Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program

Pre/Observation/Post Cycle Form (POP)

Revised 4.20.17
Directions for Preparation for POP Cycle
1. New Teacher (NT) and Mentor (ME) identify date for lesson observation and set dates/times for pre- and post-observation conferences.
2. Minimum three days before lesson delivery, NT prepares POP Cycle Form.
3. NT completes Section 1: New Teacher Information, lesson plan, and Section 2, Part A NT Reflection.
4. NT emails POP Cycle Form and Lesson Plan to ME.
Directions for Pre-Observation
5. Minimum 48 hours before lesson delivery, ME reviews Lesson Plan and Section 2, Part A: New Teacher Reflection; completes Section 2, Part B: ME Feedback.
6. ME shares feedback with NT during pre-observation conference. Lesson plan is adjusted as needed and finalized for delivery.
Directions for Observation and Preparation for Post-Observation Conference
7. During lesson delivery, ME completes Section 3A: ME Observation of Lesson Delivery, noting both Teacher Actions and Student Actions.
8. Prior to Post-Observation Conference, NT reflects on lesson outcomes and completes Part 3B: NT Reflection on Lesson Delivery.
Post Observation Conference Directions:
9. Within 48 hours, NT and ME share notes; discuss lesson observations and outcomes; complete Section 4. All parts should be transcribed into one document and submitted to course instructor. Information is used for ILP.
Section 1: New Teacher Information
New Teacher Email Subject Area Grade Level
Jared Smith jasmith@fjuhsd.org English Grade 9

Mentor Email School/District Date

Marjie Blevins mblevins@fjuhsd.org Sonora High School/FJUHSD 10/26/2017

Content Standard Lesson Objectives Unit Topic Lesson Title

CCSS.ELA.RL.9-10.1: Cite strong and
thorough textual evidence to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly
as well as inferences drawn from the Students will analyze a theme of the
text. novel and make personal
CCSS.ELA.RL.9-10.2: Determine a connections by completing a
theme or central idea of a text and worksheet.
analyze in detail its development over
the course of the text, including how it Students will continue reading and
emerges and is shaped and refined by analyzing the novel by completing a “To Kill a Mockingbird” “Understanding Others”
specific details; provide an objective dialectic journal for Chapter 3.
summary of the text.
ELD.Collaborative.9-10: Exchanging Students will collaborate and
information and ideas with others discuss together about a theme,
through oral collaborative discussions their shared experiences, and a
on a range of social and academic chapter of the novel.
topics.

CSTP Element(s) Focus for POP Cycle (In semesters 2, 3, 4, copy pertinent elements from ILP for POP Cycle focus.)
1 - Emerging 2 - Exploring 3 - Applying 4 - Integrating 5 – Innovating
NT pedagogical skills are newly formed and Skills are developing as NT investigates Skills are applied as NT makes Skills are refined as NT combines elements Skills are polished as NT expands ability to
just coming into prominence and examines pedagogical practices increased relevant and suitable use into a cohesive and unified pedagogical add new methods and strategies into
of pedagogical choices repertoire pedagogical repertoire
CSTP Element Initial Rating Rating Description (Identify both teacher and student rating for CSTP 1 and 2.)
Uses gathered information about students’ prior knowledge, cultural backgrounds,
Connecting learning to students’ prior life experiences, and interest to support student learning.
1.2 knowledge, backgrounds, life experiences, and Exploring
interests Students participate in single lessons or sequences of lessons related to their interests
and experiences.
Maintains physical environments that reflect student diversity and provides a broad
range of resources, displays, and artifacts that are current and integral to instruction.
Creating physical or virtual learning
Integrates a variety of structures for interaction that engage students constructively and
environments that promote student learning,
2.2 Applying productively in learning
reflect diversity, and encourage constructive
and productive interactions among students
Students use a variety of resources in learning environments and interact in ways that
deepen their understanding of the content and develop constructive social and academic
interactions.
Section 2: Pre-Observation Conference
Part A: NT Reflection Part B: ME Feedback
Use questions to guide reflection on the lesson plan. Provide feedback on lesson plan reflection.
Engaging students by making a theme of the novel relevant This is a well-devised lesson as it provides personal
Inquiry Focus/Special Emphasis to their lives. Students will share their personal experiences
 What is your inquiry focus and/or special emphasis? application to students concerning one major theme of the
and how they relate to the subject at hand, both with partners
 How will you incorporate the inquiry focus and/or text; the lesson also provides direct reading and analysis of
special emphasis into the lesson? and with the whole class. I would like to know if this lesson
is effective in doing so and if I can improve the emphasis of the text, with an evaluation component—the dialectic
 What specific feedback do you want from your ME?
this theme in any way. journal.
Focus Students Focus Student 1: English Learner Focus Student 2: Student w/ILP/504 Focus Student 3: Your Choice

POP Cycle, Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program (FOTIP), 2017. Adapted from CSU Fullerton Titan EDUCATOR Project, 2017. Page 1 of 5
 Summarize critical needs and how This student is able to work in pairs while he This is an advanced student who
you will address them during this reads and analyzes chapter 3 of the novel. accomplishes tasks quicker and far beyond
lesson.
This allows him to receive help from his the traditional expectations of other
This student has mild autism and sometimes
partner in pronouncing and understanding students. During the theme activity, this
has trouble concentrating and staying on
difficult passages and vocabulary. He is also student is expected to make deeper
task. This lesson provides numerous
able to practice his reading skills by vocally connections and lead the discussion with
interactions with his neighbors, the whole
reading the chapter aloud. In addition, the her neighbors. In addition, she is expected
class, and a partner, which will keep him
structure of the journal provides this student to go much deeper in her chapter analysis,
focused.
with specific, step-by-step analysis with her themes, conflicts, and dynamic
directions that make analyzing the chapter characters supported with quotes and
easy and efficient. lengthy commentary.
EL Student: Partner with English proficient student so they
can effectively learn from that student and grow as a
How can I further support my EL student in this lesson? reader.
Should I provide a list and definitions of the difficult
IEP Student: Partner with compassionate and patient
 What specific feedback regarding your focus students vocabulary or should the students research those words as a
do you want from your ME?
student who can sympathize with the students’ needs and
learning tool? And how else can I support my advanced
student without killing them with extra work and keep them on track during lesson.
expectations? Advanced Student: Be clear with instructions on what the
expectations are; for instance, they must have two specific
quotes for each portion of the journal.
The theme activity is very appropriate and I believe it will
be very effective. One method of strengthening the activity
Specific Feedback Am I relating this theme to the students in a relevant and would be having students do a self-reflection where they
 What additional specific feedback do you want from appropriate fashion? How can I make the connection also think of a time when they failed to “walk in someones’
your ME regarding lesson implementation? stronger? shoes” and, consequently, their reaction was
misappropriate. Possibly have them include this reflection
on the back of the worksheet.
I will open the lesson by giving a personal experience of a
time when I failed to understand another person because I did
not try to see the situation from their point of view. Then,
students will work on their assignment and pair-share with a
neighbor. These small discussions will lead into a whole
class discussion, where students are able to share and reflect
on their understanding of the theme. The lesson is well structured and seems to be scaffolded in
The next part of the lesson will transition into partnered or a way that will meet various students needs in the
individual reading of chapter 3 of TKAM, where students classroom. I would suggest that you assign partners during
Instructional Planning will analyze the chapter through their dialectic journals that the partnered reading of chapter three, for numerous
 How is the lesson structured (opening, body, and focus on plot, setting, character development, conflicts, and reasons. First, students will likely choose a friend and then
closing)? themes. This will take students through the end of the period they will be more likely to stray off task. Second, by
 What varied teaching strategies and differentiated
instruction will help students meet lesson goals?
and whatever reading they fail to finish in class will be assigning their groups, you will be able to pair strong and
 What progress monitoring strategies will be used? assigned for homework. weak students for the benefit of all. The strong students will
How will results inform instruction? Throughout both parts of the lesson, the teacher will walk become leaders and teachers, while the weaker students
around and evaluate students through formative monitoring. obtain assistance and a model of student
He will intervene with or prompt students when necessary knowledge/behavior.
and will assist struggling students with their reading and
analysis journals. Additionally, the teacher will evaluate
student understanding through their progress on the theme
worksheet and dialectic journals, which he will use to make
instructional decisions as the unit progresses. If certain
chapters, themes, or literary elements need to be retaught,
then he will take the appropriate steps to do so.
The first part of the lesson holistically consists of making the
theme of Understanding Others relevant to the students.
Student Engagement/Learning Then, as students make personal connections to the, they will
 How will you make the lesson relevant to all the then encounter that theme directly in Chapter 3 of the novel The relevance of this lesson is clearly visible; students will
students? during their partnered reading. In their dialectic journals, show mastery of the RL standards through their journal
 How will students show progress towards master of they will write the theme, support it with a quote directly entries and discussions.
lesson objectives?
from the book, and then write commentary that proves their
understanding. The teacher will later collect and evaluate
their journals.
As students respond to the prompt and share their
experiences with other students and the class, their
discussions will be cultured in an open, accepting, and
Classroom Management friendly environment. Students consistently share, discuss,
 How will you maintain a positive learning
Again, pre-assigning students into partners will drastically
and collaborate with each other in this class, and students
environment with a welcoming climate of caring, prevent students from being off task and disruptive. It is a
have often described it as family.
respect, and fairness? common classroom procedure that I advise for most
 Identify specific classroom procedures and strategies Students that are off task or disruptive during the course of
either part of the lesson will be separated from the rest of the group/partner learning activities.
for preventing/redirecting challenging behaviors.
class and then chided by the teacher. Additionally, students
who cannot stay on task during the partnered reading will be
forced to work independently.
The closure of the first portion of the lesson consists of a As suggested, one good method of closing the first activity
Closure whole class discussion and then the teacher will collect the
 How will you close your lesson? of this lesson would be to have students reflect on their
worksheet and review at a later time. The students will then
 How will you assess student learning and prepare own personal experiences and think of an example that
them for the next lesson? transition into partnered reading, which will carry the
students through the remainder of the period and they will connects directly to the theme. When students do this, they
POP Cycle, Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program (FOTIP), 2017. Adapted from CSU Fullerton Titan EDUCATOR Project, 2017. Page 2 of 5

EXAMPLE
CSTP 1: Engaging All Students
 In what ways were students
engaged?
Specific Feedback
 What information can you
provide the NT regarding
requested special
feedback?
CSTP 1: Engaging All
Students
 In what ways were students
engaged? How were
students not engaged?
 How did students contribute
to their learning?
 How did teacher and/or
students monitor learning?
 How were the focus
students engaged and
supported throughout the
lesson?
CSTP 2: Effective Learning
Environment
 How did students and
teacher contribute to an
effective learning
environment?
CSTP 3: Organizing
Subject Matter
 What actions of the NT
contributed to student
assimilation of subject
matter?
 How did students construct
knowledge of subject
matter?
 What misconceptions did
students have and how
were they addressed by
the teacher?
POP Cycle, Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program (FOTIP), 2017. Adapted from CSU Fullerton Titan EDUCATOR Project, 2017.
complete the chapter for homework. At the beginning of the
following period, the teacher will ask students to summarize
their chapter 3 reading and analysis. Their chapter dialectic
journals will also be collected and evaluated at the end of the
week.
Section 3: Observation of Lesson Delivery
Part 3A: ME Observation of Lesson Delivery
Teacher Actions
When teacher reviewed worksheet, she asked additional questions
of analysis and evaluation (“which problem-solving strategy do
you prefer? How could you create a math problem that could be
solved with this strategy?”)
NT did a good job of supporting EL student
within the lesson by checking in with the
student throughout the lesson and then
partnering him with stronger readers during
the group read.
NT evaluated student learning, participation,
and progress throughout both activities by
monitoring class and asking questions.
Body of the lesson was primarily spear-
pointed by student interactions as they
worked as a group and contributed to their
own learning.
NT commanded class well, having a strict yet
enjoyable classroom management plan. NT
has molded a positive relationship with his
students that balances respect and
favoritism.
NT implemented a thematic-based activity
that reflected student background and
previous experience.
Few students struggled with the empathy
activity, but NT shared an example at the
beginning of the lesson and then also worked
with these students one-on-one during the
reflection activity.
will cement their understanding and its relevance to their
lives.
Student Actions
Student groups answered worksheet questions that included all
levels of Bloom’s (“Identify 6 problem-solving strategies; pick two
strategies and identify at least one similarity and one difference
between them”). Groups then selected a strategy and created
two math problems to exchange tomorrow.
Advanced Student was also partnered with
another AS and the NT discussed the
expectations with them and gave them
positive incentive to accomplish it.
Students were very engaged throughout the
lesson and seemed to really enjoy the theme
activity. They were able to reflect on and
share their own experiences, both with the
class and with fellow students.
All focus students were actively engaged and
successfully learning throughout lesson.
Students worked productively throughout
lesson, with very few venturing off task.
Students also worked well together with
effective collaboration that was clearly
established early in the year by expectations
of NT.
Students were able to gain a deeper
understanding of the theme by connecting it
to their lives and sharing it with the class.
Additionally, students reaffirmed textual
analysis skills through group reading and
dialectic journals.
Part 3B: NT Reflection on
Lesson Delivery
Students completed the worksheets and were able to ask questions.
Most groups needed revisions for their questions;
comparison/contrast was the most common analysis question. I
need to give them a Bloom’s question stems handout next time.
N/A
I feel that the lesson was very engaging for all
of my students as it focused on their specific
experiences and it gave them an opportunity to
make a personal connection to the novel,
instead of mere objective analysis. They
openly shared their experiences with empathy
in multiple formats and then they actively
worked in small groups while reading the
novel and completing their journals. They
monitored their own learning through the
completing of the dialectic journals, which
requires them to read the chapter and complete
all six aspects of the journal. During this
process, each of the focus students seemed to
be actively engaged and productively working
throughout the lesson.
As students worked through each part of the
lesson, I monitored their learning by surveying
the classroom, prompting specific students
with questions, and sitting with groups to
discuss their reading and journals.
During the entirety of the period, I instituted
my classroom rules and behavior policies,
which kept students on task and focused on the
lesson. I am also blessed with incredibly bright
and amiable students, who collaborate together
effectively and who have very respectful
interactions during classroom groups and
discussions. I try to stay positive, upbeat, and
enthusiastic with them as I am teaching the
material, which generally has them match my
tone.
The primary focus of the lesson was to try and
have students grasp the concept of empathy
and then have them recognize that them in
chapter 3 of the novel. As students completed
the empathy activity and attempted to place
themselves in the shoes of others in specific
situations, most of them understand the
concept, while some still struggled to take
themselves out of their own personal
perspective. However, this was expected and it
meant working more one-on-one with these
struggling students by sharing more of my
experiences and walking them through the
activity. The pair-share discussions and whole
class discussions also significantly added to
the understanding of these students.
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CSTP 4: Learning
Experiences
 How were students
supported through
differentiated instruction?
 How did students
participate?
 How did the NT contribute
to student learning?
CSTP 5: Assessing Student
Learning
 How did students
demonstrate achievement
of lesson objectives?
 In what ways did students
struggle or demonstrate
limited understanding?
 What teacher actions
contributed to student
achievement?
To what degree did students
achieve lesson objectives?
To what degree did focus
students achieve lesson
objectives?
What would you do differently
next time?
What were three top Lesson
Strengths?
POP Cycle, Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program (FOTIP), 2017. Adapted from CSU Fullerton Titan EDUCATOR Project, 2017.
NT differentiated instruction through his I attempted to differentiate instruction with the
expectations of student performance: EL whole class by conducting pair-shares, asking
students were assisted throughout lesson individualized questions, placing students in
with help of teacher and other students, as predetermined groups, and expressing different
was IEP student; AS was given more difficult learning expectations for specific students.
assignment with higher expectations. NT also Students participated effectively through Each of these were effective for some students,
used a variety of instructional techniques, lesson by sharing ideas, reflections, and while certain others still seemed to struggle at
such as worksheet on chromebooks, answers. This occurred in a trifecta of times. The advanced student and IEP student
group/paired/whole class discussions, group scenarios: whole class, small group, and pair- performed well, whereas the EL student
seemed to be a bit secluded in his reading
reading, dialectic journals, etc. share. It is an effective approach to learning.
NT gave a model of responses for the group. Therefore, I approached his group and
empathy activity; monitored and assisted sat with them for a few minutes, asking
student learning through reflection time; also questions and helping them with their journals
placed students in effective groups that so that the EL student could catch up and
worked well throughout body of lesson. remain confident in the material.
I chose two different formative assessments
for this lesson as students are merely learning
of the concept of empathy and are conducting
their dialectic journals that shows initial
reading comprehension and analysis. I
NT monitored learning informally through Students completed empathy worksheet collected their empathy worksheet after the
observation and discussion of empathy that was submitted to NT for him to review exercise and reviewed it to see if students
activity. If students struggled with previous and students completed dialectic journals grasped the main point of the lesson, without
experience portion of activity, NT approached that will be collected at a later time for a giving it a formal grade in the Gradebook. I
also collected their chapter 3 TKAM journals,
student and shared more examples of his formative grade.
which I did give a formal grade, though in a
experience. Some students struggled with the empathy
formative category. These concepts will be
NT also monitored class during small group activity when trying to determine person, further assessed on their final exam, which
reading and took the time to sit with certain previous experiences. Also, some groups will be their official summative assessment.
groups to discuss passage and guide them struggled to stay on task while reading the
through their dialectic journals. novel, but NT quickly approached groups and As expected, certain students struggled with
asked them to stay focused. the concept of empathy and understanding
others, as it takes a certain perspective, as well
as personal maturity. But all students worked
productively when reading the chapter and
completing the journals, which I assisted with,
as stated previously.
Section 4: Post Observation Conference
After reviewing their empathy assignment, all students attempted to answer the series of questions that related to the three scenarios, though
only 75% had the depth and level of understanding that I had expected. The lower-level responses were underdeveloped and perfunctory,
without much thought. This can be attributed to laziness though, just as much as incomplete understanding. Yet, the fact that the vast
majority of the class understood the concept and gave full, complex responses makes me satisfied with the activity.
In addition, the chapter 3 journals revealed that students understood the chapter and made the appropriate analysis with plot, setting,
characterization, conflict, theme, and vocabulary. Each journal is worth 12 points and the average total for the class was 10 points, which I
also found satisfactory. Thus, the students accomplished RL.9-10.1 and RL.9-10.2, which were the primary objectives of the lesson.
Focus Student 1: English Learner Focus Student 2: Student w/ILP/504 Focus Student 3: Your Choice
This student met and surpassed my initial
expectations in both activities, as she had
This student struggled during the empathy
deep responses during the empathy activity
activity and also a bit during the small group
This student performed very well during and also went above and beyond in her
reading, but, overall, performed well. I gave
both activities, as he is naturally very, but journal. I gave her an advanced assignment
him individual assistance during the first part
struggles with a short attention span. The of discovering two themes in the chapter
of the lesson by sharing my experiences and
empathy activity was engaging enough to and providing detailed explanations,
walking him slowly through the activity. I
hold his attention in entirety, while his quotes, and commentary for each, which
also sat with his group during the reading
partners in the group reading also kept him she successfully accomplished. Her group
portion of the lesson and discussed the
on task. He also scored 12/12 on the journal was able to find the theme of prejudice, in
chapter and journal with them to ensure his
assignment. addition to understanding others, and they
success. With the assistance of his group, this
finished in a timely manner during the
student scored 12/12 on his journal.
class period. Consequently, she received a
15/12 on her journal.
On thing that I would definitely do differently next time is make my expectations more clear for their responses on the empathy activity. I
should have modeled a response for the first scenario and showed it to them on the white board so that they could see the length, depth, and
grammar that I expect from them. I believe this may have been the reason for some of the short responses that I received.
Another aspect of the lesson that I would potentially change is conducting the activity after the class reads chapter 3 of TKAM.
Understanding others and empathy is one of the main themes in the novel and chapter 3 if filled with examples and a key quote from Atticus
that express that message. However, if we had read the chapter first and then discussed empathy, I think students may have made a stronger
connection to the novel, with a “light bulb” moment of enlightenment.
The first strength of the lesson was relying on students’ past experiences to make connections with the theme of empathy. They found this
portion of the lesson engaging, relevant, and fun.
The second strength of the lesson was the partnered, group, and whole class discussions during the first activity. This instructional tool really
brought the lesson to life and it allowed students to openly share their experiences and responses, instead of merely completing the activity
and turning it in. Also, by discussing examples of empathy with each other, the students who were struggling with the activity were able to
slowly grasp the main concept and obtain full understanding.
The third strength of the lesson was consciously pairing students together by strengths and weaknesses during the small group reading. By
predetermining their groups and not allowing them to pick their own partners, the students remained on task for the majority of the lesson
Page 4 of 5

What were three top areas for
improvement?
What are next steps?
All parts of this form should be transcribed (typed; not hand-written) into a single document and submitted to course instructor.
POP Cycle, Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program (FOTIP), 2017. Adapted from CSU Fullerton Titan EDUCATOR Project, 2017.
and successfully completed the journal assignment. This also significantly helped the focus students through the lesson, though it could have
been more effective for the EL student.
As stated previously, one of the ways that I could improve this lesson is by establishing my expectations for student responses a bit better.
This includes modeling the type of responses that I expect before the activity so that students can follow my example and fulfill the length,
depth, and grammar expectations.
The second area that I could potentially improve is planning better groups for certain students. Although I listed this as one of my strengths, I
think that I may have misjudged my EL’s group because they were not as accommodating as I had originally expected. I noticed that he was
falling behind and I have to intercede on his behalf in order for him to be successful. Next time, I will pair him with students that are more
sympathetic and patient so that he will be more included in the reading and analysis.
Another area of the lesson that could be improved is the timing. The empathy activity took nearly 30 minutes, though I had only planned
approximately 20 minutes for it. This gave the group reading significantly less time, which means that some groups had more homework and
had to finish the journals at home. Although the reason the activity took so long was the productive conversations between pairs and the
whole class, I would have liked to give the groups more time to read in class.
Each of these activities took place at the beginning of the unit, for we are only on chapter 3 of the novel. These were crucial for students to
understand one of the main themes of the book, as well as learn the structure of the journals that will be systematically completed throughout
the course of the novel. The next steps of instruction would be to complete the novel, finish journaling throughout the primary chapters, and
conduct various other learning activities, such as formal writing assignments, reading comprehension assessments, evidence logs, and the
final essay.
Other Comments/Notes
Information from this POP Cycle should be summarized on the NT ILP as appropriate.
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