Amber Strickland
EDUC 230
Program Evaluation Template
T 1 (K–2 G ): Benchmark Advanced
What is the title of the unit or lesson you selected?
Grade 1: Plants and Animals Grow and Change
Does the unit or lesson you reviewed include phonological awareness? If so, list the skill
and page number within the unit/lesson.
Demonstrate to the class by saying two words that rhyme, such as can and fan.
Explain that can and fan rhyme because the ending sound for both words is /an/. Repeat
this process with several pairs of words, emphasizing the ending sound as the word is
said. Students will then be asked to explain why the words rhyme, and also asked to name
other words that rhyme with the pair of words. P. 21
Does the unit or lesson you reviewed include phonemic awareness? If so, list the skill
and page number within the unit/lesson.
Using letter cards, display a word and help students blend the sounds to identify
the word. Once students have read the word, manipulate the word by changing the first
letter to form a new word and repeat the process of having the students blend the sounds
to form the word. Manipulate the word again by changing the ending letter, sound, or
blend to form a new word for the student to read. P. 29
Does the unit or lesson you reviewed include phonics? If so, list the skill and page
number within the unit/lesson.
Display a sound spelling card for a word. Read the word on the card and
demonstrate the sound at the beginning of the word (for example, apple starts with /a/).
Have the students repeat the sound. Explain that words may have the /a/ sound in the
middle of the word and provide examples. P. 21
Does the unit or lesson you reviewed include information for the whole class and small
groups or centers? If so, describe what was provided for small groups.
Write words on the board such as fan, can, ran, bat, hat, pat, mad, and had. Ask
students to copy these words onto notecards and sort them according to their ending
sound (an, -at, -ad). Have the students say the words aloud for each ending pattern, and
correct mistakes by emphasizing the sounds in the words. P. 31
T 2 (3 –5 G ): A Core Kn Language Arts (CKLA)
What is the title of the unit or lesson you selected?
Grade 3: Animal Adaptations
Amber Strickland
EDUC 230
Does the unit or lesson you reviewed include opportunities for students to develop
language fluency through speaking or writing? If so, describe the activity and list the page
number within the unit/lesson.
Students will demonstrate language fluency through writing by writing an essay to
explain the ways that being camouflaged can help an animal survive, including facts
and vocabulary words. P. 30
Students will demonstrate fluency through speaking by working with a partner to
read text, and answer follow up questions about facts and details that they read. P. 30
Does the unit or lesson you reviewed include opportunities for students to develop reading
fluency? If so, describe the activity and list the page number within the unit/lesson.
Using the Reading Big Words Strategy, write the following words on the board:
difficult, undetected, especially, adaptation, indistinguishable. Give students the
opportunity to read each word. If a student struggles, point them to the Reading Big
Words Strategy to break down the words by syllables or into manageable sections. P.
28
Does the unit or lesson include high-frequency words? If so, list the words for one lesson in
the unit.
No, high frequency words are not taught in this lesson.
Does the unit or lesson include academic vocabulary with definitions? If so, list the words
for one lesson in the unit.
•Adaptation – something that helps an animal survive better in an
environment. Survive – to stay alive
•Survival – the state of enduring or continuing to be alive
•Environment – the surroundings in which a person, plant, or animal live.
•Characteristic – a quality that makes a person, animal, thing, or group
different from others.
•Advantage – something that improves someone or something and helps it
succeed.
•Blending in - when people or animals look similar to things around them.
•Prey – animals predators hunt.
•Camouflage – ability to blend into one’s surroundings.
•Surface – the outermost layer of something.
Does the unit of lesson you reviewed include morphology? If so, list the morphological skill
and page number within the unit/lesson.
Use decoding to help the students understand words they are not familiar with by
breaking down their syllables, and prefix or suffix. P. 28
T 3 (6 –12 G ): Ho Mifflin Harcourt Int Liter
What is the title of the unit or lesson you selected?
Grade 7: The Terror and Wonder of Space
Amber Strickland
EDUC 230
For the unit you selected, list the comprehension skill(s) being taught.
Students will use visualization by recognizing descriptive words that helps them
mentally picture Mars. Discuss the feeling the author is portraying about the setting.
By creating this mental image of Mars, students are pulling from background
knowledge in order to develop the imagery, which helps promote comprehension.
Does the curriculum apply this comprehension skill to text? If so, which text(s)?
While reading, students are asked to notate descriptive words such as on p. 216.
They are then asked to analyze the text and how it makes them feel.
How would the unit text(s) appeal to diverse learners?
The text provides many opportunities and ideas for differentiated instruction such as
Text Sketch, Summary with Targets Passages, rewriting sentences, rewriting passages in a
different style or mood, choral reading, and summarize the changes of the main characters
and plot.
Does the curriculum give students the opportunity to write as a way to demonstrate
comprehension of the text? If so, describe the activity and list the page number within
the unit/lesson.
Students have the opportunity to write and analyze what they are reading on nearly
every page. In addition to students answering the on page questions and analyzing the text,
there is a Respond section (p. 234-237) of the lesson where students will answer questions,
provide details, and write in paragraph form to demonstrate comprehension of the text.
Within the unit you selected, find two examples of differentiation for different types of
students. Also, provide the page number on which this differentiation appears.
• Rewriting sentences is a form of differentiation used for students who are
struggling with the language used in the text. (p. 219 )
• To challenge students, having them rewrite a portion of text and change the
mood and style is another form of differentiation used. (p. 221 )
For the unit you selected, describe one of the differentiation strategies the unit suggests
for English Language Learners.
English Language Learners can practice vocabulary words by repeating proper
pronunciation. Teachers can also explain exceptions to common pronunciation rules within
the English language.
E
Name of Chosen
Resource:
Plants and Animals
Grow and Change
Task and Grade
Level:
Grade 1
Describe two of the
strengths of this
curriculum.
This curriculum used several various methods to ensure phonological
and phonemic awareness, which supports various learning styles.
The graphics and photos demonstrating the method to teach is very
Amber Strickland
EDUC 230
helpful and informative and allows a teacher to not only follow along
step by step, but also provides inspiration to use some level of
creativity while teaching.
Describe one area for
improvement.
While some examples of differentiated instruction are present, the
curriculum seems to be lacking most in this are.
C
Curriculums are not one size fits all. As a teacher, it is your job to seek out curriculum
and vet it to ensure it will meet the needs of your students while also being comprehensive
in what is taught. “The art of teaching is being embodied in the teacher’s decision making
that involves selection, differentiation and delivery of engaging and efficacious reading
instruction.” (Young et al., 2022) If a curriculum has too much focus on teaching to more
advanced students, the middle of the road students and those who struggle academically will
suffer when they can’t keep up. On the contrary, if a curriculum is gauged more for struggling
students, more advanced students will be bored and lose interest. A good curriculum will
have ways to engage all types of learners, or at least have the flexibility to creatively instruct
students. A curriculum that offers multiple methods of information delivery, including
repetition and review is crucial to develop a true understanding among students.
References
Benchmark Advance, Teacher Resource System, Grade 1, Unit 1: Plants and Animals Grow and Change.
(2022). Benchmark Education Company. https://onlinepublications.s3.useast-
2.amazonaws.com/BenchmarkAdvance-2/National.75/Y59001_TRS_A/index.html#page=1
Benchmark Advance, Teacher Resource System, Grade 3, Unit 1: Animal Adaptations. (2022).
Benchmark Education Company. https://onlinepublications.s3.us-east-
2.amazonaws.com/BenchmarkAdvance-2/National.75/ Y58991_TRS_A/index.html#page=1 into
Literature, Teacher’s Edition. (n.d.). HMH. https://assets.hmhco.com/mfwzg/hsid/#p=1
Young, C., Paige, D., & Rasinski, T. V. (2022). Artfully Teaching the Science of Reading. Taylor & Francis
Group.
Amber Strickland
EDUC 230
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