Heidi Rowley

ELED 4410
May 3, 2015
Math SIOP Reflection
To open my lesson I started out strong by expressing my excitement to be able to teach
them another lesson. I further went on to explain my expectations. I told students that when they
wanted a turn to speak that they would raise their hand. I was clearly prepared. I had my
objectives and vocabulary written clearly on the board (SIOP 1 & 2), I had the video cued ready
to play, and my hands-on materials set-up. To improve upon this component I could have had
labels for students to use during the assessment instead of having them write the words more
or less. By providing labels I am adapting my content (SIOP 5).
Building background with my students went extremely well. First, I discussed with
students how they had been measuring the past few weeks using their blocks with Mrs. Bigham
(SIOP 7). I explained how we would be looking at measuring in a different way through
comparing capacity but we would learn more about capacity in a moment (SIOP 8). I first
explained that when we compare two objects we look at what is similar and what is different
(SIOP 9). To demonstrate this I had two boys come to the front of the classroom and asked
students what made the boys the same and what made them different (SIOP 15). Then we moved
on to comparing two blue bowls one was a large mixing bowl and the other was a cereal bowl. I
asked students to think in their heads which bowl they would rather have filled with their favorite
ice cream. Students then shared with their buddy why they would want the bowl that they choose
(SIOP 16 & 18). I was looking to see if students knew the word more since I thought many

students would choose the larger bowl and thus would tell their buddy they wanted the bigger
bowl because it could hold more ice cream.
Using comprehensible input was another strong component in my lesson. This time I
remembered to give students explanations on what they were to look for in the video (SIOP 11).
After telling students that they were to listen for the words more and less, I had students repeat to
me what they were to look for. This helped me check for understanding and reminded students
that they had a task while watching the video.
When incorporating my strategies I can still work on higher-order thinking questions
(SIOP 15.) I only had the class compare two boys. After comparing two boys I could have
compared two girls and then compared a boy and a girl. Comparing a boy and a girl would have
caused students to think more deeply about what different genders can have in common. In
scaffolding my students during the we do portion I asked students how they knew which object
held more. I went on to then explain how if one object fits inside another that first object is
smaller (SIOP 14).
During the we do portion of my lesson students were able to practice and apply
concepts by using hands on materials (SIOP 20). Students were able to touch and see the objects
they were deciding which one held more and which held less. In order to further practice
concepts and allow for more interaction, I grouped students (SIOP 17) in pairs and had them
sort between two pictures about which picture held more and which picture held less. I asked
students to tell their partner in a sentence which picture holds more and which picture holds less.
For instance: The pool holds more than the bathtub. I asked students what if we put the bathtub
first in the sentence; what would our sentence sound like now? Although this activity allowed for

language skill use (SIOP 22) and application (SIOP 20 & 21), students found that once they
matched the objects that they wanted more objects to sort. I did not take this into consideration.
When giving students small pictures to sort with vocabulary words I can adapt the activity by
giving students multiple sets to sort rather than just one (SIOP 5). By doing so I am keeping all
students engaged (SIOP 25). This would have improved my lesson delivery.
One mistake I made when trying to incorporate writing into the assessment portion
(SIOP 30), was not tying the writing in throughout the entire lesson. I felt I could have even just
modeled this for students on the ELMO to help them better understand what they were to do.
When given two pictures students were asked to complete the sentence with the word more or
less. For instance: The spoon holds _________ than the cereal bowl. I noticed students would
write less by the spoon and more While I could have modeled better for my assessment my
overall review went well, I asked students to use vocabulary words when explaining what they
have learned, and had them share with their buddies what it meant for an object to hold more and
an object to hold less (SIOP 16).
Although my summative assessment had flaws; from the summative assessment and
formative assessments, it is clear that students understand the concept more and less. Students
were able to identify between two objects which held more and which held less, individually, in
pairs, and whole-group. As a future teacher I would also like to work on strengthening my
extension activities for my higher-level learners and fast finishers. The activity I had in place
may have worked well for a smaller group, but became chaotic with 15 to 20 students conducting
the activity at once. For this extension activity students were given several objects to first
estimate the number of small cups that object held and then find out exactly how many objects

that cup help. Although, the students seemed to enjoy this activity, it may have worked better to
take a step back and compare the capacity of three objects through ordering.
I realized as I reflected on my lessons that I am slightly better at applying SIOP
components than I think I am. It always seems easier to focus on the negative aspects of my
lessons because those pieces stick out in my mind as I drive home from practicum. However,
reflecting on what did not work so well helps me learn from my mistakes and helps me become a
stronger teacher for my students.