Running Head: OBSERVATION 5: SUBJECT MATTER

Observation 5: Subject Matter observation

Alba Figueroa
Raritan Valley Community College Room H122A
Associate Professor Kimberly Schirner, M. Ed.
April 20, 2019
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EDUC 230 Education Field Experience

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I. Observation #:
Observation 5/ Subject Matter Lesson

II. Grade Level and Subject Area:

Preschool II/ Math

III. Setting:
Classroom type: inclusive, general education; school setting; YMCA preschool
suburban area;1 educator,1 teacher assistant and 19 students present.

IV. Pre- Observation:

Preparing for this report I have been reflecting on the experiences I have had in
other classrooms and even as a student myself. As a student I have been able to
experience how difficult it was for me when a teacher would present her lesson in
a very boring and unenthusiastic manner. Catching my attention on what she was
had to present to us was the most important for me. Now as a future educator,
completing service hours I have been able to observe teachers how just go straight
to the point in what they have to say and others who introduce their lesson with
something that either catches their attention or makes them physically have to
move around the classroom. How you manage the classroom has also been a huge
aspect of being able to deliver a successful lesson. I have been able to observe
teachers who confuse their children while delivering instructions to them. This
also creates a lot more frustration in the students learning because they are not
understanding.
V. Data:
My cooperating teacher has decided to change things up a little for the day I had
attended their classroom and completed this observation. When getting there in
the morning most children were talking about their upcoming orientations for
kindergarten. Some students were so excited and others were very nervous, not
saying much about it. As the teacher was noticing that the children came in with
some tension, she decided to take out some small square whiteboards, dry-erase
markers and tissues. She had each of them grab one of each and sit on the carpet
right in front of her. She started by asking the students who had their orientation
the following day or in just a couple of days and most of them raised their hands.
She then started to explain to them how important it was for them to be on their
best behavior. Not only be on their best behavior but also use their manners to
greet their future kindergarten teacher. She then directed them to the white boards.
She explained to them that in kindergarten they will need to know how to follow
directions and so that what they were doing was just like practicing what it will
feel like. She started by instructing them to write their names and if possible, also
their last names and raise their boards to show her. She applauded all students
because in comparison to when they started the school year their handwriting had
gotten so much better. Some children kept looking around to see who had done
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better but the teacher made sure to let them know there was not right or wrong
answer to that first exercise. They all erased their boards and now she has decided
to change it to drawing shapes. She started with a circle then triangle and last a
rectangle. They each did a very good job. After they had done each shape, she
instructed them to draw numbers. They started from 0 and moved on all the way
to 10. To wrap up all they had been drawing the teacher told them to erase
everything on their board. She instructed them to start by putting their name on
the very top, then to draw a cloud on the sky. She then asked them to draw a
square on the bottom and a triangle on top of that square. Following right after
that she asked that they drew grass on the ground and also a small square on one
side of the triangle as the chimney of the house they had constructed. The teacher
used these directions so that they were aware of the kind of instructions they will
be experiencing moving forward. Using all of those words like up, down, over, on
the side or inside. To wrap up what she had for them she reiterated a couple
things. Asking them to raise their hands at all times and explaining to them that if
they were not able to follow, they would have to pay very close attention because
their teachers will not wait for them. It will be up to them if they are not on task.
She had them all clean up the white boards, markers and throw away the tissues.
After they had cleaned, they each went to their seats and were instructed to get a
pencil and trace the numbers they had on their worksheets. She wanted to make
sure they all had the numbers practiced enough to write them neatly on the
worksheet. She demonstrated on her whiteboard how each number was to be
constructed. They all followed and were instructed to color them in at the end.

VI. Analysis:
Even though in this lesson there wasn’t much of a specific subject being taught,
they were being reminded how they need to act in class when they move up to
kindergarten. In this lesson she used what was happening in the children current
schedule and made sure they all felt confident about their orientations and what to
expect. It is important to be able to include the students in what you have for them
because it lets them connect to what you have for them. Many of the kids that
morning were talking about their excitement and also questions so within the
teachers lesson she able to include them in what she had planned for them. It
might not have been what she had originally planned but it sure was the perfect
timing because those were the students concerns. Being able to create a lesson
based on their curiosity and current situation already hooks the student’s attention
because they want to know more. Based on research that educators have been able
to use based on the success obtained have said, “ When completing formal lesson
plans for preschool interactive writing lessons, it is important to list the key
components of the lesson but also to remain flexible and incorporate students
ideas’ for writing throughout the lesson” (Hall, 2016). The teacher who has
written this small journal full of great ideas and strategies to use when teaching a
lesson based on writing, she has made sure to include in her finding that in order
for the students to keep engaged you have to let them give their own ideas’ and
use that to motivate their knowledge and what they are learning. Not only is it
important to keep the students engaged but also in orderly time. In the same
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journal written by Hall she has included some more strategies to use in the
classroom, “It is important to pace to keep the entire lesson moving at a quick
pace and to stop the lesson if children’s engagement wanes” (Hall, 2016). This
section has been included for teachers to make sure that they are pacing and
making sure of the time they have left for each section of the lesson. My
cooperating has done a great job at pacing the children throughout the whole
lesson. She keeps them on task going from one straight to the other so that there is
less of the side conversation’s that tend to happen once in a while.

VII. Recommendations:
There are only a few things I would change from the lesson that my cooperating
teacher has taught. Instead of heading straight to the white board activity for them
I would have had them do a couple morning routines they would have to do in a
kindergarten class. Some examples are like marking what they are having for
lunch that day, attendance, the pledge of allegiance and discussed what they
weather was like and what day of the week they are on along with the date.
During any subject lesson there should always be an activity before the lesson so
that it can motivate the children and transitions them to what you will be
presenting them with. In the journal by Anna Hall, she has suggested,” Practice
alphabet linking activity like alphabet chants, letter-sound, games; read a short
story, sing a song” (Hall, 2016). All of these different suggestions lead to great
hooks in order to start an effective lesson. After completing the daily morning
routine with the kids, I would then put a song on that has to do with writing
letters, numbers and shapes so that when they are transitioned to the lesson, they
remember rhymes to help them either construct the letter they need or number.
Through out the rest of the lesson everything was effective the deliverance in
instructions kept the children at task and moving smoothly. Moving towards the
end of the lesson the teacher could have gone over the number songs again just
refresh their memories after they have been challenged with the whiteboards.
After they would have sung the song then they would have had a much easier
time completing their task on the paper. While the teacher demonstrated to them
how to write the different numbers there were small rhymes they had learned and
not all children could remember so just going over that song would have helped
the children who were struggling with the task at hand. Overall my cooperating
has done an incredible job delivering her lesson with materials, lesson warp up
and culminating. She has reinforced all most important rules they will need to
follow in kindergarten to be great respectful students and of course all throughout
their education life.

VIII. Post Observation

Upon completing this observation, I have been able to learn many different
strategies that will help me as an educator to deliver my lessons. Being able to
observe how the teacher has incorporated the students in her lesson provided me
with a clear example. As a future educator I will need to know that my plans will
not always be as I have them envisioned because my students will most likely
need help in a different area and that is where my focus should be on for that day.
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It is important to have flexibility and the ability to change things up in your

classroom when needed because in a lot of cases there will be lessons that require
more effort than others. My cooperating teacher was able to almost play pretend
with them throughout her lesson because she treated as a year or two older than
what they currently are and was able to treat them in that manner so that they can
experience what it will feel like in their future classroom. I have learned that as a
teacher you need to make sure to go down to their level and play pretend
sometimes because that is where the students will be most successful through
experiences. Experiences are parts of life that we all even as adults never forget.
Not only do educators need to be proficient in their lessons but also connect to the
necessities of the students and make sure they are also getting the emotional
educational support they need to succeed.

IX. Citations:
Hall, A. H. (2016). Sustaining Preschoolers’ Engagement During Interactive Writing
Lessons. Reading Teacher, 70(3), 365–369. https://doi-
org.ezp.raritanval.edu/10.1002/trtr.1521

X. Appendix:

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