LESSON CYCLE ASSESSMENT - RUBRIC

For all strengths to retain and areas for improvement, provide detailed evidence. It as
helpful to know what you did well as areas for improvement.
1=Excellent
2=Very Good
3=Satisfactory
4=Needs Works
5=not present
TEACHER (name): Zoe Rawski
MAIN TOPIC(S) COVERED: Sex and Gender
INTRODUCTION
1. Introduction engaged audience in some way.
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2. Gave clear introduction to anthropology: Big picture ideas.
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3. Provided a tour of the lesson. 1
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4. Strengths to retain (at least 2):
I find the use of an overview of objectives and goals to be a helpful way to prepare and engage
students for the days lesson.
Using a discussion to open class (after a brief greeting and introduction) is a good way to get
students engaged in the class from the start, and prepares them for further participation
throughout.
5. Possible areas of improvement (at least 2):
The connections between this topic and other big picture anthropological concepts could have
been made more explicit.
Using some sort of multimedia, auditory, visual or other stimulus might liven up the introduction
to get students excited about the topic.
CONTENT and EXPLANATION
1. Told a compelling "story" - explained the concepts with a narrative flow and clear organization.
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2. Explained difficult concepts well.
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3. Used appropriate evidence/support for main point.
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4. Used clear transitions when moving from one point to the next. Periodically summarized important
points.
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5. Strengths to retain (at least 2):
The use of both lectures (power point slides) and multimedia components made the content
delivery and explanation more engaging and less monotonous for the audience.
Using class discussion to highlight certain topics is useful in that it frequently ties the material
back to students personal lives, which helps them relate to and understand the topic better.
6. Possible areas of improvement (at least 2):
Some of the concepts being explained (particularly performativity) could use additional
discussion from the instructor, in order to clear up confusion as much as possible. Peer based
discussion of more difficult concepts can sometimes be less effective.
Additional lecturing in general would help to clarify some of these concepts.

DELIVERY
1. Conveyed enthusiasm for the topic. 1
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2. Pace of the talk was appropriate.
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3. Spent enough time on each topic/slide for students to take all notes. 1
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4. Used appropriate voice, gestures, and eye contact (looked around "room").
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5. Stood with good, comfortable posture, ie, posture wasn't distracting.
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6. Conveys confidence in the material. 1
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7. Strengths to retain (at least 2):
Timing of talk seemed appropriate for the topics, as it allowed students to fully understand one
concept before moving on to the next.
I think you can see that I am interested in the topic, which will encourage students to get
interested in the topic as well.
8. Possible areas of improvement (at least 2):
While I tried to keep my nervous shifting/bouncing movements to a minimum, they were still
clearly happening. I need to continue to work on eliminating this nervous tick.
Similarly, I need to make better eye contact with the audience and rely less on my notes, as it
makes me look even more nervous than I am.
SLIDES (if appropriate)
1. Slide was titled with a meaningful heading. 1
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2. One point was presented on each slide.
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3. Where possible, visuals were used to illustrate complex concepts, methods, or data. 1
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4. Visuals were cleaned up to illustrate the main point, and appropriately labeled. 1
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5. Slides were not distracting (animations, busy or unnecessary visuals, jarring colors, too many words on
a slide). 1
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6. Strengths to retain (at least 2):
Slides look like they took time and effort; were not just thrown together.
Minimal text makes slides easier to understand and less crowded/overwhelming.
7. Possible areas of improvement (at least 2):
Additional slides could have been used to better illustrate points.
Some of the images included are more tangentially related to the topic than illustrative of lesson
cycle concepts. Maybe images which were more closely associated would be better.
MULTIMEDIA
1. Multimedia types (in addition to ppt slides): Two youtube videos were used in addition to power point
slides.
2. Use of multimedia was effective
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3. Two other possible multimedia options for this lesson plan:
Additional video examples of non-binary gender identities could be shown
Video examples more closely tied to the students local culture could also be shown, examples
from our society.
ACTIVE LEARNING
1. Number of active learning activities utilized: Two group discussions followed by wider, class-wide
discussions.

2. How could each one be streamlined or improved (must suggest at least 1 thing for each activity)?
For each of the group discussions, it would be easier to assign groups (the person to your right) and to
have a set number rather than saying three or four. It may also help to have them write down their
examples on the board or paper rather than just discuss, in order to ensure that students are staying on
task.
OVERALL STRENGTHS (at least four)
1. The amount of content for the class length seemed appropriate, as it allowed students to understand the
topics without rushing through them too quickly or belaboring any points more than necessary. This
resulted in the pacing of the lesson overall feeling appropriate, and not too rushed.
2. By first having the students discuss their personal experiences and cultural knowledge, it allows them
to identify difficult concepts with their own lives before expanding out into more unfamiliar territory.
3. Utilizing multimedia resources made the class more engaging from a student perspective than pure
lecture.
4. Similarly, by heavily implementing student discussion, this lesson encourages students to participate
and really engage with the material. This sort of active involvement seems to help students comprehend
difficult topics, and also keeps them from getting bored.
SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS (at least four)
1. As always, I need to work on standing still when I am speaking so as to look less nervous.
2. It would be a good idea to rely less heavily on notes, as it makes me look sort of like I dont know what
I am talking about.
3. Additional lecture style instruction would be beneficial to students as it would help to clarify some of
the more difficult topics such as performativity.
4. Having guided questions for the follow up reading would allow students to know when they leave the
classroom what to focus on for their homework. This would help to guide their reading.