Angel Espindola

Lesson Plan Review with Mr. Kemple

February 19, 2015
I set up an appointment to meet with my mentor teacher, Mr.
Kemple, to discuss my lesson plan. I showed him the skeleton of the
plan with what was required in it. He guided me on the information of
what topics were addressed in a 10-week timeframe for the school.
Verdugo Hills HS works similar to a quarter system so the classes move
quicker then in other atmospheres. The amounts of topics that need to
be covered are many. It seems like the schedule needs to be kept so
that all the classes stay together in their curriculum. The math
department actually had a timeline set for new teachers to follow with
the topics they need to teach in that time frame That is what I was
able to base most of my lesson plan on. The department has 2
teachers that have been hired in the last 2 years so it was easy easier
then I thought to gather this information. We arranged a second date
to meet the next week for him to review my lesson plan completed and
offer suggestions.
February 24, 2105
On our following meeting I arrived to meet Mr. Kemple and
review my lesson plan. In my lesson plan there were certain items that
are standard and are a basis of all lesson plans. My Kemples
suggestions were not in the first 5 slides but in the slides 6-10.
His first suggestion was made on the different pre assessments I
had. He was impressed with the many different pre assessments that I

Angel Espindola
was able to compile but recommended that I find certain pre
assessments that give me a continuous success. He went on to specify
that this is something that is acquired early in the year with the
students. Early in the year I must get to know my students and see
what types of pre assessments are working well with the students
specific for that class. The pre assessments can vary from year to year
and class to class but finding the ones that work effectively for the
class is important to identify as early as possible to continuously use
them to judge the students knowledge before lessons.
The second suggestion Mr. Kemple made referred to my learning
activities. Many of the learning activities seemed more like
assessments then activities. These must be activities that are
appealing to the students and are used to engage the students in
learning and mastering the given topic. The learning activities must be
interactive with the teacher or peers so that there is consistent
reinforcement of the lesson throughout the activity.
A third suggestion made by Mr. Kemple is in the post assessment
and rubric. He advised that the post assessment be a plan to identify
what was learned. It needs to be used to identify whether the students
have learned the objective and not just be a statement of the
objective. The rubric also needs to be more specific. It should address
the objective in verbal description not just percentages. It should be
verbally describe what a 20% understanding would be and so on.
Reflection

Angel Espindola
The review of our lesson plan was an eye opener to the things
that were lacking in my lesson plan. It is clear that a lesson plan is
something that needs to continuously be revised year-to-year and
class-to-class. It is something that evolves with the teacher and
students. There is not one set plan that will work for everyone and
every class. It must be continuously be modified to meet the needs of
the present students.