Alexandra Vaca's Teacher Toolkit by Alexandra Vaca

UDL-Based ELA/Science Lesson:

alexandravaca — 2025-07-06 22:42:37 UTC

This lesson combines reading and science. Students read about how the environment can affect traits and then explain what they learned. The lesson uses UDL by giving students choices, visuals, and sentence starters to help everyone understand and share ideas in different ways.

“Edutopia Article: 6 Tips for New Teachers”

alexandravaca — 2025-07-06 22:43:17 UTC

https://www.edutopia.org/article/new-teachers-first-day-tips

Formative vs. Summative Assessment Guide

alexandravaca — 2025-07-06 22:43:40 UTC

This article explains the difference between assessments used during learning (formative) and at the end (summative).

https://www.nwea.org/blog/2021/formative-vs-summative-assessments/

Arizona vs. Nevada ELA Standard Comparison

alexandravaca — 2025-07-06 22:44:40 UTC

A quick comparison of RI.3.8 in Arizona and Nevada is that they both focus on logical connections, but the standards can be worded differently, varying by state. This helped me see how this impacts lesson planning.

4th Grade ELA & Math Standards Summary

alexandravaca — 2025-07-06 22:45:20 UTC

Math Standards:

Multiplication & Division: Fluently multiply and divide within 100. (4.OA.1 & 4.NBT.5)
Place Value: Understand multi-digit numbers and use place value strategies. (4.NBT.1)
Word Problems: Solve multi-step word problems using all four operations. (4.OA.3)

ELA Standards:

Reading Fluency: Read with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression. (RF.4.4)
Comprehension: Explain key ideas and details in a text. (RI.4.1, RL.4.2)
Narrative Writing: Write narratives with clear sequences, details, and dialogue. (W.4.3)

Instructional Models and Strategies Chart

alexandravaca — 2025-07-06 22:47:35 UTC

The most common teaching strategies:

Direct Instruction – The teacher explains or models a skill step-by-step.
Cooperative Learning – Students work together in small groups to solve a problem or complete a task.
Project-Based Learning – Students learn by working on real-world projects that involve research and presentation.

Gradual Release Model Notes

alexandravaca — 2025-07-06 22:52:20 UTC

The student learning steps are:

I Do: The teacher models the skill or task.
We Do: The teacher and students practice together.
You Do: Students try the task on their own.

Lesson Planning Reflection

alexandravaca — 2025-07-06 22:55:07 UTC

I believe that as I started lesson planning, I learned to better understand state standards as I broke them down. As I differentiated each student, it also made it easier for me to know and meet the needs of each student.

Differentiation Strategy List

alexandravaca — 2025-07-06 23:06:27 UTC

Sentence Frames & Starters – Helps students begin writing or speaking by giving them part of the sentence.
Choice Boards – Students choose how they want to show what they’ve learned (e.g., draw, write, act, or explain).
Small-Group Instruction – Teaching students in small groups based on their needs or skill levels.
Tiered Assignments – Different levels of the same task based on students’ readiness.

How Teachers Check Reading Fluency Weekly

alexandravaca — 2025-07-07 01:22:58 UTC

Each week, teachers check reading fluency by having students read a short passage out loud for one minute. The teacher listens and marks any skipped or wrong words. At the end, the teacher counts how many words were read correctly (CWPM) and writes it down. This helps track fluency growth over time.