The Learning Map Paradigm

(Emphasis on First Grade)

 My First Grade Experience:
Ms. Espinosa’s Class at Allison Elementary
Why I chose this first-grade class?
 The students are very distinct in my mind. I spent a
year with them teaching every Friday. During the
2018-2019 school year. Their regular teacher took an
unusual form of FMLA that allowed her every Friday
off to spend with her newborn. Therefore, I was given
her classroom instruction and ran with it.
 I got to know and deal with the students learning
weaknesses and strengths it was eye opening. I
enjoyed watching them learn and improve their basic
literacy skills.
 We worked on phonemic awareness, phonics, reading,
writing, word wall, letter sounds, vowels, and
consonants.
 My focus for this assignment is just phonemic
awareness and phonics.
The Three Mice: ILP, ELL, and
Conduct Issue
 The three students I am using as case study examples
were difficult and the most fun teach at the same time.
 Mauricio- He was a troubled 8 year old whose
parents were both in prison. He was a great
student but a constant conduct problem.
 Ja’Dore- She was 7 and did could not write her
letters. She was very precocious and needed a lot
of work on both English and math. She should
have had an ILP.
 Leo- He did not speak much English, 7 years old,
he was old enough to disrupt class, other students
and this poor substitute. He spoke only Spanish
at home. His parents were nice and well meaning
but had no clue as to how to correct his bad
behavior. He was my ELL student.
 Learning Map Functionality

 Target and Academic Standards  English Language Arts

 Identify Common Core Standards  Phonics and Phonemic Awareness
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.2.E
 Spell untaught words phonetically,
drawing on phonemic awareness and
spelling conventions.
 “Demonstrate command of standard
English grammar and usage when
writing or speaking.”
 Ability to spell unknown words
using phonics, drawing on phonemic
awareness.
The Learning Chart/Map a Functional format
 Planning Stage

 Planning (Target Continued)  Big Questions:

 Instructional practice (daily)
 Recite Word Wall (posted on window)
 Recite word sounds with animal
pictures (posted on white board)
 Recite vowels, and consonants
 (posted below white board)
 Knowledge:
 The students are tasked with learning their
sounds, and being able to repeat sounds
going forward.
 Skills:
 Basic repetition (daily)
 Use (magic wand) a pointer to obtain
participation
 Group recitation through rhyme and sing-
a-long.
 Planning Stage Continued

 Learner  Student Social-Emotional Goal

 Ability to repeat the phonemic sounds on
their own without help.
 Barriers to Learning
 ELL student will have difficulty just
repeating words, or unknown phrases
 Some students will not follow along with
recital of phonics, distracted easily in first-
grade.
 Common Misconceptions (Learner and
Target)
 Misunderstanding of English language by
the one ELL student.
 General readiness after recital, are the
students absorbing the material?
 Teaching Stage
 Classroom Composite (Ms. Espinosa’s First-
Grade Class):
 I had a total of 21 first-graders in my
classroom substituting for Ms. Espinosa.
 7 were boys 7-8 years old
 14 were girls 7-8 years old
 One very stubborn ELL student
Spanish speaker
 Three ILP students
 Three conduct issue students
 All have very diverse backgrounds
 My three example students are from Ms.
Espinosa’s class and each a perfect
representation of the broader classroom:
 Learner: Mauricio
 Conduct issues, Mauricio would loose
curiosity, interest and passion in
subject.
 Learner: Ja’Dore
 Inability to follow direction material
too difficult, needs ILP. How much
input data can Ja’Dore handle? Often
looses place doing repetitive work
 Learner: Leo
 Student is ELL name is Leo (the Lion)
needs UDL type format to keep him
active and learning a second language.
Occasional conduct issues as well.
 Teaching Stage Continued
(Learning Map sequence day one and beyond)

 Daily Agenda to manage daily instruction:  What materials will you use?
 Teacher will ask and review with students
Word-Wall, sounds and the daily goal.  Word-Wall on window
 Teacher will pass out pointers  Poster boards for letters
 Teacher will use rewards (stickers) for
compliance  Poster boards for sounds
 Teacher and class will recite the entire 100  White board-marker
word Word-Wall together
 Teacher will choose two assistants to point  Magic wands (pointers)
to the words  Teacher assistant pointers daily
 Classroom will transition to sound chart
repetition (ch, th, ng, igh, sh, ar)
 Then new assistants chosen and class will
repeat the letter sound chart with pictures.
 Focused vowel repetition and individual
award for repetition (public speaking in
front of class).
Poster- Letter, Sounds, with Pics
 Reflecting Stage

 The evidence of the student understanding

 Multiple methods
 Audio recording of their current
phonics use
 Photos of sound animals
 Conversations of students
 Observation and cognitive
understanding
 Collecting and reflection on data regarding
student progress with phonics and
phonemic awareness.
 KNOWING THE LEARNER!!!
 Need multiple pieces of evidence along the
way to track student understanding.
 Application Stage
(Final Analysis)
 New info on student preference?
 Mauricio likes volunteer work, Ja’Dore
likes direct help, Leo needs occasional
native language assist.
 In the future I plan to key in on the students
info and likes to get them to learn. (as above)
 Was the lesson effective?
 After an entire year, both Ja’Dore and
Mauricio were advanced to a second grade
level of understanding of phonics.
Unfortunately, Leo needed more direct
language assist and did not grasp the
sounds (phonics).
 Evaluating my own teaching practices:
 I was left with a profound understanding
of how little I knew to get through to the
students.
 New understanding about teaching practices:
 National University has helped with tools
like scaffolding, modeling and Learning
Map process.
 What have I learned as a teacher?
 My biggest mistake was not appealing to
their likes and supplementing the existing
reward system for academic progress to be
made.
 Bottom line: These are first-graders not
high school students!
 As a professional learner I am on the
correct path, I need to continue National’s
training regimen.
 Elements (Core)
 Learner, Target, Instruction,
Management, Accommodations,
Adaptations, Intervention, and Teaching:
 Two focus students
 Having an ELL student is a challenge,
but one must remember “A language
difference is not a learning disability”
(Souza. How the Brain Learns?)
 My ILP student did not have an ILP but
needed one. Parent was resistant to helping
student with structural changes.
 Focus Student #1 ELL
 My ELL student Leo would need native
language reading to be translated by Spanish
speaking staff for him. This would have to be
arranged, but is not impossible. Leo the ELL
student would then have help comprehending
the phonics in the story. Also, have Leo the
ELL student sit close to me for assistance
and correction with sounds.
 Focus Student #2 ILP
 Ja’Dore doesn’t have an ILP and needs one.
My first goal is to create an ILP she can
perform on a daily basis with the rest of the
class. Perhaps a chart that everyone gets, but
is really meant for her that has the sounds
and pictures for the Word-Wall like a mini-
WW.
Multiple Means of Representation, Engagement, Expression, and Management
of Class Environment
(Teacher, Learner, Target, Assessment, Instruction, and Management)

 Representation
 Teacher will model the sounds and
cadence of repetition.
 Class will stand and sing the Word-
Wall as a group.
 Video will be shown on Word-Wall
and sounds.
 Engagement
 Students will be asked questions
about what words mean and feel free
to engage with teacher regarding W-
W.
 Expression
 Students will be tasked with repeating
words in oral test, that test will be taken
quarterly.
 Students will work in groups to string
together words in W-W for a sentence.
 Students will practice daily out loud.
 Class Environ
 Students will be tasked with daily
repetition in group and as a class with
teacher in lead.
 Students attention will be obtained by
calling “Waterfall!” Then the student
know to respond with “shhhhhh” the
waterfall sound.
 References:

 Evidence Based Learning Map. National University. 2019

https://nu.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_
103025_1&content_id=_7720438_1&mode=reset
 Sousa, D. A. How the ELL Brain Learns. [National University]. Retrieved
from https://nu.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781452224282/