ASW:

Analysis of Student Work

Analysis of Student Work

Melissa Stevens

Professor Elizabeth Arnow
Elementary Education: Practicum 1
University of Las Vegas Nevada

ASW: Analysis of Student Work

Table of Contents

Artifact Standards..3
Student Background Introduction4
Artifact #1: Initial Strategies, Re-teach, Recheck6
Artifact #2: Initial Strategies, Re-teach, Recheck9
Artifact #3: Initial Strategies, Re-teach, Recheck.11
Reflection..13
Resources.....15
Artifact #1.16
Artifact #2.....17
Artifact #3, trial #1..18
Artifact #3, trail #2..19

ASW: Analysis of Student Work

Artifact Standards

Artifact #1: CCR.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Artifact #2: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative
language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

Artifact #3: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1b Form and use frequently occurring irregular
plural nouns.

ASW: Analysis of Student Work

Student Background Introduction

For my Analysis of Student Work, I chose Carlos, a nine-year old, male,

second grade student. He lives with his grandma and grandpa and loves to play
videogames. He states he never reads at home, but enjoys reading at school,
especially when his teacher read to him. This year is the first repeat of second grade
for Carlos. He excels in math areas, but starts to lack achievement and confidence
with language art areas. After spending a lot of time one on one with Carlos, it seems
that he is very distracted with simple events that surround him. Within the
classroom, Carlos often spends more time talking or watching his peers. This has
had an effect on his grades and success. One on one with me, Carlos is able to focus
on his work, although he still tends to get bored.

I have completed the Interest Inventory (Flynt & Cooter pg. ) with Carlos and

have determined that he needs more activities and lessons that deal with real world
application. He seems to have a hard time placing importance on his everyday class
work and homework. He is easily discouraged and needs to be prompted and
rewarded when he does a task correctly. At first Carlos did not want to cooperate
with me while I was asking him questions and trying to get to know him a little
better. I told him that this was my assignment for school and he was helping me
complete my homework. I asked him to tell me his honest opinions for any question
I asked him and if he really didnt know an answer to let me know, because just like
him I had a lot to learn. After this Carlos was a lot more enthusiastic about helping
and answering questions honestly for me. This was very beneficial for me because it

ASW: Analysis of Student Work

really let me see how a second grader thinks and just how flexible I needed to be
with lessons and ideas.

ASW: Analysis of Student Work

ARTIFACT #1: Using Vocabulary

Standard: CCR.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Student Performance/ Deficiencies and Initial Strategies

For my first artifact, I chose a vocabulary word, including correct parts of

speech, worksheet that Carlos had completed after my mentor teachers lesson. This
lesson was previously taught using small groups, with five students in each group.
My mentor teacher read aloud the vocabulary word to the class and asked them to
repeat it. She then used it in a sentence and asked for any volunteers to tell her what
they thought it might mean.
Each week my mentor teacher gives them two new words in which the
students are asked to identify the correct part of speech, the definition, and a
drawing or symbol for the word. I noticed Carlos started by attempting the first
word, which was disturb on his own. He looked at the word for about two minutes
before turning to his neighbor to discuss a new videogame. My mentor teacher
quickly asked Carlos and the other student to be on task, in which they asked
another student within their group for help. Instead of really helping them, the
student pushed her paper over and the other two copied her definition, part of
speech for disturb, and her drawing. This wasnt considered cheating because they
were working in small groups, but Carlos made no attempt to contribute towards
the group. I asked Carlos a few questions about his previous vocabulary words from
the week before. He wasnt sure about what they meant or how to spell them. I feel

ASW: Analysis of Student Work

that Carlos would be able to use his skills to determine the information needed for
the vocabulary word, had he been interested and engaged.
Re-teaching Strategies
#1: Thinking of synonyms and antonyms for Carlos vocabulary word/s will help
him remember the spelling and definition. We will do this by looking up three
synonyms/antonyms from the Thesaurus and then we will write them under the
vocabulary word using a chart.
#2: I will have Carlos look through various books that contain the vocabulary word,
in which we will work together to determine the definition and part of speech
(Tompkins, pg. 375). By visually seeing the vocabulary word being used, Carlos will
be able to see how important certain words are to the overall sentence structure.
#3: I would like to use the Think-Pair-Share strategy (Words Their Way, pg. 178)
with Carlos to help him learn his new vocabulary words. I would have the students
still work in groups to come up with the definition of the word, but then have then
think about how to use the word within the sentence. After they think about it they
will be able to pair up within their group and each share their sentences. I think that
this strategy would help eliminate the students being off task, because they would
each be responsible for their own work while still working with one another.
Re-teach/ Recheck

After working one on one with Carlos, I was able to understand some of his

thoughts on vocabulary and his overall attitude towards his work. I feel that by
Carlos reading books that are related to his vocabulary words, he will be able to put
them into a different perspective. He is very interested in police officers and

ASW: Analysis of Student Work

firefighters. I would like to read with him the book Police Officers on Patrol by
Kirsten Hamilton. This book has a lot to do with his current vocabulary word
companionship. I think that by using his vocabulary word within a context hes
very interested in, he will be able to remember not only how to spell it but also the
definition.

ASW: Analysis of Student Work

ARTIFACT #2: Using Figurative Language

Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative
language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

Student Performance/ Deficiencies and Initial Strategies

My mentor teacher taught this lesson, by breaking up each figurative

language category into smaller parts. For example she would spend a week or two
on similes and then move on to metaphors. She used the strategy Find Someone
Who (Kagen, pg 30) to teach and practice using figurative language within
sentences. She would have students use whichever form of figurative language they
wanted and then she would call on them to come up in front of the class and read
their sentence using the microphone. Students often went around the classroom to
find another student who had used the same form of figurative language as they did.
When watching Carlos, he seemed to struggle when remembering the different
forms of figurative language he could use. The other students were able to identify
which figurative language they used, while Carlos could not state which one he had
within his sentence.
Re-teaching Strategies
#1: Creating a chart that has the major figurative language definitions would be
beneficial for Carlos. He if very visual with his learning, so being able to have
something in front of him to look at may make it easier for him to remember.
#2: I would like to use the teaching strategy Coach Me (Kagen, pg. 207) where
Carlos and I would match the definitions to the correct figurative language term.

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Carlos would benefit from sorting out the different definitions and memorizing
them with their correct term.
#3: For my third teaching strategy I would like to have Carlos create a word bank
for the figurative language terms (Tompkins, pg 229). For example, for simile he
would write words that are similar to each other in comparison. For onomatopoeia,
he would write sound words, such as spat, oink, honk, etc.
Re-teach/ Recheck

I would choose teaching strategy number one for Carlos to learn the

figurative language terms and definitions. He often struggles with identifying them
one from another, so by having a chart that he created in front of him will be
beneficial. I have found that he often relies on charts to help him in his math lessons
also. At first I thought this was jus something he did so he didnt have to really work
hard, but in reality he is memorizing the equations and shapes. When it comes to
taking a test in math, he knows the material very well and I feel that some of this is
contributed to the charts he uses. I am excited to see growth in Carlos with his
writing. We are still working on his memorization of the different terms matching
their definitions, but he is a lot more confident when it comes to using figurative
language within his sentences.

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ARTIFACT #3: Irregular Plural Nouns

Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1b Form and use frequently occurring irregular
plural nouns.

Student Performance/ Deficiencies and Initial Strategies

This third artifact is collected from the lesson I taught with the entire class. I

started out by reading the students the story One Foot, Two Feet by Peter
Maloney. I then had the students pair up into groups to match the singular and
plural forms of various nouns. We then went over this as a class and then students
worked on a worksheet individually. Although most students were able to complete
the worksheet successfully, Carlos seemed to struggle and only answered the first
question. I feel that Carlos would have known more of the answers had he been
engaged during the activity with partners.
Re-teaching Strategies
#1: I would like to have my student watch a video on singular and plural nouns so
that he will have a visual to better understand the concept.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6COqkRp9s9c)
#2: Carlos would be able to choose the nouns, both singular and plural, out of
various picture books. Having Carlos choose books on his own will give him the
freedom he likes and will also be able to grab his interest and see what a big role
nouns play in our reading.

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#3: I would like Carlos to be able to match the singular and plural forms of nouns
together using flashcards. This will help him become familiar with the different
forms, even though it may take awhile over time to memorize effectively.
Re-teach/ Recheck

When I taught my previous lesson again to Carlos, I used my second strategy.

I decided to use a few books that he liked to read within the classroom. We
proceeded to pick out the singular and plural nouns within the book. I felt that after
this Carlos was more open to learning the new concept for him. This lesson was
more informal and I learned that he did much better with that format than with a
whole group activity. I was happy to see that Carlos did much better on the same
worksheet the second time around and has come up to me a few times to point out
different nouns within other books he has found.

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Reflection

I am so grateful for the opportunity to have worked on this project. I have

never learned so much in such a short amount of time. I found that my lessons
within the classroom for my practicum went fairly smooth, so by working with my
ASW student I was able to challenge myself into thinking beyond simple activities. I
was surprised also to find that sometimes the simplified version of lessons were
best for my student and helped him to be confident. I was able to use various
techniques I was learning in my core classes and really understand their strengths
and weaknesses for myself. There is a huge difference in these techniques when
reading them in class to using them in front of students! I am glad to practice these
techniques now so I will know them by heart when I have a class of my own. I had
never realized what strong impact formative tests have over the entire learning
structure. Without formative tests, I would not have known where my ASW student
was lacking, or even what some of his strengths were. I know that formative
assessments will be a tremendous tool in helping my students succeed to be the
very best they can be. I feel that through this semester I learned that teachers have
to be flexible. Events dont always turn out the way you plan and sometimes a lesson
just doesnt work for various reasons. I am striving to work on this quality that
effective teachers possess. I plan on researching different ways to give formative
assessments to the classroom as a whole. I dont always want to give students the
same type of formative assessment so I would like more options when it comes to
assessing their strengths and weaknesses. I have learned many great teaching

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strategies this semester and I look forward to learning many more next semester
and within the future!

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Resources

Bear, D. (2012). Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling
Instruction. Upper Saddle Ricer, NJ: Pearson Education, INC.

Tompkins, G. (2010). Literacy for the Twenty-First Century: A Balanced Approach
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, INC.

Cooter, F. (2010). Comprehensive Reading Inventory. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education, INC.
http://www.kaganonline.com/index.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6COqkRp9s9c