Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program

Pre/Observation/Post Cycle Form (POP)

Revised 4.20.17
Directions for Preparation for POP Cycle
1. New Teacher (NT) and Mentor (ME) identify date for lesson observation and set dates/times for pre- and post-observation conferences.
2. Minimum three days before lesson delivery, NT prepares POP Cycle Form.
3. NT completes Section 1: New Teacher Information, lesson plan, and Section 2, Part A NT Reflection.
4. NT emails POP Cycle Form and Lesson Plan to ME.
Directions for Pre-Observation
5. Minimum 48 hours before lesson delivery, ME reviews Lesson Plan and Section 2, Part A: New Teacher Reflection; completes Section 2, Part B: ME Feedback.
6. ME shares feedback with NT during pre-observation conference. Lesson plan is adjusted as needed and finalized for delivery.
Directions for Observation and Preparation for Post-Observation Conference
7. During lesson delivery, ME completes Section 3A: ME Observation of Lesson Delivery, noting both Teacher Actions and Student Actions.
8. Prior to Post-Observation Conference, NT reflects on lesson outcomes and completes Part 3B: NT Reflection on Lesson Delivery.
Post Observation Conference Directions:
9. Within 48 hours, NT and ME share notes; discuss lesson observations and outcomes; complete Section 4. All parts should be transcribed into one document and submitted to course instructor. Information is used for ILP.
Section 1: New Teacher Information
New Teacher Email Subject Area Grade Level
bhopson@nlmusd.k12.ca.u
Ben Hopson Biology 11th
s
Mentor Email School/District Date
sfairchild@nlmusd.k12.ca.u
Shay Fairchild District Office(TOSA)/NLMUSD 10/21/21
s
Content Standard Lesson Objectives Unit Topic Lesson Title
Students will be able to
identify specimens through
HS-LS2-6 Ecology Producers and Consumers
use of microscope and
dichotomous key
CSTP Element(s) Focus for POP Cycle (In semesters 2, 3, 4, copy pertinent elements from ILP for POP Cycle focus.)
1 - Emerging 2 - Exploring 3 - Applying 4 - Integrating 5 – Innovating
NT pedagogical skills are newly formed and just Skills are developing as NT investigates Skills are applied as NT makes increased Skills are refined as NT combines elements Skills are polished as NT expands ability to
coming into prominence and examines pedagogical practices relevant and suitable use of pedagogical into a cohesive and unified pedagogical add new methods and strategies into
choices repertoire pedagogical repertoire
CSTP Element Initial Rating Rating Description (Identify both teacher and student rating for CSTP 1 and 2.)
T - Apply
Connecting subject matter to T - Lead and observe students in productive discussions with each other, providing varied viewpoints.
1.3 S - Apply S - conduct a successful discussion in which all students are heard and listened to.
meaningful, real-life contexts
T - Create project/assignment where students practice skill based on
Demonstrating knowledge of subject
T - Apply knowledge
3.1 matter, academic content standards,
S - Apply S - Students create project/item or succeed in procedure where they
and curriculum frameworks
apply knowledge
Section 2: Pre-Observation Conference
Focus Students Focus Student 1: English Learner Focus Student 2: Student w/ILP/504 Focus Student 3: Your Choice
● Summarize critical needs and how
Student struggles to read scientific/latin-based vocabulary Student has trouble focusing on assignments, wandering away Student excels at taking notes, but struggles to apply
you will address them during this
words and struggles with species names and forgetting lab safety procedures knowledge.
lesson.

Part A: NT Reflection Part B: ME Feedback

Inquiry Focus/Special Emphasis
● What is your inquiry focus and/or special emphasis?
● How will you incorporate the inquiry focus and/or
special emphasis into the lesson?
● What specific feedback do you want from your ME?
Use questions to guide reflection on the lesson plan. Provide feedback on lesson plan reflection.
My focus is to have students make observations, then make predictions based on
those observations, and finally confirm whether or not their prediction was
supported by evidence. This will be supported by Microscopes, real specimens, and
key should be easy to read, pictures may be a
a dichotomous key to identify specimens. I’d like feedback on how many specimens good inclusion.
students should use and the complexity of the key.

Inquiry Focus/Students
● What specific feedback regarding your focus students
do you want from your ME?
Specific Feedback
● What additional specific feedback do you want from
your ME regarding lesson implementation?
Instructional Planning
● How is the lesson structured (opening, body, and
closing)?
● What varied teaching strategies and differentiated
instruction will help students meet lesson goals?
● What progress monitoring strategies will be used? How
will results inform instruction?
Should I provide a key that’s less wordy?
Maybe, pictures should do the trick much
better!
Maybe, but most students understand using
equipment is a privilege. Prepare an alternate
Do you suggest a safety quiz prior to using microscopes?
assignment for students who cannot follow lab
protocol.
Start with a review of Microscope usage, then introduce specimens. explain that
each specimen’s name is hidden, and students must utilize observation skills and a
dichotomous key to properly identify specimens. Students will be able to physically This is great!
manipulate equipment, draw pictures of observations, and use various resources for
identification.

POP Cycle, Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program (FOTIP), 2017. Adapted from CSU Fullerton Titan EDUCATOR Project, 2017. Page 1 of 3
Student Engagement/Learning
● How will you make the lesson relevant to all the
students?
Students will be reminded that this is how ecologists in the field observe specimens, This is important to emphasize! Students feel
they’re using real skills used by scientists.
● How will students show progress towards master of professional when they know this.
lesson objectives?

Classroom Management
● How will you maintain a positive learning environment
with a welcoming climate of caring, respect, and Students will be encouraged to share equipment and give everyone a chance to
fairness? observe, properly handle microscopes. Make sure one student doesn’t do all the work.
● Identify specific classroom procedures and strategies
for preventing/redirecting challenging behaviors.

Closure
We will go over identification together, discuss if a dichotomous key was helpful and
● How will you close your lesson?
● How will you assess student learning and prepare them
how it could be improved. Student identification will be looked at and inform future This will be a great lesson :)
identification activities.
for the next lesson?

Section 3: Observation of Lesson Delivery

EXAMPLE
CSTP 1: Engaging All Students
● In what ways were students
engaged?
Part 3A: ME Observation of Lesson Delivery Part 3B: NT Reflection on
Teacher Actions Student Actions Lesson Delivery
Student groups answered worksheet questions that included all
When teacher reviewed worksheet, she asked additional questions of Students completed the worksheets and were able to ask questions.
levels of Bloom’s (“Identify 6 problem-solving strategies; pick two
analysis and evaluation (“which problem-solving strategy do you Most groups needed revisions for their questions;
strategies and identify at least one similarity and one difference
prefer? How could you create a math problem that could be solved comparison/contrast was the most common analysis question. I
between them”). Groups then selected a strategy and created two
with this strategy?”) need to give them a Bloom’s question stems handout next time.
math problems to exchange tomorrow.

Specific Feedback
● What information can you
provide the NT regarding
requested special
feedback?
Safety Quiz wasn’t given, not sure if Students were already
Students did not take safety quiz
there wasn’t enough time or it was knowledgeable about microscopes,
about microscopes.
purposefully omitted. so safety quiz seems unnecessary.

CSTP 1: Engaging All

Students
● In what ways were
students engaged? How
were students not
engaged?
● How did students
contribute to their
learning?
● How did teacher and/or
students monitor learning?
● How were the focus
students engaged and
supported throughout the
lesson?
Teacher went over Plankton species,
their place in the aquatic ecosystem.
Went over Microscope use, and Students were looking at
Students had trouble using the
introduced the Dichotomous Key. Set microscopes, making observations.
dichotomous key but were experts at
up lab very well, asking questions to Students sketched observations, used
microscope usage.
engage prior learning. Went to each Dichotomous key to identify species.
lab group to check up on process,
guide students.

CSTP 2: Effective Learning

Environment Teacher was very patient and Students assisted each other in lab,
● How did students and
teacher contribute to an
forgiving with lab practices, guided took turns practicing microscope This is a great learning environment!
effective learning students who were confused by key skills and observing specimens.
environment?

CSTP 3: Organizing Subject

Matter
● What actions of the NT
contributed to student
assimilation of subject Students practiced skills by using
Students had challenges using the
matter? Going over previous assignment, equipment (microscopes) along with
● How did students dichotomous key. Do they need more
construct knowledge of activating prior knowledge dichotomous key to identify species
subject matter? practice?
● What misconceptions did
of plankton
students have and how
were they addressed by
the teacher?

POP Cycle, Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program (FOTIP), 2017. Adapted from CSU Fullerton Titan EDUCATOR Project, 2017. Page 2 of 3
CSTP 4: Learning
Experiences Translated Dichotomous key supplied, Students all viewed specimens, drew
● How were students
supported through
lab groups specifically created to observations. Students worked Students seemed to learn a lot, even
differentiated instruction? support struggling students. Wording together to identify species through though they were confused at first.
● How did students
participate? on keys changed based on reading dichotmous key. Lots asked Review was necessary.
● How did the NT contribute level. questions.
to student learning?

CSTP 5: Assessing Student

Learning
● How did students
demonstrate achievement
Students did and corrected key to
of lesson objectives? Teacher reviewed and went over lots of students had trouble with this
● In what ways did students make sure they had correctly
struggle or demonstrate assignment to reinforce learning. assignment, needs more scaffolding?
limited understanding? identified species
● What teacher actions
contributed to student
achievement?

Section 4: Post Observation Conference

To what degree did students
achieve lesson objectives?
To what degree did focus
students achieve lesson
objectives?
What would you do differently
next time?
Students got good practice, but didn’t entirely grasp the concept
Focus Student 1: English Learner Focus Student 2: Student w/ILP/504 Focus Student 3: Your Choice
Student had translated version of
little focus, student thrived lots of focus, had trouble
DIchotomous key
get students more ready to use key

What were three top Lesson

Strengths? Use of equipment, combining skills, Being in lab

What were three top areas for

improvement? scaffolding, differentiating instruction, timing of lesson

What are next steps? plan scaffolding, tie dichtomous key into further skills in unit

Other Comments/Notes

This was a good lesson overall, but needs either more time to practice skills or to be done over multiple days.

All parts of this form should be transcribed (typed; not hand-written) into a single document and submitted to course instructor.
Information from this POP Cycle should be summarized on the NT ILP as appropriate.

POP Cycle, Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program (FOTIP), 2017. Adapted from CSU Fullerton Titan EDUCATOR Project, 2017. Page 3 of 3