HALF HOLLOW HILLS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

TEACHERS PRE-OBSERVATION FORM

NAME MRS. COURTNEY FREER

SCHOOL/ ADMINISTRATOR WEST HOLLOW MS /DR. M. K.

STRONG
DATE

OF

PRE-CONFERENCE: 10/7/16

DATE / TIME

OF

OBSERVATION: 10/13/16, PD.

6, 12:14-1:00PM
GRADE LEVEL /6
INTEGRATED ENGLISH

C URRICULUM AREA OBSERVED

1.
B There are 22 students in this class. There are 12 females and
riefly describe the
10 males. Of the students enrolled in this particular class, 5 are
students in this class,
English Language Learners, 3 females and two males. Of the
including those with
five students, one is a second-year Commanding (Level 5)
special needs? How have student, one student is Expanding (Level 4), one is
you used this information Transitioning (Level 3), one is Emerging (Level 2) and one is an
to plan for this lesson?
Entering student (Level 1) who is new to the country and has
(Component 1b)
been in the U.S. less than six months. The students are from
many different countries and speak many different languages.
They speak Spanish, Haitian Creole, Urdu, and Vietnamese,
respectively.
2.
The goals for the lesson are suitable for this group because
Why
they support both district and state expectations as well as
are these goals suitable
standards. Students will be using their knowledge of the
for this group of
English language, expanding their vocabulary, utilizing the
students? (Component
previously learned topic of annotation. The outcomes are clear
1c)
& rigorous, and take into account each childs specific learning
style and stage of language development while making a
strong connection to the curriculum and standards posed by
both the district as well as the State of New York. It is
imperative to the hold the children accountable to a high
standard, but at the same time support for each child in order
to provide for success at their ability level.
3.
This lesson supports the district priorities and state standards.
How
It is specifically geared toward a Literary unit we have been
does this lesson support working on learning about the different types of literary
district priorities and
devices. This unit includes literary devices such as, symbolism,
state standards?
alliteration, hyperbole, foreshadowing and characterization.
Students will analyze the excerpt My Name from the book
which contains the vignette, The House on Mango Street by
Sandra Cisneros in order to create their own name poem.
4.
One of our major focuses this quarter has been centered on
How
literary devices. Upon the completion of our first grammar unit,

do these goals relate to

broader curriculum
goals in the discipline as
a whole or in other
disciplines?
(Component 1c)

we began a focus on literary devices. Next, we read the

excerpt My Name like a reader. Then we re-read the excerpt
and began instruction on how to annotate and analyze
literature. This is referred to as, reading like a writer. We took
notes on the topic and taught the students how to annotate
and take notes. We will continue the unit with the short story,
Thank You Mam.

5.
What
difficulties do students
typically experience in
this area, and how do
you plan to anticipate
these difficulties?
(Component 1a)

At this level, most of the ENL & some of the Gen. Ed children
tend to have
a difficult time getting themselves started when it comes to
independent work. This sometimes occurs even after we will
model and provide explicit instructions. Therefore, I have taken
this into account when planning the lesson and plans to
scaffold and give visual cues as well as guidance to ensure
understanding of the topic. In addition, I will allow for the use of
translators for students who are new to the country. Students
will be working in groups in order to assist one another with
technology as well as to share ideas. These groups will be
homogenous and tiered. The groups will be planned in
advance. I will be working with the ENL group while Ms. Clark
will be circulating and working with the other groups, focusing
her attention on the lowest tier group.
Lastly, student will be provided a list of character in order for
students to more readily identify them in lessons. Students who
need further support are also welcome to use their annotated
notes from the excerpt.
To develop this lesson I used:
-PowerPoint Prepositions
-The Half Hollow Hills CSD Curriculum for ELA 6th grade
-my knowledge of literary devices
-note taking skills

6.
What
instructional materials
or other resources, if
any, will you use?
(Attach sample
materials you will be
using in the lesson.)
(Component 1d)

7.
If
applicable, describe how
the planning of this
lesson reflects
recommendations made
during prior
informal/formal
observations and
professional
conversations.

The planning of this lesson reflects multiple conversations with

colleagues, specifically my co-teacher, Ms. Marybeth Clark, and
administrators, to align with our individual lessons to be more
rigorous and in tune with the NYS Common Core Standards.

Teacher comments pertaining to observation setting. List any items you might want to call to the
attention of the Administrator.
While teaching, I strive to teach the 4 pillars of ENL instruction which is listening, speaking, reading

and writing of the English Language. However, my lessons also center upon the journey and life
lessons. This is interweaved with historical significance and ELA curriculum as it applies to their other
core classes and their daily lives. I have worked hard to create a comfortable and risk-free
environment in which ENL students feel safe to learn and make mistakes. I scaffold all of my lessons
and review our overall ongoing ideas daily.

HALF HOLLOW HILLS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

TEACHERS LESSON PLAN FORMAT
NAME COURTNEY FREER

DATE OCTOBER 13, 2016

PERIOD / SUBJECT: 6/ INTEGRATED ENGLISH

LESSON / UNIT: LIFE

IN THE

DESIRED RESULTS
What are the goals for the
lesson? What do you want
students to know, understand
and be able to do? How does
this lesson fit with a larger
unit?

TENEMENTS/ IMMIGRATION
The primary goal of this lesson is for students to
familiarize themselves working with Google Classroom
and the new Chromebooks. Additionally, they will apply
their annotation skills utilized when reading My Name
in order to produce their own Name Poem
independently.
Common Core Standards for this unit that apply to this
lesson as well as the unit goals: {specific to this lesson
as well as scaffolded lessons}:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of

standard English grammar and usage when writing or
speaking.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.1.E

Recognize variations from standard English in their

own and others' writing and speaking, and identify
and use strategies to improve expression in
conventional language.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.4.A

Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence

or paragraph; a word's position or function in a
sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or
phrase.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.5

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language,

word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.5.A

Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in

context..
The goals for this lesson fit with a larger unit as well as crosscurricular because students must be able to identify and
utilize the parts of speech in their writing across the subjects.
Additionally, students must be able to fluidly use literary
devices in their writing gain a better understanding of how to
write like a writer. Lastly, this unit & lesson gives students
the opportunity to listen and share their thoughts and ideas
orally in groups, as well as help one another. This helps
students to feel comfortable not only asking the teacher for
assistance, but asking their peers for assistance as well.
LEARNING PLAN
How do you plan to engage
students in the content? What
will you do? What will the
students do?

I have developed PowerPoints, Prezis, worksheets as well

as shorter activities such as mini-lessons in class for this
ongoing Grammar unit on the Parts of Speech & Literary
Devices. Students have just completed reading and
annotating the vignette, My Name and now they will
have had the opportunity to share something about
themselves and assist each other throughout the
process. It is my hope that the students will be engaged
throughout the lesson as well as with one another to
complete the tasks that support the goals for this
lesson.
Firstly, students will be asked to reflect upon a piece of
music that matches the music the characters father
plays in the vignette. Although the lyrics are in Spanish,
students will be asked to make an inference based on
the tone of the speaker and the sound of the
instruments in the background. Then each teacher will
share their name version as a model for students,
displayed on the SmartBoard. Lastly, students will log
onto ChromeBooks, open Google Classroom and begin
working on their own Name Poem independently. They
will be in groups so they can provide assistance and edit
one another while working. This is a transition for the
students into the world of digital writing. All work will be
submitted and graded on Google Classroom.

ASSIGNED EVIDENCE
How do you plan to assess
student achievement of the
goals? What procedures will
you use? (Attach any tests or
performance tasks, with
rubrics or scoring guides.) How
do you plan to use the results
of the assessment?

Students will begin with a Do Now: Listen to the

following Mexican Folk Song. On looseleaf, write down 5
words you would use to describe the mood or tone of
the song. Circulate, Share out. Oral Assessment.
I will assess progress throughout the lesson through
modeling, questioning, and careful monitoring of student
understanding. The culimination of the lesson is the
students turning in their assignment on Google
Classroom. The assignment will be commented on and
graded via a rubric. Grades will also be entered into
Infinite Campus. This will allow for students to have a
digital portfolio of their work for the 2016-2017 school
year. Students will be able to monitor their growth and
progress throughout the year.

HALF HOLLOW HILLS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

TEACHERS POST-OBSERVATION REFLECTION SHEET

NAME OF TEACHER MRS. COURTNEY FREER

NAME OF OBSERVER

DR. M. K. STRONG

DATE OF CONFERENCE: 10/13/16

SCHOOL: WEST HOLLOW MIDDLE SCHOOL

GRADE LEVEL: 6

SUBJECT: INTEGRATED ENGLISH

1.

Did the students learn what you intended for them to learn? What evidence do you have to
support this?
The students learned what was intended. As part of an ongoing unit, focusing on literary devices and the
vignette, My Name by Sandra Cisneros, the lessons focus was on identifying the mood, tone and feeling
associated with the Spanish song that is mentioned in the vignette. Next, students were introduced to the
My Name poem assignment on Google Classroom. Then, Mrs. Clark and I shared our name poems and
lastly, the students got started on theirs. Students worked in small groups after guided instruction and
modeling, and were able to work interdependently in order to support one another in achieving this goal.
Students used the models and the my name poem format which was both in Google Docs and displayed
on their desks. To close, we discussed some of the elements the students included in their poems; as the
students will continue to work on them in class tomorrow. They will use the Turn in feature on Google
Classroom in order to submit their completeled work. Their poem will be graded using a rubric.

2.

To what extent were your goals and objectives appropriate for your students?

The goals for this lesson fit with a larger unit as well as cross-curricular because students were able to
identify and interpret the mood or tone of the song as associated with the vignette. Students were able to
dig deeper after we learned to read like a writer. When students are crafting their poem, they are
utilizing the parts of speech we have learned thus far, and are writing descriptively using visual imagery.
Students are making connections beyond the classroom and writing on a more personal level.

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?
I believe the instructional delivery was effective. Students arrived and were quickly focused and
engaged with the do now. They were able to have some time to think & reflect on the vignette, My
Name, in order to focus them on the days lesson. We were able to model for the students what was
expected and share a bit with them as well. The students had a good amount of time to begin working
on their poem. We were able to circulate and provide assistance. I was able to provide additional
materials to help my ENL students with their writing including adjectives to describe character traits,
feeling charts, and color wheels.
Materials and Resources: We utilized the SmartBoard, Google Classroom and Drive on the new
Dell Chromebooks. They are an excellent resource for students, especially the ENL students who
benefit so much from technology and are able to be a more integral part of our classroom.
Grouping of Students: The students were divided into small, homogenous groups which were well
thought out. The ENL students sat at a table so that I could provide assistance and so they could help one
another.

4. Please comment on your classroom procedures, student conduct, and your use of physical space.
To what extent did these contribute to student learning?
The desks were recently broken up into groups. The students were engaged in their work and there were
no apparent behaviors taking place. The students were focused and able to help one another when
needed. The teachers circulated to provide support.

5. Did you alter your plan? If so, how, and why?

The plan was not altered or changed. It all went according to plan.