Instructional Cycle 1

Multiple Subject and Single Subject

Part A: Written Narrative: Getting to Know Your Students Template

Multiple Subject and Single Subject

Step 1: Plan—Part A: Written Narrative: Getting to
Know Your Students Template
Directions: Provide the information listed below about your whole class, their assets and learning needs,
classroom context, and each of the three focus students by responding to the following prompts (no more than
9 pages). To protect the privacy of the focus students, refer to these students as Focus Student 1 (FS1), Focus
Student 2 (FS2), and Focus Student 3 (FS3). Type your responses within the brackets following each prompt.
Do not delete or alter the prompts.

Whole Class
1. Description of Students’ Assets and Learning Needs

a. prior academic knowledge related to the specific content you plan to teach
[As a class, we have been reading The Giver by Lois Lowry, alongside a sequence of literature
lessons on “the language of literature,” from How to Read Literature Like a Professor by
Thomas C. Foster. Through these literature lessons, students have been learning about the
tools that help readers decipher deeper meaning from literature such as recognizing patterns,
allusions, and symbols. So far, they have read the first 8 chapters of The Giver and received
literature lessons on deep reading, acts of communion as a literary symbol, the pattern of a
quest story, recognizing vampire-like characters, and the overall impact and occurrence of
patterns across literature. In addition, they have been applying these tools to relevant media
sources to find, collect, and edit together a series of examples that show a quest, communion,
vampirical character, and pattern happening in familiar movies, TV shows, and ads. In group
discussions and whole-class share outs, we have been discussing how these tools are
appearing in The Giver and checking for comprehension through guided reading questions that
accompany each chapter. Additionally, students just took Cornell notes on the process of
explication, how we explicate quotes, and the purpose of explicating. As a class, we have read
through chapter 9 of The Giver and students will be applying their knowledge of the novel so
far, the tools of the language of literature, and their understanding of explication to a graphic
organizer that asks essential questions to identify evidence that works towards a claim to
ultimately synthesize evidence towards an essay.]

b. English language proficiency levels for English learners

[In this CP English class, there are 11 English learners. Nine of those students are “bridging” as
indicated by their ELPAC scores, and two are “expanding.” The two “expanding” English
learners are enrolled in supplementary ELD and study skills support classes wherein there is
allotted time and instructional support to complete classwork from other courses, such as this
one. Those two expanding students are progressing well from the first quarter of the school
year––one student has improved from turning in zero assignments the first few weeks of school,
to using the time during ELD class to turn in both current and missing work. I have also
observed the two expanding students participating more in the beginning “interview question”
that we begin class with––discussing more, sharing their ideas with others, and expressing

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 Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part A: Written Narrative: Getting to Know Your Students Template

interest in others’ ideas as well. Of the nine bridging EL students, 3 are “Y” marked, meaning
they are Special Education students, with IEPs indicating interventions ranging from ADHD to
slowed cognitive processing. Their language proficiencies are strongest in the area of social
communicative registers, and we are working on improving the areas of academic
communication registers as well as written formal communication in class.]

c. cultural and linguistic resources and funds of knowledge (i.e., knowledge and skills derived
from cultural experience)
[The majority of the school, 78%, is minority enrollment, and 68% is Hispanic; the classroom
reflects this demographic. The campus culture reflects the dominant Hispanic demographic of
the school’s enrollment: students speak Spanish to each other outside of class, many are on
football,soccer, and basketball teams together, and went to the same middle schools. Many
students are affiliated with a local church, which I discovered when students shared they had
attended the church’s fall carnival over the weekend in the beginning of October. The
community where these students are coming from is predominantly middle to low income, and
from talking with students it seems many of them play sports through the school and
recreationally. Many have shared they are responsible for taking care of their siblings on the
weekends, and come from a cultural background that prioritizes family. They experience the
world largely through social media and streaming platforms and possess a large wealth of
knowledge in pop culture, film, and other media sources. Because of these linguistic and
cultural backgrounds, students in my class are sensitive to family dynamics and trauma, see
education as a tool of empowerment and are close with their peers and the community at the
high school.]

d. prior experiences and interests related to the content you plan to teach
[At the beginning of the year, we asked students what books they have read before, both in
class and in their free time. We compiled a list of these books, of which the majority fell under
the genres dystopian or realistic fiction. More than 75% of the class read The Hunger Games,
Hatchet and Lord of the Flies within the last 2 years and they especially expressed interest in
dystopian literature. Additionally, in class discussions, students have been making connections
between the theme of “choice” in The Giver and “choice” in our society: students have offered
personal experiences related to COVID-19, general childhood experiences, and the choices that
come with entering high school. As such, the content of The Giver is both accessible and
interesting to the class. More specifically, they have experienced increased exposure to the
practice of explication and searching for evidence from a text to support a claim. Prior to this
lesson, students have recently learned how and why we explicate quotes and have applied
these skills in a smaller assignment on google Jamboard, comparing The Giver to an
informational text on arranged marriages in the real world. Finally, the learning groups
rotation-style lesson is a format students are familiar with and have been working in since the
beginning of the school year. They know how to move around the room, which people they are
working with, and the general flow and pacing of a stations-based lesson like this one. ]

2. Contextual Information for the Class

a. grade level(s)
[ Students are all in 9th grade.]

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 Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part A: Written Narrative: Getting to Know Your Students Template

b. age of students
[ Students are 15 years old. ]

c. content area
[ This class’ content area is College Prep English 1A ]

d. instructional setting (in-person, online synchronous, hybrid)

[ This class’ instructional setting is in-person. ]

e. resources and materials you have access to and plan to use in the lesson
[I will be using a class set of The Giver and its digital option accessible to all students on
Canvas, Canvas, Google Docs, Google Slides, and pear deck within GoogleSlides. Students all
have their own Chromebooks and chargers, from which they can access learning management
systems and the necessary google docs. ]

f. number of students:

i. total number of students (whole class) [ 31 ]

ii. number of identified English learners [ There are 11 students listed as English learners, of
which 9 are bridging and two are expanding. My FS1 is considered bridging. ]

iii. number of students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP)* [9 ]

iv. number of students with a 504 plan* [4]

v. number of students identified for Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)* [ 0, GATE plans
are not applicable to students in 9th grade.]

* Include a note if IEP/504/GATE goals/plans are not applicable for your students given their age (e.g., TK–3
classroom).

g. dual-language setting, if applicable; indicate setting and language of instruction:

bilingual [ N/A ] one-way immersion [ N/A ] two-way immersion [ N/A ]

Focus Students
3. Description of 3 Focus Students’ Assets and Learning Needs

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 Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part A: Written Narrative: Getting to Know Your Students Template

To protect the privacy of the 3 different focus students, refer to these students throughout
your submitted evidence as Focus Student 1 (FS1), Focus Student 2 (FS2), and Focus
Student 3 (FS3). Remember: Do not use an actual school name, the names of other adults
in the classroom who support students, or the names of any students in the evidence you
submit for Cycle 1.

Focus Student 1

a. current proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking/listening in English and mastery of the
primary language
[ FS1 is listed as an English language learner. FS1 was tested for the ELPAC during 8th grade
with a proficiency score of 4. FS1 first tested for the ELPAC in 2013, and earned a proficiency
score of 0 in reading and writing and a 2 in listening upon initial assessment when she was in
Kindergarten. As such, FS1 has made leaps in her proficiency and language fluency.
Regarding mastery of her primary language, FS1 is fluent in her primary language, Spanish,
and is currently taking Español Uno: the second language track designed for students already
fluent in Spanish.]

b. prior academic knowledge related to the specific content you plan to teach
[FS1 has a cursory knowledge of citing evidence from a text, has written paragraph-length
responses to prompts in class, and has worked with guided reading questions alongside The
Giver for the past few weeks. During the first week of school, students took a diagnostic test
through CommonLit and FS1’s strongest category was “vocabulary and language” scoring an
80% on this section of the exam. She knows how to manipulate language to convey ideas which
will be helpful in completing the graphic organizer. ]

c. social identity (student’s expressed self-concept derived from a social group that is evident
through peer and/or adult interactions inside or outside of school)
[ Inside the classroom, FS1 has a close group of friends––two other girls––with whom she
completes classroom discussions and frequently consults during partner share-outs. It is clear
she is comfortable with her peers and is willing to share her ideas among other students. She
speaks comfortably with my mentor teacher and me, such as during greetings and check-ins at
the door: a practice wherein each student is greeted at the door, then asked a question
pertaining to the last class’ content. I have seen her eating lunch on multiple occasions with
another group of girls; she seems to maintain close friendships outside the classroom too. She
does not play school-affiliated sports, but her style, personality, and interests appear similar to
that of the friends with whom she surrounds herself. ]

d. cultural and linguistic resources and funds of knowledge

[FS1 speaks Spanish at home, has parents from Mexico and attends a school that is
predominantly Hispanic; she uses both Spanish and English at school and home, suggesting
literacy in Spanish as well. 77.8% of the school she attends is “minority enrollment” and 65% of
the student body identifies as Hispanic, so she is likely able to carry her cultural knowledge from
home into the school environment. We began the school year with an activity where students
brought in a book or toy from their childhood; FS1 brought in a book in Spanish which had been
read to her as a child. The book was fairy tales in Spanish, and her familiarity with it suggested

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 Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part A: Written Narrative: Getting to Know Your Students Template

a wealth of knowledge in Spanish literature. Her parents read to her and from her stories about
the book, it seems she is close to mom and dad and they were involved in her upbringing. ]

e. prior experiences and interests (as they relate to the content you plan to teach)
[ FS1 demonstrates strong study skills and organizational habits; she takes extra time during
class to produce notes with neat handwriting. I have also noticed her drawing with a stylus on
her chromebook in her free time. For this reason, she may engage more with visual modes of
representation. For example, in one of the stations for this lesson, students will be finding and
editing movie clips that demonstrate the tools of “the language of reading”: communion,
vampire-type characters, communion, or the elements of a quest. ]

f. developmental considerations (e.g., social-emotional)

[ FS1 speaks comfortably in smaller partner and group-oriented discussions, but also has
shared out in the class more as the school year has gone on. For example, in a class lesson on
patterns and the One Story Theory, she made a connection between The JungleBook and Coco
(the Disney movie), without being prompted. I will build toward helping FS1 acquire even more
confidence in larger classroom settings by using the “full value contract” that equips students
with the appropriate vocabulary to participate in academic and social settings. Providing SEL
vocabulary and sentence starters can help FS1 feel more confident sharing out. I also plan to
account for her interest in Disney movies, and will allow for connections to outside films as
much as possible to engage her interests during the lesson. ]

g. ELD goal(s)
[1. English learners will participate in social discussions at the open of class and in academic
learning groups to complete a graphic organizer; students will incorporate at least one citation
shared by a peer into their own graphic organizer.
2. By the end of this lesson, English language learners will be able to closely read The Giver to
explain their own––and their partner’s––interpretations about how the quotes they selected from
the reading is evidence of two tools of the language of literature: communion and vampire-like
characters.]

Focus Student 2

a. learning challenge (identified disability and IEP goals, focus of 504 plan or Multi-Tiered
System of Supports [MTSS], or need for greater instructional challenge through GATE
goals/plans)
[ FS2’s identified disability is Specific Learning Disability with a secondary disability of Autism.
He displays large discrepancy between his ability and outcome of achievement in math, and
expresses processing deficits specifically resulting in inattention. He struggles to stay focused
and complete tasks without frequent reminders and support, and displays weaknesses in social
interactions and social settings. His IEP goal for pragmatics states that by March 2023, when
presented with a review of expectations and examples of transition phrases, he will use
appropriate topic transition strategies to shift conversation topics in at least 70% of opportunities
during a 15-minute conversation, across 3 measurement samples. His second area of
need––calculation––states an IEP goal of graphing and computing the X and Y intercepts
showing the region of linear inequality with 80% accuracy as measured by performance-based
products/ assessments (by March 2023). Finally, in the area of comprehension, FS2’s IEP goal

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 Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part A: Written Narrative: Getting to Know Your Students Template

states that by March of 2023, when given a grade-level passage, he will analyze the original text
by accurately comparing it to a summary of the text to determine whether it captures the main
idea and critical details with 80% accuracy as measured by student work samples. ]

b. prior academic knowledge related to the specific content you plan to teach
[Similar to FS1, FS2 has completed many in class assignments that have included the practices
of writing short samples, examining a text, and formulating claims. In his diagnostic exam from
the beginning of the year, FS2 actually scored a perfect 100% in the category of assessment
titled “evidence” suggesting he will bring to this lesson a substantial amount of prior academic
knowledge related to finding evidence and developing claims. ]

c. social identity (student’s self-concept derived from a social group that is evident through
peer and/or adult interactions inside or outside of school)
[ FS2 has two friends in the classroom who he speaks with before class begins, and will gesture
toward during class; they joke around and make references to past classes together––this
seems to be the commonality they share. The three of them know each other from middle
school and and will reference other people they know; it appears the FS2 is confident in group
settings even without those friends. During group discussions, his peers are kind and patient,
and allow him to share his ideas, which has fostered an environment where FS2 communicates
effectively and seems comfortable. Outside of school, he seems to have a strained family life.
His residential status is listed as 140 Parent/and or Legal Guardian homeless. At the beginning
of the school year, he communicated it was his birthday and when we asked what he would do
to celebrate he replied “nothing.” Despite a complicated home life, FS2 seems excited to be in
the classroom and trusts us; school seems to be a safe space for him. ]

d. cultural and linguistic resources and funds of knowledge

[ At the beginning of the year, we asked students to “write a list of all you know about writing,”
and FS2 produced a comprehensive list of specifically creative writing techniques (narrative
voice, character development, imagery, symbolism, dialogue, conflict and resultion…). In
addition I’ve seen him reading graphic novels before class begins and he seems particularly
interested in Disney and Pixar films, frequently connecting morning discussion questions to film
references. For this reason, FS2 is acutely aware of literary strategies as they translate to film,
and he enjoys making connections between in-class material and his real-life experiences and
interests. ]

e. prior experiences and interests related to the content you plan to teach
[FS2 has worked in learning groups for stations before and is familiar with his “table team” that
he rotates through the class with. He has also worked with these students to find evidence
comparing The Giver to an informational text, so he is experienced in the process of dividing up
work and collaborating to find textual evidence and complete group assignments. Specifically
related to the content of The Giver and the graphic organizer, FS2 is interested in dystopian
fiction from the books he recalled having read in middle school.]

f. developmental considerations (e.g., social-emotional)

[ FS2 has improved greatly in just the last few months with impulse control. Initially, he was
constantly raising his hand to ask questions, shouting out when the teacher was talking, and
squirming uncomfortably in his seat which would impede his ability to participate and pay
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 Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part A: Written Narrative: Getting to Know Your Students Template

attention. With structure and predictability, FS2 thrives and is able to participate in group
settings and in independent work. Per his IEP, a primary developmental consideration is
conversation skills, which can be developed through class discussions. This lesson will include
collaborative learning groups in a station style format, so I will be able to observe closely how
FS2 interacts with his peers in a controlled group of only 8 students. He will have the
opportunity to practice the skills of “topic transition shifts” per his IEP pragmatics goal with other
students by conversing about where to find evidence of certain literary tools that deepened their
understanding of The Giver. ]

g. assistive technologies as appropriate

[ FS2’s IEP includes accommodations related to adaptive furniture and special lighting/
acoustics. As needed, he is allowed to move around the room to sit at large tables, high seats,
and stand at the back of the classroom. Assistive technologies provided to all students through
their Chromebooks also include talk-to-text. For the function of this lesson, FS2 will move
around every 15 minutes to a new station, which will help with any feelings of anxiousness he
may get from sitting in one place for an extended period of time. If needed, he knows he can
move to the front of the classroom where there is a larger table with different seats than the
desks have, where he can charge his computer and work in a different environment.]

Focus Student 3

a. life experience(s) either inside or outside of school that may result in a need for additional
academic and/or emotional support
[As stated on his IEP, FS3’s history of seizure disorder as well as struggles with executive
functioning impede his ability to access the general education curriculum. Moreover, his mother
has recently given birth to twins which has drastically altered his family dynamic. He is listed as
140 Parent of Legal Guardian and/or homeless, meaning he is living with a temporary guardian
in a home that is not his own, or with a parent in a home that is not their own, or is currently
experiencing homelessnesss. His mother has communicated with the supervision office and my
mentor teacher and I that he is experiencing tremendous anxiety that inhibits his ability to attend
school on time, which I have noted occurring specifically on Mondays when students attend
every class for 40 minutes instead of block schedule; this may be a source of greater anxiety for
him. By delivering my lesson on a block schedule day, I will have more time with the students to
foster a safe and welcoming learning environment and ease the anxiety students like FS3 may
feel on the more rushed traditional schedule of Mondays. Additionally, FS3 demonstrates poor
study skills and organizational habits that further impede his ability to succeed in the classroom.
Despite these obstacles, FS3 is a really bright student. He was the only student in the class to
score above grade level on the CommonLit diagnostic assessment. His IEP states he has
accompations for small group instruction, which has been built into this assignment through
learning groups of 8 students maximum. ]

b. prior academic knowledge related to the specific content you plan to teach
[ FS3 scored 100% in the sections of point of view, evidence, central idea/theme, and
vocabulary on the CommonLit diagnostic assessment from the beginning of the year.
Additionally, he has demonstrated strong awareness of literary terms and an ability to critically
apply them to the reading of The Giver. When I prompt questions to the whole class, he raises
his hand frequently and offers comprehensive statements about the novel that demonstrate a
deeper level of insight and critical thinking than was even prompted by the type of question I will
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 Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part A: Written Narrative: Getting to Know Your Students Template

ask; he is able to answer the guided reading questions at the same time we are reading the text
and then will help his peers find the answers and direct them to certain pages. In a written
response he produced about the concept of Freedom versus Safety, FS3 wrote a substantial
multi-paragraph reflection that expressed his ideas about both freedom and safety and gave his
opinion on which is more important to him––these skills demonstrate a foundational
understanding of how to “deep read” literature: a skill we have been fostering and will continue
to work with through the early essay-writing stages of this graphic organizer activity. ]

c. social identity (student’s expressed self-concept derived from a social group that is evident
through peer and/or adult interactions inside or outside of school)
[FS3 does not seem to have a positive home life, as indicated by his IEP and further evidenced
from conversations I have had with him; it seems he is largely responsible for helping his mom
with childcare when he is not at school, and he is reserved and withdrawn from his peers, likely
because he feels isolated from not attending class enough to build meaningful relationships with
those around him. He was absent for the first few weeks of school which seems to exacerbate
his anxiety around school and attending class, which only feeds into the cycle of his withdrawn
attitude. I have noticed he wears headphones and listens to music outside of class and will do
so until the moment he steps into the room, so it is likely he does not have a lot of close friends.
From observing his peer interactions in the classroom, it seems FS3 is largely task-oriented and
wants to focus on academic conversation when he is in the class; I have yet to observe him
talking about non-academic topics, even when there is a funny discussion question on the board
for students to discuss when they come in, he will be quiet and reserved. With continued
scaffolded support for discussion and group work, and attention to his accommodations, FS3
has the academic strengths and background knowledge to succeed. ]

d. cultural and linguistic resources and funds of knowledge

[ FS3 listens to music frequently, and has shared that it is calming to him. In two different writing
samples he has produced, I have noticed a theme: FS3 cares a lot about the environment and
following the rules/ acting morally responsibly. He connected a prompt on freedom vs. safety to
industrialism and was able to expand his ideas to the real life example of how we have treated
the earth as a society when he had no laws on environmental impact such as pollution, waste,
and land degradation. He has also talked about examples of dress code when we discussed
real life rules in connection to The Giver, so it is clear that FS3 both longs for structure, and is
seemingly lacking it at home based on his IEP. Because his values are in stark contrast to his
lived reality, FS3 is resilient, adaptive, and his high test scores suggest school is an outlet and
area where he feels he can excel and feel safe in the structure and predictability. His anxiety,
troubled home life, and past seizure disorder further demonstrate the strength he has to
succeed academically despite difficult health and home life circumstances. He brings these
experiences into the classroom through concise and clear participation, assignments that are
done correctly and thoroughly, and intentional discussion input. ]

e. prior experiences and interests related to the content you plan to teach
[ Specifically in relation to this lesson on The Giver and explicating quotes as evidence or tools
for deep reading, FS3 has followed along with the majority of the guided reading questions and
completed them correctly, so he has a cursory understanding of the plot. He also has worn
clothing that shows characters from multiple video games, and I have noticed he responds well
to “gameified” vocabulary assignments as such. The “team” environment for this lesson will
appeal to his interest in collaboration and meeting a “goal” together, and it also fulfills his IEP
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 Instructional Cycle 1
Multiple Subject and Single Subject
Part A: Written Narrative: Getting to Know Your Students Template

accommodation of small-group instruction, which I am able to deliver through these learning

groups of 8. Additionally, FS3 has participated in previous learning group station rotation
lessons, so he is familiar with the style of instruction and has turned in the most work in this
format, as it is largely completed in-class instead of as homework.]

f. developmental considerations (e.g., social-emotional)

[One of FS3’s IEP goals is Self Initiation and completing tasks independently when asked to do
so without further instructor intervention before he initiates the task, in 4 out of 5 scenarios. A
Special Education teacher has additionally told me he is working on his organizational skills in
her study skills class, and this is to improve his ability to self-initiate completing assignments, by
knowing where to find his work and how he has organized them. I am complementing the SPED
aid’s SEL strategy in my own class by facilitating learning in groups, to foster more comfortability
with his peers, who will also help hold him and each other accountable for completing the
assignment which they are collaborating on to compile evidence together. Also, by working with
his peers who sit around him in class, I aim to alleviate some of the anxiety FS3 feels when
attending school by surrounding him with familiar students with whom he is comfortable
speaking and interacting. ]

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