CSTP 3: Understanding and Organizing Subject Matter for Student Learning
3.1 Demonstrate knowledge of subject matter, academic content standards, and curriculum frameworks
Level of Development: Exploring
Date: November 2020
Evidence: Objectives. When creating my weekly objectives, I incorporate academic language from the California Common Core State Standards into my learning objectives. When creating my objectives, I always utilize the terms within the standard to identify the definitions that students will need to understand in order to meet the goal. To support my students acquiring the objective goals, I include them at the beginning of their digital weekly notebooks. This allows students to further understand the academic language terms presented in the standards and objectives. Students are asked to read the objectives daily in class. Prior to teaching the concept, we spend time learning the terms within the standard and objectives.
Updated: Level of Development: Integrating
Date: November 2021
Evidence: Reflective Conversation - Subscription to Reading Rockets. In order to advance my knowledge of instructional strategies and learn current research, I have been subscribed to reading rockets. This site sends daily and weekly information that supports my learning of ways to support students’s reading development. I utilize what I learn from the emails to discuss with my colleagues and share new ideas and research I learn.
Documents: Reading Rockets
3.2 Apply knowledge of student development and proficiencies to ensure student understanding of subject matter
Level of Development: Emerging
Date: September 2020
Evidence: Entry Level Assessment. When teaching a new concept, I always give individual Entry Level Assessments. I utilize the results of the assessments to identify individual learning needs and what I need to teach. For example, I utilized an alphabet and sound assessment at the beginning of the year, to utilize as a means for identifying what letters and sounds students needed to learn in my small group guided reading lessons. At the beginning of each year, I give students the entry level assessment. When teaching a new concept, we complete a KWL graphic organizer or a more formative assessment. This allows me to learn what prior knowledge my students already contain and what areas I need to focus on and build on.
Updated: Level of Development: Applying
Date: November 2021
Evidence: Reflective Conversation - Learning Theory Matrix - I utilize the learning theory matrix sheet that contains numerous philosophical theories and strategies to support student learning, behavior and development. During our professional learning community meetings, I utilize this sheet to discuss student cognitive development and ways to support students and strategies that are currently being implemented and strategies that should be implemented.
Documents: Learning Theory Matrix
3.3 Organize curriculum to facilitate student understanding of the subject matter
Level of Development: Exploring
Date: November 2020
Evidence: Letter Formation Review and Alphabet Sounds. To organize curriculum to support student understanding of subject matter, I constantly review concepts and skills that I have previously taught. I utilize this when teaching current content. For example, students were previously learning their letters and letter formation. When teaching the next concept, letter sounds, I reviewed letter formation and identifying letters. I showed students the letter on the slide (above) and asked them to identify the letter. Students also practiced writing the letter. After we reviewed these two concepts, I began teaching the new concept, which was letter sounds. This allows students to make connections in this subject area.
Updated Level of Development: Integrating
Date: November 2021
Evidence: Connecting Subject Matter - To connect curriculum to content I select texts that are aligned with current science and history standards that students are focusing on in class. We have a large library for our guided reading literature. I utilize books that will extend and connect students learning to other subject matters. For example, if students are learning about the life cycle of a plant, then I would select a text that will enhance and extend their learning of this cycle.
Updated: Level of Development: Innovating
Date: 4/6/22
Standards:
- TLMS Domain VII: Advocating for student learning and the profession
- NBPTS: Proposition 3: Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring students learning.
Documents: The Seven Principles for Inclusive Education
3.4 Utilize instructional strategies that are appropriate to the subject matter
Level of Development: Emerging
Date: November 2020
Evidence: In order to support all students, I constantly check for understanding. For example, we were practicing with fact versus opinion. Students would stand up if I said a fact and sit down when I said an opinion. In addition, I always give students an opportunity to discuss and collaborate when introducing new concepts. I ask students a question, that allows me to check for understanding, and I go into the students break out groups and record notes of student understanding. These various check for understanding strategies guide my instruction and inform me of what areas within the subject matter need re-teaching and where I can move on.
Updated Level of Development: Applying
Date: November 2021
Evidence: Classroom Observation - Students read books at their level based on Jan Richardson’s Guided Reading text. I utilize the instructional strategies at that particular level depending on students' needs. For example, if students are reading at an emergent level, they will learn words at that level, in addition, they will practice with strategies at their specific reading level.
3.5 Use and adapt resources, technologies, and standards aligned instructional materials, including adopted materials, to make subject matter accessible to all students
Level of Development: Applying
Date: November 2020
Evidence: Clever Portal. In order to make all technological materials available to students, we utilize one portal that contains all of the applications that students utilize. Students have access to the various assignments through this application. To make the materials more accessible and provide easy access, I give students direct links to the various applications. In addition, I provide each parent with a log in sheet for every application that we utilize in class and independently. In addition, I utilize google slides for organizing instructional materials and for presentation. Within the google slides, I am able to include videos that support students' understanding of content and new concepts. In October of this year, I began to realize that students needed additional mathematics practice. I began utilizing the boom card application, where I was able to assign individual boom cards based on individual learning needs. Technology allows for this differentiation.
Updated: Level of Development: Innovating
Date: November 2021
Evidence: Materials - Digital Alphabet Reader - Students are provided with a link to a digital alphabet reader, which supports their learning of letters. This technological resource can be accessed in the classroom on a chromebook or at home. Students are encouraged to practice the books with the letters that they have not mastered yet or letters that they need to review.
Documents: Digital Alphabet Reader'
ISTE Standard 4d: I demonstrate cultural competency when communicating with students, parents and colleagues and interact with them as co-collaborators in student learning.
Level of Development: Applying
Date: November 2021
Evidence: To support students struggling with letter recognition and writing, I give a digital ABC book to parents of students that need additional support. This outside support allows me to collaborate with the parents of my students on strategies to support student letter recognition. This book can be accessed here - Alphabet Tracing Books - Digital
3.6 Address the needs of English learners and students with special needs to provide equitable access to the content
Level of Development: Exploring
Date: October 2020
Evidence: Language Stems Language Stems (Sentence Frames). To support my English Language learners I utilize a number of strategies. At the beginning of each day, students receive a morning message and have the opportunity to share in small groups. In small groups, they answer the question of the day. I always provide students with a language stem, or as we call them, sentence frame. Prior to providing the sentence frame, I model an example using it to further scaffold student responses. In addition to my use of sentence frames, to support my English Learners and students with special needs, I always utilize visuals when defining new terms and introducing or teaching unfamiliar concepts. In addition, when meeting for our guided reading groups, I always spend time looking at the pictures with students, the pictures scaffold students reading. These strategies support my English Learner students and students with special needs.
Updated Level of Development: Integrating
Date: November 2021
Evidence: Lesson Plan Step - To support students with learning new vocabulary, I utilize the illustrations in the text. I repeat the new word and have students repeat it to each other and learn the word through the illustrations. This scaffolds my students into learning a new vocabulary word. It also supports my students diverse ways of learning.
ISTE Standard 2c: I model for colleagues the identification, exploration, evaluation, curation and adoption of new digital resources and tools for learning.
Level of Development: Applying
Date: November 2021
Evidence: To support students with sight word development, I share resources with other teachers. Many of the resources that I share utilize visuals, music, and hand gestures that ultimately support my English language learner students. Here is one playlist that I shared with my colleagues found on youtube Jack Hartman and Jan Richardson Sight Word Videos