speaker can come into the
classroom is beneficial to students. Also having students go out into the community
to see what is out there and who makes the community flow are also beneficial to
teaching the whole student.
Keeping childrens families involved in their education is very important.
When the children are not at school with you they are at home with their family. If
learning and encouragement and support continues at home the students will
perform better in the classroom. At Family Math and Science night we were able to
foster good relations with parents as well as educate them on activities that they can
do with students at home.

Megan Wheeler
Reflective Essay
Throughout my experiences in my courses at Buffalo State and my
experience in various elementary classrooms I have learned a great deal. I have
gained a better understanding of elementary curriculum and all subjects. I have
learned many teaching techniques and pedagogy that I will be able to use in my
future classroom. It is important as a future educator to know what teaching
strategies work best for you but also to have an arsenal of back up techniques
because its important to meet the needs of your students.
I have also learned a great deal about diversity in the classroom and the
challenges and rewards that accompany it. I feel as though it is important to be
aware of diversity in the classroom and engage students in learning experiences
that benefit and promote every students individuality. Through my classes and
experiences I have learned to adapt lessons to meet the needs of all the students.
Differentiation is the key to help all students achieve in the classroom.
I have also grown through the use of reflection and evaluation. After many
teaching experiences it is nice to be able to look back on a lesson and see what parts
I feel worked and what parts I feel may not have. By having other teaching
professionals observe and evaluate me I am able to grow in my performance as well.
Evaluation of peers allows me to correct things that I cannot see myself, for example
my voice levels or if I am covering enough of the room during the lesson. I have
learned through this type of experience to speak louder, slower, and more clearly
while teaching lessons.
My Personal Interests
-Reading: I enjoy reading! I am a huge Harry Potter fan!




-Serbian Folk Dancing: Ive
been dancing since I was 5!





-Running: I dont run fast but I run for fun.
Running clears my mind and
I love the energy of races!