Nicole Barry Portfolio

MSED Elementary Portfolio Project
Nicole Marie Barry
06-12-17
An Elementary Portfolio Project submitted to the
Faculty of the Graduate School of Education of
Medaille College
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Science in Education
______________________________
Student Name
Medaille College Graduate Student
______________________________
Faculty Advisors Name with Title
Project Director
MSED ELEMENTARY PORTFOLIO PROJECT 2
Table of Contents
Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project.3-7
Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences....8-20
Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts.......21-153
Artifact #1: Annotated Bibliography ...22
Artifact #2: Science Lesson Plan: Finding Electrical Paths Through Hidden
Circuits.28
Artifact #3: ELA Guided Reading Lesson Plan: Using Non-Fiction Text Features to
Help Comprehend Text..44
Artifact #4: Math Lesson Plan: Using Math Drawings to Represent Addition.57
Artifact #5: Social Studies Lesson Plan: Immigrant Life in America in the
Early 1900s86
Artifact #6: Immigration Test100
Artifact #7: Math Unit Plan: Calculating Area..103
Artifact #8: Pecha Kucha Presentation..149
Artifact #9: Letter of Recommendation from Associate Teacher for Second Student
Teaching Placement- 4th Grade152
Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum & Professional Standards .154-169
Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection .170-173
Section Six: Teacher Candidate Interview Video ..174-176
References .177
Section One:
Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project
Introduction, Overview, & Rationale
What will I do as a teacher to ensure that my students are educated, supported, respected,
and constantly encouraged human beings? To me, determining the answer to that question based
on personal reflection is the purpose of creating my Elementary Portfolio Project. Reflection as
an educator is a best teaching practice, and one that I am happy to partake in. Without reflection
how can we ever improve? How can we learn? If we expect this of our students, then we must
first practice what we preach.
Developing this portfolio project is extremely important because it allows me to examine
in detail each and every facet of myself as an educator. For example, lesson planning and
instruction. Are my lessons engaging? Is the material I am covering being taught in a way that is
beneficial for my learners? Am I aligning my lessons appropriately with the required standards?
Am I making sure to differentiate my instruction? Am I teaching in a way that is culturally
responsive? Am I incorporating enough technology into my teaching? Am I successfully
scaffolding the material in my lessons? Have I considered, and made accommodations for the
needs of ALL of my students? After carefully taking the time to review all of my lesson plans
while considering the above listed factors, I can honestly say that I do believe I have been
mindful when creating my lessons. I have included multiple lesson plans in Section 3 of this
portfolio which I believe will showcase my ability to successfully create and implement
comprehensive and effective lesson plans. However, lesson planning and instruction are only two
areas which an educator in todays society must be proficient in. Another is classroom
management. Ability to successfully manage a classroom is an absolute necessity for an

educator. How can students be expected to learn if they are surrounded by a classroom of chaos?
Based on experience I am a firm believer follow-through is key. Once rules, expectations, and
consequences have been introduced and explained to students, they should be held accountable
for their actions. I feel that this builds a relationship not only of respect, but also of trust. The
students will learn to respect the educator, and also make the connection that what he/she says
can be trusted. That being said, I do know that depending on the student, modifications to
classroom management plans must be made. It is sometimes necessary to create individual
behavior plans for students in classrooms. When situations such as this arise, it is important to
consider potential causes for specific undesirable behaviors, along with some ways to shape the
discouraged behavior into a more positive one. I am extremely comfortable implementing
multiple classroom management techniques. In addition, I am well-versed with researching and
developing multiple behavior plans for individual students. I discuss my experience with various
classroom management and individualized behavior plan techniques in greater detail in Section 2
of the portfolio.
Portfolio Section Development
As I have already referenced both Sections 2 & 3 of the portfolio, at this point I would
like to take the time to describe in detail what each section of the Elementary Portfolio Project
consists of. In Section 1 I am introducing my thoughts on what I feel the purpose for my
portfolio is, which I discussed earlier is the opportunity to thoughtfully and thoroughly reflect on
all aspects of myself as an educator. The purpose of Section 1 is also to focus what I feel are best
teaching practices, such as differentiating instruction, scaffolding information, making
appropriate accommodations, and reflection. I touched upon these practices when discussing the
importance of lesson planning, instruction, and classroom management. Another focus of

Section 1 is to make connections with theories of experts in the field of education to my own
teacher skills, practices, and experiences. This information will be included in the Theories,
Theorists, & Experts in the Field of Education part of Section 1.
Section 2 of the portfolio is when I will have the opportunity to discuss in detail my
personal experiences in education while attending grades K-12 in the NYS school system. I will
also be writing about my position of employment for the past 11 years, which is Teacher
Assistant in a classroom for children with Autism. I will also be recounting my recent student
teaching placements at Maryvale Primary, and Clarence Center Schools. Finally, I will be
discussing my personal philosophy of education, and how all of the previously mentioned
experiences have helped me to become the educator that I am today. Lastly in Section 2 I will be
developing a resume for potential future employers which highlights my educational
background, experience, and skills.
Section 3 of the portfolio consists of the educational artifacts I have selected to include,
as well as a written rationale for why I have chosen each one. The rationale will discuss how the
artifact connects to best teaching practices, theories of experts in education, as well as how it
showcases my skills and demonstrates that I am well prepared for a career in education.
Section 4 of the portfolio will demonstrate my ability as an educator to align my
curriculum to the professional educational standards. In this section I will discuss in detail how
the artifacts that I have selected support the standards, and how I have incorporated the
requirements of the standards into my content.
Section 5 gives me the opportunity to reflect not only on my student teaching experiences
in the classroom, but also on my teacher education program at the Division of Education at
Medaille. I will discuss what I have learned as a result of both experiences, and how each of
them has made an impact on my sense of readiness with respect to becoming a teacher.
Section 6 of the portfolio is a Teacher Interview Video. The purpose of the mock
interview is to prepare me for potential questions I may asked by potential future employers.
During the interview I will be able to make connections to all of my experiences, best teaching
practices and skills. It is an opportunity to showcase all of my abilities.
Theories, Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education
I would find it difficult to discuss experts in the field of education without mentioning
Howard Gardner, and his Theory of Multiple Intelligences (howardgardner.com). Based on my
experiences working with students with Autism, I believe whole-heartedly that ALL
intelligences are equally important, and should be recognized and taught to by all educators. I
have seen non-verbal children communicate through art, music, and technology. What if those
skills werent taught at school? Those children would be robbed of a way to functionally
communicate. I find this unacceptable. Gardners Theory doesnt just apply to students with
special needs. Consider hands-on learners, and how they differ from visual or auditory learners.
If a teacher only writes notes on the board, or only speaks to the class, or never provides hands-
on inquiry opportunities during lessonsso many of those students would miss out on the
content. Again, unacceptable. I took all of these factors into consideration when writing my
lesson plans, and believe I was able to construct lessons with equal opportunities for students of
all intelligences to learn.
Another theory that I always consider when creating lesson plans is Blooms Taxonomy.
Going back to this theory always reminds me to push my students for that higher-level thinking
(Adams, 2015). Dont always ask yes/no questions. Dont always direct teach. Expect more from
students, and you will get more. I feel that Blooms influence is evident in my lesson plans,
which are included in Section 3.
A third expert whose studies have influenced my entire classroom management system is
behaviorist B.F. Skinner. I find his theory that human action depends on consequences of
previous actions to be right on. More specifically, if the consequences for a certain behavior are
bad, there is a high chance the behavior will not reoccur. However, if the consequences are good,
the behavior will most likely be repeated ( Mcleod, 2007). This applies not only to distinguishing
undesirable behavior, but also continuing preferred behavior. If Skinner has taught me anything,
it is that a little positive reinforcement goes a long way. There is always, always, always
something positive to say about a student. Verbal praise improves self-esteem, immediately
audibly recognizes preferred behavior, and improves the teacher-student relationship. I have
found it to be a simple, yet extremely effective and enjoyable best teaching practice.
Conclusion
Section 1 has allowed me the opportunity to describe why I feel the Elementary Project
Portfolio is both beneficial and important to me as an educator. Throughout Section 1 I was able
to touch on what I feel some best teaching practices are, and how I have demonstrated many of
them in the articles I have selected to include in Section 3. Lastly, in Section 1 I was able to
discuss the theories and experts in the field that have most influenced me as an educator, and
how their work has had an impact on my teaching practices. In Section 2 I will be focusing more
on my own educational experiences, student teaching opportunities, employment in educational
positions, and my philosophy of education.

Section Two:
Teacher Candidate Background Experiences
Introduction
Did I always know that I wanted to be a teacher? No. Did I always know that I wanted to
work with children? Yes. During my own years in school, I was the child who was constantly
terrified of being called on to answer, dreaded my turn during gym no matter what the activity,
and detested presenting anything in front of the class. I was studious, focused, and quiet. I kept
my thoughts and opinions to myself, and my nose in a book.
It wasnt until high school that I started to open up and become social. I joined the dance
team my freshmen year, attended school dances, and went to early morning labs. I wasnt forced
into any of these things, they were just opportunities available to me that I chose to take
advantage of. Choice is a very important thing to a child-the idea that they are in control of
certain aspects of their lives. I definitely remember the power I felt being able to make choices
during my education, and intend incorporate multiple opportunities for my future students to
make choices throughout their school day.
Teacher Candidate Educational Background
As mentioned in the previous section, I was a serious student. I completed my work,
followed directions, and was never disruptive. As a result, all of the educational experiences I
had with teachers were positive. I can honestly say that I do not remember having a teacher that I
did not like. They all challenged me in different ways, but I dont recall any negative
experiences. Yes, being called on sporadically was something that I dreaded, but all teachers do
that to all students at some point. As much as I disliked it, I never felt singled out. One teacher in
particular stands out looking back-my fourth grade teacher. She was nice like the rest, but I
remember she always gave us choice time during the day when we could catch up on
assignments, read, color, etc. I enjoyed this time for 2 reasons. The first was because I got to
read, which was my favorite thing to do. The second was because even though we had choice
time, we had to stay in our seats. I liked this because I didnt have to find a group to hang out
with, or feel bad because no one wanted to hang out with me. Often times teachers think that all
students enjoy being able to hang out with their friends during the day, but my past experiences
have shown me that that is not always the case. While some kids love recess because of the
freedom, others dread it. These are important things for me to be aware of as an educator when
planning. Considerations must be made for all students. Yes, the structure of a daily routine is
beneficial, but so is changing certain patterns and ways of doing things to benefit different types
of students.
Another teacher that stands out looking back is my sophomore English teacher. At first I
detested her class because we had to give presentations. I hated public speaking-especially to a
room full of my peers. As the year progressed she started putting us in groups to present. I was
absolutely opposed to the idea at first, but after my first group worked together and presented, I
realized that working in a group has its benefits. First, the work is shared-I didnt have to do
everything myself! Second, the presentation was shared. I didnt have to present the entire
project to the class-and I wasnt standing alone in the front of the room. I had my group up there
with me! In all my years of schooling, it wasnt until my sophomore year of high school that I
actually experienced the benefits of working with a group. What I have learned from this
experience is that no matter the age of my future students, I will set aside time to explain to the
multiple benefits of working collaboratively with a group, and be sure to give plenty of
opportunities for them to work with other peers. Socializing and being able to successfully
collaborate with others is a life skill that most adults need in both their professional and personal
lives. I feel very strongly that it should be a skill continually focused on, and practiced
throughout the educational careers of all students as they transition into adulthood. Luckily, I
entered the Medaille Program knowing this information, and looking forward to collaborating
with my peers. However, not everyone in the program feels this way about a group mind-set, and
I strongly believe that it is because they didnt have enough successful experiences to recognize
what an exciting and beneficial opportunity group work can be!
A third and final educational experience that I feel had an impact on the type of educator
I am today was the relationship my fifth grade teacher had with our class. She went out of her
way to make each and every student feel noticed, appreciated, and special. She took the time to
recognize which students excelled in different areas, and acknowledged their efforts. She knew
which students were struggling at home, and made sure they knew she cared. We had a
particularly rough group of boys in our class, but instead of yelling at them as teachers had done
in previous years she gave them jobs to complete for her every day, and then made sure to thank
them repeatedly for helping her out. She seemed to turn every negative into a positive, every
frown upside down. Not all of her students were angels, but she used out-of-the-box thinking to
reach every single one. Each student in that class felt loved. She was a very special lady, and I
was sad to see that year end. She will forever be the type of educator that I aspire to be:
compassionate, creative, and kind.
Work Experiences
I originally intended to be a school psychologist when I began my college career. After I
graduated with my undergraduate degree in psychology, I took a job as a 1:1 aide in self-
contained classroom at a school for children with Autism. It was then that I realized my place
was in the classroom and nowhere else. I spent 4 years as an aide, and learned so much in the
process. I was trained in the technique of applied behavior analysis (ABA), strategies for crisis
intervention and prevention (SCIP), first aid, and casebook management. I worked with multiple
teachers, behavior consultants, principals, social workers, etc. I participated in academic data
collection, behavioral data collection and analysis, and the writing of multiple behavior plans. I
know that the experiences I had in my aide position have helped to prepare me for the future, and
the skills and techniques I have acquired will undoubtedly prove beneficial.
After 4 years as a 1:1 aide, I took courses and an exam to become a certified teaching
assistant. I continued working at the same location for the next 2 years, and then an opportunity
arose to work as a teacher assistant in a district classroom for children with Autism. This differed
from my current position at the time, as I would be pushing out with the children for some
academics with typical peers. The opportunity to try something new, while still working with
children on a daily basis appealed to me, so I applied. I got the position, and am currently still the
teacher assistant for the classroom I started in 6 years ago.
Basically, I have been working in the field of education for the past 12 years, and loved
every single second of it. I am able to greet students at the bus with a smile, and start their day
off on a positive note. I work with students on their academics (Math, Science, Social Studies,
ELA). I assist them in specials (Art, Music, PE, Library) as needed. I help them to socialize
during recess. I teach them self-care skills and assist them with bathroom needs. I continue to
utilize the techniques of ABA and SCIP. I track, graph, and analyze certain behavioral and
academic information daily. I collaborate on a frequent basis with other educational
professionals such as special education teachers, grade-level teachers, school psychologists,
social workers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, principals, aides, etc. I also make
sure that parent communication is constant, both by phone and email. I am absolutely certain that
the work experiences I have had both as a 1:1 aide in a self-contained classroom, and as a teacher
assistant in a district school will assist me in my future role as a classroom teacher.
School Observations and Classroom Applications
Lets revisit the statement that I made in the beginning of Section 2, Did I always want
to be a teacher? No. Did I always know that I wanted to work with children? Yes. Let me
clarify. As I never liked to speak in public, even in class to give a presentation, I always thought
that the idea of me becoming a teacher and speaking in front of a group of students was
impossible. Yet, I knew that I needed to work with children in order to be happy. Thats why I
originally planned to be a school psychologist. However, after graduating and learning more
about the actual position of school psychologist, it seemed to me that a lot of their time was spent
testing kids, and not working with them. This is why I ultimately decided to take the job as a 1:1
aide. To immerse myself in the classroom setting, just to make sure that I was making the right
decision in counting out teaching forever. Ultimately, the opposite proved to be true. This was
where I was meant to be, and wanted to stay. However, the idea of going back to school was
daunting. Could I do it? Should I do it? Eventually after continued family support, and the urging
from some wonderful co-workers, I decided to go back to school.
As is stated in earlier sections, school work itself never bothered me. But, I did have one
huge worry when I started the program at Medaille. Student teaching. Would I be able to do it?
Would I stumble and have sweaty palms like I did when giving presentations in school? Would
the kids listen to me? Would I be able to control them? Eventually it came time to find out. My
first teaching placement was in second grade. I absolutely loved it. There were 28 students, but
when I was teaching it wasnt overwhelming at all. I knew it was my job to teach them, and I
pulled every technique in the book I had learned out to try and accomplish that goal. I used
classroom management techniques that I had learned from pushing in to grade level classes with
my special needs students as a teacher assistant in the district school. I created personal behavior
charts based on those I had helped to create as a 1:1 aide. I assigned classroom jobs based on
how my classroom teacher had in the fifth grade. I utilized all of the prior knowledge I had based
on personal experience to instruct the students in my second grade placement, and in the end I
definitely feel that it was a successful and beneficial experience.
While I thoroughly enjoyed my first student teaching placement, I still had reservations
about the second. For my first placement, I was placed with an age group I had worked with
previously. However, for my second placement, I would be working with fourth graders, and I
was nervous. Would they listen? Would they give me attitude? Would they be disrespectful?
Luckily, I was very pleasantly surprised. Not only were the students receptive to what I was
teaching, but as per the cooperating teacher I was able to get much more creative with my
delivery of the lessons, and as a result they were much more engaging and fun. I also had the
opportunity to create entire units on poetry, immigration, and circuits. The teacher I was working
with pushed me to try new things, and I learned so much about myself in the process. For
example, I was able to run an AIS group after school. My training in data analysis allowed me to
look at the math work of struggling students, and develop a curriculum for us to work on after
school. I loved the process, and learned that my favorite subject to teach is math! Another
opportunity I had while at my second placement was to create an assessment for the end of a
unit. After distributing multiple quizzes prior to creating my assessment, I learned that it is so
important to take the time to explain questions before you expect students to answer them. While
going over quiz answers with my students I came to the shocking conclusion that more than half
of them misunderstood numerous questions and what exactly they were asking. This experience
helped me not only to pay careful attention to how I word my assessments, but also to never just
pass out an assessment before going over it as a class and making sure all students understand
what exactly the questions are asking.
Ultimately, what I took away from my student teaching experiences was the fact that I
LOVE TO TEACH. This may sound simple to some people, but for me it was such a journey to
get here, the fact that I have finally found my happy place in life is surreal.
Philosophy of Education
I am very much looking forward to the new experiences and challenges I will face as a
teacher with my own classroom, as well as the opportunity to introduce my own teaching
philosophy into a safe and motivating academic environment.
I feel very passionately that the children I work with need to know that I am invested in
them, and that I am committed to helping them achieve not only academic success, but success in
life. Only then will they trust that I truly do have their best interests at heart, and begin to benefit
from my instruction. They need to know that I care if they are grasping the material, and that it
matters to me if they are struggling. Communication, and individual knowledge of each students'
progress, or lack there of is key. If my 12 years of classroom experience has taught me anything,
it is that if children feel that you are truly invested, and that you genuinely care about their
success and what they have to offer as an individual, they will try that much harder to show you
exactly what they are capable of. I believe that each and every student has the potential to
accomplish great things, and more importantly I make sure that they are aware of this every
single day. I feel it is important to take the time to acknowledge areas where they excel, and
make sure they are aware I am available as a support system in areas where they are struggling. I
believe this philosophy holds true when working with the special needs population, as well as the
general education population. All children deserve the opportunity to become the best versions of
themselves. It is our job as educators to help guide them on this journey.
School
What do I feel is the purpose of a school? To provide a safe place for children to learn
and grow academically, yes. But also a place for children to learn how to become active,
functional members of society. To learn how to be upstanding citizens of their communities. To
learn how to treat people with respect, and how to earn the respect of others. Schools should also
be a place where children can be free to express themselves in multiple ways. They should be
exposed to art, music, other cultures, etc. A school should provide children a taste of everything
the world has to offer. Only then will they find their lifes true passion, and make their own path.
Curriculum
What do I feel the curriculum of a school should consist of? Definitely Math, as working
with numbers is a skill that all adults will need for things such as banking. Absolutely ELA, as
reading and writing are necessary skills to be successful in todays society, and comprehension is
necessary when processing the writing of others. While I do believe that Science and Social
Studies are subjects that should be included in curriculum, I do believe that there should be some
choice involved on the part of the student. For example, while one student might be interested in
biology, another might be interested in studying physics. Or, while one student might be
intrigued by the events leading up to the Revolutionary War, another might want to research
immigration. I feel the same way about the arts. Some students may want to experiment with
paints, while another might choose to spend time learning an instrument. I think these different
interests should be taken into account when creating a specific curriculum.

Learning
How do I think it should take place? I do believe in structure, and the fact that students
(especially younger students) respond to it. That being said, learning organically and following
the path that naturally presents itself in a teaching situation has its benefits too. If a lesson is
taking place and the teacher suddenly thinks that the students would benefit from viewing a clip
on the SMARTBOARD, or a personal story, or a photograph on their phone-go with it! The
students will appreciate the teacher taking the time to show them, and it will read as the teacher
being passionate about the subject.
In addition, presenting lessons using various forms of technology, different settings,
various props, and in multiple ways increases the chances that each and every learner in the room
will be reached by the lesson. Different students learn in different ways, and by varying the
methods of instruction each student feels included, and taught to.
Learners
As mentioned in the above section, students learn in different ways. Some are visual
learners. Others need to be engaged audibly, and some are psychomotor learners. The more
methods a teacher uses to instruct, the better the odds that at least one of his/her methods is
getting through to all students. In addition to learning in different ways, the home lives of
students also differ. Some live with grandparents. Others live in foster homes. Some are
financially stable. Others are struggling. Some wake up and have breakfast every morning.
Others dont know where their next meal is coming from. Students can also differ in religious
beliefs, cultural identity, etc. The point is that each individual student is unique in their own way,
and teachers must be cognizant of that. Teachers must pay close attention to the current state of
each student with respect to not only their cognitive development, but also their mental state,
emotional state, psychological state, etc. Teachers are entrusted with helping to raise and educate
an entire generation. Such a task must never be taken lightly.
Assessment
Based on the multiple assessments that I have seen students take over the years, and the
assessments I myself have taken, and the assessments I have created and given, it is my opinion
that a variety of methods per assessment yield the most accurate and fair results. By that, I mean
that if you include some true/false, some fill-in-the-blank, some short answer, and some multiple
choice (to name a few), you are giving each student a fair chance to represent themselves. By
that I mean that some students need to see a word to trigger what they have studied, whereas
others need to write an answer out to complete their thoughts. Some students excel at certain
types of assessments, and other students excel in others. If there is a mix of techniques used, I
believe that gives each student an opportunity to do his/her best.
Classroom Management
I have seen and used so many classroom management techniques in the past 12 years, and
after all of this time I have learned 3 main facts: 1.) Know your students. Certain techniques
might work with one group of students, but not with another, and that is ok. Go in prepared with
a few ideas in mind, find one that you think your group will respond to, and give it a try. 2.)
FOLLOW THROUGH OR DONT TRY TO IMPLEMENT ANYTHING. Students are smart,
and if you dont follow through on the rules you have set forward from day one, they will not
buy-in to any type of technique you try to implement after. 3.) Dont be afraid to change it up. If
you are bored with a point system half-way through the year, your students probably are too.
Change it to a ticket system, or another system to get them interested again. The students have to
WANT to be successful for the technique to work.

One final thought, sometimes a classroom management system wont work for an
individual student. Dont be afraid to think outside the box to create something more personal
that that particular student might respond to. Look to professional peers for suggestions-
professional collaboration is a wonderful thing!
Teacher
The expectations that I have for teachers is that they treat both students and their families
with respect, that they treat all children with kindness and compassion, and that they are
dedicated to helping each and every child achieve life success. This is what I will strive for as an
educator, and I expect nothing less from my professional peers. All children are open to
influence. Teachers must continually be aware of this, and realize what a strong impact they may
have on a child. The position of teacher is a powerful one, which must never be taken for
granted.
Resume
Next I have included my resume, which highlights my previously discussed work
experiences, and multiple trainings.

Nicole M. Barry
146 Thorncliff Rd.
Buffalo, NY 14223
(716) 572-7536
nikkeebee@netscape.net
LEVEL III CERTIFIED TEACHER ASSISTANT
Objective: Dedicated to continue working full time in a positive, motivating classroom

environment assisting youths with developmental disabilities, while committed to working
towards a masters degree in elementary education.
Completed Trainings and Certifications:

-NYS Teacher Assistant Certified
-Certified in S.C.I.P.-R. (Strategies for Crisis Intervention and Prevention-
Revised)
-O.S.H.A. Trained (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
-Trained in P.E.C.S. (Picture Exchange Communication System)
-Familiar with running both classroom behavior plans, and Behavior Intervention
Plans (B.I.P.s ) for individual students
-Completed American Red Cross Standard First Aid Training
-Completed NYS Mandated Reporter Training
-Completed NYS School Violence Prevention and Intervention Training
-Completed DASA Training
Core Competencies:
-Teaching and Testing Common Core Curriculum
-Assisting Teachers when writing I.E.P. goals
-Organizing and running various classroom activities (math groups, reading groups, etc.)
-Running applied behavior analysis (A.B.A) programs with students
-Assisting students with all activities throughout the day (I.E.P. goals, gym activities, art
projects, bathroom needs, etc.)
-Setting up bulletin boards, organizing student case books, preparing letters to parents, etc.
-Graphing data collection for students and updating individual students' I.E.P. goal sheets
Experience:
Teacher Assistant in 8:1:1 Classroom Setting Maple East Elementary, 2011 to Present
Teacher Assistant in 6:1:1 Classroom Setting The Summit Center, 2007 to 2011
1:1 Teacher Aide in 6:1:1 Classroom Setting The Summit Center, 2006 to 2007
While I have been employed by The Summit Center for the past 12 years, I have been a Teacher
Assistant at the Maple East location in Williamsville for the past 6 years. In this position I have
been exposed to, and had the opportunity to teach on occasion both the Math and ELA Common
Core material.
Education:
University at Buffalo-Buffalo, NY
BA in Psychology, 2006
Kenmore West High School- Kenmore, NY

Regents Diploma
Conclusion
Section 2 was an introduction to why I chose to enter into the field of education, what my
current thoughts are on the various areas of education, and also how my past experiences in
education will influence the type of educator I want to be in the future. I hope that the readers of
this portfolio are able to sense the passion that I have for this profession.
Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts
Introduction
In this section I have included multiple artifacts which I feel demonstrate my skills as an
educator in multiple ways. I have included an annotated bibliography to demonstrate my ability
to research, comprehend, and analyze current topics in the field of education. I included lesson
plans from various grades, units, and curriculum areas to showcase that I am able to plan,
prepare, and teach lessons effectively. I have included a unit plan to show that I am able to break
down curriculum into appropriate lessons, while making sure to cover all of the important
material in a specific amount of time. I have included a pecha kucha presentation to demonstrate
my ability to utilize various types of technology to teach lessons. I have also included a
recommendation letter, showcasing my strengths as an educator which cannot be seen by
viewing my prepared plans.
Artifacts & Rationales

Artifact #1: Annotated Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Nicole Barry
Medaille College
EDU 510: Research in Education
Professor Ahuna
July 1, 2016
Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Article Reference:
Alfaro, V., Kupczynski, L., & Mundy, M.A. (2015). The relationship between teacher
knowledge and skills and teacher attitude towards students with disabilities among elementary,
middle and high school teachers in rural texas schools. Journal of Instructional Pedagogies, 16,
1-8. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov.ezproxy.medaille.edu/?id=EJ1069386
Objective/Purpose:
The purpose of this article was to discover what, if any preconceived notions and
attitudes teachers at the elementary, middle, and high school levels had of their students with
disabilities (SWD). Do teachers perceive their students with special needs in a different way if
they are more knowledgeable about the policies, procedures and strategies for instruction of the
special needs population? This is a necessary and important topic to research, as the results can
be potentially extremely beneficial to districts when determining how to make sure that their
teachers are better prepared to work with the special needs population.
Target Population/Participant Number:
The population sample for this particular study involved the responses of 53 general
educators, from a group of 168 given surveys. There was a range in ages, type of teacher
preparation programs, and years of teaching experience in the demographic make-up. Also, since
the study focused on rural school districts in south Texas, the majority of the participants were
Hispanic. Also, the five districts involved in the study had enrollments ranging from 300 to 1200
students, and the educational levels of those students ranged from Pre-K to 12th grade. Again, as
the study focused on rural school districts in south Texas, the majority of the students were
Hispanic, as well as at an economic disadvantage.
Research Method:
The research method used for this study was quantitative. More specifically, survey
research was used. The Regular Education Teacher Perceptions Survey (RETPS) instrument was
given to various regular education teachers. This particular survey was selected due to the fact
that it collects data using a 5-point Likert scale. This allowed for correlations to be figured out
involving teacher attitudes towards knowledge of not only procedures and policies, but also
strategies of instruction. It was beneficial to use this type of survey, as it will help when
identifying specific areas that a school district may want to focus more on in the future when
educating their teachers how to work with the special needs population. Once all of the data from
the surveys was collected, a correlational design using the Pearson correlation coefficient was
also used to take a look at the statistical relationships. SPSS (version 22.0) statistical analysis
software was used to figure out the results, providing a mean, standard deviations, and range
scores.
Article Summary:
Basically, this article was about the fact that more and more students with disabilities are
being mainstreamed into regular education classrooms, thus requiring regular education teachers
to familiarize themselves with, and meet the needs of these particular students while continuing
to educate their regular education population. The article stresses the importance of properly
educating teachers so that they are able to adequately meet the growing needs of their students.
The article looked at whether or not the knowledge of various policies, procedures, and
instructional strategies had an effect on the attitude of the teacher when working with their
students with special needs.
Results/Outcomes:
The results of the survey proved that there was positive correlation between teacher
perceptions of their individual knowledge of policies, procedures and instructional strategies, and
their attitudes towards their students with special needs. Various areas of teacher knowledge
were considered in the survey. The knowledge of policies and procedures results showed that the
teachers felt very knowledgeable in such areas as Special Education law, referrals, and parental
rights. However, they did not feel comfortable about their level of participation in the creation of
the Individual Educational Plans (IEP)s for students. The knowledge of instructional strategies
results showed that teachers felt very knowledgeable in such areas as child development, but not
so much in the area of various disabling conditions.
For the most part, the results showed that the more the teachers knew about Special
Education policies, procedures, and instructional strategies, the more prepared they felt to teach
the special needs population and had a positive attitude towards their students with disabilities.
This is extremely important information to have moving forward, as so many districts are
currently pushing more students with disabilities into regular education classrooms, and the
districts have a responsibility to make sure that their teachers are prepared to educate these
students to the best of their ability. A few areas of concern were evident (lack of knowledge
involving various disabling conditions; more regular education teacher involvement in the
creation and implementation of the IEP), which could easily be improved through various
methods of staff development.
I would change a few aspects of this study moving forward to obtain stronger results. The
study only represented rural districts in one state. Perhaps the study could be improved upon by
incorporating more school districts resulting in more diversity when it comes to economic
situation and ethnicity. It was wise to include teachers with different ages and years of
experience, but maybe next time the sample size could be increased, and a much larger amount
of teachers from multiple school districts could complete the survey.
Classroom Application:
I feel that this article is extremely important in the field of education as it deals with a
very current issue that millions of schools are facing. As more and more students with special
needs are mainstreamed into classrooms it is imperative that the regular education teachers
working with these students are well-informed on the best ways to educate them. It is also
important that the regular education teacher be extremely involved in all things concerning their
students educational needs. Regular education teachers have students with special needs in their
classroom-why wouldnt they be move involved in all aspects of the IEP process? Both creation
and implementation. As the article suggests, the regular education teachers are responsible for
knowing what is in the IEP, as it is their job to make sure that what is written in the plan is
involved in their daily planning process. The more they know about what is written and what is
expected of them as a teacher to do to help a particular student, the easier it will be for them to
plan ways for that student to be successful in their classroom.

Rationale
I included this annotated bibliography in my portfolio because I feel that it showcases my
ability to research, comprehend, and analyze important current information pertaining to the field
of education. Mainstreaming special needs students into regular education classrooms is
something that ALL teachers today need to be aware of, and prepared for. A best teaching
practice is to know the needs of ALL the students in the classroom, and to accommodate them.
Artifact #2: Finding Electrical Paths Through Hidden Circuits
Science Lesson Plan
Nicole Barry
Medaille College
Student Teaching Science Lesson Plan
Professor Scumaci
April 4, 2017
Science: Finding Electrical Paths Through Hidden Circuits
I. LESSON DATA:
A. Candidates First & Last Name: Nicole Barry
B. Subject/Content Area: Science
C. Grade Level (PK-12): 4th (NYS)
D. Unit Topic: Electrical Circuits
E. Lesson Topic Finding Electrical Paths Through Hidden Circuits
F. Duration of Lesson: 45 minutes
G. Materials:
1 Document Camera
Large White Board
7 trays (one for each group of 3 students)
14 small paper clips (two for each group of 3 students)
8 #40 bulbs (one for each group of 3 students, and one for the teacher)
8 batteries (one for each group of 3 students, and one for the teacher)
8 battery holders (one for each group of 3 students, and one for the teacher)
8 bulb holders (one for each group of 3 students, and one for the teacher)
8 hidden circuit folders (one for each group of 3 students, and one for the teacher)
A roll of aluminum foil (pre-cut into 18 inch sections-one piece for each group, and one for the teacher)
A roll of masking tape (a large 18-inch section will be passed out to each group when work begins)
7 pairs of scissors (one for each group of 3 students)
22 science student activity books (one for the teacher, and 21 for the students)
22 pencils
Dry erase markers and eraser for the teacher

Stick Pick App on IPhone
II. INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS:
A. Standards:
1. NYS Learning Standards for Mathematics, Science, and Technology: Elementary Science Core
Curriculum for Grades K-4
Key Idea: 3. Matter is made up of particles whose properties determine the observable characteristics of
matter and its reactivity.
Performance Indicator: 3.1. Observe and describe properties of materials, using appropriate tools.
Major Understanding: 3.1e. The material(s) an object is made up of determine some specific properties of
the object (sink/float, conductivity, magnetism). Properties can be observed or measured with tools such as
hand lenses, metric rulers, thermometers, balances, magnets, circuit testers, and graduated cylinders.
B. Central Focus: Creating and Locating Paths of Electricity Through Hidden Circuits
Students will use their knowledge in previous lessons about incomplete/open and
complete/closed circuits, as well as their background knowledge of how to build circuit testers to
create, and locate paths of electricity through hidden circuits.
C. & D. Objectives & Assessment Plan:
The checklist used for formative assessments: See Appendix A
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT
1. The students will work in groups of 3 to 1. The teacher will formatively assess
build a circuit tester with the materials students ability to work in groups of 3 to
provided. build a circuit tester with the materials
provided by circulating throughout the
classroom taking anecdotal record of the
oral discourse of the students working in
groups, and observing their progress while
creating their circuit testers. She will also
use a checklist to keep track of which
groups were able to successfully complete
the circuit tester.
create a hidden circuit folder/locate a students ability to work in groups of 3 to
hidden circuit with aluminum foil and create a hidden circuit folder/locate a
masking tape. hidden circuit with aluminum foil and
masking tape by circulating throughout the
classroom taking anecdotal record of the
oral discourse of the students working in
groups, and observing their progress while
creating their hidden circuit folders. She
will also use a checklist to keep track of
which groups were able to successfully
complete their hidden circuit folders.

E. Opening/Anticipatory Set
1. When it is time for science (8:30), the teacher will instruct students to put away all materials from the
previous activity and to take out their science activity books and open to page 18.
2. The teacher will then say, I am very excited about science today because we are all going to take the
wonderful practice we have had during class with studying and building circuits, and we are going to use
the skills that we have learned to play a game! How many of you have ever heard of battleship?
3. At this point, if student hands go up the teacher will say, Ok, great! As a player, what are you trying to do
when playing battleship? Student responses will vary, but the main idea that the teacher wants to get
across is that you are trying to sink your opponents battleship by figuring out where they have hidden it on
their board. The teacher will state this before moving on.
4. The teacher will then say, Well, we wont be trying to find where people have hidden their battleships
today, but we WILL be trying to figure out where they have hidden their circuits! How you ask? LETS
FIND OUT!
F. Main Body/Procedure:
1. After the anticipatory set has ended, the teacher will say, First lets review what we know about the
circuits that we have been dealing with. What exactly is a closed, or complete circuit? Does anyone have a
definition that they would like to share?
2. At this time the teacher will call on those students wishing to volunteer their answers. Answers will vary.
After each answer the teacher will engage all of the students by asking, If you agree with ____ thumbs up,
if not, thumbs down, and thumbs sideways if you are unsure. The teacher will let up to 3 students
volunteer, or add to responses. Then she will thank those who volunteered, and announce to the students
that a closed circuit is when an electrical current flows through a complete path (from one battery terminal
through the circuit and back to the other battery terminal), also called a complete circuit. The teacher will
have this preprinted Appendix B), and will instruct students to copy this definition into their workbooks for
#1 on page 18. CRT is evident here, as students have discussed in previous lessons electrical current, and
how it flows through closed circuits to power things in homes such as televisions, microwaves, alarm
clocks, etc. All students volunteered answers, and were familiar with multiple items which were listed
within their own homes.
3. The teacher will then inform the students that before they can work with hidden circuits, they first have to
construct circuit testers. As the students have created these before, they should be familiar with what is
required to construct a circuit tester. To remind them, the teacher will ask, What 3 items are required to
make a circuit tester? Answers will vary, but the students should eventually mention: a battery, a bulb, and
wires used to test for electrical current. The teacher will write these 3 things on the white board. She will
then break the students into groups of 3 (whoever they are seated closest to), and instruct the students when
they receive their trays, they are to construct their circuit testers. This is an accommodation for struggling
science students. They are able to conduct experiments with groups, as opposed to individually.
4. The teacher will now pass out the prepared trays with necessary materials, and circulate throughout the
room formatively assessing that students are able to work in groups of 3 to construct circuit testers. She will
be listening to their discourse, as well as observing their progress, taking anecdotal notes, and checking
them off on her list if they successfully complete the task.
5. As students have constructed circuit testers in the past, the teacher will only permit them a short amount of
time to complete this activity (5 minutes). She will then ask those who have NOT completed the task to
raise their hands. She will assign students from completed groups to assist those who need help.
6. The teacher will then ask the students to examine their circuit testers, and decide if they are closed circuits,
or not. These answers may very, since some students may have touched the end of their wires together to
complete the circuit, whereas others may not have. The teacher will accept either answer, if the student can
explain why or why not their circuit is closed.
7. At this point all students will be asked to create an incomplete, or open circuit by separating the wires and
creating a gap on the path back to the battery. The teacher will then ask the students to examine the circuit
tester to determine if it is open or closed. The correct response is open, or incomplete because the path back
to the battery has a gap. The teacher will then ask, What happens because of this gap? Student response
should be, Electricity cannot flow from one battery to another. The teacher will again ask for a thumb up,
down, or sideways to see if the students agree or not. If not, she will spend extra time demonstrating on her
model why the electricity cannot flow with a gap in the path.
8. At this point, the teacher will ask the student to answer #2 in their books on page 18. As a class, they
discussed that the circuit is NOT CLOSED, because the path back to the battery has a GAP, so electricity
cannot flow. The teacher will write this on the white board as well.
9. The teacher will then say, Who is ready for an extra credit question? I have some starburst in my pocket
for whoever is willing to give my extra credit question a try! The teacher will then look at the hands that
are raised, and announce that she is going to use her stick picks app to select a student. She will inform the
students that this app has all of their names, and will fairly select a student at random. They may pass, or
give the question a try.
10. The teacher will then say, My extra credit question isif I have an open, or incomplete circuit, how can I
make it a closed or complete circuit OTHER than touching the wires together? The teacher will use the
app until a student is able to volunteer an answer that involves, Having the wires touch something else that
electricity will flow through.
11. If no student has an answer, the teacher will announce it, and write it on the board. She will expand on this
by asking, What are some materials that electricity can flow through? Once some answers have been
offered she will have another question, When electricity flows easily through a material, we say that that
material is a good what of electricity? Student response should be conductor. If this answer is not
offered, the teacher will say it and write it on the board. She will then hold up the roll of aluminum foil, and
ask the students, What conductor of electricity do you think we will be using today to find the hidden
circuits? Student response should be Foil! The teacher will inform them that they are correct, and will
demonstrate how foil can be used with wire to create a closed circuit. She will use her model, turn off the
lights, and walk around to the different groups showing them how the circuit is completed using the tin foil
to connect the wires. After each group has been shown, the teacher will announce that the students will now
be using aluminum foil in hidden circuit folders to help close, or complete their circuit testers.
12. At this point the teacher will pass hidden circuits folders out to each group (folders are pre-numbered),
along with a pair of scissors, a sheet of aluminum foil, and some tape.
13. All students will be instructed to turn to page 18 of their books to follow along while the teacher reads the
directions out loud. On the board she will write some tips to remember: 1.) ALL black circles are to be
covered with aluminum foil, 2.) Tape must be placed between overlapping pieces of foil (Why? To follow
the design-to act as an insulator), and 3.) Use SAME SIDE of foil-shiny side up!
14. The teacher will then demonstrate how to check for hidden circuits by using the sample she created ahead
of time-the example folder on page 19. She will show the students how she puts one end of wire on each
dot to see if the circuit is completed underneath by the tin foil or not. She will ask them why they think a
line is drawn in the book from letter A to F. Response should be because the letters have a piece of foil
connecting them in the folder. The teacher will ask if there are any questions, and she will ask anyone
needs any materials. If not, then the teacher will instruct the students to begin. They will be given
approximately 10 minutes to create their hidden circuit folders. While they are working in groups, the
teacher will be walking around to formatively assess that they are able to create a hidden circuit folder.
15. After the groups have created their folders, the teacher will inform the students that it is time to Sink the
other teams battleship!, or Find their hidden circuits! The teacher will instruct students to exchange
hidden circuit folders with another group, and to write the number of their circuit folder in the center of one
of the boxes on page 19 in their books. They are to test the hidden circuits with their circuit testers, and
record their results WITHOUT PEEKING! After their testing is done, they may remove the paper clips and
open the circuit folder to see if they were correct. The students will be given another 10 minutes for this
activity to switch with as many groups as possible. This is an accommodation for advanced students. They
are able to move on to try to find as many hidden circuits as time allows. While the students are working,
the teacher will be circulating throughout the room to formatively assess that students are able to locate the
hidden circuits. She will be listening to discourse of the groups, taking anecdotal notes, and checking
students off on her list if they were able to complete the task.
16. After 10 minutes time the teacher will instruct all students to return to their seats. She will ask by a show of
hands how many students were able to locate hidden circuits. She will then ask how many each group was
able to locate. If any groups say none, the teacher will ask members of another group to assist that group
in finding a hidden circuit.

17. The students will then be instructed to turn to page 20 in their science books. The teacher will ask, How
was the circuit tester made into a complete circuit using the hidden circuit folder? The teacher will call on
students with their hands raised, and answers will vary. Ultimately, the answer that the teacher will have
students write in their books is, The circuit tester was made into a complete circuit when the wires from
the tester touched the aluminum foil in the hidden circuit folder, and the foil acted as a conductor and
allowed the electricity to flow through. The teacher will post this under the document camera (Appendix
C).
18. All students should have this written in their books. The teacher will ask each student to show it to her
before being permitted to put their books away.
G. Closing:
1. After the students have completed both creating and locating hidden circuits, the teacher
will offer up another extra credit question, Why would an electrician need to investigate hidden
circuits? These answers may vary, but basically students should recognize that it is necessary to
investigate hidden circuits when an appliance is not working. A wiring diagram would be better
for exact details, but one is not always available.
2. The teacher will then say, Wow! Now all of you not only know what circuits are, but you
know how to create them, how to locate them, and the purpose of them! When you go home
tonight you should really try to shock your parents. Try to mention something you have learned
about circuits in casual conversation! A room full of electricians in just a few short weeks-I am
SO IMPRESSED!!
III. Reflection:
1. Culturally Responsive Teaching:

CRT is evident in this lesson when students are asked to recall the strategies that they have
learned to solve math problems in previous lessons. Each child has been equally exposed to the
material, and at this point in time all are familiar with the concepts being in the lesson. They
might not have the same comfortability using the strategies, but all students regardless of cultural
background or socioeconomic status recognize the concept of adding 2 and 3 digit numbers.
2. Accommodations:
This lesson involved a variety of instructional alternatives to accommodate different learning
styles. When the teacher was making formative assessments, the students were permitted to work
in groups of 3. This allows students that are struggling academically the opportunity to work
with others when creating circuits. Students were also permitted to locate as many hidden
circuits as time would allow. The is allows advanced science students the opportunity to
challenge themselves.
LEARNING NEEDS CATEGORY SUPPORTS, ACCOMODATIONS,
MODIFICATIONS
Struggling learners Working with a group
Advanced learners Working with multiple hidden circuits
3. Prerequisite Skills:
In order to be successful in this lesson:
Students should be able to create circuit testers
Students should be familiar with the flow of circuits
Students should be able to work cooperatively in a group

4. Anticipated Misconceptions:
Students may believe that in order for a circuit to be complete, or closed, the wires must be
touching. This is not the case. Teachers must help the students to understand that touching wires
is not the only way for electricity to flow from one battery terminal to another. The wires may
also touch something else that electricity will flow through, instead of connecting to each other
to create a closed circuit. There are many materials that will permit this flow of electricity. It is
the job of the teacher to make sure that students are aware of these multiple materials.
5. Academic Language:
Students developed and expressed their content understanding during this lesson using verbal discourse. While
working in groups, the students were engaged and verbally discussing ideas on how to conduct their electrical
experiments. Their understanding of the material was demonstrated orally, as well as visually when the teacher
circulated to see if their experiments were progressing.
Identified Language Demand Instructional Support
Language Function: To get students to recognize that electricity can flow
through materials other than wire.
Vocabulary: Circuit tester, closed/complete circuit,
open/incomplete circuit, conductor
Syntax: The students are provided with an example of a hidden
circuit folder, as well as a visual of how to locate a
hidden circuit
Discourse: The students are encouraged to use vocabulary
pertaining to the scientific experiments they are
conducting. For example, when creating a hidden
circuit, they are encouraged to discuss the flow of

electrical current, as well as what is conducting it, and
whether the circuit that they are testing is open or
closed.
Appendix A
Circuit Checklist
Student Name Circuit Tester Create Hidden Circuit Locate Hidden Circuit
Justin
Gemma
Olivia R.
Olivia B.
John
Sarah
Alyssa
Landon
Michael
Joseph
Nathan
Camden
Julianna
Gwen
Isabella
A.J.
Billy
Megan
Jillian
Maya
Emily
Appendix B
CLOSED CIRCUIT:
When an electrical current flows
through a complete path (from one
battery terminal though the circuit
and back to the other battery
terminal), also called a complete
circuit
Appendix C
The circuit tester was made into a
complete circuit when the wires from
the tester touched the aluminum foil in
the hidden circuit folder, and the foil
acted as a conductor and allowed the
electricity to flow through.

Rationale
I included this science lesson plan in my portfolio because I felt it was important to
demonstrate that I am familiar with, and comfortable teaching the science curriculum at the
elementary level. I created this lesson plan during my second student teaching placement with
fourth grade students, and thoroughly enjoyed teaching the lesson. A hands-on component to any
lesson is a great way to engage the students, and I feel that this lesson plan demonstrates my
ability to do that.
Artifact #3: ELA Guided Reading Lesson Plan: Using Non-Fiction Text Features to Help
Comprehend Text
ELA Guided Reading Lesson Plan
Nicole Barry
Medaille College
Student Teaching ELA Guided Reading Lesson Plan
Professor Scumaci
March 1, 2017
ELA Guided Reading: Using Non-Fiction Text Features to Help Comprehend Text
I. LESSON DATA:
H. Candidates First & Last Name: Nicole Barry
I. Subject/Content Area: ELA Guided Reading
J. Grade Level (PK-12): 2nd (NYS)
K. Unit Topic: Reading: Non-fiction Informational Text
L. Lesson Topic Using Non-fiction Text Features to Help with
Comprehension Retelling Text
M. Duration of Lesson: 20 minutes
N. Materials:
8 copies of Jane Goodall book (7 student copies, 1 teacher copy) Reading A-Z Level L
8 pencils
8 highlighters
1 whiteboard
1 dry erase marker
1 dry erase eraser
Formative Assessment Anecdotal Note Sheet (Appendix A)
8 Non-fiction Text Feature Anchor Charts (Appendix B)
A. Standards:
2. NYS P-12 Common Core Learning Standards English Language Arts & Literacy
Standard Strand: Reading Informational Text
Grade: 2
Topic: Craft and Structure
Item Number and Statement: RI.2.5 Know and use various text features (e.g., captions,
bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts
or information in a text efficiently.
Standard Strand: Reading Informational Text
Grade: 2
Topic: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
Item Number and Statement: RI.2.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend
informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the
grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end
of the range.
Standard Strand: Speaking & Listening
Grade: 2
Topic: Comprehension and Collaboration
Item Number and Statement: SL.2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a
text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
B. Central Focus:
Comprehension of Non-Fiction Text.

Students will use their knowledge in previous lessons about non-fiction text features, vocabulary
meaning in context, and paraphrasing pages of information to accurately retell the sequence of
events in a non-fiction text.
1. The students will identify and highlight 1. The teacher will formatively assess
various text features within a non-fiction students ability to identify and highlight
text including title, photographs, captions, various text features within a non-fiction
headings, bolded words, glossary, table of text by observing them during guided
contents, maps, and charts. reading groups, and taking anecdotal record
of their work on a chart. (Appendix A)
2. The students will be able to verbally 2. The teacher will formatively assess
express what a specific text feature tells us students ability to verbally express what a
is important information within the non- specific text feature tells us is important
fiction text (Jane Goodall), and how they about the non-fiction text by engaging in
assist a reader when retelling non-fiction verbal discourse with the students, and
informational text. asking them each what a specific text
feature tells us is important information
within the non-fiction text, and how they
assist a reader when retelling non-fiction

informational text.
5. When it is time for guided reading, I will inform her students that they will be starting a new text. It is one
that I am very excited about because it is full of animals (I will have a monkey puppet holding the book),
adventure, and most exciting of all-it is TRUE!
6. I will then show them the book, and ask how many of them have ever heard of Jane Goodall. If they raise
their hands, I will call on them to respond. The correct response should involve the fact that Jane was a
scientist who worked with monkeys in Africa. I will also offer more specific details, involving the fact that
Jane studied the behavior of chimps because she was a scientist, which is what we are currently learning
about in ELA.
7. Before passing out the books, I will ask the students if any of them remember the genre that a text is called
if it is true. If they raise their hands, I will call on them to respond. The correct response is non-fiction. If
students offer another genre I will describe the details of that genre, and how it is different than non-fiction.
If no one offers the correct answer, I will remind them that the genre of a text is non-fiction if it is true.
8. The teacher will then ask if each student can give an example of a non-fiction text that they have either
heard of, or read. CRT is evident here as each student has the opportunity to mention a book from his/her
background about any topic that is of interest to him/her.
9. If a student does have their hand up, the teacher will call on them to share. She will ask them to recall
details about their book-what do they remember? If the student is struggling, the teacher will mention that it
is sometimes hard to retell a book that we have read to another person. But, when reading non-fiction text,
there are strategies and skills we can use to help organize our thoughts. These tools are called non-fiction
text features.
10. I will then ask, Does anyone know what a text feature is? If students raise their hands, I will call on them
to respond. Responses may include but are not limited to title, captions, bolded words, glossary, table of
contents, headings, photographs, charts, or maps. This is content vocabulary central to the lesson (academic
language). If responses are incorrect I will tell the students that that was a good guess, and move on to step
1 of the main procedure.

1. I will uncover my white board, which has Non-Fiction Text Features written on it. The teacher will then
write down any of the non-fiction text features that the students have already mentioned, and add any of the
ones listed in step 6 of the anticipatory set that were not mentioned while discussing them with the students.
2. I will then pass out the books and inform the students that we are going to do a text-feature walk of the first
few pages, up to page 5. As a group, we will point out and discuss all of the non-fiction text-features that
we find on those pages.
3. Next I will read the first few pages while the students follow along silently, paying close attention to the
non-fiction text features, and then try to retell what is happening in the book to the students using the non-
text features as tools to help me remember the important details. I will use a sentence to model my thinking
out loud: When I was reading page __, I found the non-fiction text feature ___. This must be important
information in my text. When I tell someone else about the book that I am reading, I will be sure to mention
___. (I Do) I will also highlight the text features that I find, and pass out highlighters so that the students
are able to highlight them too.
4. After reading up to page 5, I will close the book and inform the students that I am going to retell the first
few pages relying mainly on the text features that I noticed. First, I will tell them that the main character in
the story was Jane Goodall. I will begin the story by telling the students that Jane liked to watch animals
when she was young. Watcher was a heading in the story-a non-fiction text feature that helped me to
comprehend what I was reading. There was also a photo of Jane with binoculars-another non-fiction text
feature that suggests she is watching something. I will go on to mention that Jane traveled to Africa to
study apes. Off to Africa was another heading, and apes was a word in bold print, both non-fiction text
features which helped me to retell the first few pages of the story accurately.
5. Now that I have modeled for the students what to do, I will ask them to continue reading the next 2 pages,
and raise their hand when they find a non-fiction text feature. I will pass out non-fiction text feature anchor
charts at this time to assist them as needed (Appendix B).

6. When a student raises their hand, I will instruct all of the other students to stop and listen to his/her
response. If the student has found a non-fiction text feature, I will ask the student to tell the other students
the page on which he/she found it.
7. I will then ask all of the students to highlight the non-fiction text feature in their books, and I will star any
text features that we find up on the white board.
8. I will then ask the student to verbally express what that specific text feature tells us is important
information in the non-fiction text. For example, does it tell us something about where the story takes
place? The person the book is about? An important detail? These are some questions that I will use to help
guide the student to a response if he/she is struggling. They will still have their non-fiction text feature
anchor charts to assist them if needed.
9. Once the student is finished, I will instruct all of the students to start at the beginning of the book, and
whisper read while using their highlighters to mark any non-fiction text features that they find. I will leave
the list of non-fiction text features that we have created up on the white board.
10. Students that finish the book will be instructed to go back to re-read, looking for unfamiliar vocabulary to
circle. This is the only accommodation for this lesson, as students have been placed in reading groups
according to their skill level ahead of time. No other accommodations are necessary at this time.
11. At this time I will individually listen to each student read from the book. I will take anecdotal notes about
their fluency, word recognition, and decoding abilities as well as about their ability to recognize and
highlight non-fiction text features to assist with the comprehension literacy strategy of retelling
informational text.
12. When it is the students turn to read, I will instruct them to begin at the top of the page they are currently
on, and to read in an audible voice. After taking anecdotal notes on their fluency, word recognition, and
decoding abilities, I will ask them to locate a non-fiction text feature that they have highlighted. I will
assess whether or not they have correctly identified a non-fiction text feature. I will also ask them to
verbally express what the particular text feature that they identified tells us is important information in the
non-fiction text.
G. Closing:
1. After all students have taken a turn reading, I will ask them all to stop reading and look at
the white board. I will ask them what the focus of today was. I will call on those with their hands
raised. Students should mention some of the academic vocabulary mentioned today such as all of
their non-fiction text features, and retelling. When they are finished answering, I will remind
them that the focus of today was understanding that recognizing and using non-fiction text
features is a reading skill that helps them with their retelling literacy strategy.
2. I will ask each of them to share an example of a non-fiction text feature one more time
with an elbow partner, and then to share with the group. Lastly, I will say that I am sending them
each on a master mission...I will ask for each of them to pick up a non-fiction book tonight to see
if they can spot any non-fiction text features, and tell us about them during guided reading
tomorrow! (Independent Practice)
III. Reflection:
CRT is evident in this lesson when students are asked to recall a non-fiction story that they have
read, or heard of. Each child has been exposed to background knowledge which allows them to
determine what constitutes a non-fiction text, and while they may not all have read the same non-
fiction texts, all can comprehend the concept that a non-fiction text must be a true story.
7. Accommodations:
This lesson involved only one accommodation, as the students were already placed in reading
groups according to their skill ability ahead of time. The text was selected to be at a level all are
comfortable with. In the event that a student finished the book, they were instructed to go back
and re-read, while circling any unfamiliar vocabulary. This allowed an advanced learner the
opportunity to further challenge themselves.
MODIFICATIONS
Advanced readers Re-read the text, and circle unfamiliar
vocabulary
8. Prerequisite Skills
Students are able to read comfortable at a Reading A-Z Level L
Students are familiar with reading non-fiction text
Students have a background knowledge of non-fiction text features
Students may believe that non-fiction text features are simply placed in a book to help decorate
the page. That is not the case. Recognizing non-fiction text features and their importance is
necessary to the complete comprehension of text. Teachers must help students not only to
understand and recognize what non-fiction text features are, but to also recognize their ability to
aid in the overall comprehension of a text.

Students might also have the misconception that non-fiction text features are more important
than the text on the page. This is not the case. Teachers must help students understand that facts
and details within a text are important to pay attention to, as well as the non-fiction text features.
Students developed and expressed their content understanding during this lesson using both verbal and written
discourse. While whisper reading the students were engaged in highlighting any non-fiction text features that
they came across. Also, when encouraged by the teacher the students verbally discussed what the importance
was of their recognized non-fiction feature to the text.
Language Function: identify Students will identify non-fiction text features by
highlighting them within the text. They will be
provided with a non-fiction text feature anchor chart.
Vocabulary: non-fiction text feature, heading, As a group, we will discuss non-fiction text features,
glossary, title, chart, table of contents, bolded word, list them, and students will also have access to a non-
photograph, caption, heading fiction text feature anchor chart.
Syntax: identify non-fiction text features Understand what non-fiction text features look like.
Anchor chart available.
Discourse: discuss what a specific non-fiction text Model-discuss why various non-fiction text features
feature tells us about the text are beneficial to the comprehension of the text.
Anecdotal Notes for Guided Reading Groups Appendix A
Student Name Retelling/Text Feature Notes

Appendix B
Non-Fiction Text Features:

Parts of a book that give us more
information to help us understand
Text Feature Definition

Title Tells us what the text is about
Glossary Defines words that we read in the

text-usually found in the back of the
book
Bolded Words Tell us that what we are reading is

important information
Photographs A picture that focuses on the topic we

are reading about
Caption Tells us information about the

photograph, or chart, or map that we
are looking at
Heading Tells us we are reading more specific

information about our main topic
Map Shows us areas we are reading about in

our text
Chart Provides information relating to our

text
Table of Contents Tells us where we can go to find

specific information in our text
Rationale
I included this guided reading lesson plan in my portfolio because it highlights my
capability to teach students how to use various skills, such as recognizing text-features, and
paraphrasing, to ultimately be able to comprehend, and re-tell the sequence of events in a story.
Not all of these skills were taught in one lesson plan, which demonstrates how I am able to
recognize how to break down the teaching of multiple skills, ultimately resulting in the teaching
of a reading strategy, which in this case is re-telling.

Artifact #4: Using Math Drawings to Represent Addition
Math Lesson Plan
Nicole Barry
Medaille College
Student Teaching Math Lesson Plan
Professor Scumaci
February 8, 2017
Math: Using Math Drawings to Represent Addition
I. LESSON DATA:
O. Candidates First & Last Name: Nicole Barry
P. Subject/Content Area: Math
Q. Grade Level (PK-12): 2nd (NYS)
R. Unit Topic: Number & Operations in Base Ten
S. Lesson Topic Using math drawings to represent addition and
relating them to the addition algorithm
(NYS Math Module)
T. Duration of Lesson: 45 minutes
U. Materials:
1 Document Camera
25 Individual white boards
25 Dry erase markers (1 for the teacher, 1 for each of 24 students)
25 Erasers (1 for the teacher, 1 for each of 24 students)
1 List of pre-determined shoulder partners picked by the teacher
A pre-printed list of directions that the teacher will use as a guide during instruction
https://www.engageny.org/resource/grade-2-mathematics-module-5-topic-b-lesson-10
Smart phone
Stick Pick App on phone for randomly selecting student names
25 Math binders
25 Problem sets (Appendix J and K)
25 Homework sheets (Appendix L and M)
Tape
Easel
Math checklist (Appendix A)
Math addition strategy sheets (Appendix B, C, D, and E)
Pre-printed math problems (Appendix F, G, H, and I)
A. Standards:
3. NYS P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics:
Domain: Number & Operations in Base Ten-4. N.B.T.
Grade: 2
Cluster Heading: Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract.
Standard Number(s) and Statement(s): 7. Add and subtract within 1000, using
concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties
of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy
to a written method. Understand that in adding or subtracting three-digit numbers, one
adds or subtracts hundreds and hundreds, tens and tens, ones and ones; and sometimes it is
necessary to compose or decompose tens or hundreds.
B. Central Focus: Math Drawings to Represent Addition Algorithms
Students will use their knowledge in previous lessons about place value and the chip model, as
well as their background knowledge of the addition algorithm to use math drawings to represent
additions with up to two compositions, and relate drawings to the addition algorithm. They will
compare the strategies they use to solve multiple problems (chip model and addition algorithm),
to see how they relate pertaining to learned skills such as regrouping, composing, and bundling.
1. The students will add 2 and 3 digit 1. The teacher will formatively assess
numbers on a place value chart using the students ability to add 2 and 3 digit
chip model, and bundling a ten or hundred numbers on a place value chart using the
when necessary. chip model, and bundling a ten or hundred
when necessary by circulating throughout
the classroom taking anecdotal record of
the written and oral discourse of the
students working with partners on their
individual white boards and problem sets,
and using a checklist to keep track of which
students are able to successfully complete
addition problems using the chip model.
2. The students will add 2 and 3 digit 2. The teacher will formatively assess
numbers using the addition algorithm. students ability to add 2 and 3 digit
numbers using the addition algorithm by
circulating throughout the classroom taking
anecdotal record of the written and oral
discourse of the students working with

partners on their individual white boards
and problem sets, and using a checklist to
keep track of which students are able to
successfully complete addition problems
using the addition algorithm.
11. When it is time for math (10:00), the teacher will instruct students to put away all materials from the
previous activity and to take out their math binders, a dry erase marker, and an eraser. She will then tell
them to leave all math materials at their desks, and move silently to find a seat on the carpet, facing the
smart board.
12. The teacher will then say, I am very excited about math today because you boys and girls are going to get
the chance to show me how smart you are. We have been learning so many different strategies to solve
math problems over the past few lessons, and today I want to give you all a chance to show me how to use
some of those strategies. First, lets see if you can tell me what some of the math strategies are that we have
been using for addition problems...
13. At this point the teacher will use her Stick Pick App to select a student. Some students will mention the
addition algorithm, or vertical way. The teacher will say, Excellent strategy! I was hoping one of you
would mention it! It so happens I have a problem ready to be solved using that exact strategy! _____, why
dont you come on up here and solve my problem using the strategy you just gave us! The teacher will
have a pre-printed sheet titled Addition Algorithm/Vertical Way, with an addition problem underneath
402 + 109 = (Appendix B). If the student is struggling, the teacher will let them call on a friend to come up
and help them. This is an accommodation for struggling learners. When the student is finished solving the
problem the teacher will make sure the answer is correct (511), and then she will say Terrific job coming
up with a strategy you can do and solving that problem correctly ___! Please go and tape your strategy and
problem up on the easel so that everyone can see it! Nowwhat is another strategy we have been using to
solve addition problems ___? Again, the teacher will use her Stick Pick App to select a student. This
student may suggest the to solve the problem by simplifying it and making a ten first. The teacher will then
say, Wonderful strategy! I was hoping someone would remember it! ___, please come up here and solve
the same problem using your strategy. The teacher will then hold up another pre-printed sign titled
Making a Multiple of Ten/Simplifying with the problem 402 + 109 = (Appendix C). If the student is
struggling with the problem, the teacher will point out that 9 needs 1 more to make the next 10, so she will
show 402 being broken into 401 and 1. This will result in a simpler problem which is 401 + 110. Then we
add the ones, tens and hundreds. When the student is finished solving the problem the teacher will make
sure the answer is correct (511), and then she will say, Amazing job coming up with a strategy for this
problem and thank you for showing us how to use it! Please go and tape our strategy and problem up on the
easel so that everyone can see it! Lets seeI have one more paper with one more strategy on it that we
have been practicingcan you tell me what it is ___? Again, the teacher will use her Stick Pick App to
select a student. If the student cannot think of a strategy they may call on a friend. This student may suggest
drawing a place value chart, and using the chip model. The teacher will then say, You got it ___! Please
come up here and solve the same problem using the chip model! While the student is drawing the place
value chart and chip model for the problem, the teacher will be reminding the students, When we draw
chips on a place value chart, its important to keep the chips for each number we are adding separate. Why
is that? The teacher will call on a student with their hand raised. The student response should pertain to the
fact that if the chips remain organized, it is easier to recognize when we can bundle a group of ten and
move it over to the next place value. If the student response does not include this fact, the teacher will
mention the importance of it to the entire class. After the last problem has been completed the teacher will
check that the answer is correct, and then say, Fantastic job demonstrating the correct way to add using
your strategy ___! Now please to and tape it up on the easel!
CRT is evident in this lesson as every child in the room has been exposed to, and is familiar with the math
strategies presented in previous lessons. Word problems have been solved using all 3 addition strategies
represented in todays lesson involving adding materials such as pencils, coins, tickets, stamps, and apples.
All items that students participating in todays lesson have knowledge of, and have been exposed to.
14. While the last student is taping his/her sheet up on the easel, the teacher will then ask, Did all of these
strategies give me the correct answer of 511?

15. The students should respond YES! in unison. The teacher will then say, But wait, I solved them all
differently, so how can they all give me the same answer? I must have done something the same when I
added the numbers in all 3 strategies. Talk with the person sitting next to you and look at the problems on
the easel to see if you can figure out what was the same about all 3 strategies. The teacher will give the
students 30 seconds to talk, and then ask someone who thinks they know the answer to raise their hand.
___, what do you think I did the same in all 3 problems? Answers will vary here. Some students will say,
I added the same numbers. Yes, they did, but what did they do WHEN they added the numbers? The
answer the teacher wants is composed, regrouping, or bundling. All 3 strategies involved this. The teacher
will guide the students to get to this answer, and then produce a chart with these 3 skills written on it
(Appendix E).
16. The teacher will then say, Oh! So you mean when I used the make a 10/simplify strategy, AND the place
value/chip model strategy, AND the addition algorithm strategy to add I was
composing/regrouping/bundling my numbers each time! WOW! The teacher will then select a student and
say, ___ go hang this on the easel please-this is such important information I want us to remember it
during todays lesson. ALL these strategies that look so different, and yet we are doing the same thing to
solve the problem composing/regrouping/bundling I still cant believe it!
17. The teacher will then say, Since all of these strategies give me the same answer, how could I maybe check
my work when I am done? The teacher will select a student with their hand raised. What do you think,
___?
18. The student responses will vary, but the response the teacher is looking for is for the student to suggest
using one strategy to check the answer of another. If no student suggests this, the teacher will mention it.
19. The teacher will then say, So if I solved a problem using my place value chart and the chip model, maybe
I could check my answer by solving the same problem vertically? Or better yet, maybe you boys and girls
can practice being the teacher and come up here and check my work what do you think?
20. The students will hopefully be excited by this proposition and ready to participate.
1. After the anticipatory set has ended, the teacher will produce a new sheet (Appendix F), and ask the
students, What if I wanted to add 126 + 160 using my place value chart? The teacher will draw the place
value chart on the sheet and select a student using the Stick Pick App. She will then ask the student,
_____, I want to place 126 on my place value chart using the chip model. How many hundreds are in 126?
How many tens? How many ones? As the student answers, the teacher will fill in the correct number of
chips on the place value chart. If the student she selected seems to be struggling, she will direct them to
discuss it with those around them to come up with the answer.
2. The teacher will then say, Great! Now lets show the other part. The same student will break down the
160 into hundreds, tens, and ones to be placed correctly on the place value chart.
3. As the teacher is placing the chips on the place value chart she will remind the students that, Just like
when solving a math problem the vertical way, carefully lining up the numbers or chips is SUPER
important. Only five chips in a row. How many? (Student response should be FIVE! in unison).
4. The teacher will then say, Ok, now lets solve our problem! How many ones do we have altogether?
(Student response should be 6 ones!) Great! Lets write that at the bottom of our ones column. How
many tens do we have? (Student response should be 8 tens!) Great! Lets write that at the bottom of our
tens column. How many hundreds do we have? (Student response should be 2 hundreds!) Awesome!
Lets write that at the bottom of our hundreds column. Now our final answer is what? (Student response
should be Two-hundred eighty-six!) Terrific! Nice job solving that problem using the chip model!
5. The teacher will look at her problem and then ask, HmDid we need to bundle units in this problem?
Why or why not-discuss with the person next to you.
6. Students will be given 30 seconds to discuss, and teacher will ask for a volunteer to describe why there was
no bundling with this problem. Answers will vary, but basically the student who is called on should state
that there was no bundling because we did not make a new 10 or more. 6 + 0 doesnt make a new ten, and
20 plus 60 isnt enough to make a new hundred.
7. The teacher will then say, It is important that our chip model matches the problem that we are solving.
Who would like to come up here and double check my work using the addition algorithm (vertical way)?
The teacher will have another sheet with the problem shown the vertical way (Appendix G).
8. Again, the teacher will use the Stick Pick App to select a student. If they do not want to come up and solve
the problem they can ask a friend to help. Once a student is selected to come up the teacher will point out
the importance of lining up the numbers for the vertical way, just as she pointed out the importance of chip
placement on the place value chart for the chip model.
9. The teacher will compare the two answers-both should be 286-and then say, Ok that was an easy one with
no what? No bundling/composing/regrouping! (The teacher will point to the easel when she says this). Who
thinks they can handle a harder one? The teacher will pull out another chart with the problem 326 + 167 =
(Appendix H).
10. The teacher will then draw a place value chart and select a name from the Stick Pick App. ______, how
many hundreds does 326 have? How many tens? How many ones? The teacher will draw the chips on the
place value chart accordingly. She will do the same for 167. Then the teacher will say, Lets look at the
vertical form while we solve this problem as well.
11. Next the teacher will draw the problem vertically next to the place value chart and tell the students, Lets
start by adding the ones. Look at both models here. Is there anything you notice? How are they the same?
Talk with the person sitting next to you.
12. The students will be given 30 seconds to discuss, and the teacher will ask what they noticed. The students
should have noticed that both the ones on the place value chart, and in the vertical form total 13. If not, the
teacher will point this out and say, Remember, what we do to the chips we do to the numbers as well. If
we have to bundle/regroup/compose the chips into a unit of 10 on our place value chart, we have to
compose a 10 vertically as well.
13. The teacher will finish both problems verbally and manually, and then ask students if there are any
questions. If so, she will answer them. If not, she will instruct students that it is time to return to their seats
to solve a problem on their white boards.
14. The teacher will produce another chart with the problem 462 + 284 on it (Appendix I). She will instruct the
students to solve it both vertically, and with a place value chart using chip model. When completed, the
students will be asked to compare answers with their shoulder partners and then put their hands on their
head to signal their completion. The teacher will be circulating to formatively assess their work. Students
are sitting next to their pre-selected shoulder partners. Struggling math students have been seated next to
strong math students.
15. Once the teacher has checked their problem for completion of both addition algorithm and chip model, she
will check them off her list, and she will tell them to open up their math binders to problem set 10
(Appendix J and K), and to complete the front page. After the work is individually completed they are
again to compare answers with their shoulder partners. The teacher will also say, If you feel comfortable
continuing onto the back, you may go ahead and try those problems. This will provide enrichment for the
more advanced students.
16. The teacher will again be circulating. Once everyone has completed the front of the problem set the teacher
will use the sticks to select 3 students with the Stick Pick App to share their answers for the first 3
problems. If the partners were in agreement with the answers, and there are no questions about the
problems, the teacher will not solve under the document camera. If there is some disagreement among the
partners, the teacher will work through the problem that they struggled with on the board.
17. Once this is completed the students will be instructed to complete the back of the problem set. The teacher
will again be circulating the room to formatively assess whether or not the students are able to add 2 and 3
digit numbers on a place value chart using the chip model, and bundling a ten or hundred when necessary,
as well as whether or not the students are able to add 2 and 3 digit numbers using the addition algorithm
(vertical way). The teacher will be taking anecdotal record of verbal and written discourse as the students
are working individually, as well as with their shoulder partners on their problem sets. She will also be
continuing to check students off on her list who are successfully solving the problems both using the
addition algorithm, and the chip model.
18. Once all students have completed the problem set the teacher will select 3 more names to share their work.
Again, if there are questions the teacher will work through problems on the board. If after comparing
answers with their partners no further explanation is necessary, the teacher will move on.
G. Closing:
1. After the students have completed their problem sets, the teacher will remind the students
that multiple strategies can be used to solve the same problem. You are still
bundling/composing/regrouping numbers-be it on a place value chart when you make a 10, or
when you are adding vertically and you make a 10.
2. The teacher will then say, Is it ok if you solve a problem a different way than your
shoulder partner does?
3. Student response should be, YES!
4. The teacher will then say, ABSOLUTELY! The more strategies I have in my math tool
box the better! When you do pick a strategy make sure its the one you feel the most comfortable
with, and dont forget you can always check your answer by solving the problem another way!!
Thank you all for checking my work and showing me how many different strategies you have
learned! Now Im going to pick a student to come up and do a commercial about what we
learned in math today! The students are familiar with doing commercials. They will be excited
to volunteer. The teacher will pick someone with a raised hand to come up. Then she will select
another student to add to the commercial, and lastly a third. The students are encouraged to look
at the math sheets posted on the easel for help. The teacher will be listening for the students to
mention: different strategies to solve the same problem, and all strategies involve adding and
regrouping/bundling/composing numbers, even though they look so different. The teacher will
then say, Tonights homework is Lesson 10 front and back-2 total problems (Appendix L and
M)-its on the board. Great job today everyone! We will pick up here tomorrow-its time for
lunch!
III. Reflection:

CRT is evident in this lesson when students are asked to recall the strategies that they have
learned to solve math problems in previous lessons. Each child has been equally exposed to the
material, and at this point in time all are familiar with the concepts being in the lesson. They
might not have the same comfortability using the strategies, but all students regardless of cultural
background or socioeconomic status recognize the concept of adding 2 and 3 digit numbers.
12. Accommodations:
with pre-selected shoulder partners. This allows students that are struggling academically the
opportunity to work with a partner when problem solving. Once the white board work was
checked, the students were permitted to go ahead and work on the problem set. The is allows
advanced math students the opportunity to challenge themselves individually before we went
over the problems as a group.
MODIFICATIONS
Struggling learners Working with a partner
Advanced learners Working ahead on more difficult problems
Students should be able to create a place value chart
Students should be familiar with the chip model of addition

Students should be familiar with the addition algorithm (vertical model)
Students should be able to work cooperatively with a partner
Students may believe that there is no relation between the strategies involved when solving an
addition problem. This is not the case. Teachers must help the students to make the connection
that no matter what strategy you use to solve an addition problem, you are still shifting numbers
around and bundling to make groups of 10 or more the same way.
Students developed and expressed their content understanding during this lesson using both verbal and written
discourse. While working in pairs the students were engaged and verbally discussing ideas, as well as writing
them down. Their understanding of the material was demonstrated orally as well when wrote their work on their
individual white boards and problem sets.
Language Function: To get students to think like bankers in terms of
understanding place value, and how to regroup and
make a ten.
Vocabulary: Place value, regrouping, composing, bundling,
hundreds, tens, ones, addition algorithm, vertical
model, chip model, groups of 10, place value chart,
math drawings, simplifying, strategies, skills
Syntax: The students are provided with an example of a place
value chart, and one has been provided for them for
each problem on their Lesson 10 problem set.
Discourse: The students are encouraged to use vocabulary

pertaining to the mathematical strategies they are
utilizing. For example, when using the chip model
they are encouraged to discuss place value, and
composing/bundling groups of 10. When using the
addition algorithm they are encouraged to discuss
regrouping, as well as vertical model.

Appendix A
Math Checklist
Student Name Addition Algorithm Chip Model Anecdotal Notes
Madison
Wyatt
Kevahni
Gia
Jayden
Olivia
Brooke
Lilly H.
Lily L.
Elizabeth
Talia
Gabby
Tanner
Teagan
Adriel
Alexis
Jordan
A.J.
Colin
Amarissa
Louis
Courtney
Jack
Angelo
Appendix B
Addition Algorithm/
Vertical Way
402 + 109
Appendix C
Making a Multiple of Ten/
Simplifying
402 + 109
Appendix D
Place Value Chart/
Chip Model
402 + 109
Appendix E
All Strategies Involve:
Regrouping/
Bundling/
Composing
Numbers!!!
Appendix F
Chip Model
126 + 160
Appendix G
Vertical Way
126 + 160
Appendix H
326 + 167
Appendix I
462 + 284
Rationale
I included this math lesson plan in my portfolio to show that I am comfortable both
preparing, and teaching math lessons at the elementary level. I created this lesson during my first
student teaching placement, and believe that it is a good representation of how I can incorporate
academic language into lessons, as well as teach the same material multiple ways for different
learners. I was not a fan of math growing up, which pushed me to think outside of the box when
creating math lessons for my placements. They were very engaging, and both the students and
myself had fun during the lessons.

Artifact #5: Social Studies: Immigrant Life in America in the Early 1900s
Social Studies Lesson Plan
Nicole Barry
Medaille College
Student Teaching Social Studies Lesson Plan
Professor Scumaci
May 2, 2017
Social Studies: Immigrant Life in America in Early 1900s
I. LESSON DATA:
V. Candidates First & Last Name: Nicole Barry
W. Subject/Content Area: Social Studies
X. Grade Level (PK-12): 4th (NYS)
Y. Unit Topic: Immigration
Z. Lesson Topic Immigrant Life in America in Early 1900s
AA. Duration of Lesson: 45 minutes
BB. Materials:
1 Document Camera
1 White Board
Dry Erase Marker
Index Cards
Immigrant Character Website:
http://www.tenement.org/immigrate/
List of pre-selected groups (Appendix A)
5 copies of:
Quiri, Patricia R. A True Book: Ellis Island. New York: Childrens Press, 1998.
20 copies of immigrant worksheet (Appendix B & C)
20 pencils

A. Standards:
4. NYS K-12 Social Studies Framework
Standard 1: History of the United States and New York
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding
of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the
United States and New York.
Key Idea: 4.7 Immigration and Migration from the early 1800s to the Present: Many people have
immigrated and migrated to New York State contributing to its cultural growth and development.
(Standards: 1, 3, 4, 5; Themes: ID, MOV, CIV, ECO, EXCH)
Performance Indicator: 4.7a Immigrants came to New York State for a variety of reasons. Many
immigrants arriving in New York City were greeted by the sight of the Statue of Liberty and were
processed through Ellis Island.
Major Understanding: Students will explore the experiences of immigrants being processed at Ellis Island
and what challenges
immigrants faced.
B. Central Focus: Identifying Multiple Challenges Immigrants Faced When Coming to
America in the Early 1900s.
Students will use their knowledge from previous lessons about immigration, as well as their class
notes taken on immigration, and a provided text about immigration to identify, and describe in
detail multiple challenges immigrants coming to America in the early 1900s faced.
The checklist used for formative assessments: See Appendix D

complete an immigration worksheet using students ability to work in groups of 4 to
their notes from the current social studies complete an immigration worksheet using
unit, and a provided text. their notes from the current social studies
unit, and a provided text by circulating
throughout the classroom taking anecdotal
record of the oral and written discourse of
the students working in groups.
21. When it is time for social studies (12:45), the teacher will instruct students to put away all materials from
the previous activity and to focus their attention up on the white board.
22. The teacher will then say, You are an immigrant in the 1900s. You are on the deck of a cramped and
overcrowded boat heading into New York Harbor. You and hungry and exhausted from your journey.
Then, you look up and suddenly you are filled with hope and excitement. What did you see?
23. At this point multiple hands should be going up to suggest the Statue of Liberty. If not, the teacher will use
leading clues such as, It is largeit is a statue.
24. After the students have discussed the fact that when immigrants saw the Statue of Liberty they were filled
with hope and excitement, the teacher will remind the students where the first stop was for the immigrants.
25. She will say, Yes, the immigrants felt excited and full of hope when they saw the Statue of Libertydid
the immigrants feel any other emotions when they stepped off of the boats?
26. If the response is no, the teacher will ask leading questions such as, Where was the first stop for the
immigrants? This should guide the students to their prior knowledge of Ellis Island, and the fear that the
immigrants had waiting for their inspections, and the possibility that they might be deported.
27. Once this range of emotions that the immigrants felt when they first entered America has been discussed,
the teacher will inform the students that they will be taking a virtual trip as an immigrant in the early 1900s
passing through Ellis Island, and beginning a new life in America.
28. The teacher will inform the students that while we will be taking this fictional journey online together via
the smartboard, afterwards the students will be breaking into pre-determined groups, and have an
opportunity to create a journey for their own fictional immigrants. Therefore, they should pay close
attention to all of the important details involved in immigrant life during the virtual voyage. The teacher
will then say, Lets travel back in time and immigrate to America!
19. After the anticipatory set has ended, the teacher will go to the site: http://www.tenement.org/immigrate/.
She will play the introduction, and when there is interaction needed, she will call on a student with their
hand raised to volunteer an answer. The teacher will continue on with the virtual tour until the fictional
immigrant invites you into her apartment. At that point, she will stop the video, and ask the students to
focus their attention on the document camera.
20. The teacher will say, Before we break into our groups to create the storyline for the journey of your
individual immigrants, lets take a look at what you need to include.
21. The teacher will go over the outline for the project (Appendix B & C). She will put it under the document
camera, and read it step by step, stopping to answer any questions along the way.
22. The teacher will then ask for attention to be on the white board. She will inform the students the type of
behavior she expects to see when observing them working in groups. While each individual student will
have his/her own questions to be responsible for (the first person named in the group will have questions
3&4, the second named will have 5&6, the third named will have 7&8, and the fourth named will have
9&10. In the group of 5, the fifth person named will also do 9&10 for that group, and compare answers
with the fourth person), she will remind them that this is a GROUP activity. The sharing of ideas is a
MUST.
23. The teacher will then write PQS on the board, and let students know that it stands for Praise, Question,
Suggest. She will go on to explain that when a group member shares their ideas, the other members will
first praise them (compliment something they did), then ask them a question about what they wrote, and
lastly offer a suggestion of how to improve what they have. They may/may not take the suggestion, and
that is ok. The teacher will go on to explain that this is how good group communication and the exchanging
of ideas takes place. The teacher will leave this on the board as a reminder.
24. The teacher will then announce who is in each group, and tell them where they will be meeting to complete
their work. She will also announce that in addition to their immigration notes, they may also find useful
information within a book that she will passing out to each group titled Ellis Island.
25. At this point the teacher will tell students to gather their immigration notes, along with a pencil, and
instruct them to go and join their groups. She will also remind them, You all have 20 minutes to complete
the storyline for your immigrant, and answer all of the questions. At that time, you will be presenting
whatever you have to the class.
26. The teacher will also mention that for those groups who have included the necessary information on their
worksheets and still have time, they may go on and add more to the storyline of their immigrant. This is an
accommodation for
27. At this time, the teacher will begin to formatively assess that the students are working in their groups to
complete their immigration worksheets using their notes from the current social studies unit, and the
provided text by circulating throughout the classroom taking anecdotal record of the oral and written
discourse of the students working in groups.
28. If the teacher observes any individual student struggling with his/her questions, she will assist them at this
time. This individual attention is an accommodation for struggling learners, as is being grouped with
students who tend to excel in social studies.
29. After 15 minutes, the teacher will give a 5-minute warning, and after the 5 minutes she will ask all students
to return to their desks.
30. The teacher will then say that she is eager to hear all about the immigrant storylines that the groups have
created. She will also encourage students to listen carefully to each groups presentation, as the hardships
that their immigrant faced may differ from another group, and MULTIPLE challenges immigrants faced
will be on the upcoming test! She will remind the students that there is a place to jot down notes during the
presentations on their worksheets.

31. The teacher will then select a group at random using index cards, and the presentations will begin.
G. Closing:
1. After the students have all completed their presentations, the teacher will thank them all
for sharing.
2. The teacher will then say to the students, I know that we have learned a lot about
immigration in the past few weeks, but today I really wanted you all to try and put yourselves in
the shoes of an immigrant to try and imagine how truly amazing it is to see what people went
through to come to America. The different reasons that brought them here, leaving many of their
belongings and loved ones behind, the horrible jobs and living conditions they had to endure.
And THOSE were the lucky ones! Imagine making the journey all that way and then being
turned away! Im hoping that at the end of this unit you will all have a little more appreciation
for just how lucky we are to live in America-and YOU didnt even have to take a citizenship test!
Speaking of which. dont forget to get that filled in and bring it back to me the day of the test
if you want that extra credit! Happy Studying!!
III. Reflection:
CRT can be found throughout this entire lesson as it deals with immigration, and all students can
trace their heritage to ancestors from another country. In previous lessons such terms as culture,
diversity, and immigrant were defined. During this lesson students were able to create storylines
about immigrants from different cultures, and they had the opportunity to discover that no matter
what country the immigrants came from, they all faced similar challenges when coming to
America.
17. Accommodations:
in groups of 4. This allows students that are struggling academically the opportunity to work
with others when looking through resources to answer questions. Struggling students were also
allowed individual assistance from the teacher while she was making formative assessments.
Students were also permitted to add on to their storylines if they already completed the necessary
requirements ahead of time. The is allows advanced learners the opportunity to challenge
themselves.
MODIFICATIONS
Struggling learners Working with a group; 1:1 time with the
teacher if needed during formative assessments
Advanced learners Permission to develop more involved/detailed
storyline
Students should have notes from previous immigration lessons
Students should be able to work cooperatively in a group
Students should have time management skills

Students may believe that all immigrants that came to America in the early 1900s came from the
same place for the same reason. This is not the case. Teachers must help the students to
understand that immigrants came, and continue to come to America from many different
countries, for many different reasons.
Students developed and expressed their content understanding during this lesson using verbal and written
discourse. While working in groups, the students were engaged and verbally discussing the storylines and
challenges their immigrants faced, while looking through their notes, and writing down answers to their
questions. Their understanding of the material was demonstrated orally, as well as visually when the teacher
circulated to see if their worksheets were being filled out.
Language Function: identify Students will identify possible answers to the
questions on their worksheets by utilizing their
immigration notes, and provided text
Vocabulary: immigration, culture, diversity As a group we have discussed these terms multiple
times throughout the immigration unit, and again
today as we discuss the diverse cultural backgrounds
of the fictitious immigrants the students are writing
about
Syntax: Identify possible answers to questions on The students have access to their notes on the
immigrant worksheet immigration unit, as well as a provided text
Discourse: Discuss the challenges immigrants faced Model: Discuss the challenges the immigrant on the
when coming to America virtual site went through, and how these challenges
are similar/differ from other immigrants.

Appendix A
Vincenzo Capello-Italy
Michael, Joey, AJ, Billy
Finnegan Riley-Ireland
Justin, Nathan, Landon, John, Camden
Elsa Larson-Sweden
Olivia R, Isabella, Gemma, Julianna
Athena Portokalos-Greece
Gwen, Sarah, Olivia B, Emily
Anastasia Smilkov-Russia
Alyssa, Megan, Maya, Jillian

Appendix B
Immigrant Group Worksheet
1.) What is your name?
2.) What country are you from?
3.) How old are you?
4.) Why did you leave your country?
5.) When you left for America, what are 3 things you made sure to bring, and
why?
6.) How was your experience at Ellis Island? What happened? How did it
make you feel?
7.) Where did you live when you first arrived in America? Describe it!
8.) Where did you get a job when you first came to America? Did you like it?
Why or why not?
Appendix C
9.) What are 3 challenges you had as an immigrant coming to America for the
first time?
10.) What do you miss most about your country?
Interactive Website
http://www.tenement.org/immigrate/
Group Country Notes

Appendix D
Observation Notes
Group Notes
Italy
Greece
Sweden
Ireland
Russia
Rationale
I included this social studies lesson plan in my portfolio because I utilized a variety of
techniques to teach this particular lesson plan in my second teaching placement. The students
were transported back in time through an interactive immigration site on the smartboard, they
assumed identities of immigrants from various countries that I assigned to them, and they
worked in groups to create the storyline of their given immigrants. It was a blast! I feel that this
lesson plan shows my capability to utilize various resources to create engaging and fun lessons
for my students. I also demonstrates that I prepare in depth for my lessons, and research the
topics that I will be presenting to the best of my ability, which I believe is a best teaching
practice.
Artifact #6: Immigration Test
Name ____________________________________
Immigration Test
Use the words in the box below to fill in the blanks. Not every word will be used.
Emma Lazarus Frederic Bartholdi Tenement Diversity
France Passport Immigrant Explorer
Slum Culture Germany Sweatshop
Deported Italy Arrested Famine
1.) The person who designed the Statue of Liberty was ______________________________.
2.) A building that has many small apartments in it is a _____________________________.
3.) The way of life that a group of people share is known as their ______________________.
4.) A place with unhealthy conditions where workers are paid poorly is known as a
_____________________________________________________________________________.
5.) The Statue of Liberty was given to the U. S. by __________________________________.
6.) A person who comes to a new country to live is an _______________________________.
7.) A word meaning many different kinds is _____________________________________.
8.) If an immigrant tries to enter the U.S. without the proper papers, they will be
_____________________________________________________________________________.
Please answer the following questions. These answers ARE NOT found in the word box.
9.) The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of ___________________________________________.
10.) The seven spikes in the Statue of Libertys crown stand for what 3 things?
The seven ______________________________________________________________.
The seven ______________________________________________________________.
The seven ______________________________________________________________.
11.) What are 2 reasons immigrants left their countries to come to America?
#1 ____________________________________________________________________.
#2 ____________________________________________________________________.
12.) Name 3 countries that immigrants came from:

#1 _____________________________________________________________________
#2______________________________________________________________________
#3 _____________________________________________________________________
13.) Name 2 jobs that immigrants might have done after arriving in America:
#1 _____________________________________________________________________
#2 _____________________________________________________________________
14.) Where is Ellis Island located?

________________________________________________________________________
15.) What would happen to an immigrant if they didnt pass the health inspection at Ellis
Island?
________________________________________________________________________
16.) What is the name of the other Island where immigrants could enter America?
________________________________________________________________________
Please circle True or False for the following questions.
17.) The Open Door Policy was a policy that let anyone into the U.S.
T or F
18.) Approximately 500,000 immigrants arrived in America between 1870 and 1924.
T or F
19.) The word famine means to have a lot of something.

T or F
20.) An immigration quota is a limit of people who can move to a country.

T or F
Rationale
I included the immigration test that I created during my second student teaching
placement in my portfolio to demonstrate that I am fully capable of creating an assessment for
my students based on the material that I have taught them. I utilized a variety of techniques to
formulate the assessment (true/false, word bank, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank), as I feel that
not relying on one type of assessment to score students is a best teaching practice.
Artifact #7: Area Unit Plan
Unit Plan: Calculating Area
Nicole Barry
Medaille College
EDU 500: Curriculum Planning in Elementary Education
Dr. Susan Dunkle
August 6, 2016
I. UNIT DATA:
CC. Candidates First & Last Name: Nicole Barry

DD. Subject/Content Area: Math
EE. Grade Level (PK-12): 3rd (NYS)
FF. Unit Topic: Measurement & Data
GG. Unit Title: Geometric measurement: understand concepts of
area and relate area to multiplication and to addition
HH. Duration of Unit Plan: Six days
Lesson Plan #1 Title: Introduction to calculating area
Lesson Plan # 2 Title: Calculating area by using the operations of both multiplication and addition
Lesson Plan #3 Title: Calculating area by multiplying side lengths
Lesson Plan #4 Title: Using the distributive property to calculate area
Lesson Plan #5 Title: Using the distributive property to calculate area continued
Lesson Plan #6 Title: Calculating area of rectilinear figures
II. Materials:
Smartboard, Large white board, individual white board, jar of popsicle sticks with student names, dry
erase markers, sandwich baggies, manipulatives (500 1-inch squares of thin cut blue foam, and 500 1-
inch squares of thin cut red foam), Brain Pop Jr. video: https://jr.brainpop.com/math/measurement/area/,
Brain Pop video:
https://www.brainpop.com/math/numbersandoperations/distributiveproperty/, worksheets and
homework sheets (listed in appendixes)
H. Table of Contents:
Cover Page.1
Table of Contents...2
Introduction/Significance of the Unit3
Central Focus.3
General Objectives/Expectations...3
Assessment4
Anticipatory Set/Student Engagement..5
Classroom Management6
Reflection..6-7
Culturally Responsive Teaching...7
Accommodations...7-8
Pre-Requisite Skills8
Anticipated Misconceptions...8-9
Academic Language...9-10
Lesson Plans11-44
Appendixes.45-48
Appendix A.45
Appendix B.46
Appendix C..47
Appendix D..48
References49
II. UNIT DESCRIPTION:
A. Introduction/Significance of Unit:
In this introduction it will be made evident of where the unit fits into the larger
picture of the curriculum, as well as why this particular unit was chosen. In the third grade in
New York State it is understood that instructional time should focus on four critical areas: (1)
developing understanding of multiplication and division and strategies for multiplication and
division within 100; (2) developing understanding of fractions, especially unit fractions
(fractions with numerator 1); (3) developing understanding of the structure of rectangular arrays
and of area; and (4) describing and analyzing two-dimensional shapes.
The measurement and data unit focuses on solving problems involving
measurement and estimation of intervals of time liquid volumes, and masses of objects;
Representing and interpreting data; Geometric measurement: understanding concepts of area and
relating area to multiplication and to addition; Geometric measurement: recognizing perimeter as
an attribute of plane figures and distinguishing between linear and area measures.
In third grade it is determined that students recognize area as an attribute of two-dimensional
regions. They measure the area of a shape by finding the total number of same-size units of area
required to cover the shape without gaps or overlaps, a square with sides of unit length being the
standard unit for measuring area. Students understand that rectangular arrays can be
decomposed into identical rows or into identical columns. By decomposing rectangles into
rectangular arrays of squares, students connect area to multiplication, and justify using
multiplication to determine the area of a rectangle. The area of measurement pertaining to
finding the area of a shape is what the focus of this unit will be on.
B. Central Focus:
Throughout this unit on Measurement and Data the students will be focusing on the multiple
ways to calculate the area of various shapes. The students will become familiar with using
multiple operations to calculate area, as well as developing a sense of the relevance of the
concept of area as it pertains to their everyday lives.
C. General Objectives:
1. Create rectangles using unit squares.

2. Calculate area of rectangles by counting unit squares.
3. Identify units of measurement when calculating area.
4. Calculate area by multiplying side lengths of a rectangle.
5. Show that the same area is calculated when counting unit squares within a rectangle, or
multiplying the side lengths.
6. Identify information within word problems necessary to label side lengths of a
rectangle, and calculate the area of the rectangle using the A=LxW formula.
7. Decompose a large rectangle into two smaller rectangles, solve for the areas of the two
smaller rectangles, and add together to find the area of the larger rectangle.
8. Use the distributive property to solve for the area of a rectangle.
9. Decompose rectilinear figures into rectangles.

10. Find the area of two rectangles decomposed from a rectilinear figure, and add
them together to find the area of the original rectilinear figure.
D. Assessment:
1. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to create rectangles using unit
squares by observing the use of manipulatives, as well as observing work written on
individual white boards.
2. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to calculate are of rectangles by
counting unit squares by observing work written on individual white boards, the use of
manipulatives.
3. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to identify units of measurement
when calculating area by verbal or written responses to questions in class, or observing
work on individual white boards.
4. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to calculate area by multiplying
side lengths of a rectangle by observing work written on white boards, and verbal or
written responses to questions in class.
5. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to show that the same area is
calculated when counting unit squares within a rectangle, or multiplying the side lengths
by observing work written on the white boards, and verbal or written responses to
questions in class.
6. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to identify information within
word problems necessary to label side lengths of a rectangle, and calculate the area of the
rectangle using the A=LxW formula by observing work written on the white board,
verbal or written responses to questions in class, and observing work written on
worksheets done in class.
7. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to decompose a large rectangle
into two smaller rectangles, solve for the areas of the two smaller rectangles, and add
together to find the area of the larger rectangle by observing work written on the white
board, and verbal or written responses to questions in class.
8. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to use the distributive property to
solve for the area of a rectangle by observing work written on the white board, and verbal
or written responses to questions in class.
9. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to decompose rectilinear figures
into rectangles by observing work written on the white board, and verbal or written
responses to questions in class.
10. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to find the area of two rectangles
decomposed from a rectilinear figure, and add them together to find the area of the
original rectilinear figure by observing work written on the white board, and verbal or
written responses to questions in class.
E. Anticipatory Set/Student Engagement:

As the anticipatory set of the unit, the teacher will start by drawing a rectangle on the large white
board, partitioning it into equal size squares, and then ask for student participation when
selecting a unit of measurement. The teacher will mention the multiple possibilities for units,
such as feet, meters, inches, centimeters, etc. She will activate the background knowledge of
students when she mentions that in order for a shape to be a rectangle, it must have one set of
parallel sides that same length, and the opposite set of parallel sides must also have the same
length. The teacher will then focus on the importance of including the term square when
labeling the area of objects, because AREA includes ALL of the space (or squares) within a
shape. To further engage the students, and illustrate her point about AREA including ALL of the
space in a shape, the teacher can walk around the room and put her hand on the head of
individual students and ask them, What is the AREA for ALL of you? The students would then
be prompted to answer SQUARE (insert the name of the student). The teacher will then play a
brainPOP jr. video to further illustrate to the students how area can be calculated. While the
students are watching the video, the teacher will place individual sandwich baggies on each desk.
At the conclusion of the video, the teacher will inform the students that each baggy is holding 20
squares. They will be instructed to pair up and form various rectangles with these squares.
The teacher will select the pairs, and will make sure that strong math students are paired with
struggling students, and that the two ENL students are not together so that they have
opportunities to be more social and hopefully practice their English in a more relaxed setting.
The teacher will then ask students to get out their individual white boards with a dry erase
marker to practice finding the area of the rectangles they created by counting the squares that
they used. The teacher will then select pairs at random (using sticks with student names pulled
out of a jar) to go up to the large white board, draw one of their rectangles partitioned into
squares, and write down the area that they calculated. While watching the students put their
answers on the board the teacher will be looking to see if the rectangle has been partitioned into
the correct amount of squares, and that all areas have been correctly calculated. Next the teacher
will pull up some previously prepared and partitioned rectangles onto the smart board. She will
make sure that each rectangle has sides labeled with units different from the next sample
rectangle. The teacher will again use her sticks with student names to call on children at random
to either go up to the smart board to write the calculated area with the correctly labeled square
units, or state the answer to the problem from their seats, whichever they prefer. Throughout the
anticipatory set students were accommodated for in multiple ways including pairing, the use of
manipulatives, and verbal discourse.
ENGAGEMENT USED THROUGHOUT UNIT
Each of the 6 lessons will involve different techniques to keep the students interested in the
topic, as well as engaged in what they are learning. Every student learns differently, which is
why various methods of introducing academic material will be used.
During the first lesson a video will be shown introducing the topic of the unit to gain the
attention of the students. Manipulatives will also be used throughout the lesson, as well as
individual white boards to show student work. Lesson 2 will also require the students to show
their work on individual white boards, as well as continue to work with manipulatives, and it will
expand on what was practiced and learned during the first lesson. Lesson 3 will again require the
students to show work on their individual white boards. They will also be required to complete a
worksheet in class, as well as for homework (See appendixes A and B). Lesson 4 will introduce a
new set of manipulatives for the students to work with, as well as again require them to use their
individual white boards to show their work. Lesson 4 also has a required homework sheet (See
appendix C.) Lesson 5 includes a video to engage the students as well as encourage them to
access prior knowledge learned in the previous 4 lessons, and introduce them to new concepts.
Lesson 5 will also incorporate the use of individual white boards for students to show their work,
and a homework sheet is required as well (See appendix D). Lesson 6 will also require individual
white boards to show student work.
Throughout the unit students will have opportunities to both work in pairs, and individually to
accomplish objectives. All students will be encouraged to answer questions posed to the group,
and all students will be encouraged to ask questions when confusion occurs, or further
clarification of a concept is necessary.
The individual white boards will be used throughout the unit so that students are able to
demonstrate the current level of knowledge and understanding that they have of the material.
F. Classroom Management
All students will be expected to follow all of the classroom rules explained on the very first day
of school, the most important of which being that every person in the class, including the teacher,
is to be treated with respect at all times. As there will be a lot of pairing up throughout the unit,
students will be reminded that the classroom is meant to be a positive, safe environment for
everyone, so absolutely no bullying of any kind will be tolerated. Materials will be both used,
and shared appropriately. When working in pairs the work will be equally shared, and ideas will
be mutually respected. If someone wants to be heard by the group, they must raise their hand.
When the teacher, or another peer is speaking it is expected that everyone else will be quiet,
attentive listeners. When working in pairs it is expected that the noise level will remain low, and
everyone will use a soft, respectful tone. No shouting will be tolerated.
If a student misbehaves the teacher will attend to the situation and speak to the student
immediately. If the inappropriate, disruptive behavior continues, the teacher will inform both the
school principal, as well as the students parents/guardians about the disrespectful behavior that
has been taking place in class.
III. REFLECTION
Throughout the various lessons included in this unit students are introduced to academic content
and language necessary for understanding the concept of area, and how it is relevant to them.
The methods used to introduce the concept of area and its relevance included the use of
manipulatives, verbal discourse, and pairing students together in addition to writing on white
boards to show their work.
The most difficult part of this unit was how to individually assess that each student was grasping
the concepts presented in each lesson (multiple formative assessments were used in various
lessons), and making sure that there was time to revisit concepts that students were struggling
with. Also, making sure that students were appropriately paired when working with a partner was
also a challenge. Much time and consideration went into figuring out partners as multiple factors
had to be considered: which students were pulled out for AIS, which students were struggling in
math, which students excelled at math, and who the ENL students are.
A. Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT)
Our class is culturally diverse, religiously diverse, and predominantly low socio-economic. In
addition, there are two ENL students, and three students with an IEP for reading that are pulled
out for AIS daily.
For a teacher to be culturally responsive, they must incorporate relatable aspects of students
daily lives into the curriculum. Area is a universal concept that translates to any culture and
economic background. Anywhere a child lives, be it an apartment, house, shelter, etc. has an
area. All students should be able to relate to the concepts covered in this unit. To assist culturally
diverse students who may be struggling with the concepts, some modifications incorporated into
the lesson include demonstration of concepts, working in pairs, constant checking for
understanding on individual white boards, and the use of manipulatives. These techniques often
result in a better understanding for all students. Especially the manipulatives. All students benefit
from hands-on learning.
CRT uses a range of instructional strategies that are connected to different learning styles,
preferences, and needs. In this regard, the teacher will use a variety of learning strategies based
on Gardners Multiple Intelligences throughout the unit to enhance the learning of all students
and respect differences in student learning.
B. Accommodations
Within our class there are two ENL students, and three students with an IEP for reading that are
pulled out daily for AIS. Also, we have students who struggle with math, and students who
excel. Accommodations made for these students throughout the unit included:
1. Pairing students for formative assessments. The teacher selected the pairs, and made sure that
strong math students were paired with struggling students so that the struggling students would
have the opportunity to work with a partner who could potentially help them better grasp the
material.
The teacher also made sure not to pair the two ENL students together, so that the ENL students
would have an English speaking peer model, and be able to practice their English in a more
relaxed atmosphere.
The teacher also made sure not to pair any of the students pulled out for AIS services together.
This gave them the opportunity to interact with other peers.
2. Technology was introduced twice during the unit when the teacher showed brainPOP videos
to engage the students, as well as review information already learned in an attempt to activate
prior knowledge.
3. Students were given the opportunity to answer questions either verbally (if they felt
comfortable speaking in front of the group), or physically, by demonstrating their knowledge on
the large white board. This gives ENL students an opportunity to practice their English, or pass if
they are not quite ready yet.
4. If students were called on to answer a question, often times they were told they could defer to
their partner if they were struggling. This allows struggling students not to feel embarrassed if
they cannot come up with an appropriate answer.
5. Students worked with manipulatives multiple times during this unit. This allowed all students
to practice hands-on learning.
6. When students were expected to make shapes with their manipulatives, multiple attempts were
encouraged. This allowed more advanced students the opportunity to continually challenge
themselves throughout the lessons.
7. All of the lessons included various demonstrations on the large white board which involved
direct instruction, and teacher modeling.
8. Drill and practice was used when the students were instructed to use their manipulatives to
form shapes.
9. Lastly, the students were able to demonstrate their levels of knowledge and understanding of
the material multiple times throughout the unit by showing their work on their individual white
boards while the teacher continually walked around to formatively assess them.
C. PREREQUISITES
Students should be able to work with a partner and independently

Students should be able to follow directions
Students should be able to add and multiply
D. ANTICIPATED MISCONCEPTIONS
Students may believe that when labeling the area of a rectangle, the acceptable unit form is the
same as the label of the units on the sides of the shape. This is not the case. Teachers must stress
that AREA means ALL the squares within a shape, so the label must be in square units.
Students may believe that there is only one way to calculate the area of a rectangle which
involves counting the unit squares within the rectangle. This is not the case. Students must be
taught that in fact there is a much quicker way than taking the time to count all of the unit
squares within a rectangle. Multiplying the side lengths to calculate area is a much more efficient
method. Teachers must inform students of the multiple acceptable methods, and make sure that
they understand that both methods will have the same resulting area.
Students may believe calculating the area of a shape has no practical use. This is not the case.
Calculating the area of a space is a skill that is necessary in many aspects of life. Planting a
garden, purchasing a home, putting in a pool, buying a rug, etc. Calculating area is a necessary
life skill that students will absolutely need, and it is the teachers job to inform them of the
importance of learning this skill.
Students may believe that the only way to solve for the area of a rectangle is to multiply the
length times the width. This is not the case. Larger rectangles may be broken down into smaller
rectangles, and adding the areas of these two smaller rectangles also results in finding the area of
the larger rectangle. This is known as the Distributive Property, and it is the responsibility of the
teacher to make sure that all of his/her students are aware of this property and how to correctly
apply it.
Students may believe that it is difficult, or impossible to calculate area when you are not able to
immediately multiply the side lengths of a shape. This is not the case. Shapes can often be
decomposed into smaller figures, at which point you may be able to apply the A=LxW formula
to calculate area of the smaller shapes, and then add them together to find the area of the original
shape. It is the job of the teacher to make sure that students are aware of this helpful strategy for
solving area of rectilinear shapes.
E. ACADEMIC LANGUAGE (content vocabulary, language function, discourse, syntax)
Throughout this unit the teacher used both content vocabulary and discourse as academic
language requirements. Both areas were vital to students when learning about the various
mathematical concepts involved in this unit.
Content Vocabulary:
Rectangle
Area
Units of measurement
Square units
Multiplication
Side lengths
Length
Width
Formula
Real world word problems
Distributive Property
Decompose
Rectilinear figure
Discourse:
Students worked individually, and with partners to solve problems verbally, and physically both
by using manipulatives and by writing on individual white boards.
Students answered questions individually, or by deferring to their partners verbally, or physically
by drawing answers on the large white board.
IV. Appendix
Appendix A: See attached handout
Appendix B: See attached handout
Appendix C: See attached handout
Appendix D: See attached handout

I. LESSON DATA:

B. Subject/Content Area: Math
C. Grade Level (PK-12): 3rd (NYS)
D. Unit Topic: Measurement & Data
E. Lesson Topic Calculating Area
G. Materials:
Smartboard
White Board
25 sandwich baggies each with 20 1-inch squares of thin cut blue foam
Dry erase markers
BrainPOP Jr. Video: https://jr.brainpop.com/math/measurement/area/
Individual white board
A jar of popsicle sticks with student names
A. Standards:

Domain: Measurement & Data- 3.MD
Grade: 3
Cluster Heading: Geometric measurement: understand concepts of area and relate area
to multiplication and to addition.
Standard Number(s) and Statement(s): 6. Measure areas by counting unit squares
(square cm, square m, square in, square ft, and improvised units).
B. Central Focus:
Students will be able to independently calculate areas of various shapes with whole-number
side lengths using various methods to promote procedural fluency.
C. Objectives:
1. Students will be able to independently create various rectangles using provided

manipulatives.
2. Students will be able to independently calculate area of individually created rectangles
by counting the unit squares within the rectangles.
3. Students will be able to identify and correctly label units of measurement when
calculating area.
D. Assessment Plan:
1. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to use manipulatives to form
rectangles by walking around and observing the students working in pairs to create the
rectangles.
2. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to calculate area of individually
created rectangles by calling on groups randomly to draw one of their rectangles on the
large white board along with the area that they calculated for that rectangle.
3. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to identify and correctly label units
of measurement when calculating area by putting various rectangles with differing units
of measurement up on the smartboard, and then calling on students randomly to state or
write both the area, and the correct unit of measurement for the area of the provided
rectangle.
29. Upon entrance into the classroom the teacher will instruct the students to have a seat at their desks and
focus their attention towards the front of the room on the large white board.
30. The teacher will draw a rectangle on the large white board, partition it into equal size squares, and then ask
for student participation when selecting a unit of measurement. The teacher will mention the multiple
possibilities for units, such as feet, meters, inches, centimeters, etc.
31. She will activate the background knowledge of students when she mentions that in order for a shape to be a
rectangle, it must have one set of parallel sides that same length, and the opposite set of parallel sides must
also have the same length.
32. The teacher will then focus on the importance of including the term square when labeling the area of
objects, because AREA includes ALL of the space (or squares) within a shape.
33. To further engage the students, and illustrate her point about AREA including ALL of the space in a shape,
the teacher can walk around the room and put her hand on the head of individual students and ask them,
What is the AREA for ALL of you? The students would then be prompted to answer SQUARE (insert
the name of the student).
32. After the anticipatory set has ended, the teacher can play a brainPOP jr. video to further illustrate to the
students how area can be calculated.
33. While the students are watching the video, the teacher will place individual sandwich baggies on each
students desk.
34. At the conclusion of the video, the teacher will inform the students that each baggy is holding 20 squares.
They will be instructed to pair up and form various rectangles with these squares.
35. The teacher will select the pairs, and will make sure that strong math students are paired with struggling
students, and that the two ENL students are not together so that they have opportunities to be more social
and hopefully practice their English in a more relaxed setting. This will account for CRT, as well as student
accommodations.
36. Once the students have paired up and are beginning to form their rectangles, the teacher will walk around to
formatively assess that each student is able to use the manipulatives to form rectangles.
37. The teacher will then ask students to get out their individual white boards with a dry erase marker to
practice finding the area of the rectangles they created by counting the squares that they used.
38. The teacher will then select pairs at random (using sticks with student names pulled out of a jar) to go up to
the large white board, draw one of their rectangles partitioned into squares, and write down the area that
they calculated.
39. At this time the teacher will be able to formatively assess the students to see if they are able to calculate
area by counting unit squares.
40. While watching the students put their answers on the board the teacher will be looking to see if the
rectangle has been partitioned into the correct amount of squares, and that all areas have been correctly
calculated.
41. After each group has taken a turn at the board and the teacher has made her formative assessments, the
students will be asked to return to their seats, and put their individual white boards away, and their squares
back into their baggies. At this point the teacher will ask the students who are usually pulled for services to
collect the baggies for her, so that they may familiarize themselves a little more with the faces of their
peers.
42. Next the teacher will pull up some previously prepared and partitioned rectangles onto the smart board. She
will make sure that each rectangle has sides labeled with units different from the next sample rectangle.
43. The teacher will again use her sticks with student names to call on children at random to either go up to the
smart board to write the calculated area with the correctly labeled square units, or state the answer to the
problem from their seats, whichever they prefer. Again, this demonstrates CRT on the part of the teacher,
as well as accommodations for students.
44. This will allow the teacher to formatively assess whether or not the students can identify and correctly label
units of measurement when calculating area.
G. Closing:
1. The teacher will review the main concepts covered in class including: creating a rectangle,
calculating area, and the importance of labeling area with square units because AREA means
ALL the squares.
2. Our homework for this evening will reinforce the information we learned and will provide
students with additional practice of both finding the area of multiple rectangles, and correctly
labeling the areas of the shapes.
3. Students are instructed to draw five rectangles for homework on a separate sheet of paper,
partition them into squares, and solve for the areas. Each rectangle must have a different unit of
measurement.
III. Reflection:
Our class is culturally diverse, religiously diverse, and predominantly low socio-economic.
In addition, there are two ENL students, and 3 students with an IEP for reading that are
pulled out for AIS daily.
Area is a universal concept that translates to any culture and economic background.
Anywhere a child lives, be it an apartment, house, shelter, etc. has an area. All students
should be able to relate to this lesson. To assist culturally diverse students who may be
struggling with these concepts some modifications incorporated into the lesson include
demonstration of concepts, working in pairs, constant checking for understanding, and the
use of manipulatives. These techniques often result in a better understanding for all students.
Especially the use of manipulatives. All students benefit from hands-on learning.
preferences, and needs. In this regard, the teacher will use a variety of learning strategies
based on Gardners Multiple Intelligences throughout the unit to enhance the learning of all
students and respect differences in student learning.
22. Accommodations:

styles. The lesson included demonstrations on the white board of how to calculate area, direct
instruction, and drill and practice when students were asked to use the manipulatives to form
their own rectangles. Oral instruction was used throughout the lesson as well as teacher
modeling, and technology was introduced when students viewed the brainPOP jr. video.
When the teacher was making formative assessments the students were either in pairs (during
the first two formative assessments), or they were given a choice to orally solve a problem
from their seat, or go up to the board to physically illustrate how they came to their answer.
This allows students that are struggling academically the opportunity to work with a partner
who could potentially help them better grasp the material. It allows ENL students to practice
their English in a relaxed atmosphere, or physically demonstrate their knowledge of the
content without having to verbalize it.
When the manipulatives were handed out the students were instructed to make various
rectangles. Students who were more advanced had the opportunity to keep creating
rectangles while the teacher walked around to formally assess.
Students of all academic levels were able to benefit from this lesson at their own pace.

Students should be able to add
Students should be able to partition rectangles into an equal number of squares
Students should be familiar with various units of measurement
Students may believe that when labeling the area of a rectangle, the acceptable unit form is the same as the label
of the units on the sides of the shape. This is not the case. Teachers must stress that AREA means ALL the
squares within a shape, so the label must be in square units.
Academic language which was central to the lesson consisted of the following content vocabulary: rectangle,
area, units of measurement, and square units.
All of these terms were demonstrated multiple times throughout the lesson, and students had many opportunities
to experiment with these concepts during formative assessments. The assessments will be conducted observing
verbal discourse during partner and whole class discussions.
I. LESSON DATA:

E. Lesson Topic Calculating area by using the operations of both
Multiplication and Addition
G. Materials:
White Board
25 sandwich baggies each with 20 1-inch squares of thin cut blue foam
Dry erase markers
Individual white boards
A jar of popsicle sticks of student names
A. Standards:

Grade: 3
Standard Number(s) and Statement(s): 7. Relate area to the operations of
multiplication and addition. a. Find the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths by
tiling it, and show that the area is the same as would be found by multiplying the side lengths.
B. Central Focus:
C. Objectives:
1. Students will be able to independently calculate area of individually created rectangles

by counting the unit squares within the rectangles.
2. Students will be able to independently calculate the area of individually created
rectangles by multiplying the side lengths.
3. Students will be able to show that counting unit squares within rectangles to calculate
area is the same as would be by multiplying the side lengths of the rectangle.
D. Assessment Plan:
1. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to calculate the area of individually
created rectangles by walking around while students are in pairs and watching them count
the unit squares of their created rectangles and writing their answers on their white boards.
2. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to calculate the area of individually
created rectangles by multiplying the side lengths by walking around while the students
are in pairs and watching them multiply the side lengths of their created rectangles using
the A=LxW formula on their white boards.
3. The teacher will formatively assess the students ability to show that counting unit
squares within rectangles to calculate area is the same as would be by multiplying the
side lengths of the rectangle by calling students up to the large white board to
demonstrate the two different methods they used to calculate area for the rectangle that
they created, and to show that the resulting areas were both the same.
2. The teacher will draw a rectangle on the large white board, partition it into equal size squares, and then ask
the students to raise their hands if they know what the area of the rectangle is. This will activate prior
knowledge of the students, and they will recall how to calculate the area of a rectangle by counting unit
squares, a skill that they learned in the previous math lesson.
3. The teacher will call on one student to answer the question, and she will write their answer on the board if
they are correct, and ask them to describe what they did to reach that answer. If the student is not correct
the teacher will respond by saying, Thats not quite the answer I was looking for, but nice try! Can anyone
help him/her out?
4. After the correct answer is given and one of the students responded that they reached that answer by
counting the unit squares within the rectangle, the teacher will excitedly announce that that is one way to
calculate area, but there is another way as welland it is MUCH QUICKER THAN COUNTING A
BUNCH OF SQUARES!
1. After the anticipatory set has ended, the teacher will erase the white board, and redraw the rectangle. She
will draw the sides representing the length of the rectangle in one color, and the value of those sides in the
same color, along with the word length underneath the rectangle. Next to the word length she will draw
a multiplication sign.
2. Next the teacher will draw the sides representing the width of the rectangle in a different color, and the
value of those sides in the same color, along with the word width following the multiplication sign.
3. The teacher will then ask the students what the area of the rectangle was determined to be by counting the
unit squares. She will then write that answer on the board in the center of the rectangle in the form of A=_.
This is so that the students will be able to compare it to the area of the same rectangle calculated using the
formula A=LxW.
4. Next the teacher will ask the students what the value of the length of the rectangle is. She will then put that
number underneath the word length.
5. Then the teacher will ask the students what the value of the width of the rectangle is. She will then put that
number underneath the word width.
6. The teacher will then write A=LxW on the board, enter the values of the rectangle into the equation, and
silently solve the equation.
7. The teacher will then ask the students if they notice anything about the two areas calculated using two
different operations.
8. After the students respond that the areas are the same, the teacher will then state that both counting unit
squares, and multiplying the side lengths are acceptable ways to find the area of rectangles.
9. The teacher will then indicate that often multiplying the side lengths is a quicker method.
10. To illustrate this point she will erase the white board, and draw a new rectangle with a length of 10 unit
squares, and a width of 12 unit squares.
11. She will then indicate to the students that to count the unit squares within the rectangle would be quite a
lengthy process, but to enter them into the formula A=LxW would take very little time, as would solving
the multiplication problem.
12. The teacher will then enter the numbers 10 and 12 into the formula, solve the equation, and label the area of
the rectangle.
13. The teacher will then inform the students that they will be working in pairs to create rectangles, and that
they will be calculating the areas of their rectangles by counting unit squares.
14. The teacher will have pre-selected the pairs, making sure that strong math students are paired with
struggling students, and that the two ENL students are not together so that they have opportunities to be
more social and hopefully practice their English in a more relaxed setting. This is CRT on the part of the
teacher, and it is also an accommodation for students.
15. After the pairs have been announced the teacher will instruct one member of the group to go to the back
table to get a baggy of 20 unit squares, and the other member to get out their individual white board to
show their work.
16. Once the students have paired up and are beginning to form their rectangles, the teacher will walk around to
formatively assess that each student is able to calculate the area of their rectangles by counting unit squares.
17. After all of the students have been formatively assessed, the teacher will instruct the students to use their
white boards to calculate the area of the same rectangles they made by multiplying the side lengths. They
will be instructed to use the A=LxW formula to show their work.
18. While they are working on their white boards, the teacher will walk around to formatively assess that each
student is able to calculate the area of their rectangles by multiplying the side lengths.
19. After this second formative assessment is complete, the teacher will then select pairs at random (using
sticks with student names pulled out of a jar) to go up to the large white board, draw one of their rectangles
partitioned into squares, and write down how they calculated the area using both methods. The resulting
areas for both methods should be the same.
20. At this time the teacher will be able to formatively assess that the students are able to show that the area of
a rectangle is the same whether you count the unit squares, or multiply the side lengths.
21. While watching the students put their answers on the board the teacher will be looking to see if the
rectangle has been partitioned into the correct amount of squares, and that all areas have been correctly
calculated.
22. After each group has taken a turn at the board and the teacher has made her formative assessments, the
students will be asked to return to their seats, put their individual white boards away, and their squares back
into their baggies. At this point the teacher will ask the students who are usually pulled for services to
collect the baggies for her, so that they may familiarize themselves a little more with the faces of their
peers. Again, CRT on the part of the teacher, and an accommodation for students.
G. Closing:
1. The teacher will review the main concepts covered in class including: calculating area,
multiplying side lengths, and Area equals Length times Width (A=LxW).
students with additional practice of both finding the area by counting the unit squares of a
rectangle, and by multiplying the side lengths of a rectangle (A=LxW).
3. Students are instructed to draw five rectangles for homework on a separate sheet of paper,
partition them into squares, and solve for the area by both counting the unit squares, and by
multiplying the side lengths. They must show their work by entering the side lengths into the
A=LxW formula.
III. Reflection:
2. Accommodations:

styles. The lesson included demonstrations on the white board of how to calculate area both
by counting unit squares and by multiplying side lengths, direct instruction, and drill and
practice when students were asked to use the manipulatives to form their own rectangles.
Oral instruction was used throughout the lesson, as well as teacher modeling.
When the teacher was making formative assessments the students were working in pairs.
their English in a relaxed atmosphere.
When the manipulatives were handed out the students were instructed to make various
rectangles. Students who were more advanced had the opportunity to keep creating
rectangles while the teacher walked around to formally assess.
Students of all academic levels were able to benefit from this lesson at their own pace.

Students should be able to multiply
Students should be able to partition rectangles into an equal number of squares
Students may believe that there is only one way to calculate the area of a rectangle which involves counting the
unit squares within the rectangle. This is not the case. Students must be taught that in fact there is a much
quicker way than taking the time to count all of the unit squares within a rectangle. Multiplying the side lengths
to calculate area is a much more efficient method. Teachers must inform students of the multiple acceptable
methods, and make sure that they understand that both methods will have the same resulting area.
Academic language which was central to the lesson consisted of the following content vocabulary: rectangle,
area, multiplication, side lengths, length, width, formula, and square units.
All of these terms were demonstrated multiple times throughout the lesson, and students had
many opportunities to experiment with these concepts during formative assessments. The
assessments will be conducted observing verbal discourse during partner and whole class
discussions.
I. LESSON DATA:

E. Lesson Topic Calculating area by multiplying side lengths
G. Materials:
White Board
Dry erase markers
A. Standards:

Grade: 3
multiplication and addition. b. Multiply side lengths to find areas of rectangles with whole-
number side lengths in the context of solving real world and mathematical problems, and
represent whole-number products as rectangular areas in mathematical reasoning.
B. Central Focus:
C. Objectives:
1. Students will be able to read real world word problems and correctly identify and label
the side lengths of given rectangles.
2. Students will be able to read real world word problems and independently locate the
information necessary to complete the A=LxW formula.
3. Students will be able to read real world word problems and use the information available
to calculate the area of given rectangles using the A=LxW formula.
D. Assessment Plan:
1. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to read a real world word problem
and correctly identify and label the side lengths of a given rectangle by putting a real
world word problem up on the board and walking around while the students are in pairs to
see if they are able to draw a rectangle, and correctly label the sides on their personal
white boards.
2. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to read a real world word problem
and independently locate the information necessary to complete the A=LxW formula by
walking around while the students are in pairs to see if they are entering the correct
information from the problem into the A=LxW formula on their personal white boards.
3. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to use the information from a real
world word problem to calculate the area of a rectangle using the A=LxW formula by
walking around while the students are in pairs to see that they are correctly calculating
the area of the rectangle using the A=LxW formula on their personal white boards.
2. The teacher will draw a rectangle on the large white board, and remind the students that they have been
learning how to solve area using the A=LxW formula.
3. She will then ask the students why they think this is an important skill to have.
4. The teacher will call on various students who have raised their hands, and listen to their responses.
5. She will then state that area is an important concept to understand because it can help you figure out how
much space things take up in the real world.
6. The teacher will then list some examples: If you are putting in a pool and you want to know how much
space in your yard it will take up, or if you are throwing a party with a dance floor and you want to how big
it will be.
7. The teacher will then tell students that today they will be learning how to calculate the area for real world
situations that they might encounter someday.
1. After the anticipatory set has ended, the teacher will erase the white board, and write down a real world
word problem. She will instruct the students that they are going to use the information in the word problem
to draw a rectangle, label the side lengths including the appropriate units of measurement, and lastly solve
for area using the A=LxW formula.
2. At this point the teacher will read the problem out loud to the students: Mary bought a new rectangular rug
for her bedroom. The length is 8 feet, and the width is 4 feet. How much space will the new rug cover on
her floor?
3. The teacher will then use her popsicle sticks with student names on them to randomly call on a student to
ask what shape she should draw on her board.
4. If the student responds rectangle the teacher will verbally praise the student and draw a rectangle. If not,
the teacher will inform the student that she should draw a rectangle because the problem states that the rug
is rectangular.
5. The teacher will then randomly select another student with the popsicle sticks, and ask that student how she
should correctly label the sides of her rectangle.
6. If the student responds 8 feet for the length and 4 feet for the width the teacher will verbally praise the
student and label the sides. If not, the teacher will inform the student that the sides should be labeled 8 feet
for the length and 4 feet for the width because that is the information provided in the problem.
7. The teacher will then randomly select another student with the popsicle sticks and ask that student to come
up to the board and solve the equation A=_x_.
8. If the student calculates that the area is 32, the teacher will verbally praise the student. If not, the teacher
will walk the student through the correct way to solve the problem.
9. Also, if the student did not correctly label the area with feet squared, the teacher will correct that as well
and remind students that area is always represented using square units of measurement.
10. At this point the teacher will make a list on the white board. #1-draw a rectangle #2- correctly label the side
lengths, #3- solve for area using the A=LxW formula, and #4- label the answer with the correct units of
measurement.
11. At this point the teacher will inform the students that they will be working in pairs to solve a series of real
world word problems using the steps outlined on the board.
students, and that the two ENL students are not together so that they can partner with an English speaking
peer model, and practice their English in a more relaxed setting. The teacher will also be sure not to pair
any of the students who have AIS together, so that they will have the opportunity to interact with other
peers. This is CRT on the part of the teacher. Also, accommodations have been provided for the students.
13. After the pairs have been announced the teacher will pass out a worksheet (attached-pg. 7) for the students
to work on, and she will instruct them to take their worksheet and a pencil to find a spot to work with their
partners. They will have 15 minutes to complete 4 problems.
14. While the students are working, the teacher will take this time to walk around and observe the groups. She
will be formatively assessing three things: 1.) If the students can identify and label the side lengths of the
rectangle in the real world word problem, 2.) If the students can locate the information within the word
problem necessary to solve the A=LxW formula, and 3.) If the students can correctly solve the A=LxW
formula to calculate the area of the rectangle.
15. After the 15 minutes is up the teacher will instruct the students to go back to their desks.
16. To ensure that all groups leave the lesson with the correct answers, the teacher will use the popsicle sticks
to randomly call on students to verbally tell her how to solve each of the problems on the large white board.
17. She will state that if a student is struggling, they may call on the partner that they worked with to help
them. This will put struggling students at ease, and allow ENL students who are not yet comfortable
speaking in front of the whole class the opportunity to either speak out, or pass.
18. At this point the teacher can continue to formatively assess the students as they offer their answers to the
four questions.
19. If a student is correct in solving the problem, the teacher will verbally praise them. If the student is
incorrect, or appears to be struggling, the teacher will walk them through the steps necessary to reach the
correct answer.
G. Closing:
1. The teacher will review the main concepts covered in class including: real world word
problems, calculating area, multiplying side lengths, and Area equals Length times Width
(A=LxW).
students with additional practice of: reading real world word problems, drawing rectangles and
correctly identifying and labeling side lengths, identifying necessary information within real
world word problems to solve the formula A=LxW, and correctly calculating area using the
A=LxW formula.
3. Students are instructed to complete a worksheet with four real world word problems for
homework (attached-pg. 8). They are to draw rectangles and label the side lengths, write out the
formula A=LxW for each problem and enter the numbers necessary to solve the problem, and
they are to calculate the area of the rectangle using the A=LxW formula. They are also instructed
to make sure to label their side lengths with the correct unit of measurement, as well as their
calculated areas.
III. Reflection:
demonstration of concepts, working in pairs, and constant checking for understanding. These
techniques often result in a better understanding for all students.
students and respect differences in student leaning.
2. Accommodations:

styles. The lesson included demonstrations on the white board of how to identify important
information within real world word problems, how to correctly label the given side lengths of
a rectangle, how to identify what information is necessary to complete the A=LxW formula,
and how to calculate area using the A=LxW formula. Direct instruction was used, as well as
oral instruction and teacher modeling.
their English in a relaxed atmosphere, while learning from an English speaking peer model.
The teacher also made sure not to pair any of the students who are pulled for AIS together.
This allows those students the opportunity to work with peers they dont often interact with.

Students should be able to read word problems
Students should be familiar with various units of measurement
Students may believe calculating the area of a shape has no practical use. This is not the case. Calculating the
area of a space is a skill that is necessary in many aspects of life. Planting a garden, purchasing a home, putting
in a pool, buying a rug, etc. Calculating area is a necessary life skill that students will absolutely need, and it is
the teachers job to inform them of the importance of learning this skill.
Academic language which was central to the lesson consisted of the following content vocabulary: real world
word problems, area, multiplication, side lengths, length, width, formula, and units of measurement.
I. LESSON DATA:

E. Lesson Topic Using the Distributive Property to Calculate Area
G. Materials:
White Board
25 sandwich baggies each with 20 1-inch squares of thin cut blue foam and 20 1-inch squares of thin cut
red foam
Dry erase markers
A. Standards:

Grade: 3
multiplication and addition. c. Use tiling to show in a concrete case that the area of a rectangle
with whole-number side lengths a and b + c is the sum of a x b and a x c. Use area models to
represent the distributive property in mathematical reasoning.
B. Central Focus:
C. Objectives:
1. Students will be able to use manipulatives to independently tile a rectangle, draw a

rectangle and label the side lengths, and solve for area using the A=LxW formula.
2. Students will be able to use manipulatives to independently tile two smaller rectangles
which have resulted from breaking apart a larger rectangle with 2 different colors of
manipulatives.
3. Students will be able to independently calculate the area of the two smaller rectangles,
and add them together to find the total area of the larger rectangle.
D. Assessment Plan:
1. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to use manipulatives to independently
tile a rectangle, draw a rectangle and label the side lengths, and solve for area using the
A=LxW formula by walking around and observing the students working in pairs to create
a rectangle with given side lengths on the board, draw the rectangle on their white boards
and label the side lengths, and calculate the area of the rectangle by using the A=LxW
formula.
2. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to independently tile two smaller
rectangles which have resulted from breaking apart a larger rectangle with 2 different
colors of manipulatives by walking around and observing the students working in pairs to
create two smaller rectangles by breaking apart a larger rectangle, and tiling these two
smaller rectangles with 2 different colors of manipulatives.
3. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to independently calculate the area of
the two smaller rectangles and adding them together to find the total area of the larger
rectangle by walking around and observing the students working in pairs to calculate the
area of the two smaller rectangles, and adding them together to find the total area of the
larger rectangle.
2. The teacher will draw a rectangle on the large white board, partition it into squares, label the side lengths
(10 and 4), and then ask if anyone can tell her how to solve for the area of the rectangle.
3. The teacher will call on students with their hands raised, and if they respond, Multiply the length times the
width, she will verbally praise them. If not, she will walk them through the process of correctly finding the
area using the A=LxW formula.
4. Next she will solve the problem and label her answer (A=10x4, A=40).
5. At this point the teacher will split her rectangle in half vertically, and ask the students how they might solve
for area of the larger rectangle if it is broken into two smaller rectangles. This will encourage the students
to use higher level thinking in the very beginning of the lesson.
1. After the anticipatory set has ended, and the teacher has listened to student responses and responded with
Nice thinking, Maybe that could work, or Lets find out if you are right, the teacher will say, Well,
why dont we use what we already know. We already know how to solve for the area of a rectangle with
two side lengths, so why dont we start there!
2. At this point the teacher will color the squares in the new smaller rectangle to the left blue, and she will
color the squares in the new smaller rectangle to the right red.
3. She will then ask, What are the side lengths of my blue rectangle?
4. She will call on students with raised hands and verbally praise any student that answers, 4 and 5. She will
also correct any students who offer an incorrect answer, and count the unit squares on the blue rectangle to
illustrate how she came up with the new side lengths.
5. The teacher will go through the same process with the red rectangle.
6. Next she will ask, Can anyone tell me how to find the area of my new blue rectangle?
7. The teacher will then call on students with raised hands and verbally praise any student that answers,
Multiply 5 times 4. She will also correct any students who offer an incorrect answer, and remind them
that A=LxW, and in the case of the blue rectangle that formula is 5x4.
8. The teacher will go through the same process with the red rectangle.
9. At this point the teacher will state, Well, now I know the areas of the 2 smaller rectangles that make up my
large rectangle. Look what happens when I add these two areas together.
10. The teacher will add the area of the blue rectangle (20), to the area of the red rectangle (20), for a total of
40.
11. After writing this equation on the board the teacher will ask the students, Where have I seen this number
before? OH! Its the area of the large rectangle! So, we split the large rectangle into two smaller rectangles,
found the areas of the 2 smaller rectangles, and added them together to find the area of the larger rectangle.
Hmmmm...the process of breaking something large into smaller pieces so it is easier to solve.I know
we have done this beforeit has a namecan anyone tell me what it is?
12. At this point the teacher is trying to activate the prior knowledge of the students by reminding them that the
Distributive Property involves breaking something into smaller pieces so it is easier to solve.
13. The teacher will call on students with their hands raised, and if anyone answers Distributive Property she
will verbally praise that student.
14. At this point the teacher will write Distributive Property up on the large white board. She will again
inform students that thats what they are doing when they break a rectangle into smaller parts, and tell them
to keep that in mind as the lesson continues.
15. The teacher will then inform students that they will be working in pairs to tile rectangles and solve for area.
students, and that the two ENL students are not together so that they can partner with an English speaking
peer model, and practice their English in a more relaxed setting. The teacher will also be sure not to pair
any of the students who have AIS together, so that they will have the opportunity to interact with other
peers. This demonstrates CRT on the part of the teacher, as well as accommodations for the students.
17. After the pairs have been announced the teacher will instruct one member of the group to go to the back
table to get a baggy of 40 unit squares (20 blue and 20 red), and the other member to get out their
individual white board to show their work.
18. Once the students have paired up and found a space to work, the teacher will go over to the large white
board and draw a large rectangle partitioned into unit squares (length=7, width=2).
19. The students will be instructed to use the blue manipulatives to create the rectangle, draw the rectangle on
their white boards, label the side lengths, and solve for the area of the rectangle using the formula A=LxW.
20. While the students are working, the teacher will walk around and formally assess that they are able to: 1.)
Use manipulatives to independently tile a rectangle, 2.) Draw a rectangle and label the side lengths, and 3.)
Solve for area of a rectangle.
21. Once all groups have finished this step and been assessed, the teacher will go up to the white board and
draw a line dividing the rectangle into two smaller rectangles. One with side lengths 3 and 2, the other with
side lengths 4 and 2.
22. She will then instruct her students to use blue tiles to represent the new smaller rectangle on the left, and
the red tiles to represent the new smaller rectangle on the right.
23. While the students are working, the teacher will walk around and formally assess that they are able to use 2
different colors of manipulatives to independently tile two smaller rectangles which have resulted from
breaking apart a larger rectangle.
24. Once all groups have finished this step and been assessed, the teacher will instruct them to use the A=LxW
formula to solve for the areas of each of the smaller rectangles, and then add them together to find the area
of the larger rectangle.
25. While the students are working, the teacher will walk around and formally assess that they are able to
independently calculate the area of the two smaller rectangles, and add them together to find the total area
of the larger rectangle.
26. After they have all finished working, the teacher will go up to the white board and walk the students
through the problem.
27. She will again remind them that instead of just using the A=LxW formula to solve for the area of the larger
rectangle, they used the distributive property to break the large rectangle into two smaller rectangles, and
then added the areas of those two rectangles together to find the area of the larger rectangle.
G. Closing:
1. The teacher will review the main concepts covered in class including: distributive
property, calculating area, multiplying side lengths, and Area equals Length times Width
(A=LxW).
2. Our homework for this evening (attached-pg. 9) will reinforce the information we learned,
and will provide students with additional practice of labeling side lengths of rectangles, breaking
apart a larger rectangle into two smaller rectangles, calculating area using the formula A=LxW,
and adding the areas of 2 smaller rectangles to solve for the area of a larger rectangle
(distributive property).
3. Students are instructed to label the side lengths of 3 different rectangles, break each
rectangle into two smaller rectangles, solve for the areas of each of the smaller rectangles using
the A=LxW formula, and calculate the area of the larger rectangle by adding the areas of each of
the smaller rectangles together.
III. Reflection:
2. Accommodations:

styles. The lesson included demonstrations on the white board of how to calculate area using
the distributive property, direct instruction, and drill and practice when students were asked
to use the manipulatives to form various rectangles. Oral instruction was used throughout the
lesson as well as teacher modeling.

Students should be able to draw a rectangle and partition it into an equal number of squares
Students may believe that the only way to solve for the area of a rectangle is to multiply the length times the
width. This is not the case. Larger rectangles may be broken down into smaller rectangles, and adding the areas
of these two smaller rectangles also results in finding the area of the larger rectangle. This is known as the
Distributive Property, and it is the responsibility of the teacher to make sure that all of his/her students are
aware of this property and how to correctly apply it.
Academic language which was central to the lesson consisted of the following content vocabulary: area,
multiplication, distributive property, side lengths, width, length, and formula.
I. LESSON DATA:

E. Lesson Topic Using the Distributive Property to Calculate Area
G. Materials:
White Board
Smart Board
BrainPOP video:
https://www.brainpop.com/math/numbersandoperations/distributiveproperty/
Dry erase markers
A. Standards:

Grade: 3
multiplication and addition. c. Use tiling to show in a concrete case that the area of a rectangle
with whole-number side lengths a and b + c is the sum of a x b and a x c. Use area models to
represent the distributive property in mathematical reasoning.
B. Central Focus:
C. Objectives:
1. Students will be able to independently calculate the area of various rectangles using the
formula A(B+C) = AB + AC, which is representative of the distributive property.
D. Assessment Plan:
1. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to independently calculate the area of
various rectangles using formula A(B+C) = AB + AC, which is representative of the
distributive property, by walking around while the students are working in pairs to calculate
the area of various rectangles using the formula
A(B+C) =AB+AC, which is representative of the distributive property.
1. Upon entrance into the classroom the teacher will instruct the students to have a seat at
their desks and focus their attention towards the front of the room on the smartboard.
2. The teacher will then tell the students that they are going to watch a BrainPOP video to
review what they learned yesterday, which was using the distributive property to
calculate the area of a rectangle.
3. To further activate their prior knowledge, the teacher will remind the students that they
accomplished this by dividing a large rectangle into two smaller rectangles, calculating
the areas of the two smaller rectangles, and then adding them together to find the area of
the larger rectangle.
4. The teacher will tell the students not to be surprised or scared by the formula at the end of
the video, because they will go over it in detail together.
5. To further put them at ease, the teacher will inform the students that although the formula
appears to be complicated, it is actually quite simple, and is in fact the same thing they
did in yesterdays lesson, nothing new.
6. At this point the teacher will play the video.
1. After the anticipatory set has ended, the teacher will draw the formula that the video
introduced up on the white board: A(B+C) = AB+AC
2. She will then acknowledge that the students might be feeling that the formula looks
complicated, but when they work through the problem illustrated in the video together
they will realize that it is the same exact concept that they had been working on the day
before: using the distributive property to solve for area.
3. The teacher will draw a rectangle up on the white board with a width of 5, and a length of
15, which were the numbers used in the example in the video.
4. She will then divide the rectangle into two smaller rectangles with the width remaining
the same for both, and the new length of the rectangle on the left being 4, and the new
length of the rectangle on the right being 11.
5. The teacher will then ask the class, When we were using the distributive property to
solve for area yesterday, what did we do at this point?
6. The teacher will look for students with their hands raised, and listen to responses. If a
student offers a response of Calculate the areas of the two new rectangles! the teacher
will respond with verbal praise and proceed to calculate the two areas of the new
rectangles using the A=LxW formula (A=4x5, A=11x5; A=20 A=55). If a student offers
an incorrect response the teacher will inform them of what the correct next step in the
process is.
7. After the areas of the two new rectangles have been calculated, the teacher will again ask
the students what the next step in the process is.
8. Again, she will look for students with their hands raised, and listen to responses. If a
student offers a correct response of Add the two areas together to get the area of the
large rectangle! the teacher will respond with verbal praise and proceed to add the areas
of the two rectangles together to calculate the area of the large rectangle (20+55=75). If a
student offers an incorrect response the teacher will inform them of what the correct next
step in the process is.
9. After the teacher has calculated the area of the larger rectangle by adding together the
areas of the two smaller rectangles together, she will circle the answer. She will then say
to the students, WATCH THIS!
10. At this point the teacher will go back to the formula introduced in the video.
11. She will enter the lengths and widths of the smaller rectangles, and solve the equation.
A(B+C)=AB + AC
5(4+11) = 5(4) + 5(11)
5(15) = 20+55
75= 75
12. The teacher will excitedly ask the students, Isnt that awesome?! All throughout
yesterdays lesson you guys were using this formula to calculate for area, and you didnt
even realize it!
13. She will then inform her students that todays lesson will continue to focus on calculating
the area of rectangles using the distributive property, and that they they will be expected
to show their work as modeled after the formula A(B+C)=AB+AC, which is
representative of the distributive property.
14. The teacher will then erase the white board, and rewrite the formula A(B+C)=AB+AC.
15. The teacher will also draw a large rectangle divided into two smaller rectangles, both
having a width of A, the left rectangle having a length of B, and the right rectangle
having a length of C.
B C
The width is A
16. The teacher will inform the students to use the formula, and the model to help them when
using the distributive property to calculate the area of various rectangles.
17. At this point the teacher will inform the students that they will be working in pairs.
18. The teacher will select the pairs, and will make sure that strong math students are paired
with struggling students, and that the two ENL students are not together so that they can
partner with an English speaking peer model, and practice their English in a more relaxed
setting. The teacher will also be sure not to pair any of the students who have AIS
together, so that they will have the opportunity to interact with other peers. This will
demonstrate CRT on the part of the teacher, and accommodate students with needs as
well.
19. After the pairs have been announced the teacher will instruct the students to take out their
individual white boards, and find a spot to work with their partners.
20. At this point the teacher will draw a rectangle on the board, divide it into two smaller
rectangles, and label the width, and lengths of both smaller rectangles. (5, 6 and 11).
21. The students will be instructed to solve for the area of the larger rectangle by using the
A(B+C)=AB+AC formula which is representative of the distributive property.
22. While the students are working the teacher will walk around to assess that they are able to
independently calculate the area of the rectangle using the formula
23. After the teacher has finished assessing the students she will go up to the white board and
solve the equation. She will ask if there are any questions. If so, she will answer them. If
not, she will erase the white board and go through the same process 3 more times with the
side lengths of (3, 5 and 8), (6, 6 and 10), and (8, 4 and 9). Each time she will walk
around to assess the students while they are working, calculate the area correctly on the
board, and answer any question students might have.
G. Closing:
1. The teacher will review the main concepts covered in class including: distributive
property, calculating area, and A(B+C)=AB+AC.
2. Our homework for this evening (attached-pg. 7) will reinforce the information learned, and
will provide students with additional practice of calculating area of various rectangles using the
distributive property.
3. Students are instructed to calculate the area of various rectangles using the formula
III. Reflection:
2. Accommodations:

styles. The lesson included demonstrations on the white board of how to calculate area using
the distributive property, direct instruction and oral instruction were used throughout the
lesson, as well as teacher modeling.
This allowed those students the opportunity to work with peers they dont often interact with.

Students should be able to put numbers into a specific formula to solve an equation
Students may believe that the only way to solve for the area of a rectangle is to multiply the
length times the width. This is not the case. Larger rectangles may be broken down into
smaller rectangles, and adding the areas of these two smaller rectangles also results in finding
the area of the larger rectangle. This is known as the Distributive Property, and it is the
responsibility of the teacher to make sure that all of his/her students are aware of this
property and how to correctly apply it.
Academic language which was central to the lesson consisted of the following content
vocabulary: area, multiplication, distributive property, side lengths, width, length, and
formula.
discussions.
I. LESSON DATA:

E. Lesson Topic Calculating Area of Rectilinear Figures
G. Materials:
White Board
Dry erase markers
A. Standards:

Grade: 3
multiplication and addition. d. Recognize area as additive. Find areas of rectilinear figures by
decomposing them into non-overlapping rectangles and adding the areas of the non-
overlapping parts, applying this technique to solve real world problems.
B. Central Focus:
C. Objectives:
1. Students will be able to independently decompose rectilinear figures into two non-
overlapping rectangles.
2. Students will be able to independently label the side lengths of the new rectangles, and
enter them into the A=LxW formula to calculate their areas.
3. Students will be able to independently add the areas of the two new rectangles together
to find the area of the original rectilinear figure.
D. Assessment Plan:
1. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to independently decompose

rectilinear figures into non-overlapping rectangles by walking around and observing the
students working in pairs as they attempt to decompose rectilinear figures into non-
overlapping rectangles on their white boards.
2. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to independently label the side
lengths of the new rectangles and enter them into the A=LxW formula to calculate their
areas by walking around and observing the students working in pairs as they attempt to
label the side lengths of the new rectangles and calculate the areas on their white boards.
3. The teacher will formatively assess students ability to independently add the areas of the
new rectangles together to find the area of the original rectilinear figure by walking
around and observing the students working in pairs as they attempt to find the area of the
original rectilinear figure by adding together the areas of the rectangles on their white
boards.
1. Upon entrance into the classroom the teacher will instruct the students to have a seat at
their desks and focus their attention towards the front of the room on the white board.
2. She will attempt to activate prior knowledge by reminding them that this math unit has
been about calculating area, but so far they have only calculated the area of rectangles.
What about other shapes?
3. At this point the teacher will draw a rectilinear shape on the board with one row of 6 unit
squares connected to one column of 3 unit squares.
4. She will then acknowledge that the students might be thinking it will be difficult to find
the area of a shape like this because you cant simply multiply the length times the width.
5. She will acknowledge that they are correct, the area cannot be found using the A=LxW
formula, however it is not as difficult as they might think.
6. The teacher will then draw a line separating the shape into one row of 6 unit squares, and
a separate column of 2 unit squares.
7. She will inform the students that she has taken a random shape, and decomposed it into
two rectangles. Why? Because we know the formula to solve the area of a rectangle, so
now all we have to do is solve the area of the 2 new rectangles, add them together, and
we have the area of the original shape!
8. The teacher will then calculate the area of both rectangles (2 and 6), and add them
together to get the area of the original rectilinear shape (8).
9. The teacher will again reassure the students that even though the shapes may look
complicated, often finding the area of them is not.
1. The teacher will draw another rectilinear shape on the board. This time with three rows of
4 unit squares, 1 column of 8 unit squares attached.
2. She will draw a line separating the shape into three rows of 4 unit squares, and one
column of 5 unit squares.
3. Again she will calculate the area of both rectangles (12 and 5), and then add them
together to get the area of the original rectilinear shape.
4. At this point the teacher will inform students that they will be working in pairs to: 1.)
Decompose rectilinear figures into non-overlapping rectangles, 2.) Label the side lengths
of the new rectangles and enter them into the A=LxW formula, and 3.) Add the areas of
the two new rectangles together to find the area of the original rectilinear figure.
5. The teacher will list these 3 steps up on the white board so students will remember what
is required of them when working with a partner.
6. The teacher will select the pairs, and will make sure that strong math students are paired
with struggling students, and that the two ENL students are not together so that they can
partner with an English speaking peer model, and practice their English in a more relaxed
setting. The teacher will also be sure not to pair any of the students who have AIS
together, so that they will have the opportunity to interact with other peers. This will
demonstrate CRT on the part of the teacher, as well as accommodate the needs of
students.
7. After the pairs have been announced the teacher will draw three rectilinear figures on the
white board, and instruct the students get together with their partners to decompose the
three figures into 6 rectangles on their individual white boards.
8. While the students are working with their partners, the teacher will walk around to
formatively assess that they are able to decompose a rectilinear figure into two non-
overlapping rectangles on their white boards.
9. After this formative assessment is complete the teacher will instruct the students to
independently label the side lengths of the new rectangles, and enter them into the
A=LxW formula to calculate the areas of the two new rectangles.
formatively assess that they are able to independently label the side lengths of the
rectangles, and enter them into the A=LxW formula to calculate the areas of the two new
rectangles on their white boards.
11. After this formative assessment is complete the teacher will instruct the students to
independently add the areas of the two new rectangles together to find the area of the
original rectilinear figure.
formatively assess that they able to independently add the areas of the two new rectangles
together to find the area of the original rectilinear figure on their white boards.
13. Once all groups have finished this final step and been assessed, the teacher will instruct
them to return to their desks, and put their white boards away.
G. Closing:
1. The teacher will review the main concepts covered in class including: calculating area,
multiplying side lengths, Area equals Length times Width (A=LxW), decomposing rectilinear
figures, over-lapping rectangles, and labeling side lengths.
2. The homework for this evening will reinforce the information learned, and will provide
students with additional practice of decomposing rectilinear figures, labeling side lengths, and
calculating the area of various rectilinear figures and rectangles.
3. Students are instructed to: 1.) Create 3 of their own rectilinear figures, 2.) Decompose the
figures into two non-overlapping rectangles, 3.) Label the side lengths of the rectangles, 4.)
Calculate the areas of the new rectangles using the A=LxW formula, and 5.) Find the area of
the original rectilinear figure by adding the areas of the two rectangles together.
III. Reflection:
2. Accommodations:

styles. The lesson included demonstrations on the white board of how to decompose
rectilinear figures and calculate the area of rectangles, both direct instruction and oral
instruction were used throughout the lesson, as well as teacher modeling.

Students should be able to draw rectangles
Students may believe that it is difficult, or impossible to calculate area when you are not able
to immediately multiply the side lengths of a shape. This is not the case. Shapes can often be
decomposed into smaller figures, at which point you may be able to apply the A=LxW
formula to calculate area of the smaller shapes, and then add them together to find the area of
the original shape. It is the job of the teacher to make sure that students are aware of this
helpful strategy for solving area of rectilinear shapes.
Academic language which was central to the lesson consisted of the following content
vocabulary: area, decompose, side lengths, rectilinear, figure, width, length, and formula.
discussions.
APPENDIX A
REAL WORLD WORD PROBLEMS WORKSHEET
1.) Sam has a rectangular garden in his back yard. It measures 9 ft. by 6ft. What is the
total size of Sams garden?
2.) Molly wants to play a board game with her friend. The rectangular game board
measures 10 in. by 8 in. How much space will the board take up on Mollys dining
room table?
3.) Trevor has to carpet his new living room floor. The rectangular floor measures 7yd.
by 6yd. How much carpet does Trevor need to cover his entire floor?
4.) David wants to hang a new picture up on his wall. The rectangular frame measures
12 in. by 10in. How much space on his wall will the picture cover up?
APPENDIX B
REAL WORLD WORD PROBLEMS HOMEWORK
1.) Melissa has a rectangular sandbox in her back yard. It measures 5 ft. by 4ft. What is
the total size of Melissas sandbox?
2.) Karen wants to play Twister with her friend. The rectangular mat measures 6ft. by
5ft. How much space will the mat take up on Karens floor?
3.) Dennis has to purchase a cover for his rectangular pool. The pool measures 4yd. by
6yd. How large will his pool cover have to be?
4.) Christina wants to mail a picture she made to her mother. The rectangular picture
measures 12in. by 8in. What size envelope does Christina need?
APPENDIX C
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
DIRECTIONS: 1.) Label the side lengths of the following 3 rectangles, 2.) Break each rectangle
into two smaller rectangles, 3.) Solve for the areas of each of the smaller rectangles using the
A=LxW formula, and 4.) Calculate the area of the larger rectangle by adding the areas of each of
the smaller rectangles together. SHOW YOUR WORK!
APPENDIX D
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Directions: calculate the area of the large rectangles using the formula A(B+C) =AB+AC.
Use the model below for help.
B C
The width is A
4 7
The width is 2
8 11
The width is 3
6 7
The width is 5
REFERENCES
Video about Area:

https://jr.brainpop.com/math/measurements/area/
Video about Distributive Property:

Rationale
I included an area unit plan in my portfolio to demonstrate that I am absolutely
competent, and familiar with mathematics at the elementary level, and I am able to break down a
unit worth of concepts into multiple lessons to teach to my students. Laying out an entire unit
ahead of time to make sure that all of the important concepts are covered, and enough time is
available to teach all of the material to the students is a best teaching practice.
Artifact #8: Pecha Kucha Presentation
Nicole Barry
Autism Pecha Kucha Transcript
Slide 1
What is Autism? Autistic Disorder, or Autism, is a complex neurological disorder characterized
by 3 main features: Repetitive, restrictive behaviors, problems socializing with others, and
difficulty communicating. Autism is part of a group of disorders known as Pervasive
Developmental Disorders, which are also known as Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Slide 2
Autism is considered pervasive because it affects multiple aspects of a persons life. The degree
to which an individual is affected by Autism varies greatly. Some individuals are diagnosed as
high-functioning, whereas others have severe delays. Therefore, Autism Spectrum Disorders are
often represented as a rainbow-to show the range of multiple disabilities on the spectrum.
Slide 3
There is no known cause for Autism. While much research has been done, people are still
puzzled as to what causes the disorder. Many theories are floating around, but no single cause for
Autism has been identified, and no specific gene has been labeled the autism gene. The
complexity and mystery of the disorder is why Autism is often represented by a puzzle piece.
Slide 4
There is no known cure for Autism. It is a life-long disorder often diagnosed before the age of 3.
What are some early signs of Autism? Repetitive movements such as hand-flapping or body
rocking, poor eye contact, difficulty producing and understanding language, poor social skills,
difficulty with changes in routine, and over-sensitivity to sounds.
Slide 5
How is a child ultimately diagnosed with Autism? After early signs are observed, comprehensive
evaluations are performed by licensed psychologists or physicians to determine if certain
observable behaviors are present in the 3 core areas of: Communication, socialization, and
repetitive/restrictive behaviors.
Slide 6
In order to receive a diagnosis of Autism, the behaviors observed must have a significant impact
on the daily life of the individual. Currently in the United States Autism is diagnosed in 1 out of
every 68 children. Thats 1 out of every 54 boys. In fact, Autism is diagnosed 4 times more often
in boys than in girls.
Slide 7
Specific developmental assessments are often performed on individuals with Autism including
speech and language, gross motor skills, academic skills, adaptive behaviors, intelligence, and
hearing assessments. Functional Behavioral Assessments may also be necessary if the individual
is displaying maladaptive or challenging behaviors.
Slide 8
The purpose of an FBA is to determine why a challenging behavior is occurring, and to develop
a plan to reduce the maladaptive behavior and replace it with a new, more appropriate behavior
to serve the same function. The main reasons for the occurrence of maladaptive behaviors
assessed during an FBA are often identified as medical, tangible, escape, sensory, or attention.
Slide 9
Children with Autism communicate in many different ways. Some are verbal, some are non-
verbal and sign, others are non-verbal and may require a communication device. Depending on
the childs abilities this could range from a PECS book (which stands for Picture Exchange
Communication System), to a GoTalk, an IPad, etc.
Slide 10
Early intense intervention is key when it comes to ensuring that children with Autism make
substantial gains in all aspects of their development. An immense amount of time and effort from
teachers, therapists, and parents is required to implement the most effective type of research-
based intervention, which is known as Applied Behavior Analysis.
Slide 11
ABA is basically a very systematic way of delivering instruction, usually on a 1:1 basis. It is
meant to target all areas of development, and to be delivered roughly 25-40 hours per week. Data
is collected daily to see how the child is progressing in all areas, including their academic skills,
OT/PT skills, speech skills, etc.
Slide 12
In the past children with a diagnosis of Autism who required this type of program were sent to an
alternative school, since public schools could not meet their needs. However recently more and
more districts have been creating programs that offer ABA in their elementary, middle, and high
school classrooms.
Slide 13
As far as educational placement goes, it depends entirely on the child. Some children with
Autism require a smaller classroom with multiple staff to assist them when learning. Others
might function at a higher academic level and be able to sit in on lessons with grade level
material. The goal should always be to place the students in the least-restrictive environment.
Slide 14
When it comes to working with a child with Autism educational approaches for teachers may
vary. If you are working in a self-contained classroom, then the suggested approach would be
ABA. If you have a child with Autism that pushes into your room for only part of the day, then
that childs IEP and special education teacher would be your guide.
Slide 15
It is your job to inform yourself. Are there any teaching techniques you could implement which
would benefit your student? Are they sensitive to sound? Put the timer for tests on mute. Is it
difficult for them to sit still? Add a movement activity to the lesson as often as possible.
Familiarize yourself with their capabilities ahead of time, and make accommodations.
Slide 16
Teachers working with students with Autism should also educate themselves on non-physical
interventions that might be helpful in the classroom. This includes verbal calming techniques
such as distraction, active listening, positive language, and reassurance, as well as non-verbal
calming techniques such as redirection, planned ignoring, effective use of space, and eye contact.
Slide 17
Also, because socialization is such a struggle for children with Autism, it is important to provide
opportunities for peer interaction daily. Make sure that typical peers remember just because a
student isnt in their room all day doesnt mean they arent part of a class. Acceptance should be
strongly encouraged, as well as respect, compassion, mindfulness.
Slide 18
Two texts which illustrate these concepts beautifully are: 1.) A Friend Like Simon, by Kate
Gaynot, and I See Things Differently-A First Look at Autism, by Pat Thomas. Both books
would be a great addition to any classroom library, and would ignite an informative
classroom discussion about Autism.
Slide 19
There are 2 terrific websites for parents and co-teachers to check out when researching Autism.
The first is: www.autismresearchnetwork.org. The second is an interactive autism website that
connects families of individuals with Autism. That is: www.iancommunity.org.
Slide 20
Learning to teach a child with Autism is a unique process. It can be compared to Gardners
Theory of Multiple Intelligences in that each child with Autism learns differently, and it is up to
us to find out how best to reach each individual child. I hope you have enjoyed the presentation.
Thanks for watching!
References
www.autismresearchnetwork.org
www.iancommunity.org
www.thesummitcenter.org
Rationale
I included my pecha kucha project in the portfolio to show that I am comfortable both
creating and introducing material to my students. The topic of Autism is one that I am extremely
passionate, and knowledgeable about. I feel that a best teaching practice is to introduce material
to students in various ways to catch their attention. It is also a best teaching practice to encourage
creativity, and offer multiple ways that students can create projects to demonstate their
knowledge of topics.
Artifact #9: Letter of Recommendation from Associating Teacher for Second Student
Teaching Placement-4th Grade
Clarence Center Elementary

9600 Clarence Center Road
Clarence, NY 14031
June 2017
To whom it may concern:
I am writing this letter of recommendation on behalf of Nicole Barry. I have been a teacher for
about thirty years with a permanent certification as an elementary teacher and a reading
specialist. Nicole was a student teacher in my class. She did an outstanding job in my classroom.
She is intelligent, dependable and gets along well with teachers and staff. She goes beyond the
minimum requirements and does this willingly and with a smile on her face. She plans and
teaches relevant lessons. Nicole takes advice easily from more experienced teachers, so that she
can learn and grow to perfect her craft. She has a quiet confidence that is admirable in a young
teacher and is always well prepared, has good attendance and is punctual. Most importantly,
students and parents, love her. She helps the students to be successful and work toward meeting
the standards. Nicole would be an asset to any school and in any position available. Feel free to
contact me at any time to discuss this well qualified candidate.
Sincerely
Susan Dubill
(716) 407-9150 work
(716) 759-6085 - home
Rationale
I included this letter of recommendation in my portfolio because it mentions details about
me as an educator that cannot be seen by viewing my collective work. The experienced educator
who supervised me on a daily basis for months speaks to my overall character, work ethic, ability
to work with other colleagues in the field, everyday attitude and demeanor, ability to take
instruction, and professional, positive relationships with both students and parents. I feel that this
letter serves as not only an extremely accurate description of me as an educator today, but also as
an indicator of my extreme passion and willingness to continue to learn and grow into the best
educator that I can possibly be.
Conclusion
Unit plans, lesson plans, annotated bibliographies, presentations, letters of
recommendation. In this section I have incorporated artifacts which I feel demonstrate my best
teaching practices. Doing adequate research, being prepared with all necessary materials,
changing up how lessons are presented to keep students engaged, being knowledgeable about
material being presented, keeping all types of learners in mind when teaching, planning ahead to
ensure enough time is available to cover all important concepts, creating fair and differentiated
assessments, being a respectful colleague, creating positive relationships with both students and
parents, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed creating, teaching, and learning from each and every lesson I
prepared. I have also enjoyed this opportunity to reflect once again on the lessons that I have
taught, as the reflection process works for me as a motivating factor to better myself as an
educator.
Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum & Professional Standards
Introduction
In this section I will break down the different standards represented by each of the
artifacts that I have chosen to include in my portfolio. These standards include: Interstate New
Teacher Assessment Support Consortium Standards (INTASC), which prepare and support new
teachers with professional development, NYS Code of Ethics for Educators Standards, which
sets clear expectations and principles to guide practice and inspire professional excellence, NYS
P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for ELA, Math and Social Studies, NYS Learning
Standards, TEAC/CAEP Claims which are commitments made by Medaille College to ensure
that their graduates are professionally ready and competent to become school teachers,
International Society for Technology Education for Teachers and Students Standards (ISTE),
which focus on the implementation of technology into lessons within the classroom, and
International Literacy Association Professional Standards.
Curriculum & Professional Educational Standards
Artifact #1 that I chose to include in my portfolio is an annotated bibliography. I selected
it because it shows that I have content knowledge, and that I am able to research, comprehend,
and analyze current topics in education.
Artifact #2 that I chose to include in my portfolio is a science lesson plan: Finding
Electrical Paths Through Hidden Circuits. I selected this lesson plan because it showcases my
instructional strategies, science content knowledge, promotion of student learning,
knowledge of subject matter, use of technology, familiarity with both Common Core and
NYS learning standards, and best teaching practices.

Artifact #3 that I chose to include in my portfolio is an ELA Guided Reading Lesson Plan:
Using Non-Fiction Text Features to Help Comprehend Text. I selected this lesson plan because not only
does it showcase my instructional strategies, ELA content knowledge, promotion of student
learning, knowledge of subject matter, familiarity with both Common Core and NYS learning
standards, and best teaching practices, but it also shows my curriculum instruction in a literate
environment.
Artifact #4 that I chose to include in my portfolio is a math lesson plan about using math
drawings to represent addition. Similar to the previously mentioned science lesson plan, this lesson plan
showcases my instructional strategies, math content knowledge, promotion of student learning,
knowledge of subject matter, use of technology, familiarity with both Common Core and NYS
learning standards, and best teaching practices.
Artifact #5 that I chose to include in my portfolio is a social studies lesson plan about
immigrant life in America in the early 1900s. Again, this lesson plan demonstrates my
instructional strategies, social studies content knowledge, promotion of student learning,
knowledge of subject matter, use of technology, familiarity with both Common Core and
NYS learning standards, and best teaching practices.
Artifact #6 that I chose to include in my portfolio is an immigration test that I created to
assess the students at the end of a unit on immigration. It is related to the standards as it
demonstrates my assessment strategies, social studies content knowledge, knowledge of the
subject matter, and best teaching practices.
Artifact #7 that I chose to include in my portfolio is a math unit focused on area. This
unit plan showcases my instructional strategies, math content knowledge, promotion of
student learning, knowledge of the subject matter, use of technology, familiarity with both
Common Core and NYS learning standards, and best teaching practices.
Artifact #8 that I chose to include in my portfolio is a pecha kucha presentation about
autism. This particular presentation showcases my knowledge of the subject matter, use of
technology, and content knowledge.
Artifact #9 that I chose to include in my portfolio is a letter of recommendation from a
fellow educator who I student taught with. It does not align with the standards, but is a good
representation of all the areas that I am competent in as a future educator.
Curriculum and Professional Standards Chart

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Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum & Professional Standards Chart
Artifact Title INTASC NYS Code of NYS NYS TEAC/ ISTE ILA CEC Ontario Ontario
Standards Ethics P-12 Common Learning CAEP Standards International Standards Curriculum Teacher
Standards Core Learning Standards Claims for Literacy Standards Ethical
for Standards Teachers Association Standar
Educators and/or Professional ds
Students Standards
Artifact #1: Content: N/A N/A N/A Claim 1: N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Annotated Standard 4: Subject
Bibliography Content matter
Knowledge
Claim 2:
Pedagogy
& Best
Teaching
Practices
Artifact #2: Learner & Principle 2: 1. NYS 1. NYS Claim 1: Teacher N/A N/A N/A N/A
Finding Learning: Promote Learning Learning Subject Standard 1:
Electrical Paths Standard #2: Student Standards for Standards for matter Facilitate
Through Learning Learning Mathematics, Mathematics, and inspire
Hidden Circuits Differences: Science, and Science, and Claim 2: student
Technology: Technology: Pedagogy learning and
Instructional Elementary Elementary & Best creativity.
Practices: Science Core Science Core Teaching Student
Standard #8 Curriculum for Curriculum Practices Standard 1:
Instructional Grades K-4 for Grades K- Creativity
Strategies Key Idea: 3. 4 and
Matter is made Key Idea: 3. innovation.
Content: up of particles Matter is
Standard 4: whose made up of
Content properties particles
Knowledge determine the whose
observable properties
characteristics determine the
of matter and observable
its reactivity. characteristic
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Performance s of matter
Indicator: 3.1. and its
Observe and reactivity.
describe Performance
properties of Indicator: 3.1.
materials, using Observe and
appropriate describe
tools. properties of
Major materials,
Understanding: using
3.1e. The appropriate
material(s) an tools.
object is made Major
up of determine Understandin
some specific g: 3.1e. The
properties of material(s) an
the object object is
(sink/float, made up of
conductivity, determine
magnetism). some specific
Properties can properties of
be observed or the object
measured with (sink/float,
tools such as conductivity,
hand lenses, magnetism).
metric rulers, Properties
thermometers, can be
balances, observed or
magnets, measured
circuit testers, with tools
and graduated such as hand
cylinders. lenses, metric
rulers,
thermometers
, balances,
magnets,
circuit testers,
and graduated
cylinders.
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Artifact #3: Instructional Principle 2: NYS P-12 NYS P-12 Claim 1: N/A Standard 2: N/A N/A N/A
ELA Guided Practices: Promote Common Core Common Subject Curriculum
Reading: Using Standard #8 Student Learning Core matter Instruction
Non-Fiction Instructional Learning Standards Learning
Text Features Strategies English Standards Claim 2: Standard 3:
to Help Language Arts English Pedagogy Assessment &
Comprehend Content: & Literacy Language & Best Evaluation
Text Standard 4: Standard Arts & Teaching
Content Strand: Literacy Practices Standard 5:
Knowledge Reading Literate
Informational Standard Environment
Text Strand:
Grade: 2 Reading
Informational
Topic: Craft Text
and Structure
Item Number Grade: 2
and Statement:
RI.2.5 Know Topic: Craft
and use various and Structure
text features
(e.g., captions, Item Number
bold print, and
subheadings, Statement:
glossaries, RI.2.5 Know
indexes, and use
electronic various text
menus, icons) features (e.g.,
to locate key captions,
facts or bold print,
information in subheadings,
a text glossaries,
efficiently. indexes,
electronic
2. NYS P-12 menus, icons)
Common Core to locate key
Learning facts or
Standards information
English in a text
Language Arts efficiently.
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& Literacy
Standard 2. NYS P-12
Strand: Common
Reading Core
Informational Learning
Text Standards
Grade: 2 English
Language
Topic: Range Arts &
of Reading and Literacy
Level of Text Standard
Complexity Strand:
Reading
Item Number Informational
and Statement: Text
RI.2.10 By the
end of the year, Grade: 2
read and
comprehend Topic: Range
informational of Reading
texts, including and Level of
history/social Text
studies, Complexity
science, and
technical texts, Item Number
in the grades 2- and
3 text Statement:
complexity RI.2.10 By
band the end of the
proficiently, year, read and
with comprehend
scaffolding as informational
needed at the texts,
high end including
of the range. history/social
studies,
3. NYS P-12 science, and
Common Core technical
Learning texts, in the
Standards grades 2-3
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English text
Language Arts complexity
& Literacy band
Standard proficiently,
Strand: with
Speaking & scaffolding as
Listening needed at the
high end
Grade: 2 of the range.
Topic: 3. NYS P-12

Comprehension Common
and Core
Collaboration Learning
Standards
Item Number English
and Statement: Language
SL.2.2 Recount Arts &
or describe key Literacy
ideas or details Standard
from a text read Strand:
aloud or Speaking &
information Listening
presented
orally or Grade: 2
through other
media. Topic:
Comprehensi
on and
Collaboration
Item Number
and
Statement:
SL.2.2
Recount or
describe key
ideas or
details from a
text read
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aloud or
information
presented
orally or
through other
media.
Artifact #4: Learner & Principle 2: NYS P-12 NYS P-12 Claim 1: Teacher N/A N/A N/A N/A
Using Math Learning: Promote Common Core Common Subject Standard 1:
Drawings to Standard #2: Student Learning Core matter Facilitate
Represent Learning Learning Standards for Learning and inspire
Addition Differences: Mathematics: Standards for Claim 2: student
Domain: Mathematics: Pedagogy learning and
Instructional Number & Domain: & Best creativity.
Practices: Operations in Number & Teaching Student
Standard #8 Base Ten-4. Operations in Practices Standard 1:
Instructional N.B.T. Base Ten-4. Creativity
Strategies Grade: 2 N.B.T. and
Cluster Grade: 2 innovation
Content: Heading: Use Cluster
Standard 4: place value Heading: Use
Content understanding place value
Knowledge and properties understanding
of operations to and
add and properties of
subtract. operations to
Standard add and
Number(s) and subtract.
Statement(s): 7. Standard
Add and Number(s)
subtract within and
1000, using Statement(s):
concrete 7. Add and
models or subtract
drawings and within 1000,
strategies based using
on place value, concrete
properties models or
of operations, drawings and
and/or the strategies
relationship based on
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between place value,
addition and properties
subtraction; of operations,
relate the and/or the
strategy to a relationship
written method. between
Understand that addition and
in adding or subtraction;
subtracting relate the
three-digit strategy to a
numbers, one written
adds or method.
subtracts Understand
hundreds and that in adding
hundreds, tens or subtracting
and tens, ones three-digit
and ones; and numbers, one
sometimes it is adds or
necessary to subtracts
compose or hundreds and
decompose tens hundreds,
or hundreds. tens and tens,
ones and
ones; and
sometimes it
is necessary
to compose or
decompose
tens or
hundreds.
Artifact #5: Learner & Principle 2: NYS K-12 NYS K-12 Claim 1: Teacher N/A N/A N/A N/A
Social Studies: Learning: Promote Social Studies Social Subject Standard 1:
Immigrant Life Standard #2: Student Framework Studies matter Facilitate
in America in Learning Learning Standard 1: Framework and inspire
the Early 1900s Differences: History of the Standard 1: Claim 2: student
United States History of the Pedagogy learning and
Instructional and New York United States & Best creativity.
Practices: Students will and New Teaching Student
Standard #8 use a variety of York Practices Standard 1:
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Instructional intellectual Students will Creativity
Strategies skills to use a variety and
demonstrate of intellectual innovation
Content: their skills to
Standard 4: understanding demonstrate
Content of major ideas, their
Knowledge eras, themes, understanding
developments, of major
and turning ideas, eras,
points in the themes,
history of the developments
United States , and turning
and New York. points in the
Key Idea: 4.7 history of the
Immigration United States
and Migration and New
from the early York.
1800s to the Key Idea: 4.7
Present: Many Immigration
people have and
immigrated and Migration
migrated to from the early
New York 1800s to the
State Present:
contributing to Many people
its cultural have
growth and immigrated
development. and migrated
(Standards: 1, to New York
3, 4, 5; State
Themes: ID, contributing
MOV, CIV, to its cultural
ECO, EXCH) growth and
Performance development.
Indicator: 4.7a (Standards: 1,
Immigrants 3, 4, 5;
came to New Themes: ID,
York State for MOV, CIV,
a variety of ECO, EXCH)
reasons. Many Performance
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immigrants Indicator:
arriving in New 4.7a
York City were Immigrants
greeted by the came to New
sight of the York State
Statue of for a variety
Liberty and of reasons.
were processed Many
through Ellis immigrants
Island. arriving in
Major New York
Understanding: City were
Students will greeted by the
explore the sight of the
experiences of Statue of
immigrants Liberty and
being were
processed at processed
Ellis Island and through Ellis
what Island.
challenges Major
immigrants Understandin
faced. g: Students
will explore
the
experiences
of immigrants
being
processed at
Ellis Island
and what
challenges
immigrants
faced.
Artifact #6: Content: Principle 2: NYS K-12 NYS K-12 Claim 1: N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Immigration Standard 4: Promote Social Studies Social Subject
Test Content Student Framework Studies matter
Knowledge Learning Standard 1: Framework
History of the Standard 1: Claim 2:
United States History of the Pedagogy
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and New York United States & Best
Students will and New Teaching
use a variety of York Practices
intellectual Students will
skills to use a variety
demonstrate of intellectual
their skills to
understanding demonstrate
of major ideas, their
eras, themes, understanding
developments, of major
and turning ideas, eras,
points in the themes,
history of the developments
United States , and turning
and New York. points in the
Key Idea: 4.7 history of the
Immigration United States
and Migration and New
from the early York.
1800s to the Key Idea: 4.7
Present: Many Immigration
people have and
immigrated and Migration
migrated to from the early
New York 1800s to the
State Present:
contributing to Many people
its cultural have
growth and immigrated
development. and migrated
(Standards: 1, to New York
3, 4, 5; State
Themes: ID, contributing
MOV, CIV, to its cultural
ECO, EXCH) growth and
Performance development.
Indicator: 4.7a (Standards: 1,
Immigrants 3, 4, 5;
came to New Themes: ID,
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York State for MOV, CIV,
a variety of ECO, EXCH)
reasons. Many Performance
immigrants Indicator:
arriving in New 4.7a
York City were Immigrants
greeted by the came to New
sight of the York State
Statue of for a variety
Liberty and of reasons.
were processed Many
through Ellis immigrants
Island. arriving in
Major New York
Understanding: City were
Students will greeted by the
explore the sight of the
experiences of Statue of
immigrants Liberty and
being were
processed at processed
Ellis Island and through Ellis
what Island.
challenges Major
immigrants Understandin
faced. g: Students
will explore
the
experiences
of immigrants
being
processed at
Ellis Island
and what
challenges
immigrants
faced.
Artifact #7: Instructional Principle 2: NYS P-12 NYS P-12 Claim 1: Teacher N/A N/A N/A N/A
Area Unit Plan Practices: Promote Common Core Common Subject Standard 1:
Standard #8 Student Learning Core matter Facilitate
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Instructional Learning Standards for Learning and inspire
Strategies Mathematics: Standards for Claim 2: student
Domain: Mathematics: Pedagogy learning and
Content: Measurement Domain: & Best creativity.
Standard 4: & Data- 3.MD Measurement Teaching Student
Content Grade: 3 & Data- Practices Standard 1:
Knowledge Cluster 3.MD Creativity
Heading: Grade: 3 and
Geometric Clust innovation.
measurement: er Heading:
understand Geometric
concepts of measurement:
area and relate understand
area to concepts of
multiplication area and
and to addition. relate area
Standar to
d Number(s) multiplication
and and to
Statement(s): 7. addition.
Relate area to Stand
the operations ard
of Number(s)
multiplication and
and addition. a. Statement(s):
Find the area of 7. Relate area
a rectangle to the
with whole- operations of
number side multiplication
lengths by and addition.
tiling it, and a. Find the
show that the area of a
area is the same rectangle
as would be with whole-
found by number side
multiplying the lengths by
side lengths. tiling it, and
show that the
area is the
same as
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would be
found by
multiplying
the side
lengths.
Artifact #8: Content: Principle 2: N/A N/A Claim 1: Teacher N/A N/A N/A N/A
Pecha Kucha Standard 4: Promote Subject Standard 1:
Presentation Content Student matter Facilitate
Knowledge Learning and inspire
Claim 2: student
Pedagogy learning and
& Best creativity.
Teaching Student
Practices Standard 1:
Creativity
and
innovation.
Artifact #9: N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Letter of
Recommendati
on from
Associating
Teacher for
Second Student
Teaching
Placement-4th
Grade
Conclusion
This section, with all of the artifacts and details of how they align to multiple standards, is intended to be representative of my familiarity with
multiple curriculum areas, and my competency of how to align my curriculum lessons appropriately to include content required by the standards.
Having selected artifacts from various grade levels and curriculum areas, as well as including an assessment example and a presentation created with
current technology, I believe that I have created a portfolio that is an accurate depiction of my competencies as an educator.
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Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection Guidelines
Introduction
In the following section I will be reflecting on the overall experiences that I have had as a
student in the Medaille Division of Education Program. I will be discussing my current feelings
of readiness and preparation in becoming a teacher, as well as my personal reflection on the
experience of working on my Elementary Portfolio Project. The journey to becoming a teacher
has been a fulfilling and worthwhile one. I appreciate the opportunity to reflect on the process as
a whole, and to take the time to look back on each experience and recognize how it contributed
to my overall preparation in becoming a future educator.
Portfolio Project/Teacher Education Learning Experiences
The beneficial teacher education learning experiences that I have had during this program
have exceeded my expectations. I have observed 7th and 8th grade science and social studies
lessons in the Buffalo School District, student taught 2nd grade in the Maryvale School District,
student taught 4th grade in the Clarence School District, had the opportunity to taught by
professional educators who have shared their experiences working in other districts, states, and
even countries. To say that I have received an excellent higher education at Medaille is an
understatement.
Subject Matter
I feel that this program has very much prepared me with respect to the subject matter in
my certification area of grades 1-6. During my classes, I was asked to create lesson plans with
varying curriculum areas and grade levels. This is demonstrated in my artifacts with a social
studies lesson plan for 4th grade, an assessment for 4th grade, a science lesson plan for 4th grade, a
math unit plan for 3rd grade, a math lesson plan for 2nd grade, and an ELA lesson plan for 2nd
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grade. In addition to the lesson plans, unit plan, and assessment included in the artifacts section
of my portfolio, I also student taught 5th grade math at my Clarence Center placement. I was also
able to observe 1st grade, ELL, and special needs classrooms at both of my placements. I have
absolutely had exposure to multiple areas of curriculum at the elementary level during this
program.
Pedagogy and Best Teaching Practices
Honestly, where do I start? Throughout this program I have witnessed so many wonderful
techniques and best teaching practices that I can hardly begin to list them all. Each superior
educator that I have had the privilege to observe, work with, or been taught by has provided me
with multiple tools to keep in my teacher tool box. Whether they be classroom management
techniques, daily routine ideas, individual behavior plan suggestions, record keeping tips, ideas
for lesson plans, successful ways to communicate with parents, examples of how to implement
technology into lessons, classroom set-up ideas, suggestions on how to meet the needs of diverse
learners, and the list goes on and on. I truly feel that I have been exposed to the best of the best
when it comes to professionals in the field of education. I have truly been inspired by the
wonderful teaching that I was able to witness on a daily basis.
Caring Educators
The idea of being a caring educator goes directly to my basic philosophy of education. It
is my opinion that when students feel that you care, and are genuinely invested in them, they will
strive to do well because they can feel that support, and appreciate it. It is my number one goal as
an educator that each one of my students recognizes that I am invested in them, and that I am
there to support them, whatever they may need. I feel that this can be achieved by showing a
daily interest in their lives-greeting them as they come in, asking follow-up questions,
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remembering how they said they were spending the weekend. To me, this is just as important as
educating them in academics. Caring, and showing an interest in their lives will hopefully
encourage them to do the same for others.
In my opinion, Medaille definitely believes that being a caring teacher is a necessity in
the field of education today. Empathy, compassion, and understanding were topics covered in
almost all of my classes. It is fantastic to see such a focus on what I believe to be the most
important role of a teacher.
Readiness to Become a Teacher
Do I feel ready to become a professional school teacher? I feel confident in my
certification area subject matter. I feel prepared to teach a classroom full of students because of
the best teaching practices I have learned involving classroom management, academic
instruction, appropriate ways to communicate, etc. I feel eager and excited to put the multiple
strategies and techniques I have learned into action in my own classroom. I feel blessed beyond
belief to have the opportunity to meet, educate, and encourage young people just starting to find
their place in the world. Yes, I absolutely feel ready to become a professional school teacher. I
believe I have truly found my passion in life, and it is teaching. I am absolutely thrilled to be
starting this new chapter in my life, and I feel that this program has more than prepared me to be
a successful, professional educator in todays society.
Conclusion
This section provided me the opportunity to reflect on my experiences in this program,
and how I feel that they prepared me for the role of professional school teacher. From learning
how to create lesson/unit plans, to classroom management skills, to integrating technology into
lessons, to being a culturally responsive teacher, to meeting the needs of diverse learners, to
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learning how to successfully communicate with students and teachers, I feel that this program
has absolutely provided me with the necessary skills to become a positive, professional school
teacher. I cant wait to get started!

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Section 6: Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video
Introduction to the Teacher Candidate Interview Video
I felt that the teacher candidate video experience was extremely beneficial, in that it
prepared me for potential questions that future interviewers might ask. The process allowed me
to discover ways to showcase my talents, highlight my abilities, and discuss my educational
experiences in a professional and eloquent way. I absolutely feel prepared to sit down with
potential employers to discuss why I would be an asset to their educational establishment. My
complete teacher candidate interview can be found at:
http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cbivfFlag0
Teacher Candidate Interview Questions & Responses
The following section consists of a list of questions which were answered during my
interview. The answers from the video have been provided in bulleted format.
1.) Briefly share a little about your background experiences that have led you to choose a career
in education?
Undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of New York at Buffalo
1:1 Aide in classroom working with children with Autism
11 years laterlevel 3 TA, ready for own classroom
2.) What have you learned in your teacher training program that will make you an excellent
classroom teacher and colleague?
Be attentive and observant in the classroom at all times
Constantly be assessing student progress
Recognize your own strengths, and the strengths in others
Collaborate and utilize your talents

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3.) Provide us with an example of a lesson you taught. How did you integrate it with other
curriculum areas, and what were the results of the lesson?
Grade 4 Social Studies lesson about immigration in the early 1900s
Students were introduced to the 1900s virtually, then utilized multiple resources to
work in groups to create their own immigrants
The results were fantastic-immigrant stories were detailed, accurate to the time, and
all completely different and imaginative
4.) How will your knowledge of the current trends in education inform you as an educator in our
district/board/school?
Familiar with Culturally Responsive Teaching
Familiar with Differentiated Instruction
Understand the necessity for a positive, safe, and organized learning environment
Familiar with Elementary Common Core Curriculum, and benefits of Daily 5 activities
5.) Why should we hire you instead of the other applicants we have interviewed?
I am
Qualified
Experienced
Dedicated
Motivated
Conclusion
After completing this section, a certain comment that I made in my video keeps
resurfacing when I reflect on this entire process. I am ready. I have known that I wanted to be an
educator for as long as I can remember, I have worked in classrooms for over a decade and loved
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every single moment spent working with children, after this program I know that I am absolutely
prepared, and lastly, I feel extremely passionate, motivated, and excited to finally have the
opportunity to educate the children of today. I am ready.

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References
Video about Area:

https://jr.brainpop.com/math/measurements/area/
Video about Distributive Property:


Nicole Barry Portfolio

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MSED Elementary Portfolio Project

Nicole Marie Barry

An Elementary Portfolio Project submitted to the

Faculty of the Graduate School of Education of

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Science in Education

Section One: Teacher Candidate Introduction to the Elementary Portfolio Project.3-7

Section Two: Teacher Candidate Background Experiences....8-20

Section Three: Teacher Candidate Artifacts.......21-153

Artifact #1: Annotated Bibliography ...22

Help Comprehend Text..44

Artifact #6: Immigration Test100

Artifact #7: Math Unit Plan: Calculating Area..103

Artifact #8: Pecha Kucha Presentation..149

Teaching Placement- 4th Grade152

Section Four: Alignment to Curriculum & Professional Standards .154-169

Section Five: Teacher Candidate Reflection .170-173

Section Six: Teacher Candidate Interview Video ..174-176

Introduction, Overview, & Rationale

on personal reflection is the purpose of creating my Elementary Portfolio Project. Reflection as

first practice what we preach.

Developing this portfolio project is extremely important because it allows me to examine

Am I making sure to differentiate my instruction? Am I teaching in a way that is culturally

responsive? Am I incorporating enough technology into my teaching? Am I successfully

management. Ability to successfully manage a classroom is an absolute necessity for an

classroom management plans must be made. It is sometimes necessary to create individual

discouraged behavior into a more positive one. I am extremely comfortable implementing

multiple classroom management techniques. In addition, I am well-versed with researching and

Portfolio Section Development

teaching practices, such as differentiating instruction, scaffolding information, making

importance of lesson planning, instruction, and classroom management. Another focus of

Theorists, & Experts in the Field of Education part of Section 1.

developing a resume for potential future employers which highlights my educational

background, experience, and skills.

Section 4 of the portfolio will demonstrate my ability as an educator to align my

requirements of the standards into my content.

practices and skills. It is an opportunity to showcase all of my abilities.

Theories, Theorists and Experts in the Field of Education

Howard Gardner, and his Theory of Multiple Intelligences (howardgardner.com). Based on my

all intelligences to learn.

which are included in Section 3.

on my own educational experiences, student teaching opportunities, employment in educational

positions, and my philosophy of education.

my thoughts and opinions to myself, and my nose in a book.

make choices throughout their school day.

Teacher Candidate Educational Background

As mentioned in the previous section, I was a serious student. I completed my work,

what an exciting and beneficial opportunity group work can be!

compassionate, creative, and kind.

I originally intended to be a school psychologist when I began my college career. After I

teacher assistant for the classroom I started in 6 years ago.

academic information daily. I collaborate on a frequent basis with other educational

professionals such as special education teachers, grade-level teachers, school psychologists,

assistant in a district school will assist me in my future role as a classroom teacher.

School Observations and Classroom Applications

from some wonderful co-workers, I decided to go back to school.

definitely feel that it was a successful and beneficial experience.

what exactly the questions are asking.

philosophy into a safe and motivating academic environment.

themselves. It is our job as educators to help guide them on this journey.

functional members of society. To learn how to be upstanding citizens of their communities. To

interests should be taken into account when creating a specific curriculum.

being passionate about the subject.