Elementary Education Formal Observation Form

Junior/Senior Intern

Student: Chase Lane Observer: Christa Reid (CT) Grade: 3

Date: 3/9/18 Time: 9:35 - 11:10; 11:45 - 12:35 Subject: ELA

1. Classroom Climate/Culture - Student Behavior

YES NO
☒ ☐Intern communicates and maintains standards for appropriate classroom behavior.
☒ ☐Intern anticipates and acts on potential classroom disruptions.
☒ ☐Intern maintains positive classroom climate.
☒ ☐Intern responds to student behaviors appropriately.

Comments: Ms. Lane began her lesson by explaining the learning targets to the students. She reviewed the vocabulary
within the learning target, made connections with previous lessons, explained the purpose of the learning target, and how
they are working towards a performance task. When students interrupted, Ms. Lane quickly addressed their interruptions by
reminding the students to follow the rule of raising their hand to share and if interruptions continued she had students move
their clip down on the “Hop to the Top” chart. Ms. Lane clearly explained each step throughout the lesson and encouraged
students to share by rewarding students who participated.  

2. Instruction - Instructional Time

☒ ☐Intern has materials, supplies, and equipment ready at the start of the lesson or activity.
☒ ☐Intern gets class started quickly.
☒ ☐Intern uses available time for learning and keeps students on task.

Comments: Ms. Lane used a Google Slides presentation for her lesson. All of the students materials were prepared before
she began her lesson. She began her lesson at 9:35 following announcements and morning work. She allotted time for
modeling and partner work. The students were engaged and working throughout the entire lesson.

3. Instruction - Instructional Planning and Presentation

☒ ☐Intern establishes links with prior learning and experiences.
☒ ☐Intern arranges learning activities to support standards.
☒ ☐Intern appropriately uses a variety of teaching styles.

Comments: Ms. Lane began her lesson by previewing the vocabulary for the lesson and the learning targets. She explained
the learning targets and provided connections between previous lessons and explained the upcoming performance task.
The learning activities supported the EL Curriculum standards, which are based on the Common Core State Standards.
Learning Targets: I can plan a revised scene of Peter Pan. (W.3.3, W.3.4, W.3.5) and I can critique my partner’s narrative
plan and provide kind, helpful, and specific feedback. (W.3.5). The majority of the ELA block was dedicated to partner work,
where the students recorded their plan in their graphic organizer with the assistance of a partner. Ms. Lane provided a
variety of teaching styles including: guiding analyzing of the model revised narrative, modeling of how to plan using the
graphic organizer, probing with various questions, providing immediate feedback to student plans, partner work, etc.

4. Instruction - Instructional Monitoring

☒ ☐Intern circulates to check performance and monitor progress.
☒ ☐Intern varies level of questioning.
☒ ☐Intern ensures that all students have the opportunity to participate.
Comments: Ms. Lane worked in a small group with students who had missed the previous day’s lesson and also spent time
circulating to check on the progress of partners sitting around the classroom. Ms. Lane provided a variety of questions
during her model and when conferencing with students. Some of her questions were explicit and required the students to
reference their Peter Pan book, while other questions were more implicit in challenging students to explain why the chose
the scene they did and how they plan on creatively altering the scene. Ms. Lane did call on various students throughout the
lesson, but may want to use numbered heads to ensure that all students share their thinking with a partner since some
students were dominating the conversation during turn and talk. However, Ms. Lane made a conscious effort to call on each
student at least once during the lesson to answer a question.

5. Impact on Student Learning - Facilitating Instruction

☒ ☐ Intern establishes clear outcomes for learning.
☒ ☐ Intern communicates learning outcomes to students.
☒ ☐ Intern adjusts lesson based on student responses/ongoing assessment.
☒ ☐Intern connects learning outcomes to the NCSCOS.

Comments: Ms. Lane clearly established the learning outcomes at the beginning of the lesson and reiterated them
throughout the lesson. When questioned, the students were able to explain the activity and understood what they were
supposed to be doing. However, some of the students were struggling with selecting a scene to revise; therefore, Ms. Lane
adjusted her lesson and called all of the students back to the carpet and provided a few examples for the students to use,
which provided scaffolding for some of the struggling students. The EL Curriculum standards are connected to the
NCSCOS.

6. Evaluation/Assessment - Instructional Feedback

☒ ☐Intern provides feedback on the correctness or incorrectness of in-class work to encourage student growth.
☒ ☐Intern affirms correct oral responses appropriately and moves on.
☒ ☐Intern provides sustaining feedback after an incorrect response by probing, repeating the question, giving a clue,
or allowing more time.

Comments: Ms. Lane provided immediate academic and behavioral feedback to students throughout her lesson to
encourage student growth. She affirmed correct oral responses and recorded many of their responses on her graphic
organizer, which encouraged other students to share. When an incorrect response was given, Ms. Lane clarified that it was
incorrect, and then probed with student with additional questions or provided a sentence stem to help guide their thinking.

Strengths: Areas on which to focus:

● Ms. Lane engaged the students by having them
clean up their morning work activities (Dreambox,
independent reading, or missing work) and retrieve
their EL Workbook and a pencil. She provided
flexible seating by allowing some students to stay
at their seats, some students sat on the carpet
with pillows, and a few went to sit at the small
group table by the front of the room.
● She reviewed previous vocabulary by asking to
students to share the meaning of each word.
● She read the learning targets for the day aloud
and had the students choral read it back to her.
● She engaged the students by reviewing what they
had done in the previous lesson, and then had the
● Compliment students who share their thoughts in
complete sentences. For example, a few of the
students restated the question in their turn and
talk, “The purpose of a peer critique is…”.
● Several of the same students were called on
during the lesson. More reserved students were
not called on. Perhaps using numbered sticks to
call on students.
● Perhaps using numbered heads (or A/B students)
to turn and talk will force the more reserved
students to share.
 students recount the “Revised Model Narrative
Scene from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens”
after providing them a moment to reread it by
themselves.
● The students did not do well on their first attempt,
so Ms. Lane shared her opinion that the students
were not showing their best effort, so she
challenged them to try again. The students were
more motivated and improved.
● Ms. Lane selected two students to recount the text
rewarded students by having them clip up on the
“Hop to the Top” chart.
● She reviewed the end of quarter Performance
Task anchor chart and explained how what they
are doing today is part of their performance task is
planning their revised scene from Peter Pan.
● Ms. Lane selected 2 students to read aloud
today’s learning targets again. Then, she asked
various questions related to vocabulary within the
learning targets including critique, feedback,
analyze, assess, and criteria.
● Then, she asked them to turn and talk about the
purpose of a peer critique.
● She had the students turn to their copy of the
Revised Model Narrative Scene.
● She explained to the students that she will
rereading a scene from Chapter 2 of Peter Pan in
Kensington Gardens and instructed them to follow
along in their own copies and instructed them to
focus on “what makes a good narrative -
characters, setting, plot, etc.”. She reread the
scene aloud with expression, which engaged the
students.
● Afterwards, she asked the students multiple
questions about the scene. Most of the questions
were explicit, such as “How does Soloman feel?
Why? What is the problem in this scene?” She
called on various students to answer her
questions.
● One student was playing with his resources after
being redirected twice this morning, so she
removed his materials since they were not
currently needed.
● She continued asking multiple questions and
calling on various students.
● 10:00 - Ms. Lane turned to her Narrative Planning
Graphic Organizer and explained to the students
that they will help her complete her graphic
organizer. She prompted them with various
 questions on how to complete the various parts of
the organizer.
● Several of the same students raised their hands to
answer the questions. Ms. Lane asked a few
questions and had students share the answer with
their partner to encourage all students to
participate.
● Ms. Lane began to complete her graphic organizer
with student responses. She was also referencing
the teacher guide with the correct answers.
● When students called out or interrupted, she
instructed them to clip down. She also reminded
them that if they want to share, they simply need
to raise their hands.
● After completing the graphic organizer, Ms. Lane
explained that students will now work in pairs to
read the pages of the scene they want to revise
and complete their graphic organizer with the help
of their partner. She provided clear instructs,
called on a student to reiterate the steps, and then
she recorded the steps on the board for the
students to reference.
● The students moved to various parts of the room
with their partner and began reading completing
their graphic organizers, focusing on one partner’s
scene at a time. Ms. Lane kept a few students at
the back table who were absent yesterday.
● Ms. Lane noticed that some of the students were
still struggling with ideas on which scene they want
to revise, so Ms. Lane called them back to the
carpet and provided them with a few examples
before having the students return to their work.
● Ms. Lane worked with the students at the back
table to catch them up, and then circulated to
check in with each pair of students.
● A few minutes before lunch, Ms. Lane called the
students by saying, “Wolf” and the students
responded with “Pack”. Then, she instructed the
students to return their materials to their desk and
line up for lunch. She explained that they will
continue the lesson when they return from lunch.
● Following lunch, Ms. Lane instructed the students
to sit on the carpet as she continued the Google
Slides and explained the next part of the lesson,
which was identifying which parts of their revised
scene they are going to change, underline those
parts, and then record how they will change them.
● Ms. Lane continued to work with the small group of
students.
 ● At the end of her lesson, Ms. Lane reiterated the
focus of the lesson and explained that their
graphic organizer needs to be completed for
Monday’s lesson. She also explained that she will
be collecting their graphic organizers to read over
the weekend. *Some students were able to
complete their during other parts of the day.

Were the learning outcomes for the students met? ☒ YES ☐NO

Did the intern’s/student teacher’s classroom management support the learning outcomes?
Yes, Ms. Lane did an excellent job of managing the students throughout the lesson. She quickly redirected students who
were interrupting or distracting other students. She also praised and rewarded students who were doing an excellent job,
which in turn motivated more students to make those same good choices. She also provided consequences for students
who continued to be disruptive after being redirected.

Was the Teaching Behavior Focus goal achieved?

N/A (Pop-In Observation)

Student Intern Signature:______________________________________ Date:______________

Mentor Teacher Signature:___________________________________ Date:______________

University Supervisor Signature:___________________________________ Date:______________