CLASSROOM OBSERVATION PHASE REPORT Cover Sheet

This report should be turned into your student teaching supervisor. Student Teacher: Emily Meyer Mentor Teacher: Mary Holwell School(s): Merrill Middle School Subject/Grade(s): 7th

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1) Observe your mentor teacher 3 days; complete observation and activity record sheet for each day.

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2) Write a brief summary of the construction and grading of one homework or in-class assignment planned by your mentor teacher.

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3) Write a brief summary of the criteria used by your mentor teacher to report grades/progress reports.

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4) Complete student teacher reference information on pg 55. 5) Complete information sheet for student teacher supervisor, include copy of mentor teacher schedule on pg 56.

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6) Review with your mentor teacher the student teaching handbook. 7) Include a copy of district curriculum benchmarks and standards for subject or grade level. Discuss these with your mentor teacher.

Student Teacher Comments:

Supervisor Comments:

____________________________ (Signature, Student Teacher)

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____________________________ (Signature, Supervisor)

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OBSERVATION AND ACTIVITY RECORD

Date: January 17, 2012

Observations of your mentor: (Perceptive observation of lesson design, philosophy, assignments given, lesson delivery, grading, ways they interact with students, etc.) What I find most impressive about my mentor so far is that she has been teaching here at Merrill since 1984 and rather than getting pulled into the same routine every single year- she is always trying to find ways to make things more interesting and different. This is without a doubt more work for her as a teacher. I think this speaks very much to her character and determination as a teacher. Everyday, the students know what to expect in Mrs. Holwells class. However, this doesnt mean they do the same thing day in and day out. It simply reflects Mrs. Holwells ability to plan and prepare her students for class. Grades in the class are calculated the same way every week. There is a weekly homework assignment, class work, SSR time, and often some kind of grammar and vocabulary activity. These points are given as earned as they are completed and turned in on time. If they are turned in late, only 70% of the grade is given. Lesson delivery varies on a day-to-day basis; however, each day typically begins with 10 minutes of SSR (silent sustained reading) time. This is due to the fact that many students do not read outside of school. They are busy with other obligations and if reading is not a passion, it is often neglected. To manage time appropriately, sometimes there is more SSR time and sometimes there is less. A lesson usually begins with some kind of introduction to get the students attention. There is a period of time where the activity is explained, a purpose is provided, and questions are requested. Then we dive into the activity, accomplishing as much as we can in our short period of time (we see students everyday for 45 minutes). This sometimes makes it difficult to get things done, so time management is definitely something that is taken seriously in Mrs. Holwells classroom. As far as interacting with the students, I have noticed that Mrs. Holwell is very positive outside of class. She greets students in the hallway, always meets them at the door, and whenever she is speaking to anyone about a student she remains very positive. Sometimes in class, it seems that she might be a little overwhelmed with student misbehavior. Talking out of turn is something that seems to be a major issue not only in Mrs. Holwells class, but school wide. This is due largely to the fact that these are middle school students, and often what comes to mind is said without any filter. However, this is definitely something that I hope to work on in my student teaching process. Overall I think that Mrs. Holwell and I might have very different styles as far as teaching goes- but our philosophy is very similar. During an exchange today with a student that is on a behavioral point system, Mrs. Holwell pointed out all the positive things that the student did today during class. I was actually teaching during that period, so Mrs. Holwell was able to observe what was happening. It was really great for me to witness this interaction. Although Mrs. Holwell was honest with the student yesterday and gave him some things to improve on- she acknowledged when he did those things today. This is where Mrs. Holwell and I have very similar methods as far as behavior. I understand that in order to keep order kids need to be help up to high standards. We also both recognize that students will more than likely live up to the standards that they are given (even if they are too low). For this reason, Mrs. Holwell holds her students to high standards, but the key to this success is she acknowledges them when they do live up to the expectations given.

OBSERVATION AND ACTIVITY RECORD

Date: January 18, 2012

Observation of the students: (perceptive observations of student interactions with each other, you, your mentor, other faculty both in class and out of class. Include observations regarding interests, effort, ability, etc. Note the differences in the classes.) I had a conversation with my mentor teacher about this exact topic. Obviously, each student is very individual and different from the next. For this reason, each class has its own flavor made up by the students in it. Ability as well as behavior plays into the general makeup of a class. For example, I have noticed in the past few days that it isnt necessarily the size of the class that determines how well class behaves. It is really the interaction of individuals that make up a particular class. For this reason, it is so vital to understand your students. How do their relationships function at home, with their peers, or with other staff in the school? Knowing these things can help establish which students dont necessarily get along- and of course, which students get along too well to sit next to one another. Another thing that I have learned in these last few days at Merrill is their point system. Students that have behavioral issues go on a point system that works to keep them accountable. Like I talked about in my observations above, it also encourages positive conversation between students and teachers. It is not just to discipline the students- but it is also for when students are doing things right. Something that I am going to set as a goal for myself this semester is student respect. I will be honest and admit that this is probably the most misbehaved school that I have worked with. This is certainly not to say that the students are bad. I truly believe that the school is more relaxed than other schools that I have worked with. However, there are some downfalls to this that I have picked up on in the last few days. For example, talking over one another and out of turn is a pretty common occurrence in Mrs. Holwells class. For this reason, many truly wonderful comments are lost due to the noise level. Additionally, I think it discourages shyer students from speaking a loud. Im a little weary of this set up- simply because Im not sure how I will jump in the middle of the year and battle this situation. I think working towards more order (as far as speaking goes), will need to be done in small steps. That all being said, however, student relationships with myself, Mrs. Holwell, and other faculty seem to be very positive. It is obvious that a lot of the students eruptions in class are simply due to the excitement they feel about a particular question. Very rarely does it seem to be because of a negative comment. This definitely indicates that students enjoy their teachers here, they enjoy one anothers company, and they enjoy having new faces in front of their classroom. My students had a student teacher least semester for a shorter period of time. They speak of her fondly and are excited at the possibility of her visiting in the near future. It is interesting because I know that this particular student teacher struggled with the issues that I stated above. It is nice to see that students still respect and miss her in their educational experience. It also gives me courage to deal with some of these interactions in a manner that will keep things orderly- but in a way that will help me gain respect from my students. I really truly believe that 90% of a teachers talent comes from the way in which we deliver our lessons, discipline, praise, etc. If we dont mean what is coming out of our mouths- our students are going to know it.

OBSERVATION AND ACTIVITY RECORD

Date: January 19, 2012

Observation of Classroom Management: (Include your observations in your classroom and any others you have observed--- in the hall, in other classrooms, etc.) I have already talked a lot about classroom management in my previous observation responses. However, I will recap on some of the major things I have seen at Merrill in the last few days. Like I said above, relationships seem very positive between Mrs. Holwell and her students (especially on an individual level). However, something that I have noticed is that there seems to be many disruptions throughout a class period. It seems the students know what they can get away with in Mrs. Holwells class, so they push her to that point on a daily basis. I have been in three different middle schools (one in Waukee, one in an even lower income area, and here at Merrill). One of the things that have become very apparent to me in these experiences is that classroom management is EVERYTHING. If a classroom is under control, obviously more things are going to be accomplished. It is interesting coming in during the middle of the year, because the students already know what they can do and what they cant do in Mrs. Holwells classroom. One thing that Mrs. Holwell is currently trying to is allowing students to pick their own seating charts. They obviously have to be responsible enough to choose whom they should sit by- and after that choice is made they are required to maintain classroom expectations or they will be required to move. So far this seems to be going very well. However, there is one class in particular that is on the verge of losing this privilege. The hallways at Merrill are very impressive. These students are crammed in a space that is much too small for them, and for the most part, they do very well in this situation. I have only witnessed one interaction between students that was any form of bullying- and I have really been mindful to catch situations like that. It would seem that despite the fact that Merrill students come very a huge variety of backgrounds, they still respect and get along with one another in and out of class. I havent had the opportunity to witness many of the other classroom settings at Merrill yet. I am looking forward to working with the Science department on a project in the near future. This will give me the opportunity to see if the issues that occur in Mrs. Holwells class occur in other classroom settings. It will also be interesting to see how a different style of classroom management works with the same group of students.

Homework Summary: One of the things that the students are required to do on a weekly basis is small homework assignment with one of their parents. On Monday of each week, Mrs. Holwell goes over a short reading and assignment that students do with their parents. The topics usually go along with what is happening with in the classroom that week, however, sometimes they are just fun facts that help work on reading and comprehension skills. Mrs. Holwell also differentiates for more advanced students by creating an alternate assignment. These two assignments are correlated, but one is a little more challenging than the other. The students are able to request to begin the more complicated assignment if they feel ready. However, both assignments are worth the same amount (10 points) and are due by Friday.

Grade Report Summary: In Des Moines, all student grades are kept on Infinite Campus. Mrs. Holwell makes sure to report the grades as soon as she can because parents are able to go on

Infinite Campus and check their childs grades. As far as homework policy goes, all late work is only 70% of the actual grade they received. However, late work is always accepted. Weekly homework, SSR books, vocabulary, grammar work, and other assignments make up the grades. No grades are weighted.

STUDENT TEACHER REFERENCE INFORMATION Mentor Teacher: Mary Holwell Phone (H)_________(W) 515-242-8448 College Supervisor: Gerry Page Phone (H)__________(W)_____________ Director of Student Teaching: Michelle Krogulski Phone (H)_____________________(W)____________________________ Student Teaching Seminar Dates______________________________________________ School Principal: Alex Hanna Asst. Principal: Diane Kehm Guidance Counselor: Sandy Dunivean Secretary: Jane Schumann Absenteeism: If absent, call Mary Holwell At 515-242-8448 By: early morning and notify college supervisor

IMPORTANT RULES AND REGULATIONS Emergency drills/warnings: y Fire: Room 226 goes down the steps across the hall. East (left) across the drivewayproceed down Grand Avenue towards the Jewish Temple. Turn off the lights and shut the door. Take attendance with. y Tornado: Proceed out the door and immediately west (right) following the classrooms ahead of us. There is tunnel below the school that we will go to. *With both drills keep students quiet. Policy on homework assignments: Expect it to be turned in when it is due. However, late term is taken with only 70% being given. Student tardy and absentee permission forms: If students are tardy first period, they check in with the attendance office. Periods 2-7 are handled by the teams developed policy.

Permission to leave the room: If students forgot something, they are not permitted to go get anything. They bring their materials to class- no exceptions. They have three passes for the semester. They planner must be signed. However, make sure they realize that they only have three and to use them wisely. Removal of a student from classroom activities:

Before they go to the office, there needs to be warnings, conferences, called home/emailed, etc. Make sure that there have been different ways to alleviate the problems. However, physical fights or somebody is being a danger to the classroom send them out and call the office. (Remember to use an accountability form.)

INFORMATION SHEET FOR THE STUDENT TEACHER SUPERVISOR Dear Student Teacher, This form is designed to help us keep in contact with you and to schedule visits at mutually convenient times. Name: Emily Meyer Local Address: 3809 University Ave Phone: 815 520 1262 Home Address: 12893 Riverton PL Winnebago IL 61088 Phone: 815-222-4323 E-Mail Address: emily.a.meyer@drake.edu Assigned School(s) Merrill Middle School Assigned Mentor Teacher(s) Mary Holwell Assigned Mentor Teacher(s) E-Mail: mary.holwell@dmps.k12.ia.us School(s) Phone Number: 515-242-8448

***Attach copy of mentor teachers weekly schedule***