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EDU-554 Week 1 Assignment

This document discusses identifying the needs of students in a 4th grade classroom. It provides details on two target students, Dessie and Fredrick, who have different academic levels and needs. It emphasizes the importance of pre-assessments, formative assessments, and differentiation of instruction to meet student needs. Examples of formative assessments that could be used for reading and math objectives are discussed, like Kahoot quizzes, interactive slides, and whiteboard responses. The conclusion restates that using various assessments helps teachers identify student needs and create differentiated lessons for academic growth.

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Jeanette Bedwell
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
574 views

EDU-554 Week 1 Assignment

This document discusses identifying the needs of students in a 4th grade classroom. It provides details on two target students, Dessie and Fredrick, who have different academic levels and needs. It emphasizes the importance of pre-assessments, formative assessments, and differentiation of instruction to meet student needs. Examples of formative assessments that could be used for reading and math objectives are discussed, like Kahoot quizzes, interactive slides, and whiteboard responses. The conclusion restates that using various assessments helps teachers identify student needs and create differentiated lessons for academic growth.

Uploaded by

Jeanette Bedwell
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Identifying Needs

Jeanette Bedwell

Grand Canyon University

EDU-554: Methods of Instruction and Assessment

Dr. Sharon Riley Ordu

January 5, 2021
Identifying Needs

As a fourth grade teacher students in my class are learning skills in a variety of subjects

daily. Currently, our curriculum is focusing on literature and multiplication, so our objectives

are as follows: 1) Students will be able to identify character traits and provide evidence from the

text to support those traits, using a graphic organizer. 2) Students will use the area model strategy

to correctly solve multi-digit multiplication problems. These reading and math skills will help

build a strong foundation so that the students can continue to be successful throughout their

academic journey, which is why it is important to differentiate instruction. With differentiation

students of all academic levels can learn in a way that works for them, so that they grow

academically.

Target Students

The first student, Dessie, is a white female that is at a mid-socio-economic status. She is

not an English language learner and does not have a 504/IEP. She is receiving tier two support

for math because she is one year below grade level but is on grade level for reading. Her parents

are moderately involved, and she has internet access. Because of this and the

support/differentiation she will receive she will be able to meet both learning objectives.

Because she is on grade level in reading, she will be able to access the grade level text and add to

class and group discussions. She will be provided with sentence frames for questions to ask in

order to have a more meaningful discussion and foster critical thinking.

Student number two, Fredrick, is a white male in the low socio-economic category. He is

not an English language learner, but he does have 504/IEP. He is receiving tier three support for

reading and math. It is likely that he will not be able to meet either of these objectives initially

since he is two grade levels behind in reading and math. In order to support him he will be
provided with a graphic organizer that has sentence frames and leading questions included on it.

This will help him identify the character traits and evidence from the text that proves he’s

correct. Additionally, he will be in a small group setting to complete this task for added support.

For math Fredrick will be provided a multiplication chart to use throughout each problem. He

will also receive a preprinted (blank) area model that he can just fill in. On the preprinted area

model worksheet, he will also have each number written in expanded for so that he will be able

to identify the values of each digit and their place on the area model frame. These supports will

be beneficial for him and may increase the likelihood that he will still show growth within these

areas.

Preassessment

A pre-assessment will support the diverse needs of each student in the class because once

the data has been collected and reviewed the lesson will be adapted to better suit the varied

needs. Pre- assessments give students a glimpse into what is going to be expected of them and

can help clear up any misconceptions before they really take hold as well as pique their interest

(Hockett & Doubet, n.d.). The data will also show weather students have any prior knowledge

regarding the planned topic/skill. This information will also come in handy after the post

assessment, in order to identify any student growth or where reteaching may be necessary.

Formative Assessment

Formative assessments give the teacher immediate feedback because they are checking

for understanding (Alber, 2014). This provides them the opportunity to adjust their instruction in

the moment. When these adjustments are made based on the assessments the instruction

becomes more meaningful. Teachers are then better able to meet the diverse needs of their
learners. The students can then become more aware of what they do well and what they need

more support with. Additionally, the teacher can provide feedback when the assessments are

taking place and provide reinforcement. This feedback and reinforcement help to foster a safe

classroom environment where trust is built, thus strengthening the teacher student relationship.

Examples of Formative Assessments

The reading objective would benefit from a formative assessment that is engaging. A

Kahoot quiz game where students participate in a high interest activity that is competitive and

provides immediate feedback. This form of assessment could also be used with the math

objective if set of properly ahead of time. Another formative assessment that would work well

would be interactive slides. Students would be able to manipulate the slides while on computers

or on the interactive whiteboard during a whole class lesson. They would receive immediate

feedback from the slides each time they answered a question and the teacher would be reviewing

data as it is provided through the program or through observation. White boards for a math

formative assessment would be beneficial because the teacher would be able to see where there

may be a common mistake throughout the class and then give a quick mini lesson based off the

student responses. It also gives students an opportunity to rework the problem if they are given a

try again response.

Conclusion

In conclusion it is imperative that educators begin to or continue to use a variety of

assessments in order to identify the needs of their learners. This information will inform the

teacher so that they are able to create lessons that differentiate appropriately so that each learner

can grow academically and meet the lesson objectives.


Resources
Alber, R. (2014, January 15). Why Formative Assessments Matter. Retrieved January 06, 2021,

from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/formative-assessments-importance-of-rebecca-alber

Hockett, J. A., & Doubet, K. J. (n.d.). Turning on the Lights: What Pre-Assessments Can Do.

Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.nhsd.org/

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