Artifacts
Artifacts of Tess Domains
Tess Domain 1
Planning and Prepping for Student Creation
Domain 1 is demonstrated in my teaching through a lesson I have done on Henna Tattoos and the students’ creations. This lesson would take place over a week, making it possible for the students to build on their knowledge of Henna and Indian culture. This lesson ensures that each student has an independent reading book that is directed to their own reading level, demonstrating the teacher’s knowledge of each student’s ability and proficiency. There are various forms of learning involved in this lesson, addressing various learning styles and allowing students to gain a better understanding of the concept (1c). The lesson also addresses the students’ cultures and interests (1b). They are creating an interpretation of their own story and applying what they know about Henna and its purposes into their creation.
Tess Domain 2
Welcome to Mrs. Davis’ classroom
In this syllabus, the students are given a schedule of the class and the expectations moving forward. The students are given the course overview, goals, and access to the standards that will be covered over the course of the year. The students will also be given my own expectations as their teacher and my reasoning for my expectations. The syllabus gives explicit details of the class to the students at the beginning of the class year, preparing them for what they will be accomplishing in the class they are taking (2d). On the syllabus there are guidelines for success and expectations for behavior in the classroom. If the students follow the rules, then they will succeed!
The syllabus also provides rules from the school handbook to let the students know that it is not just a classroom expectation, but a school-wide rule. This syllabus demonstrates my hopes for my students to succeed and establishes what type of environment the classroom will be. The language used in the syllabus portrays the caring and fun attitude that I hope to have with my students (2a, 2b). The syllabus is designed for a 10th grade classroom, so the setup and language would change according to the age group in my class.
Tess Domain 3
Flexibility with Student learning
During my internship experience at George Junior High School, I led several small groups for critical reading classes. The 8th and 9th-grade students in these small groups had reading levels ranging from Kindergarten to on level. The majority of the students in these classes are English Language Learners and are still learning how to read, write, and speak in English. For this critical reading class, the lessons are focused on strengthening the students’ reading skills through small reading groups and whole group discussions. Each small group has three to four students that read around the same reading level (3c). Each small group meets with the teacher once a week to read a book together that is chosen based on the group’s reading level and discusses comprehension (3d).
Before reading the book, the group flips through the pages and discuss pictures while the teacher asks the students to make predictions of what is going to happen in the book. Then the students take turns reading the book while stopping to ask questions and work on pronunciation. The teacher continues to ask questions about what is happening and is going to happen in the book. Once the reading group has finished the book together, they discuss what the message is, the students’ responses, and connections they can make to the book (3b). For the small groups to be effective for student learning, the teacher has to create comprehension questions for each book they are reading with every group, which could end up being eight different books each week. This requires the teacher to be flexible and know the right questions to ask in the moment of the reading groups (3e).
Tess Domain 4
Being a part of the team
While I interned at George Junior High School, I participated in several IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meetings for different students identified with a disability in our classes. There were several students with IEPs within our critical reading courses and we had a class of only self-contained students, who all have IEPs. During the IEP meetings, a couple of teachers, the special education coordinator at the school, a principal, a translator (if needed), and the parent of the student being focused on will attend the meeting.
The group discusses how the student has progressed, what they still need help on, and what the plan is moving forward. The teachers inform the parent of their child’s performance in class and ask any questions they may have (4c). The parent will then discuss any concerns they may have for their child in classes and ask questions of how they may be able to help at home. Usually, the parent will fully participate and discuss matters concerning their child, which is helpful for the teachers, parent, and student. Towards the end of the meeting, the parent leaves and the educators are able to discuss suggestions for each other when teaching the child of focus. The teachers, coordinator, and principal reflect on the meeting and how they may change anything discussed with the parent for next time (4a).