FEAP 3

FEAP 3: Instructional Delivery and Facilitation. The effective educator consistently utilizes a deep and comprehensive knowledge of the

subject taught to:

a. Deliver engaging and challenging lessons;

b. Deepen and enrich students’ understanding through content area literacy strategies, verbalization of thought, and application of the subject matter;

e. Relate and integrate the subject matter with other disciplines and life experiences;

In an effort to enhance my kindergartners' writing skills from sentences like "I see the cat" to creative, well-thought out sentences, I began Writer's Workshop everyday. I implemented a new writing process and required students to draw detailed pictures prior to writing a sentence. I involved students in constructing sentences on the board, modeled my thought process, and invited them to "help" me spell challenging words. I also challenged them to use details and adjectives in their sentences. As a result, the students' reading began to improve drastically, especially when they were able to use their writing to describe their own life experiences (Such as what they like to do on a rainy day).

c. Identify gaps in students’ subject matter knowledge;

Prior to beginning my inquiry action plan, I performed assessments on basic kindergarten knowledge (letter sounds/recognition, sight words, syllables, CVCs). I used this data to identify gaps in knowledge and place the students in the appropriate literacy groups (by academic ability).

d. Modify instruction to respond to preconceptions or misconceptions;

f. Employ higher-order questioning techniques;

The above photo represents FEAPS 3d and 3f. In this lesson, I read a book called "Kitten's First Full Moon." Prior to reading, I asked students to discuss what a full moon reminds them of. I modeled by saying it reminds me of a big block of cheese. I asked the students this questions to increase engagement during the read aloud, and to assess whether all students had an accurate preconception of what a full moon is. Throughout the story, I asked higher order thinking questions that require students to draw conclusions from the text and illustrations.

g. Apply varied instructional strategies and resources, including appropriate technology, to teach for student understanding;

This semester I taught a lesson on animal adaptions in science. I was able to combine read alouds, arts and crafts, and a video on StudyJams.com to help my kindergarteners fully understand animal adaptations. They used this knowledge to answer questions on adaptations, and then painted a lion head. We used their painting to decorate a bulletin board outside our classroom (the school-wide theme was biomes). We even use yellow paper to create the grasslands to show the lions blending in with their surroundings.

h. Differentiate instruction based on an assessment of student learning needs and recognition of individual differences in students;

i. Support, encourage, and provide immediate and specific feedback to students to promote student achievement;

j. Utilize student feedback to monitor instructional needs and to adjust instruction.

My entire inquiry was based on creating a more differentiated learning environment for my students through the implementation of reading centers. The photo above is a snapshot of reading center. I am in the front of the classroom facilitating guided reading. This new process helped the students receive more individualized support, as well as allowed me to assess each students' strengths and gaps in knowledge. During the teacher-led center, I am able to provide the students with immediate feedback when misconceptions occur, as well as praise students for their academic improvement. I am able to use this feedback to further drive instruction, and a data point in planning future lessons.