Teacher from Different Grade Band Observation Reflection Form

Teacher Candidate for Science Endorsement (and grade band): Kimberly McCreary (K-2)_

Teacher from different grade band Initials: ___________ Grade band ____3-5_______

School: _Pickett’s Mill ES_________ Grade: ____5___________

Lesson Topic: __5th Grade STEM Lesson_____________________________________

I observed a fifth grade science class during a STEM challenge. The class had 26
students, and six of the students are served in Special Education. As the lesson started,
the teacher reviewed with the class what they had been working on in science for the
past week. They took turns telling information related to the standard. Then, she
presented the design challenge for the day and gave the problem and the criteria. The
students worked on their own within their groups for the rest of the class time, as the
teacher assisted when asked or walked around and monitored each group’s progress.
I think the lesson went well. The 5th graders were so independent compared to
my 1st graders. They stayed on task most of the time, and if/when anyone got off task,
just a quick redirect from the teacher was effective. When a group had a question, the
teacher did not just answer and solve their problem for them, she asked questions to
help them discover their own solution. An additional instructor was in the classroom to
assist with the special needs students and help them be able to be a contributing
member of the group they were in.
The objective of this lesson was to build a greenhouse for a plant to survive poor
weather. The students focused on their knowledge of plant parts and needs, and
focused on using tools to measure temperature. The objectives of this lesson built
directly on standards that we had also been learning in 1st grade regarding plants and
their basic needs. In 1st grade we discuss weather, but do not really focus on using a
thermometer to read the temperature. These 5th graders were measuring the
temperature in Celsius and recording their data points. They used that information to
form a claim, evidence, reasoning statement. In 1st grade, when we do C-E-R, we do it
verbally as a class, so it was nice to see 5th graders forming their own statements in
writing.
Overall, I was impressed to see how the 5th grade teacher met the students’
needs in a more informal setting, and the 5th graders worked so independently to
complete the design challenge and record their findings.