Samples of three units of study from my primary (first grade) student teaching experience.

1. Primary Student Teaching
Student Work Samples

2. Animal Habitats

4. During a two week period, I used non-fiction and fiction DRA books used in guided reading to
create and integrated lesson on animals and their habitats. This unit coincided with a whole grade first grade
project during which each student selected an animal and researched how many teeth it had and how it used its
teeth. Their results were then written in a final format, illustrated and published in a hard back book. First grade
science standards covered during this two week period included those related to diversity of life.
During this unit, students also had math content integrated (they had to organize a set of animal
cards in order from lowest weight to greatest weight (ordinal numbers), students acted out math word problems
that were completed as a whole group. Students also practiced basic addition math facts while playing an
addition fishing game.
English and Language arts content was integrated through writing sentences (students were
encouraged to write sentences containing the same number of words as their age) using a list of animal names.
Students also had to complete and animal investigation during which they illustrated their favorite
animal, completed writing prompts about that animal (ex. My animal is larger than a ______, My animal is
smaller than a ______, The color of my animal is ________, and My animal lives________.). Multiple non-fiction
books were provided for students to complete this “research paper”.

5. Maps

7. During this lesson, students used what
they learned about maps from reading Me on the Map
by Joan Sweeney (from their basal readers) to construct
a map of their community. This activity met First Grade
Social Studies content standards for location.
During this month, students also
received post cards from various members of their
family and friends (a letter had been sent home
requesting these to be sent to school). We had mail call
several times a week and marked (using stickers) on a
map places from which all of our classmates received
letters.
We also created a map of our classroom
indicating where everything was located. Each student
took a turn writing their name on the location of their
desk. The map was displayed in the classroom.

8. Symbols of America

9. Lessons on symbols of America were tied
into President’s Day. These lessons integrated to meet
Social Studies content standards, English and Language
Arts standards and Math standards.
At the initiation of the symbols of America
lesson, prior knowledge was accessed to determine
which symbols of America students were familiar with
and whether they had visited any of them. Then,
students were read some short books on some of the
various symbols to see if we could add to our list of
symbols. Following this, students were asked to come up
with some possible ideas for a new symbol of America.
Results were recorded on a T-chart.
The student work show here was the
result of a New Literacies in Education activity during
which each table grouping was given one of the books
used to describe a symbol of America. They were given a
bin of various art materials and asked to work together
as a group to create their interpretation of their assigned
symbol. Students, as a group, were then given the
opportunity to describe their symbol to the rest of the
class.
During this week, students were also
assigned a writing prompt . “If you could make a new
symbol for America what would it be? Why?” Students
were asked to write at least 3 sentences and encouraged
to use at least as many words in each sentence as their
age. Students also illustrated their writings.