Running head: ARTIFACT & REFLECTION: INTASC STANDARD 4 1

Observation 2 Form

Classroom Instruction
Student Observer: Brittany Chastain
School: Lincoln Elementary School Teacher: Mrs. Jamie Roub Grade Level: 4th grade
Date & Time of Observation: October 5, 2015 1-3 PM

For this assignment, you must observe an entire lesson from start to finish. Type a substantial paragraph
(minimum 4 sentences) in response to each of the following statements and/or questions concerning
teaching and learning. If you are unable to respond based upon what you observe, ask the teacher. Simply
stating, I did not observe this, is not an acceptable response.

1. Provide a brief summary of the lesson taught.

The teacher taught a vocabulary lesson with eight different vocabulary words. The
vocabulary words actually came out of the students social studies book. Interestingly, the week
before I saw her do another vocabulary lesson and the vocabulary words came from their science
book. The students are required to pronounce the words correctly and be able to give a sentence
with that word and give the correct punctuation to the sentence.

2. Describe how the teacher initiates the lesson. How does it begin and how does it end. Describe how the teacher
gained and maintained student attention. What happened when a student was off-task? Give
specific details.
The lesson begins when the students come in from recess. They open their designated
books to the correct page. The students are called upon randomly to pronounce the word correctly.
Following the correct pronunciation of the word another student is picked to give a sentence to the
word. If a student is unsure of a sentence to give they are allowed to call on another student for
assistance. After giving the sentence the student is required to give the correct punctuation for the
sentence. The teacher tries to get every single punctuation in the lesson including commas.

3. Describe the teaching strategies used by the teacher (cooperative learning, discussion,
experiential learning, lecture, problem-based learning, case study, simulation, modeling,
demonstration, brainstorming, jigsaw, etc.). How did the teacher use the strategies to engage
the students in higher-order thinking skills? Be specific (review Blooms Taxonomy, if
necessary).
As stated above, the teacher relies on the students to be able to continue the lesson. She relies on the
students to be able to correctly pronounce the words. Following the correct pronunciation of the vocabulary
word she makes sure they can correctly comprehend the definition of the word. Interestingly, the words that
the students learn as vocabulary words are also elaborated on later in the week in a different subject.

4. Describe how the students were recognized for correct responses to questions? Were the
questions structured so that they mainly encouraged convergent (one correct answer) or
divergent (many acceptable answers) thinking? How did the teacher respond to incorrect or
inappropriate responses from students?

All of the students I witnessed answered correctly. There was one instance in which the
student couldnt think of a good sentence to give, so was able to call on another student for help.
The teacher guided the students in being able to convert a sentence that ended in a period into a
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question mark or an exclamatory sentence. I did see where a student got a reward for using the
vocabulary word twice in one sentence.

5. Describe how the students were organized for instruction-individually, small-group, whole-
group? Were different organizational structures used at different times? Why? Could the
lesson have been improved by utilizing a different organizational structure?
I think the students were actually very organized for the structure of doing the vocabulary
lesson, especially for just coming in from recess. The students are allowed to have water bottles
and they get the option to use the restroom and fill the water bottles before the lesson was started.
The lesson plan was given in a class setting with all of the students participating. I think the way
the teacher has setup the lesson (which is done the same way each Monday) seems to be an
effective way for the students because all were actively engaged in the lesson plan.

6. Describe the types of materials used for instruction and the distribution and collection
process. Describe any additional materials such as technology and/or audio-visual equipment
that were used during instruction and tell how they facilitated learning. If none were used,
explain how additional materials could have been used to improve the lesson.

The teacher utilizes the school book that the vocabulary comes from and the dry erase
board. She also has these flash cards that have the vocabulary words on them so she posts them
on the board and then writes the sentence next to the corresponding word. The students utilize
their books to be able to see the word in print, as well as a notebook where they are required to
write the word and the sentence that the teacher wrote on the board as well. I think it was really
useful to the students to be able to see the words used in their books while also coming up with
their own sentences.

7. Describe how the teacher met the needs of diverse learners (students with special needs,
students with language barriers, students with different learning styles, students with
different experiential backgrounds, etc.). Was an individualized approach used for academic
work? Were the children taught at their developmental levels, or all expected to accomplish
the same task?
There arent any students in the class that had special needs. However, if students do
have special needs (which there are a couple that the teacher had told me previously that have
reading comprehension issues) they go to the resource room, which is where they get one-on-one
help with assignments. As far as I knew, there werent any students required to go to the resource
room during this vocabulary lesson. All of the students were expected to accomplish the same
task and were randomly called upon to give answers.

8. Describe the assessment techniques used by the teacher before, during, and after the lesson.
How was prior knowledge assessed? How did the teacher check for understanding during the
lesson? What type of assessment did the teacher use (or plan to use later) to assess the extent
to which the children mastered the concept(s) taught? Give specific examples.
Like stated previously, the teacher is in the front of the room during the vocabulary
lesson, therefore she isnt really able to establish whether the students have written the work
down as told. However, I believe the vocabulary words are used later on in the week to
complete various other projects. The teacher is able to assess from their other assignments later
on in the week whether or not they comprehend the vocabulary words or if they need a little bit
more help. I was able to see the students using these vocabulary words later on as flashcards and
ultimately they made projects with the vocabulary words also.
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9. What were the students expected to do after their task is finished? How was academic
feedback provided to the students?
After the vocabulary lesson was done they were able to spend some free time and read
their books. The lesson took about an hour or so which left about 15-20 minutes before being
dismissed for the school day. It seemed like the teacher really relied on the students to take it
upon themselves to write the words down on their own, and by the looks of it the students knew
what were expected of them when completing this lesson. I did notice one student even making
her own flashcards with her vocabulary words during her free time.

10. Describe how the teachers instruction and the tasks assigned reinforced students
understanding of the purpose for what they were learning and its connection to the world
beyond the classroom. If not evident, how could the teacher have accomplished these?
I think the way that the vocabulary words came from their school books in a different
subject backs up the idea that it relates to every day matters. The lesson that I observed came
from their science books and had to deal with volcanoes. They also had to complete projects
where they constructed their own volcano, which I was able to see the projects the following
week. The previous week I saw them use their social studies book to get their vocabulary words
from. So, I think alternating the subject that the vocabulary words come from is also useful.