Julia Lew

Math Embedded Signature Assignment

1. Create a summary of student learning across the whole class relative to the assessment
rubric. Summarize the results in narrative and/or graphic form (e.g., table or
chart). Attach the rubric. (3 points)

Student Assessment Scores

Student: 4a 4b 4c 4d 4e 4f 4g 4h 4i 4j
Labels 1 2 1 2 3 3 1 1 3 1
Answer Completeness 3 3 3 2 2 3 2 3 3 2
Work shown 2 3 2 2 3 3 1 3 3 3
Uses both parts 3 3 3 3 2 3 1 3 3 3
Total Points: 9 11 9 9 10 12 5 10 12 9

After looking through all of the students’ work, they all attempted the problem and found an
answer. Many students did not label their work to indicate what the numbers they were
calculating represented, so it was unclear to see why they multiplied or grouped them together.
Students were able to have a complete answer that indicated what they found. The majority of
students showed some form of their thinking as a picture, diagram, or algorithm. Nearly all
students were able to incorporate the information of how many fruits the caterpillar ate from the
first question into the second question to figure out how many minutes were spent eating fruits.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar – 4th Grade Rubric

Score
3 2 1
Given

Labels each answer indicating Labeled, but not correctly

No labels at all
the fruits, weeks, and minutes. or completely

Math OR answer is Math AND answer is

Answers completely and
incorrect OR not in a full incorrect or
correctly in a full sentence
sentence incomplete

Shows their work

Shows work but work any No logical progress
logically: using pictures,
pictures or diagrams do of math: no pictures,
diagrams, or a number
not make sense in the diagrams, number
sentence that follows the
context of the question sentences at all
problem given
Able to incorporate number of Only does one question or
No answer is given.
fruit found in part 1 to part 2 the other, but not both

Total Points:
/12 possible points

2. Using examples from the summary chart, discuss the patterns of learning across the
whole class relative to conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and mathematical
reasoning/problem-solving skills. (3 points)

There were patterns of learning throughout the samples from the fourth grade class.
Conceptually, most students understood how to use information to work the problem out and
received threes in incorporating information and showing their work in a logical progression.
The tricky part was integrating both parts of the problem to answer both questions asked. They
took the numbers given in the problem and multiplying them to represent the caterpillar eating
15 fruits each week for 5 weeks. In the first part, most wrote 15×5 or drew diagrams to show it.
In the second part, students took the answer 75 and multiplied it again with 5 minutes to eat the
fruit each week. With procedures, most students followed through the arithmetic and calculated
how many fruits eaten in five weeks and how many minutes spent eating. Labeling was an issue
that I found with the majority of the students. From this perspective, I don’t know what
directions they were given. I don’t know if the students were told to label each answer to show
given information of fruits, weeks, and total products were found. When my group created our
rubric, we felt it was important for the students to label what numbers they were using in their
calculations because when we discuss things, we need to be clear about what we’re talking
about. This indicates to me that labeling is an area the students can have more practice and more
explicit direction for what I am looking for.

3. Identify one area where students struggled mathematically. Include three student work
samples (or indicate which three students are your focus students) that represent the
struggles in this area. (These students will be your focal students for this task.) Describe
the students’ struggles as they related to the underlying mathematical understanding
and/or concept. Use your student samples to illustrate these struggles. (4 points)
4. What feedback could you provide to individual students to acknowledge what was done
well and what could be done to improve? Give specific examples of oral or written
feedback for your three focal students. (3 points)

In the feedback for students 4a, 4d, and 4j, I copied the worksheet scan below and
inserted speech bubbles for where I would ask my feedback to the students.
 Student 4a showed understanding in the first part, but I was unsure of what they used for
the second part. They wrote 5×15 = (5×10) + (5×5) = 75 with a diagram of five sets of 15 and
indicated that the caterpillar ate 75 fruits total. Then with wrote out 5×5 = 25. I would ask, “I
wonder how you decided to use 5×5? You found that the caterpillar eats 75 fruits all together,
how many minutes will he spend eating them? Did the prompt give you any hints?” I want to
know if they got lost or confused with taking the information from the first question and carrying
it over to solve the second question.

(2) You found that the caterpillar eats 75

fruits all together. How long does he take to
eat them in five weeks?

(1) I wonder how you

decided to use 5×5?
 Student 4d showed labels for each of the five weeks, but did not label what the 5s with
circles meant. I’m not sure if the student understood what the question was asking. I would say,
“Tell me about what you know the question is asking you. Where did the 15×5 come from? Can
you double check your math for 15×5? What made you add 60+5? What does the 5 mean here?
Did you answer all the questions asked in this problem?” I want to talk with the student to see
where they were unsure and try to help redirect them.

(1) Tell me about what you know

the question is asking you. Where
did 15×5 come from?

(2) Can you double check

your math for 15×5?
(3) What made
you add 60 + 5?
What does the 5
mean here?

(4) Did you

answer all of the
questions asked
in this problem?
 For Student 4j, they only wrote out algorithms for 15×5 and 75×5 without any labels, and
they only answered one of the questions in the problem. My feedback would be, “You multiplied
15×5 = 75, and 75×5 = 375. How did you know what to multiply? What do those numbers mean
in relation to the questions? Can you tell me how many fruits he ate in five weeks?” Their
answer is “correct” but I want to make sure I know the student understands. It is difficult to see
that when there are only numbers. I feel that for this student, they might need a reminder to
double check their work that they answered all of the questions.

(1) You multiplied 15×5 = 75, and 75×5 = 375.

(2) How did you know what to multiply?

(3) What do these numbers mean in

relation to the questions?

(4) You were able to tell me how much time

he spent. Can you tell me how many fruits he
ate in 5 weeks?
Specific feedback
5. Based on your analysis of the focal students’ work samples, write a targeted learning
objective/goal for the students related to the area of struggle. Describe a re-engagement
lesson you could teach to develop each focus student’s mathematical knowledge in
relation to the targeted learning objective/goal. Your description should include:
i. targeted learning objective/goal from prompt 5
ii. content standards that were the basis of the analysis
iii. strategies and learning tasks to re-engage students (including what you
and the students will be doing)
iv. representations and other instructional resources/materials used to re-
engage students in learning
v. assessments for monitoring student learning during the lesson (e.g., pair
share, individual whiteboards, quiz, exit ticket)

The next steps may be taught with the 3 focus students one-one-one, in a small group, or
with the whole class. In your description, be sure to explain how these next steps follow
from your analysis of the focal students’ performances. In addition, provide sufficient
detail to make it clear what the next steps would involve. (5 points)

For intervention, I would want to have individual check-ins with those three students and
then math centers for the whole class that have emphasis on labeling, showing their work, and
checking their understanding. Re-teaching the lesson is not a strategy I would use because I can
see that the students have a pretty strong grasp for most of the concept. In the individual check-
ins, I would talk with the students through the problem to see what might have been confusing or
overlooked. In all three students, I used content standard 4.OA.2 “Multiply or divide to solve
word problems involving multiplicative comparison, e.g., by using drawings and equations with
a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem, distinguishing multiplicative
comparison from additive comparison” as the guide for what I wanted the students to focus on
(Common Core State Standards Initiative). For Student 4a, the new learning objective would be:
Identify what components of the problem need to be solved. Student 4g’s learning objective
would be: Describe number relationships from the word problems. The learning objective for
Student 4j would be: Explain the relationship of values from context in word problems. These
objectives are developing towards using symbols for unknown numbers that will be the future
lesson for this class.
For centers, there will be half-sheets with practice problems similar to the target problem,
a creating word problem center, and an activity about labeling the values they use. I’ll keep extra
scratch paper and math manipulatives available if students want to physically count or group
them. I would encourage students to work together to define what are the given values and what
the questions are asking them to find. This first worksheet is like a second chance, so for students
who are retrying their technique, or explore a different way. To make it more exciting, I would
write practice problems including the students’ names to make them feel more connected to the
math. In the creating word problems center, students will have an opportunity to write their own
problem on one side of the paper and on the other side, they need to solve it “their way”. If they
have extra time, I would challenge them to think of at least two other ways someone else might
solve it. This would prompt them to think more abstractly and in more creatively. In this center,
they can bounce ideas off of each other and we will share our problems together later. The third
activity will be a reminding worksheet that shows the teacher’s perspective when things are not
labeled. It would show problems like, “The caterpillar ate 7 _____s each day for a whole week.
How many _____s did he eat?” And there would be speech bubbles that illustrate my questions
like, “What is 7? 7 apples? 7 hippos? 7 planets?” And the student can fill in what the number of
objects represents. The goal is to be more precise in the choice of words they use when
describing their thinking. So besides of 7×7, when they talk about it, they will say something like
“7 oranges for each day, 7 times.”
My assessment will be done observationally and through white-boards checks. While the
students are working, I will be walking around and listening to what they are saying. I will try to
ask open-ended questions and probing questions to keep their thinking going. If there is
something still confusing for a student, I would ask a nearby student if they have another way of
explaining it. When centers time is over, I will do a quick check-in assessment with the whole
class. I’ll project a piece of student work anonymously (like Student 4e) and go through the
problem step-by-step. The students will use whiteboards to show me their answers. I’ll ask
questions like, “What do you see in this person’s work? Can someone explain what you believe
this person is thinking? Is there anything missing from this?” When we are finished, I’ll want to
find a way to teach the next concept while also keeping the problem-solving skills sharp.

References
Common Core State Standards Initiative. (n.d.). Grade 4 » Operations & Algebraic Thinking.
Retrieved July 1, 2019, from http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/4/OA/.