OYSTER BAY-EAST NORWICH CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

Post-Observation Conference
Nicole Schwartz
English 10H
Observation Date 10/25
1.

Oyster Bay High School

Valerie Vacchio
Post-Observation Conference Date: 10/30

In general, how successful was the lesson? Did the students learn what you intended for
them to learn? How do you know? (3d, 4a)

During this lesson it was evident that the students achieved their expected outcomes/objectives
through informal and formal assessments.
Overall, students successfully applied close reading skills to identify, analyze, support, and
further convey the authors purpose(s) throughout William Goldings, Lord of the Flies.
Once having learned the Three Steps of a Close Read, students applied these new skills to an
excerpt given to them from Lord of the Flies.
Students worked collaboratively to highlight important aspects from the text, recognize and
identify the authors craft of that section, and explain how and what this close read taught them
about the text.
Students successfully completed an individual close read assignment based on the three steps
of a close read and utilized their deeper understanding of the text in order to write a Task 3 textbased response (from the NYS English Regents) regarding Goldings message to the reader
about how evil manifests itself within society.
Throughout the lesson, I monitored the students progress, and gave them any feedback or
constructive criticism they needed. I modeled what the students would be doing during each step,
so the students were well aware of the high expectations and ways in which they would be
assessed throughout this lesson. It was apparent through their highlighted excerpts and their
completed responses on the group worksheets, that the students were able to dig deeper and
become closer with the text through the use of this new strategy.
2. If you were able to bring samples of student work, what do those samples reveal
about those students levels of engagement and understanding? (3d, 3c)
Artifact #1: Students Group Worksheets include the excerpt and Steps 2 & 3 worksheet.
These work samples reveal that all of the students were cognitively engaged in the given activity
and assignment in their exploration of the content. Students continued to enhance their learning

by challenging themselves to find more meaning through the use of re-visiting the text several
times and highlighting and elaborating on the literary techniques used by the author and the ways
in which Golding makes a strong statement about humanity. The instructional groups were
specifically differentiated and fully appropriate and productive to the instructional purposes of
this lesson. The instructional materials including the sample close-read packet I demonstrated
for students, and the specific pages each group was given to work with, as well as the lens they
were given, were suitable to the instructional purposes and engaged students mentally. When
using the specific page(s) they were assigned to work with, students were engaged and initiated
the choice, adaptation, and creation to enhance their learning. The lesson had several steps and
was highly structured.
Artifact #2: Students Individual Homework Close-Read Assignment

3. Comment on your classroom procedures, student conduct, and your use of physical
space. To what extent did these contribute to student learning? (2c, 2d, 2e)
4. Did you depart from your plan? If so, how, and why? (3e)
5. Comment on different aspects of your instructional delivery (e.g., activities, grouping of
students, materials and resources.) To what extent were they effective? (2a, 2b, 3c, 3e,
1d, 1e)
6. If you had a chance to teach this lesson again to the same group of students, what would
you do differently, from planning through execution? (4a)