Observation Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan Template for SED 406 and 407 part 1 = planning
Teacher Candidate: Emily Fisher	Subject: US History 1	Grade(s): 9
Name of Lesson: Sectionalism in the US
Learning Objective(s), including Bloom's taxonomic level: (label A, B, C, *D) *optional After reading the section in their history book devoted to sectionalism, students will write a constructed response essay describing the developing sectionalism of the United States in the 1800s and how Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun became spokesmen for different areas of the United States.
Student Standards (GSE or/GLE or Common Core-in draft for math/science- list which): US History Era 4: Standard 2: How the industrial revolution, increasing immigration, the rapid expansion of slavery, and the westward movement changed the lives of Americans and led toward regional tensions
Teacher Standards (professional society and/or NETS  and RIPTS-list which): RIPTS: 2.3: Select appropriate instructional materials and resources (including technological resources) based on their comprehensiveness, accuracy, and usefulness for representing particular ideas and concepts in the discipline/content areas
Rationale: Why this lesson? How does it fit into the curriculum and context? Is this the introduction, conclusion, or somewhere in the middle of the unit of instruction? This lesson is a necessary precursor to the American Civil War, as it describes the mounting tensions between regions of the US, and how differing needs of a region led to differing ideals (The South vs. the North on import taxes, etc). This is more than likely an introduction to a new unit, as it’s a good period transition period of history between two major events (the War of 1812 and the Civil War).
Materials/Resources needed, including technology: Text books; pencils; lined paper
Accommodations and Modifications (special needs and learning styles)
What content resources support this knowledge base? (list at least 2)
How confident are you in this topic as you start this lesson?

(Boxes expand as you type)   Lesson Plan Template part 2 = action
Bell-ringer: How will you get students seated, and ready for academic work? (without your voice)
Anticipatory Set: How will you introduce the material, interest the students, show relevance of topic?
Phase (change as needed)/Time	Teacher action	Student action	Questions/Assessments
e.g. Intro/5 min.	Introduce the “Do Now”: “This Day in History”	Write down Do Now	“Any questions?”
Presentation or Open-ended/	Introduce section of the book they will be reading and pass out paper in order to write constructed response essay	Start reading and taking notes
Guided Practice or Convergent/	Pass out paper for final draft	Create final draft of the essay
Closing/	Collect papers	Hand in papers
HW/Application/	“Have a good Thanksgiving!”
Review and Reflection: How will you review for students who are still having trouble?
Extension: What will you offer to students who have mastered this?
*Closing: How will you review the material, and draw conclusions? (may be listed above)

	Lesson Plan Template pt. 3 = reflection
WHAT?	What went well?   Students listened and did their work on time. Most of them seemed to be able to handle doing work on their own, without guidance.
	What area of weakness needs addressing? The teacher let the book do the teaching—why didn’t he open with sectionalism and use the book as review?  Did he think he wouldn’t have enough time?
	Which objectives were met? What is the evidence? Students took notes and addressed the stances of Clay, Webster, and Calhoun in their essays, making note of each region’s differences and why.
	Which students did not meet objectives? Those that did not finish the essay on time
	Was time managed appropriately? Yes: the majority of the students had finished their essays by the end of class.
	Did any teacher mannerisms or actions detract from the lesson? Only once, when he had to tell a student to quit distracting others—naturally this led to the rest of the class looking up and around towards the troublemaker, the exact opposite of what the teacher wanted.
	*What were the strengths and weaknesses of classroom management? Called the student out in front of the whole class rather than quietly dissuading the student from talking. Also, when the student appeared disinterested and disengaged in the work, he didn’t try to intervene.
SO WHAT?	Was the lesson engaging? Not really—students read silently and got to writing right away. There wasn’t any class discussion.
	*What did I learn from my peer observation (address at least one aspect)   I actually learned what I would not do in the class. I don’t like the idea of using the textbook as the teacher—I would have preferred that the teacher introduce sectionalism himself. In addition, he stayed in one spot, by the desk, rather than moving around the classroom to check on how the students were doing/if they needed help.
NOW WHAT?	How will this experience influence your professional identity?  I want to be the type of teacher that the students will feel comfortable asking for help from, and who can offer help. My students should feel like I’m the one whose teaching them, and I’m the one controlling the energy of the classroom.
	How will it influence how you plan/teach/assess in the future? I want to emphasize class participate and debate over silent reading and writing, and I want to be able to know how to engage students so they don’t feel bored, or that they’re just doing busywork.

In the Classroom

Mr. LaPierre's classroom reminds me, somewhat, of the classrooms in Gaige Hall. It's stark and dimly-lit, with small windows allowing only a little sunlight in. The artificial light is harsh, but it keeps the classroom lit. As we walk in, Mr. LaPierre even quips about the rundown state of his classroom. 

He's done best to counteract the base state of the classroom, however: the wall is adorn with posters, most of them from the National Guard, and there are two giant maps--one of Rhode Island, one of the United States--taking up separate walls. There is a bookshelf full of class books next to a big red cabinet called "The Fridge". When asked, Mr. LaPierre explains that that's a supply closet, and when students do well on their work he'll hang it on the doors of "The Fridge". It's clever, but at the moment its blank, making me wonder how effective it is. One of the more eye-catching signs is hung above the American flag: "You have the right not to stand for the pledge, but remember those that lost the ability to stand fighting for that right". I don't know what to make of this sign: it feels like they're being guilted into standing for the pledge, which in turn makes the whole process less sincere. 

The furniture is arranged in standard classroom form: rows of desks facing the white board, a desk with a computer in one corner, and the teacher's desk at the back of the classroom. For the duration of the class Mr. LaPierre is at the front of the class, in front of the white board. He never uses it, however. The white board is left blank for both classes, and somehow it feels like something is missing--there's details being missed out on, little bits that high school kids might miss in a lecture format. In all, it feels like a room that takes time to adjust it--it's not immediately welcoming, but there's enough personalization to put a student at ease over time. 

Knowing the reputation surrounding Central Falls, I am pleasantly surprised by how welcoming the whole of the school was. It looks like a typical school--small lockers, narrow hallways--but everyone is so cheerful and welcoming that it seemed to broaden the school. I shake more than a few hands, put at ease by how thrilled they are to see a RIC student. In the art department, the walls was painted and decorated, making it more cheerful, and as I walked around the school I noticed how teachers personalized their classroom doors with quotes and signs. As we walk around, Mr. LaPierre explains that the math and science departments are part of the "new" school--newer, cleaner, better arranged, and you can tell the difference the minute you descend from the stairwell into the new school. Central Falls High did its best to show that it's like any other high school. It's enough to make me want to come back, perhaps for the long haul--"I could student teach here," I find myself thinking. "I'd like to student teach here."

The classrooms are of a typical size, but it's far more diverse than my own high school ever was. In the hallways and in the classroom I can hear multiple dialects being used, mostly by students: they are a mixture of ethnicity, the archetype of the inner-city kids. The teachers, however, are predominately white. I find myself wondering if any of the teachers are fluently bilingual--certainly the students are--and if I should brush up on my Spanish if I intend to teach here, or in a similar school. Mr. LaPierre explains that most of the students come from low socioeconomic backgrounds and a handful of his students alone have IEPs. In the middle of a lesson one student walks in late, having been escorted to class by his behavioral consultant. On the whole, however, there's nothing really separating this students from any other student body--they talk and joke and work like typical teenagers. 

The classroom activities are dominated by the teacher: he introduces the Do Now, the lesson, and maintains class discipline. The power of the classroom is concentrated on him: although the students asks questions and can create discussions, he's the one guiding them. The classroom activities for the day were solo, so its harder to gauge who had skills to match the school's expectations and who did not. However, there was a varying degree of participation among students: some put their heads down when they were supposed to be reading, or just procrastinated on their work. 

I suspect that being a student in this classroom is like being a student in any other classroom: you'll have good days and bad, days when the work is engaging and days when it simply needs to be done to move on. Mr. LaPierre does his best to be friendly and empathetic towards his students, so the classroom atmosphere stays level. On a school-wide perspective, however, being a student in Central Falls High School is probably difficult--there are a number of stigmas to face, both inside the community and out, resources are scarce, and there is an omnipresent pressure to succeed. It has to be stressful, and students are no doubt aware of the fact that it's not only their futures their actions decide--it's their teachers too.