Section Three

Teacher Candidate Artifacts

Introduction
The previous section of this portfolio showcases my many experiences in education

along with my professional achievements and philosophy of education. In this section I will

demonstrate a verity of artifacts that make true my ability to be an educator with the board.

Section three provides insight to the many accomplishments I have achieved at Medaille

College. It encompasses my abilities to create lessons, embed technology and provide a

learning environment for all students to succeed. The artifacts that I hand chose to be included

in this section are as followed; DASA (Dignity for All Students Act), CRT (cultural relative

teaching), Math lesson, Padlet, Science Activity, ELED Assessment and Instruction Plan, Cyber

Safety Digital Citizen and a Bitmoji Classroom. It is my hope that you the reader find these

artifacts interesting and intriguing. These artifacts are always being updated and added to.

Artifacts and Rationales

Artifact #1: DASA Certificate

The Dignity for All Students Act or DASA for short was created and designed to foster an

educational environment that is free of discrimination and harassment. It provides guidelines

and knowledge for educational professionals to have a classroom and school where students

feel not only safe but succeed. This program that all teachers need to achieve success in guides

them to have the right management decisions that they make. After successfully completing

the Dignity for All Act seminar, I can whole heartedly say that I feel prepared to offer a

classroom environment that is safe for all students. An environment that is free of bullying,
harassment and discrimination. The certificate received from the training and program

reenforces my abilities and objectives such as sensitivity and awareness to a multitude of

student populations and how to deal with situations as they come. The standards and

curriculum that reflect this certificate are as followed; a copy of the completed certificate is also

below.

INTASC Standard

Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice: The teacher engages in ongoing

professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the

effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the

community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.

NYS Code of Ethics for Educators

Principle 5: Educators collaborate with parents and community, building trust and

confidentiality.

The Ontario Ethical Teacher Standards

TRUST: The ethical standard of Trust embodies fairness, openness and honesty. Members'

professional relationships with students, colleagues, parents, guardians and the public are

based on trust.

TEAC/CAEP

Claim 3: Medaille College graduates are caring educators

Artifact #2: Cultural Relative Teaching

Cultural Relative teaching is very important in today’s world. As Canada and the United

States of America is built on immigrants seeking better lives it is important that we educate and

celebrate out differences. By doing this we are keeping up with professional development. This

in turn will create a classroom environment that is welcoming for all. Professional development

helps strengthen knowledge and heighten awareness. I choose to include my Cultural Relative

experience/document because I feel it shows my willingness to be inclusive and educate others.

It provides insight to the aspects that I hold close to myself. I hope that you the reader find it

beneficial. Below are the standards I feel this artifact reflects.

INTASC Standards

Standard #2: Learning Differences: The teacher uses understanding of individual differences

and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable

each learner to meet high standards.

Standard #3: Learning Environments: The teacher works with others to create environments

that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social

interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.

NYS Code of Ethics for Educators

Principle 6: Educators advance an intellectual and ethical foundation of the learning

community.
Ontario Ethical Teacher Standards

RESPECT: Intrinsic to the ethical standard of Respect are trust and fair-mindedness. Members

honour human dignity, emotional wellness and cognitive development. In their professional

practice, they model respect for spiritual and cultural values, social justice, confidentiality,

freedom, democracy and the environment.

TEAC/CAEP

Claim 2: Medialle College graduates the needs of diverse learners through effective pedagogy

and best teaching practices.

Cultural Relative Teaching
By: Vincent Coccurello

The learning activity I have created for my grade six class; will correspond with the

subject of art and more specifically in the form of dance. The dance lesson/activity will cost

nothing to the school or class because of my profession training and I will be able to facilitate

the activity to its full potential. The dance lesson will be in a style that is more culturally based.

Such as Salsa, Samba, African, Hip-hop or Lindy Hop. Which all dance styles have roots in the

streets of communities all around the world. No matter what style of dance, we can all agree

that dance is the universal movement of the body and music no matter the language is the

universal language. Dance allows children and people a like to get active, be mentally simulated

and is proven to boost all around happiness with lowering stress.

Since the students in the class come from low-income families and most likely cannot

afford after school recreational activities such as dance. Incorporating dance within the

classroom will allow students to partake in an activity that they might not have to opportunity

to have elsewhere.

The lesson will start off with a presentation via video/pictures and song clip-its of the

genera being learned. Having the students learn the historical and cultural aspect of the dance

is important before beginning. For example as Salsa being a Cuban street dance, or Lindy Hop

being a street dance which was born in the African-American communities in Harlem, NYC in

the late 30s. Dance is counted 1to 8 no matter the style or music, making it easy to understand.
Once the short learning aspect is done. Students will move to an open area to begin learning

the style of dance.

What I find most important about this learning activity is that it allows students to be

self-expressive within a multicultural-based platform. Within a normal setting reading is a must.

In dance there is no reading or writing or speaking. Just listening and counting to eight.

Relieving the stress from the multi-level reading students and the students that are learning a

new language. It gives students the opportunity to fell connected to one another, as it is a

group setting-learning environment. It will allow them get up and get active promoting healthy

physical activity. In the end the activity will allows for students to forget their troubles at home

and be engaged for the time being.

The cultural relative teaching promotes an active teaching method. During the dance

lesson students will have the opportunity to add a few moves in to “mix”. Allowing them to

have an active role in crafting and developing the learning activity. This will promote as sense of

accomplishment, purpose and pride. In turn the students will mostly be more engaged leading

to improved student engagement. I believe that this lesson also combines cultural sensitivity

and reshaping the curriculum into one. By know their heritage/background I’m able to tailor the

activity responsible and accurately to the students in the class. Dance allows this through

artistic freedom and movement. The lesson also incorporated a low-pressure learning scenario.

The lesson is to be fun and engaging.

I believe the activity/lesson of dance will also allow for a sense of community. It will

allow them to work together and gel to form a great dance scene. By working on the same goal
and doing the same moves at the same time, they will actively see that they are all connected in

the same way. When there is a joy in the sense of community and connection passion may

form. If students truly enjoy dance they can use it out side the classroom to promote/motivate

school spirit. I also believe that an active body is a health one. Making dance mentally and

spiritually good for oneself. The lesson could be done outside (weather permitting) using

natural light or in the gymnasium, giving the learning environment a flexible space. It will also

give the students the freedom of movement. A health and happy class could change the

structure of “thought” in the class and more so in the overall school.

In the end I truly understand the benefits that dance offers students that come from

many different scenarios and backgrounds. The subject can be easily tailored to fit any cultural

relative learning environment. Dance can also have many side attributes that can be

incorporated such as history, physical education and art. To conclude I believe the lesson will

demonstrate an appropriate approach to a cultural relative teaching activity.

Artifact #3: Math Lesson Plan

Math is a very important subject and skill every student needs to possess. The math

lesson plan that I have created is for a grade 3 class. The topic being taught is how to tell time. I

included this into my portfolio to showcase my ability to create an engaging fun lesson for

students, in a subject that most do not have an interest in. Math plays an important role in

every day life and it is with this lesson that I hope you the reader will see that I am well suited

to perform a lesson. The math lesson artifact embodies the following professional and

curriculum standards.

INTASC Standards

Content: Teachers must have a deep and flexible understanding of their content areas and be

able to draw upon content knowledge as they work with learners to access information, apply

knowledge in real world settings, and address meaningful issues to assure learner mastery of

the content. Today’s teachers make content knowledge accessible to learners by using multiple

means of communication, including digital media and information technology. They integrate

cross-disciplinary skills (e.g., critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, communication) to

help learners use content to propose solutions, forge new understandings, solve problems, and

imagine possibilities. Finally, teachers make content knowledge relevant to learners by

connecting it to local, state, national, and global issues.

Standard #4: Content Knowledge: The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of

inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences
that make the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the

content.

Standard #5: Application of Content: The teacher understands how to connect concepts and

use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative

problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.

Instructional Practice: Effective instructional practice requires that teachers understand and

integrate assessment, planning, and instructional strategies in coordinated and engaging ways.

Beginning with their end or goal, teachers first identify student learning objectives and content

standards and align assessments to those objectives. Teachers understand how to design,

implement and interpret results from a range of formative and summative assessments. This

knowledge is integrated into instructional practice so that teachers have access to information

that can be used to provide immediate feedback to reinforce student learning and to modify

instruction. Planning focuses on using a variety of appropriate and targeted instructional

strategies to address diverse ways of learning, to incorporate new technologies to maximize

and individualize learning, and to allow learners to take charge of their own learning and do it

in creative ways.

NYS Code of Ethics for Educators

Principle 2: Educators create support and maintain challenging learning environment

for all.

The Ontario Ethical Teacher Standards

CARE: The ethical standard of Care includes compassion, acceptance, interest and insight for

developing students' potential. Members express their commitment to students' well-being and

learning through positive influence, professional judgment and empathy in practice.

Artifact #4: Padlet
As we move forward in the age of technology, technology will be more present in our

day to day lives. We as teachers need to embrace its potential in regards to learning. It can be

used to enhance lesson plans, activities and provide adequate resources to students. Having a

platform where teachers can upload work and create interactive lessons is what I strive to

incorporate into my future classroom. Padlet, the artifact being shown here is a website and

platform that students can have on their mobile devices, tablets and computers. They can have

access to read aloud and many other resources. It is also a great digital resource for students to

communicate appropriately with each other and the teacher. The following are the standards

this online program aligns with.

INTASC Standards

Standard #8: Instructional Strategies: The teacher understands and uses a variety of

instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas

and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.

Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice: The teacher engages in ongoing

professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the

effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the

community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.

New York State Code Of Ethics for Educators

Principle 2: Educators create support and maintain challenging learning environment

for all.

Ontario Ethical Teacher Standards

RESPECT: Intrinsic to the ethical standard of Respect are trust and fair-mindedness. Members

honour human dignity, emotional wellness and cognitive development. In their professional

practice, they model respect for spiritual and cultural values, social justice, confidentiality,

freedom, democracy and the environment.

TAEC/CAEP

Claim 2:  Medaille College graduates meet the needs of diverse learners through

effective pedagogy and best teaching practices

International Society for Technology Education for Teacher and Students (ISTE)

4.d. Use multiple processes and diverse perspective to explore alternative solutions
Artifact #5: Science Activity

The fifth artifact that I have chosen to include is my science activity. I chose this activity

simple because it is fun. Students get a hands-on approach to learning. The activity follows an

earth soils lesson. This activity is done with edible ingredients where the student can then eat it

after he or she is done. I wanted to include this in this portfolio demonstrate a science
component to my work. Science is very dear to me as it was my undergraduate degree. By

providing students this the knowledge I posses and activities which are fun to perform and do,

students will learn a great deal of information. It is my hopes that you enjoy the activity below

and know I am committed to an environment in the classroom that is both fun and engaging.

The standards for which this activity reflects are as followed.

INTASC Standards

Standard #3: Learning Environments: The teacher works with others to create environments

that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social

interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.

New York State Code of Ethics for Educators

Principle 2: Educators create support and maintain challenging learning environment

for all.

The Ontario Ethical Teacher Standards

CARE: The ethical standard of Care includes compassion, acceptance, interest and insight for

developing students' potential. Members express their commitment to students' well-being and

learning through positive influence, professional judgment and empathy in practice.

TEAC/CAEP

Claim 1: Medaille College graduates know the subject matter in their certification area(s)

Vincent Coccurello

March 2021

Medaille College Department of Education

Science Experiment/Activity
Grade 1-6
Due 3/21/2021

Edible soil layers complete with gummy worms: earth

science project.

Requirements:
Science Experiment Lesson Plan that includes:

I. Objective:

By the end of the lesson, students will understand the layers of the
earth soil. They will create an edible model that represents the layers
of soil, while using proper terminology.

II. Standards

NYS
3-LS4-1 Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in
Natural Systems. Science assumes consistent patterns in natural
systems.
3-LS4-4 Systems and System Models. A system can be described in
terms of its components and their interactions.

Ontario
2.2 investigate the components of soil (e.g., nonliving things such as
pebbles and decaying matter; living things such as organic matter,
bacteria, earthworms, and insects), the condition of soil (e.g., wet, dry),
and additives found in soil (e.g., pesticides, fertilizers, salt), using a
variety of soil samples (e.g., sand, clay, loam) from different local
environments, and explain how the different amounts of these
components in a soil sample determine how the soil can be used.

2.5 Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including clay,

sand, loam, pebbles, earth materials, and soil, in oral and written
communication

III. Targeted Grade Level and will this be done whole

group/small group/ or with a partner

The targeted grade level for this activity/experiment is grade 3.

Ingredients will be place and shared amongst the small group’s
students (desk arrangements). The small groups will follow the
procedure

IV. Materials being used and amount of time needed

 Milk chocolate chips (1 bag)

 Butterscotch ships (1 bag)
 Chocolate pudding (10 cups)
 Oreo Crumble (1 box)
 Whip cream/CoolWhip (1 tub)
 Green food colouring
 Gummy worms (1 bag or 1 for every student)
 Clear cups (1 for every student)
 Spoons (1 for every student)
 Paper plates for ingredients
The preparation will be done during recess, the activity should take 10
minutes to complete.

V. Procedure - step by step directions to complete this

activity/experiment.

1. Everyone has a cup and spoon.

2. Chocolate and butterscotch chips are placed 1st in the cup,
representing Bedrock.
3. Chocolate pudding will then be added 2nd to the cup, on top of
the chips, representing subsoil.
4. Oreo crumble will be added 3rd to the cup, on top of the
pudding representing topsoil.
5. The green CoolWhip will be added 4th on top of the Oreo
crumble, representing organic matter.
6. Place 1 gummy worm on top of the creation, representing living
organisms.
7. Eat and Enjoy!

VI. Closure – Any additional pertinent information you feel we

need to have to be able to do this lesson.

- The teacher may want to ensure all ingredients are peanut free.
- Be sure the budget allows for cost.

Handouts that go with the activity/experiment:

Diagram of model & procedure

 1.Everyone has a cup and spoon.

2. Chocolate and butterscotch chips are placed

1st in the cup, representing Bedrock.

3. Chocolate pudding will then be added 2nd to

the cup, on top of the chips, representing
subsoil.

4. Oreo crumble will be added 3rd to the cup,

on top of the pudding representing topsoil.

5. The green CoolWhip will be added 4th on

top of the Oreo crumble, representing organic
matter.

6. Place 1 gummy worm on top of the

creation, representing living
organisms.

7. Eat and Enjoy!

Artifact #6: ELED Assessment and Instruction Plan

The ELED assessment and instruction plan was designed for two reasons. The first to

teach us the teacher candidate how to preform and analyze a student reading. Secondly it was

designed for us to have the opportunity to work with a real elementary student. This

opportunity was one that I will be taking into my future teaching practices. As it is a practical

real-world scenario that teacher will experience and preform on daily with students. The

document below is a full over view of my work with my student. From a reading inventory
check list, spelling test, running record and a plan for instruction. I hope this proves that I am

willing to take the time and know my students’ strengths and concerns. The ELED assessment

and instruction plan embodies the following standards.

INTASC Standards

Standard #4: Content Knowledge: The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of

inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences

that make the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the

content.

Standard #6: Assessment: The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment

to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s

and learner’s decision making.

NYS Code of Ethics for Educators

Principle 1: Educators nurture the intellectual, physical, emotional, social and civic

potential of every student.

The Ontario Ethical Teacher Standards

CARE: The ethical standard of Care includes compassion, acceptance, interest and insight for

developing students' potential. Members express their commitment to students' well-being and

learning through positive influence, professional judgment and empathy in practice.

TEAC/CAEP

Claim 2: Medaille College graduates meet the needs of diverse learners through

effective pedagogy and best teaching practices.

ELED Assessment & Instruction Plan

Vincent Coccurello

EDL 650

Professor Denise Steppenbeck

April 10th , 2021

I. Basic Data

a. Student name: Sophia V

b. Grade stage of development: Grade 4/ Stage 3- Learning the new (single view point)

c. Type of assessment analyzed:

i. Emoji Interest Inventory (Elementary Reading Attitude Survey) (McKenna et al, 2015)

ii. Words Their Way Elementary Spelling Inventory (Bear, 2007)

iii. Running Record (Reading A-Z, Level U and W) (Reading A-Z, n.d)

iv. Informal Reading Inventory (McKenna et al, 2015)

II. Summary of Assessment Document

a. Emoji Interest Inventory/Attitude Survey (Appendix A)

The interest inventory/ attitude survey serves as a gate way to knowing your students likes and

dislikes when it comes to reading. The survey provides insight to their personal attitude towards

recreational reading and academic reading. This allows us as educators to create a literacy program that

is more tailored to the interest of our students. This will provide useful in creating engaging, motivating

and joyful learning environments during literacy in class. If a student in your class has a negative attitude

towards reading, this simple survey that the student completes will allow you as an educator to work on

the specific aspects noted as negative. With engaging activates and a positive approach the attitude

towards literacy can be approved upon.

The survey consists of 20 questions. The first 10 questions pertain to the student’s attitude

towards recreational reading and the final 10 questions pertain to their attitude towards academic

reading. In this fun activity the student simple circles the best Emoji that represents how they feel about

the respected question. The scales of the survey consist of four Emoji’s; very happy, happy,

indifferent/sad and angry/mad. On a educators stand point each Emoji represents a point. Very happy

(4), happy (3), indifferent/sad (2) and angry/mad (1). These values are then added together in their

respected category (recreational and academic) and as a whole. These vales are then used to calculate

the student’s percentile. Which in turn can be used to compare the value of the students to a national

percentile rank.

My student Sophia completed the survey with ease. After adding the respected points for

recreational, Sophia had a score of 37/40 putting her into the 92 nd percentile rank. Her academic score

was 33/40 putting her into the 83rd percentile rank. Sophia’s overall raw score was 70/80 demonstrating
that her full-scale percentile is 89 compared to other students in her grade. As seen in her survey Sophia

did not circle angry/mad for any questions asked. Only answering 2 questions out of the twenty (one in

recreational and one in academic) as indifferent/sad. This shows that Sophia does enjoy reading for the

most part. Having a higher score in recreational leads me to believe she positive attitude and enjoys

reading on her own then for academic purposes. However she does still have in my opinion a very

positive attitude towards reading for academic purposes, as her percentile is high. Sophia did mention

that she enjoys dance and adventure books.

b. Words Their Way Elementary Spelling Inventory (Appendix B)

Words their way is a literacy assessment program developed by Donald Bear. This assessment

has three spelling inventory lists; primary, elementary and upper elementary. Each one starts off simple

and progressively gets challenging. It is made up of 25 words that need to be spelled by the student. The

words are broken up on the chart to determine what stage of spelling the student falls under.

For this assessment I chose to test Sophia’s performance on spelling with the elementary

spelling inventory. The spelling assessment was performed in person pencil to paper. I would read the

word, use it in a sentence and repeat the word. Sophia wrote her response. She did very well. After

reviewing her answers and analyzing the chart including feature points and words spelled correctly, I

would place Sophia in the early derivational relations spelling stage. Although she misspelled cellar as

“seller” (in the syllables and affixes) she did get 2/5 words correct in the derivational relations. Knowing

Sophia is in grade 4 it is most likely she knows both words cellar and seller. These words are homonyms,

both sounding the same but spelled differently. This makes me believe she didn’t comprehend the use

of the word in the sentence provided. Another interesting component when Sophia was spelling was
with the word cherries. She first wrote carry, but quickly self corrected after reading the word out loud,

to cherries. I found this to be very a very positive aspect in Sophia’s spelling style. Further analysis of the

chart can determine that working with words with harder suffixes and bases or roots will prove

beneficial to Sophia’s spelling journey. Further more Sophia’s feature points were 57/62 and her words

spelled correctly were 21/25 giving her a total score of 78/87. I would conclude that Sophia is well on

her way to becoming a great speller.

c. Running Record A-Z (Reading Level U and W) (Appendix C)

The next step after determining Sophia’s understanding with words through spelling and

interest levels was a running record. This was needed to fully understand if Sophia demonstrates fluency

and comprehension while reading. A running record allows you to record a child’s reading behavior as

he or she reads from the book (Learning A-Z, 2021). Understanding your student’s behavior will allow

you as an educator the ability to chose the right lessons and activities to enhance their reading ability

and their comprehension. During a running record, reading behaviors such as phonic awareness,

phonological awareness and vocabulary are all observed. You as a teacher have the opportunity to see if

the student omits a word, substitutes a word or added vocabulary to the text. It is the window into how

a child reads and comprehends a passage or book.

I used the A-Z passages to complete my running records on Sophia. I chose to start with level U

being that Sophia is in grade 4 and has a strong grasp on words and high interest in reading. I informed

Sophia of the process of the running record and she seems confortable with it stating that her teacher at

school has done this will her a few times. Sophia was sable to read the level U passage with tremendous

ease. It was too easy for her. Her words per minute were 143 and her accuracy rate was 99%. She had 3

repetitions, which do not count as an error and only one true error, looking at the single word, not
knowing how to say it and said “whatever” and carried on. This indicated that she her fluency was above

what she read. Her comprehension on the passage was very good as well getting 4/5 right. Knowing that

this level U passage was to easy I bumped up the level passage to W for the second running record.

The level W passage for Sophia was a better fit. Sophia was able to read the passage with

fluency. She had 3 repetitions, which do not count as an error. She had 4 errors, 3 omissions and 1

insertion. As I tallied up the score I realized that this passage too might have been to easy for her. Her

accuracy was 98% and her words per minute were 105. However I continued on to the comprehension

questions and it is there that I discovered that it was just right for Sophia. Sophia only got one answer

out of five-comprehension questions right. Indicating to me that she didn’t fully understand the passage

even though she was able to read it with fluency. By observing her tone in voice and responses I can

conclude that she needs additional help with the comprehension aspect in reading. To get a better

picture of her comprehension skills I performed an additional assessment on her.

d. Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) (Appendix D)

Once the running records where calculated and analyzed including questions asked at the end of

the running record. I made the decision to further assess Sophia’s reading compression skills and more

so her inference comprehension. This decision was based on the fact that her score on the

comprehension portion of the running record was slightly poor. The tool used to assess this was the

Informal Reading Inventory passage. The document contains a short passage the student reads and then

contains 10 comprehension questions. The questions progressively get more detailed and require more

thinking. The student must answer these questions orally to the teacher. The IRI is able to give an

indication to the teacher if the passage is at their independent, instructional or frustration level, by both
examining oral errors and comprehension errors. The IRI used was about a small nation in Africa called

Togo and was approximately 120 words.

My student Sophia read the passage with extreme fluency. Only pronouncing nation of Ghana as

Gay-ana. This is understandable because it is not a nation that gets mainstream attention or a word that

is prevalent in most western works of literature. The comprehension questions were a little tricky for her

as after the 5th question (question 1 to 5 – direct recall from text) required more thinking and inference.

Answers took a few moments to be given and when they were, they were either vague or incorrect. I

gave part marks for answers that were slightly correct. Sophia scores a 7.5/10. Making one 1 oral error

and 2.5 comprehension errors. It can be determine that this piece read and tested for comprehension

fall in her instructional level. Sophia had a great attitude towards the whole process and only needed to

be encouraged once with question 8. I had to remind her that “its okay if you don’t know the answer, try

your best” as I saw a worried complex look on her face for 2-3 minutes. It is with my opinion that with

continued practice with in depth comprehension questions will better Sophia and advance her to the

next level of reading comprehension.

III. Instruction plan

Instructional needs  Sophia needs tools and elements to use to aid her in the comprehension aspects

of reading. This will help her with understanding stories and content read. She needs to take her time

reading and not rush. She also needs to learn to sound out the word and not give up quickly and say

“whatever” and skip the word.

Instruction  A short lesson will be done on making inferences. Sophia needs to be able to use prior

knowledge and clues from the text to make connections and provide detailed answers. An emphasis on
visualization on text read will also be beneficial for Sophia. This will help create a mental picture to draw

from to understand what is being read. Graphic organizers are also a great tool for comprehending

stories and text. Sophia would benefit from tree diagrams or flow charts that depict the book/story or

text reading. She would have a piece of work to reference when asked questions about the literature.

Guided work  One aspect that an educator can do with Sophia is guided work. This type of learning

environment would be great to learn about how to answer comprehension questions. By reading the

question once or twice to fully understand it and then proceeding. Showing Sophia how to use her prior

knowledge and use it to better her answers will in turn help her succeed in answering. The guided work

would help her find cues in the text to then connect to prior knowledge.

Independent work  Sophia would benefit from learning how to story map or create a collection of

organized facts. This can be done independently by simply writing a header of setting, character, plot

and theme with the respects elements that pertain to the story. Having this information written and in

front of her with the piece of literature will help with comprehension. She can do this independently on

an informal setting.

Ontario Standards

1.3: identify a verity of reading comprehension strategies and use them appropriately before after and

during reading to understand text.

1.5: making inferences about texts using stated or implied ideas from the text as evidence.

NYS Standards
4SL1a: come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; draw on that

preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.

IV. Reflection

The process of the ELED assessment and instruction plan has proved to be both challenging and

beneficial. I can admit I am not the strongest writer. Writing a very long report is a bit of a challenge for

me. However, I enjoy retrieving information and stating facts with interpretation. I see the benefits from

this assessment because I learned the approaches needed in order to assess a student in the class for

reading. I remember participating in running records when I was in elementary school and not know

what it was for. So by learning how to use it and interpret it to benefit the student I can say with

confidence I know what a running record is used for to the best of my abilities. What I mostly learned

was how much you learn as a teacher about the individual student and their reading behaviors. These

assessments are a gateway into the working mind of the student. By knowing their strengths and

weaknesses, lessons can be tailored to meet their needs and improve on their reading skills. In the end I

joyed the process of performing the assessments and learning about my student then writing a report. I

believe that I am prepared to administer an assessment to a student in my future career as an educator.

Appendix
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
References

Bear, D.R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2007). Words Their Way: Word study for
th
Phonics, Vocabulary, and spelling Instruction (4 ed.). Pearson Education Inc.

Learning A-Z. (2021). Reading A-Z: Running records. Retrieved from: https://www.readinga-
z.com/newfiles/levels/runrecord/runrec.html

Read Naturally. (2021) Retrieved from: https://readnaturally.com/research/5- components-of-

reading/comprehension

Reading Rockets. (2019, September 27). Types of informal classroom-based assessment.

https://www.readingrockets.org/article/types-informal- classroom-based-assessment

Stahl, K. A., Flanigan, K., & McKenna, M. C. (2015). Assessment for reading instruction (4th ed.).
Guilford Publications.