Formal Observation _X_#1 ___#2 ___#3

Teacher Intern: Michele Palazzo School: P723X # of Students: 11 Date/Time: 3/13/14 9:00am Curriculum Area of Lesson: ELA Stated Objective of Lesson: Students will be able to compare and contrast Ruby Bridges to Remember the Titans. Use the scale of 1-5 to rate the teacher interns competence in each area based on your observation. View 3 as satisfactory, 1 as an outstanding performance, and 5 as unsatisfactory. Use 2 and 4 when needed to qualify your judgement. Use 0 if you saw no evidence of the competency in this observation. Competency 1 2 3 4 5 0 1. Was the lesson based on common core standards? 2. Were the lesson objectives made clear to the students? 3. Were the objectives at the correct level of difficulty for the students? 4. Did the teacher intern relate new material to students prior learning experiences? 5. If new knowledge/skills were presented, did the teacher intern model, provide examples, and/or provide explanations? 6. Were materials and activities well planned? 7. Did the teacher intern provided opportunities for correct practice of new knowledge/skills? 8. Did the teacher intern motivate the students and focus their attention throughout the lesson? 9. Were the students given varied means of responding overtly to demonstrate learning (verbal, written, motoric)? 10. Did the teacher intern provide useful feedback to students regarding their performance? 11. Did the teacher intern manage behavior effectively? X X X X X X X X X X X

12. Did the teacher intern provide pre & post assessment? 13. Were the materials appropriate to lesson content and students needs? 14. Was the teacher positive and enthusiastic in her/his approach to the material and students? 15. Was an appropriate closure activity included? Did the lesson have a logical end or wrap up? 16. Did the teacher intern differentiate and tier instruction to meet the students needs? X

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Strengths Noted What a pleasure to see this ELA lesson unfold... It is clearly a challenging group and many of the things I observed suggest that you are a talented, patient teacher at the beginning of a fruitful career. My first few observations focus on Victor. During the small group discussion portion of the lesson, I watched Victor gather his group around him (without prompting) and then proceed to question and motivate them. What a delight! You have clearly fostered the ideals of ownership and confidence! I also saw you demonstrate good wait time after you posed a question to Victor. When he didnt have an answer, you instinctively seemed to know and gave him the space to regroup without being embarrassed. There was consistently good participation throughout the lesson. You worked hard to keep everyone involved and it showed! This classroom wide involvement allowed me to observe the consistent use of specific praise in your comments. Very nice! You managed to keep most of the kids focused (or at least kept them from being too disruptive) in some fashion for most of the lesson. I think I was most impressed by your handling of the two boys on the left. They had their heads resting on their desks for minutes at a time. You attempted to correct them, but you didnt obsess over it, and eventually, at least for a while, they came around. You clearly know how to pick your battles! Areas Needing Improvement As we discussed, there were just a few suggestions that I think might have made this good lesson a little better. Materials: I would select a more motivating article to illustrate your lessons main point. Also, make sure that they have a clear copy from which to read. These kids dont need another reason to be distracted!

 I loved that the students had four square outlines of their own and a larger example on the board. Since this is still a new concept for them, you might want to think about using either written or graphic headings reminding the kids what belongs where. I think this would help you spend more time discussing the concepts you were trying to elicit. Classroom Management: I would suggest that you make more explicit pairings when you ask them to work together. There was some time wasted while they debated amongst themselves. I watched you move about the class frequently, so you do use proximity to good advantage, but you seem to stay on the right side of the room more often. Try to mix it up a bit! You clearly made an effort to include all the students in discussions and in answering questions. Unfortunately, this usually necessitates not calling on kids who always have their hands up. In this case, it was Janiece. You did acknowledge her efforts to participate, but I think more of an explanation as to why she couldnt be called on every time might ensure her continued participation. Lastly, while I completely agree with your handling of the 2 sleepers, I would suggest that you focus on them in a positive way when they do lift their heads and try to engage them more in the lesson at that moment.