Field Evaluations
Kelli Sprenger
Standard #8: Instructional Strategies
Field Evaluations
These are two field evaluations from my student teaching placement at Palmer Elementary School, written by my field supervisor, Elaine Fletcher. I am using these to show a variety of instructional strategies I have used to engage and encourage learners in developing skills and better understanding (Standard #8).
The evaluation on the left is from May 1, 2015. I had planned to teach the first lesson of a new science unit on this day, but because of standardized testing, we were a day behind and the students needed to complete the test for the previous science unit, as required by the district. One of the things I would like to point out that was included in the evaluation is that I used scaffolding by calling attention to the test features (such as capitalization stress -"NOT", and bringing attention to the option of "all of the above:). I also read the whole test aloud, with the students following along, including parts for a choral read, in order to account for varied levels of reading abilities. There was a Venn diagram portion of the test, for which I review that parts of the diagram as a whole class, and then allowed time for each student to complete it independently.
The evaluation on the right is also by Elaine Fletcher, on May 28, 2015. This was an observation of a poetry lesson, in which we were beginning to learn about shape poems. I began the lesson by reviewing the features of other poems we had been learning about in a discussion format. Next, I read a poem about airplanes and asked the students if they heard anything that seemed different than the other poems we had been studying (not a lot of rhyming, no sentences, all about an airplane, etc). When I showed them the poem, they could see that the words of the poem were in the shape of an airplane, the main feature of a shape poem. We then started a group shape poem. We decided to make a poem about the sun, so I asked for volunteers to share their thoughts as we brainstormed a list of things that might be included in our poem. in order to not waste time, while I formed the list into a shape poem, I asked the students to brainstorm ideas for their own shape poems with their desk partners. I found this to be difficult because I wanted to make sure the class poem got finished, but also that the students were on task, and it was hard to do both at the same time. I also asked the students to write down their ideas in their writing journals so that we could continue with the lesson tomorrow. I shared the finalized "Sun" poem and the students seemed really proud that their words could make something like that. I think this lesson especially shows a scaffolding release instructional strategy, by me reading through a poem, writing one together, discussing ideas for individual writing with a partner, and then writing it by themselves (the next day).
The evaluation on the left is from May 1, 2015. I had planned to teach the first lesson of a new science unit on this day, but because of standardized testing, we were a day behind and the students needed to complete the test for the previous science unit, as required by the district. One of the things I would like to point out that was included in the evaluation is that I used scaffolding by calling attention to the test features (such as capitalization stress -"NOT", and bringing attention to the option of "all of the above:). I also read the whole test aloud, with the students following along, including parts for a choral read, in order to account for varied levels of reading abilities. There was a Venn diagram portion of the test, for which I review that parts of the diagram as a whole class, and then allowed time for each student to complete it independently.
The evaluation on the right is also by Elaine Fletcher, on May 28, 2015. This was an observation of a poetry lesson, in which we were beginning to learn about shape poems. I began the lesson by reviewing the features of other poems we had been learning about in a discussion format. Next, I read a poem about airplanes and asked the students if they heard anything that seemed different than the other poems we had been studying (not a lot of rhyming, no sentences, all about an airplane, etc). When I showed them the poem, they could see that the words of the poem were in the shape of an airplane, the main feature of a shape poem. We then started a group shape poem. We decided to make a poem about the sun, so I asked for volunteers to share their thoughts as we brainstormed a list of things that might be included in our poem. in order to not waste time, while I formed the list into a shape poem, I asked the students to brainstorm ideas for their own shape poems with their desk partners. I found this to be difficult because I wanted to make sure the class poem got finished, but also that the students were on task, and it was hard to do both at the same time. I also asked the students to write down their ideas in their writing journals so that we could continue with the lesson tomorrow. I shared the finalized "Sun" poem and the students seemed really proud that their words could make something like that. I think this lesson especially shows a scaffolding release instructional strategy, by me reading through a poem, writing one together, discussing ideas for individual writing with a partner, and then writing it by themselves (the next day).