Kelli Houston

EDAD 610

Pre-Observation Conference Reflection

Before observing Michelle teach a literature lesson to her seventh grade class, she and I

sat down to talk about the lesson and what she would want me to look for during the observation.

Michelle explained to me that she had a lot of boys in the class and she wanted to make sure they

were reading, understanding, and enjoying the current novel they were reading, The True

COnfessions of Charlotte Doyle. She also wanted to make sure that all of the students understood

the concept of protagonist and antagonist, could identify qualities of each, and could provide

evidence for their opinions. Michelle informed me that she had four ELL students in her class,

and she wanted to make sure that she was teaching in a way they could understand.

Michelle informed me that her lesson would start off very general. They would talk about

the two terms and make sure everyone knew the definition of each. She would also connect the

terms to more known words: hero and villain. Michelle said she would then give an example of a

known character and have the class decide if they were a protagonist or an antagonist. The class

would also list some qualities of that character. I asked Michelle if all of the students would

know enough about each character and if not, then what would she do. She told me that she had

video clips of each character to show to the class. I thought this was an excellent strategy to use

especially for the ELL students. It would help for them to see a visual of each character. I also

asked Michelle if her students would know what qualities are. She told me they would because

they had made a list of qualities for other characters from other stories that they have read

throughout the year.

Michelle planned to use a lot of collaboration in her lesson. The students would be able to

discuss at their table groups the definitions and the examples. She also planned to have them
complete a graphic organizer for their novel in pairs. I asked her why they would be working in

pairs, and she said that she thought it would help the students, especially the lower level students,

if they had the opportunity to discuss their thoughts with a partner. Michelle planned to assess

her students through questions, observations, and the completed graphic organizer.

I think that our pre-observation conference went really well. We were comfortable with

talking to each other. Michelle was able to do most of the talking because she needed to explain

her lesson to me. I only asked questions to have her clarify or explain things. After having our

conference, I was excited to see the lesson in action. I felt likt it had a lot of good components

and I couldnt wait to see how it went.

 Teacher Observation

Teacher: Michelle Hayek Date: Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Class: 7th Grade Literature Time: 8:55-9:35

Teacher said/did: Students said/did:

You should have your paper numbered and
labeled.

We are going to go over what a protagonist

and antagonist are.

With your table I would like you to come up

with a definition for each of them.

We have talked about protagonist before, so

review what that is and come up with what
you think an antagonist is.

Students discuss the terms at their table

groups.

What is a protagonist? How would we define

it?
The main character of a story.

What else do we know about protagonist?

The star player.
They can sometimes be the narrator
Along with being the main character, they are
known as being the hero of the story.

If the protagonist is the main character and

the hero, what would an antagonist be?
Another character in the story.
A character that only has one line.
The villain
An antagonist is a character who opposes the
protagonist and often creates conflict. The
antagonist can also be viewed as the villain.

I am going to give you the name of a

character and you have to determine if they
would be a protagonist or an antagonist. You
need to list two qualities that the character
has.

The first one is Darth Vader. Is he a

protagonist or an antagonist and why? What
are two qualities he has? (Showed video clip)
After discussing in groups.
He is an antagonist.
Why is he an antagonist?
He is the leader of the evil side.
He is a terrible father.
He kills people.
He has a red lightsaber
The second character is Spider Man. Give me
some qualities and label him. Is he a
protagonist or an antagonist and what would
be his qualities?

Stand up if you think Spider Man is a

protagonist.

Sit down.

Raise your hand to give me some qualities.

Why did you stand up and label Spider Man
as a protagonist.
He saves people from buildings.
He uses his tools to save people.
He is a good boyfriend.
He uses his powers for good and doesnt
abuse them.

The third character is Dorthy. (Plays video

clip)
Dorthy from Wizard of Oz. Protagonist or
antagonist? Qualities?

Stand up if you believe Dorothy is an

antagonist.
Those of you that are standing, what makes
her the antagonist?
She killed the witch.
She stole the shoes.
Those that are sitting, why is she the
protagonist?
She helps the lion, scarecrow, and Tin Man
get what they wanted.
She is kind.
She is nice to her dog.
Turn your papers over and make a T Chart.
On the left side write the word protagonist. On
the right side write antagonist. On your chart,
you need to come up with general qualities
that would describe a protagonist and
qualities that would describe an antagonist.
Try to come up with two or three on your own
and then we will come up with a class list
together.

What are some qualities of protagonists, the

good guys?
They put others needs before their own.
They save others.
They do something good.
They have good intentions.
They are likeable or relatable.
They are good people.
Alright, antagonists? What do villains usually
have?
They are relentless.
They dont care about others. They only care
about themselves.
They commit crimes.
What else? Think of the stories we have read
in class. Think about the Three Little Pigs.
They have a hard time doing good things.
They lie.
They are bullies.
They cause trouble.

Today, you are going to identify the

protagonist and antagonist of the novel we
are currently reading, The True Confessions
of Charlotte Doyle. Take a graphic organizer
from the middle of your table. On the left side,
you are going to name who the protagonist is.
You need to come up with three traits that
would make this person the hero of the book.
And then you need to prove it. How is that
person showing that trait. Then you need to
determine who the antagonist is. Based on
the chapters we have ready, name who you
think the antagonist of the book is. You then
need to come up with three qualities to
describe that character. You also need proof
for those qualities. So you can use Chapters
1-7 of the book to find examples of those
traits. You have the rest of the time to
complete the graphic organizer. It is due by
Thursday. Use your book and your notes. Let
me know if you have any questions. If you get
done early, you can start reading Chapter 8.
Students work independently on completing
the graphic organizer, while the teacher walks
 around the room, checking student work,
directing students if needed, and answering
any questions.

If she sees that a student is done, she takes a

look at their paper. She pays close attention
to ELL students and those that may struggle
with this skill, offering guidance when needed.

Post-Observation Conference Reflection

After Michelle taught her literature lesson to her seventh graders, she reflected on her

lesson by completing the post-observation form. We then sat down to talk about her lesson and

future steps she would like to take. I prepared some questions ahead of time, but I also asked

some unplanned questions during our conference based on how she responded. During the

conference, I really tried to make Michelle feel comfortable by trying to mirror her body

language and make it known that I really was listening to what she was saying. During the

conference, I tried to stick to the rule I speak twenty percent of the time and she speaks eighty

percent of the time. I found this to be somewhat challenging. At times, I felt myself explaining to

her what I observed instead of letting her reflect on what she saw during the lesson. I tried to

stick to mainly questions to ask her about her teaching. Coming up with questions seemed easier

than I thought it would. However, I did feel at times that some of the questions I asked were

leading to a certain response that I was looking for. I believe I asked her a questions about if she

feels having the students work independently on an assignment was more beneficial than having

them work in pairs. I think that she might have only answered yes because she felt it was the

response I was looking for. I then decided to ask her a follow-up questions about why it is

beneficial to have students work in pairs just so she could highlight those positives and know that

I was not trying to persuade her opinion in any way.

 Since this was my first time having a more formal post-observation conference with

someone, I felt that it went okay, but I sure do have a lot of improving to do. The conversation

felt awkward at times, but when we had more of a true discussion about classroom practices, I

felt more comfortable, and I think Michelle did too. I think that I chose some good questions to

really get Michelle thinking about her lesson and how it went. I think this experience really

required Michelle to take a step back and really think about her teaching and the choices that she

made. I think that Michelle presented a really good lesson and I am happy that she was able to

see the positives and strengths in her lessons. Michelle was also able to see what changes she

could have made or how she could have improved her lesson. During the post-observation

conference I think we were able to scratch the surface on what Michelles next steps could be,

but I dont think we got into it deep enough. This is the area that I feel I was weakest at during

the conference. I was not really able to get the decisional answers that I was looking for from

Michelle. This is definitely an area I need more practice with. I am hoping with more practice I

will be able to facilitate teachers in making a future game plan on how that can improve their

instruction in order to increase student achievement.