Student Teaching Placement 2
Spring Semester 2019
March 18th - May 3rd
Asa Packer Elementary School
2nd Grade: Mrs. Lisa Madl
Math Instruction
Science Instruction
Theme Lesson
My second of two student teaching placements took place at Asa Packer Elementary School. This was a full-time experience in an inclusive, general education, 2nd grade classroom. I was at the school each day during the contract time for teachers, arriving around 8:00 am each day and not leaving until after 3:45 pm. Within my class, I had four students with IEPs, including a student with Autism who received daily support from a 1-to-1 paraprofessional. Over the course of 7 weeks, I gradually assumed full classroom responsibilities teaching Math, English Language Arts (ELA), and Science/Social Studies. The main focus of instruction is placed on Math and ELA; therefore, science and social studies split instructional time. During the time I was with this 2nd grade class, it was a science quarter, but elements of social studies content were integrated throughout ELA instruction. I began this experience by teaching a lesson on theme, which integrated social studies and ELA content. Then I took over math, followed by science and portions of the morning ELA block until I was teaching the entire block, which combined accounted for the entire day of instruction. Below you will find evidence of my teaching from this experience, which includes lesson plans, assignments, student work samples, assessments, and pictures.
Math was the first subject I took over teaching during this placement. I picked up math beginning my second week and taught it for the remainder of my time in this placement. Below is evidence of the math lessons I taught over the course of my seven weeks in this placement. For math, I began writing full lesson plans and then transitioned to block planning for each week. These plans can be found below according to the Unit and Session that was taught.
I began teaching science during my 3rd week of this placement. The science instruction I provided involved a Balance and Motion Unit from the Full Option Science System (FOSS) curriculum. Below is evidence of the science lessons I taught over the course of my time in this placement. All of my science plans followed a block plan format, except for the Rolling Spheres investigations, which were written as lesson notes for the 2 days of the investigation. Examples and evidence from these lessons can be found below.
ELA Instruction
Social Studies Instruction
At Asa Packer Elementary School, science and social studies split instructional time. Therefore, during the time I was student teaching there, my class was in a quarter in which science was taught. However, social studies instruction was also integrated in ELA instruction through the topics taught and readings used. Social studies topics that were incorporated with ELA included how to be a good citizen, geography, culture and taking care of the environment. Additionally, in my first lesson at this placement, teaching a theme lesson using the story The Water Princess, I heavily ingrained social studies content while teaching about theme. This social studies content included essential information about geography and culture. Since science and social studies instructional time is often limited in school, this exemplifies my ability to integrate content areas and provide students with important knowledge across all subjects.
Balance & Motion Investigation Pictures
Motion Investigation Video Clips
Science Day
The Magic Milk Experiment




Items needed:
-
Bowl or shallow dish
-
Milk (Whole milk is best)
-
Food Coloring
-
Q-tip or Cotton Swab
-
Dish soap
Steps to complete:
-
Gather materials
-
Add milk to dish (enough to cover the base)
-
Add food coloring (near center of milk & several drops of each color)
-
Add dish soap to milk (place a drop in the center or dip Q-tip in soap and then hold Q-tip in the center of the milk)
-
Watch the reaction.

This image was used to build students' prior knowledge by showing them where the setting of our story was compared to our own country and continent.

This image was used to zoom in on the continent and show more closely where Burkina Faso is in Africa.

This Venn Diagram was used to help students compare their own lives to the life of Princess Gie Gie in our story.

This image was used to build students' prior knowledge by showing them where the setting of our story was compared to our own country and continent.

Reader's Theater





Notes I kept to monitor progress of the beyond-level reading groups.

Notes I kept to monitor progress of the on-level reading groups.

Notes I kept to monitor progress of the beyond-level reading groups.

Notes I kept to monitor progress of the beyond-level reading groups.




Supervisor
Weekly Evaluations
Cooperating Teacher
Weekly Evaluations
Evaluations & Reflection
Additional Events






Career Day
PSSA Assembly
Mr. Lasko's Visit
Spring Concert
2nd Grade Flutophone Concert
Author Visit




















My Last Day




Fraction Scoot

Student 1

Student 1

Student 6

Student 1
Student Assessment Samples

Practicing adding and subtracting coin amounts to and from $1.00.

Practicing adding and subtracting coin amounts to and from $1.00.

Practicing adding and subtracting coin amounts to and from $1.00.

Practicing adding and subtracting coin amounts to and from $1.00.
Investigations Math Games




Balancing the triangle and arch on their balance points using counterweights.

Exploring the triangle and arch.

Students compare the speed and direction in which these cups roll by starting in different positions.

Balancing the triangle and arch on their balance points using counterweights.
Twirlers
Zoomers
English-language arts instruction was taught and adapted from the Wonders Curriculum published by McGraw Hill. Beginning the third week of this placement, I slowly took over portions of the ELA block until I was teaching all of ELA each day. My first week of ELA instruction was Wonders Unit 4 Week 6, which allowed us time to spend on learning, practicing, designing sets, and performing a reader's theater. Below is evidence of the ELA lessons I taught over the course of my seven weeks in this placement. These plans can be found below according to the Unit and Week that was taught. There are also plans from my small group, guided reading lessons.
​
​
​
This was the first lesson that I planning and instructed during this second placement. The students were working on identifying themes in texts, so I combined ELA and social studies topics to teach students a lesson about the importance of water in our lives and recognizing how our lives can be much different than the lives of others in different parts of the world. With this lesson, I used the resources pictured in the gallery to build students' background knowledge and check for understanding after reading through the completion of the Venn Diagram. The lesson used a read aloud to help students practice the skill of identifying theme as well as compare and contrast their own lives to the lives of others.