Rocky Manzanet

McAvoy

THP 311

November 12, 2019

Peer Lab Observation

1. Today’s lesson was done by Sara Louise, Albert Johnston, and Will Blankemeier. The

title of the lab was “Discovering Gratefulness and Tradition through Thanksgiving.” The

lab centered around the themes of Thanksgiving and the holiday season.

2. I believe all the objectives were all met through the lesson today. The theatre objectives

were met through the tableau and introduction game. In addition, the gratefulness and

Thanksgiving objectives were met through lots of discussion and the book we read. The

main idea was very clearly stated at the beginning of the lesson.

3. The leaders’ instruction was very engaging and met with so much positive energy. Albert

began the lesson with great presence, volume, and kindness which made us all want to

get started right away. In addition, most of the time the group said things like, “y’all,”

and “parental guardians” which wonderfully fostered full inclusion within the group. We

did four activities which all related to one another and had lots of reflection throughout.

4. Throughout the lesson, each member smoothly transitioned to the next, making

instructions fluid and used all of the time. The timing of all three activities were well

apportioned. Their understanding as a group of how the lesson went was clear and no one

stepped over the other in practice. I did not know there was going to be final activity, so

the extra time was notable, but not so early that they dragged out any one activity that I

could tell.
5. The sidecoaching within the group was super fun and playful which helped me get into

the spirit of an elementary school kid. They could have used a bit more instruction in the

tableau activity on the requirements, but they made up for it by checking on each group

and telling us how great the progress was. The monitoring was obvious and not too

overbearing. I think they could have done a bit more coaching in terms of how much time

was left, but we all seemed to grasp time better than 3rd graders would.

6. The attention grabbers were unique and great for 3rd graders which was perfectly used for

such a social activity. I appreciated the overall generalization to the holiday theme and

season as opposed to a strict, American idea of how Thanksgiving is sometimes

portrayed. The inclusion practices mentioned above really made the instructors seem

active in caring for the group. The only thing that did not work was the four corner ideas

for asking us to move, and then having others switch groups. I wish they would have

created two groups for family rather than assign them new topics which could be unfair

to a group of 3rd graders.

7. I think from the very start, the intro game was really fun and involved drama by the

sounds and gestures we were allowed to do. I think Albert’s example was silly enough to

truly break the ice which made me feel more comfortable and creative when it came to

my turn. The tableau game in addition was active in getting us involved because there

was the perfect amount of time for us to think, discuss, and then perform in more

complex ways than just one.

8. The linkage here was that this lesson can be really adapted for any holiday or seasonal

time of year through means of drama and English to start. In practice, I love the idea of

sharing your similarities to others by vocal or physical action rather than just stating it. In
 pedagogy, this really widens the span of how we, as teachers, can approach topics we

may be hesitant about because of our own biases in holiday time.

9. Reflection was found after the book, in the tableau, and in the turkey drawings which I

felt was one activity repetitive. I think the reminders were positive and great, but could

have built upon one another a bit more for a group of students who need a bit of a

challenge. However, the theme was relevant and sparked lots of internal reflection which

I believe is so healthy in schooling.

10. If I were to teach this lesson, I would think about how to incorporate very minimal

elements of the history of Thanksgiving into it. For example, I may talk about the peace

between the American settlers and the Native Americans and may have partner groups to

create a joint tradition. In addition, I would use the drawing reflection to expand upon

themes of gratitude for the next day, month, or year.