Teacher Portfolio by Tiffany Barrera

Weekly Newsletter

tbarrera4 — 2021-05-17 04:02:20 UTC

Spanish translations to Monthly School Newsletters

tbarrera4 — 2021-05-17 04:02:31 UTC

Reading Log via Google Jamboard

tbarrera4 — 2021-05-17 04:18:18 UTC

projectGLAD strategies

tbarrera4 — 2021-05-17 04:33:11 UTC

Westward Expansion Chant

tbarrera4 — 2021-05-17 04:33:58 UTC

5th Grade Level- Virtual Library

tbarrera4 — 2021-05-17 04:42:41 UTC

Curriculum

tbarrera4 — 2021-05-17 05:12:03 UTC

Develop inclusive curriculum geared for student interest that aligns with state standards.

Lessons are differentiated to meet student's approximation level, driven by formal and informal assessments of student background knowledge and performance.

Curriculum promotes 21st century learning skills: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and information, media, and technological literacy.

Life-Long Learning

tbarrera4 — 2021-05-17 05:18:05 UTC

Students are encouraged to be active learners and practice this skill throughout their lives.

In my classroom, Learner is used in a Cognitive Content Dictionary, a projectGLAD strategy, and becomes our signal word and character trait.
This simple word is expanded on, first used as a signal word where students repeat the Student Definition of learner: (n.) someone who studies, practices and makes mistakes. Later, students learn a final meaning: a person who is trying to gain knowledge or skill by studying and practicing.

SEL activities Bank

tbarrera4 — 2021-05-17 05:49:06 UTC

Text and Me Jamboard

tbarrera4 — 2021-05-17 06:19:34 UTC

REFLECTION-

tbarrera4 — 2021-06-01 02:59:24 UTC

Constant communication between the classroom and home can improve and further extend the knowledge gained by the student by providing parents information about what is being addressed in the classroom. Students will now have an added opportunity to engage in discussion in a different setting if parents take the information and ask probing questions.
I compile and send weekly updates of our classroom to our families. The updates are concise and state a way to reach me if any questions, concerns, and/or comments arise.
Furthermore, to reach our Spanish speaking families, I translate the school's monthly newsletter. Other languages can be provided as well but translations are costly to the school and not many are provided.
The more information that is disseminated to students the more parents can be active participants in their student's learning.

Finley, T., 2018. Launching an Engaging Newsletter. [online] Edutopia. Available at: [Accessed 7 June 2021].

REFLECTION-

tbarrera4 — 2021-06-01 03:05:32 UTC

Literacy is the corner stone of education and to support our students' literacy proficiency they should engage and interact with various types of texts.
To provide diverse texts and help students engage with the texts, read alouds or independent reading, students fill out various Google Jamboards, the text and me and a reading jam.
The functions found in the G Jamboard allow students to draw or add an image found on the web as well as write with text boxes, sticky notes or a pencil/pen function which make it an immersive activity for students to engage with texts that may portray situations, characters, settings that they may be unfamiliar now. This activity modifies paper and pencil logs, modification is defined by Ruben R. Puentedura's SAMR framework, because students can respond to prompts with their own images, images from the web and with the text that is spelled checked immediately. Students do not have to worry about all the underlying components of completing logs because they are supported by the technology and instead can focus on the focus of the activity, to engage with the text in deeper, more meaningful ways.
This format also allows for changes to happen immediately, in the beginning the logs were primarily in one language and I can easily add a second frame with the translation to allow students to choose their language of preference. Again, how they communicate their connection is up to them and that helps them focus on the message.
It is important for students to be presented with texts that represent unfamiliar situations (Sims Bishop, 2015) and for them to find a commonality and the difference in their personal situation to the text, the reading logs aim to help with both of these.

Rich Colosi Media. (2014, June). The SAMR Model Explained by Students [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/OBce25r8vto

Sims Bishop, R., 2015. Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Doors. Reading is Fundamental, [online] Available at: [Accessed 1 June 2021].

Scaffolds to increase Academic Language Acquisition (English and Spanish)

tbarrera4 — 2021-06-02 01:21:24 UTC

projectGLAD strategies

REFLECTION-

tbarrera4 — 2021-06-02 01:23:24 UTC

At its core, projectGLAD aims to increase and support academic language acquisition in English Learners. However, the strategies have been proven to increase student engagement for the whole classroom. All students benefit from these strategies as they support other forms of learning, such as visual acquisition of information. The strategies are also utilized by students to show their understanding, helping the support of Universal Design for Learning.

CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Ralph, M., 2021. How Universal Design for Learning Can Help With Lesson Planning This Year. [online] Edutopia. Available at: [Accessed 7 June 2021].

Interdisclipinary Thematic Unit done with 5th grade level cohort

tbarrera4 — 2021-06-02 01:24:01 UTC

State Research Project

tbarrera4 — 2021-06-02 03:46:22 UTC

REFLECTION-

tbarrera4 — 2021-06-02 03:48:21 UTC

This chant follows the lesson from projectGLAD but it has been reformatted to work with Google Slides and engage students with the responsibility to find visual representation of unknown words, previously this tasked fell to the teacher but students can exercise their research skills. A modified GLAD strategy, this allowed for students to participate and demonstrate understading in various forms following UDL guidelines.

CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Rich Colosi Media. (2014, June). The SAMR Model Explained by Students [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/OBce25r8vto

Mandated Reporter Certificate

tbarrera4 — 2021-06-02 03:48:51 UTC

REFLECTION-

tbarrera4 — 2021-06-06 18:38:30 UTC

I utilize other resources to supplement my in-class lessons. Working in collaboration can enhance students' learning and it helps model an environment where even the teacher is constantly learning from others.

Farris, P. (2015). Elementary & middle school social studies: An interdisciplinary approach. New York, NY: McGraw Hill 7th Edition. (if you can get a hold of the 6^th edition, that is ok, they are almost identical)

Miller, A., 2020. Creating Effective Professional Learning Communities. [online] Edutopia. Available at: [Accessed 7 June 2021].

REFLECTION-

tbarrera4 — 2021-06-07 02:22:28 UTC

To develop digital literacy, students need to practice and engage with online tools. To do so in a guided manner, I created slides with hyperlinks for the sites they were to use to do their research of their chosen U.S. state. We discussed the danger of finding accurate information online and were given examples of sites that could be trustworthy. This activity was a modification of the paper and pencil organizer as it allowed the embedded links to function at the students simple click. It also allowed for additional activities to be included such as the fillable map at the end for "finisher" work.

Fresno Unified School District. (2013). Common core state standards K‐12 technology skills scope and sequence. Fresno Unified School District. https://mk0curriculumovjnsvo.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/K-12_Technology_Scope_and_Sequence.pdf

Rich Colosi Media. (2014, June). The SAMR Model Explained by Students [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/OBce25r8vto

Site Tech Review

tbarrera4 — 2021-06-07 02:49:37 UTC

REFLECTION-

tbarrera4 — 2021-06-07 03:22:03 UTC

Educators must demonstrate a level of professionalism at all times. It creates high expectations for the teacher and the students and allows the environment to be conducive to learning.