Part II: Literacy Coaching Mini Internship

Sarah Bruce
Miami University
EDT 636
May 4, 2017
 Teacher Interview

Megan is a first year fourth grade teacher at Hopewell Elementary in the Local School

District. She graduated from Miami University last spring and currently works with our school’s

reading coach, Katie, on a monthly basis per Megan’s request. Megan has support from her grade

level and plans her lessons with another 4th grade Language Arts teacher. Megan and the reading

coach discuss teaching strategies during their time together. She is also is observed by Katie on

occasion.

Megan was enthusiastic about us working together. During our first conversation, Megan

suggested that we focus on questioning techniques and strategies. However, after the completion

of the needs assessment, it seemed as though Megan was more concerned about classroom

management strategies. As you can see from the Needs Assessment in Appendix A, Megan

placed a 1 next to classroom management, 2 next to writing instruction, 3 next to reading

strategies, 4 next to differentiation, and 5 next to teaching English Language Learners to indicate

her coaching priorities. Therefore, we initially decided to focus on classroom management and

questioning strategies throughout the coaching cycle.

In order to make Megan feel more comfortable in her classroom, we decided that she

would observe one of my lessons first. During this lesson, I focused on my questioning

techniques and classroom management strategies.

Calendar

During our initial meetings, Megan and I created a calendar of our future collaborative

coaching events. Although our dates changed due to unforeseen circumstances, this calendar

represents our planning process.

 February 2017
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4
Initial
Meeting
5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Planning Needs
Meeting Meeting
26 27 28

March 2017
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Pre- Observation
observation of Megan
of Megan
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Post-
observation
of Megan
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Check-in Demonstration
Meeting Lesson
26 27 28 29 30 31
Post- Pre- Observation
Observation observation of Megan
of Sarah of Megan
◄ March April 2017 May ►
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Post-
observation
of Megan
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Demonstration Demonstration
Lesson Post-
observation
16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Determine
Next Steps
Meeting
30

Demonstration Lesson

Lesson Plan

The focus of my demonstration lesson was questioning techniques and classroom

management strategies. Based on our prior conversations, Megan struggles to remain consistent

in her classroom management strategies and is looking for ways to decrease idle chit chat in the

classroom. I made sure to utilize several techniques throughout my lesson that I thought Megan

could easily implement in her classroom.

Subject: Writing
Date: March 24, 2017
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.4 - With guidance and support from adults, produce writing
in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.5 - With guidance and support from peers and adults,
develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
Lesson Goal: Students will brainstorm and write about their mothers in the format of
Margaret Wild in Our Granny.
Instructional Strategies: Teacher modelling, differentiation, graphic organizer, scaffolded
instruction
Materials: Our Granny by Margaret Wild, brainstorming chart worksheet
Activities:
1) Teacher will ring the bell to signal that students should put away their morning
work.
2) Teacher will call the students to the carpet in their assigned rows.
3) Introduce the text Our Granny by Margaret Wild.
4) Read the text aloud to the students and stop frequently to ask questions:
a. What pattern do you notice in the text?
b. Why did the author choose to write using this pattern?
c. What will come next?
d. What would you need to know in order to write in this style?
e. How could you write a story like this? Who would you write it about?
5) After reading the text, tell the students that they will be writing a Mother’s Day
book using the pattern that was used in Our Granny. Model how to brainstorm
ideas about my mom and place it in the graphic organizer. Have students turn and
talk with their reading partners in order to brainstorm ideas. Allow students to
share ideas with the rests of the class.
6) Send students by row back to their tables. Give each students a graphic organizer
and allow the students to brainstorm ideas with their table groups while working.
Accommodations for Special Learners: The teacher will pull small groups of students to
help those that need more support during the writing process.
Assessment: The teacher will collect and evaluate the graphic organizers to determine
the effectiveness of the lesson and if specific students need more support throughout the
process.

Reflection

As a reading coach, I wanted to make sure that this lesson modeled specific elements for

Megan. I wanted to demonstrate how I use a bell to nonverbally signal my students. My students

also have assigned rows and reading partners in order to save time each day. The students
understand the routine and can efficiently move about the room in an organized fashion. During

the lesson, I gave out tickets for students who were going above and beyond during the lesson. I

also “Passed the Positive” to a table that was working together like experts. To pass the positive,

I place a Beanie Baby on a desk or table that is showing exemplar behaviors. As a result, these

students earn tickets.

Megan’s observation notes (Appendix B) show that she noticed many of the classroom

management strategies that I use in my classroom every day. For example, Megan had questions

about how tickets are used in my classroom. I explained to Megan that I use tickets to frequently

reward my students for their positive behavior and academic achievements. These tickets are

placed into a bucket and drawn every Friday for various rewards. She seemed interested in

utilizing a more positive, tangible, short-term classroom management strategy, since four grade

employs a system that rewards and penalizes students on a quarterly basis. She also mentioned

how calm my students were during this writing lesson. Although I feel like my classroom

management style contributes to their behavior, I am also fortunate to have such calm students

this year. I struggled to create a calm atmosphere with the students from last year, which are

now in fourth grade with Megan.

Coaching Cycle

Pre-Observation

During the pre-observation meeting, Megan explained that she would be teaching a

reading lesson using a text that is required by the district. The book Toys! Amazing Stories

Behind Some Great Inventions by Don Wulffson in an informational text about the fascinating

stories behind toy inventions. During the lesson, Megan intended to focus on two game
chapters: Parcheesi and Checkers. The goal of the lesson was for students to understand the text

structure of informational texts as indicated in Common Core Standards RI.4.3 and RI.4.5.

RI.4.3, Key Ideas and Details, indicates that students will explain events, procedures, ideas, or

concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on

specific information in the text. RI.4.5, Craft and Structure, indicates that students will describe

the overall structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information (e.g., chronology, comparison,

cause/effect) in a text or part of a text (“English Language Arts Standards,” n.d.).

During her lesson, she intended to read the two chapters aloud to the students, utilizing

strategies such as turn and talk, think-pair-share, and deeper level questioning skills in order to

deepen their understanding of the content. Her personal goal for the lesson was to help the

students analyze the texts in order to prepare them to compare and contrast Parcheesi and

Checkers independently with a venn diagram at the conclusion of the lesson. She also planned to

utilize a classroom map to contextualize the geographical information in the text. Based on our

conversation, Megan had a deep understanding of her content goals and objectives. According to

Borko (2004), in order to foster students’ understanding, “teachers must have rich and flexible

knowledge of the subjects they teach.” Teachers must have a deep understanding of their content

including the central facts, connections between central ideas, as well as how to establish new

knowledge within the content (Borko, 2004). I was clear that Megan was prepared to teach her

lesson and had analyzed it at a deeper level in order to enhance student learning.

During this meeting, I asked Megan about the classroom management techniques that she

intended to use during this lesson. Megan admitted that I would be observing a transition in

which her homeroom students would be leaving her room and another class would be entering

her room. Additionally, since the fourth graders have a late lunch, the students bring snacks to
class and eat throughout the lesson, which can cause difficulties. Therefore, Megan said that she

has organized the resources at the back of the room so that the students have easy access to them

throughout the period. Megan said that she was most interested in the suggestions that I would

have regarding classroom management strategies that she could utilize this year and next.

Observation Script

Megan: (11:15) Isaiah, why don’t you organize this row? Mr. D, can you send Isaiah
back in? Shhhhh….
Students: (Walking around room and chatting)
Megan: The first thing we are doing today…I know you guys are eating your snacks. I
know our class was a mess when you came in. But I need you to put your binder in your
desk. I need you to get your red notebook out and your snack. You can munch your snack
while I give you directions.
Students: (Some students quiet down and get out their resources. Some are still
chattering.)
Megan: Okay, now we are ready to go. We are ready to go. We have our reading
notebook out and our snacks out. I need to read directions first and then I’ll be reading.
Today we are finally going to be reading from our TOYS book.
Students: Yesssss!
Megan: I would like for you to turn to your next available page in your writing notebook.
We are going to read 2 stories together and then you will be reading 2 on your own. I am
going to pick one of the stories, you are going to pick another one. One partner get a book
for your column. With your partner you will be trying to figure out, is this book fiction or
nonfiction? You and your partner need a book so you can figure out what genre we are
looking at.
Student: I don’t have a reading notebook.
Megan: I have no idea. Check the notebook paper over there. You and your partner need
a book so you and your partner can figure out what genre we are looking at.
Students: (Discussing with their partners. 4 students are talking about their snacks.)
Megan: (Passes out writing prompt labels.) What genre are we thinking?
Chrystal: I think it’s fantasy, because there are crazy illustrations like robots.
Megan: Yeah, the toys look like they come alive, but this is not fantasy. We have to
look at the words in the text, not just the pictures. Who wants to take another guess? Be
prepared to tell me why you think its fiction or nonfiction.
Tom: Nonfiction because it has facts. (Student cites back cover of text.) I was looking
over some of them and I read about Legos.
Megan: Right, it has facts about toys. It has illustrations and usually that means fiction,
but the pictures are not always …. (Shows example from another book that as
illustrations.) Eva, what would you like to add?
Eva: It’s all about toys. It looks like Toy Story.
Megan: Asher…stop talking.
Asher: (Continues to talk)
Johnny: Are we going to be reading this whole book?
Megan: We are not going to be reading this whole book. We will be reading 4 stories.
Ok, I need to pull my document camera up to get this going. What are we getting ready
to do? What is my purpose after I have read something?
Sarah: Make a venn diagram.
Megan: Yes, I will have to compare 2 items in a venn diagram. We are going to read
about Parcheesi and Checkers. I would like for you to open up to the table of contents.
Look at your partner’s prompt if you have a messy snack.
Asher: (Shouts out) Are pretzels messy? Pretzles.
Megan: Those are fine.
(11:25: All side conversations have ended.)
Megan: Find the chapter about Parcheesi. You will have to use the table of contents.
Parcheesi. I really should have brought my game. I found it on page 78 from the table of
contents. We are going to read about this toy of Parcheesi and figure out what it is. We
are going to compare this information to checkers. If you have trash to throw away while
I’m reading, please just hold on to it. (Begins reading aloud from book)

(Wulffson, 2014)
Megan: What did we just learn about Parcheesi?
Nick: It needs dice. It’s a game.
Sarah: It’s a game.
Megan: It’s kind of like Sorry! I want to show you where India is on the map. (Points to
India on world map.) India is part of the continent of Asia. This happened in the 1570s.
This was about 500 years ago or so. So a little bit before Europeans found North
America. Let’s read on about Parcheesi…. (Reads)

(Asher and partner continue to talk)

Megan: I can make a connection about this. I have had to use weird objects as tokens
before during games when I lost pieces. I have used buttons and Barbie shoes.
Dalton: It’s kind of like the Jumanji game where you use parts and pieces from all over
the game.
M: Yeah. That’s good to make lots of comparisons to games you’ve played before. Let’s
keep reading about Parcheesi. (Continues reading)

This reminds me of Wheel of Fortune where Vanna White is a life sized token who
moves around to play the game.
Taylor: What are cowry shells?
Megan: They are like folded pasta. (Continues reading.) There are bullet points at the
bottom of this page. We can continue to read fun facts.
(Alice gets up to throw something away in the middle of Megan talking)
Megan: (Whispers to Alice) We do that after. Go have a seat.
Megan: Before I turn the page to Checkers, I know that I’m going to be writing a in venn
diagram comparing the two. And in my brain I have a file folder where I’m going to put
all these facts. Before I move on to Checkers, I need to make sure that all my files are
organized about Parcheesi. So what were some facts that we observed in Parcheesi?
Adam, what’s one?
Adam: It was made in India.
Trent: It was very popular.
Megan: The British played it. The reason the British took it from Indian was just the way
that… who made the Colonies in the United States?
Colin: Great Britain.
Megan: Yep. Great Britain. Later on in the 1800s they found India and India was under
British rule for a little while. And so Great Britain learned a little bit of what they had
there like this board game as well as many other technologies and other things. And later
it went back to the United States.
Tim: Why are the British Empire so cruel?
M: They weren’t cruel. They just had a big empire. There were some instances in which
they were cruel. I take that back. What other facts can we put into our file folders about
Parcheesi?
Justice: People were used as tokens in the game.
Megan: Yep, what else? Who played this game?
Autumn: Children and adults.
Megan: Children and adults. Including some of them who were very stately. Kings and
queens. Royalty. Now I’m ready to read about the history of checkers. Please follow
along with me. Luis, turn around. (Continues reading)
 Already, I’m learning a lot more about checkers because the author described the rules.
(Continues reading)

Megan: I want to show you where Egypt is on the map. (Points to map.)
Girl: I know where it is!
Megan: (Talks over student.) Egypt is this purple square in and the cover here. What is
this continent here? Raise your hand please.
Jack: Africa.
Megan: Yep, it’s Africa. This happened more than 3,000 years ago. Which one happened
first, Parcheesi or checkers?
Jack: Checkers.
(2 students get up to throw away trash.)
Megan: Let’s keep reading.
Alice: Wait Wait wait! (Waves hands)
Megan: (Reads)

Note: This was not the end of the lesson, but I had to leave to teach my own class.
Post-Observation Reflection

I have to admit that I was nervous to conduct this aspect of the coaching cycle. I am

familiar with being observed by my administrators, but unfamiliar with being an observer in a

coaching role. However, my apprehension faded away when I sat down with Megan for her

post-observation. I started the conversation by thanking her for allowing me in her classroom.

From there, our conversation was natural and comfortable. Megan and I were connecting and

there was an open flow of ideas, which is a key aspect of leadership (Bean, 2009). The first thing

I asked Megan to do was reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of her lesson. Megan felt that

modeling her analyzation of the nonfiction text was a strength in the lesson. She and I both

agreed that her modeling prepared the students to complete a venn diagram at the end of the

lesson. She used the analogy of “storing information in a file folder” to guide the students

throughout the lesson and even held up a real file folder during the lesson as a visual reminder.

I referenced my lesson notes to compliment Megan on how she developed students’

background knowledge regarding the countries and dates from the text using a classroom map.

Because of this, the students were able to contextualize the information in the text and add it to

their own mental file folder of information about the games. Megan said that this conversation

also created a teachable moment to clear up the misconception about Indians as used in the text.

Megan proactively highlighted the difference between Indians and Native Americas. It was clear

from their reactions after the clarification that the students were confusing this key vocabulary.

After discussing her strengths, I asked Megan to clarify vocabulary that came from the

book. During the discussion, Megan tried to explain cowry shells to the students, but had a

difficult time helping the students to visualize the object. Upon reflection, Megan realized that it

would have beneficial to have a prepared a visual of this new vocabulary word. I then asked
Megan to discuss some of the weaknesses of her lesson. Megan expressed concern that perhaps

not all of her students were engaged throughout the lesson. In addition, she was worried that she

oversimplified the venn diagram, which created a “lost opportunity” for deeper level thinking

and growth. Unfortunately, after this comment, I changed the subject and asked Megan to reflect

on her classroom management strategies. Upon further reflection, this would have been a great

opportunity for me to have asked, “What’s another way you might have done this?” This would

have encouraged Megan to think more deeply about her lesson and analyze how she could have

made it more rigorous.

One of the weaknesses that Megan discussed was her classroom management during

transitions, specifically the transition in which a new class of students enters her classroom. Due

to her grade’s late lunch hour, the students eat a snack during the first portion of her class period.

While observing her lesson, this transition time was something that I felt could be improved

upon, so I came to this post-observation with resources to share with Megan. One suggestion

that I had was that Megan could create a board in her classroom that indicates what resources

students should have at hand prior to the beginning of the lesson (Appendix C, Figure 1). I used

this technique in my own classroom years ago when my students switched classes. I found that

helped the students to become more self-sufficient and less reliant on my verbal cues. Many of

the students in Megan’s class were too preoccupied with their snack to listen to her directions.

Megan seemed enthusiastic about the potential for the students to become more independent

during this transition.

At this point, I also showed Megan a Chit Chat Chart that I had used in the past to curb

student interruptions (Appendix C, Figure 2). I explained how the Chit Chat Chart can be used

as a visual reminder for students who are constantly interrupting or disrupting others. The chart
sits on their desk and a smiley is marked out for each disruption. I referenced my notes and

mentioned how Ava, an enthusiastic student sitting in front of me, shouted, “I want to say

something!” when she was not called on immediately. I suggested that a turn and talk might have

been effective during this portion of the lesson since so many students wanted to share their

thoughts with the class. Megan reflected that she wished she had done more turn and talks

throughout the lesson and that it weakened the lesson.

Another difficulty that she faces is that her grade level uses something called an

Expectation Sheet to track student behavior. Students work towards a Fun Friday Reward once a

month. Obviously, a month is a very long time period for some students to control their

behavior. These students are very rarely rewarded as a result. I shared with Megan how I use

tickets to reward students with rewards on a weekly basis (Appendix C, Figure 3). I have found

that these positive interactions have increased the positivity in my classroom and allowed all

students to feel successful. Megan liked this idea, but lamented how it was too late in the year to

implement a system like this. At the end of the post-observation, Megan and I set a goal for her

to implement one new classroom management strategy with consistency through the end of the

year.

Overall, I think that this post-conference was successful. I believe that I helped Megan to

think more deeply about her lesson and management styles. Additionally, I gave her concrete

examples that she could use in her classroom immediately. I know that I also benefitted from

this coaching cycle as well. I really enjoyed observing another teacher in my school because I

rarely have that opportunity. I am thankful for Megan’s honesty, candor, and openness during

this post-conference and throughout this entire process.

 Teacher Meeting Log

Date Coaching Cycle Time

2/2 Initial Interview 30 minutes
2/22 Planning Meeting 1 hour 15 minutes
2/23 Needs assessment meeting and discussion with Megan 1 hour
2/26 Research 1 hour
2/30 Research on questioning and classroom management 1 hour 30 minutes
3/7 Check-in with Megan 30 minutes
3/7 Research on questioning and classroom management 1 hour
3/8 Research on questioning and classroom management 2 hours
3/14 Meeting to give resources and hear progress 1 hour
3/20 Megan came to me for advice 30 minutes
3/24 Coach demonstration lesson #1 45 minutes
3/27 Coach demonstration lesson #1 post-observation 1 hour
3/29 Pre-observation 1 hour
3/30 Observation of Megan’s lesson 1 hour
4/1 Coach research 1 hour 30 minutes
4/2 Coach research 2 hours
4/3 Post-observation 1 hour
4/5 Research on classroom management 2 hours
4/11 Demonstration lesson #2 45 minutes
4/15 Demonstration lesson #2 post-observation 1 hour
4/21 Check-in with Megan 45 minutes
4/24 Review needs assessment and determine next steps 1 hour
4/25 Research 1 hour 30 minutes
4/26 Meeting to discuss interviewing skills 30 minutes

Total: 26 hours
 Summary Reflection

After reading Chapter 4 of Rita M. Bean’s The Reading Specialist: Leadership and

Coaching for the Classroom, School, and Community, I realized how essential teacher rapport is

to quality leadership. On page 85, Bean lists three key aspects of leadership that can be helpful

to reading specialist in schools: model, connect, involve (Bean, 2009). After reading this, I

decided that Megan might be more comfortable throughout the coaching cycle if she were to

observe me first, giving me a chance to model specific strategies and skills. This way, I could

lead from example and set the tone for our future encounters. I also felt like this would allow us

to share responsibility with one another and collaborate in a stress-free environment. Based on

our flowing, conversational meeting, I believe that Bean’s advice helped to form a positive

teacher relationship between Megan and I.

The demonstration lesson and teacher feedback impacted my coaching role because it

allowed me to reflect more deeply on my own teaching. I am at a point in my teaching career

where I don’t have to explicitly write down my lessons as if it’s a script. I write notes in my plan

book, but I often don’t wrote down explicit classroom management strategies that I intend to use.

I found that it was beneficial to incorporate this into my lesson planning because I felt extremely

prepared for the lesson and students. It was also helpful for me to have a conversation with a

fourth grade teacher, since she will be having my third graders next year. Her comments,

questions, and notes were thoughtful, which led me reflect more deeply about the lesson and its

effectiveness. It really did feel that we were working together to support one another, rather than

me simply coaching her.

Throughout the entire coaching cycle, our conversations frequently focused on classroom

management strategies. Although other teachers who worked with Megan indicated that she had
good classroom management skills, Megan was not confident in this area. Because of this, I

often brought concrete samples of management ideas to our meetings. For example, through

scripting and note taking, I noticed that her transitions were long and loud. Many students were

talking all at once and it was hard to hear the directions. Therefore, I brought a picture of a

supply check-list (Appendix C, Figure 1) that I had previously used to her post-observation. I

was glad that I had it on-hand for our meeting because Megan was able to immediately visualize

the tool. At the end of Megan’s post-observation, we set a goal for her to implement one new

classroom management strategy with consistency through the end of the year. Megan thought

that she would try out the Chit Chat Charts first. Even though our coaching cycle is technically

ending due to the ending of my EDT 636 course, I would love to observe another lesson in her

room to see her utilizing this new classroom management strategy.

 References

Bean, R. M. (2009). The reading specialist: Leadership for the classroom, school, and

community. Guilford Press.

Borko, H. (2004). Professional development and teacher learning: Mapping the terrain.

Educational researcher, 33(8), 3-15.

English Language Arts Standards, Reading: Informational Text, Grade 4. (n.d.). Retrieved May

02, 2017, from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RI/4/

Wulffson, D. (2014). Toys!: amazing stories behind some great inventions. Macmillan.
 Appendix
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C

Figure 2

Figure 1 Figure 3