Small Reading Groups Character Maps Lesson Analysis

As scary as it seemed the first time around, videotaping and watching myself teach a

lesson for the second time was not as intimidating. I once again decided to videotape myself

when my mentor teacher was absent. I thought this would give me a chance to see how I could

manage centers more on my own. There was a substitute in for the day but she sat back and

allowed me to go for it and see how I could manage the whole room while doing small group

instruction. There are four total reading groups that are structured based on their reading levels.

For this video, I only recorded my last two small reading groups the Shooting Stars which are

on-level and the Meteors which are a little higher level. I feel I did well and I could see areas of

strengths and areas where I could use improvement within the video. After viewing my

videotaped lesson it has given me the chance to see what I did well and what I can improve on

within the four areas of the Danielson Framework which are: Planning and Preparation,

Instructional Delivery, Classroom Management, and Professionalism.

Planning small group lessons has been a great joy for me and something I take pride in.

Every afternoon at prep time I sit down and go through each book. I read through the pages to

see what words they might struggle with or not know the meaning of. As I am looking through

the pages, I find important details I wish to point out or draw their attention to, and I write down

questions on a post-it note that I think will get them thinking about the story more deeply. I

decide on how much I need to model reading or writing based on what I think each group needs.

When I first was given the books for each group I had to decide what I wanted them to do with

each group. It hit me that I have seen the character maps done before and that it would provide

an opportunity for them to not only follow along as they read the story but to think more about

that individual character. It could provide the opportunity to not only find important details like
how the character looks or feels or something significant that happened to them but it would give

us a chance to infer things about the character and text based on what we read. I know I would be

able to ask them about how it would make them feel if that was happening to them, getting them

not just thinking about how the character is reacting to the situation but how it would feel. It

allows them to connect more deeply to the book. Discussing this with my mentor teacher we

decided that it would be a great idea for the groups and because of the different leveled groups I

could provide more modeling for those who need it but can still ask questions to challenge them

all.

The character maps are great tools to help me assess the student learning I can see what

they were recording and what they were getting from the story. The best assessment for me

though during the lesson and then again when I watched it was the discussions we had in each

group. When viewing the lessons keeping the Framework in mind I feel I am becoming stronger

in the component 1f: Designing student Assessment within Domain 1. When reading the

indicators for this component I see that the students are given a “variety of performance

opportunities (Danielson, 2013, p.27).” They are reading, writing, answering questions, and

participating in discussions. In these ways, I can gauge their progress with reading and their

comprehension. It is an on-going formative assessment each time we meet and I do plan some

questions, however, some things happen on the spot based on their responses or something that

pops out to me as we are reading. When in the first group Rockets, I saw that I had them fully

engaged so I decided to take it further and ask them about whether they would be sneaky or not,

and if that was the right thing to do. 

Another component of Domain 1 where I believe I show strength is 1e: Designing

Coherent Instruction. The groups are carefully and thoughtfully planned. They organized based
on their reading level so that each group gets what they need meaning I can adjust my instruction

based on their individual needs. The activities I chose for the group are always planned with the

idea of getting them to reach higher-level thinking. In the video, I see them thinking about the

questions and building on each other’s ideas. For example when Aiden in the first group states

that Bean said she would break the glass if she did not break the other record, then Clemens adds

to it by stating that she said it so she would have something else. This all led us to find that Bean

said she would still try to break the wine glass so that she would have a back-up if she did not

break the biggest playdate ever record. It shows them analyzing the story and diving deeper,

reaching that higher level. 

As I look at my instruction in the video, I am proud of what I see. In both groups, the

students are engaged. They are listening and following along as I read, actively reading when it

is time for them to read, and participating in the discussions. Even when they finish reading

before the others I can see them recording things or rereading. I feel I have come a long way

from my very first small group. I have become better at knowing what to do and when to do it. I

have become more skilled at creating on the spot moments. When reading or discussing I have

been able to adjust based on what is said or guide them to what I want them to get without giving

it away. During the first group, the Meteors, I see this clearly when we were discussing why

Detective Gordan locks the pistol away in the safe. The students were answering with it is

dangerous and someone could get correct hurt, but I also wanted the students to understand what

that says about Detective Gordan. Instead of telling them I lead them thereby adding statements

like “what does that say about him that cares about other people?” Finally, Henry uses the term

self-less, which I was surprised to hear from him and lead us to discuss that he does not use or

want it but will not throw it away because others can get hurt. It turned into a great moment and I
was proud that I was able to guide them and let them find the answer on their own. They learn

better that way because they have to work for it.

Last videotaped lesson I was very disappointed in myself for not having the higher-order

questioning and the one I did have to feel flat. During the group, I have made sure I am using

questions that ask them to think critically. In regards to the Framework, I see the growth in

myself in Domain 3a: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques. My lesson was using

discussion to facilitate learning and student responses were being built upon to guide us to the

desired learning. All the students were participating and trying even when they were unsure. This

is the area I was most concerned about and I was excited to see my growth. I do feel I have more

room to grow here still. At times I caught myself in the video trying to form my questions and

taking a few tries. Knowing myself I knew I was unsure how I wanted to ask it and I knew I was

trying to rethink how to word it. However, I did get there eventually and we did have successful

discussions.

In addition to wanting to improve my questioning, I wanted to improve student

engagement. This lesson I do believe does that well. All the students were actively involved and

excited to answer the questions. For example, Mikey in the Meteors group threw his hand up at

one point and yelled, “I know, I know, I know.” Throughout the video, others can be seen

frantically waving their hands high in the air to be called on. This aligns with the Danielson

Framework Domain 3 component 3c: Engaging Students in Learning. As the lesson is paced

appropriately without dragging on or being rushed. The students were motivated to work and

even at one point, I see Aubrey in the Shooting Stars group finish reading then reread and record

more information. Throughout we are diving deeper in the reading engaging in higher-order

thought. They are working instead of just watching me work and even as read they are following
along. It is in these ways that I see improvement in myself as an instructor. Although I do believe

it is easier to engage a small group than a larger group so I am still trying to explore ways to

better engage students during a whole group lesson.

Reviewing their character maps was a wonderful way to formally assess what they were

learning and understanding about their character. I was able to see whether they were

comprehending what was important to the character if they were following along, and even ideas

that they had not shared with the group which could be insightful. The discussions are wonderful

but it does not provide the whole picture so to have the maps to review is a bonus. However, it

does go both ways because with the maps they paraphrase or write short phrases when they share

with the group they elaborate more so you learn more about what they know and think. Both

pieces are equally essential to assessing their learning.

Looking at my lesson from a classroom management perspective, I think this is where I

could use some improvement. An ongoing discussion I have had with my site supervisor and

mentor teacher is how to develop and create better transitions. Although even my mentor teacher

says he still struggles with this one, so that made me feel better. In this video, I see an

enhancement in this area but I still see where it could be better. When the Shooting Stars come

over for group, not all of them come over right away and I remind them numerous times to get

out their character maps with some still not doing it. It takes us a few minutes to get started as we

are still getting out of our materials. We lose some instructional time just getting ready. The

second group was much better as they all arrived quickly and got their materials out right away.

As far as all the centers go to the first center the whole class was very loud. I reminded them a

couple of times that it gets noisy when we move then it should quiet down. When watching I was

yelling at myself to warn them to quiet down as it was hard to hear the group not only in the
video but I could tell I had a moment or two in the group where I had to listen harder. For these

reasons I feel I could still develop and grow within Domain 2c: Managing Classroom

Procedures. Looking for ways to get the students to get their materials ready sooner, maybe with

incentives. This will improve transitions and cut back on the loss of instructional time. Within

this area, though I do have to state that with practice and building a routine I do have the students

knowing where to go and what they are expected to do. We do not even need to go through long

instructions anymore for centers as they are aware of their expectations and even their individual

schedules for the stations.

Another aspect of the video that bothered me was throughout the groups I could see one

student, who sits in front of the table, off-task quite a bit. She was turning around in her chair,

walking around, focusing on the group instead of her work. It made me realize that I need to be

more aware of student conduct. I could have prevented some of it if I had caught it sooner. I do

have to say that after watching the video and talking with my mentor teacher I have begun to

correct this. He advised me to do scans of the rooms every few minutes and I have been able to

keep the class as a whole better focused on their work. Even with that improvement I know I

miss things at times that my mentor teacher catches so as a goal for myself I do wish to make it a

point to try to be more aware of what the students are doing. However, I did see myself

numerous times reinforce positive behavior. This can be seen when John moves a chair over for

Rano, and when Ali helps me collect the books. I try hard to point out positive behavior to not

only reward those who are doing the right things but to use them as a model for others.

Professionalism is once again evident throughout my videotaped lesson. When speaking

and interacting with the students I do so respectful manner. In the video I am dressed in jeans

and a striped sweatshirt, which might seem unprofessional but as I was participating in the
school community. It was Dr. Seuss week and we were told we could wear jeans and either the

school colors of red and blue or a striped shirt like the Cat in the Hat. This shows a growth in

Domain 4d: Participating in the Professional Community, as I am engaging in a schoolwide

event with the other teachers. Reviewing my lesson plan it is well written with suitable language

and expectations. During both groups, we can laugh and talk while maintaining an atmosphere of

learning. We were still focused on the objective of learning about our characters while still

having fun.

This time around when viewing my lesson, I do not feel as harsh with myself as I did the

first time. I knew it would still be weird watching myself but I also knew it would be rewarding.

I was able to see my discussions in action and see that they were learning about the character. I

could see the active participation and it reassured me. Sometimes I am unsure if everyone in the

group is focused or excited about what we are doing, and the video showed me they were. My

camera must have slid before I hit record as I set it up before centers and so some of the students

were not always visible. That was disappointing. The goals I set for myself to create growth and

improvement as a teacher include trying to make transitions more streamline to minimize the loss

of instructional time and trying to be more aware of student conduct. Transitions I feel will be an

area of growth for a while for me. Every time I refine it in one way I find another area where it is

lacking. I do not believe it will ever be perfect as they are kids but I can try to get them as

smooth as they can be. As for student conduct, I know I will not see everything but I can try to

build a better awareness of my surroundings. Even just by making myself scan the room in

centers it has improved. Eventually, as my mentor teacher has stated it starts to become second

nature. Overall, this was a very valuable experience and I was thrilled at the progress I have seen

in myself.