REFLECTION OF MATH LESSON

DOMAIN 1: PLANNING AND PREPARATION

1A. DEMONSTRATING KNOWLEDGE OF CONTENT AND PEDAGOGY

• ELEMENTS OF COMPONENT 1A:

• Knowledge of content and the structure of the discipline:

• During this lesson I displayed knowledge of the content in the lesson and accurately explained
the directions and expectations. I expected some students to make errors and was prepared to
address the mistakes.

• Knowledge of prerequisite relationships:

• This lesson demonstrates the students’ abilities to develop counting strategies and models from
previous lessons and activities.

• Knowledge of content-related pedagogy:

• Students are able to explore different mathematical models among themselves. They understand
that although his or her model may look different, they all represent the same quantity.
1B. DEMONSTRATING KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS

• ELEMENTS OF COMPONENT 1B:

• Knowledge of child and adolescent development:

• In kindergarten, it’s important to use the simplest language possible so that students understand
what they’re suppose to do. This can be especially tricky during math lessons.

• Knowledge of the learning process:

• It’s important to keep students engaged during the learning process. I know that my students
learn best when they are not sitting in one spot for a long period of time. Therefore, we move
around the class during different activities and lessons. During this lesson we started on our
carpet, then to the tables for 5 minutes and back to the carpet.

• Knowledge of students’ skills, knowledge, and language proficiency:

• This lesson helped assess my students’ skills in counting and representing quantities. I was able to
use the post-its as an assessment and better understand their skills and knowledge. I will be able
to use this information to differentiate instruction.

• Knowledge of students’ interests and cultural heritage:

• Although I know many of my students’ interests, I didn’t incorporate them into this lesson. Instead
of having my students count the pencils, I could have used something that interest them.
However, we did play a sorting game at the end that they enjoy.

• Knowledge of students’ special needs:

• The beginning of kindergarten may be more difficult to address a child’s special needs than other
grades. In the beginning of the year students are on different academic levels for various reasons.
It’s important to continue to observe and assess my students to understand his or her abilities/
disabilities.
1C. SETTING INSTRUCTIONAL OUTCOMES

• ELEMENTS OF COMPONENT 1C:

• Value, sequence, and alignment:

• This lesson represented outcomes from the curriculum. It also demonstrated two standards from
the Common Core.

• Clarity:
• My objective was clear that students will know different strategies to accurately count quantities.
I was able to assess this outcome through the post-its they used to count.

• Balance:
• The objectives allowed students to display his or her different learning styles. Some students
counted using circles or lines while others wrote the number.

• Suitability for diverse students:

• All students should have been able to count the pencils in the jar. There were only 6 pencils,
which is one more than a previous lesson. If students have trouble counting this quantity, I will
differentiate instruction with a lesser amount of objects.
1D. DEMONSTRATING KNOWLEDGE OF RESOURCES

• ELEMENTS OF COMPONENT 1D:

• Resources for classroom use:

• Before the lesson, students watched and sang along to a counting video with the numbers 1-10.
Students also used post-it notes to show their abilities to count and represent the quantity.
Students were then able to stick their post-it notes onto the smart board.
• Resources to extend content knowledge and pedagogy:
• Pearson Investigations 3 Common Core Math Program is available. Teachers have access to
online resources as well as a text book to extend content knowledge and pedagogy.
• Resources for students:
• Students have math workshop tools that include interlocking cubes, pattern blocks, attribute
blocks, play-doh, counting books, and more. They also have access to iPads at specific times
throughout the day.

1E. DESIGNING COHERENT INSTRUCTION

• ELEMENTS OF COMPONENT 1E:

• Learning activities:
• I tried to incorporate activities that I thought would keep my students engaged while learning. I
always start off with a counting video on the smart board and showed a Halloween one because
we’re in the month of October. My students were able to draw or write their own mathematical
models and post them onto the smart board. We then discussed the different ways students
represented the number of pencils. Most of the students were engaged during the discussion and
were analyzing the different strategies. (Although some students began to get distracted when
the post-its would fall off the board)
• Instructional materials and resources:
 • Students were able to use appropriate materials and resources during math workshop.
• Instructional groups:
• I intentionally grouped my students based on behaviors during math workshop. In the beginning
of kindergarten it’s important to organize learning groups based on this component. I will be able
to group students academically when I have a better understanding of their knowledge and
skills.
• Lesson and unit structure:
• I designed a specific lesson plan that incorporated before, during, and after activities with time
estimations. This lesson advanced student learning by helping students develop new strategies
and count a higher quantity than before.

1F. DESIGNING STUDENT ASSESSMENTS

• ELEMENTS OF COMPONENT 1F:

• Congruence with instructional outcomes:

• I was able to assess students using their post-its. I was able to evaluate the students’ abilities to
meet the objectives of the lesson. This included knowing different strategies to accurately count
and keep track of quantities and being able to represent quantities with pictures, numbers,
objects, and/or words.
• Criteria and standards:
• I defined the expectations clearly and used the Common Core standards accordingly.
• Design of formative assessments:
• The formative assessments for this lesson are the post-it notes. Students also completed a
counting jar worksheet that I collected.
• Use for planning:
• I will be able to use the results of the assessments to design differentiated instruction. I will also be
able to understand which students need additional support and hold a small group instruction.