Fourth Formal Observation Student Teaching

Observed by: University Supervisor

Date

April 9, 2015

Title of Lesson

How Do You Want to be Remembered?

Grade Level/
Content Area
Objectives

Grade 4
Social Studies, ELA
After watching a video related to legacy, students will be able to
discuss the meaning of legacy and how this concept relates to their own
lives.
In small groups (and on Padlet), students will explain verbally (and in
writing) why they want to be remembered in a particular way.
RI Social Studies GSEs C&G 5 (3-4)2 Students demonstrate an
understanding of the benefits and challenges of an interconnected world
by exploring current issues using a variety of print and non-print sources
RI Social Studies GSEs HP 5 (3-4)2a Students demonstrate an
understanding that culture has affected how people in a society behave in
relation to groups and their environment by comparing how members
within cultures interact with each other and their environment

GSEs and
Common Core
Standards

Instructional
Materials &
Resources

Instructional
Activities &
Tasks

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.1.B Follow agreed-upon rules for

discussions and carry out assigned roles
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.C Pose and respond to specific
questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that
contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.1.D Review the key ideas expressed and
explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion
Prezi Presentation
o http://prezi.com/opvbxscbxoll/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=
copy&rc=ex0share
Break the Chain video (embedded to Prezi):
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myUxTgYGLHg&list=PLuxT6E
f3SEzgqfwYIYTPA8r1NFf8gDCiO&index=1
Padlet:
o http://padlet.com/keresztesalex/legacy
o Password: grade4
4th grade laptops set up with Padlet
Discussion questions printed (2 per group)
Write legacy definition on sentence strip
o Legacy the impression you want to leave in the world
Prior to Lesson:
Erase a space on the whiteboard, which was covered with words related
to meanness the day before, and write how do you want to be
remembered? in large, black letters
Kindness quote of the day:
o Kind words can be short and easy to spread, but their echoes are

Fourth Formal Observation Student Teaching

Observed by: University Supervisor

truly endless. Mother Teresa

Set up Padlet on the desktop computers and laptops (also on iPads to give
as many students the opportunity to post to Padlet as quickly as possible)

Lesson Introduction: (510 minutes)

Brief discussion of the quote of the day What does it mean? How can
you apply it to your life?
Review what we have done over the last three days of this unit (follow
along with Prezi)
o What have we talked about?
o What has happened to the Whiteboard today?
Todays Kindness Week lesson will be related to the October precept that
we recently read in Wonder Deeds are your monuments.
o What did we say that this meant?
Whole Group Discussion: (10 minutes)
Based off of this precept, today we are going to reflect on the legacy that
we want to leave behind first we are going to watch a video related to
the meaning of legacy
Watch video from Prezi
From this video, how would you describe the meaning of legacy?
Small Group Discussion (1, 2, 3 Directions): (2025 minutes)
1. Discuss the questions I have passed out with your group.
2. Ask your group members questions and build off of their ideas
3. I will be coming around to listen to your ideas, when I give you the go
ahead, you may type your answer to the Padlet question:
a. How do you want to be remembered?
Pass out three questions prior to beginning discussion (2 per group)
o How do you want to be remembered?
o What legacy do you want to leave behind?
o Who do you want to become?

Assessment

Lesson Wrap Up: (5 minutes)

Review the meaning of legacy
Have students share out their Padlet post (shown on the Promethean
Board). Ask if they notice any similarities/differences between their own
and their classmates
Informal:
I will ask students to recall prior knowledge from previous Kindness
Week lessons and our class read aloud, Wonder
During whole group discussion, I will be asking students to give me their
understanding of the term legacy based off of a video that we watch in
class
I will be walking around during small group discussion to listen into
students conversations. I will be making sure that students are
2

Fourth Formal Observation Student Teaching

Observed by: University Supervisor
responding to one another and asking each other questions. Prior to
writing on the Padlet, I will be checking in to hear the students
reflections on how they want to be remembered.

Learner
Factors

Formal:
I will look through the Padlet to ensure that students have an
understanding of the legacy they want to leave and how they would like
to be remembered.
Students will be comparing and contrasting their own posts to
classmates and I will be making note of who connects to another
classmate and who notices differences.
Students will be building upon the previous days lessons by looking at how all
of the things that we do determine how people are going to remember us.
Additionally, they will be recalling information from a class read-aloud.
This lesson will allow for two different forms of communication: written and
oral. Padlet will be utilized to allow written communication. Additionally,
students are going to practice their speaking skills (and listening skills) during
whole class and small group discussions.
Students will privately and cooperatively reflect on their own actions and
determine if that is how they want to be remembered or if they want to begin to
act differently to be remembered in a better way.
Students will build upon their interpersonal skills as they discuss how they
would like to be remembered and why.
Students will be able to work on their questioning and reflecting skills in
situations related to their own life.
Students will strengthen their visual understanding skills as they try to define a
word based off a short video.
A monitor video sound to be sure that she can clearly hear.
B monitor participation in conversation by reminding ALL students that
they must speak at least once in their group discussion to ensure that he
participates at least once. Prior to the lesson, write one question on his iPad
that he must focus on and answer when contributing to the small group
discussion.
E provide with a list of 3 expectations for small group discussion and
remind him that I will be checking in on his group to make sure he is
appropriately contributing to group discussions.
A/M provide definition of legacy to them. (Also have the definition of
legacy posted in the room to remind all students of the definition)

Fourth Formal Observation Student Teaching

Observed by: University Supervisor
Environmental Students focus will be at various points around the room however, they will
remain at their desks through the majority of the lesson. At the end of the
Factors
lesson, students will move to computers to type in what they discussed.
There will be some focus on the back white board at the very beginning of the
lesson, but attention will mainly be on the Promethean Board and in our small
groups.

Extension/
Enrichment
Activity

Since students will be posting a short written response on Padlet, I will try to
give as many pieces of technology as possible so that they may post
simultaneously.
Students will be participating in the Kindness Challenge alongside Count
Your Kind Acts throughout the week. The Kindness Challenge will give
students ideas for kind acts that they can do. Count Your Kind Acts is a
project that the students will be participating in as a way to visually see and
document the kind acts that they do. Each student has made a kindness
bracelet from a pipe cleaner and added seven colored beads to it; each day, they
will move over just one bead if they complete a kind act and write down what
the act was on a provided sheet. Students will earn a prize individually and, if
the whole class brings the sheet back, as a class.
In the morning as students are coming into the building, the students who are
able to get to school earlier will hold up signs in the halls reminding other
students to spread kindness wherever they go.

Fourth Formal Observation Student Teaching

Observed by: University Supervisor
Lesson Reflection:
1. How effective was the lesson plan? Explain.
The lesson plan was extremely effective and, because this was a self-developed
unit which I have been developing since February, I felt that I was very
comfortable with how the lesson transpired as a part of the unit as a whole. The
lesson plan effectively described the progression that I expected for the days
lesson and, although I knew I would be the one teaching the lesson, I felt
confident that I could leave this plan for a substitute to come in and teach the
lesson.
I feel that this lesson plan perfectly outlined what needed to be done prior to
starting the lesson, the amount of time for each portion of the lesson, and a clear
picture of what I wanted to say to engage students to think. Additionally, I think
it is helpful that the lesson plan included a review of what we have done
throughout the week because students who may have missed out on something
due to testing makeups, illness, or because of scheduled therapy, also deserve the
chance to hear what we did on the days that they missed. Including this allowed
every student to feel included in the entirety of the weeklong unit. Each of the
lessons for this unit were designed to take approximately 45 minutes and build off
of one another and the breakdown that I provided for this lesson showed exactly
how long I intended to spend with each section of this lesson.
I regret that I forgot to include the precept from Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, because
I feel that that would have been a great way to tie in the read aloud so that the
students could see that everything we are doing within this unit is related to
something else being done in the classroom.
2. Was the pace of the lesson appropriate? Explain.
The pacing of the lesson was appropriate. I believe that I gave the students a
more realistic timeframe for their discussions and writing than I have in some of
the previous lessons. I now have an accurate idea as to how much time these
students need to have a discussion versus develop a short writing piece. I knew
that there was not going to be too much time spent on the introduction for this
lesson because the students had more work to do for this lesson than in the
previous lessons and there was a more measurable outcome than I had seen
previously. I instead wanted the class to focus on the discussions about the
meaning of the word legacy and about the legacy that they wish to leave behind,
and I let each discussion go on for about 5 minutes (so that I could walk around
and meet with each group at least once).
By only giving the students 10 minutes for discussion and allowing about the
same amount of time for all students in the class to write a post on Padlet, I think
that I made it that students would be 100% focused on the goals I had in mind for
the lesson. I also had time ate the end of the lesson to read through every single
students Padlet post with the class and allow for a whole group discussion about
what we noticed. Rather than allowing each student to read out his/her post, I
read through all of them on my own so that there would be time to pick up on
similarities and differences between their own and their classmates ideas.

Fourth Formal Observation Student Teaching

Observed by: University Supervisor
3. Did you implement effective classroom management strategies? (Ex: use of
proximity, positive reinforcement, etc.) Explain.
The classroom management strategies that I implemented for this lesson were
effective for the most part. They began to unravel as we transferred from
discussion to use of the computers/iPads because it meant that students were
getting up and moving around which, in this case, broke their focus from what
they needed to be doing.
There is one student in the class who still has not grasped the idea of raising your
hand to share ideas and is very dominant in class discussion and in order to try
and reel him in to the conversation by providing him with a list of expectations
for collaborative discussions.
4. Were all the students actively engaged in the learning process? How did you meet
individual needs of students?
I would say that of the 19 students in my class (all of whom were present this day)
there were approximately 17 students who were actively engaged in the learning
process. The two students who were not as actively engaged still participated in
all aspects of the lesson, but I found it clear from their Padlet posts at the end of
the lesson that they were not invested in what was happening in the classroom that
day.
In order to meet the individual needs of students, I provided all students with the
definition that I wanted them to use for legacy at their table which assists all
students, especially those with language goals. I also provided a hard copy of the
list of expectations for a collaborative discussion to one of the students, who does
not pay especially close attention to his classmates ideas if they are different
from his own. Additionally, there is one boy in the class who is very
uncomfortable with sharing out his ideas. In order to meet his needs, I provided
him the Padlet link on his iPad during the discussion. Many of the students in the
class also have difficulties communicating in writing, so it was necessary for me
to walk around as they were filling in their Padlet posts in order to help them
clarify and organize their writing.
5. Were the materials of interest to the students? How do you know?
The materials were definitely interesting to the students. I know this to be true
because each one of the students was fixated on the video that I provided for this
specific lesson and the use of Padlet. Additionally, (almost) all of the students
were actively engaged through the discussions and everyone kept referring back
to their sentence strip definition of legacy.
6. Discuss the effectiveness/ineffectiveness of your teaching. (What worked, what
didnt, how does this inform your instruction?)
I think that the effectiveness of my teaching for this lesson was my comfort and
confidence in teaching a lesson that I fully developed on my own. For the most
part, I think that my instruction was effective in this lesson because engagement
and participation were both highly present throughout the course of the lesson. In
addition, all of the students met the objectives in place for this lesson; even
though some were unable to accurately communicate their thoughts in writing,
they were able to verbalize their ideas and communicate their points in that way.
I felt that this lesson also effectively set up the final lesson for the following day

Fourth Formal Observation Student Teaching

Observed by: University Supervisor
because as students worked through that lesson, they continually referred back to
conversations from the day before.
The one piece of my lesson that I feel was ineffective was how I worded the
questions on the Padlet and the fact that I included three questions rather than just
one. I think both of these aspects set the kids that have language needs up to have
trouble answer the question compared to their classmates. Also, asking three
related questions made some of the students think that they had to answer all three
parts of it rather than just giving one response to the big picture question.
7. Discuss your assessment. (What was learned?, how do you know?)
From my assessment, I learned that students met the objectives I set in place for
them. Although they did not all perform perfectly on the formal written
assessment, the majority of the students did and I found that all of the students
could communicate their ideas verbally. Additionally, every student was able to
find one comparison and one difference between themselves and a classmate as
we discussed their posts on Padlet.