Observations: The Final Stretch

For my last two observation assignments, I am using an Algebra II class that I observed at (blah blah) High School. By observing a lesson, I created a Lesson Plan and an assessment for the lesson to determine if students met the objective.

In both cases here, the objective is that "The student will be able to solve max/min word problems by determining the axis of symmetry and calculating the vertex." This involves middle level thinking, at the Application and Analysis levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. In order to assess the students' ability to meet the objective, I have created a 10 minute quiz consisting of two maximizing word problems.

Lesson Plan Template for SED 406 and 407 part 1 = planning
Teacher Candidate: Sarah Gilpatrick (obs. Ms. H)	Subject: Algebra II	Grade(s): Mixed (9-12)
Name of Lesson: Maximums and Minimums
Learning Objective(s), including Bloom's taxonomic level: (label A, B, C, *D) *optional Students will be able to solve maximum and minimum word problems by determining the axis of symmetry and calculating the vertex. (Analysis and Application levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy)
Student Standards (GSE or/GLE or Common Core-in draft for math/science- list which): CCSS.Math. HSN_Q.A1 CCSS.Math.HSF_IF.C1a CCSS.Math.HSF_BF.A
Teacher Standards (professional society and/or NETS  and RIPTS-list which): RIPTS 2: Teachers have a deep content knowledge base sufficient enough to create learning experiences that reflect an understanding of central concepts, vocabulary, structures, and tools of inquiry of the disciplines/content areas they teach.
Rationale: Why this lesson? How does it fit into the curriculum and context? Is this the introduction, conclusion, or somewhere in the middle of the unit of instruction? This lesson occurs past the middle of the unit, where students apply their knowledge of graphs and formulas to generate an equation based on a given word problem and solve for an appropriate value.
Materials/Resources needed, including technology: Algebra II textbook, chalkboard/giant sticky note paper, markers, students’ notebooks & pencils
Accommodations and Modifications (special needs and learning styles) Students can work in groups of 2-3.
What content resources support this knowledge base? (list at least 2) Wolfram Alpha local maximum calculator,  graphing calculator
How confident are you in this topic as you start this lesson? I am a little shaky on the concept at the beginning of the lesson, but I recall the information fast.

(Boxes expand as you type)   Lesson Plan Template part 2 = action
Bell-ringer: How will you get students seated, and ready for academic work? (without your voice) Students have a daily routine in which they take a seat and begin the Do-Now activity on the board.
Anticipatory Set: How will you introduce the material, interest the students, show relevance of topic?
Phase (change as needed)/Time	Teacher action	Student action	Questions/Assessments
e.g. Intro/	Cleans up work from previous class; take attendance
Presentation or Open-ended/
Guided Practice or Convergent/ 70 min	Asks questions, does problems on her own (has no teacher book), answers student questions, sits with one student (who was absent) and works with her one-on-one while the rest of the class is still working on the TWO problems	Do-Now activity (2 textbook problems), work in groups	Where are you? What are your equations? What did you get for your answer? Do you understand what you do?
15 min	Asks step-by step clarifying questions	Work out problem on board, answer questions	What is the key word? What does it mean? What’s wrong with the equation? Can you fix it? How do we find the maximum? What do we have to do first? Tell me how you got that answer. What does that answer mean?
Closing/ N/A			Students leave when bell rings without any closing
HW/Application/ N/A			None assigned
Review and Reflection: How will you review for students who are still having trouble? Work one-on-one with students who are still struggling.
Extension: What will you offer to students who have mastered this? I would say offer more problems (but the issue doesn’t arise), ask students to write on board
*Closing: How will you review the material, and draw conclusions? (may be listed above) Asking clarifying questions as students work out problem together on board.

	Lesson Plan Template pt. 3 = reflection
WHAT?	What went well?   The students were able to work well in groups, and one-on-one time seemed helpful for the student who was absent.
	What area of weakness needs addressing? Time management needs to improve as well as classroom management. The students didn’t seem to take the assignment seriously, which is why I think it took so long.
	Which objectives were met? What is the evidence? The students were able to solve max/min problems by finding the vertex and axis of symmetry, as shown by the class working together to do the problem on the board.
	Which students did not meet objectives? From what I could tell, most students could do the work, but I am unaware as of how many actually finished and got a solution.
	Was time managed appropriately? NO, at least not in my opinion. It took over an hour for students to solve 2 book problems and the teacher wasn’t able to finish the problem at the end of class.
	Did any teacher mannerisms or actions detract from the lesson? The teacher had an empty water bottle that she kept blowing on for sound effects that contributed nothing to the classroom, but she thought it was fun. I thought it was unprofessional.
	*What were the strengths and weaknesses of classroom management? The students were able to work in groups, but they were not very effective at getting work done. The teacher did nothing to move the class along faster.
SO WHAT?	Was the lesson engaging? No. The students had the assignment, but many tried to do anything to put it off, like taking 5 minutes to sharpen a pencil. The assignment almost seemed like a joke and just busy work. It was not very productive.
	*What did I learn from my peer observation (address at least one aspect)   I learned that if you can’t move your class along in an assignment, then you are just going to be stuck where you are, without any progression in learning.
NOW WHAT?	How will this experience influence your professional identity?  I will make sure that I can motivate my class to get work done and take control of the clock by showing that I have the authority in the classroom.
	How will it influence how you plan/teach/assess in the future? When I plan a lesson and actually teach it, I want to be able to mix it up, doing a few different things throughout the whole class, rather than just one type of assignment for the whole period.

 

Name: _________________________________                     Date: ___________

Quiz: Maximizing Word-Problems (10 pts)

1.         A car rental agency rents 200 cars per day at a rate of $30 per day.  For each $1increase in rate, 5 fewer cars are rented.  At what rate should the cars be rented to produce the maximum income (2pts)?  How many times is the rate increased (1pt)? What is the maximum income (2pts)?

Solution: f(x)=(200-5x)(30+x);  rate=$35;  income=$6125;  increases = 5

2.         A coach is hosting a charity sports tournament. Last year, he sold 500 tickets for $30 each. Each time he increases the cost by $2, he loses 5 ticket sales. What price should he charge for the tickets to maximize his income (2pts)? How many times is the cost increased (1pt)? What is his maximum income (2pts)?

Solution: f(x)=(500-5x)(30+2x); rate=$42.50; income=$33062.50; increases=6.26

Observations: Half Way There

After another observation at (blah blah) High School, I was asked to write about what I had observed and learned about classroom management. The head of the department told me what classes I would be able to observe, so I chose to observe an ELL Algebra I class, figuring there would be a lot to observe for classroom management. This is what I got out of it.

Having the option to observe several classrooms, I decide to observe an English Language Learners Algebra I class and learn about classroom management. The whole class primarily speaks Spanish, which the teacher is also fluent in. Before class starts, the teacher, whom I will refer to as Mr. Brown, tells me about the diversity of the classroom, saying that diversity is good in a classroom, but it is harder manage. With that, I prepare to see him greet his students and begin class.

As the students are entering, I begin to observe the relationship Mr. Brown has with his students. Some students high five him, or even fist bump, before they take their seats. The class, for the most part, finds their seats quietly, with the exception of one girl who comes in talking in a loud, screaming voice. Mr. Brown quickly gets her to quiet down by a change of tone, no longer friendly, but stern and in control. As the students are seated, Mr. Brown quietly takes attendance on his computer before he progresses the activity.

There is a Do-Now activity on the board, but half the class hasn’t started it yet. Mr. Brown talks loudly and sternly, again, to get the classes attention, which he does, and say “Do now, not do later.” Then, the girl who came in practically screaming got up and stepped out the exit door to see someone in the hallway and bam, instant detention. Mr. Brown didn’t even give it a second’s hesitation when she walked out of class, which lets the class know that he’s in control. After that, almost the whole class is quiet and working on their warm-up activity, with just a little bit of chitter-chatter.

Mr. Brown notices one student who doesn’t seem to be paying attention, so he calls on the student and asks him to explain the problem. He has no response, as Mr. Brown expected, so he asks another student to help him out. As this is an ELL classroom, Mr. Brown tells the student to explain the problem to him in English. As he calls on students for explanations, he walks across the room till he is standing in the front of the row where the student sits, this way he can look straight ahead at the student as his gestures encourage the student to continue explaining. He finally asks one girl what her equation was for the current problem. She responds with her equation and Mr. Brown asks her to write the equation on the board and says “Finally, someone who can think for themselves,” as he is relieved and proud that someone finally had a correct answer.

About twenty minutes has passed since class started and one girl walks in, late. As the rest of the class is still working on the Do-Now assignment, the girl takes a seat in a group and starts the activity, too.  Mr. Brown continues to call on groups and students to explain steps in the problem. One girl in another group starts whining at Mr. Brown, so he forces her to sit alone at the front of the class. Then, Mr. Brown begins to write out the solution on the board, continuing to ask students who are struggling what step to take next, guiding the group to get to the answer.

As time passes by in class and they are still trying to work on the activity, Mr. Brown says “Come on, let’s go,” in his stern voice, as he knows his time is precious and is drifting by. When he is instructing the students, he sounds very firm as he tells the students what to do, never sounding like just an option to the students. He sounds demanding, in a way where he’s not strict but the students know that what he tell them to do, they do. His relationship with the students allows him to be friendly and laugh with the students, but when he turns that around, the students know to behave and listen.

As the class comes to an end, Mr. Brown has to speak louder to gain the students’ attention. A few start to gather their belongings and line up by the door before the teacher tells them to. Mr. Brown motions the students to clean up their area, putting back their chairs and calculators, as sometimes physical cues work better than verbal cues, especially know that the students are scattered. When the bell rings, the students rush out the door before the teacher can properly dismiss them, as I’ve noticed happen in several other classrooms. The bell seems to have higher control than the teacher, whether it be dismissing students or telling them to get to class, which come students disregard anyways. Whenever there is something that lets students out of class, whether it is the dismissal bell or an announcement that lets certain students leave class to go to the college fair, students can’t be any more eager to get out of class. By the end of class, though, I can see how Mr. Brown’s relationship with the students and his ability to not let that affect his judgment allows him to manage this diverse classroom with great capability.