Planning Questions

1. How do you write a typical lesson plan?

a. I work with the other 4th grade teacher that teaches math and science.
We start by looking at the curriculum documents provided by our district.
Then, we plan lesson by lesson and make sure that all standards in that
unit are covered.
2. What types of materials do you need available when you plan lessons?
a. Technology, Curriculum documents provided by our district.
3. In what ways do you plan to accommodate individual differences in the
classroom?
a. For ESL Students, I make sure that the directions are very clear to them
and sometimes use visuals. For EC Students, I provide extra support by
pulling them into a small group. I have them work with a partner who is on
grade level. For AIG Students, I provide extension activities to challenge
them.
4. Do you use a specific template for your lesson plans?
a. No. We plan a mini lesson and centers.

Instructional Questions
1. What are some of your instructional challenges as a teacher?
a. There are many different needs in my classroom. I struggle to meet the
needs of everyone everyday in the time allotted.
2. What do you consider essential characteristics for successful teaching?
a. Patience, Persistence, Passion
3. How often do your students receive science instruction?
a. Every other day plus one extra day a week during STEM Lab.
4. Are you satisfied with the amount of time that you currently allot for science
instruction? Explain.
a. Yes. I teach science every day for about 50 minutes.

Classroom Management Questions

1. What motivation tactics do you use to ensure a desire to learn?
a. We keep track of Class Dojo points. At the end of each week, I choose 3
Class Dojo winners. Every other week, my teammate and I plan a
celebration for students who have met their Class Dojo goals and who
have completed all of their work.
2. Tell me about the classroom community. What are the class rules? How is
student behavior monitored? In what ways is positive behavior reinforced? In
 what ways are negative behaviors prevented? Tell me about the consequences
for negative behavior.
a. I work hard to create a positive classroom community. Each week, we
have a class meeting and talk about things that went well and things that
did not go well. Our number one rule is to be kind to one another. Positive
behavior gets green dojo points and occasional celebrations.Negative
behavior gets red dojo points, students do not get to attend celebrations,
and there is frequent parent contact.
3. Tell me about the pacing of lessons and interaction in the classroom- use of time-
and other aspects of time…wait time, and time using teacher talk and student
talk. What works well with your students?
a. Mini lesson are about 10-15 minutes.Centers are 20 minutes each. During
wait time, I call on students I tell them to have an answer ready, then I
usually pull a number out of a bucket to choose who I call on. Teacher talk
is delivering mini-lessons.For student talk, students frequently work with
partners or in groups on assignments; I have them turn and talk to one
another during mini-lessons.
4. How did you set the behavioral expectations at the beginning of the year?
a. Repetition! I constantly reminded students of expectations for about the
first month of school. Example: We are lining up for recess. Remember
when we are in a line we are at level zero and are facing forward. I also
made sure that there were procedures in place for everything.