Literacy Lesson Observation, Reflection, & Recommendations

Location: LES Date: March 20th, 2024

Grade Level: 1st Grade

Topic or Focus of Lesson: Identifying Main Idea in a Nonfiction Text

Objectives: What objectives were apparent in the lesson? If there was a lesson plan
available, did the objectives in the plan match the ones you observed being taught?

Lesson Objectives: I can identify the main idea in a nonfiction text.

The lesson plan was printed and posted outside of the classroom. The posted lesson plan
and objectives directly connected to the lesson. Students were choral reading a
nonfiction, grade level text with the teacher, and then identifying details and the main
idea.

Teaching: What did you see the teacher do? What teaching techniques were used? Pay
attention to materials, grouping options, instructional strategies, pacing…

Teacher was connecting vocabulary words from a grade level text to what the class had
been learning in Science about seasons. The teacher also previewed vocabulary words
from the text (learn, think, remember, concentrate).

The teacher reviewed main idea using an umbrella anchor chart. The anchor chart was
displayed at the back of the classroom. The umbrella represented the main idea and three
water drops represented the details.

He introduced the text, “Thumbs Up for Art and Music” and set the purpose for reading
“we are reading to find details that support our main idea that art and music is important.”

Teacher ensured students were pointing together and reading with the teacher (choral
read).

Teacher pointed out “word of the week” “because” and had students circle it in their text.
He connected the word because in the story to the writing focus of the week (opinion
writing)

Teacher pointed out vocabulary words in the text as they came up.

Teacher pointed out compound word (teamwork).

At the conclusion of the text, students connected the passage to their learning about Main
Idea with an anchor chart.
Teacher modeled highlighted one of the details from the text that supported the Main Idea
(Music and art is important).

Teacher modeled filling out a graphic organizer identifying the Main Idea and details
from the text.

Teacher assisted students in filling out a vocabulary fill-in-the-blank using the words
from the beginning of the lesson and the text.

Teacher had a nice closure to the lesson by referring to the vocabulary from the lesson,
reviewing Main Idea using the anchor chart, and reviewing finding details in the text.

Students: What were the students doing? How were they engaged in the learning? Were
they engaged in the learning? Any off-task behaviors?

Level 1 ESL student initially not engaged in text because it is above instructional level –
however, corrected behavior and attempted to point and choral read.

Student with focus difficulties got off track with the correct pages. He was not focused
and was not able to keep up with the class. He frequently spent the whole time trying to
find the correct page in the story and did not follow along or read the text.

Students got out a highlighter and followed along with the teacher to highlight the Main
Idea that is repeated in the text (art is important… music is important…) and then also,
went through to highlight the details.

After the first 10 minutes, some students were losing focus and chit-chatting.

Students observed teacher filling out graphic organizer at the back of the classroom that
had the same outline as the anchor chart.

Students copied teacher work filling in the blank for vocabulary review.

Interesting observations: What did you see that was interesting, unusual, surprising…?

Students were all engaged and following along – even level 1 ESL learners and students
with focus difficulties.

Three level 1 ESL students missed part of Shared Reading due to pullout schedule. The
scheduling has been a challenge this year making sure students receive their intervention
services, and ensuring they are in the classroom for Tier 1 instruction.

Questions you have after the lesson about the teacher, teaching techniques, students,
content of the lesson, literacy learning, literacy instruction, etc. What did you leave the
lesson reflecting on, wondering about, etc.?
  I wonder why students did not have an opportunity for partner or independent
work? Much of the lesson was teacher led and didn’t require a high level of
engagement from the students.

 How many students in the classroom are reading on grade level and would be able
to read the text on their own?

 Have you tried partner reading to support struggling readers and Level 1 ESL
students?

 As the week progresses, are students required to complete more independent work
identifying details and the main idea?

Positives: List two positive things (related to literacy learning) you observed from each:

Teacher
Lesson content was explicitly
1. taught and incorporated the use of
visuals (graphic organizer, anchor
chart) that are so helpful for
struggling readers and ELLs.
Excellent incorporation of
2. vocabulary and comprehension
instruction. Through this lesson,
students understood that we read to
understand. We increase our
understanding when we
comprehend what we are reading
and understand the vocabulary
words.
Students
Students overall were engaged and
eager to participate. They were all
excited to read and identify details in
the text.
Students all have access to grade level
text. Even though many students are
level 1 ELLs and there are many
struggling readers, they all had
exposure to a 1st grade level text. They
all had their own copy, and they were
all engaged in grade level content.

Support: List two areas in which you could assist or support the teacher with the
instruction of the lesson in Ideas 1 and 2 below. Include the specific standard # you
would be assisting the teacher with, a thorough description of your suggestion and
support, and cite a resource the teacher could use (this could be a textbook, article,
website, video, book or any other resource that could enhance or extend their
lesson). Even if the lesson is absolutely wonderful, consider what adaptations for
individual literacy needs (both high and low) might be made, what extensions could
follow, etc.
Support:

Idea 1: ILA standard #2

Candidates use foundational knowledge to critique and implement literacy curricula to
meet the needs of all learners and to design, implement, and evaluate evidence-based
literacy instruction for all learners.

Encourage the use of partner work instead of lesson being all teacher led. Students could
read the second half of the text with a partner, highlight details, then share with the class.
Students could complete the vocabulary fill-in-the-blank with a partner instead of it all
being teacher led. While the “I do” part of a lesson is certainly important in the K-2
classrooms, so too is the “We do” and “I do” parts of the lesson. As much as we want to
keep giving our students the maximum support, eventually they need to transition into
reading and comprehending on their own. Here is a great article on the gradual release
model from the National Reading Panel linked through the Reading Rockets website. The
article discusses a gradual release model on page 35
https://www.readingrockets.org/sites/default/files/guide/nrp-report-practical-advice-for-
teachers.pdf

Idea 2: ILA standard #1

Candidates use foundational knowledge to critique and implement literacy curricula to
meet the needs of all learners and to design, implement, and evaluate evidence-based
literacy instruction for all learners.

Try giving students have a copy of the graphic organizer too so they can be writing and
recording the details while they are reading. While recording and displaying the anchor
chart provides a great visual for students, they should also be working on the writing.
There is such a strong connection between reading and writing. Research shows that
when we write about what we read, our knowledge deepens. Here’s a great article about
the reading-writing relationship written by Tim Shanhan. At the bottom of the article are
some references that include books written by Dr. Shanhan on the reading and writing
relationship. https://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/blog/blast-from-the-past-how-can-we-
take-advantage-of-the-reading-writing-relationship#:~:text=Research%20finds%20that
%20writing%20about,and%20positive%20impact%20on%20learning.