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: Autumn Fields Date: November 12, 2017

1. To what extent were learning outcomes appropriate and achievable to your students?
The learning outcomes were appropriate and achievable for all students because they
were able to understand the concepts of seasons by answering the probing questions
that occurred at the hook of the lesson as well as following the reading of the book
Watching the Seasons:
What is your favorite time of year?
Have you heard of seasons?
What are the 4 seasons?
How are each of the seasons different?

Additionally students were able to accuretly complete a tree painting to represent a

season of their choosing. Students chose paint color with reason that complimented the
season that was chosen. In order to ensure significant understanding, discussion of the
changes of season regarding weather and the colors of the leaves on the trees occurred.

2. How effective were your instructional strategies? What changes would you make in
your instructional approaches if you taught this lesson again? Why?
The majority of the instructional strategies were effective throughout the lesson.
Students had a great understanding that there are 4 seasons in a year and that the
weather and leaves change in each season. This understanding was reflected in the
responses of the probing questioning as well as the completed season trees artwork. I
would provide greater instruction/discussion as how our clothing changes in each
season (in summer we wear shorts and a t-shirt, while in winter we wear coats and
long pants).
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 consider the oral communication with students to be effective by asking student what
their favorite time of the year is to hook the students at the beginning of the lesson.
After this discussion, I then told students that we were going to learn about the 4
seasons. By reading Watching the Seasons, students were able to develop a greater
understanding of the changes of seasons. I then introduced the art activity in specific
steps to reduce the chance of becoming off task and to ensure safety for each student.

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.)

The engagement of students remained throughout the majority of the lesson. Students
were involved in the introduction/hook/prior knowledge of the questions that were
asked. Students were then engaged through the reading of Watching the Seasons.
Students were ultimately engaged in the art activity of creating a tree to represent one
of the four seasons. I consider small group instruction for this lesson to be effective to
ensure that each student is engaged a not off task, especially with the art aspect of the
lesson.
5. How effectively did you use instructional materials, resources, and/or technology?
Throughout this lesson, instructional materials consisted of the book Watching the
Seasons by Edana Eckart. This book provides great examples of how each season
changes and included pictures of trees and activities that occur in each season.
Additionally, art materials were utilized throughout this lesson to provide students with
the opportunity to create a tree to represent one of the four seasons. The paint chosen
reflects the leaves of various seasons, hand stencils were used to represent the trunk
of the tree, and Q-tips were used as paintbrushes for easy cleanup.
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?

My assessment strategies consisted of students responding the probing questions

(listed above) accurately to display student understanding. An additional assessment
strategy was student completion of a painted tree that represented a season of their
choosing. Students chose paint colors to display the leaves of their tree to match the
season that they were painting. To ensure the students were choosing their paint
colors effectively and not just to make their tree colorful, I asked what each color was
going to represent.
7. To what extent was your feedback to students accurate, substantive, constructive,
specific, and/or timely?
I consider my feedback to students accurate as well as specific due to the fact that
each student had a different reasoning of choosing the season that they chose to paint
their tree as well as their reasoning of choosing the paint colors they did. I consider my
feedback successful due to the fact that all students made creative representation of
what a season meant to them as well as being familiar with all 4 seasons.
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.
At the start of the lesson, we had a discussion as a small group. Students were excited
to share their favorite time of year. I brought the student back together by telling them
that we are going to learn about the changes of season. Students remained a little
chatty during this portion as well the beginning of reading the story, but I feel they were
excited to begin painting. However, redirecting students and gathering their attention
allowed them to continue with learning. Due to all students staying on task and the
structured distribution of materials and supplies, the classroom management allowed
students to learn more effectively. The thought out plan to distribute materials and
allow students to choose their own paint colors allowed smooth transitions.
9. Did you make modifications to your lesson plan during the lesson? If so, what were
they and what motivated these changes?
 The only change that was made to the lesson plan was separating the art portion into
specific steps. I decided to use steps to complete the art portion to ensure
engagement, full effort, and safety for each of the students. For example, the students
first traced their hand or traced the stencil as the tree truck before I provided them with
the brown paint. I believe this allowed students to be focused on what they were doing
at the moment rather than becoming distracted with too many steps going on at once.
10. Was your Teaching Behavior Focus goal met?
I do believe my Teaching Behavior Focus was met because the lesson did meet the
needs of learners. This lesson provided opportunity to foster student engagement by
small group discussion, a read aloud, and an art activity that allowed each student to
be creative and to display their understanding of the seasons. Additionally, I met the
needs of each learner by speaking to each student individually about his/her season
chosen and the paint colors chosen. This lesson provided learning opportunities for
each student as well as met the needs of all students.