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Contextual Factors

LaCrosse School District: Superintendent: Randy Nelson Population of LaCrosse, Wisconsin 51,320

School district of La CrosseElementary schools : 12 publicMiddle schools: 6 publicHigh Schools: 2 public 1 private

District Population: 2011- 6,865 students Prek-12 47.7% Female 52.3% Male

Ethnicity :American Indian- .77% Asian- 9.5%Black- 4.6% Hispanic- 3.1%White- 79.6% Two or more- 5.2%

Disabilities: Students with disabilities- 15% Students without disabilities-84.8%

Economic Status: Economically Disadvantaged- 48.6% Not Economically Disadvantaged -51.4%

English Proficiency: LEP Spanish- 0.4% LEP Hmong- 5.2%LEP Other- 1.3% English Proficient- 93%

Staff: Teachers-631 Teacher Assistants: 143Administrators: 34 Secretaries: 55Custodians: 71 Cooks: 63

Harry Spence Elementary:Principal: Shelley ShirelSecretaries: Kristi Arenz & Linda HansenGuidance counselor: Barb Dalton

Vision statement: The Place to Succeed Every Student Every Day

Mission Statement: To achieve success for all we will• Create safe, positive learning environments• Provide challenging and engaging academics• Empower students to reach their fullest potential• Utilize data to drive instruction and monitor student progress

• Build caring relationships between students, staff, families and community• Develop productive, global citizens and future leaders through fostering independence, resourcefulness, and creativity

Enrollment: 385 Male 55.3% Female 44.7%

Ethnicity: American Indian- 1.3% Asian- 8.3%African American- 5.5% Hispanic- 5.5%White- 76.4 Two or more- 5.7%

Disabilities- Students with Disabilities- 14.3% Students without Disabilities 85.7%

Economic Status: Economically Disadvantaged 55.1% Not Economically Disadvantaged 44.9%

Staff: Teachers: 40 Teaching Assistants: 9 Support staff: 9

Clubs/Programs: Odyssey of the MindPlayground PalsBattle of the BooksOrchestraHigh Performance LearnersTitle 1/AMES WEBCognitive disability programsELL

Mr. Xiong’s classroom demographicsMr. Xiong’s class has 16 students, 10 males and 6 females. The class is made of 13 white

students, one African American male student, one Asian male student, and one Hispanic female

student. The class has one student with a learning disability. Four of the students in Mr. Xiong’s

class receive extra reading time throughout the day. Approximately half of the students receive

free or reduced or lunch. Mr. Xiong class does not have any additional staff in his classroom.

Mr. Xiong’s Teaching Style

Mr. Xiong has created a positive learning environment by portraying a calm and reserved

manner. Mr. Xiong talks in a quiet voice that forces the students to stay quiet or they will not be

able to hear him. His classroom is very structured and he has high expectations for all of his

students. The students respond very well to this structure are very quiet and stay focused. Mr.

Xiong does not talk a lot about rules, but because of his consistency the students are do not push

the limits in his class. Although Mr. Xiong is quiet, he is quick to point out positive behavior the

students demonstrate. Since Mr. Xiong is so quiet I think that his praise has more meaning for

his students than a teacher who is constantly giving false praise.

Physical Classroom aspects

Mr. Xiong’s classroom is set up with three rows of desks running parallel to the white board in

the front of the room. There is also a row of desks that runs perpendicular to the white board. In

the front of the room Mr. Xiong has a carpet where the students sit during morning meeting.

During these meeting, Mr. Xiong sits in a rocking chair placed in the corner. Although Mr.

Xiong’s room does not have a lot of decorations when you walk into the room the first wall has

student made “Who am I” posters. Since our first time in the classroom Mr. Xiong has added a

word wall to the back of the room. Mr. Xiong has his desk off to the side of the classroom and

the students are aware that his desk is off limits. Next to the white board in the front of the

room, Mr. Xiong has a book case fill with books for the students. The far wall in the classroom

is all windows that face the playground. The room has a sink toward the back where the students

can wash their hands before lunch.

My Small Group

My group is made of three male students and one female student. CC is a Caucasian who is not

diagnosed with anything, but struggles to stay focused. He is a little below reading level, but has

the ability to read what the class is reading. He tends to read too fast and not comprehend what

he is reading. He is easily redirected to stay on task and is a very likable student. AA is an

Asian student who is very eager to learn, but has a little more difficulty with reading. AA takes

direction from both Mr. Xiong and myself really well. Like CC, AA struggles with reading too

fast and does not ask for help if he does not know the meaning of a word. BB, is a Caucasian

boy who is very excitable on topics that he likes, but struggles to read out loud. He generally

does not want to read, but will read when teachers place expectations on him. DD, is the lone

female in the group. She is quiet and well behaved. She does not have an extensive vocabulary

and struggles to sound out words. All four students get along with their peers and seem

accepted by the other students in the class. We usually meet in the back of the room. We

generally work in the back of the classroom apart from the rest of the class.

Reflection:

Knowing contextual factors is important for a variety of reasons. A teacher has to be able

to make connections with the student and not knowing the students’ background makes making

those connections even harder. If the teacher does not know what kind of world the students

come from how are they able to make those connections. As a future teacher, I need to know if

most of my students are eating free or reduced lunch. I do not want to embarrass my students by

asking them to bring in donations for a food drive when they do not have enough food at their

own house.

I also think that knowing the contextual factors allows a teacher an idea of what they

need to be teaching. As a teacher, if I teach at a school that is all one race I will need to prepare

a different lesson than if I teach at a school that has a diverse population. Also, as a future

teacher I need to make sure that I am familiar with the specific ethnicities of the students that I

will be teaching.

Unit Goals

This unit was chosen to give students understanding bald eagles while improving their literacy

skills. The students will learn about bald eagles through a reading packet. This packet will

introduce the students to new vocabulary related to bald eagles. These vocabulary words will

serve as the words the students will be expected to spell for their spelling test. I will also use this

packet to have the students work on their fluency by reading the packet out loud. Finally, I will

have the students write paragraph about eagles in which they use at least four of the vocabulary

words in the paragraph.

Lesson #1 Objectives: TSW will increase word recognition and vocabulary skills by matching at

least 85% of the vocabulary words with their definition.

Lesson #2 Objectives: TSW be able to spell all six of the vocabulary words (talons, carnivorous,

eaglet, aeries, balde, extinction) with 100% accuracy.

Lesson #3 Objectives: TSW show the ability to fluently read the packet with accuracy and

effortless decoding of texts.

TSW show the ability to interpret or explain the packet.

Lesson #4 Objectives: TSW compose a paragraph about eagles using four of the vocabulary

words we have previously identified.

TSW model appropriate grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

TSW identify one clear topic and stayed focused on the topic.

Pre & Post Assessment

Pre-Assessment

For my pre assessment I will be using a KWL chart. The KWL chart will provide me with the

students’ previous knowledge of the bald eagles. It will also provide me with information about

what the students want to learn. Knowing this information allows me make any adjustments to

my lesson plans before we start teaching the unit. I also think it is a great way to introduce a

topic that some students may have limited knowledge about.

Post Assessment

I would use the KWL that I used to introduce the unit on bald eagles. This chart would provide

the students with a great visual aid to show how much they learned about this particular topic. I

also think that using a KWL chart allows me to made adjustments to how I teach this unit in the

future. I will be able to look back to see if there parts of the unit that the students did not identify

as something that they had learned and I will be able to place more emphasis on that specific

topic.

KWL CHART ON EAGLES

What I Know What I Want to Know What I Learned

LESSON #1

Learner Profile/ Contextual Factors3 male students and 1 female student. 3 of the students are

Caucasian and 1 student is Asian.

Goal(s) To improve the literacy skills of all students using a unit about eagles

Common Core Standards ELA 4.1.3. Demonstrate phonemic awareness by using letter/sound relationships as aids to pronouncing and understanding unfamiliar words and text.

C.4.1. Use the vocabulary of the unifying themes to ask questions about objects, organisms, and events being studied

Objectives Content objective: TSW increase word recognition and vocabulary skills by matching at least or more than 85% of the vocabulary words with their definitions.

Time Frame 30 minutes total 5-7 minutes introduction: asking students previous knowledge. We would discuss the classes’ previous trip to the Hixon Ecopark and what they know about eagles.5-7 minutes of reading about eagles- National Geographic for Kids packet. Each students would be given a copy of the National Geographic for Kids packet. We would read this out loud as a group. The students will be given highlighters to highlight the vocabulary words.5-7 minutes review of the vocabulary and definitions to ensure each student understood the vocabulary and could ask questions about the words5-7 minutes. The students will be given a vocabulary quiz. The quiz would consist of the definitions of the vocabulary words we had identified and word bank with our vocabulary words.5 minute conclusion: have the students to tell me what they learned. This would include new information to them or how this reading related to their previous knowledge and review the key words I wanted them to learn

Resources Materials: pencils, vocabulary matching sheet, highlighters, and eagles reading packet

People: The students, teacher filming the lesson, and myself

Procedure

I. An introduction/motivation

A. I will introduce the lesson by asking the students what they know about eagles by talking about their trip to the Hixon Ecopark or any other time they have seen eagles

B. Once the group discussed their trip to the Ecopark I will introduce the eagles packet

C. I will have the students tell my why it is important to learn about eagles

D. Thoughtful, purposeful and appropriate accommodations and modifications that meet mandated RTI requirements to support the belief that all students can succeed:

Contextual Factors(examples listed, not limited to)

Accommodations: Materials, resources, and physical attributes needed to enhance student performance. Addresses the physical,

Modifications: Adjustments to what the student is asked “to do” based on their learning style and contextual

Why necessary? It is always important to consider the

needs of the

cognitive, emotional and social needs of every learner.

factors. Allows for “multiple pathways” of meaningful learning. It is comprehensive and flexible.

students to provide them with the most appropriate

learning environment

HPLSESELLSpec. Educ.Other: Cultural, religious, etc.

I will have student number 1 sit directly to my right and student number 2 directly to my left during the reading.

Having these students next to me will help to keep them on task.

II. Closure

1. I will review the lesson about eagles and highlight the key points that I wanted to make sure the students understood. We would review the vocabulary words.

Assessment I would have a matching sheet with the key vocabulary words from the

reading. The students will match at least 85% or more of words to definitions.

Analysis All four of the students answered all 6 of the questions correctly. All four of the students demonstrated they were able to identify and define the six vocabulary words. This was demonstrated by all four of the students scoring 100% on the worksheet.

ReflectionI felt that this lesson went well. All four of the students were very engaged in the lesson. Each student volunteered to read out loud and each student answered questions that I asked the group. I was really excited to see how engaged student number 1 was during the lesson. He is generally disengaged from reading activities, but during this lesson he was interested in the topic and very engaged. I think that part of the students excitement about this lesson was based on their background knowledge on the particular topic. They had previously gone to the Hixon Ecopark. By allowing them to talk about their previous experiences at the beginning of the lesson I believe it made it more interesting for the students. In the video of the lesson several of the students are smiling and seem happy to be doing the activity. I did a good job of involving each student in the lesson by having each of them read out loud to the group and answer questions about the vocabulary words. I counted the number of questions that I asked each student when I reviewed the video and I asked three of the students 7 questions each and I asked the fourth student 8 questions. I was also pleased that the students were all able to answer the six

vocabulary questions correctly on their quiz. I feel that they all learned new words and that the lesson had value.

One area that I need to improve on is my wait time. I did not give enough time for the students to think about some of the questions before I gave hints or clues to help them answer. Having the lesson be videotaped I wanted to have it go smoothly and did not feel comfortable with the silence.

In the future, I am going to focus on giving all of my students more wait time. I generally feel comfortable with this, but my desire to have the lesson go smoothly affected my patience. I want to make sure to incorporate my students’ background knowledge to give my lessons more importance to the students. To do this I want to start my lessons with an opportunity for the students to share their background knowledge.

Bald Eagles

Bald eagle's white head may make it look bald. But actually the name comes from an old English word, "balde," meaning white. These graceful birds have been the national symbol of the United States since 1782. Bald eagles were on the brink of extinction because of hunting and pollution. But laws created almost 40 years ago have helped protect them, and they've made a comeback.

Female bald eagles are a bit bigger than males. Their bodies can be 3 feet (1 meter) long, and their wingspan can be 8 feet (2.4 meters) across. That's about the distance from the floor to the ceiling! Babies, called eaglets, are born light gray then turn brown. When they are 4 to 5 years old, they develop their normal white heads and tails. In the wild, they can live to be 35 years old or more.

One of the most awesome sights in nature is a bald eagle swooping down from the sky to grab a fish. They can soar over 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) high, and their great eyesight lets them see fish up to a mile (1.6 kilometers) away. When they attack, they drop down at up to 100 miles (161 kilometers) an hour! Then they glide just above the water, snag a fish with their feet, and fly off to eat it.

Eagle nests are called aeries (AIR-ees). Bald eagles build their nests at the very top of tall trees so the eggs will be safe. Some parents come back year after year to the same nest, adding more sticks, twigs, and grass each time.

One old nest in Florida grew to 9 feet (2.7 meters) wide and 20 feet (6.1 meters) tall and weighed more than 4,000 pounds (1,814 kilograms).

These carnivorous birds can only lift about half their body weight. If they catch a fish that weighs more than that, they might hang onto it with their talons and "swim" to shore using their huge wings. The average female bald eagle has a wingspan of 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters) and

weighs 9 pounds (4 kilograms). Bald eagles live up to 35 years of age.

Name: ____________________

WORD BANK

EXTINCTION EAGLET AERIES

CARNIVOUROUS BALDE TALONS

1. A baby eagle ___________________.

2. An animal that eats other animals _______________.

3. An old English word that means white ____________.

4. The process of being eliminated ________________.

5. An eagles nest _____________________.

6. A claw belonging to a bird of prey _______________.

LESSON #2

Learner Profile/Contextual Factors3 male students and 1 female student. 3 of the students are

Caucasian and 1 of the students is Asian


Common CoreStandards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.3d Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

Science A.4.5. When studying a science-related problem, decide what changes over time are occurring or have occurred

Objectives Content objective: TSW be able to spell all six of the vocabulary words (talons, carnivorous, eaglet, aeries, balde, extinction) with 100% accuracy.

Time Frame 5-7 minutes introduction. I will take this time to review the vocabulary words we had learned by reading our eagles’ packet. As a group we will each say what we learned new about eagles.5-10 minutes. I will write the words on the white board and have the students copy them three times. After the students had completed this process I will give them a basic word find to search for the words.5-10 minutes. I will give all of the students a piece of paper and pencil. I will then say each of the word and the students would spell the words. When saying the words I would also put them into a sentence to give the students context. 5-10 minutes closure. After everyone completes the spelling test I will have the students volunteer to spell the words on the white board. When the student completed spelling the word we will review it as a group to make sure everyone knew the correct spelling

Resources Materials: pencil, paper,

People: Students and myself

Procedure

The lesson procedure will include three (3) parts that effectively address the needs of a wide range of learners by providing “multiple pathways” in the teaching and learning process. For example: vary grouping models, employ brain-compatible strategies, use multiple intelligences, teach metacognitive strategies, etc.


A. I will review the vocabulary words from the previous lesson on eagles B. I will have a conversation with the students about doing a fun word search to

practice their spelling.C. I will explain that we would be taking a spelling test on the vocabulary words.

II. Developmental/Universal Core

A. Thoughtful, purposeful and appropriate accommodations and modifications that meet mandated RTI requirements to support the belief that all students can succeed:


Accommodations: Materials, resources, and physical attributes needed to enhance student performance. Addresses the physical, cognitive, emotional and social needs of every learner.

Modifications: Adjustments to what the student is asked “to do” based on their learning style and contextual factors. Allows for “multiple pathways” of meaningful learning. It is comprehensive and flexible.

Why necessary? It is always important to consider the

needs of the students to

provide them with the most appropriate

learning environment


I would stand closer to student number 1 while he was writing out the spelling words and doing the word search.

I would stand next student number 1 to keep him focused on the task.

III. Closure

1. After everyone completes the spelling test I would have the students volunteer to spell the words on the white board. When the student completed spelling the word we would review it as a group to make sure everyone knew the correct spelling.

Assessment The students will complete a spelling test. The goal of the students

would be to spell the words with 100% accuracy.

LESSON #3Contextual Factors3 male students and 1 female student. 3 of the students are

Caucasian and 1 student is Asian.


Common CoreStandards ELA 4.1.5. Read aloud with age-appropriate fluency, accuracy, and expression.

Science A.4.2. When faced with a science-related problem, decide what evidence, models, or explanations previously studied can be used to better understand what is happening now

Objectives Content objective: TSW show the ability to fluently read the packet with accuracy and effortless decoding of texts.

TSW will show the ability to interpret on order to explain the packet.

Time Frame 30 minutes total5-10 minutes introduction. 5 minutes. We will read the packet as a group. During the reading I will make sure to break down any words that the students are struggling with.10-15 minutes. The students will read the packet to each other in pairs of two. During each students individual reading I would use an Italk application on my Ipad to record their reading. 5 minutes closure. I will reiterate the importance of reading out loud with accuracy. I will encourage them to practice this skill both at school and at home.

Resources Materials: Reading packet and Ipad

People: Students and myself

Instructional


A. I will ask the students to tell me what they remember from the packet we read together

B. We will review the pronunciation of the vocabulary words that we have learned from the packet.

C. I will give the students examples of why practicing reading out loud is important: such as the morning announcements at school.


1. Chosen approaches must address classroom contextual factors. For example, SES, ethnicity, HPL, learning disabled students, limited English proficient learners, Title I students, hearing impaired students, etc.



Modifications: Adjustments to what the student is asked “to do” based on their learning style and contextual factors. Allows for “multiple pathways” of meaningful learning. It is comprehensive and flexible.

Why necessary? No modifications

or accommodations

are needed on this lesson, but all lessons need to evaluated and

assessed to address all

students’ needs.HPLSESELLSpec. Educ.Other: Cultural, religious, etc.

II. Closure I would reiterate the importance of reading out loud and emphasize the importance of practice.

Assessment I will take a running record using Italk app to determine fluency of the

packet.

Lesson #4Learner Profile/Contextual Factors3 male students and 1 female student. 3 of the students are

Caucasian and 1 student is Asian


Common CoreStandards ELA B.4.1. Create or produce writing to communicate with different

audiences for a variety of purposes.

Science B.4.3. Show how the major developments of scientific knowledge in the earth and space, life and environmental, and physical sciences have changed over time

Objectives Content objective: TSW compose a paragraph about eagles using four of the vocabulary words we have previously identified.

TSW model appropriate grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

TSW identify one clear topic and stay focused on the topic.

Time Frame 30 minutes total10 minutes introduction. During the introduction I would read the students a story that I had written about eagles. In my story I would make sure to use all six of the vocabulary words that our class had been working on. In my story, I would demonstrate appropriate grammar and capitalization. 5 minutes brainstorming session. As a group we would discuss ideas for stories about eagles. The stories could be realistic or fantasy.10-15 minutes. The students would be give time to write their paragraph. As the students are writing I would be talking about their ideas with them and answering any questions that they may have. If students do not finish they would be allowed to take it home to complete the assignment.5 Closure. Any students who wanted to read their stories would be given time to read it to the class.

Resources Materials: Pencils, paper, list of vocabulary words

People: students and myself

Instructional


A. I will model the assignment by reading the students a paragraph that I had wrote using the vocabulary words

B. I will discuss the paragraph that I wrote. I will ask the students questions about whether or not my story was realistic or fantasy

C. I will explain to the students that I am requiring them to write their own paragraph about eagles. This paragraph could be fantasy or reality


1. Chosen approaches must address classroom contextual factors. For example, SES, ethnicity, HPL, learning disabled students, limited English proficient learners, Title I students, hearing impaired students, etc.



Modifications: Adjustments to what the student is asked “to do” based on their learning style and contextual factors. Allows for “multiple pathways” of meaningful learning. It is

Why necessary? No modifications

or accommodations are needed on this

lesson, but all lessons need to be

comprehensive and flexible.

evaluated and assessed to address all students’ needs.


II. Closure

1. Any students who volunteered would read their stories to the class.

Assessment I will have a rubric to measure the students’ writing. The rubric would evaluate whether the students had used at least four of the vocabulary words, correct capitalization, spelling, and focus on the topic.

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