Name: Kerry Seiberlich

Lesson Topic: Inference and Prediction

Date Recorded: 11/14/13
School/Grade Level/Number of Students Taught: Manitoba Elementary, 4th grade, 6 students
Cooperating Teacher Name: Diane Wirth

Planning and Preparation:

My original lesson plan included some pieces that did not actually end up taking place, due to a
variety of reasons. I had to make changes on the fly, and I dont feel like I responded as well as I could
have overall. One change I made because of a misjudgment, and the other was that I ran out of time
before I could complete the lesson.
Id written the lesson plan for a larger group, anticipating that a dozen students would be
participating. The SmartBoard lesson was meant to be augmented by individual participation on small
whiteboards, so that students could be more engaged once we got to the activities. However, when I
realized that I had a much smaller group than Id expected six instead of twelve I decided not to use
the personal whiteboards. My thought process behind this was that with only six students, the distraction
of having whiteboards might not be worth what they would add to the lesson. I was mistaken; I really feel
like, upon reflection, using the whiteboards would have definitely helped to drive the discussion. I should
have trusted my instincts; as I originally thought, the students did lose focus once we got to my planned
inference activities, and having the personal whiteboards would have really helped them to stay engaged.
I had to make the second change to my lesson plan on the fly as well. My lesson plan states that
my SmartBoard file includes links to several songs at the end, which would have been a really fun way to
help wrap up the discussion on inferences. Unfortunately, the first song was loading just when my
cooperating teacher returned with the rest of her class, and we had to cut the lesson short. I wish I had
been able to arrive earlier, as my half-hour timer for the lesson started right when I arrived at 12:55pm (I
was scheduled to start at 1:00pm). As a result, the time it took to set up my tripod, camera, and
SmartBoard file cut into what wouldve been the time allotted for the final part of my lesson. This change

wasnt the worst thing that could happen, but I couldve tried to cut the lesson short a little less abruptly
next time.
Fortunately, I dont feel like these changes impeded the overall goal behind my lesson. My
objectives were clearly stated, and I feel confident in asserting that the students who participated in my
lesson could describe how to draw inferences and how they differ from predictions or observations.

Learning Environment:
This portion of the lesson was really easy for me to manage. The students were incredibly eager
to contribute throughout, and it was exciting to see them building off one anothers ideas and asking the
questions that Id asked at first. Why do you say that? Oh, yes! And what if were heard more than
once. They responded to me and each other without much encouragement on my part, and Im glad that
my lesson was so exciting and relatable to each of them.
There was one point when their enthusiasm got a little out of hand; I blocked myself into a corner
here though. When we hit the first of the activities strips of text from which the students were to draw
inferences they were so excited about being able to do something rather than just talk that I got a little
nervous. I got their attention well enough, but by then I was so anxious that my directions were unhelpful
and promised each student a chance at the SmartBoard. This was when the personal whiteboards would
have been handy, because as individual students stepped up to the board, the others began to get distracted
sitting on desks, playing with rubber bands, and generally not engaging in the lesson as they had earlier.
Unfortunately, Id trapped myself on that slide and in that activity by promising each student a chance, so
I had to reprimand students more than once while we trudged our way more slowly through the inference
strips than Id have liked.
I did manage to keep them mostly under control until we moved on, though. One student, who I
know is a generally well-behaved member of the school, tested me a bit afterwards. After I got him to sit

in his chair rather than on his desk, he slid up a little in his seat, obviously watching me to see if Id
notice. Rather than interrupting what another student was saying, I gave the seat-slider a gently warning
look, and he slid back down without a word. I felt really good about the way I handled that particular little
test because he was smiling afterwards, like wed shared a joke. I know that split-second interaction
couldve ruined the rest of the lesson for him, so it was good that everyone stayed positive.

Classroom Instruction:

I used a short lecture at the beginning of my lesson to help set context and introduce the basic
ideas, but most of the learning was conducted through discussion. I feel that letting them express their
thoughts verbally really allowed the group to come together and effectively share ideas, and I could see
how this collaboration contributed to their collective understanding. Eventually, they were the ones
driving the lesson, and I was only there to make sure the discussion stayed on topic, guiding them to the
concepts and ideas I wanted to share with them.
For example, during the inference strip activities, students began to realize that they were
inferring different things for the prompts. Id engineered this part of the lesson on purpose so that I could
take the opportunity to explain that inferences cant be proven or disproven because theyre based on
background knowledge. The knowledge that one student brings to the table is different than that of
another, which can result in a wide variety of inferences from the same prompts. I feel that these small
surprises incorporated throughout the lesson can really keep students interested, as this realization had
students asking one another thoughtful questions throughout the rest of the lesson.
Verbal skills really came to the forefront here, and I know that if I use this lesson in the future, I
will include those personal white boards and allow more time for set-up (handing out the boards will add
even more time, too). I could tell who the best speakers in the group were because they were the most
eager to participate, although I was fortunate enough to get a very enthusiastic set of students. Utilizing

the whiteboards or making the SmartBoard lesson less of a walk-through would allow students to hone
their inferential abilities in different ways, and strengthen their overall understanding of inferences.

Assessment:
By observing their interactions, I could assess who had a more solid understanding of
inferencing, who was just starting to get it, and who was still struggling. Those who understood were
quick to raise their hands and the first to participate, while some students reached their aha moment by
building on the thoughts of those whod spoken before. Their responses and interactions were my main
method of assessment for this lesson, and I feel that it connected strongly to the lesson objective. Using
discussion, students identified their observations and drew inferences from the visual and textual prompts.

Professional Responsibilities:
I sent my lesson plan and the associated SmartBoard file to my cooperating teacher early this time, since
Id had trouble with this for my first lesson. Unfortunately, she didnt receive it for some reason, and my
second attempt a day later had the same issue. As a result, I didnt have a chance to receive or apply any
feedback about the lesson, except to make sure that the subject matter (inferences and predictions) would
be relevant at the time I was scheduled to teach.

Summary Reflection:

I learned that you need to be flexible in teaching, but that changing the plan isnt always your best
option. If Id stuck with my original lesson, including the personal whiteboards, I feel that it wouldve
been more effective. However, I think that my strong demonstration of standard #6 (the teacher uses
knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry,
collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom) and my growth in this area helped me make

the lesson work well, even without the whiteboards. I was able to get the material across to students
verbally and help them to communicate their thoughts and the connections they saw.
I could, however, stand to work on standard #4 (the teacher understands and uses a variety of
instructional strategies to encourage students development of critical thinking, problem solving, and
performance skills). Because my lesson was so heavy on verbal skills and I removed the whiteboards,
which wouldve engaged them on a more personal level, I really showed a need to develop my use of
multiple teaching strategies. I couldve deepened their thought processes by encouraging them to keep
thinking about it, even while other students were at the SmartBoard.