Supervisor Observation 5

Monk Seal Expert Presentations

1. Description of the Setting: What characteristics of the classroom or setting are important to the
lesson? (e.g., grade level, physical set-up of classroom, number of students, adult supports, etc.)
Grade level: 11th – 12th Grade
Classroom description: When you enter the room the first thing you will notice is that the room is structured
more longitudinally in its design. There are two doors for entrance into the class with one positioned at the
front, and one at the back. It is made from cement blocks and has two windows on the far wall facing a small
alleyway. The room itself is divided arbitrary into two sections. One half is set up with wooden tables with
black tops for lab set up. There are four short stools per set up, and two tables push together longways. In
total there are six pairs of tables with four tables per group. Underneath each table cluster is a power strip that
plugs into an outlet on the floor. Along the walls on this side of the classroom are cabinets for storage,
microscopes, skeletal models, diagrams of the human body, and a taxidermized hawk. There is also an
emergency shower positioned close to the door, with a first aid cabinet, fire blanket, and sinks placed in
varied locations. The other half of the room is set up for lecture activities and is comprised of student desks
organized in clusters. Each desk is made of wood and a plastic material that has chairs that are detached from
the desk. Each desk is clustered into groups of four or five and is evenly spaced out in the room. There is a
white board at the “front” of the room with a smart board and a smart TV. On this half of the room there are
more cabinets for storage and student made posters of varied body systems, coloring pages, inspirational
posters as well as other student created projects. On the wall with the windows there is another small
whiteboard for the class agenda, as well as the teacher’s desk and computer. In the middle of the room there is
an instructors table with some drawers for storage and a projector device that connects to the smart board and
smart TV.
Adult support: For this room the only teacher supports are Mr. Edwards and me. Though there are a few
students with an IEP and 504, they do not require paraprofessionals. As usual there are other teachers in the
department available for help as well as administration, resource officers, and various teachers’ assistants. As
this is the science hall there are also other teachers around for support if necessary.
Class time: 55 minutes
Number of students: 17

2. Description of the Learners: What do you know about the learners that have influenced your
decisions in planning this lesson? (e.g., learners with disabilities, ELLs, gifted learners, experiential
background knowledge of the learners, cultural diversity of the learners, etc.)

These students are either juniors or seniors and have already taken physics and chemistry as prerequisites to
the course. Each student is required to take three years of science for graduation, and this is their last required
semester for the subject. Those students who have not passed first semester biology will continue to take this
class but will need to retake first semester during summer school. Most of these students are from the suburbs
with some students from the inner city and are brought to school via taxi.
In this class there are 17 students in total and four of them have a listed IEP intervention. Two students, C.K
and M.S, both have alternative testing available as well as modified test. Both students have a speech
impediment and may choose to do more written assignments or videos with subtitles. For these students there
is a testing center in the library where there are staff available to read the test to them or allow for more time.
The modified tests consist of removing an incorrect multiple-choice question or shortening/removing short
answer questions from the exam.
Student J.W is hearing impaired and wears a hearing aid. What is listed in her IEP is to talk clearly and sit her
toward the front of the classroom. If there are any videos for instruction, the use of subtitles is also utilized.
Seating close to the source of instruction may also be necessary but normally not an issue with this student.
Student A.H has an IEP that indicated he is on the autistic spectrum and has social anxiety listed as a
behavioral trigger. Preferred seating near the instructor is required and the ability to leave the room for
decompression may be necessary. This student is also diabetic and will need to leave for the nurse at times
during the instruction. This student wears a blood sugar monitoring device that is connected to his phone and
will need to always have access to it. This device sends notifications to his phone as well as his guardians on
any change in his condition.

3. Standards/Quality Indicators/Skills: National, state, and/or local standards, quality indicators, and
skills addressed by this lesson.

 9-12.ESS3.C.2 Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of

human activities on natural systems in order to restore ability and or biodiversity of the
ecosystem as well as prevent their reoccurrences. [Clarification Statement: Examples
of human activities could include forest fires, acid rain, flooding, urban development,
pollution, deforestation, and introduction of an invasive species.]

4. Lesson Objective(s)
(Lesson objectives should contain observable and measurable target behavior, conditions under which the
target behavior should be performed and criteria for mastery.)
 How does this lesson fit into the larger instructional sequence?

 Official Objective: After collecting data from given resources, students should be able
to present their findings as a team to help the monk seal population while collaborating
with a completion of 100%.

This lesson fits into the sequence as it takes all parts of the unit into one activity for the
students to accomplish. Spreading out the work also allows for delegation and specialization to
concentrate more on specific problems to solve the whole issue. Presenting their findings on
this real issue also displays how real problems are conversed between fields.

5. Assessment: Assessment(s) before, during, and after the lesson

Before: After students have entered the room I will go over the agenda for the day and ask the students
how far along they are in their group on their presentations. After taking an inquiry I will give the
students about 20 minutes to finish up their presentations, I will also be walking around the room
asking questions, pointing out information and answering any questions the students may have. This
will be an informal formative assessment on how they have progressed in the project, and I can
determine if more time is necessary to finish their projects.

During: While each group is presenting, I will have a check list in front of me to make sure each group
has answered specific parts of their presentations. I will ask the class what their questions are and ask
my own if necessary. This information will again help me to determine if they understood the concept,
or if they need more time in the content.

After: After the lesson is finished, I will conduct a final grade on their presentations and worksheet.
This will then be recorded in Schoology as a formative assessment grade. At this point if there are any
students wishing to correct any mistakes in their presentations, they will have until the end of the unit
to do so.

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6. Lesson Procedures: Sequence of events of the lesson elements designed to introduce the lesson,
engage learners in the lesson content, and bring the lesson to a close.
 How will you engage the learners, review prior skills/content, and set a purpose for learning?
 In what ways will you explain the relevance of the lesson to the learners and/or link the lesson to
students' wonderings, experiences, or questions?
 In what ways will you demonstrate the processes you want the learners to follow as they participate in
the lesson?
 How will you structure the lesson so that students can gradually assume responsibility for learning?
 How will you provide feedback to students throughout the lesson and guide them to reflect on what
they learned and their own success in the learning process?
 How will you plan for the allocation of time to the different lesson activities?

When the bell rings I will be greeting students as they walk into the classroom outside the door. This
way if there are any issues, problems, or concerns I can address them before class starts. When the bell rings I
will close the door and ask students how their day is going so far. After gaining their attention and waiting for
them to quiet down I will go over the agenda for today. I want to give a quick recap on what we did last time
and how it relates to today’s lesson. Today is a continuation of last period and we will be finishing our
presentations so that each group can present. They will get about 20 minutes to work before we begin. During
this time, I will be walking around the room and making sure everyone is on task and answer any questions
they may have. I will give them about a five-minute warning to finish up any thoughts before we begin the
presentations. We will begin with the group that has the Habitat portion of the project and continue until
everyone has presented. Each person in the group needs to participate in the presentations, but they will be
relatively short for each group. I expect that each presentation will take less than 3 minutes each. Once each
group is finished there is one more section at the end that asks about improving their solutions. This section
looks at each group to list three ideas for improving their solution for monk seals. If there is any time left, we
will work on their backyard biodiversity drawings until the end of class. I will go through the instructions
with everyone so that they understand what it is they are required to do. The instructions will read as follows;

“For the second part of your projects you will need to make a map of the area you will be collecting your
biodiversity images from. This map can either be hand drawn or made digitally. The direction tells you that it
needs to be made to scale but it does not. Just make it look presentable. You must include a key that identifies
your findings, and you must label the areas where you found your organisms. This key can either identify
what type of organism it is or give the common name of the organism. You also need to give the location of
your map drawing. I don’t need an address, just say it’s your backyard, or the park you chose etc. It also
must be colored but you will not be graded on your artwork. Like before, just make it look better than an
elementary school students’ drawing. Are there any questions?”

If there are students who live in an area with little wildlife, I will instruct them to draw their neighborhood,
apartment complex, or wherever it is that they live. If they cannot find the organisms they are looking for,
they may use more plant organisms and explain why the biodiversity is low in their area. Their answers may
include human encroachment into the ecosystem, low speciation, or other reasons for the low amount of
wildlife. When the bell rings they are free to go.

Agenda/Instructions: 5-7 minutes

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Prepare for Presentations: 20 minutes.
Group Presentations: 15-20 minutes.
Backyard Biodiversity Drawing: Remaining Time.

7. Resources and Materials: List of materials used in planning and during the implementation of the
lesson

1. Smart TV
2. Google Doc on Schoology for Designing Solutions: DesignSolutionsBiodiversity-
StudentHO-act (1).pdf
3. Google Slides/PowerPoint:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1A0LnB1CJqs4TX9K_XDBnnxRND9Maj7Yu
-7uv3JacayE/edit?usp=sharing
4. Blank Paper
5. Coloring Utensils
6. Map example (optional)
7. Teacher Check-list for presentations
8. Seek app downloaded to their phone

8. Embedded Technology: Instructional and/or assistive technology incorporated into the lesson to
enhance instruction, student learning, and assessment.

We will be using Google slides and the Smart TV to deliver the students’ group presentations. For the
Backyard Biodiversity project, the students are still required to go into their back yards to find more examples
for their projects. This will be utilized with the seek app which gives them all the information they need about
whatever organism they find. In addition, they will need to draw their backyards as a map of where they
found their organisms samples. This can either be done with technology or by hand. This is the student’s
choice but must be completed for credit.

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9. Differentiation/Accommodations/Modifications/Increase in Rigor: To help meet
the needs of all learners, learning differences, cultural and language differences, etc.
 How are you embedding Universal Design for Learning principles within the lesson?
 What specific accommodations are you providing for individual learners and how are
these being provided?
 How are you modifying the outcome, process, or product for individual learners?
Universal Design for Learning Principles:
 Engagement (why): Having the students present will optimize relevance on this real-
world issue, as well as give value to their findings. This works in terms of portraying
their resources and putting together big ideas and allow for mastery-oriented feedback
from their peers and myself.

 Representation (what): This project helps to highlight critical features and big ideas
in the lesson as well as promote a clear understanding of the vocabulary in a
professional setting. This also allows the students to customize what they think are the
biggest problems in their area of expertise and illustrate the steps they believe will
solve this issue.

 Action and Expression (How): Working with a real problem we are facing helps to
support students’ ability to plan and strategically develop ways of tackling large issues
in biodiversity. It gives the students the chance to customize their learning and focus on
smaller areas instead of everything at once.

Accommodation is given to students by allowing them to find their own problems within
their area of expertise and provide solutions to those problems in their own words. This allows
for choice in a real-world scenario and provides access to resources that are realistic in their
approach.
The process can then be modified further if needed by introducing more issues and
solutions to the biodiversity problem of monk seals in Hawaii. This can happen either as I am
walking around the room helping students with their work, or as a collaboration in their
presentations by asking pressing questions about their research.

10. Classroom Management: Strategies consistent with the learning needs of the lesson
that also meet student behavior needs to help keep learners on task and actively engaged
 How will you review classroom rules and procedures?
 What specific procedures will be in place to ensure smooth transitions between lesson
activities?
 How will you provide reinforcement or acknowledgment to the whole group or individual
learners for appropriate behavior?
 How are you using individualized behavior supports for individual learners?

Before we begin the presentations, I want to go over proper etiquette for listening to
other presentations, as well as asking questions after the presentations are finished. This would
include remaining silent while others are presenting, writing down the information they need
in their worksheets, and keeping their questions appropriate to the topic.

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As far as general classroom management there are expectations that were discussed at the
beginning of the year that pertain to all forms of lecture and activities, they are as follows;
 To use the bathroom, you must ask permission to go.
 Cellphones are to be either face down on your desk, or in your bag put away.
 Food and drink are not allowed in the lab but can be eaten at your tables.
 Ear buds cannot be played while in lecture.
 Students are not allowed in the lab at any time. Failure to follow this rule will require
detention and a write-up.
 Once students are completed with their work and if time allows, students may use their
phones as a reward.

11. Supplementary Activities: Activities for early finishers or if the lesson is completed
early that extend learners' understanding of and thinking about the lesson objectives by
applying their new knowledge in a different way

If students finished early or completed their group presentation slides in the

previous class, they may work on their backyard biodiversity projects. This could
include drawing their maps, answering questions, or explanations on why their
backyard lacks biodiversity. If they are finished with this they may work on either
missing work for this class, or use the rest of the period for other work in other
classes.

12. Lesson Evaluation and Reflection

1. To what extent did the learners meet the lesson objectives?
2. In what ways did you provide feedback to learners?
3. Which activities or strategies did you find the most effective in the lesson?
4. What adjustments will you make in future lessons?
5. How will you build on today's learning in your next lesson?

1. In this class each group was able to give their presentation. When
needed studetns sked questions if they needed components of their
follow along worksheet, as well as clarification questions.
2. For each group I asked either clarification questions, additional options,
and/or additional explanations from groups to give more meaning and
understanding to their presentations. Before their presentations I also
walked around and answered any questions that they might have.
3. I thought it was great to have the students get up and present in the front
of the room. I think it helped with the importance of the topic and its
relevance to biodiversity. I also think that keeping students in their
groups was important and helped to maintain work ethic.
4. For future lessons with this format, I want to include a rubric for the
students to follow when making their presentations. This way it can also
look more formal and give the students some structure. I also like the
idea of recording the presentations and showing the students after they

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 are done. This way they can make corrections for their next
presentation.
5. This lesson ends our portion on biodiversity and opens into our EOC
testing days. It acts as a break into the next unit after we complete the
EOC review and tests.

Additional Information
Any area or lesson component that may not have been covered by this format that you think
is vital to include in this lesson

Here is the link to the assignment. I am giving you the link because the assignment page is very
long.

DesignSolutionsBiodiversity-StudentHO-act (1).pdf

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 Teacher Check List for Presentations
Repeat for all classes.

4th Hour

Habitat Loss: Grace, Alayna, Feilding, Rae

 Describe this threat

 How does this threat impact the Hawaiian monk seal?

 Proposed solution

 Partners

 Constraints

 Constructive feedback on their solution:

Invasive Species: Chris, Josie, Charlie

 Describe this threat

 How does this threat impact the Hawaiian monk seal?

 Proposed solution

 Partners

 Constraints

 Constructive feedback on their solution:

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Pollution: Sarah, Patrick, Nick

 Describe this threat

 How does this threat impact the Hawaiian monk seal?

 Proposed solution

 Partners

 Constraints

 Constructive feedback on their solution:

Population Growth: Jacob, Conan, Krystiana

 Describe this threat

 How does this threat impact the Hawaiian monk seal?

 Proposed solution

 Partners

 Constraints

 Constructive feedback on their solution:

Overharvesting: Alya, Delores, Stevie, Vince

 Describe this threat

 How does this threat impact the Hawaiian monk seal?

 Proposed solution

 Partners

 Constraints

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 Constructive feedback on their solution:

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