Department of Teacher Education & Learning Sciences

Elementary Education Program

Formal Observation Reflection

Directions: Complete the reflection questions and submit your response to your observer prior to having a post-
conference to discuss the observation. If a conference is held immediately after the observation you will submit
your responses to the observer the following day via email.

Name: Paige Christianson Date: 3/16/17

1. To what extent were learning outcomes appropriate and achievable to your

students?
The learning outcomes in this lesson were appropriate for these third graders because
my mentor teacher discussed their need for a comprehension lesson that develops the
skill of finding supporting details of main ideas. These outcomes were achievable to
the students because they have worked with main ideas before, and this lesson
reinforced ideas that have already been presented to them. Also, using a main idea
tree was a way to organize their thinking and scaffold the learning to make it more
understandable for students.
2. How effective were your instructional strategies? What changes would you
make in your instructional approaches if you taught this lesson again? Why?
I think our strategies in this lesson were beneficial to student learning because we
followed the Gradual Release of Responsibility model. I started out modeling how
students should create a main idea tree, followed by students providing input in the
whole-group discussion. Then, students had the opportunity to work in small groups to
further apply the skills of finding the main idea and supporting details of other texts. It
seemed to flow well and provide students with insight as to how they can find main
ideas and supporting details in their own texts. If I were to do it again, I would
organize the groups more purposefully and effectively. For example, I would space
them around the room more so students can focus and give each student an individual
role in the group so that no student is left out.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of your oral and written communication with
students. (Consider how well you communicated learning objectives, clarity of directions, use of
standard English, quality of questions and effectiveness of discussion techniques.)
I think my oral and written communication in this lesson was effective in modeling how
students should be thinking when working individually. By doing a think aloud first, I
could communicate to students the thought processes and strategies they can use to
complete the task and understand the text better. Also, by creating a largescale main
idea tree on the board, I showcased another model of my expectations for students
once they work in groups. I think that my communication could have been better when
working with each individual group. I did try to ask questions, but I also struggled with
feeling like I was distracting the students when they were reading. Next time, I would
come prepared with more questions to ask the students to help them think about the
lesson.
4. Evaluate the level of student engagement in your lesson . (Consider how you presented
the content/skills, the activities and assignments for students, grouping of students, and structure and
pacing of the lesson.)
Students were very engaged for a majority of the lesson. During the introduction
 activity, students were honest in their knowledge of important black figures, which was
to my pleasant surprise. I was apprehensive about this activity, as I was not sure how
effective it would be, but because the students were so engaged it added a culturally-
relevant element to the lesson. Also, during the whole-group discussion students were
very engaged and offered interesting points to the conversation. During group work,
however, some groups did get off-task; this is understandable since they were not very
spread out, making it easier for them to talk to other groups instead of working on the
assignment.
5. How effectively did you use instructional materials, resources, and/or
technology?
The read aloud book about Wilma Rudolph was a good choice, as it had clear sections
of main ideas and strong supporting details. It was an effective starting point for me to
model comprehension strategies for students. The I Am books that students used in
their groups were engaging and had main ideas that Whitney and I marked in sections
throughout the texts, but were a little too lengthy for students to read in the allotted
time. Next time, I would spend more time finding a quality text or article that students
could finish in the lesson so they can get a more complete understanding.
6. To what extent were your assessment strategies effective? What changes would
you make in your assessment approach if you taught this lesson again? Why?
Our assessment strategies were more formative and informal. During the whole group
discussion, I asked students to help me identify the main idea and supporting details of
the text I was reading. This way, I could gauge the students understanding to find out
that they were ready to go in their individual groups. Then, after lesson was over,
Whitney and I asked students during Daily 5 if they could tell us the main ideas and
supporting details of their own books. We could see that the lesson did help students
organize their thinking and comprehend the text better. If I were to do this again, I
would do an exit ticket for students to write a summary using their main idea trees.
Then, I could see if students were able to completely understand how important main
ideas and supporting details are in comprehension.
7. To what extent was your feedback to students accurate, substantive,
constructive, specific, and/or timely?
I am proud of the feedback I was able to give students when they were working in
groups. Sometimes, it is easy to forget to question students about their writing.
However, I asked students to give evidence as to why they wrote the specific main
ideas and supporting details. Then, if they were off track, I could lead them in the right
direction by going back through the text with them.
8. To what extent did the classroom management and environment contribute to
student learning? (Consider your classroom procedures, your use of physical space, and the
students conduct.)
The mentor teacher has in place a great way to get students attention. She calls
stop and students respond with collaborate and listen. Whitney and I used this call
to get students attention after turn and talks and group work and it worked perfectly!
Students paid attention right away, making the environment effective for learning and
organized. Again, in terms of space, I would have used more of the classroom during
group work so that students could stay focused in their small groups.
9. Did you make modifications to your lesson plan during the lesson? If so, what
were they and what motivated these changes?
Whitney and I made two modifications during the lesson due to a consideration of the
time we had to teach. First, I read less of the read-aloud book in order to maximize
the conversation and modeling I could have with the students. Then, later in the
 lesson, we told students to identify only two main ideas and their supporting details
instead of four. This way, they could still get practice but it did not get too lengthy.
10. Was your Teaching Behavior Focus goal met?
I was proud of myself for doing the read aloud and think aloud for the beginning of the
lesson. I was worried about not being clear in my explanation of strategies, but I felt
that I provided clear directions throughout the whole lesson. Students were aware of
my expectations and what their responsibilities were.