Reflection in Action

1. What were the formative assessment results each day in each of the content lessons that you
taught? How would you use the results the next day in your planning and why? Did you expect
these results? Why or Why not?
Science

As an educator, these results showed me that my students understand the topic fairly well, but there
is room for improvement. There were four students who had perfect scores on the assessment. The majority
of the remaining students only missed one or two points in different places. These points were lost in the
area of naming clothing that went with each season. To help bridge this gap, I would review this topic in a
more interactive way. During the next lesson, I would allow the students to engage in an activity on the Smart
Board. The students would be given the opportunity to dress a virtual character based on the season and
weather. For example, the students would drag the coat, hat, gloves, and boots onto the character for the
winter.
During the first lesson, the students responded well to the Smart Board activity. They were very
engaged as they waited their turn to drag the correct weather to each season. Allowing the students to
engage in a similar process before completing the Boom Cards assessment would set them up for success.
Technology-based interactive activities have been proven to have many benefits in the classroom. According
to Torchia (2022), “Sensory learning also keeps students engaged in class materials. It keeps the attention of
students with different learning styles and fits naturally into young learners’ sense of curiosity and
exploration.” This interactive activity would help close the gap and allow the students’ understanding of the
content to improve.
I expected these results from this lesson. The students had already been front-loaded with
information from their reading curriculum throughout the month. They previously learned about the four
seasons and a few of the characteristics that go along with them.

Math
 These results show that the majority of the students still do not understand how to write a
subtraction number sentence. If I were to continue this lesson the next day, I would be sure to address this
deficiency. The students would greatly benefit from repeated practice of this skill. According to Abrams
(2019),
“Whether it is math, literature concepts, or anything in between repetition is pivotal. It helps to
improve speed, confidence and strengthens the connections in the brain that help children to learn.
When a child repeats and emphasizes an idea it not only improves clarity but brings attention to an
idea.”
This shows that repeating this skill will help the students learn how to write subtraction number sentences.
This could be done with a plastic bowling ball and pins. The students will bowl and record a subtraction
sentence that represents the situation. If the students started with ten pins, knocked down four, and had six
left, they would write 10-4=6. This will be repeated many times to help the students become more
comfortable with the skill.

I expected the results from this lesson. This was the first time that these students were introduced to
the concept of subtraction. Since this was such a new topic, I was anticipating some confusion from the
students. They did well in the other areas that were more guided rather than independent.

Language Arts/Social Studies

 This data shows that the students were proficient in the social studies portion of the lesson. The
majority of the students were able to identify the locations on the map and scored a three. During the
language arts portion of the lesson, many students were able to identify all of the rhyming words and scored
a three. There were also a handful of students who were not able to identify each pair of words. This is the
area that would need to be addressed during a follow-up lesson. I would use a decodable text that contains
rhyming words. This could be a simple nursery rhyme that the students are already familiar with. I would ask
the students to identify the rhyming pairs as they read. According to Martin (2020),
“Phonemic awareness is one of the most important early literacy skills that a child can develop. This
skill is basically the ability to hear and differentiate the sounds in words. Nursery rhymes help
develop this skill thanks to the rhyming words.”
This would allow them to practice identifying rhyming pairs when they are found in a sentence.

I did not expect these results because the students in this class have had a lot of experience with
rhyming words but lacked experience with maps. The students did a great job of reading the map and finding
each location from the treasure hunt. I believe that a lot of students got caught up in the excitement of the
treasure hunt and were not able to identify all of the rhyming pairs.
 2. When reflecting on the feedback you provided for the 2 students and the whole class (students
you taught), do you feel this effectively provided them with insight into their learning about the
content? Why?
I believe that the feedback that I provided for the two students and the whole class effectively
provided them with insight into their learning about the content. I provided examples of things they did well
and things they could improve upon. This balance helped the students understand their strengths and
weaknesses in the lesson. I mainly did this verbally through informal conference, but adding written feedback
could benefit the students even more.
3. How did you or will you help students use this feedback?
I will help my students use the feedback I provided them through concrete examples. For example,
the students struggled to identify the appropriate clothing for each season. The class could work together to
create an anchor chart that includes all four seasons as well as the clothing and weather that match the
seasons. This chart could be displayed in the classroom as a reminder for the students to view. The students
could also be given small, laminated cards with feedback from the lesson. A visual of how subtraction number
sentences are structured could be added to the students’ nametags and number lines on their desks. By
doing this, the students will be constantly reminded about the content and will be able to bridge their
knowledge gaps.
4. Describe what you learned about teaching and learning related to assessment and feedback.
I learned that educators have to adjust their instructional strategies in the middle of lessons based
on formative assessment results. During my math lesson, I was observing the students as they wrote the
subtraction number sentences on their whiteboards. I originally planned on only modeling a few problems for
the students and then moving to the group activity. The students were not able to write the subtraction
number sentences and required more modeled examples. I adjusted my strategies while I was teaching to
accommodate the students. I also gave them feedback when they were writing the number sentences
incorrectly to help fix their mistakes. After this adjustment and feedback, the students were able to better
understand this concept. When I assessed them later on in the lesson, they performed better than if I had not
made changes to the instructional structure.
As I move forward through my teaching journey, I will look to formative assessment data to help me
determine instructional strategies during lessons. According to Dirksen (2011), “We will provide students
with constructive criticism designed to improve their performance, and we also will use the data to improve
our own instruction.” (p. 27). This shows that formative assessments should be used as a guide for providing
students with feedback during the learning process. Utilizing these assessments will help improve the process
for both me and my students.
5. What would you have done differently during this lesson week? Why?
As I reflect on lesson week, I would have done a few things differently to improve the experience.
This was my first time teaching a lower elementary grade. I would like to learn how to provide
developmentally appropriate feedback to kindergarten students. When I was giving them feedback during
and after the lessons, I felt as though most of them did not understand what I was trying to tell them the first
time. As I progressed through the week, I started to learn what works and does not work for this specific
class. As I move forward toward unit week, I plan to develop a plan for providing age-appropriate feedback. I
would also like to learn a few classroom management tools that are developmentally appropriate for the
students. This would help control some of the chaos in the room during the lessons and allow more students
to focus on the content.
 References

Abrams, J. (2019). The Importance of Repetition. Retrieved from https://www.thereadingtutor.com/single-

post/2018/11/05/the-importance-of-repetition#:~:text=Whether%20it%20is%20math%2C
%20literature,brings%20attention%20to%20an%20idea.

Dirksen, D. J. (2011). Hitting the reset button: Using formative assessment to guide instruction. Phi Delta
Kappan, 92(7), 26-31.

Martin, L. (April 8, 2020). Teaching Reading With Nursery Rhymes. Retrieved from
https://mylittlerobins.com/2020/04/nursery-rhymes/

Torchia, R. (August 5, 2022). Make Learning Engaging and Interactive with Touch-Screen Devices. Retrieved
from https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2022/08/make-learning-engaging-and-interactive-
touch-screen-devices