ALVERNO COLLEGE

LESSON PLAN and OBSERVATION ED 321

Candidate: Melissa Mills Cooperating Teacher: Valerie Erby-Walker School: Alcott Date: April 20, 2012 Grade: 6th Subject(s): Language Arts Earth Day/Recycling

Planning and Preparation (AEA: Conceptualization, DiagnosisWTS:

1,7DISP: Respect Responsibility) Demonstrates knowledge of content and pedagogy Chooses and creates learning experiences based on appropriate objectives Selects services or resources, e.g., media, technology, materials, to reinforce instruction

Evidence (Candidate

Bringing in boxes of materials that students could go through to determine what is recyclable and what isnt was a great way to get the class engaged. The SmartBoard was a nice tool ~ consider that you could have a student advance the slides so you can teach from various points in the room. You repeated important points throughout the lesson, which is a nice way to reinforce concepts. You also emphasized the idea of reusing items, particularly if they are not recyclable, which is another way to reduce waste.

____Inadequate

____Emerging

__X__Proficient

____Distinctive

Classroom Environment (AEA: Coordination, Integrative Interaction

WTS: 2,3,5DISP: Respect, Responsibility) Reinforces a learning community in which individual differences are respected and in which students work collaboratively and independently Plans for and delivers motivational instruction by relating lessons to students interest, providing student choice, questioning and investigation Organizes, allocates, and manages resources of time, space, activities and attention to engage students productively Maximizes the amount of class time spent in learning by creating expectations and procedures for communication and behavior ____Inadequate __ X __Emerging ____Proficient ____Distinctive

Evidence (Candidate and Student)

Students have to work together in their groups to determine which items in their box are recyclable and which would go in the trash. They are excited, which means they are also a bit loud. You attempt to address this issue but the students are talking too loud to hear you. How can you get their attention to remind them of voice level expectations? Its good to be sure you have everyones attention before asking questions or giving directions.

Copyright 2010. Alverno College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All rights reserved under U.S., International and Universal Copyright Conventions. Reproduction in part or whole by any method is prohibited by law.

ED FORM 712 0210 ED

Instruction (AEA: Communication, Coordination, Diagnosis, Integrative

InteractionWTS: 2,3,4,5,6,7DISP: Respect Responsibility) Models and supports active listening, interactive discussion and thoughtful responses in reading, writing and other media Uses different types of explanation, levels of questioning and discussion techniques to challenge and support student thinking Actively engages students in meaningful learning Adjusts instruction to meet student needs and styles in order to enhance learning Varies her/his role in the instructional process in relation to the content and purposes of instruction Communicates with sensitivity to cultural and gender differences

Evidence (Candidate and Student)

Begins the lesson by accessing prior knowledge, what do you know about recycling already?. Calls the students by name, you have a positive relationship established with the class. Good use of the SmartBoard to share content ~ very easy to read from the back of the room. Do you want the students to be taking notes as you share the information on what is recyclable? When you got to the second slide, you did ask students to write down what numbers Milwaukee recycles nice connection to their community. You ask good questions to connect to information from prior lessons. Doing the activity twice was a great way to reinforce new knowledge as they could make decisions based on what they just learned.

____Inadequate

____Emerging

__X__Proficient

____Distinctive Evidence (Candidate and Student)

Assessment (AEA: Diagnosis, Integrative InteractionWTS: 8,9

DISP: Respect, Reflection) Uses appropriate formal and informal assessment strategies that are linked to lesson objectives Monitors the impact of teaching on student learning, modifying plans and instruction accordingly

You ask questions throughout the lesson to check for prior and current understanding. While students are working in groups, you move around to monitor progress and to answer questions as needed. If your formal assessment will be the letter they write, it would be good to have criteria established so that students know what you expect and so that you have a frame established for both feedback and for determining if your objectives were met.
Evidence (Candidate)

____Inadequate

__ X __Emerging

____Proficient

____Distinctive

Professional Responsibilities (AEA: Communication, Integrative

InteractionWTS: 10DISP: Collaboration, Communication) Relates professionally and effectively with the cooperating teacher and faculty Dresses professionally and consistently portrays a professional demeanor Reflects on own performance in relation to Alverno Education Abilities and WI Teacher Standards

You appear to have a positive relationship with your cooperating teacher.

____Inadequate

____Emerging

__X__Proficient

____Distinctive

Copyright 2010. Alverno College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All rights reserved under U.S., International and Universal Copyright Conventions. Reproduction in part or whole by any method is prohibited by law.

ED FORM 712 0210 ED

Summary Statement and Areas to Concentrate on Improving: You have a lot of materials for this lesson, including camera set-up. Walking in at the start of the lesson meant that you had to take time to gather materials and had to set up the camera as students were working. It is a good idea to plan to be in the classroom 10-15 minutes prior to the lesson beginning so that you have time to get ready. You have an easy presence in front of the class and they clearly enjoy working with you ~ they were excited when you walked in the room and were involved throughout the lesson. Connecting the lesson on recycling to a focus on Milwaukee was a nice community connection. Interesting information to share not only what is recyclable but what various items can be recycled into. Teaching lessons multiple days in a row is a great way to make connections to prior learning and you could ask questions to gauge understanding. Once you began to present new information (via the SmartBoard) you spent much of the time talking to the students. You did break that up a bit by asking questions occasionally but since they werent expected to write down the information what could they b e doing as a way to stay focused/engaged? Many students were eager to participate, the more questions you asked, the better. If you were to move around the room, you would create even more engagement as they would have to stay focused on you ~ you would have to allow a student to advance the slides but in this class, that would be easy to do as they are eager to participate and help you out whenever possible. Is it accurate to say that if there is no number on the item that the company doesnt care and it wouldnt be recyclable? Remember that you are a model when you are teaching, what you do/say is what students will remember and practice. Rather than remind students of which #s are recyclable, it would be good to ask the students as a way to reinforce wha t was presented. You did a nice job of focusing the whole group as you talked through the items that were/were not recyclable. If you hadnt you would h ave lost the attention of the students who were not in that group. The final assignment was for students to write a letter to a friend outside of the class. You continued to give directions as students were getting out their materials you want to hold off until they are ready to listen. Do they need written directions? Would it be good to have the outline written so that they can refer to it as they plan their draft? Are there conventions that are important as they write the letter or are you only focused on the content? If you are going to use the letter as a form of assessment, you should have the directions and criteria available for the students to review. The criteria will then help you to assess if the lesson objectives were met as you will know, specifically, what you will be looking for as you read each letter. The more you have thought this through the easier assessment becomes. You would want to have this established prior to giving the assignment.

Final Reflection Feedback: Melissa, you were very honest in your final reflection, highlighting areas of strength as well as areas you need to develop as you move forward. I would encourage you to develop strategies to keep track of due dates so that you can meet your goal of staying on top of course expectations. You are a very engaged participant in class and have a lot to offer. I wish you the best as you move forward and as you make decisions about your teaching path go with what feels right for you and you cannot go wrong.
Overall Performance: ____Inadequate ____Emerging __X__Proficient ____Distinctive

Copyright 2010. Alverno College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All rights reserved under U.S., International and Universal Copyright Conventions. Reproduction in part or whole by any method is prohibited by law.

ED FORM 712 0210 ED