Elementary
Standard (b)2c
Demonstrates adequate knowledge of and approach to the academic content of lessons
License-Specific Evaluation Questions
1. Has the candidate demonstrated proficiency in developing learning units drawing on the content
and grade level standards contained in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks in
English/Language Arts, History/Social Science, Science and Technology, Health, Mathematics and
the Arts?
I have demonstrated proficiency in developing units of learning throughout my Thanksgiving unit. For
each of my ten lessons that were focused on a common 4 unit outcomes, I used at least 2 of the standards
contained in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. For this unit alone, I used standards from
English Language arts and from History/Social Science. However, throughout my time taking over for
Mrs. Couvee I have taught the Senses units on the sense of touch and taste which are described in the first
grade standards for Science and Technology. I have also taught GoMath for several weeks which is the
new program put in place for teachers to teach math because it is based on the state standards and the
curriculum frameworks. I have also used elements of the arts during class time, singing poetry and
illustrating several written pieces.
2. Has the candidate demonstrated knowledge of child development (early childhood through
preadolescence) to plan appropriate learning experiences?
Prior to planning any lessons, I stepped back and thought about the fact that these students are only 6 and
7 years old. As a nanny of a 6 year old who has been caring from him for 5 years, it is apparent to me
how young these children are and how developmentally ready they are to learn the information that I will
be presenting. Children at this age often have difficulty expressing themselves, they are finally learning
the differences between make believe and reality and their attention spans are not very long. These are
important characteristics to consider when planning appropriate learning experiences. Making sure Santa
is “real” still is important for a teacher to do. It would be inappropriate for teachers to expect students to
be able to focus during a lecture about a certain topic because of their lack of attention. Teachers must
take into consideration the time allotted to think about questions before calling on a student for a
response. These steps will aid in the planning of appropriate learning experiences.
3. Does the candidate demonstrate knowledge of the five dimensions of reading: phonemic
awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension?
After passing the foundations of reading MTEL and taking a course on the topics of phonemic awareness,
phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension, I was happy to now be able to apply this knowledge to
my teaching practices. Phonemic awareness focuses on the phonemes, or individual sounds of words. I
have taught students about sounding out digraphs and blends and was also introduced to lively letters
which links these sounds to phonics. Phonics skills such as decoding and encoding have been taught and
applied especially during daily 5 where student can independently build “alien” and “human” words by
rolling letters. Vocabulary is an important dimension of reading that is talked about during read alouds,
especially when we find a word that we can look up in the dictionary and add to our list of interesting
words. Comprehension is a strategy that all students in our class know about. The definition students
have is “I understand what I read”. They often check for comprehension, especially during partner
reading during daily 5, guided reading and during conferences.
4. *Does the candidate use research-based strategies to shelter the content for students and promote
academic language development, differentiating for students at different stages of English language
acquisition?
I have learned many research based strategies at my time at BSU, and I have built upon these strategies
during my time student teaching. These strategies include pre-writing (brainstorming, writing lists,
illustrating thoughts, and semantic webs) and using lively letters to teach phonics skills. Using content
that is appropriate for this age level as well as content that is appropriate for the English language learners
in the classroom is important for students to promote language development. Using books with social
language that students at different stages of the English language acquisition will allow them to relate to
the topic being taught, especially if paired with proper visual aids.
5. *Does the candidate use information contained in IEPs to effectively plan and assess learning
experiences for students with special needs integrated into the general education classroom? Is the
candidate able to help students see connections across the curricula by integrating subject matter in
lesson planning and instruction?
The student that is on an IEP in our classroom is only included for Math. I have worked with this student
in the first 8 weeks of my student teaching and have become very familiar with the accommodations that
need to be made for her during instruction. Repetition and clarification is very important for
understanding of the topics that we go over in Math. Another modification I make for most students is to
allow students more time to think about their answers before I call on anyone, and I allow students to
modify their response after I explain information further. In order to help students see connections from
one subject area to another, I do this by asking them questions relating the areas that we have been
discussing. When we learned new vocabulary, it was linked to the Native Americans and pilgrims we
were learning about during social studies. During math, I discussed days in the school year and linked
that to grouping addends. It is important for students to make connections from one subject matter to
another.
6. Does the candidate demonstrate knowledge of the basic principles and concepts related to
elementary mathematics?
As a Mathematics Major, I learned that mathematics at any age should focus on strategies and practice. I
am very familiar to the basic principles and concepts related to elementary mathematics because without
the basic elementary mathematics that we teach in lower grade levels, there would be no way to complete
higher level mathematics classes. The GoMath training that I attended did help with understanding how
to use the new math program, but my general knowledge of the basic principles and concepts in math
allow me to make connections and show students how to get the same answer in different ways because
using multiple modes of problem solving is an extremely important skill to have.
7. Does the candidate demonstrate knowledge of history and social science including major
developments and figures in US, Massachusetts and world history, basic economic and geographic
principles and concepts and US political principles?
The unit that I chose to teach was very much so based on history and social science. Included in my unit
were standards that fell into the categories of:
1. History and geography
2. Civics and government
3. United States leaders, symbols, events and holidays
4. Individuals, families and communities now and long ago
The unit outcomes I derived came from these standards, and were successfully taught over a 2 week
period. Also, do demonstrate my knowledge of history and social science I have taken many courses at
BSU related to the subjects of world history, US history and geography that have given me insight on the
basic knowledge of all of these subject areas. This includes the block where I was asked to read through
the standards one at a time, highlight ones I may not know, and look them up to ensure I knew at least as
much as someone in grade 6 needed to know.
8. Does the candidate demonstrate knowledge of science and technology/engineering including the
life sciences, physical sciences and major scientific and technological discoveries and principles and
procedures of scientific inquiry?
I believe that I demonstrate knowledge of science and technology/engineering. After taking a class
designed to teach these subjects to students at the elementary level, I learned to use the 5E’s when
teaching a science unit. These include Engage, Explore, Student Explain, Teacher Explain and Elaborate.
Using these steps to teach any science or technology lesson, whether it be life science, physical science or
any other category that falls under science and technology/engineering. I have not used much science
during my 8 weeks here due to lack of time with the stress before report cards being on improving reading
levels and completing chapters 1-3 in Math, but I do know how important science is for all grade levels.
In my pre-practicum I did a 5 day unit on the 5 senses, and in this classroom I was able to teach students
about the sense of touch and taste.