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Teacher: B.H.

Observer: Julie Thompson


Date of Observation: March 9, 2016

Date of Post-Conference: March 10, 2016

Comments
Standard I
The teacher implemented practices and policies that improved students' education in this observation. Students took a
"Did You Read" (DYR) quiz on Ch. 22 and 23 of To Kill a Mockingbird, and instead of putting their name, signed the
paper with a unique identifying number. Following the quiz, with the teacher's guidance, students assessed each other's
papers. Right before the lunch break, she called out grades based on the unique identifier, which gave students quick
feedback. Following lunch, she led a homework review (study guide for TKAM), introduced the comparison/contrast
essay (thematic analysis comparing/contrasting To Kill a Mockingbird and The Color of Water), and had students work
in small groups on a rhetorical analysis of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech. The teacher will soon begin
implementation of the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC). Her comparison/contrast essay includes many hallmarks
of LDC mini-tasks already.
Standard II
The teacher knows many of her Honors English I students are high achievers and strive for nothing short of As. When
they do get lower than an A grade, many students are self-conscious and do not want others to know. For this reason,
the teacher made sure that students did not put their names on the "DYR" quiz and instead used a unique number
known only to her and the individual student. Likewise, the teacher provides students with some choices in their
assignments. For example, in the comparison/contrast essay she introduced, students may choose which theme (such as
the importance of education, good versus evil, racial equality, social inequality, relationship of children to their parents,
living a life of solitude, or another theme of the student's choosing) to explore in The Color of Water and To Kill a
Mockingbird and that is supported in one other example.
Standard III
The teacher's group activity on rhetorical devices in King's speech is an excellent pre-AP English Language mini-task,
which demonstrates her knowledge of vertical alignment in ELA. During the DYR quiz and homework review (11:5912:13 and 12:43-12:55), most students were focused on the plot details of To Kill a Mockingbird. The explanation of
the essay (12:55-1:10) was helpful for students in learning about the assignment. I encourage The teacher to focus on
explicitly teaching students HOW to write a thematic analysis (which would be an excellent pre-AP English Literature
mini-task) as well as give them a new structure and/or specifically refer to a structure for writing solid body paragraphs
(such as assertion, evidence, commentary OR GIECC - general focus, idea, evidence, commentary, clinch) to use to
organize their writing. The teacher managed class transitions well - she has second lunch - and she ensured that
students had natural stopping points as well as multiple warm up activities to make efficient use of class time.
Standard IV
The DYR quiz had three questions (1. Name one way that Miss Maudie says the town has made a step toward
progress. 2. Who threatens Atticus? How does he react? 3. What explanation does Atticus give for this "person"
threatening him?). The questions are plot-specific and are measuring if students read the chapters. When students
finished the quiz, they waited for others to finish, so they could check papers. A countdown timer may be helpful to
give students an additional sense of urgency. As the teacher begins to implement LDC practices, I encourage her to
reflect on the following question: "How am I teaching readers, not books?" and to begin incorporating the LDC writing
rubric with her assignments.
Standard V
The teacher participates positively in professional development. She is part of the second wave of LDC training. She
will attend PD at RRGSD on April 5-6 and May 5-6 to implement this new initiative.

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