Lesson Plan for Observation

SED 406:  Observation Assignment #2

In this observation assignment, your goal is to reverse-engineer a lesson plan. Watch the class, and write the lesson plan that teacher is using.

Do this by OBSERVATION, even if the teacher is willing to share their lesson plan with you. This is about improving your observation skills, not getting ‘the answer’.

Lesson Plan Template for SED 406 and 407 part 1 = planning
Teacher Candidate: Nicholas Andreozzi	Subject: Science	Grade(s): 8
Name of Lesson: What Kind of Earthquake Are You?
Learning Objective(s), including Bloom's taxonomic level: (label A, B, C, *D) *optional Student will use seismographs and desks to create seismograms of earthquakes that occur in plates that are parallel and perpendicular to each other.
Student Standards (GSE or/GLE or Common Core-in draft for math/science- list which): GSE ESS 1 The Earth and earth materials as we know them today have developed over long periods of time, through continual change processes.
Teacher Standards (professional society and/or NETS  and RIPTS-list which): RIPTS 3.2 design instruction that meets the current cognitive, social and personal needs of their students
Rationale: Why this lesson? How does it fit into the curriculum and context? Is this the introduction, conclusion, or somewhere in the middle of the unit of instruction? I chose this lesson because students will get to see how an earthquake happens and that there are different kinds that occur. This will be a culminating activity to the subunit on earthquakes.
Materials/Resources needed, including technology: Seismograms, paper for seismographs, sharpie, desk, lab book for protocol
Accommodations and Modifications (special needs and learning styles) For example:  Dr. Kraus has poor vision and needs written material to be at least 12 pt. font.  He also reads two grade levels higher and needs appropriate reading material.  None.
What content resources support this knowledge base? (list at least 2) NGSS Textbook
How confident are you in this topic as you start this lesson? Somewhat. I am nervous about the students being able to follow the protocol as precisely as this lab requires.

(Boxes expand as you type)   Lesson Plan Template part 2 = action
Bell-ringer: How will you get students seated, and ready for academic work? (without your voice) None.
Anticipatory Set: How will you introduce the material, interest the students, show relevance of topic?
Phase (change as needed)/Time	Teacher action	Student action	Questions/Assessments
e.g. Intro/5 min.	Inform students about today’s lab. Direct them to the page in the lab book that has the protocol.	Open up your lab books	Make sure students are on the right page.
Presentation or Open-ended/	Walk around the room Motivate students	Talk with group members to determine how to do the lab	None.
Guided Practice or Convergent/	Walk around the room Observe students	Make earthquakes Record data Ask questions when needed	None.
Closing/	Walk around the room	Finish work.
HW/Application/	None	None	None
Review and Reflection: How will you review for students who are still having trouble? None
Extension: What will you offer to students who have mastered this? Go ahead in the book with the second part of the lab.
*Closing: How will you review the material, and draw conclusions? (may be listed above) None.

	Lesson Plan Template pt. 3 = reflection
WHAT?	What went well?   Students were very energetic and excited to be doing the lab. Most groups finished
	What area of weakness needs addressing? Students spent a lot of time trying to figure out the lab and proceeded to early. This caused frustration and one group gave up with 15 minutes left in class.
	Which objectives were met? What is the evidence? All because the students completed the lab, except for one group.
	Which students did not meet objectives? The students that did not complete the lab.
	Was time managed appropriately? Yes.
	Did any teacher mannerisms or actions detract from the lesson? The teacher did not answer questions per the format of an indirect lesson. Student became very upset and frustrated and some gave up.
	*What were the strengths and weaknesses of classroom management? No real problems.
SO WHAT?	Was the lesson engaging? Yes.
	*What did I learn from my peer observation (address at least one aspect)   Students really enjoy labs but they need to be within their zone of proximal development so they don’t get frustrated and give up.
NOW WHAT?	How will this experience influence your professional identity?  I will give students more time to prepare for labs.
	How will it influence how you plan/teach/assess in the future? Students may need more time to internalize information than I think, so I will give them more time when I see that they need it.

Story About my Observation

                        I observed an 8^th Grade science class at Feinstein Middle School of Coventry. This school is located in a suburban area with some forest and ponds nearby. After I rang the buzzer and got in to the office, I was directed to the room where I would conduct my observation. The room was small, with five tables clustered together like dots on dice. Each table had around five students. The teacher was at the front of the classroom, near the door and the smartboard. The walls of the room were occupied by posters and jokes about science. This gave the room a lively feel and reduced some anxieties I was having about going to the classroom.

In this class, there were 24 students. The students were mostly white, and there were nearly equal numbers of male and female students. There was a table in the back where students with IEPs or 504s sat. This bothered me a little because I think they should be incorporated into the classroom and definitely near the front of the room so the teacher can pay more attention to them. These students had a resource teacher that I noticed was spending most of her time working to adapt the teacher’s assignments for the students, rather than helping them stay on task.

            Today, the lesson was a lab about earthquakes. The students were given handmade seismographs and their lab book to make seismograms from various earthquakes. The seismograph would be placed on the table. Then, the students would hit the table, according to the lab book, to cause vibrations. A sharpie on the seismograph would shake and write on a piece of paper, producing the seismogram. The lab book dictated that the table would be hit with a parallel force, and then a perpendicular force.

While the lab was going on, the student were in total control, and the teacher was writing the test they would have in a few days. The students were very excited to do the lab. There was one group in particular who decided to hit the table with their books to produce a larger force, and a better looking seismogram. In general, all of the students were very excited to do the lab. There was one group who could not understand the directions well enough to do the lab. They got frustrated and quit with around 15 minutes left. I thought that the teacher, or another classmate, should have stopped to help them. It seemed that they just needed to hear that they were doing the lab the right way because the lab book did not show how the seismogram should look.

            This lab allowed every student to participate. The power was entirely with the students and they ran with it. They tried all kinds of things to change the results of the lab. If I was a student in this class, I would be very excited to come to class. When I was in 8^th grade, I did not get to do labs. This class does labs often, and I have noticed that it adds to the atmosphere of the room. As a future science teacher, I would like my class to have many labs and I want to learn more about how to do this.