Kyle

Knutson
Teacher Work Sample
April 6th 2017

Reflection and Evaluation
Six Criteria:
Preparation-Content Knowledge-Transitions-Instructional Strategies-Classroom Management-Assessment

March 16th
What did you do?
Today we did a pre-test for my unit. As I sort of expected this pre-test took up a lot of time and was very
frustrating for my students. I felt very prepared for this day especially content knowledge wise. I have done
lots of research and prior work in sustainable agriculture and sustainable issues surrounding food so I feel
completely competent on teaching this content and relating it to the biology standards. Since I really only got
to the pretest and part way through the vocabulary I did not have as many transitions as I originally planned. I
really could have done a better job breaking my pretest up somehow but I felt I needed to follow the guide in
my teacher work sample. I would never again give these students 27 questions that they dont already know. I
fell I would ease them in or break it apart into sections next time. Management was a struggle today after the
pretest I had one student make fun of another student and it took a while to calm the classroom down. this
was mostly hard because of the language barrier. I one student yelling obscenities in French and I could not
get her to calm down. I ended up moving the two boys out into the hall to speak with them. I then tried to
calm my other students down saying that I would take care of the situation. I believe a lot of what I said was
lost in translation which adds another dimension to dealing with issues that need to be dealt with
immediately. Luckily a student from the University was there and I had him take over the classroom while I
dealt with the issue in the hallway.

What worked?
The way I was doing vocabulary by giving the students a term, a picture, a definition, and a sentence. Then
reading them allowed while they copied the information and then reading it together three times. I have tried
to do vocabulary differently and for this group this introduction seems to work well.

What did not work?
The Pretest did not go well. Students struggled through the amount of questions and the material. I did not
like handing them a huge test like this. I think I should have broken this up a different way but I needed a way
for them to work individually so I could collect reliable data. I also was under time constraints as I only had 6
days to complete my unit. Next time I am going to break up the assessment somehow may run stations.

What students struggled and for what reasons?
Students with low English acquisition struggled because of the nature of the test. I felt I needed to give
everyone the same test to get reliable data. I made the test in the Mid-Level range of English acquisition in my
classroom. Once we got to vocabulary all of the students were fine. I know this based on my check-ins and
walk arounds that I was doing before I had a classroom meltdown so to speak. My new student struggled
horribly as expected. I didnt know I was getting a new student until he walked in the door. He spoke zero
English. I tried to make him feel welcome. I learned his name and gave him the task of drawing a picture of his
favorite things to do. It was lost in translation and luckily one of my students could help me translate for him.




Considering the six criteria listed above, where will you go next?
Based on my pretest data I am going to only teach one objective instead of 3. This was a new topic for my
students. I feel like if I can get them to understand that their choices have an influence on the environment
then I accomplished my goal for the essential question.

Daily Management Reflection:
Incident # When? Who? What? Consequence
1 2pm Sifa, Makuei, Patience told Makuei that Sifa I spoke with both of the
Patience was his girlfriend. Sifa did not like boys out in the hall and
this. I dont know what else was reminded them that we
said because it was in French. respect each other in my
classroom. I gave them a
zero for participation for
the day and they needed
to apologize to Sifa. I then
spoke with Sifa and tried
to calm her down and say
that yelling and screaming
was not the way to
handle the situation. I
told her that boys would
be apologizing to her.
Over the weekend I made
a new seating chart to
give everybody a fresh
start.




March 20th
What did you do?
Today I had to pick up the pieces of where I left of from Last week. I had looked over my pretest results over
the weekend and decided that the vocabulary I had chosen was still valid so I would continue to use the
vocabulary words I had already started to use. I would just hit some harder than others because I was now
only going to cover one of my objectives from my pre planning. Today we finished the vocabulary, played
vocab memory, played vocab Pictionary, and did a healthy meal activity. Transitions between activities went
smoothly. I changed up the seating chart and move students around based on the events of last week. I also
briefly addressed my rules and expectations to the class. This seemed to sink in well because I had no issues
with management today apart from the occasional phone being out when it was not supposed to.

What worked?
My starter gave me some insight into how the students had retained the 5 vocabulary words that we did from
last time. It showed me that about a little less than half of the students had them down. I think the memory
vocabulary worked really well. Students can use their hands, they have visuals, and they get to work in groups.
It is a fun way to learn the vocabulary. I also have some fair competitive students in my class that enjoyed the
Pictionary game. The students were respectful and I like how I gave them time to practice before with the
memory so many of them had the words fresh in their minds for the Pictionary. We had played Pictionary
before so they knew how to play. I also think the visuals I used during my healthy foods activity really allowed
them to grasp the concepts of the difference between processed and non-processed food and which one is
healthier for people and the environment.

What did not work?
I could not figure out a way to really differentiate my instruction for Nojumillah. I tried making materials for
him that involved less writing. I also grouped him with my students who are from the same region of the world
as him. Regardless he struggled. I think that part of this is that he is still learning the English alphabet and I
honestly have no idea where to start with him. Ill try something different next time.

What students struggled and for what reasons?
Jose was not with me today. He was really bummed for some reason. He wouldnt tell me why at first he just
quietly sat and did his work which is unusual for him. I later found out that he had broken his skateboard deck
at lunch and wasnt sure how he was going to save up to get another one. He loves to skate and enjoys skating
around his neighborhood and going to different skate parks with friends. I know this because I have seen him
at a few skate parks around sugarhouse when I go with my friends. They are all good kids and are clearly
having fun. I bet he is bummed because it took him awhile to save up for his deck and that summer is just
around the corner and he doesnt want to miss out.

Considering the six criteria listed above, where will you go next?
Based on my assessments from the Pictionary and my exit ticket I feel comfortable moving on to building on
the idea that some foods we choose to eat are not so healthy for the environment. I will use non-processed
foods only to introduce food miles and the next day do a comparison for processed and non-processed foods
and which one travels farthest.

Daily Management Reflection:
Incident # When? Who? What? Consequence
1 1:45pm Jose He did not seem himself and was I made a deal with Jose
clearly upset over something. I saying that if he worked
saw his broken skateboard. We hard the rest of this week
talked for a little bit to cheer him and studied hard for our
up and I made a deal with him stations next Tuesday and
after class. passed with a score of a 3
or higher than I would let
him have one of my
lightly used decks. My
friend is sponsored and
gets them for free so it is
really no sweat off my
back I have 5 sitting at
home.







March 22nd
What did you do?
Based on my exit ticket from the day before I realized that students were doing well at grasping the concept of
processed vs non-processed food. I felt prepared to go over expectations for leaving the classroom for our
food walk today but I immediately realized that I had forgotten that Jorge had a broken leg and was on
crutches. I gave him the options to stay in class and do a reading with Mr. Jorgensen but he opted to come
outside with the class. I let him hold the yarn and pretend to be Salt Lake City so he did not have to move very
much when we were outside. The transition from inside to outside went smoother than I thought. Partly
because I had another guest student from the University observing me and I had him help out with walking do
the hall. I felt I knew all of the content really well so I had no struggles. I also felt prepared with my
differentiation in math for the day. I think I made it challenging for all students but not to challenging to make
them become frustrated with the content. The food walk gave a great visual for how far food travels and the
yarn gave students a great visual as to how the farther something travels the more Carbon dioxide is release
into the atmosphere. I also collected each groups homework and turned it into a competition. Because there
was something on the line they were really focused.

What worked?
The food walk and the math activity worked well I think I had just the right amount of visuals and
differentiation for the different levels of students.

What did not work?
The guided notes while brief did not work so well for all students. I think the videos could have been better
but I felt I needed to give them some background before we did our walk. In the end I like the order of how I
did this but I think I could have done the notes differently maybe including more demonstrations while doing
the notes. I think the walk and math cleared up the misconceptions however.

What students struggled and for what reasons?
Nojumillah struggled a little bit today. I think this is mostly my bad because I did not make him differentiated
material for the notes, and the starter. I gave him the low level work sheets and they seemed to be hard for
him except for the math. He understood the math and was eager to show me his math skills.

Considering the six criteria listed above, where will you go next?
Based on the homework and my circulation students had an understand that the farther a food travels the
more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. They also remembered for the most part that carbon
dioxide was a greenhouse gas. And it contributed to global warming.

Daily Management Reflection:
Incident # When? Who? What? Consequence
1 2:00pm Olga It was the third time she was 3 strikes and get your
caught using her phone phone taken away policy.
inappropriately. I handed her a calculator
to finish her math
problems
2 1:15 Mu She called Makuei a monkey I immediately addressed
this issue in the hallway
and she lost her
participation for the day.
She was also instructed to
 stay after school so we
could have a chat. She
also needed to apologize
to Makuei.


March 24th
What did you do?
Today we built on the idea that the farther food travels the more carbon dioxide is released into the
atmosphere. We also built into the fold the difference between how far the average processed food travels vs
the average non-processed food. Students were prepared for class and excited for Science Friday. I was
prepared for the day. I had a preset excel sheet that would graph the numbers and project them when the
students typed them in. It gave them a visual to help them answer the questions on their worksheets. We
went over the questions as a class and then we played kahoots for a review. I was not shocked by the
feedback I was getting on kahoots. It seems like most of the students understood the concepts and would be
ready for the post assessment on Tuesday. The transition to kahoots was a little slow today because the
network was being funny. For the most part besides the occasional phone the students were on task. They
know that they will not get to do fun Science Friday if they are off task.

What worked?
The graphical visuals on the projector gave the students a good idea for the difference in carbon dioxide
produced by processed vs non-processed foods. Students were shocked and curious about it. I also think the
kahoots worked well. The students enjoy it and they study at the same time. Also Science Friday was a blast! I
enjoy doing this because it gives them so many real world collaborative skills and allows for team building in
the classroom. The class comes alive. Nojumillah came alive during this activity and worked really well. In his
group. When English is not the issue these students would thrive. How do we better serve them? They always
amaze me.

What did not work?
I rushed the directions for fun science Friday because we were a little short on time I think this made it a little
confusing at first but then the understood and off they went.

What students struggled and for what reasons?
Sifa and Gloria struggled today until it was time for the fun science Friday activity. They were tired from the
long week and both of them had been in some form of testing earlier that day. Makuei was also struggling a
bit I think he still felt uncomfortable about Mu calling him a monkey. When it came time for fun Science Friday
he was super stoked. Glody and him made the tallest tower that met all the specification. They truly did a
good job. More importantly they were conversing in a dialect from the Congo as well as English and French to
help others understand the parameters. It was amazing to watch.

Considering the six criteria listed above, where will you go next?
Based on all of my assessment the class is ready for the post test. I have used what I have learned about how I
gave the pretest t break it into chunks and have students rotate around to stations. It wont feel like a test and
I feel it will ease the anxiety they may have about it.

Daily Management Reflection:
I really didnt have any management issues at all today. Nothing major anyway. I think using group
contingency with the Science Fridays helps on these days for students to be more focused.

March 28th
What did you do?
Today I had guests from both Westminster and the University of Utah. I collaborated with my advisor give my
students and her students the opportunity to work together. I had them run the stations for my post
assessment. I walked around to each and helped with students and each table. I think this activity made the
assessment not feel like an assessment and gave the students breaks in-between the different types of
material. This style worked really well and I could tell the students were excited to show the guests what they
knew about the material being assessed. They went above and beyond and I couldnt have been more proud
with the way they behaved and showed our guests respect.

What worked?
The stations worked really well. Having multiple professionals in the room worked really well. It was a glimpse
of what Finland does in 90 minutes and I could see a real difference. It never looks that way when I run
stations by myself things dont go as smoothly and I cant give students as much attention as we were able to
during this class.

What did not work?
I honestly thought it worked really well. I do think I could have done a better job giving materials to students
who got done with the material quicker than others though. I think it would have been fun to allow for the
station leaders to come up with these downtime activities. If I had more time or the thought about it I would
have done this.

What students struggled and for what reasons?
After looking through the posttests no student really struggled with the material. The exception in some
activities was Nojumillah but I was also surprised how far he had grown in such a short amount of time. The
only thing holding him back perhaps was my inability to differentiate accordingly for his level of English yet he
rose to the occasion. I think having multiple teachers in the room went a long way in helping him.

Considering the six criteria listed above, where will you go next?
The next time I see them will be my last I fear that only about half of the folks will fully understand the
authentic assessment. Mostly because of the English barrier. We will give it a go. I also have a fun ice cream
lab in my back pocket if things start to head south. I think that will cover my last day teaching. It will be sad
leaving this group. I feel I have learned more from them than they will ever know. Truly amazing students.

Daily Management Reflection:
I did not have any major issues today. One reason is because of how many adults we had in the room. They
needed to be on task at all times.

March 30th
What did you do?
Today we attempted to to my authentic assessment. To be honest I think I made it to complex and hard for
them to understand. That is my bad. My higher level English speakers were challenged by it and it made them
think. Only about 5 of them could complete the task. I also feel that I lost a little bit of control of the class
when I announced that it was my last day at the beginning of class. From that moment on I did not have the
buy in required for my authentic assessment. After working on it for a while I decided to switch gears to the
ice cream lab. The transition was good for the students who were frustrated. The ice cream lab went well and
the students had fun. We also ran out of time on this. Some students got theirs to work and others did not. I
believe this is because I noticed some folks did not add salt to the ice like demonstrated in class. Because of
this the freezing point didnt get low enough for their cream to change states.
What worked?
The first part of the authentic assessment worked well but I should have done it in stations. It would have
made getting up and choosing their meals less hectic than to have everything at one station. The reason I
chose to do one station is because I thought it was a good representation of a grocery store and I could afford
to purchase a small amount of food to lay out so they had the real item in front of them.

What did not work?
Announcing it was my last day first thing instead of last thing was a big mistake. I think it was the root of my
problems for the day. I immediately lost buy in because they didnt think they would be held accountable. I
will not do this next time.

What students struggled and for what reasons?
Students struggled on the authentic assessment I think I made the blooms questions too high for many to
comprehend in English. I have no doubt that if they had translations then they would have been able to do it.

Considering the six criteria listed above, where will you go next?
Next time I am in this situation with an LEP class I will run this in a stations or give myself more time. I also
need to get an ELL certification so I will be better equipped to handle activities such as an authentic
assessment. I would like to see a demonstration of one done so I have a baseline of what to expect and what is
possible. I am proud of how far each of the students has come from the pretest to today and I think it was
because of the variety of methods I used throughout the unit.

Daily Management Reflection:
I felt that I managed the class fairly well today. I did not have any big issues that needed to be dealt with. I
used a lot of proximity to keep students on task. I only gave each group a small amount of materials for the ice
cream lab so that they did not waste a bunch of food. I told them that what they have in front of them is all
they get for the lab. I think this helped keep them on task for this lab.

Overall Summary
I think I learned a lot over the course of the quarter with this class. During this unit I think I did a great job
differentiating instruction for most students. I have also gained many skills that have made me really think
outside the box as to how I will teach these concepts. Given the challenges of the ELL classroom I would say I
have grown a tremendous amount and have many tools in my back pocket to help all learners when they are
struggling. Management wise I think I did a pretty good job. I still feel really bad about what Mu said to
Makuei. I am not sure I had the language capacity to deal with that appropriately because I dont think she
understood what a racial slur was. I addressed it as a respect issue but I am not sure I handled it as good as I
could have. I do think that the power to move seats and change seating charts has a large pull on a classroom
that is getting out of control. I would say that overall I give myself a 3 out of 4 on management for this unit. I
feel I am always learning more things and I will continue to learn more about what works and what doesnt as
I have more experience. Going forward I plan to get ELL certified. This class opened my eyes to just how
challenging this type of class can be. I think furthering my education will help me improve upon the base of
skill I have learned in this classroom. As I move forward in teaching I want to continue to use many of the
techniques and learning strategies I used in this class in the regular classroom. I feel that this will help reach all
students of all learning levels. I also feel that professional collaboration was an important thing I learned with
this class. I knew that I would need to seek resources to help me with my instruction. I am happy I reached out
to other professionals with more experience and training than myself to help me with my instructional
methods. I also plan to continue to bring professionals into the classroom to interact with students and
collaborate on community projects in the future.