Assessment Methods

Student’s completed projects are presented around the room. A few of the projects has a rubric appropriate for kindergarten work such as the landform project. The student points out the elements required and include in their landform made of clay dough hills, mountains, river, and lake with assigned colors. This helps me understand if the students understand the lesson or they need more review.







During Direct Instruction (DI) or any activity, I could use question and answer to assess student understanding of the lesson. I could use the results to continue to the next lesson or review previous lessons again to meet student needs.








Observing them individually doing work alone or with others in centers or small/whole group activities could assess students. I can step back and watch the students follow 1-2 step directions for their activities. I can jot down what kind of words students use to communicate with each other during work. I can also observe who are the leaders/advance in the class and those who needs extra assistance. I could also observe the antecedent for good and bad behaviors and have proper consequence for each situation.






While students work in an activity, such as a math activity, I watch for student participation to see who understand and who are having difficulties with the lesson. I can use what I see to not only assess student learning, but also the lessons provided by me the teacher. I can use that to know what works and what doesn’t to adjust and modify future lessons for the students.







During the Fieldtrip at the Saipan Zoo, I assessed the student knowledge about animals with questions and answers. They also have a clipboard with a animal checklist of the animals they saw and the animals they didn't. Before the trip, I would ask the students what they think they would see at the zoo, then I will review with class again after the trip with a group discussion and individual work. The individual work consisted of what they like most from the trip. They had to draw a picture of an animal or more that they liked the most and write at least one sentence describing their drawing. These activity will also show me their present level in writing skills.

Basic Teaching Methods

After each lesson activity or Direct Instruction (Reading First), students are given the opportunity to go to centers. Students make choices between different open ended activities such as the community helper puppets, face painting, community helper costumes, animals toys( air, land, water), community helper books, transportation and ocean animal big puzzles under the same thematic unit (community), which could be for individuals that wants to work alone, small groups of 2 or 3, and buddy with a partner. This teaching method gives me the opportunity to step back and observe the students make decision of what kind of work they want to do and socialize using vocabulary used in lesson taught and use materials/centers appropriately.
This also eaches elf-help and independent skills,trust between teacher and students,and following classroom rules and procedures.

















I used this teaching method (direct instruction) during DI session or circle time. Students as a whole group discusses, respond, and follow 1-2 step directions. Direct instruction during circle time allows students to show and tell their individual ideas and opinions. During direct instruction, I could use to introduce or review visual materials, real life objects such as plants, globe, coat, landform model, and other objects to teach the name of the object or parts of the object.






During Readaloud, I could use this teaching method to discuss/introduce a new lesson or a part of a review of a previous lesson. Usually, during Readaloud I choose a book that either has a tape with it, a good story that could connect with the lesson being taught, and interesting sound and pictures. This will help entice the students and participate by listening to the story and joining group discussion after.






The fieldtrip to Saipan Zoo was the culminating event for the animal unit that we, the master teacher and I have been teaching the students for a couple of weeks. Students get a chance for an actual experience of being there to learn more about the animals. Students learn the animal’s colors, shapes, and sizes. They learn what animals. Students also learn how animals behave. This teaching method helps me as teacher present real life animals to students.

Learning Styles

A couple of students are performing taking turns of pretend play of being a teacher (community helper) with the animal rhythm. Students imitate their teacher during center choice. Other center choices are animals (air, land, water), books on community helpers, community helper puppets, community helper costumes, transportation and fish puzzle.(verbal/linguistic/ bodily/kinesthetic/ interpersonal/ intrapersonal).



In this math activity, students have fun learning to count by 1’s and 2’s individually and group using items collected from outdoors. Instead of using dido sheets to teach students to count, add, and total, I feel that this hands on activity help meet the different levels and learning styles (Mathematical/logical/ Natuaralist).



This landform activity presents students learning in-groups of 2. This hands on activity meets the needs of students who enjoys learning cooperatively with a partner. Social skills and language arts skills such as speaking are being used or develop through this activity. (Interpersonal/ bodily/kinesthetic/ verbal linguistic).



The students here are enjoying a group activity with the parachute. You see the students pulling and moving the parachute up and down simultaneously. Students learn to follow directions, rules and procedures. They also learn to work cooperatively with their peers. This activity meets the different levels and learning styles of the students through outdoors and movement (bodily/kinesthetic/ interpersonal).

ESL Methods

Nothing is more fun in learning a lesson than the actual experience of a field trip. After learning about animals, my master teacher and I took the students to the Saipan Zoo as the culminating activity. The students love seeing animals such as the lion, tiger, monkey, bear, owl, sheep, turtle and others at the zoo. This trip help the students gain an experience that will help them understand the real size and color of each of the animals, the food they ate, and the behaviors they display. Field trips help all students gain an experience and understand the concept of the lesson or topic being taught better.
This is a group activity on animal habitat under the community theme. I used visual cues or drawing of a few animal habitats that I was introducing to the class. Students, when called are to come up and write a name or draw an animal that belong to the habitat. ESL students understood the concept of the topic better when there is visual cue presented to them. Visual cues or pictures helps all students including ESL students understand the lesson being taught.
Here, I demonstrate and model to the students the step by step procedure of how to manipulate the clay dough to a landform shape. Demonstrating and modeling helps ESL students understand directions better.

In this picture, I watch 3 ESL students work in a small group hands on activity on landform. One of the students is a student with special needs. The other two students are general students working as buddies with the student with special needs. Work Buddies or small group is one method that can help ESL students or students with special needs learn and enjoy activities together.

Overall Student Teaching Experience

What you did best?

I believe that I was consistent, flexible, and professional throughout my student teaching experience. I am certain that I have developed an integrated thematic unit, which was on community. I was happy that all my topics under community such as community around us, community helpers, landforms, animals flowed well together. I am truly happy that I had a variety of activities that helped meet the student needs and interest to learn. In this course I improved my assessment skills before and after teaching lessons. During my student teaching experience I developed a professional relationship with my Master teacher, who helped me feel comfortable to approach Mrs. Macduff and ask or give suggestions regarding any concerns. Now, that graduation is near, I feel that this teaching experience helped me grow to become a mature, professional, and creative teacher.

What can you improve?

The course ED 471 student practicum helped broke the ice; Making me comfortable heading into ED 492 student teaching. I could not have asked for anything else to improve, because everything went well for me.

Best Memory?

My best memory is the overall student teaching. In this course, I experience teaching the kindergarten differentiated teaching. I had the visual, hands-on (fine motor), outdoor, whole group, individual, centers and small group activities. I saw the curiosity and interest of the students as I taught my lessons. That experience showed me what learning is all about for these kids. And those are the memories that will stay with me. These kids were learning math, science, social studies, and language arts all in one unit. I am delighted that the turn out of my entire student teaching was great.

What did you learn?

I learned that learning can be fun. Sometimes when the students are not behaving appropriately, I have to understand that the problem might be me and the lesson or activities that I have provided. So the answer to that is to be flexible and adjust to every unexpected situations. I learned to be consistent with my classroom management and I learned that not everything has to be developed from the ground up. I understand that I could refine what is already made to meet the student’s needs.