Professional Conference Reflection

On Saturday, November 23^rd I attended the Rhode Island Teachers of English Language Learners (RITELL) Fall Conference. This conference focused on Sheltered Instruction and Common Core Standards and the speaker was Dr. Deborah Short. Dr. Short was an excellent speaker who kept my attention throughout the conference. She spoke in depth about the SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) model and how to incorporate such model into everyday instruction. There were also connections made of how to use the SIOP model to fulfill the Common Core Standards.

From this conference I learned the basics of the SIOP model. I learned that the SIOP model works with different techniques that help English Language Leaner students. These techniques include vocabulary development, content area literacy, ad oral language skills. Vocabulary development techniques included many activities that got the students involved and even incorporated an activity with us as the participants. They included 4 Corners Vocabulary, Word Sorts, List-Group-Label, Shades of Meaning, Word Familiarity Rating, and others. All of the activities were provide on a handout given to us that I can keep for the future. It seemed very beneficial to get the students working together and sharing out the more. Vocabulary is definitely going to be a part of my lessons as a science teacher so I believe these methods and activities will be useful to my future.

Although I do not plan on going into teaching ELL, I still found this conference to be very educational. Learning different techniques as a future teacher is so important because I do not wish to be a routine teacher. Getting my students involved in activities that are educational is a huge goal of mine so attending more conferences like this one will be great for my own development. I also will try using the SIOP model checklist that was also provided in my lessons. Overall, Dr. Short’s presentation was a great first conference that I have attended and I definitely will utilize her techniques into my future teaching practices.

Observation Assignment IV-10 minute quiz

Objectives:

The students will be able to determine trends and patterns of the periodic table.

The students will be able to use the periodic table to explain the structure of electrons in an atom.

Bloom’s Taxonomic Levels:

Application

Analysis

Electrons and Periodic Trends Quiz

Name:_________________                                                                                          Date:_________

For questions 1-5 circle the correct answer (1 point each). For question 6, answer the question in 5-7 sentences in as much detail as possible. Use complete sentences (5 points).

1.     From a vertical perspective, how is the periodic table arranged?

A)   lower atomic number to higher atomic number

B)   the date in which these elements were discovered

C)    similar properties

D)   there is no specific arrangement

2.     From a horizontal perspective, how is the periodic table arranged?

A)   increasing atomic number from left to right

B)   there is no specific arrangement

C)   similar properties

D)   alphabetical order

3.     What is a valence electron?

A)   Electrons that are closest to the nucleus

B)   an electron in the outer shell of an atom that forms covalent bonds with other atoms

C)   electrons that are not able to form bonds with other atoms

D)   random electrons that are stronger than other electrons, in various shells of the atom

4.     How many valence electrons does Oxygen have?

A)   3

B)   0

C)   8

D)   6

5.     What group of elements has a full octet in its natural state?

A)   metal

B)   noble gases

C)   alkali metals

D)   halogens

6. What is the process one would go through when figuring out how many valence electrons an element has? Reference the periodic table in your explanation.

Electrons and Periodic Trends Quiz-Answer Key

Name:_________________                                                                                          Date:_________

For questions 1-5 circle the correct answer (1 point each). For question 6, answer the question in 5-7 sentences in as much detail as possible. Use complete sentences (5 points).

1.     How are the vertical columns of the periodic table arranged?

A)   lower atomic number to higher atomic number

B)   the date in which these elements were discovered

C)    similar properties

D)   there is no specific arrangement

2.     How are the horizontal rows of the periodic table arranged?

A)   increasing atomic number from left to right

B)   there is no specific arrangement

C)   similar properties

D)   alphabetical order

3.     What is a valence electron?

A)   Electrons that are closest to the nucleus

B)   an electron in the outer shell of an atom that forms covalent bonds with other atoms

C)   electrons that are not able to form bonds with other atoms

D)   random electrons that are stronger than other electrons, in various shells of the atom

4.     How many valence electrons does Oxygen have?

A)   3

B)   0

C)   8

D)   6

5.     What group of elements has a full octet in its natural state?

A)   metals

B)   noble gases

C)   alkali metals

D)   halogens

6. What is the process one would go through when figuring out how many valence electrons an element (not transition metals) has? Reference the periodic table in your explanation.

In order to figure out the number of valance electrons an element has one would simply use the periodic table. There are trends and patterns that hold for figuring out how many valance electrons each element has so the periodic table is a great tool in figuring this out. The columns represent the group of elements and there are 18 groups. Group 1 has 1 valance electron. Group 2 has 2 valance electrons. Skipping over transition metals, group 12 has 3 valance electrons while group 13 has 4 valance electrons and so on. Group 18, with the exception of Helium, have 8 valance electrons.

Observation Assignment III-Classroom Management

            I always knew classroom management was important, but after attending my third class at Mount Pleasant, I realize just how important it really is. It was second period, on a Friday, and today just so happened to be the day of their unit test on cells. I had arrived as the students were walking in and the teacher had me sit in the front of the room so I was able to observe from a teacher’s perspective. As the students came into the class they were loud and rowdy. The hallways were even louder. Some kids were running, some were yelling to their friends. Students stopped in to the classroom I was in to see their friends. I could hear teachers telling certain students to get to their class. It was then time for the students to settle into their seats and get ready for the exam. The teacher began his “Do-Now” assignment. He told the students to make sure that they do this one because it would be on the test. The students continued talking. The teachers voice could not overcome the students and he did not discipline them.

            As I looked around the room I counted the number of students present. There were six. I asked the teacher if this is how many students were always there and he said that there should be twenty. This was shocking to me because it was the day of their unit test and if the teacher was not surprised then it was obvious this was a normal day in his classroom.

             When the test was being passed out the students continued to talk loudly and they did not put their things away. They had to take pencils from the teacher. I noticed that the teacher had left the “Do-Now” answer on the board (on purpose). The teacher asked if the students would put away their things and they ignored him. He continued to pass out the tests and shut a student’s notebook that was on his desk. The second the teacher turned around the student smirked and opened the notebook again. The teacher noticed this and chose to ignore it. The teacher stood in the front of the room and spoke to me about his class. I asked what they were learning about and what were the topics covered on the test. A student took out his cell phone and another student told the teacher right away laughing. The student said he wasn’t cheating and when the teacher asked to see his phone (laughing as well), the student played with it then showed the teacher a new background picture. The teacher didn’t say anything else and walked away.

             As the test went on, the teacher did he best to praise his students and encourage them to work. He answered any questions the students asked and since there wasn’t much of that he walked around and helped students who were not writing much. He gave the students hints and sometimes answers. They seemed to just blow off anything he said unless it was a direct answer. They would get up, walking out of the classroom saying, “mister, I have to go to the bathroom”, or “mister, I need a drink”. He would allow them to go but I don’t think the students were waiting for approval.

            The students finished at various times throughout the class period. When they finished they were not given other work and the teacher did not mention homework. When they finished they asked to go to the library or computer lab and the teacher gave them permission. When all the students finished the test, there were only a couple of students remaining in the classroom and they played on their phones and talked for the last fifteen minutes.

            The experience I had in this classroom was very eye opening. I realized that your students may not always respect you and that it is very important to manage your classroom appropriately at the beginning of the year and to stick to the rules you set for you classroom. This teacher treats these students with respect and I don’t think that these students dislike him. I just think they know they can get away with a lot so they behave however they want to. Other teachers may manage their classrooms with more discipline so this class may be a break for these students. However, I don’t think it was right of the students to disrespect their teacher and not follow the rules he tried to enforce in class. This class was a huge learning experience and it taught me that classroom management is such an important aspect of the classroom

Microteaching II

Here is where you can comment on my Microteaching II lesson plan on Density. Thank you very much!

Observation Assignment #2

SED 406:  Observation Assignment #2

In this observation assignment, your goal is to reverse-engineer a lesson plan. Watch the class, and write the lesson plan that teacher is using.

Do this by OBSERVATION, even if the teacher is willing to share their lesson plan with you. This is about improving your observation skills, not getting ‘the answer’.

Lesson Plan Template for SED 406 and 407 part 1 = planning
Teacher Candidate: Mr. Morra	Subject: Chemistry	Grade(s): 11-12
Name of Lesson: Balancing Chemical Equations
Learning Objective(s), including Bloom's taxonomic level: (label A, B, C, *D) *optional Students will gain an understanding of how a chemical equation relates to the law of conservation of matter? (Objective was written on board) Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Evaluation
Student Standards (GSE or/GLE or Common Core-in draft for math/science- list which): HS-PS1-4 & HS-PS1-5 Chemical processes, their rates, and whether or not energy is stored or released can be understood in terms of the collisions of molecules and the arrangements of atoms into new molecules, with consequent changes in the sum of all bond energies in the set of molecules that are matched by changes in kinetic energy.
Teacher Standards (professional society and/or NETS  and RIPTS-list which): RIPTS 3- Teachers create instructional opportunities that reflect an understanding of how children learn and develop RIPTS 4- Teachers create instructional opportunities that reflect a respect for the diversity of learners and an understanding of how students differ in their approaches to learning.
Rationale: Why this lesson? How does it fit into the curriculum and context? Is this the introduction, conclusion, or somewhere in the middle of the unit of instruction? This lesson fits in the middle of a unit on chemical equations. Before was working with equations and after will be word problems with chemical equations.
Materials/Resources needed, including technology: Handouts, computer, Smartboard, power point
Accommodations and Modifications (special needs and learning styles) For example:  Dr. Kraus has poor vision and needs written material to be at least 12 pt. font.  He also reads two grade levels higher and needs appropriate reading material.
What content resources support this knowledge base? (list at least 2) Chemistry book in classroom, site where powerpoint came from
How confident are you in this topic as you start this lesson? Confident, he definitely taught this lesson for years.

(Boxes expand as you type)   Lesson Plan Template part 2 = action
Bell-ringer: How will you get students seated, and ready for academic work? (without your voice) Voice is necessary as students will not just sit down, take out pencils, and get ready for class.
Anticipatory Set: How will you introduce the material, interest the students, show relevance of topic? Explain that you can associate a word with something else and review of old vocabulary words such as atom, element, equation, balance.
Phase (change as needed)/Time	Teacher action	Student action	Questions/Assessments
e.g. Intro/5 min.	Lead discussion	Participate	What is an atom? Do atoms make up elements? Do elements make up the world around us? What do electrons do? What does it mean to balance something? What is conservation?
Presentation or Open-ended/	Go through a couple slides on power point	Listen/Participate	What is a chemical equation? Is this equation balanced? How would you balance this if there are 2 oxygens on this side of the equation and four on this side?
	Breifly go over what the students will be doing Monday-Wednesday when teacher is at conference	Listen
Guided Practice or Convergent/	Walk around and observe students	Complete worksheet in two groups of three	How would you balance this equation? Is it balanced if there are 6 on this side and 2 on this side? Then what do you do?  What is a common denominator and how can it help?
Closing/	Explain (again) what is expected from them to do Monday-Wednesday because teacher will be absent	Listen	Does anybody have questions on what they will be doing during these classes?
HW/Application/	N/A	N/A	N/A
Review and Reflection: How will you review for students who are still having trouble? Go through examples with students
Extension: What will you offer to students who have mastered this? Worksheet is extremely long and will be worked on next class
*Closing: How will you review the material, and draw conclusions? (may be listed above) Closing will be done next week as teacher will be absent and work was not completed

	Lesson Plan Template pt. 3 = reflection
WHAT?	What went well?   Students did participate and work on few problems
	What area of weakness needs addressing? Students talking and not listening to instruction and commands from teacher
	Which objectives were met? What is the evidence? Students did work on balancing equations but there was not related to law of conservation
	Which students did not meet objectives? All
	Was time managed appropriately? Yes, however the students talking did take away from their handouts.
	Did any teacher mannerisms or actions detract from the lesson? Some stories that did not relate to the subject were told but teacher did not go off on tangents.
	*What were the strengths and weaknesses of classroom management? Teacher could not discipline students. They sat in the back of the room and refused to move up. They spoke without raising hand and interrupted other students who were called on.
SO WHAT?	Was the lesson engaging? Yes, power point was interesting and teacher is enthusiastic about subject
	*What did I learn from my peer observation (address at least one aspect)   Presenting power points are an effective teaching method. The Smartboard also allowed students to participate and allowed the teacher to write right on the equations. Classroom management in extremely important and can change the classroom experience completely. The students know they can get away with not listening and talking with friends so they do. Nobody was in trouble for talking and not listening to directions so this is something that will keep happening. Not much of the handout was completed and this was definitely due to poor classroom management.
NOW WHAT?	How will this experience influence your professional identity?  I know I will have to go into the classroom disciplining the students from day one. It may be difficult because this is probably the setting they are used to but consequences have to given to such behaviors.
	How will it influence how you plan/teach/assess in the future? The power point is definitely a tool I will use to teach. I hope I have technology like a Smartboard but if not I will improvise with a board. I will give handouts with the power point for students to take notes on. Group work is a good idea if students are completing group work and not talking to peers. I will assess my students as they complete group work while observing how they are doing on the material on a day-to-day basis. Questions about the class before at the beginning of the class time also seems effective because it will refresh the students on the subject and where they are at in the class.

Observation Assignment #1

            Walking into Mount Pleasant High School for the first time was overwhelming. It was huge and I was very anxious from what my classmates told me about the school. With a million thoughts and nerves running through my body I walked into the building and found the main office where I was given a classroom to go to. My first class was an AP Biology course but the teacher leader explained to me that their AP classes are not like regular AP classes and that these students are not “real” AP students. With that being said I sat down in the back and looked around. The room and equipment looks new. The classroom is pretty clean but unorganized. The walls are plain with a huge poster in the front that read “Goal: 85% of the class will pass NECAP reading test.” This was puzzling to me because I was in a Science classroom in the Science wing and there are reminders of NECAP tests that are not science. The board was blank. The classroom overall was boring and the teacher’s name was on the door meaning this was his classroom and not a shared classroom. I felt as though he could definitely add to the classroom and make it more welcoming and related to the subject.            

            In this AP Biology class there were six students. They were all sitting at different lab benches reading their textbook and taking notes. I was the minority in the classroom in terms of race. The students looked clean and were dressed appropriately. They all had notebooks, writing utensils, and cell phones. The teacher was on his computer in the front of the classroom. After sitting there for over forty minutes the students finally began grouping together, without permission from the teacher. I still had not heard the teacher speak until he heard too much talking. He disciplined them then went back to his computer. When the bell rang the students got up and walked out quietly and the hallway filled up with yelling and everyone calling to their friends. The teacher finally came up to me and began with small talk. He then explained what I was just watching saying the day before he taught the lesson on Diffusion and today they took notes from the book putting the subject into their own words, but that they mostly only copy the book which is not helpful. I asked if that was how each lesson went and he said yes. These students go into school one day to listen to a lecture and then the next day read about the subject and take more notes. He did not mention anything about labs taken place in the classroom and by looking around there were not much lab materials set up anywhere. This led me to believe that not many experiments took place.

With this being what I saw in my first classroom it is very difficult to see where the students at and what they understand and do not understand. Not one student asked a question. They were told to finish the notes for homework so I am not positive if each student is at the same place in the chapter or if they definitely would finish reading the book for homework. I did not feel comfortable asking these students questions on what they were reading about because the teacher did not speak to me until the class was over and I did not know if it was appropriate to do so.

            The teacher had the power in this classroom. His students acted much differently than in any other classroom I was in. They were quiet and did their work. They stayed busy throughout the entire class period. When the students did get even a little loud the teacher told them to stop talking and they did which was extremely different from the other classes. This could be because these are the higher-level students or because this teacher is stricter than others.

            Being a student in AP Biology at Mount Pleasant High School would not be engaging to me. Listening to a lecture and taking notes is something I am used to but I would not enjoy this in a high school setting. It seemed like a class I would dread attending because it seemed boring and too routine. Not seeing any lab materials could indicate that there is not lab time, which is a plus to Science class. Seeing how the teacher lectured could change my mind but from the small talk I had with him and knowing how the class periods were spent it did not seem interesting to me.