Observational Form

Focus Practice: Eliciting and Interpreting Student Thinking Look Fors:

Choose 1-3 Look Fors Look Fors

for selected focus
practice

Yes! The teacher chooses a high cognitive demand task

Yes! The teacher asks questions that require students to share or justify their thinking

Yes! The teacher gives students time to think and respond using a content-specific language

Yes! The teacher poses follow-up questions to clarify, probe, or extend thinking based on student responses

Yes! The teacher provides multiple opportunities, modalities (oral, written, etc.), and formats (whole group,
small group, one-on-one) to share their thinking

Observational Notes: (Describe the lesson; write specific quotes from teachers/students)

The teacher had students read an article in pairs. I was paired with a student on the Autism Spectrum so I could keep him focused
and keep him from wandering around like he usually does. The article was about a girl who has diabetes and a dog specially
trained to sense when her sugar levels are low. They then engaged in a whole group discussion about what the main idea of the
article is, a topic they struggle with. She also pushed them to explain their thinking by asking questions. The article was on their
reading levels, however, they got confused on what diabetes is, how one can be born with it, etc. Even after the teacher
explained it several times. She ultimately cut the lesson short after realizing it was too much for her students and moved to an
easier task that deals with main idea.
 The lesson I observed was in English, as my clinical teacher doesn’t teach writing as a separate
subject but integrates writing into English instruction. Her objective was to get students engaged in
thinking about main idea in a whole group setting before sending them to their seats to do some
independent practice.
The teacher did a great job of eliciting student thinking and having students share their ideas,
whether it’s between partners or whole group. She also led the whole group instruction very well and had
a solid lesson prepared. However, the article that she chose to read as a whole group could’ve been
easier to comprehend, perhaps even slightly below reading level. This way it would be easier to pick out
the main idea. After cutting the lesson short and having the students work independently, my clinical
teacher disclosed to me that her students did pretty well with main idea the day before. Because of this,
she thought they could handle the lesson she had planned. I can see where she thought the article would
be manageable to her fourth graders, but I think if she had picked an easier text the lesson would’ve went
over much smoother.
If I were to teach this lesson in the future, I would try to lead a whole group discussion as well as
my clinical educator did. I would also have students read in pairs as it strengthens their reading abilities. I
would ask them to take turns, the way my partner and I did with the paragraphs. It would help readers like
him who don’t want to read, as it cuts down how much they have to read overall but still gives them
practice reading out loud. I would also find an article or short text that is easier to comprehend and is
structured to find main idea more easily.