Student Teacher__Emily MacLaren

School_UA School for Media Studies

Observation #__5_ Date __4/20/16 Class ___9th Grade ELA Skills_Period_4, 11:13-11:58__
Main Lesson Objective (short range concept):__Students will be able to brainstorm and establish
a guideline for their independent reading book representation projects
I. GETTING STARTED/INTRODUCING THE LESSON
yes Establishes opening balance of firmness and friendliness
yes Introduces focused, short-range performance objective(s)
somewhat Establishes organized agendathe main steps for learning new knowledge
somewhat_Motivates students to become interested in the learning objective
yes Engages students in generating relevant prior knowledge upon which to build
yes Helps students contextualize the lesson within the broader unit of study
yes Establishes behavior guidelines necessary for a productive lesson
General Observations:
(This is a class that focuses on literacy skills with independent reading as its focal point. This
class meets twice a week. )
Students are preparing for a presentation of their independent reading book. The Bell-Ringer (Do
Now) was to decide on the option they wanted for their project and to explain their choice in at
least 4 sentences. Their choices were to create a blog or webpage, present an oral representation
or construct a creative response. Emily stressed several times during this 7-minute section that
what they were writing would become part of their project so they should write carefully and
completely. As the students were writing Emily went around the room and checked the
Positioning handout that she had given earlier in the week. This part of the lesson concluded with
a quick share out by one student.
A project check list was distributed, read and explained. Each part of the project had a due date
and the Brainstorm/Outline part was due at the end of this period. There was a list of
Questions to help guide thinking section that was well designed to help students organize and
write their presentation.
Strengths for this phase:

Emily was in full command of the class

She had a pertinent Do Now
Her classroom management was firm
The outline and due dates Guidelines for the project were clear and helpful

Goals for this phase:

Monitor the students as they work during the Bell Ringer. Do not check homework.
Share more responses to the Bell Ringer so students hear a variety of ideas, not just their
own.
Use the Guidelines more directlyread each one and have students write in response
under your direction. This will support them as they write a first draft.

II. TEACHING/IMPLEMENTING THE LESSON

no_Establishes key learning objective (concept) and how students will understand it
somewhat_Gives in-depth presentation of the learning objective and builds lesson around it
yes Offers students deductive (direct teaching) and inductive (discovery) approaches
yes Uses instructional formats to appeal to verbal, visual and kinesthetic modes
yes__Presents new knowledge, not previously taught knowledge (review, etc.)
yes Designs varied activities for applying new knowledge (individual, pairs, groups)
somewhat_Provides clear directions and expectations for each learning activity
somewhat Structures and paces lesson for unity and completeness, including debriefing
somewhat Uses effective questioning to generate critical thinking and multiple views
yes_ Manage students effectively throughout the lesson
present in the lesson Provides traditional and performance-based assessment of new knowledge
General Observations:
Emily did a quick presentation of what a blog should look like.
Students then went back to work on their presentations. Rather than have them work on their
own as originally planned, she allowed students who had chosen the same format to brainstorm
with each other before they wrote their outline. While they were talking to each other she
circulated, checking on their work. She continually reminded students that what they were
writing would provide a foundation for their presentation. Time ran out before most students
completed their outlines.
Strengths for this Phase:
The performance task was summative and evaluative.
Time was provided for students to brainstorm with each other and write.
Goals for this Phase:
Stay on one topic to keep the lesson coherent. It is not mandatory to introduce something new in
each lesson. Lessons can be for review, reinforcement or tests, for example.
Be sure that the pacing allows that the task set out for completion is completed.
III. CLOSING/DEBRIEFING THE LESSON
no Paces lesson to provide for an effective culminating display of new knowledge
yes Provides clear directions for homework application of learning objective
no__Invites students to debrief by articulating the lessons personal and cognitive benefits
Observations/Goals:
Time ran out before all students had their Brainstorm/Outline completed and checked. Although
Emily was watching the time carefully, the work period was not productive and the bell rang
before a summary and conclusion could be made.
IV. OVERALL PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
__yes__Reflects on/evaluates how instructional choices and actions affect students
__yes__Builds relationships and seeks resources that support students active learning
__yes__Is flexible in accommodating varied learning aptitudes and formats

___yes_Is objective and calm in dealing with the unexpected

Observations/Goals:
I saw that Emily had responded to my comments from the last observations. She had introduced,
outlined and provided guidelines the final project about representation and positioning. In our
conference about this lesson we talked about how to scaffold guideline questions so they result in
productive work, how to group students so they can brainstorm, write and share productively and
how to create the classroom structures where bell-to-bell teaching is possible.