Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
LWS3 Narrative Strategy #1 (SAMPLE)
Starting with an Artifact
This sample document demonstrates one organizational strategy for composing a portfolio narrative that starts with an artifact. In this sample, the
candidate is pursuing full licensure in Early Childhood-Regular Education. Their full portfolio includes multiple high-leverage artifacts to demonstrate
proficiency for multiple standards. It contains a separate narrative for each artifact (up to a maximum of 12). This sample is for artifact #1. It includes
sentence starters* in outline format. The candidate uses clear organization to describe how artifact #1 connects to the standards. Their narrative
includes description, reflection, interpretation, and questioning.
* This sample contains sentence starters only. In your full narratives, sentences must be fleshed out to make clear connections between the content area
standard(s), related artifact(s), and your developing teaching practice. Look for additional sentence starters to support your writing in chapter four,
Tips for a Successful Narrative in the LWS3 License via Portfolio Review Handbook.
Name: Candidate Name Redacted
DPI Entity #: 000000
Narrative for Artifact 1_Lesson Plan
Why Did I Choose This Artifact?
This was the first lesson I planned for a unit on family traditions and gatherings. It laid the groundwork for subsequent lessons in the unit. I have to
say that my own learning expanded right along with my student’s learning. This artifact demonstrates my effort to promote learning through…
How does this artifact demonstrate my understanding of early childhood standards?
• Relationship to Standard 1b (Understands and values each child as an individual with unique developmental variations,
experiences, strengths, interests, abilities, challenges, approaches to learning, and with the capacity to make choices):
Considerations related to Standard 1b underpin objectives three and four In this lesson plan. In particular, my focus on…
• Relationship to Standard 2c (Uses community resources to support young children’s learning and development and to support
families, and build partnerships between early learning settings, schools, and community organizations and agencies):
To start off, I knew I wanted to help connect parents/caregivers of my students with community resources. In planning this lesson, I
reached the library, community center, grocery store, health services, and several others to brainstorm for ways to share what they do…
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Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
• Relationship to Standard 3a (Understands that assessments [formal and informal, formative and summative] are conducted to
make informed choices about instruction and for planning in early learning settings): I worked hard on my unit plan but realized part
way through the unit that I had included far too much. Based on formative assessments after the first couple of lessons, I had to…
• Relationship to Standard 3c (Uses screening and assessment tools in ways that are ethically grounded and developmentally,
ability, culturally, and linguistically appropriate in order to document developmental progress and promote positive outcomes
for each child): My classroom includes children from multiple cultural backgrounds. Additionally, two children have disabilities that
impact how they grow and learn. When assessing each child, I have to keep in mind their…
• Relationship to Standard 4c (Uses a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically relevant, anti-
bias, evidence-based teaching skills and strategies that reflect the principles of universal design for learning): This lesson plan
involved a lot of movement, interpersonal interaction, and a bit of friendly competition among the students. I really had to consider how I
would…
• Relationship to Standard 5b (Understands pedagogical content knowledge—how young children learn in each discipline—and
how to use the teacher knowledge and practices described in Standards 1 through 4 to support young children’s learning in each
content area): It was important to me to learn about and differentiate between how each student in my classroom learns best. I knew it
would be key to planning learning experiences using approaches that promote optimal learning for young children, such as...
What does this artifact say about my collective proficiency on the standards above? Successful lesson planning and learning involves
considering almost every standard in the Early Childhood-Regular Education rubric. This artifact demonstrates my collective proficiency in the
following ways...
In what ways does this artifact demonstrate my own professional growth and learning? My practice looked very different when I first
started working at the early childhood level. I really didn’t have a full grasp of the complexities of early learning. Since that time, however, I have…
Did I Accomplish What I Set Out to Accomplish? As mentioned previously, this lesson plan met with mixed success. I found that I needed to
adjust the pacing of some objectives and drop others entirely. I had my first big “ah-ha” when I introduced the…
What Were My Key Takeaways To Inform Future Lesson Planning? I am learning to keep the range of developmental levels within my
classroom in mind at all times. In planning and implementing this lesson, I experimented with strategies I know I will use in the future to…
This sample demonstrates organization for a narrative related to a single artifact. Collectively, your artifacts (maximum 12) and related narratives
must demonstrate proficiency for all standards and related components in the content area rubric. Do not copy the sample entries that appear above.
Your narrative(s) must be your own, original work.
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