Site Visit Notes

Student Name: Evelyn Montoya-Campos

Date/Site Visit Number: 07/08/16 #4

School: Glenbard South High School

Grade Level/Subject: 9th Grade
Consumer Management and AP Biology
Using the space provided below, briefly summarize todays classroom experience.
Identify the Illinois
Professional Teaching
Standard(s) targeted in
todays experience.

1B) understands how each student constructs knowledge, acquires

skills, and develops effective and efficient critical thinking and
problem-solving capabilities;
1I) stimulates prior knowledge and links new ideas to already
familiar ideas and experiences;
2K) engages students in the processes of critical thinking and inquiry
and addresses standards of evidence of the disciplines;

Identify the activities that

occurred today, which
addressed the teaching
standards identified above.
Then describe what you
learned.

1B) Who does not love money? The consumer Management portion
of the class talked to the students about investing in stocks today.
They had a lab where they were given $10,000 dollars to invest in a
mock fund. The teach asked them questions about funds,
calculations and information on the different funds to see if they
could analyze and find the best funds to invest in.
The AP Biology was focusing on note taking on the subject of
photosynthesis. They were instructed to learn how to not write down
everything they saw or read but to learn how to recognize the things
that were important and probably be on the test. Such as words that
were in bold letters or topics over a paragraph long. Then they
performed a lab where the students went into groups and performed
lab experiments on spinach leaves. They had to listen to the
instructions, follow them and record the results.
1I) Consumer Management had them look back at things they have
seen on the news about stock going up or down, hand them reflect on
merchandise like Apple phones that everyone uses and how the stock
market has affected them when they wanted to purchase phones. If
stocks were done, Apple comes up with a new widget for the phone
and then even though your phone is only six months old, there is a
new upgraded phone and people still run out and buy the new phone.

AP Biology had the students use items like baking soda, distilled
water and the spinach leaves and then had the students discuss the
other things that could be around the house or in the fridge that do or
have used photosynthesis in its production of food, air, etc.
2K) By using the labs in biology and the computer stock purchasing
program in consumer management the teachers were able to engage
the students and make them critically think and analyze the
outcomes of both these activities.
I found the biology lab more interesting and I think that the teachers
used the tools at their disposal in a creative and thought proving way
and we all are better thinkers for these activities.

Describe the impact of the

performance activities on
student learning.

Describe any additional

activities of significance that
occurred today.

General comments and

observations including at
least one emerging question.

Activities such as the stock market program were things that in real
life these kids may use one day and because they know this it makes
it more worth their time now to learn and understand it. Biology lab
did not really seem to be approached the same way by the kids but
the lab itself was fun and because they utilized beakers, petri dishes,
lights, metal stir sticks, etc. the kids were more than willing to do the
lab and inadvertently learned from it.
I was able to talk to other teachers that I did not acquire my hours
with and the office staff as well today. It was interesting and
informative. They were all very open to answering my questions
and while I was there I met other students in the COD Education
class that are actually pursuing teaching careers. So I asked them
lots of questions too and I was able to learn and understand a little
bit more of their daily life as a teacher or administrator. Very
interesting and enlightening.
After this class and especially after my time observing I realize now
how difficult, expensive, time consuming and demanding being a
teacher really is. Unlike most of the students in my class I am not
looking to be a K-12 teacher but I believe I would like to teach some
day at a local community college.