Brad Ciaramitaro-Science-Sharks and Perches Dissection

3/15/24
Observation

Welcome class-quick welcome and overview of the class. Try not to talk over kids-ask them loudly to
listen up or to be quiet. Otherwise it sets the tone that your voice isn’t the one in charge. You have
students put phones away-very good. And give them the carrot of letting them use it to take pictures of
the dissection. Efficient use of time having them get papers and put phones away while taking
attendance. GREAT JOB getting them to quiet down as you are getting their attention back. You found
the balance of being assertive and being dominating-that can be a hard space to find.

Conversational review is natural and you appear confident. Pulling kids in with a few questions-all great
teaching practices.

Dissection terms-this would be really helpful if you add in a picture of each term as you go over it-and
even HOW it works-this deepens the learning and will allow students of different learning styles to grasp
the information.

Perch Facts- on title page I would put a picture of perch. Notes-creating a guided note sheet for this
section is a tier 1 intervention that would assist in student learning and not require as much writing
which would give space for more active listening. Including a visual of pray and even what you mean by
light to hunt-an image of lit water.

**As a new teacher it will feel very overwhelming to create guided notes for each class, each lesson. It
will be a good idea to challenge yourself to create one or two a week. After a few semesters of teaching
the course you will have high quality guide notes/work sheets that you are able to edit/adjust.** When
I was in the classroom I would revisit my notes and presentation after I taught the lesson and make
minor adjustments and always before-I would add or alter my presentations frequently-keeping content
fresh and always finding new and better videos/visuals. This allowed me to review the lesson and
deepen my own understanding of the content as well as making sure that I was offering my students.

Notes-Great information! My biggest suggestion is to add visuals. Allowing students to see what they
are learning allows them to understand it better-and for a lower level learner, visuals are the number
one way they learn. I would add a picture of the fish, food source, breeding ground, eggs, external
fertilization, lit water. Really any concept that you want them to understand. Even a short video of a
perch swimming, eating, laying eggs, etc. These will make the info come alive for students.

Turn and talk-walking around and engaging with students (even just observing them) holds them
accountable to staying on task , allows you to check for understanding and fosters positive relationships
between you and students. I don’t see students taking notes during this-is this something that they are
accountable for?

Perch Diagram-did you create this? Very nice.

Respiratory system of perch and swim bladder-I would spend more time on this or any new info (unless
it is information that they already know and just applied to the perch). This is really cool information
and has the potential to be a core science memory for many of these students. As you teach and
reteach this unit in your own classroom you will naturally gain more knowledge and talking points to
really illustrate the info. This class is cool because these kids are science lovers- so you can really go
deep into some of these things. Again-the complexity and vibrance of notes and lecturing increases
each time you teach the unit. You have a great base knowledge of the info-and have a natural way of
presenting it. This is HUGE in the beginning of your career.

**Give them count downs “ 10 minutes left”-so they and you aren’t scrambling at the end. Telling them
before they start “at 7:20 you must start cleaning” so they can watch time.

**In your own classroom it would be very productive to spend an entire day at the beginning of the
semester establishing and practicing lab clean up and set up procedures-have them practice
washing/drying/wiping, etc. You demo first and then have them do it. I taught foods and nutrition for
16 years and would spend the entire first week explaining, demoing and having students practice all
safety and cleaning practices that they would use during the year. It will pay off for the rest of the
year.**

Good use of your teacher voice at the end to get them to clean up.