Biology

Classroom Environment:
Physical setup:
- Well organized
- Do now posted-difficult to read due to glare
- Agenda posted
- Learning objectives posted
- Student work posted
- Class rules and expectations
- Agenda on whiteboard as students enter the classroom
You are very strategic and intentional about the way in which your room is set up. Everything
has a purpose. You do a great job of setting procedures and guidelines just by the way your
room is set up.

Start of Class:
As students began to arrive, you greeted them at the door and reminded them to begin the do
now as they enter the room. These directions were often student specific as the some students
were in different points in the curriculum. The purpose of you at the door was more about
guiding the students to the work rather than welcoming them to your class. I would encourage
you in the future to think about ways in which you could incorporate both. It will set a tone of
positivity and show the students they are welcome in your classroom, while simultaneously
directing them to their work.

Do Now:
Questions:
1. How many chromosomes do you think are found in human sex cells?
2. What do you think would happen if sex cells did not have the correct number of
chromosomes?

After the class entered the room, you proceeded to give directions for the day. You told them to
take out their notes and begin working on the “do now”. I would spend some time on the
essential questions before your directions and focus on the objectives. Then instruct the
students to begin their do now. You do an incredible job posting objective, draw attention to
them. Do you have a set time for the do now? Maybe set a timer for the students? It would help
with accountability. After the time was done, you began to review the do now questions. Many
of the students did not know the answers but you did a good job of asking clarifying questions
and being positive to help them arrive at an answer. Even when students got the answer wrong,
you remained positive and supported them.
Start of Lesson: Direct instruction
Essential question was posted in the powerpoint and reviewed. This is excellent, thank you for
making this part of your lesson. Your lecture you included prefixes to help the students
remember the difference between the two types of cells. During the lecture, you moved around
the classroom and used proximity as a tool for accountability. It was evident that you were
intentional about where you were moving in your class. This shows awareness of your students
and who you need to support and hold accountable. As part of your direct instruction strategy,
you give the students an opportunity to fill in the boxes. Direct instruction began at 10:55 and
lasted until 11:15. This is a reasonable amount of time for teacher talk. You made use of
higher order thinking questions throughout the lecture: “Why don't they have 46 chromosomes?”
You made them think about why 46 is the correct amount. When they struggled you gave them
a clarifying questions. One thing to think about in the future is that the same students seem to
be volunteering their answers. Think about ways to get all your students involved. I did observe
that some of the students seem to have a hard time following along with the notes. You also
picked up on this and assisted students to get them caught up. You give students an opportunity
to ask questions during your lessons. You made strong mental models and connections. This
was evident when you connected “homo” with gay and meaning same. Your proximity is strong-
constantly checking in on students and their work. This is as strong way to hold students
accountable. Throughout your lesson, you continually hit on the main point of meiosis making
half of the chromosomes.

Gummy Worm Activity: Application

Student manipulatives- gummy worms to help the students better understand the concept of
meiosis. The students were given two different color gummy worms for the activity. You gave a
breakdown of the activity on the board along with a key, indicating importing details to
understand the activity. You modeled what the students should be doing on the board. This is a
great teaching strategy that clarifies any questions students may have about the lesson.

Question prompts:
How many types of sex cells do you have? How many versions?

Without crossing over, how many sex cells did we create?

I wonder how you could put more of the learning on the students. It’s good that they are using
manipulatives, but I would challenge you step off the stage for this activity and put the learning
on the students. Allow them to work in groups or pairs and experiment a bit. When you did the
crossing over section of the activity, it was clear that students became confused. I would allow
the students to have that “productive struggle” and give them an opportunity to work with others
and get feedback.
Deck of cards activity- partners are possible

Directions for the activity are clearly posed on the board. I would suggest modeling this activity
at least one time. There seemed to be some confusion around this activity. If you demonstrated
it to the class you wouldn't have to continually have to repeat yourself. This is a strong activity
for students to visually understand your lesson. I would really encourage you to release the
students to tool around and discuss in groups or partners.

Strengths:
Intentionality- You are very strategic with everything you do in your classroom. This was
evident from the moment I walked in. The physical set of the room was setup was made in
purpose. Every part of your lesson was planned and with an end in mind.

Pedagogy- Your teaching methods and strategies are very strong. During the 45 minutes I saw
the following:
1. Direct instruction
2. Higher order thinking questions
3. Modeling
4. Proximity
5. Manipulatives
6. Kinesthetic instruction
7. Blended learning

Questions to consider for the future:

1. How can you become more of a facilitator of instruction vs. the person always giving?
2. How can you empower your students to lead and collaborate more in the classroom?