Running head: OBSERVATION 2 PLANNING 1

Observation 2

Karina Diaz

Raritan Valley Community College

Professor Kimberly Schirner

November 22, 2019

OBSERVATION 2 PLANNING 2

EDUC-230-02 EDUCATION FIELD EXPERIENCE

I. OBSERVATION # 2:
Planning

II. Grade Level and Subject Area:

Second Grade

III. Setting:
Classroom type is inclusive general education, in a second and third grade elementary
school, located in an urban area. The classroom has two teachers and an aide. About one
third of the class are special needs. There are twenty-one students in total with twelve
boys and nine girls, ranging from the ages seven and eight.

IV. Pre-Observation:
Second graders are ready to accelerate their learning because at this point, they
have been well adjusted to the rigorous learned environment that they encountered in first
grade. Now, students are ready to further expand their skills and knowledge in every
subject area. They will be able to comprehend much more and learning more complex
matter in reading, writing, and math. Teachers need to plan accordingly to age level,
grade level, and the ability of each child in order to have them meet goals.
Accommodating each child is crucial to the learning process, each individual child learns
differently, and teachers must make sure their needs are being fulfilled so they can reach
the next level in each subject area (Ackerman & Kloss, 2019).
Keeping young elementary students engaged in learning, especially in an all-
inclusive class can be a challenging. It is important to note that preparation and planning
is critical component of effective teaching. Lack of these components will be disastrous
and lead to failure for the classroom. For an excellent teacher to succeed, they must
continuously plan by always thinking about their next lesson and how they can make
improve outcomes. Having a well-prepared lesson can impact students learning
tremendously by boosting students learning performance and achievement. A teacher
who is prepared is well on her way to a successful instructional experience (Meador,
2015).
Just as important it is to prepare; teachers must make time to plan. Dedicating
time to plan by coming early or staying after can make a big difference in being
adequately prepared for teaching students. As well as having time to research fresh ideas
to create an optimal learning environment. Teachers get a planning period when they are
at school, however, this time hardly goes into planning it is used in grading papers,
catching up on emails, conducting conferences, or contacting parents. Planning includes
having time to choose effective teaching strategies, designing lessons, gathering
materials, and collaborating with others. By taking time to plan it will help incite
excitement in lessons and motivate students to excel (Merritt, 2019).
It is expected to find a detailed step by step guide that highlights the teacher’s
objectives in a lesson plan. An input of student’s expectations with what they will
accomplish in the lesson and how they will learn it should be laid out specifically in a
lesson plan. Comprehensive plans ensure that lessons run smoothly, so that students
OBSERVATION 2 PLANNING 3

receive quality instruction. It is important to write lesson plans and generate success.
Lesson plan needs to be thorough and detailed for in case teacher becomes suddenly ill
and a substitute comes to the class. The teacher will need to plan ahead and leave set
instructions for them (Cunningham, 2009).
Lastly, teacher should have to types of planning time; individual planning time
that focuses on what the teacher is doing in their own classroom and common planning
time with colleagues who teach the same grade level or subject. Induvial planning time
should occur every day, whereas common planning time happens only once or twice
weekly and is set up as meetings. The school might also have professional learning
communities when group of teachers collaborate with one another to plan, reflect, and
modify instruction as they work together with the common goal of striving to help
students learn (Merritt, 2019). Having ideas shared and listen by other teachers of the
same grade is a great strategy to see what works in the classroom and what doesn’t, this
can be beneficial for the most part. In the end collaborative teaching and planning is to
benefit the kids. Such meetings will benefit students by helping to meet the needs of
diverse students and teachers will gain knowledge in how to help them reach their
maximum potential (Nevin, 2006).

V. Data:
 One of the teacher’s techniques is to constantly make a to-do list to keep herself
organized.
 Majority of her planning techniques come from online based research for instruction
purposes.
 She plans and prepares each day to help create structure and adjust any plans as
needed. That way she has something to do in cases she finishes an activity early or if
there is change in the plan last minute. For example, there can be a fire drill, guest
speaker, an assembly, or any other change.
 There is a “purchased” and set curriculum that my teacher must follow. For reading
she uses Journeys, Math she uses Go Math, Social Studies she uses My World by
Pearson, and for Science she uses Science Dimension.
 My teacher says the school has common planning meeting with all the teachers of the
same grade, which takes place two times a week in the morning before children arrive
to class. They discuss strategies, techniques, lessons, and goals and anything that
might benefit students.
 I was unable to attend a meeting, but I was able to witness teachers of the same grade
as my teacher come into the classroom and discuss problems, ideas about lesson, and
they would even come into the class to borrow items. Teacher told me that this type
of stuff happens daily, teachers just pop into another teacher’s classroom to get
valuable teaching information.
 There was one day a teacher came in to comment about a new student that was being
transferred from another class to my teachers’ class. She was getting feedback and
advice in how to approach this new student that was coming in with behavioral issues
and best way to meet the parents to talk about learning goals.
 Attended a meeting, unsure if it was ‘common planning’ meeting because I got there
late. The main discussion was about the pillar of the month, citizenship, and how they
were going to explain to the school in the assembly taking place later that day. They
OBSERVATION 2 PLANNING 4

also discussed concerns about how students should be behaving in the cafeteria
during lunch time.
 The most important part about the meeting was hearing the teachers talk about the
growing concerns for the students and the school. They were discussing topic of
special education and how more and more students are going to need to be evaluated
because they are falling behind.
 The teacher plans a little bit of all. She plans daily, weekly, and monthly depending
on the subject. She plans daily to add a learning video to the next day lesson.
 For science unit she plans monthly.
 There is a yearly scope and sequence for the grade and age level. She uses Atlas
Curriculum Mapping.
 Students are sort of involved in the planning process. She doesn’t physically involve
them or talks to them about planning process. When it comes to planning, she
assesses each child individually and sees where they are in learning content. If a child
needs extra practice in a certain area, she will pull them aside during morning
meeting for extra guidance. She does activities based on children’s interest and plans
accordingly.
 Every Monday by 5am, the teacher must submit plans.
 Rules do not differ for tenures and nontenures or for years of service teachers to new
hires.
 Plans must be submitted before the lesson is taught.
 They must submit the NJCCCS that they are teaching next to the objective in their
plans.

VI. Analysis:
Upon entering the classroom, it was quite different than my previous observation
at a preschool. Usually the lesson plan is posted on the wall by the class entry for anyone
to see. However, in the second classroom of the observation the lesson plan is kept in the
teacher’s desk. In second grade classroom there are several lessons to be taught in a
single day. Students need to learn math, writing, reading, social studies, and science with
limited time to learn material. Second grade is a year of highly visible progress. There
are major milestones in reading and language arts that teacher needs to make sure
students are meeting such as developing an extensive sight word vocabulary and using
punctuation correctly (Time 4 Learning, 2015). Teacher plans accordingly to kids’
interest and has centers based on each of their levels. She is able to take time to plan
each day for all the subjects, except for science lesson she plans every month. Reason
being is that social studies and science is being shared within the same time frame. She
plans for what day she is going to do a science experiment with the kids. She also
includes helpful videos for lessons such as writing and math. They are interactive and
intriguing videos that were able to connect with each student and have them engaged.
There are many set and purchased curriculum to choose from that will help in
meeting individual needs. This teacher uses Journeys for reading, Go Math for her math
lessons, and My World for social studies, and Science Dimension for science. I was able
to see all the curriculum book she uses for those subject areas and were all very
knowledgeable, well-rounded, comprehensive material. They help keep a fresh and
comfortable teaching ideas with new perspectives. Journeys is highly recommended they
 OBSERVATION 2 PLANNING 5

believe students confidence grows when the challenges they face are the right size. This
book helps mold students to become stronger readers (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019).
It is important with set curriculum that it helps foster the love of learning and for students
to build confidence, they need flexible individual study.
Being well prepared and organized is a key factor into planning. The second-
grade teacher of my observation does an excellent job of being prepared and has various
techniques to keep her focused-on task. One of them is to keep a to-do list to keep
herself well organized. She has a planner kept on her desk and a check off list what
needs to be done for the day in the classroom. This is useful in many ways, knowing
what needs to be done and setting priorities is a great way of sticking to the plan. The
special education teacher in the class also keeps a list and share it with the general
education teacher of the class. They feed ideas to one another and assist each other when
available. This benefits teachers because it helps keep them organize. It is a great tool to
write down things you need to get down and start checking them off once completed. It
can also aid in breaking down list into everyday task (Mushkat, 2016).
In the Lafayette school which holds second and third grade classroom, there
typically is PLC meeting that take place in the morning at least twice a week. They are
intended for teachers in the same grade to meet and share plans, resources, ideas, and
strategies in helping a student succeed. Was given the opportunity to attend a meeting
with the special education teacher because the general education teacher was already in
the meeting. They said it was just a teacher meeting, therefore, unaware if it was or was
not a ‘common planning’ meeting. Teachers were discussing amongst each other about
students in their classroom and their growing concern when they move on up to third
grade. Shared common concerns for the school and how they will need more special
education teachers for these students. Many students are falling behind and did not get
evaluated last year and now current teachers must make evaluations and
recommendations to help students get all the possible help in their education. According
to SEDL Insights, they believe that the use of professional learning communities in
schools offers a powerful infrastructure where teachers can engage in constructive
dialogue, reflect on and improve instruction, and learn how to become more effective in
the classroom to improve student learning (Pirtle & Tobia, 2014). Teachers shared
strategies with one another, and they saw what worked in their classroom and what did
not work. Since the meeting was the day after Halloween, one teacher asked teachers
opinions about snacks and beverages being brought for the class party and how children
and parents were disappointed about sugar-free items.

VII. Recommendations:
Although the teacher appeared to have a well-organized set plan and is always
planning in cases of any changes in the plan, it was quite difficult to think of any
improvements for the classroom. Even any changes that might function well in the class.
However, there is just one solution that became relevant in some days of my observation.
Right when students are finishing their morning work and eating their breakfast they turn
to the back of the room and give their divided attention to the teacher. They begin
morning meeting with the calendar, discussing the weather, the day, and month. I would
make a minor recommendation in this area of the morning meeting so the planning and
outcome can go smooth.
 OBSERVATION 2 PLANNING 6

During a couple of occasions during the observation it was noted that the teacher
was unprepared when she was doing the morning meeting lesson. About twice this
happened when the teacher was unsure of an answer she gave to the class. It’s the same
routine every day with the calendar and the weather. Where there was a flaw was the part
when students have to say how many days they been in school. Students must tell the
teacher on a dry erase sheet they change the numbers each day. There have been a couple
of confusion in this because the teacher told the students she felt uncertain with the
number she wrote. She asked the co-teacher in the class as well and she did not know the
correct answer. In the end, the teacher ultimately decided she will get back to the
students while she asks another teacher in the building. It is important to examine the
veracity of well-prepared teachers and high quality teaching because this leads to
successful student outcomes (National Research Council, Division of Behavioral and
Social Sciences and Education, Teacher Advisory Council, Board on Science Education,
& Committee on Science and Mathematics Teacher Preparation, 2001, p. xx). Knowing
material impacts individual students over time and produce academic achievement.

This type of common errors can occur when a teacher is unsure of answers. For
students they do not like to see teachers who do not know the answer, it can disrupt the
class. It also shows lack of confidence and in order to avoid this scenario in the future it
is suggested to be prepared and have correct answers on hand especially if you know that
you are going to do the same thing every day. Have the co-teacher verify answers as well
as a double check.

VIII. Post Observation:

Planning process has showed more than what I anticipated it was about.
Observing planning from a preschool and a second graded classroom carries some
similarities as well as differences. Both have taught me to be well-prepared and
organized, communication with other teachers in the same grade level is a huge factor
and will help in running a successful classroom. Research on planning was critical to do
beforehand that way I have an idea of what I am expecting entering a second-grade
classroom. Surprising to hear that tenured teachers and non-tenured or new hire teachers
compared to teachers that have been working for a long time are not treated any different
when it comes to handing in their lesson plan.
The teachers in the class were big help by giving me some helpful websites for
teachers. They explained there are a lot of websites for teachers that they can get
research from and even get advice from other teachers in their lessons. There are
learning game activities that teachers share for other teachers or even to buy materials
that will be beneficial for a teacher and their students. This was much appreciated and
truly grateful for all the information they have provided me with about planning.

IX. Citations:
Ackerman, S., & Kloss, K. (2019). The guide to 2nd grade. Retrieved from
https://www.scholastic.com/parents/school-success/school-success-
guides/guideto-2ndgrade.html

Cunningham, G. (2009). Chapter 7. Lesson Plans and Unit Plans: The Basis for
OBSERVATION 2 PLANNING 7

Instruction. The new teacher's companion: practical wisdom for succeeding in the
classroom. Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109051/chapters/Lesson-Plans
and-Unit-Plans@-The-Basis-for-Instruction.aspx

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. (2019). Overview | Journeys. Retrieved from

https://www.hmhco.com/programs/journeys/about

Meador, D. (2015, May 29). How investing time in preparation and planning pays off for
teachers. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/power-of-preparation-and-
planning3194263

Merrritt, E. (2019, April 22). Time for teacher learning, planning critical for school
reform. Retrieved from https://www.kappanonline.org/time-teacher-learning-
planning-criticalschool-reform/

Mushkat, Z. (2016, September 14). The power of to-do lists. Retrieved from
https://web.uri.edu/teachonline/the-power-of-to-do-lists/

National Research Council, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education,
Teacher Advisory Council, Board on Science Education, & Committee on
Science and Mathematics Teacher Preparation. (2001). The critical importance of
well-prepared teachers for student learning and achievement. In Educating
teachers of science, mathematics, and technology: new practices for the new
millennium (p. 45). Retrieved from https://www.nap.edu/read/9832/chapter/5#46

Nevin, A. (2006). The Many Faces of Collaborative Planning and Teaching. Theory Into
Practice. 45. 239.

Pirtle, S. S., & Tobia, E. (2014). Implementing professional learning communities.

Retrieved from
http://www.sedl.org/insights/23/implementing_effective_professional_learning_c
ommunties.pdf

Time 4 Learning. (2015, August 7). Second grade overview. Retrieved from
https://www.time4learning.com/education/second_grade.shtml