Half Hollow Hills School District Building Formal Observation HS East aller (061) ion Tenured Seffery sct Inia Woodberry 1115/2016 3.87 “Setct ane rating a exch etarion a hy spy. ‘ating: 0) natective (0) Developing. (Etec, gy ccs, at arate Domain 1: Planning and Preparation ‘Demonstrating knowledge of content and pedagogy: + The teacher displays solid knowledge of the period table, electronegativity and atomic radius. The teacher related the lesson to the broader curriculum, saying that itis the basis for the next unit, chemical bonding. The teacher related the lesson to ELA Common Core Standards requiring students to use domain specific words and cite evidence in support of analysis of scientific information. + The lesson pian builds on the students’ prior understanding of concepts needed to Introduce this topic. + The teacher builds on the student's personal understanding of the concept of trending + The teacher selected appropriate strategies to engage all students in the content including those with special needs + Teacher anticipated student misconceptions about atomic radius as it relates to nucleus and mass, and addressed this in the lesson plan Demonstrating knowledge of students: + The teacher arranged the seats and lab groups based on her knowledge of the students. + The teacher paired two ENL students in the same lab group so that they may serve as resources for one another. + The teacher accounted for students with IEPs by reading directions aloud to the entire class and writing in simple terms. Setting instructional outcomes: + The goals are clear, written in the form of student learning and are aligned with State standards. + Instructional outcomes represent the big ideas for the unit but are tailored for the lesson + Outcomes coordinate learning among other disciplines. + The goals of the lesson relate to the District's priority of staying connected ~ social skills, thinking skills, and knowledge-related outcomes. + The outcomes represent deep understanding. The students will understand the trends in the period table as opposed to simply memorizing it Demonstrating knowledge of resource: + The teacher draws from multiple resources including colleagues, professional organizations and research to deepen her content knowledge and pedagogy Designing coherent instruction: + The lesson design has a clear structure from beginning to end and supports the instructional outcomes. + The activities present students with opportunities for high-level thinking + The teacher considered the different learning needs to determine groups, Designing student assessments: Half Hollow Hills School District Page | of 3+ The assessments planned were aligned with the instructional goals of the lesson and represent significant cognitive challenge related to the topic. + The teacher used formative assessment in the lesson. + The teacher planned to use an exit assessment to assess individual student learning at the close of the lesson and to use the information obtained to plan for future lessons. 1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Contant and Pedagogy eucecper Ib: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students GHCECDeI 1c: Setting Instructional Outcomes GHCECDCI 1d: Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources GucecDer te: Designing Coherent Instruction CHeECDCI 1f; Designing Student Assessments GHCECD CI Domain 2: The Classroom Environment Creating an environment of respect and rapport: + Students worked well together in groups and offered each other assistance, Establishing a culture for learning: + The school vision and academic integrity statements were displayed on the wall contributing to an atmosphere of respect, a culture for learning and demonstrating the teacher's commitment to supporting school expectations. + There were helpful science resources and student work displayed throughout the room. + The teacher shared lesson goals with students at the start and end of the lesson. + Students themselves assumed responsibility for the culture of learning displayed throughout the lesson by providing each other with assistance and refining their own and each other's work. + Students reflected on their own work and considered how they could improve it Managing classroom procedures: + The agenda and goals for the day were on the board. + Routines for handling materials and supplies occurred smoothly, such as using red and green cups to signify that students were still working or finished with an activity + The teacher established roles for group work and the students determined how to share items and a game plan to complete the activity. Managing student behavior + Student behavior was entirely appropriate, Organizing physical space: + Resources, materials and supplies were easily accessible to students. + Potentially dangerous materials are handled safely by students and stored safely. Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport cHeecoer Establishing a Culture for Learning REE CBOT Managing Classroom Procedures GueEecoer Managing Student Behavior HHIGEGRYER ‘Organizing Physical Space aieccnal Domain 3: Instruction ‘Communicating with student + The teacher explained in detail and gave clear instructions. + The teacher ensured that students understood what they were supposed to accomplish in their group and how they were supposed to do it by going through the instructions with them and showing them a model of the finished product + The teacher explained the content using auditory, visual and kinesthetic approaches Half Hollow Hills School District Page 2 of 3allowing students to listen, observe and do in the lesson. + The teacher highlighted possible misconceptions associated with the trends In the periodic table such as why the noble gases are different. + Students contributed to the lesson by explaining concepts to their classmates. Using questioning / prompts and discussion: + During the lesson activity, the teacher posed high quality questions to promote thinking and understanding and prompted students to make connections to their prior knowledge and experience. Telling students to develop a test question if they had no questions at the end was particularly effective. + The activity led students to arrive at their own conclusions without telling them the trends in the periodic table. + The teacher invited students to build on each other's responses. + Teacher invited students to reflect on the lesson and to share their thoughts via an exit slip, Engaging students in learnin: + The learning tasks and activities were aligned with the instructional goals. + The teacher used excellent resources and materials to enhance the representation of the content and to support the lesson. + The teacher engaged most students by making content relevant to students’ lives and capitalizing on peer interactions and the social nature of learning + The teacher instructed students in how to draw inferences Using Assessment in Instruction: + The activities and questions posed revealed students’ understanding of the lesson goals. + Exit questions were given to assess individual learning at the close of the lesson 3a: Communicating with Students GucEcocr 3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques GHCECOCI 3e: Engaging Students in Learning GHCECOCI 3d: Using Assessment for Instruction GHCECoCr 3e: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness cHeEcoCr Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities “a: Reflecting on Teaching CHCECOCI NO ‘4b: Maintaining Accurate Records CHCECDCIGNO “4c: Communicating with Fares CHCECDCIGNO ‘4d: Participating in a Professional Community CHCECDCIGN/O 4e: Growing and Developing Professionally CHCECoCIeNO 4f: Showing Professionalism CHCECOCIaN/O Comments ‘Observer Comments Teacher Comments, This document requires Electronic Signatures. Jeffery Woodberry 11/15/2016 11:24:47 AM ‘Observer Signature Date Danielle Talleur 14/15/2016 11:37:30 AM Teacher Signature on Date oo Half Hollow Hills School District Page 3 of 3Half Hollow Hills School District Building Formal Pre Observation ralleur WS East (O61) SC ‘inital Non Tenured 10/1 Lesson Plan Content ‘Briefly describe the students in this Class, Including those with special needs? How have you used this Information to plan for this Tesson? (Component 1b) There is a total of 28 students in this Regents Chemistry class. There are 17 males and 11 females. There are 8 students who are in tenth grade and 17 students who are in eleventh grade and 3 students who are in twelfth grade. Because this class is half-way through the day, the majority of students in this class have a lot Of positive energy and work well together. I have found that some students in this class enjoy an occasional side conversation during class, therefore, I modify seating arrangements and lab group assignments as necessary. There are two students in this class that have individualized education programs. Both students are classified as “other health impairment.” In accordance with the accommodations listed on their individualized education programs, all directions will be read aloud to the entire class and written in simple terms. One of the accommodations on one of the student's IEP is for waiving spelling requirements. Points will not be deducted from any student's overall grade for this activity; however, incorrect spelling will be corrected if encountered and students will be required to write in compiete sentences. There are also two students in this class that have 504’s. Both students have Crohn's disease and are allowed permission to use the restroom immediately without question. Lastly, there are two students in the class who are ENL students. Both students are allowed use of translation devices during class activities and assessments. Therefore, both students may be seen carrying around their cell phones as translators. I have also assigned these students to the same lab group so they are able to help each other. Students in this class are usually able to complete tasks in a timely manner when focused. If more time is needed to complete this activity, students will be given an opportunity to view the models of the other lab groups the following instructional day. ‘Why are these goals suitable for this group of students? (Component 1c) The goals of this lesson represent rigorous and important learning in the discipline. Because this is an early unit in chemistry, later units will build on these fundamental concepts. The outcomes of this lesson are written clearly on the student lab worksheets as well as projected on the screen while students are entering the classroom. The outcomes of this lesson will be revisited at the end of the lesson to allow students an opportunity to reflect on their learning. This activity was designed to support several different types of learning. The activity benefits students who are visual and kinesthetic because these are students who learn best through hands on learning and use of models. Auditory learners will benefit from working cooperatively with their lab members in this activity and read-write learners will benefit by reading through their lab packet and notes to successfully answer the conclusion questions. How does this lesson support district priorities and state standards? ‘A theme in our district this year has been to stay connected. I want students in the class to feel as though they are connected and share common goals and interests with their peers. Therefore, this year [have made an even greater effort to offer students an opportunity to work cooperatively whenever possible. Working together in lab groups or even partner pairs allows students to communicate with one another and use their joint knowledge to problem solve and arrive at a well-supported conclusion. In addition, while attending science department meetings there has been an increased emphasis on the utilization of the Next Generation Science Standards which promote inquiry based learning. Therefore, this lesson was designed to meet NYS Living Environment Core Curriculum Standards, NYS Common Core Standards, and the Next Generation Science Standards. This lesson supports the following NYS Physical Setting/Chemistry Core Curriculum Standards: + Standard 1: Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions. » Key Idea 1 (Scientific Inquiry): The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of natural phenomena in a continuing and creative process. > Key Idea 1 (Engineering Design): Engineering design is an iterative process involving modeling and ‘optimization (finding the best solution within given constraints); this process is used to develop Half Hollow Hills School District Page | of 3technological solutions to problems within given constraints, + Standard 6: Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply themes to these and other’ areas of learning. » Key Idea 2: Models are simplified representations of objects, structures or systems used in analysis, explanation, interpretation, or design. + Standard 4: Students will understand and apply sclentific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science. » Key Idea 3: Matter is made up of particles whose properties determine observable characteristics and its reactivity. This lesson incorporates the following NYS Common Core Standards: + CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 9-10 texts and topics + CSS. ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.3: Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text. This lesson was designed to support the following NGSS Science and Engineering Practice, + Developing and Using Models: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations: Modeling in 9-12 builds on K-8 ‘experiences and progresses to using, synthesizing, and developing models to predict and show relationships among variables between systems and their components in the natural and designed worlds. » Develop and use a mode! based on evidence to illustrate the relationships between systems or between components of a system. (HS-LS1-2) « Use a model based on evidence to illustrate the relationships between systems or between components of a system. (HS-LS1-4), (HS-LS1-5),(HS-LS1-7) How do these goals relate to broader curiculum goals inthe discipline as a whole or in other disciplines? (Component 1c) NYS Common Core ELA standards for science focus on students’ ability to use domain specific words to cite evidence in support of analysis of scientific information. This lesson supports disciplines other than science, such as English because the do now and the conclusion questions of the lab will require students to recognize a trend and come up with an explanation for that trend, There is a lot of handwritten composition involved in this lesson, as opposed to yes or no questions, What difficulties do students typically experience in this area, and how do you plan to anticipate these difficulties? (Component 1a) When I speak with my colleagues in the chemistry department, they state that one of the hardest things about teaching chemistry is that the content is very abstract and students have a difficult time visualizing the concepts. Therefore, this lesson allows students an opportunity to create a visual model which they can reference in future lessons. Furthermore, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, some common misconceptions about trends in the periodic table is that Atomic radius increases with increasing atomic ‘number and mass. To address this misconception, students will be asked to explain a trend relating atomic number to atomic radius. What instructional materials or other resources, if any, wll you use? (Attach sample materials you will be using in the lesson.) (Component. ad) Instructional materials for this lesson will include: + Do now (1 copy per student) + Modeling Periodic Table Trends Using Straws (1 copy per student) Exit Ticket (1. copy per student) Edited Reference table with assigned trend (1 copy per lab group) Scissors (6 per lab group) Metric rulers (6 per lab group) Straws (~35 straws per lab group) + Hot glue gun (1 per lab group) Half Hollow Hills School District Page 2 of 3+ 1 red cup (1 per lab group) + 1 green cup (1 per lab group) + Projector + Computer If applicable, describe how the planning of this lesson reflects recommendations made during prior informal/formal observations and prafessional conversations. wa “Teacher Comments Teacher comments pertaining to observation setting. List any Items you might want to call to the attention of the Administrator + Room 747 is occupied every period prior to St" period. Therefore, the back of the lab benches should be set up with all necessary materials in prior to the lesson, however, if another teacher who utilizes the room needs the space, the materials will need to be distributed to the lab groups during the lesson. + A student in this class recently underwent surgery to his shoulder. He has a 5-minute pass to his next class, A classmate usually helps him carry his belongings. Therefore, both students may leave 5 minutes before the bell rings at the end of the period. If they are unable to complete their exit ticket within the allotted time, they will complete it the following day. Observational Focus (optional): wa Half Hollow Hills School District Page 3 of 3Half Hollow Hills School District Building Formal Lesson Plan sd 10/11/2016 14/10/2016 Jeffery Woodberry 11/2/2016 Initial Non Tenure Desired Results ‘What are the goals for the lesson? Many chemistry students end up memorizing the trends for ionization energy, electronegativity, and atomic radius down a group and across a period in the periodic table of elements as opposed to understanding the reasons why these trends exist. The goal of this lesson is for students to be able to create a 3-dimensional models representing 3 different trends in the periodic table of elements and understand why these trends exist. If students are able to create a model with their own hands to visualize the 3 trends, they will be more likely to recall that knowledge in later units. What do you want students to know, understand and be able to do? ‘Students will know that... + Electronegativity is an atom’s attraction for electrons, + Electronegativity increases across the periodic table from left to right, and decreases down the periodic table from top to bottom. + Atomic radius is the size of an atomic which is measured from the nucleus to the outer edge of the electron cloud. + Atomic radius decreases across the periodic table from left to right, and increases down the periodic table from top to bottom: + Ionization energy is the amount of energy required to remove an electron from an atom measure in kilojoules (3). + Tonization energy increases across the periodic table from left to right, and decreases down the periodic table from top to bottom. Students will understand that. + The placement or location of elements on the Periodic Table gives an indication of physical and chemical properties of that element. + Electronegativity increases across the periodic table because the nucleus pulls the electrons tighter due to a greater nuclear charge. Electronegativity decreases down the periodic table because electrons are less attracted to the nucleus due to shielding, + Tonization energy increases across the periodic table because they are held tightly by the nucleus due to a stronger nuclear charge. Ionization energy decreases down the periodic table because atoms get larger and are less attracted to the nucleus due to shielding. + Atomic radius decreases across the periodic table because there is a greater effective nuclear charge as atomic number increases. Atomic radius increases down the periodic table because there are more energy levels in the atom. Students will be able to. + create a visual representation of the following periodic trends: atomic size, ionization energy and electronegativity + compare the three trends in the periodic table by viewing different models. How does this lesson fit with a larger unit? Unit 4 in Regents Chemistry Is dedicated completely to the periodic table of elements. Students study the history of the periodic table, how it’s organized, and the trends that exist in the table. It is important for students to have very strong foundational knowledge about the trends now because later, in unit 5, we will study chemical bonding. Ionization energy and electronegative, two trends defined and discussed in this unit, will indicate how evenly or unevenly atoms will share electrons in chemical bonds. If students are able to achieve the objectives of this lesson, there will be a better chance that they will be more successful in our Half Hollow Hills Schoo! District Page | of 3unit on chemical bonding, {Learning Plan How do you plan to engage students inthe content? ENGAGE: As students enter the classroom, they will view the directions for the do now, daily agenda, and lesson objectives which will be projected on the screen. Students know to pick up a do now on their Way into the classroom, After the bell, a couple of announcements will be made and the directions for the do now will be explained. Students will be given a couple of minutes to complete the do now. When finished, the whole class will review the answers to the do now. The do now asks students to define the word “trend” and give an example of a trend. The do now specifies that the trend does not need to be science related because I would like students to make a real world connection. Research shows that students are more likely to remember a lesson if it can be related to something outside of school. It is difficult to do so with this unit, but, the do now strives to create a connection, What will you do? ENGAGE: As students enter the classroom I will project the directions for the do now, daily agenda, and ‘objectives for the lesson. As students enter, I like to greet them and remind them to take a do now. If any students were absent the previous day, I use this time to give them any materials they missed. When the bell rings I usually make general announcements about upcoming assessments, homework assignments and/or labs. After, I will explain the directions for the do now. As students work on the do now, 1 will circulate, answer any questions they may have, and assess their progress. When the majority of students have finished, the do now will be reviewed and discussed as a whole group. EXPLORE: After the do now, I will ask a student to summarize our current unit. I will use this as an ‘opportunity to introduce the day's activity. The lab activity will be distributed and student volunteers will be called on to read the introduction of the activity loud. I will explain the procedure to the group and answer any questions students may have. Then I will instruct students to move to the back lab tables and begin working on the lab with their groups. As students complete the activity 1 will walk around to make sure all students are an task, following the procedure, and answer any questions they have. EXPLAIN: After students have finished constructing the model of their assigned trend, signaled by switching the cup on the lab bench from red to green, they will be asked to rotate to a new lab bench to observe a model of a different trend. I will ensure that students complete the transition and walk around to make sure they using the models to answer the conclusion questions located in the back of the lab. ELABORATE: After students have had an opportunity to view each one of the three models in this activity, I will ask them to return to their seats and reflect on their learning. I will ask if we could have created another model for any ather trends in the periodic table and what the trend would be. It is my hope that someone raises their hand and discusses the trend In atomic number and atomic mass. EVALUATE: If students have been given enough time to successfully complete the entire activity, I will instruct students to pass up their labs and use their responses to the conclusion questions as evidence to determine if they have met the objectives of the lesson. After, I will distribute an exit ticket and collect it from students as they exit the classroom. The exit tickets will allow me to determine how they feel about what they learned, What wil the students do? ENGAGE: As students enter the classroom the directions for the do now, daily agenda, and objectives for the lesson will be projected. Students will view the slide, obtain a do now, det seated and start working on the do now. When the bell rings they will listen to some general announcements about upcoming assessments, homework assignments and/or labs. After, they will be given more time to complete the do now. When the majority of students have finished, students will be called on to share their responses to the do now. EXPLORE: Aiter the do now, a student will be selected to summarize our current unit of study. Students will receive the lab packet and a student will be selected to read the introduction aloud. Students will follow along as the procedure of the lab is explained by the teacher. Once the directions are clear, the students will move to the back of the lab table to complete the activity. Each group will be assigned a periodic table trend, Students will work as a group to measure, cut, and glue straws of various lengths to an edited version of the periodic table. The pattern of the length of the straws will represent the assigned trend. When finished, students will answer the conclusion questions that pertain to their trend and switch their cup from red to green. EXPLAIN: Students will follow instructions as they move to new lab groups and view models on a new trend. Students will answer the questions pertaining to the new trend they are observing. When finished, students will rotate lab groups one last time so that the models on all three trends have been observed. ELABORATE: Students will return to their seats and to reflect on their learning. Students will answer questions about other trends that exist in the periodic table. Students will explain what the straw mode! Half Hollow Hills School District Page 2 of 3would look like for the trends they come up with, EVALUATE: If students have been given enough time to successfully complete the entire activity, students will turn in their lab and the answers they provide will be used as evidence to determine if they have met the learning objectives. After, students will complete an exit ticket to further reflect on their learning during the day's lesson. When the bell rings, students will hand in their exit ticket on the way out, Assigned Evidence How do you plan to assess student achievement of the goals? What procedures will you use? (Use Upload Files on the Track Assignment view to include any tests or performance tasks, with rubrics or scoring guides. After Upload, use the edit button to put Lesson Plan in the File Description field.) How do you plan to use the results of the assessment? Students’ progress in meeting the learning objectives will be frequently assessed throughout the entirety of this lesson. The purpose of the do now is to informally assess the students’ recollection of information presented to them in the prior lesson. If the students are hesitant to participate in the discussion of the do how and/or responding with incorrect information, I will ask the class to open up their note-books to review the information from previous lessons. The student lab packets will be completed and handed in at the end of the period if students are able to complete the activity within the allotted time. If they are not, T will allowr extra class time to complete the activity and the lab will be handed in later. I will evaluate student responses to the questions in the lab for quality, completeness, and student participation according to the lab rubric If there seems to be a common error among the majority of students, I will utilize the next instructional day to scaffold main ideas. This will be achieved through additional practice regents questions about the trends. discussed in the activity. If there is a student who is clearly struggling as evidenced by their responses in the lab, I will talk to the student in private, communicate my concerns, and encourage them to attend extra help when they are available. I will also follow up with an email to the parent sharing my concerns and recommendation for attendance at extra help. I have found that students achieve greater success when everyone is involved and acts as a team. The exit ticket is the last piece of evidence that will allow me to determine if students have met the learning objectives of the lesson. If a student indicates that they need additional practice, they will be provided with that opportunity in class the following day. If a student indicates that they are extremely confused, I will have a discussion with them and their parent/guardians about attending extra help sessions. Half Hollow Hills Schoo! District Page 3 of 3Half Hollow Hills School District Building Formal Post Observation “Teacher Bung 3825 Danielle Talleur HS East (061) S Lesson Plan Content. T. Did the students learn what you intended for them to learn? What evidence do you have to support this? Students in this class were successful in meeting all of the learning objectives bases upon evidence gathered during and following the lesson. In the beginning of the lesson, the do now served as a warm-up activity to get students thinking about the definition of a trend. Many students volunteered to share their definitions and add to a classmate’s definition. The majority of responses included the word “pattern” or “something that repeats.” These definitions were helpful because within the Periodic Table of elements, there are patterns based on certain characteristics, This was used as an opportunity to review the trends discussed in class the previous day. Students were asked to define atomic radius and ionization energy. At first, not many students raised their hands, so I encouraged them to take out their notes and look back ‘The student lab packets for the laboratory activity were collected at the end of the double period on the same day, and utilized as a piece of formative assessment. The quality of responses recorded by students in this lab provided me with addition evidence that students were successful in meeting the learning objectives. Students were able to successfully define atomic radius and ionization energy during the observed lesson Following the observation, a brief lesson took place In which electronegativity was discussed. As a result of the model, students were’ able to identify the trend for electronegativity without knowing what it was. Once I gave them a definition, students were able to justify the trend on their own, without any help from me. One student wrote, “Electronegativity increases (as you move across the periodic table] because electrons become more attracted to the nucleus because there is a greater nuclear charge across the period,” and “Electronegativity decreases [as you move down a group] because the atom’s attraction for electron’s decreases due to shielding.” Students were also very successful in their justification for atomic radius and ionization energy too. ‘The final piece of evidence I gathered during the observed lesson was an exit ticket. The exit ticket structed students to engage in reflection of their own learning. One student said that one of the most important things they learned today was that, "Many trends exist on the periodic table,” another said "Nobel gases have no electronegativity.” When asked how students felt they are doing for each portion of today’s lesson, most students said “I get it, but, I could use more practice,” and 100% of students said that overall, they felt like they walked out of the door achieving today’s learning objectives. As a result, the following instructional day will be devoted to giving students an opportunity to practice answering questions on the trends of the periodic table. 2, To what extent were your goals and objectives appropriate for your students? Most of the goals and objectives of this lesson were appropriate for my students. The objectives and goals related to electronegativity were not appropriate in the beginning of the activity, because I was not able to discuss electronegativity with them prior to the observed lesson. Students correctly identified the trend for electronegativity using their models, but, could not define electronegativity or explain the trend during the observation. Therefore, students were successfully in creating a model and using their model to compare the three trends, but, were still working on understanding why electronegativity increases across a period and decreases down a group, Based on student responses recorded on the exit tickets, students felt appropriately challenged, but, requested more practice. Students will have an opportunity for more practice by completing their castle learning homework assignment and by completing review materials in class the following instructional day. 3, Please comment on different aspects of your instructional delivery. To what extent were they effective? What would you do differently to improve the lesson? Include comments specific to Activities, Grouping of Students, and Materials and Resources. Activities: This laboratory activity was very helpful to students as we are discussing periodic trends. Prior to this activity, students had to rely on pictorial representations of the trend for atomic radius and didn’t have a visual representation for the other trends. As a result of this activity, students were actively engaged in creating models of the trends. Many students said on the exit ticket that the lab was their favorite part of today’s lesson because it gave them a good visual. One student said "My favorite part of today’s lesson was seeing the completed trend because I am a visual learner.” Half Hollow Hills School District Page | of 3Although the activity was very helpful, it was definitely more appropriate for a double period, not a single period. I felt pressured to move students along while they were cutting and pasting their straws. This may have led to one group incorrectly measuring the length of a straw representing sodium's electronegativity When I noticed, I asked the group to double check their data, and the students quickly trimmed the length of the straw to the appropriate height 1 felt as though I carefully walked around and monitored student progress, checking for their understanding with some questions about thelr assigned trend. This was a very student driven lesson with minimal focus on the teacher. I would improve this lesson by devoting a double period to this activity. Grouping of Students: The students were assigned to lab groups based on mixed level abilities as well as, who typically works well with whom. I placed students in groups to form 5 lab groups because there are 5 lab stations in the classroom. I usually like to have 6 lab groups because I feel as though students work better in smaller groups, but, the classroom does not allow for this. Although I would like the lab groups to be smaller, I feel as though there was effective collaboration among students. During the period following the observation, the students displayed positive collaborative and communication skills as they worked together to justify the trends observed through the models. Materials and Resources: Prior to students entering the classroom, all supplies were collected and placed into lab caddies and set-up at the lab tables. This lab involved a lot of materials and having the materials organized into a lab caddy for each lab group saved instructional time. I also had the hot glue guns plugged in and warm before the students went to their lab stations so they could begin right away. Instead of taking the time to gather the materials, students were able to jump right into the procedure of the lab activity. In the future, I would like to utilize a peg board with pre-drilled holes. This would save even more time because students wouldn't have to glue the straws down to the paper and wait for the glue to dry and could also be re-used from year to year. 4, Please comment on your classroom procedures, student conduct, and your use of physical space. To what extent did these contribute to student learning? Each day as the students enter the classroom they follow a routine. The do now, daily agenda, and objectives for the lesson are displayed on the screen as students enter the classroom. Students are aware that they are expected to read the screen for instructions. Students begin working independently on the do now before the bell even rings each day. After some time has passed, students know that the do now will be reviewed. Even though it is first period and most students are still very tired, I am pleased with the level of participation in this class. High levels of class participation indicate that students are comfortable enough in the class environment to take risks and answer a question even if they might be wrong. During conferences, many parents stated that their student likes the class which is great to hear because it is usually one of the most difficult classes academically due to its abstract nature. In addition to having a classroom procedure for entering the classroom, students also have a classroom procedure for moving to the back of the classroom to begin working on iaboratory activities. Each student knows the members of their lab groups and where their lab group meets. Having these classroom procedures in place and followed since the first day of school minimizes loss of instructional time end creates structure. In this class, students truly work fram bell to bell The physical space in the classroom is somewhat challenging. When students are seated at their desks, there is a gap in the middle of the room. This gap allows me to easily walk through the rows to assess student understanding on independent activities, such as do nows. Because the room is small and there are 28 students in the class, students can sometimes be crowded at the lab benches which is not ideal, but, we make it work! 5. Did you alter your plan? If so, how, and why? 1 did need to alter my original plan for this lesson. I was not able to discuss electronegativity with students prior to completing this activity. As a result, I told students to skip questions 2, 8, and 9 for now because they were questions about electronegativity. Students were able to construct the model for the trend of electronegativity, but, were unable to define it and justify the trend. I was also unable to have students rotate in order to view the other models because there was insufficient time left in the period In the period that followed the observation, electronegativity was defined and students were able to complete questions 2, 8, and 9. In addition, students were given time to move to the other lab areas and View the other models to compare the three trends in the periodic table, This lesson was definitely more appropriate as a double period activity rather than a single period ‘Teacher Comments “Teacher comments pertaining to observation setting. List any lems you might want to call to the attention of the Administrator. wa Observational Focus (optional): wa Half Hollow Hills School District Page 2 of 3