Final Reflection on

Teaching Performance
Strengths
Cassandra Chandler, 5th Grade
 Planning
Teaching
Differentiation
Assessment
Contents
Classroom Culture and Learning Community
Professionalism
Awards
Supporting Documentation
Planning
 - Teacher develops achievement goals that are
1.2 Set Ambitious and measurable, aligned to content standards and
Measurable Achievement Goals including benchmarks to help monitor learning.

Each week, I planned a goal for each subject. The goal

changed from week to week and aligned with the objective.
I wrote the goal for my class in my planning book along the
side so I would see it each day when I referenced my plans.
Each goal correlated with a standard-based lesson I was
teaching that week.
In the picture to the right, you can see the goal I set for our
literacy lesson about reading response strategy (RACE) to the
right of my lesson outline for week 11.
 - Based on achievement goals, teacher plans units by: identifying content
1.3 Develop Standards-Based standards that students will master in each unit, creating assessments before

Unit Plans and Assessments each unit begins for backwards planning, and allocating an instructionally
appropriate amount of time for each unit.

Throughout the semester, I created many unit plans. In all, I

made at least one in each subject. When planning these units, I
first focused on the standards which would be covered and then
determined what style of assessment would be used (Backwards
Design). I would then go through each day, adding in the
guideline of what we would complete.
These units and materials were shared with other 5th grade
teachers and modifications were made as needed. The top right is
my Geometry Unit, and the bottom right is the Revolutionary War
Unit.
1.4 Create Objective-Driven - Designing formative assessments that measure progress
Lesson Plans and towards mastery and inform instruction and matching
instructional strategies as well as meaningful and relevant
Assessments activities/assignments to the lesson objectives.

Each day, I use a set of daily slides which project for each
subject. These slides tell the students what they need as
well as the goals for learning for the day. The students are
very familiar with the format of these slides and have
become reliant on these slides in their daily routine as we
switch from subject to subject.
For each subject, the daily objective was posted and at the
beginning of the lesson I provided a brief overview of what
we would accomplish in that day.
 - Uses an effective data tracking system for analyzing
1.5 Track Student Data and student progress towards mastery ad planning future
Analyze Progress lessons/unit accordingly.

For each subject, I created a color-coded grading system. Each

subject had their own color, and I had a list of all the students
listed on each sheet. With every assignment, grades were
recorded on the students’ paper as well as on the record form.
We used these forms to keep track of absent/late work and
determine the assignment average to determine future
instruction.
At West Lafayette Intermediate, the teachers use a program to
collect and record grades called Skyward. I became familiar with
this program and quickly learned how to enter grades and create
new assignments.
Reflection of Planning
Through this semester, I learned a great deal from my mentor teacher in the area of planning. I used a week-by-
week planning book which broke down each day into 5 subject categories. In this planner, I was able to jot down
general ideas and points of conversation for the lesson during that day. This method of planning was easy to
maintain and helped me stay organized as I planned out multiple week-long units. I was able to successfully plan
many multi-week learning units: Geometry (math), Poetry (ELA), Revolutionary War (Social Studies), Figurative
Language (ELA), Earth’s Systems (Science), Biology including Cells, Plants, Taxonomy, and Ecosystems (Science). One
area I can continue developing is my differentiated planning by taking time to address students who are learning
both above and below level and creating more individualized assignments for students to encourage academic
success and growth on multiple levels.
Teaching
2.1 Develop Student - Lesson objectives are specific, measurable, and aligned to
Understanding and Mastery of standards. Objectives and purpose written in student-
friendly language and lesson builds on students' prior
Lesson Objectives knowledge of key concepts.

At the beginning of each lesson, I included our tasks for the

day on the slide. I also use the back assignments board for
students to see what we would be focusing on in each
subject. During every lesson, I would try to ask the students
what we talked about in the previous lesson through using
cold-calling or turn-and-talk, this way I can activate prior
knowledge and recall. I believe starting with the purpose and
goals of the lesson is a great way to encourage students in
focusing on what will be accomplished in the lesson.
 - Provide differentiated methods of engagement and promotes mastery
2.3 Engage Students in of the objective. Lessons progress at a pace that is appropriate for all
Academic Content learners. Effectively integrates technology as a tool to engage students
in academic content.

There were many ways I was able to differentiate my

assessments and academic content. One way I found most
students reacted positively to was through using CommonLit.
This was an online reading resource where students could
be assigned an article to read and then reading
comprehension questions would be used to assess student
learning. To the right, you can see what an assignment
report looks like from the teacher’s perspective. I could use
the data to determine who needed remediation or extra
assistance for following lessons.
 - Teacher adjusts instruction based on checks for understanding that
2.5 Modify Instruction as lead to increased understanding for most students. Shows patience and
Needed helps students work hard toward mastering the objective and to persist
even when faced with difficult tasks.

During AEI time at the end of each day, otherwise called a

study hall, I would set aside time to remediate with students
and work with them in smaller groups to recover
information that might have been missed earlier in the day.
This was also a time dedicated to students completing
missing assignments and absent work. I used a slide (to the
right) so that students could see what they are missing, I
would update this slide daily so that students could turn in
assignments as quickly as possible.
2.6 Develop Higher Level of - Frequently develop higher-level understanding through
Understanding Through effective questioning; students have opportunities to
meaningfully practice, apply and demonstrate their learning.
Rigorous Instruction and Work
One unit that I had to highly differentiate was our poetry
unit. I did not use a formal preassessment with this unit,
but rather used discussion-based assessment to determine
how much experience students had with the vocabulary of
poetry terminology. During instruction, I would assign the
higher-level students more complex poems to analyze while
I worked with lower-level students as we analyzed grade-
level based poems. Despite completing different work, each
group was still focused on the same goal and covering the
same standards.
 - Uses routines, transitions, and procedures that are well-executed.
2.7 Maximize Instructional Students know what they are supposed to be doing with minimal
Time prompting by the teacher. Almost all students are on-task and
follow instructions with minimal prompting.

In order to maximize instructional time and promote students building skills

of self-sufficiency, I used subject slides with materials needed (materials,
tasks, HW for the evening) – example as the green slide on the top right.
Students were very responsive to these as I used them more consistently
through the semester starting in late January. When we transitioned
between subjects, students knew they had two minutes to gather their
things and begin with a clean desk, and I would end that time with a 20
second countdown to the time I was going to start my lesson.
I also began by outlining the goals for the lesson. I would also use slides
(such as the bottom orange slide) to tell them the specific tasks they need to
accomplish.
Reflection of Teaching
From the beginning of the semester, I felt very comfortable in the classroom as I instructed lessons even from week
one. I completed three weeks of solo teaching (during week 11 to week 13) which included taking on all planning,
assessment, homework, and grading. I challenged myself early on in this semester to shift from leading all
discussions in the classroom (teacher-centered) to using more think-pair-share or turn-and-talk strategies to
encourage peer relationship development and foster academic conversations through the lessons.
One goal I have set for future teaching experiences is developing more inclusive instructional strategies for students
who have disabilities (IEP/504) within the Literacy and Math subject areas. This was not something I was able to
work with in these two core-content areas, but I know I can create more creative instructional methods for when I
do have students with extra needs in my classroom.
Differentiation
2.6 Develop Higher Level of - Lessons are accessible and challenging to almost all
Understanding Through students. Lesson pushes almost all students forward due to
differentiation of instruction based on each student's level
Rigorous Instruction and Work of learning.

I was able to apply differentiated activities for math in each

unit. Before beginning a unit, a preassessment would be
given to determine the enrichment group; enrichment
grades were 90% and above. For every lesson and
assignment, the core group of student was given, there was
an accompanying enrichment page given to the higher-level
group. These materials were used from the Singapore
curriculum which was provided by my mentor teacher and
used in previous academic years. All students would come
together for summative assessments of the unit.
 - Teacher anticipates misunderstandings and preemptively addresses
2.5 Modify Instruction as them. Teacher is able to modify instruction to respond to
Needed misunderstandings without taking away from the flow of the lesson or
losing engagement.

In terms of modifying instruction, I provided alternative

materials to students with disabilities so that they can keep
record of the same information, but not keep pace with the
class. This came in the form of guided/fillable notes. I used
cut-and-glue materials for various students rather than
written materials so that they could focus more on listening
rather than trying to copy down all the information needed.
To the right (top) you can see the science fillable notes with
pictures, and to the right (bottom) you can see the math
notes with definitions and pictures in the organizer.
 - Teacher uses prior assessment data to formulate
1.1 Utilize Assessment Data to achievement goals, unit plans, and lesson plans.
Plan

Throughout the semester, we relied on various preassessment

as well as standardized assessments to determine grouping for
our students. My teacher had access to NWEA and iLEARN
scores which were used for ability grouping. I used pre- and
post- assessment scores to determine ability and readiness to
move on to new materials. Throughout this semester, I
commonly used exit tickets to prepare and adjust sequential
unit lessons. In red font to the right, I mark how many
students missed each problem with a tally mark to determine
what needs recovered in the following lesson.
 - Teacher plans for a variety of differentiated
1.4 Create Objective-Driven instructional strategies, anticipating where these
lesson Plans and Assessments will be needed to enhance instruction.

In any lesson that involved reading in pairs or groupwork, I would predetermine

groups prior to the lesson based on students reading abilities or subject ability.
I would try to consistently keep a reading group to work with me at the back
table. This way I can use more guided reading methods and scaffold their
comprehension. Common pairs can be seen on the green slide to the right.
For group projects, I tried to separate my high ability students and pair them
with an EL or another student would be lower-level so that they could slow
down and explain their thinking rather than rush through their work. Many
times, I saw success in this method and the high ability students were able to
elaborate on their thinking, showing my they truly knew the content.
Reflection of Differentiation
Concerning math and literacy, I used a lot of differentiation for my high-ability students. In math, I used
preassessments to determine an enrichment group as well as highlight students I could focus on for re-
engagement and re-teaching after lessons or exit tickets. It was encouraging to see great growth from many
students when summative assessments were reviewed. In science, I had two students with disabilities and two with
reading intervention time. I was able to differentiate for these students the time and using reading-guided
assessment to evaluate their content knowledge, rather than their reading skills. I even allowed students to verbally
deliver their answers as opposed to writing down their thoughts to accommodate for a disability.
I can continue developing new ways to differentiate in subject areas other than mathematics. In literacy I could
incorporate reading groups based on Lexile or use differentiated rubrics for evaluation of writing. In science and
social studies, I could provide pre-assessments or guided notes for these students.
Assessment
 - Teacher checks for understanding at almost all key
2.4 Check for Understanding moments and uses a variety of methods to check for
understanding that are successful in capturing an accurate
“pulse” of the class’s understanding.

One goal I set for myself at the beginning of the semester was to
incorporate informal checks for comprehension into as many lessons
as I could. I used multiple methods to gather this information
ranging from post-it checks, to online exit tickets, to what I call “fist
to five”. Most commonly, I relied on fist-to-five where students told
me essentially on a scale from zero to five how confident they were
in their ability. In the top right picture, you can see me explaining
how their online exit ticket was formatted, students would circle the
face that represents how they feel. In the bottom right, is a picture
of the post-it note check. Students put post-it notes on my desk
after they answered the question on the board.
 - Uses an effective data tracking system for analyzing
1.5 Track Student Data and student progress towards mastery ad planning future
Analyze Progress lessons/unit accordingly.

For longer units in mathematics, we used preassessments to ability

group students. To the right, is the pink data-tracking sheet we use to
record student grades and evaluate overall success of students.
Students who receive a 90% or higher on preassessments are grouped
into an enrichment group where they will learn higher-level material
during instructional time.
In every subject, color-coordinated grading sheets were used to track
student scores. Anyone who scored below a 70% was met with upon
returning the assignment/assessment to discuss common errors, set a
future learning goal, and offer opportunity for correction.
 - Teacher uses prior assessment data to
1.1 Utilizes Assessment Data formulate achievement goals, unit plans, and
to Plan lesson plans.

The use of informal self-assessment was helpful in planning for

future lessons because I knew where students were lacking. To
the right (bottom) you can see me explaining how to use their
individually assigned self-assessment by using a Pear Deck slide.
I also used “fist-to-five” to determine confidence level for a
quick, immediate response. I also used a lot of informal
assessment through discussion. During our poetry unit, I would
introduce topics prior to teaching them (poetry, geometry) as an
informal assessment/survey. We would then have a small class
discussion and complete handouts with proper
terminology/definitions.
Reflection of Assessment
I believe assessments were an area of strength this semester. My assessments were always paired with a
study guide to prepare students for their tests. I created assessments that reviewed vocabulary, content
knowledge, and application in each subject. I also utilized various online platforms as well for assessments
such as Google Classroom, Big Ideas Math, ThatQuiz (Math), Wordly Wise (Vocab), CommonLit (Reading),
Scholastic News (Reading), and Generation Genius (Science). The students are more adapted to online
assessments rather than paper assessments, so that was an adjustment I had to make early this semester.
As stated in the Differentiation area, I can continue developing more accommodations for these students,
resting assure that assessments are focused on their content-related skills rather than assessing their
reading/writing abilities.
Classroom Culture and
Learning Community
 - Students are respectful of their teacher and peers; are
2.8 Create Classroom Culture given opportunities to collaborate and support each other in
of Respect and Collaboration the learning process.

Prior to my time in Mrs. Abrahamson’s classroom, during the first

week of school, the class produced a set of expectations for their
environment through the year and called int their “classroom
constitution”. When I joined the class in January, I was made aware of
their classroom constitution and agreed to abide by its rules and also
implement these expectations as I took over the classroom. This was a
great way to have both students and teacher on the same page for
understanding the expectations of behavior, peer interactions, and
academic work through the school year. .
 - Students are invested in their work and value academic
2.9 Set High Expectations for success as evidenced by their effort and quality of their
Academic Success work.

One of my most favorite units from this semester

was when my class dove into poetry. With a high
ability class, I challenged them to become poets and
write a shape poem just as we had seen in our
paired novel, Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. My
students thrived in this unit, and I showcased their
poems in the hallway outside the classroom as a
display of their hard work and creativity. To the right,
there are multiple different poems created by
students about something they enjoy.
 - Routines, transitions, and procedures are well-executed. Students know
2.7 Maximize Instructional what they are supposed to be doing and when, without prompting from
Time the teacher. Students share responsibility for operations and routines and
work well together to accomplish these tasks.

Each day, we maintained the same routine and on days when the
schedule switched, the new schedule was written on the front
board for students to see. To the right, there are two examples of
the morning board which is projected at the start of the day so
that students can fill out their assignment notebook. I switch the
theme each month so the students can have a change of scenery
from time to time.
One consistent note on my lesson reviews by my mentor teacher
was my strong handle on transitions. These comments can be
seen in slides 44, 49, and 51.
Reflection of Classroom Environment and
Community
There were many opportunities to develop a strong classroom environment and community. During February,
we talked about a significant Black/African American figures in US history. In the month of March, I created
a whole class reading challenge for the students and we talked about significant women in US history. On
March 21, Ramadan began and there was one student in my class who celebrates Ramadan, so we had a
whole-class discussion about how to encourage and support our peer as she pursued and carried out her
religious beliefs.
I can continue working on building classroom management skills, especially when to comes to being
consistent through the year. I want to set a goal to establish these classroom guidelines, policies, and rules
early in the year when I begin teaching.
Professionalism
 - Strives to form relationships in which parents are given
3.5 Engage Families in ample opportunity to participate in student learning. Teacher
Student Learning will proactively reach out to parents in a variety of ways to
engage them in student learning.

This semester I set a goal for myself that parents would be able
to reach out to me with questions concerning their child’s
academic, social, and emotional progress and well being. At the
beginning of the semester, I sent home a note to parents,
introducing myself as the new figure in the classroom. At the
end of the semester, I sent home a short “thank you” note for
allowing me to play a role in their child’s academic year. I also
used Remind to send home notes to parents, attended Welcome
Night in August, and attended the 5th Grade Musical to support
my students in their extra-curricular activities.
 - Teacher will regularly share newly learned knowledge and
3.3 Seek Professional Skills practices with others. Teacher will actively pursue
and Knowledge opportunities to improve knowledge and practice.

This semester, I participated in all staff meetings as well as various

professional development sessions through WILS and Purdue
Programs. At WLIS, I attended a PD session about an online materials
called CommonLit. I was able to apply what I learned in this session
to the classroom and assign various readings with the CommonLit
program. I also attended the corporation-wide professional
development day prior to attending our PD session at Purdue with
fellow student teachers. During that day, I participated in sessions
about engaging students as readers, supporting students with
disabilities, and using project-based learning.
 - Teacher will seek out and participate in regular
3.2 Collaborate with Peers opportunities to work with and learn from others. Ask for
assistance, when needed, and provide assistance to others in
need.

Each week, I would meet with my mentor teacher and our co-
planning teacher, Mrs. Kastens, to share materials for the upcoming
week and note progress concerning our unit plans. This was so
helpful to bounce ideas off them and be reminded of pacing out
lessons. I also communicated with various academic instructors in the
building. In the top email, you can see me sending a note to our
Reading Interventionist about new quarterly reading goals for the
students she works with from my class. On the bottom, there are
notes from my mentor teacher about the lessons I delivered through
the semester (more can be located on after slide 40).
Reflection of Professionalism
This semester, I started and continue to run the Remind account for my parents/families. I will send important
info about field trips, any school events, or classroom need-to-know information. I also respond frequently to
parent emails throughout the day regarding transportation changes and homework questions. This semester, I
have recognized how valuable engaging with families is. Students whose parents are aware and supportive of
what is going on in the classroom have students who are more successful academically and emotionally. There
have been many times where I have seen parents who are engaged and supportive as well as parents who are
engaged and disapproving. Those with parents who are disapproving tend to have more behavior issues, late
assignments, and lower grades overall. I think being in contact with families and making them aware of my
expectations for the classroom and for their student is key to supporting any child.
Awards
Outstanding Future
Educator Recipient

• Out of 200 graduates from the College of Education, 35 students were

nominated, and I was one of 5 who was selected as an award
recipient for the Outstanding Future Educator Award. This award is
sponsored by the Indiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
and brings together the award recipients from colleges across Indiana.
It was an honor to be nominated by my mentor teacher, Yvonne
Abrahamson, and to recognized for my hard work this semester!
Winner in Academic
Learning Listening
Strategy

• I was selected out of my student

teaching cohort of 5 students to
have the most effective Academic
Learning Listening Strategy. This is
detailed on slide 49 with my lesson
about dividing fractions.
 Supporting
Documentation
Working Through a
Power-Outage

• On this day in student teaching, the power

went out for about an hour and a half at our
school. While awaiting a decision about how
the school day would proceed, we wasted no
academic time and continued working but
making water-bottle lanterns to illuminate
the classroom.
 • When concluding our Lost Colony unit, my class

Escape
participated in an escape room which included various
series of codes the students had to “break” in order to
Room solve the riddle. They worked in partners around the
room to solve four different clues.
Lost Colony Cold
Case
• Students participated in a simulation where they were trying to develop a
theory about what happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Each student
(acting as a detective) was given a “case file” and a detective booklet to
record their information. At the end of two days of research, the teams
presented their theory for what happened. This was a great student-centered
learning opportunity as they worked together to solve what remains an
unsolved mystery.
Water Cycle Lab Notes

• This lesson was the first lesson I led in

the science lab. We created a cloud in a
2-liter bottle to understand the water
cycle. It was an adjustment being in a
new learning space, but a great point of
growth to develop my classroom
management skills.
Reader’s • My class frequently used reader’s theaters to engage in active learning
strategies. I would rotate who gets to “act” in the various theaters we held.
Theater As a class, we would listen to the Reader’s Theater and then discuss with
guided questions afterward.
Example of • This was a parent email I received about their student observing Ramadan. From this, I was able to plan out
Parent a conversation about Ramadan with the whole class and assure the parent there are supports available at
Communication school for students who celebrate this time.
 • To truly understand why the colonists were mad with the King’s taxes he assigned to
Skittles Tax them, we participated in a simulation with money (in the form of skittle candy) was
taxed from the students. At the end of the lesson, they had made signs saying: “No
taxation without representation” and were able to understand the true feelings of the
colonists and emphasize with their anger.
Interdependence
Lesson Notes

• During our lessons, I used fillable notes

pages to scaffold my low-level readers
and EL students. This was also an asset to
my general level students because they
were developing note-taking skills and
abilities by using organizers such as this
example from our science lesson about
interdependence.
Dividing Fractions
Lesson Notes
• I used an Active Learning Listening Strategy (ALLS) in the form of a chant
to help students recall the process for dividing with fractions. The students
would chant with me: “when dividing fractions, we… MULTIPLY and FLIP!
(clap) MULTIPLY and FLIP (clap)!” As we said “multiply,” we would form an
X with our arms and then on “flip,” we would make our arms flat. Then
after saying “flip” we would clap. This helped my students who learn
verbally and actively (bodily-kinesthetic) as we chanted this before every
practice problem we completed together.
CommonLit Lesson
Notes
• I used an online program, CommonLit, during Literacy and Social Studies
lessons. Students were assigned a reading (normally a short article) where
they had to complete 5 multiple choice reading comprehension questions and
then three written response questions. This was a great aid to learning and
supplemented many social studies lessons. I could provide readings for
various lexiles, turn on/off auto-reader for my low-level readers, and check
their progress on assignments.
Soil Composition Lesson Notes