Pre-Observation Form

Administrator: Mel Hewitt

Date of Observation:

September 15th and 16th

Date of Conference:
Grade Level / Subject:

September 14
4th Grade/Math

1. Briefly describe the students in this class including those with special needs:
This year I have a wide range of students in my classroom. During math I have four students who
leave the room for math in their special education classroom. During the second half hour of class, I also have
six students who leave for TAG. This drops the number of students in my classroom from twenty-four to
fourteen.
I enjoy having a smaller class during this time because it allows me to see how well the majority of my
class understands the concept. Often times I find that my TAG students are always the students who volunteer
and share answers. When they are not in the room, other students cannot rely on these students to give
answers. This definitely allows for other students to shine and show what they know. I also feel that some of
my shy students are more likely to volunteer during this time because there arent as many classmates around.
Along these same lines, it is harder for students who are struggling to hide the fact that they are
struggling. With only fourteen students I am better able to see who appears to be having a difficult time. I have
more of an opportunity to interact with these students and be mobile around my room checking their work as
they go.
Overall, I believe I have a nice class. At times they can be chatty and a little silly, but they are a nice
group. I have been pleased with how quickly they have been able to get into a routine again and learn fourth
grade expectations. I anticipate this group continuing to meet expectations as the year goes on.
2. What are the goals for the lesson? What do you want the students to learn?
The goal of this lesson if for students to multiply tens, hundreds, and thousands by whole numbers
through 10. I want the students to be able to see the similarities between basic fact multiplication and these
larger multiplication problems. I would like them to see that this allows them to do mental math with
multiplication problems ending in a zero.
I also want students to understand why knowing their basic multiplication facts is important in order to
do larger multiplication problems.
3. How do these goals support the District curriculum?
These goals align with the district adopted math curriculum, GoMath!. These goals and lesson
objectives also meet the Common Core Standards.
4. How do you plan to engage students in the content? What will the students do?
I plan to engage students initially by asking them to volunteer and share answers for multiplication
problems. I do not anticipate the lesson taking the full class time. After I teach the lesson and we work through
some problems, I plan to teach the students a Kim Sutton game, Bump It Products. I will use the iPevo and a
student to demonstrate how to play the game and the rules. I will remind the students that they need to follow
Bondurants BEST in order to earn the privilege of playing the game.
The second day I plan to start the lesson with an Unlock the Problem story problem towards the end of
the lesson. As we work through this problem, I will have the students use mats that match the books format.
This will give them more room to work through the problem, as often they run out of room in the textbook. This
will also give them a small review before taking the assessment for the day. I will also give students time to
play the Bump It game prior to the assessment. Following the assessment, I will ask students to silently
practice multiplication facts at their seats while their peers finish the assessment. If time remains after all
students have finished, there may be an opportunity to play the game again.
On both the first and second days, I will ask for volunteers to come up to the Promethean Board to
share answers and solve problems. Many students enjoy this opportunity to move around a bit and also enjoy
using the technology.

Pre-Observation Form
5. What difficulties do students typically experience in this area, and how do you plan to anticipate
these difficulties?
I anticipate the biggest difficulty to overcome will be knowledge of the basic multiplication facts. In 4 th
grade we do a lot of fact practice and assessing. It is very important for this chapter and the next for students
to have learned these basic facts.
I also feel that some of the examples the book uses are confusing. In the past, I have found that these
examples, or ways to find the answer, did more harm than good. I believe that to get past this difficulty I will
exclude those pieces from the lesson. If I have students who are struggling with the method I teach, I will use
these other pieces to reteach the material with them in a small group setting.
6. What instructional materials or other resources, if any, will you use? Please attach samples of the
materials you will be using in this lesson.
I will be using my GoMath! Teachers Manual that matches up with the students math books. I will also
use my computer, iPevo, and Promethean Board in my classroom. In addition to these, I will have students use
the story problem mats provided by our math curriculum and game materials from Kim Sutton.
7. How do you plan to asses student achievement of the goals? What procedures will you use?
Please attach any tests, rubrics, performance tasks, or scoring guides.
I plan to informally assess students through their participation in class and by observing their
independent work. I will also use a formally assess the students by using the Standards Practice work page
provided by the GoMath! Curriculum.
8. What Iowa Teaching Standards and Criteria will be demonstrated in this observation?
1a, b, d, e, f, g; 2a, b, d, e; 3b, c, d, e; 4a, d, e, f; 5a, b, c, d, e; 6a, b, c, d, e; 7c, d; 8a, b, c, d, e.
List any items you might want to call to the attention of the administrator.
I would like the administrator to observe how I am calling on students to answer and volunteer. I have
a much larger number of boys in my classroom, but want to be sure I am being fair to all students around the
room and of varying academic abilities. During the second part of class when I have a smaller number of
students, I would like the administrator to continue observing how I call on students; involving both students
who are volunteering and those who are not.