Evidence of Student Learning 1

Evidence of Student Learning

Brianna Linehan

Towson University

SPED741

Part A: Learning Context, Topic, and Objectives

Evidence of Student Learning 2

Dogwood Elementary school is a public elementary school located in Woodlawn,

Maryland. Dogwood Elementary school is a Baltimore County school located right on the

county/city line. There are a total of 658 students enrolled at Dogwood this school year. Of the

658 students enrolled at Dogwood, 82% of the students are African American, 7% are Hispanic,

5% are Asian, 4% of students are blended races, and 2% are Caucasian. Dogwoods students are

a diverse group of students.

Dogwood Elementary school uses several different classroom models depending on the

needs of the students. Most of the classes are inclusion classes in which special educators and

instructional assistants come into the classroom to provide support to those students with IEPs

and co teach with the general education teacher. Based on some of our students needs and the

goals in which they have on their IEPs, the special educators do have several pull out groups

which they work with in their resource room. In our building we also have a behavior

interventionist, three guidance counselors, and a social worker who come into the classes to work

with students with more severe behaviors and needs.

At Dogwood, the class sizes range from 21-27 students, depending on the grade and the

needs in the class. The classroom used for the purpose of my Evidence of Student Learning

project is a 4th grade inclusion classroom with 24 students. Of the twenty-four students in my

classroom, sixteen are girls and eight are boys. Our class is an inclusion class in which we

have students with 504s, IEPs and an ESOL learner. These students exceptionalities include

autism, intellectual, learning disability, attention deficit hyperactive disorder and other health

impairment. Within the class, there are several students who have cultural and linguistic

differences from their classmates. My one student is an English Language Learner who moved

to the United States over the summer from Saudi Arabia. She speaks Arabic at home and knows
Evidence of Student Learning 3

very little English. Her language barrier directly impacts her learning in class. I have several

students who are of different religions which impacts activities which they can participate in.

Overall, most of my students are able to communicate effectively with each other. I do have three

students who struggle with their oral and written language development. My one ESOL

student is working on learning the language as well as her writing. I have two other students who

are working on their writing. They both have IEPs and are performing below grade level. For

both students, their writing does not reflect 4th grade abilities.

For the Evidence of Student Learning project, I chose to focus on three math lessons in

the fractions unit. With these lessons, I will be introducing the concept of fractions using models

and numbers. With each lesson, once I have taught whole group I pull small groups, which is

based on the student needs. For this project, I have chosen a group of students who I will be

working with to strengthen their fractions skills. This group of students will consist of seven

students, all of who were picked based on their needs in math and their pre assessments from the

beginning of the unit. Of these seven students four are girls and three are boys. Some of the

students in this group have 504s and IEPs. The three students with IEPs all have math goals

and are currently two or more grade levels behind in math. Each of them struggle with basic

number sense and problem solving skills. My one student with a 504 has difficulty with attention

and struggles in math at the end of the day. He can become easily frustrated and refuse to work

and participate in small group. The other three students all appear to struggle in math. Two of the

three I have brought up to SST, student support team, in regard to their reading and math levels

and how they are performing in 4th grade. Several of the students in this group have issues with

their behavior and often need more teacher guidance to help them stay on track. In this small
Evidence of Student Learning 4

group, we will work on using more hands on tools to help students learn the concrete level of

fractions.

For this three day lesson plan, the students will be introduced to the concept of fractions

and learn how to represent them. From there, the students will learn to identify equivalent

fractions using the visuals and parts of the models. These three lessons were aligned to the

Maryland College and Career Readiness Standards. The math standard for these 3 lessons

was 04.NF.A.01 which states, explain why a fraction a/b is equivalent to a fraction (n a)/(n

b) by using visual fraction models, with attention to how the number and size of the parts differ

even though the two fractions themselves are the same size. Use this principle to recognize and

generate equivalent fractions (MCCRS). The essential skills needed for the three lessons are

students having the ability to use concrete materials to model fraction number concepts and

values. The other essential skill is the knowledge of and the ability to generate simple equivalent

fractions.

Over the three days, the students will learn how to represent fractions as a model and as a

number and then take those representations and identify equivalent fractions. The objective for

day 1 is students can name fractions by identifying equal parts in an area model or set model.

In this lesson, the students will learn to take a visual of a shape or parts to identify the fraction

that is represented. In the small group, I will work with those students on first identifying the

number of parts and then representing the unit fractions and then lead into other types of

fractions. The objective for day 2 is students can name and represent fractions as part of an

area by counting equal parts with fractions that are halves, thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, and

eights. In this lesson, the students have to continue to show their understanding of fractions with

visuals. In this lesson, the students go past the unit fraction and begin to count different types of
Evidence of Student Learning 5

fractions. The objective for day 3 is students can identify four sets of equivalent fractions by

using area models and number line diagrams. In this lesson, the students are taking their

knowledge of fraction parts to determine equivalent fractions. The students will have to take

fractions with different denominators and determine if they are equivalent using models. With all

three lessons, I will modify the numbers for my small group so they can work on learning the

basic understanding of what is a fraction and take their understanding to work with equivalent

fractions.

Part B: Assessment Plan

Before beginning the fractions unit, I created a pre-assessment to give to my students to assess

their prior knowledge of fractions. Based on the unit plan, the students had been taught

fraction concepts in 3rd grade. Using the pre-assessments, I could determine which skills students

already appear to understand, what strategies they know, and what skills they dont appear to

know. I also used the pre-assessment to help determine my small groups and which skills would

need to be retaught. Due to the length of the fractions unit, I split up the pre-assessment into parts

based on the skills. For the first pre-assessment, the students were given questions on fraction

representations. Then were given questions on portioning the whole and lastly one equivalent

fractions. On the pre-assessment, the students had to identify the fraction that was represented by

an area model, set model, and number line. The students also had to take a shape and show how

to split it up evenly into equal parts based on the fraction that was given. The final part of the

assessment was students had to identify equivalent fractions using visuals. Using the pre-

assessments, I could determine which skills I would have to spend more time on during

instruction.
Evidence of Student Learning 6

Throughout each of the lessons, I used different types of formative assessments to gauge

where students were and if they were understanding the new skills. Some of the types of

formative assessment which I used were whole group questioning, checklists, white

board/marker student response, and small group observation. In my math class, I use white

board and markers for the explore type of questions. This way, I can see what all students are

thinking and the strategies which they are using to solve the problems. Using the white boards, I

can determine which students already knew about types of fractions and which students needed
Evidence of Student Learning 7

more support in small group. I also use checklists throughout my math period, in both whole

group and small group. I make notes and tally marks for which skills students are having success

with and which students will need more practice with. I also use the checklist to help me make

adjustments to my small groups if necessary. Lastly, I use daily observation and questioning to

assess students understanding with the skill being taught. Both in whole group and small group I

use questioning to make decisions as to which skills need more instruction time.

At the end of each of the lessons, the students completed an exit ticket based on the skill which

was taught that lesson. Each of the exit tickets were the students summative assessment for

that particular objective. Each of the exit tickets had 3-5 questions which were based on the

lesson. All of the summative assessments were linked to the MCCSS standard, 04.NF.A.01

which states, explain why a fraction a/b is equivalent to a fraction (n a)/(n b) by using visual

fraction models, with attention to how the number and size of the parts differ even though the

two fractions themselves are the same size. Also, at the end of the fractions unit, the students will

be completing the BCPS Unit tests which are based on all of the standards which fall in the

fractions unit.

The pre assessments, formative assessments, and summative assessment all align with the

fractions unit and the objectives taught in the first three lessons. The pre-assessments were

related and aligned with that lessons objective. The pre-assessment has questions on it which

come from the skill the students are taught in the lesson. In the summative assessment, the

students are given the same types of questions, some a higher level type of questioning. The

questions within the exit ticket all reflect the MCCSS 04.NF.A.01. At the end of the 3 day lesson

unit, the students have to be able to identify equivalent fractions using representations and

models of the fractions. The students have to be able to draw models in order to identify
Evidence of Student Learning 8

equivalent fractions. Depending on the group of students, the exit tickets could vary with the

types of questions, number of questions, and the amount of word problems.

When planning the lessons and creating the assessments, I used the UDL (Universal Design for

Learning) principles to guide me when making decisions within my lesson. With the

assessments, the students were allowed to use different ways to represent the fraction amounts.

Some students were able to draw models, other students used algorithms, and other students used

hands on manipulatives to show the fraction. On one of the assessments, the students had to

explain how they identified the set of equivalent fractions. For some students, they had a scribe

to assist them. Again, the students could decide to use words, symbols, or equations to explain

their thinking. Within the lesson, I used other principles of UDL to make the lesson engaging

and also to be able to reach all of my learners.

With my math assessments, I usually give the students 1 point credit for their work and 1 point

credit for having the correct answer. This way, the students are encouraged to show all of their

thinking in order to get the full credit for doing the work. The scores are usually out of 15-20

points depending on their influence. The scoring I use is then tracked and added into the

BCPSone gradebook. In the gradebook, I mark the exit ticket with the lesson title and unit.
Evidence of Student Learning 9

Part 3: Instruction

At the beginning of each math lesson, the students have some type of engagement which is a

review from the day before. After students complete the engagement, we then review over the

objective. The objective is always posted on the promethean and a student reads it for the
Evidence of Student Learning 10

class. With each objective, I write it using age appropriate language so the students can

understand what they will be learning and the expectations for the lesson. I have different

students come up and underline the skills which we will be learning for each objective. All 3 of

the lesson objectives came from the BCPS Unit 4 lesson plans which are aligned with the

MCCSS. All 3 lessons are based on the standard, 04.NF.A.01 which states, explain why a

fraction a/b is equivalent to a fraction (n a)/(n b) by using visual fraction models, with

attention to how the number and size of the parts differ even though the two fractions themselves

are the same size. Use this principle to recognize and generate equivalent fractions (MCCRS).

Before I taught each of the lessons, I gave all of the students a pre-assessment to assess their

skills with fractions. I then used the pre-assessment to decide which skills students already

appeared to know and which skills I would need to spend more time on during instruction. The

three lessons were the first three lessons of the fractions unit. I used the pre-assessments to create

my small groups for station work. Based on the pre-assessments, most of the students understood

how to identify a fraction based on the model which was part of the first lesson however did not

understand how to identify fractions on a number line. Also, the students were able to shade in

fraction amounts with a shape which was already partitioned but couldnt correctly partition a

shape equally. Based on the pre-assessment, the students did have some basic understanding of

fractions but needed more instruction on number lines, partitioning, and equivalent fractions.

With the three day lesson plan, I tried to find different ways to motivate and engage my

students both in whole group and small group. In whole group, I always give an engagement,

review over the objective, and then give the students a word problem which is based on the new

skill. To engage the students, I always try and create a word problem which has the students

names and is based on them. For example, in the third lesson, At lunch Wealthy and Damen
Evidence of Student Learning 11

both got pizza. Wealthy split his into 4 equal pieces and Damen split his into 8 equal pieces.

Wealthy ate 3 slices. Damen ate the same amount of pizza. How many slices did he eat of his

pizza? Also, during whole group, the students are allowed to use the different manipulatives at

their seat to solve the problem. The students use white board and markers to share their answers

and for each question, I choose a few students to come up and use the promethean board to show

their work. I also motivate students by handing out tickets for their participation both in whole

group and small group. Also, with each lesson, I use the promethean board throughout the entire

lesson with the objective, practice problems, and explanation. In small group, I try and engage

students by having them work in partners on questions and letting them share their work. Also,

the students use their devices daily to use websites, take quizzes on Kahoot, or complete an

assessment online. In this three day lesson unit, the students got to use fraction bars, tangrams,

and markers and crayons to represent type of fractions and equivalent fractions. This kept the

students engaged throughout the 3 days.

In each lesson, after the students have completed the engagement and the new objective, I

introduce the new skill and content for that lesson. With each new skill, I first go over any

type of vocabulary which the students need to know. With the new vocabulary, I also provide

visuals if needed. In these three lessons, some of the vocabulary was area model, set model,

numerator, denominator, partition, and equivalent fraction. With each new skill, after I review the

objective, I then model a problem or two for the students to show the strategies to use. Using

the promethean, I work through a problem and have the students follow along with me. Any

important vocab or strategies are added into the students notebooks during the model part of the

lesson. After I have modeled the new strategy/skill, I provide the students with guided practice

using another word problem. Throughout each of my lessons, I use multi step problems in order
Evidence of Student Learning 12

to challenge the students. With these word problems, I am encouraging students critical and

creative thinking skills. During guided practice, I walk around the room and take formative

notes on how the students are doing. I also use this time to decide on my small groups based on

the students understanding. With each problem, I have the students hold up their boards so I can

quickly check all student responses. Based on the student responses, I provide feedback about

what they are doing correctly and also what types of mistakes they are making. With the

fractions lessons, many students were struggling on number line and determining the

denominator. With equivalent fractions, the students couldnt identify the correct fraction based

on the visuals. For each lesson, I provide them with my final question, the independent work,

which is what I use to decide on small group. As the students are working on it, I use tangrams

(triangle, trapezoid, and hexagons) and pass them out to the students based on which group I

want them to be in. Once all of the students have their shape, I show them the station (small

group) slide with what each group will be expected to do. After whole group, the students

transition into their station work. One of the stations is usually some type of game or reteach on

the student devices. The second start is some type of independent work, whether it be a

worksheet, an activity, or a partner game. The last station is when students work with me.

Depending on the group, I might be reteaching the skill or extending on the skills with higher

level questions. In the three day lesson plan, with the group which I was focused on, we spent

more time reviewing over the types of fractions and what skills we had learned. With those seven

students, I had to spend more time with the number line. We used markers to differentiate

between the different parts. I also had to use the fraction bars to reteach equivalent fractions with

this particular small group.

Evidence of Student Learning 13

At the end of each lesson, I reviewed over the students independent work and my notes from the

checklists. Using the formative types of notes, I was able to decide whether I could transition on

to the next lesson or had to spend more time with the skill. With the fraction lessons, the first two

I was able to move on to the next lesson. However, with equivalent fractions, based on my notes,

I decided to spend another day on the skill because students were not understanding how to

identify equivalent pairs.

With each of my lessons, I differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all of my students. In

my class, I have students who are all different type of learners. Many of my students appear to be

kinesthetic learners and are engaged when they get to use hands on materials. With each of my

math lessons, I try to find ways to use hands on manipulatives, for example, tangrams, fraction

bars, and counters. With the small group, the students who have IEPs have the use of math

manipulatives on their supplementary aides. With my small group, I also posted the vocabulary

at our table, had pictures of the different fractions, and had crayons and markers to use so they

could color the items differently to help them understand the concepts. I also use visuals

throughout the lessons for those type of learners. I incorporate different colors when teaching

fractions allowing students to shade in parts. In my class, the students also have the flexibility to

use manipulatives throughout the class, move around their seat during station work, and

complete their assessments differently. To meet student needs, I provide different forms of the

assessments. Some of the students do better when they can draw models, others do better writing

out their explanation, and some students do well using algorithms.

The three day lesson plan was based on the first 3 objectives in the fractions unit. In the first

lesson, the students had to identify fractions using representations and identify fractions on the

number line. In the lesson, the students had to identify 6 fractions from pictures on the board. We
Evidence of Student Learning 14

then went over the definition for denominator, numerator, area model, set model, and number

line. With each of these, I used visuals to help students better grasp the concept. The students

then went into small group. One station was Dreambox, an online program, another station was

index cards with different fractions. The students had to identify the fraction that was

represented. At the teacher station, we worked more on number lines and identifying fractions. In

the second lesson, the students had to partition a whole and shade in fractions. In this lesson, the

students were given shapes, some partitioned and some not. The students had to show to split

them up equally. We reviewed over the term partition and I worked with different shapes to show

students how to break it up. In this lesson the students used tangrams to represent different

fractions. In small group, students did an activity on Pearson on their device, one station worked

with the tangrams to complete a worksheet, and the other group worked with me. We spent time

with how to partition a shape into equal parts. In the third lesson, the students were learning how

to identify equivalent fractions using area models and number lines. The students started the

lesson with a word problem and then I went into the explanation on equivalent fractions. With

the model I used fraction bars and also a foldable to show them that the amount doesnt change

even though the fraction looks different. The students then transitioned into small group where

they continued to work on identifying equivalent fractions. In my small group, the students

worked on the number line and identifying equivalent fractions. With my one particular small

group, each day we spent reteaching the skill using models. For these students, they needed more

practice with the visuals and manipulating the pieces to create fractions. We didnt extend into

mixed numbers like the other two groups did. They worked on fractions and how to identify the

number of parts. They did well with the models but had more difficulty with number lines. To
Evidence of Student Learning 15

help them better understand, I made up a larger number line with string and we went through and

clipped up different fractions. Each set of unit fractions was written in a different color.

At the end of each lesson, the students were given an assessment of the skill taught that day.

The exit ticket usually had around 5 questions. For the first two lessons the assessment was

just models and number lines and the students either had to identify the fraction or shade it in.

On the third day, the students were expected to answer 4 multiple choice and then explain how

they identified a set of fractions. The students could use words, numbers, and/or symbols. I used

the formative assessments and exit tickets to help decide whether the students understood the

new skill or needed another day of instruction. I also provided feedback on the exit tickets to

let the students know what they were doing well with and what mistakes they were making. If a

student had enough errors, then I would pull them the next day and have them retake the

assessment after I have retaught the material.

Part 4: Analysis and Instructional Decision Making

The first chart displayed below shows the students scores from the pre-assessment for all

three skills during the three day lesson plan. The day before I taught each of the lessons, I

gave all of the students a pre-assessment to determine which skills they showed some

understanding of and which skills they did not appear to understand. In the first pre-assessment,

the students had to determine the fraction that was represented using set models, area models,

and number line. Based on the scores, it appears the group of students recalled fractions that

were area models and set models but most got the number line questions incorrect. In the second

pre-assessment, the group of students were able to partition a but most of them made mistakes
Evidence of Student Learning 16

with 1/5 and . On the last assessment, the group appeared to have less understanding of how to

identify equivalent fractions. Based on the data, I would have to spend more time on the

equivalent fractions with area models lesson.

Pre-Assessment Data
Student L.1 Fraction L.2 Fraction Partitioning L.3 Equivalent Fraction
Representations with Area Model/Number
Line
Diamond C. 67% 60% 50%
Megan S. 67% 60% 25%
Sariah R. 67% 80% 50%
Andreas T. 67% 60% 25%
Quintin A. 33% 80% 50%
Deniyah J. 17% 60% 25%
Justin A. 67% 40% 0%

The charts below show the pre and post-assessment data for each of the three lessons. In

each of the charts, it is identified whether or not the students made progress with the skill. For

each lesson the students were given an exit ticket to complete which reflected the skills from that

lesson.

L.1 Fraction Representations

Student Pre-Assessment Post-Assessment Progress

Diamond C. Absent 70%

Megan S. 67% 100% Yes
Sariah R. 67% 100% Yes
Andreas T. 67% 90% Yes
Quintin A. 33% 90% Yes
Deniyah J. 17% 100% Yes
Justin A. 67% 100% Yes

In the first lesson the students had to identify fraction values based on area models, set models,

and number lines. Based on the pre-assessment most of the students were familiar with area and

set models but didnt know how to identify fractions on number lines. During the lesson, I
Evidence of Student Learning 17

worked mainly on number lines in small group to improve students understanding. On the exit

ticket, the students were expected to identify the fraction which was represented by area model,

set model, and number line. In this lesson, all of the students made positive progress. By the end

of the lesson, the students were able to identify fractions on number lines.

L.2 Fraction Partitioning

Student Pre-Assessment Post-Assessment Progress

Diamond C. 60% 80% Yes

Megan S. 60% 100% Yes
Sariah R. 80% 80% No
Andreas T. 60% 100% Yes
Quintin A. 80% 100% Yes
Deniyah J. 60% 70% Yes
Justin A. 40% 50% No

In the second lesson the students had to partition whole shapes into equal parts or take shapes

that had been broken up into parts and shade in a fraction amount. Based on the pre-assessment,

the students were able to partition shapes into equal parts but struggled when the parts were

different from the denominator. In this lesson, we worked on taking shapes broken into parts and

then breaking them into more parts. For example, taking a shape in half and splitting it into

fourths. On the exit ticket, the students had to partition shapes into parts and take shapes which

were already partitioned and split into parts. On this assessment, 5 of the 7 students made

progress. Sariah had already appeared to understand the skill so she made no positive progress.

Justin only improved to a 50% score and still had trouble partitioning the shapes. Based on his

scores, I would have to plan to work with him to reteach the still to improve his understanding.

L.3 Equivalent Fraction with Area Model/Number Line

Student Pre-Assessment Post-Assessment Progress

Diamond C. 50% 100% Yes

Evidence of Student Learning 18

Megan S. 25% 100% Yes

Sariah R. 50% 75% Yes
Andreas T. 25% 75% Yes
Quintin A. 50% 50% No
Deniyah J. 25% 75% Yes
Justin A. 0% 50% No

In the final lesson, the students had to identify equivalent fractions using area models and

number lines. Based on the pre-assessments, the students did not have a prior knowledge on

equivalent fractions. All of the students scored 50% or below. Based on the students prior

knowledge, I had to spend more time on this skill. We spent two days with small groups working

on the new skill. For the exit ticket, the students had to identify four sets of equivalent fractions

using area model and number line and then explain the strategy which they used. With this skill,

five out of the seven students made progress. Justin and Quintin need more time with the skill

and need to be retaught.

To disaggregate the data based on the contextual factors of the school, the students in the

small group were all African American. In this particular group, three of the students have IEPs

and each of them have math goals. Two of the other students I have brought up for SST based on

their academic needs. The students with math goals are able to use manipulatives when working

on their assessments and the one student has access to a calculator. The students with their math

accommodations were successful with most of the skills due to the support which they received.

The one student, Justin, who scored below on two of the three assessments is the student which I

brought up for SST. I have observed that his behavior hinders his abilities in school.

When analyzing the patterns of achievement, I observed that most of the students made

positive progress in all 3 lessons. With all three lessons, four out of the seven students most

positive progress with all the skills. Megan, Diamond, Andreas, and Deniyah all made progress.
Evidence of Student Learning 19

Sariah and Quintin made progress with two of the three skills and Justin made progress with 1 of

the skills. Deniyah has an IEP and math goals. She was able to use manipulatives when working

on her exit ticket. Andreas has a 504 so he received chunk work and also extra time to get his

work done. Megan, who is in the SST process has shown great deficits in math however she did

well with fractions and using the visuals. Overall, most of the students made overall progress

with the standard. The standard for the 3 day lesson was 04.NF.A.01 which states, explain

why a fraction a/b is equivalent to a fraction (n a)/(n b) by using visual fraction models,

with attention to how the number and size of the parts differ even though the two fractions

themselves are the same size. Use this principle to recognize and generate equivalent fractions

(MCCRS). Based on the assessments, six out of the seven students are meeting this standard.

They are able to explain equivalent fractions using visuals.

When analyzing patterns for a lack of achievement, I felt that there was one student who did

not meet the standard. Based on all 3 assessments, Justin only scored a passing grade on one of

them. Justin is one of the two students who I have brought up for SST. In class, Justins behavior

hinders his grades. He very easily gets off task and distracted and doesnt get through his work.

Also, based on his scores, math appears to be more of a struggle for him. He does well when

working with a teacher one on one but without that support, he cant keep himself on task and

learn the skill. Based on his scores, he did not meet the standard for the unit. He will need some

reteach lessons to help him successfully learn the skill.

Based on the scores, for future instruction, there are several changes I would make to

instruction and to the assessment to address the lack of student achievement. Based on my

scores, the lesson on equivalent fractions is where I saw a greater deficit. In future instruction, I

would try to include more modeling with the area models to help students make the connection. I
Evidence of Student Learning 20

would also incorporate more small group time to meet with those students who were showing

more of a struggle with it. Also, with all 3 lessons, I noticed the student were more willing to use

area models then the number line. Based on my teaching, I may not have spent enough time

explaining the number line and how to identify fractions on a number line. For the next set of

lessons, I could try to incorporate more of the use of number lines with white boards and hands

on number lines. I could also try and use different types of colors to differentiate between the

fractions on the number line. With the assessments, I could change the type of questions in which

student had to answer. Again, on the assessments I noticed many of the students used the area

models to answer the questions when at times, it may have been better to use the number line. I

would make changes in which the students would have to solve some of the problems using area

models and using the number line for other questions. Again, in my group most of my students

had success and were able to make progress with the skills with fractions. For Justin, I would

need to find ways to keep him engaged with instruction. Again for Justin he gets off task too

easily and misses part of instruction. If I could reteach these lessons, I might try and implement

more computer activities with the learning. Justin is very motivated with the computer and it

would help to have used more math activities with fractions.

Part E: Reflection and Self Evaluation

Overall, based on the data from the 3 lessons, I feel that this 3 day unit plan was successful.

Based on the data, most of the students made consistent progress with all 3 skills and showed

mastery of the standard. Out of the group, six of the seven students made progress and showed

mastery of the skill. The one student who did not meet the standard will have to be retaught the

information to see if they can make any type of progress.

Evidence of Student Learning 21

Throughout all three lessons, the instructional strategies were effective based on the students

post assessment results. Throughout the three lessons, I tried to incorporate different types of

activities and instruction to keep the students engaged. In the first lesson, with the fraction

representations, the students were given a word problem which was about several of the students.

The students used the tangrams to try and solve the problem. During this lesson, the students

used colors and tangrams to represent different types of fractions. We also used number line

worksheets and activities on the computer. In the second lesson, to get the students engaged, I

used a Kahoot on fraction representations. The students solved 5 different problems using area

models and number lines. After the students completed the quiz, I introduced the new skill using

a word problem. In this lesson, the students learned to partition shapes. The students used the

tangrams and fraction bars to identify equal parts. In the last lesson, identifying equivalent

fractions, the students were first introduced to the skill with a video. The video was brain pop

and reviewed over what equivalent fractions were. For many of the students, the video helped

them make the connection between the area models and equivalent fractions. With each of the

lessons I used different interventions with my small group to help them better understand the

new skill. I felt that the interventions were successful and helped the students achieve their

goal. With this 3 day unit plan, many of the interventions were the use of manipulatives and

visuals with the fractions. For Quintin and Deniyah they also had the use of a calculator and

color tools on assessments. They did not need to use of a calculator but used the different colors

to help them work through the equivalent fractions. Also, we used different online math games as

interventions to help students expand their understanding.

Based on the implications from the student data, there are several changes that could be

made in the future when I teach the fractions unit. Based on all 3 assessments, it was
Evidence of Student Learning 22

observed that most of the students used only the area models to represent fractional amounts.

There were very few times in which a student voluntarily used a number line to answer a

question. In the future, I feel that in order to strengthen the students understanding of fractions on

the number line, I should teach it as a separate lesson. In order to help the students strengthen

their understanding of number lines, I should have made it its own lesson so the students had

more practice with just that skill. In the unit plan I taught it alongside the area model and all of

the students used area model instead of number line. Also, another change I would make in the

future to improve the student scores incorporate more movement into the lesson. I teach

math at the end of the day and based on my observations with my small group, many of the

students were easily getting off task and students like Justin suffered because of the inattention.

In order to help these students have more success, I could incorporate more movement into my

station work to help them stay engaged. I have noticed with my class that when I have them

moving around, they stay engaged. In order to help those students who are getting restless at the

end of the day, I could include more activities where they are up and moving like a fraction

activity with matching cards around the room.

When creating this unit plan and developing the first three lessons, I collaborated with different

coworkers to strengthen the lessons. I first collaborated with my team of 4th grade teachers

when planning out the fractions unit. With my team, we were able to review over the standards

for the unit and each of the objectives. Once we knew the standards we were going to work with,

we started to discuss the lessons. During this time, our team shares activities and strategies to use

for each skill. As an inclusion teacher, this discussion is beneficial because I am constantly

looking for different strategies and activities to use to meet the needs of all my students. When

working with my team, they each have different ways in which they have taught fractions so I
Evidence of Student Learning 23

use those ideas and incorporate some of it into my lessons. Being the inclusion teacher in 4th

grade, the other person who I collaborate with is the special educator. I have students in my

class with both IEPs and 504s, some of them mentioned in my small group. When working with

the special educator, I gain new ideas and strategies to use with these particular students. Also,

because she understands their disability and their needs, she is able to help me choose the correct

interventions to use and the accommodations which will help them succeed. Usually with the

special educator, we are able to discuss each student and their abilities based on the pre-

assessments. In the fractions unit, she was able to share some tools which we could use to help

the students like fraction bars, hand held fraction magnets, and computer games.

When reflecting back on the unit plan and process to plan and teach each of the three lessons,

there were several parts of growth based on the CEC standards. One personal learning goal

which was based on the CEC standards was CEC 1. Learner development and individual

learning differences. Within planning this unit plan, I had to really take the time and reflect on

my students and their individual learning styles and interests. I have been working with my class

for most of the school year and have learned a lot about their learning and the way in which they

learn. This unit plan gave me the chance to reflect on those styles and incorporate those types of

skills into my lessons. I have many visual and kinesthetic learners so I tried to find different

ways to incorporate visuals and hands on activities into my whole group and small group

instruction. Also, with my students with IEPs I had to really think of the ways in which they

learn and implement different strategies into my lessons. The other CEC standard which I felt

like I showed growth in was CEC 4 assessment. During my planning, I had to create three

types of assessments, exit tickets, which reflect the three objectives. Creating assessments

which were based on the objectives can be challenging. I wanted to make sure I was assessing
Evidence of Student Learning 24

the students fairly and based on their understanding of the skills with fractions. In this unit plan, I

had to create three different assessments which assessed the students ability to identify fraction

amounts, partition fractions, and identify equivalent fractions. To meet the needs of all of my

students, I had to provide some of the students with a modified assessment. Overall, the

assessments which were created reflected each of the objectives and the students had success on

all of them.