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Instructional Observation and Evaluation Guide 4

 

Alla Chelukhova

Oct. 18, 2011

 

1. What is the relationship between this lesson and the broader unit plan, specifically the unit's essential questions and understandings? In other words, what is your purpose for teaching this lesson?

 

The unit's essential question is "Is there always a "nation" in nationalism?" and the unit's BIG idea (I created the term with Julia's inspiration; it unites all of the semester's EQs and is a truly overarching umbrella concept) is "Can history be ethical?"  Today's lesson will be an attempted response to the EQ and an illustration to the BIG idea.

 

2.  How will you help students understand and articulate the purpose of this lesson?  How will you engage them and build buy-in for the lesson?

 

The EQs will be written on the board.  The students will receive individual tasks to perform during the seminar.  The students will be responsible for the flow of the lesson: all the activities are student-centered.

 

3.  What evidence of student learning will you collect to determine whether or not your students met the lesson's objectives?

 

I will collect the records of students' observations during the seminar.  During the seminar, I will listen and take notes on the quality of students' contributions.

 

4.  For each objective, what is the criteria and evidence for success?  How will you know if students meet each objective?

 

SWAB:

 

  1. To discuss the causes, the course, and the effects of the Armenian genocide.  -  Students will participate in a Socratic seminar, discussing the reading packet.  I will know that the objective is met if the participation is universal and the question starters produce good inquiries.
  2. Students will be able to start and carry on a deliberate discussion. -  Students will receive questions starters to use during the discussion.  Like above, I will know that the objective is met if everyone participates and the discussion is deliberate.

5.  How are you differentiating your lesson based on the pattern and/or trends you see in students' interests, readiness, and/or learning profile?  What might be challenging or difficult for students about this lesson?

 

Everybody will receive clearly defined roles to perform.  Members of the outer circle will be assigned specific tasks; members of the inner circle will draw lots of specific question starters they will then be asked to use.  The seminar is centered around the reading the students have done as their homework.  It is an after-reading diagnostic of comprehension and an opportunity to peer-teach for those who mastered the content better than others.

 

6. What PBBS do you plan to exhibit mastery of during this lesson?  How?  Why?

 

I hope to exhibit mastery of PBBS 4: Classroom Practice.  I have never organized Socratic seminars, although I really loved the idea when I participated in one during the summer.  I think the seminar will be a good opportunity for group and individual work, and I think its collaborative activities will benefit student-centered learning.

 

Instructional Observation and Evaluation Guide 3

 

Alla Chelukhova

Oct. 3, 2011

 

1. What is the relationship between this lesson and the broader unit plan, specifically the unit's essential questions and understandings? In other words, what is your purpose for teaching this unit?

 

This lesson is the last lesson before the final assessment, which will end the unit.  It is planned around the 5th and 6th levels of Bloom's taxonomy and asks the students to evaluate the studied events and create a personal code of historical ethics.

 

2.  How will you help students understand and articulate the purpose of this lesson?  How will you engage them and build buy-in for the lesson?

 

The EQ will be clearly stated on the board.  The homework assignment is connected with the essential question and the big idea for the semester.  I hope to create the buy-in through the personal connection the students will hopefully make while thinking about the ethical values important to them.

 

3.  What evidence of student learning will you collect to determine whether or not your students met the lesson's objectives?

 

I will collect the BIG exit ticket, which will follow the SAT Timed Essay rubric.

 

4.  For each objective, what is the criteria and evidence for success?  How will you know if students meet each objective?

 

SWAB:

  1. Students will be able to create a code of ethics for historical behavior. – Students will make a list of ethical behavior, based on their personal values.
  2. Students will be able to apply their checklist to the behaviors of world leaders in the early 20th century. – Students will write a big exit ticket, in which they will connect their ethical checklist with the concrete personages from the 20th century.

5.  How are you differentiating your lesson based on the pattern and/or trends you see in students' interests, readiness, and/or learning profile?  What might be challenging or difficult for students about this lesson?

 

There will be independent, small-group, and whole-class work during the lesson.  Students will write independently and share their ideas with their classmates.  Students will be able to express what is important to their moral stance and make personal connections with their own lives.

 

6. What PBBS do you plan to exhibit mastery of during this lesson?  How?  Why?

 

I hope to exhibit mastery of PBBS 5: Assessment.  It has been a particularly challenging standard for me to master, and I have been working on varying my "repertoire of evaluation methods."  I hope this lesson will show me how I can use group work as an assessment tool.

 

Instructional Observation and Evaluation Guide 2

 

Alla Chelukhova

Sep. 28, 2011

 

1. What is the relationship between this lesson and the broader unit plan, specifically the unit's essential questions and understandings? In other words, what is your purpose for teaching this unit?

 

The lesson will tie the essential questions which may seem disconnected together through the main theme I will emphasize: the role of individual in history.  When the students analyze Cinderella, I will ask them to apply the "good vs. bad" divide in the story to the events we studied earlier.  When they find parallels between the evil stepmother and Franz Ferdinand/Nicholas II, two stepsisters and Clemenceau-George/Rasputin-Alexandra, and the fairy godmother and Wilson/Lenin, the importance of both "good" and "bad" players in history will be evaluated.

 

2.  How will you help students understand and articulate the purpose of this lesson?  How will you engage them and build buy-in for the lesson?

 

The EQ will be clearly stated on the board.  The earlier EQs for WWI and Russian Revolution will appear on the board as the discussion progresses to tie the material together.  As for the buy-in, I think the unique fact that we will be discussing a fairy tale will take care of the initial engagement and excitement; I will make sure to keep the ball rolling as we progress.

 

3.  What evidence of student learning will you collect to determine whether or not your students met the lesson's objectives?

 

The exit ticket will be the formal writing assessment; the discussion and group work will be an informal way of assessing students' progress.

 

4.  For each objective, what is the criteria and evidence for success?  How will you know if students meet each objective?

 

SWAB:

1. Analyze the role played by "good" and "bad" individuals in history. – The discussion, group work, and subsequent presentation are my assessment tools.

2.  Create a personal stance on whether strong individuals or inevitable events determine history. – The exit ticket.

 

5.  How are you differentiating your lesson based on the pattern and/or trends you see in students' interests, readiness, and/or learning profile?  What might be challenging or difficult for students about this lesson?

 

There will be kinetic activities (take a stand), group work, discussion, oral presentations, and writing.  I foresee that the most challenging part of the lesson will not be the methodology of content delivery but the stretch outside of the box of conventional wisdoms.  Applying history to a fairytale will be unusual and challenging, I think.

 

6. What PBBS do you plan to exhibit mastery of during this lesson?  How?  Why?

 

I try to work on all of the PBBS during my classes, but I am not sure I have reached the state of mastery yet.  I will focus on mastering PBBS II: Student as Learner.  Critical thinking has been the focus of the skills objectives, and I hope Cinderella will provide plenty opportunities to think critically about history and life in general.

 

Instructional Observation and Evaluation Guide 1

 

Alla Chelukhova

Sep. 26, 2011

 

1. What is the relationship between this lesson and the broader unit plan, specifically the unit's essential questions and understandings? In other words, what is your purpose for teaching this unit?

 

The second essential question of the Unit 1 is “What qualities made the Russian Revolution different from any other revolution in history?” and the pertinent essential understandings are:

1. Students will understand the socio-political makeup of Russia, which led to the Revolution of 1917.

2. Students will understand key ideologies of the Russian Revolution.

3. Students will understand why Richard Pipes' statement, "Rebellions happen; revolutions are made," is important to consider.

Lesson 6 will address the  first essential understanding and will begin to answer the essential question.  Since the subjects studied earlier dealt with World War I and the students read a section in their textbook about the Russian Revolution, they are familiar with the chronological time frame of the events.

 

2.  How will you help students understand and articulate the purpose of this lesson?  How will you engage them and build buy-in for the lesson?

 

Students will have the essential questions written on the board: “Why in Russia?  Why a revolution?”  Throughout the lesson, I will be employing various teaching methods to keep asking the essential questions and allowing the students to answer it as the class progresses.  The KWL chart, PowerPoint presentation, and a song video from “Anastasia” will be my methods of engagement. 

 

3.  What evidence of student learning will you collect to determine whether or not your students met the lesson's objectives?

 

The KWL chart to diagnose students’ prior knowledge and the exit ticket to determine whether the students met the objectives.

 

4.  For each objective, what is the criteria and evidence for success?  How will you know if students meet each objective?

 

My objective is, “SWAB describe and analyze the socio-political make-up of Russia, which led

to the revolution.”  In the course of the class, students will create a KWL chart of the Russian Revolution and analyze primary visual sources of the PowerPoint presentation.  Their exit ticket will be the final assessment of whether or not the students met the objective.

 

5.  How are you differentiating your lesson based on the pattern and/or trends you see in students' interests, readiness, and/or learning profile?  What might be challenging or difficult for students about this lesson?

 

I am employing visual, auditory, textual, oral, and writing methods of teaching, hoping that the students will be able to make connections and meaning of the material through a variety of ways.  I believe the most challenging part about the lesson may be relating to a completely foreign country, times, and values.

 

6. What PBBS do you plan to exhibit mastery of during this lesson?  How?  Why?

 

I will be working on all of the PBBS during the lesson, as I try to address all of  them in my daily teaching in general.  As for my mastery of them, I will try to focus on mastering PBBS II: Student as Learner.  I have been working on encouraging students’ development of critical thought since the beginning of my teaching, and it is the skill objective I am setting for the semester.  I am hoping that the lesson I have planned will enable me to guide the students further as they progress towards this goal.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.