Upcoming Observation

[smarks82]

Hi all,

I have an observation coming up next week and I would like some feedback. My principal ( who has recently come down on me very hard, and put me on an action plan, which I feel is ridiculous, but thats another story...) is observing me on Tuesday, and I am doing a lesson on wants and needs. I have been planning this for awhile, and want to give you an overview of what I want to do. Keep in mind, I teach Kindergarten.

1. Introduce wants and needs. What are they? What do they mean? Check for background knowledge, and to make sure that students have an understanding of what I am communicating to them.

2. Read The Berenstein Bears: Broken Piggy Bank. This book was recommended to me by our librarian, its wonderful!

3. Have a classroom discussion of the books and events, which brings us back to the topic of wants and needs. What are some of the wants that the cubs had in the book?
What are some things that we want?

4. After discussion, pass out pictures of wants and needs, and have children each share their picture and tell whether it is a need or want. They will then place their picture on a t chart under the category of want or need.

5. Close with discussion of wants and need, question with examples, and ask children to find a picture of a want or need at home.

Anything else I am missing? Feedback please!

[Chef Dave]

One thing that an increasing number of administrators like to see and hear is a statement to the effect: "This is what we are learning today."

If you were teaching kids who could read, you would most likely be expected to post your instructional objectives on your board. Insofar as you work with kindergarten students, I think you should simply tell students what they can expect to learn.

[mopar]

This lesson sounds wonderful. It seems as if you've put a lot of thought into this. Another thing that my admin looks for is restating the learning objective in the closing discussion. This way the kids know what they should have learned.

[landreth2007]

It sounds like a good lesson. I agree that you should consider stating your objective and restating it in your close. Even the kindergarten teachers in our district are required to post objectives so go ahead and write it on the board. You will have students who are able to read it and others will recognize beginning letters and sounds. You then have a short practice in reading as you point to the words "wants" and "needs" as you say them aloud.

Good luck!