Department of Teacher Education & Learning Sciences

Elementary Education Program

Formal Observation Reflection

Directions: Complete the reflection questions and submit your response to your observer prior to having a post-
conference to discuss the observation. If a conference is held immediately after the observation you will submit
your responses to the observer the following day via email.

Name: Casey Bohnenblusch Date: 11/13/2017

1. To what extent were learning outcomes appropriate and achievable to your students?
- Given that this was an introduction to the concept of needs and wants I think the
questions asked got students thinking. Along with the instruction they received on the
topic during the lesson, students also had a lot of background knowledge and personal
experiences that they were able to pull from to meet the learning outcomes.
2. How effective were your instructional strategies? What changes would you make in
your instructional approaches if you taught this lesson again? Why?
- I think overall the points of the lesson were hit through the discussion and activities.
One thing I think I need to work on with my instructional strategies would be the
effectiveness of my explanations. Sometimes I feel as though the way I explain
directions or concepts may be jumbled and hard for students to keep track of all at
once. If I were to teach this lesson again I would be more direct with my instructions
and clearer with my expectations of each activity.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of your oral and written communication with students.
(Consider how well you communicated learning objectives, clarity of directions, use of standard English, quality of
questions and effectiveness of discussion techniques.)
- I think through the use of the anchor charts and modeling, my written instruction was
strong. However, my oral instruction could be improved. I think some of my directions
were given all at once and some of the steps may have gotten lost in transition. I need
to work on breaking directions up into steps and making the expectations of each
portion of the lesson clear for students.
4. Evaluate the level of student engagement in your lesson. (Consider how you presented the
content/skills, the activities and assignments for students, grouping of students, and structure and pacing of the
lesson.)
- Students were very engaged in this lesson. Throughout the discussion, students
were eager to share their ideas and experiences with their prior knowledge of needs
and wants. As we transitioned into the connections between needs and wants and the
field trip, students had interest in the connected materials due to their shared
experience. Connecting ideas to the NC State Fair also related to some students since
the fair had just been in our area. Lastly, the sorting and pantomime activities allowed
students to get up and move around while also choosing their topic. This freedom in
choice engaged students and encouraged them to find a purpose in their learning.
5. How effectively did you use instructional materials, resources, and/or technology?
- The anchor charts helped students to keep track of the topic being discussed and
was there for students to refer to later in the lesson. The books were an engaging way
for students to think about what the Pigeon needed versus things that the Pigeon
wanted. Lastly, the ladibug document camera allowed me to model the drawing and
 writing activity for students to eliminate misunderstandings and clarify expectations. All
of these materials assisted in the learning process and deepened understanding.
6. To what extent were your assessment strategies effective? What changes would you
make in your assessment approach if you taught this lesson again? Why?
- I used several assessment strategies throughout this lesson. First the informal
question and answer allowed me to see which students had prior knowledge with the
concept of needs and wants. As we moved into class discussion, I was able to see
which students were understanding the difference between needs and wants. During
the reading, having students sort the needs and wants allowed me to see if they could
place items in the correct category. Having the students draw and write their need or
want on an index card was effective in seeing if students could use what they know to
connect the ideas of social studies to writing. When I had students sort themselves
into the need group and the want group, I was able to clearly see which students knew
where their image fell without requiring students to talk out. This helped my students
with communication needs. Lastly, the pantomime was effective in seeing student
understanding while also encouraging engagement and creative thinking.
7. To what extent was your feedback to students accurate, substantive, constructive,
specific, and/or timely?
- As I walked around and conferred with individual students, I was able to determine
which students were mastering the objectives and which students needed more
support. As I was asking probing questions, I gave positive feedback and also gave
students an area they can work on. Many of the students are on the right track with
identifying a need or a want and placing it in the correct category, but some students
had trouble with determine if subgroups of needs are also needs. An example of this
would be food. Students know food is a need but sometimes have trouble determining
which foods are needs (fruits and vegetables) and which are wants (candy). When
giving feedback, I want to continue to work on varying my type of feedback for
students to ensure they are aware of their progress.

8. To what extent did the classroom management and environment contribute to student
learning? (Consider your classroom procedures, your use of physical space, and the students conduct.)
- I used my mentor teachers classroom management techniques by using familiar
hand signals to remind students to sit criss cross at the carpet. I also reminded
students throughout the lesson to respect their classmates by waiting patiently to talk.
pointing out positive behaviors worked well and encouraged students to stay on task in
order to get the chance to participate. Overall though, I believe students were engaged
and involved which limited behavior issues throughout the lesson.
9. Did you make modifications to your lesson plan during the lesson? If so, what were
they and what motivated these changes?
- I stuck to my lesson plan very closely for this lesson. I may have changed a few of
the questions in order to reword and clarify my question. I also changed the execution
of the sorting and pantomime activity on the spot. Instead of having students sort first
and talking about it. I had students sort and create their pantomime almost
simultaneously. I think this may have gotten a little confusing with all the directions at
once but students were still able to focus and complete the activities.
10. Was your Teaching Behavior Focus goal met?
- My teaching behavior was to focus on student practice rather than direct instruction. I
think this was met through my use of various learning techniques. Students practiced
identifying needs and wants within the stories, writing and drawing an example, sorting
their ideas into categories, and acting out their words. Allowing students to show
understanding through various activities, allows them to deepen understanding and
elaborate thinking on a specific topic.