Suggested Observation Plan Using "Prep Classes"

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12 thoughts on “Suggested Observation Plan Using "Prep Classes"”

  1. I’m getting observed this week. I asked him to come to eighth grade. We’re doing a CALP writing unit. Foods of the Francophone world. It’s IB aligned. I’m psyched to show off my teaching if not my Management. Ironically for someone who’s written so much on Management I’m pretty slacking in that department these days. I’m just wiped. So busy.

    1. Tina just use our Plans A through E. We invented them so we know they work. I know more than others how busy you are, but dude don’t drink your coffee one day and get that slight bitchy edge back and keep those kids in their places! It’s February!

    2. You still getting observed!? My colleague gets observed every 5. He had my principal sign off on it. I get observed next year or the year after. California is crazy.

  2. Ben I told you the story of how my prep day got ruined by snow and the Host Sister From France and Pastries Debacle. So today I will be getting observed in my lady period 39 kid eighth grade class after a holiday Monday a snow day Tuesday and Wednesday and yesterday which was a special schedule cause iflste start and when I tried to reset and renorm the class i was surprised by an unannounced parent, visiting exchange student from France, and a big bag of St. Honoré pastries. I usually let em play the word chunk team game on Fridays but we had to reschedule the observation cause of snow. My principal put the final obs off till the last minute and so he has no wiggle room with this snow. They’re due next Wednesday. I invited him to eighth grade cause no ones ever observed my eighth grade class. I want them to see the end product. But this class is large and challenging and it’s never been the same since last year when the admin used them to try to sabotage me. Long story but basically she would give them a forum to vent about my class in the halls and at lunch and recess. She undermined their confidence in me and thank goodness she’s gone but her effect lingers on. I can feel it. However I specifically invited him to this class. It’s my only eighth grade clsss. I hope it goes ok. I hope it’s my last one in a long time. I’m also filling in my leave forms today.

      1. OK, so I have this new rubric I made for the new book called the Speaking Rubric. It basically has the kids working in partnerships and speaking to each other to respond to questions and it has them score their partner’s utterances on a 1-5 scale, with 1 being responded in English and 5 being saying 2+ sentences to respond. So I was like, I want to give the kids a chance to show off for the admins. The reason that I invited the guy to my LAST CLASS of the DAY and one with 38 kids in it and CRAZED eighth grade boy energy ALL OVER was because the perennial complaint is that the kids are not “doing anything with the language” and I wanted them to see free-choice reading and the kids outputting.
        I had them get their partner book boxes and read for ten minutes. I thought about having them share out but I was like, no, we need time for the “Partner Speaking Assessment Game” (everything’s more fun with the word “game” in it, right?) so I just had them get out their “game boards” (that is to say, RUBRICS) and commence the game.
        First part is to tell them something and draw on the board (a visual story modeled on Story Listening). I made up a story about a dog that gets elected president of the Super Dogs club because he fakes his way onto public transportation.
        I told the the story and wrote key words on the board. Then I asked them questions and they spoke to their partner who ranked their answers on the rubric, oh wait, I mean game board.
        They really liked it and so did the two seventh-grade classes I practiced on. In fact, seventh grade pretty much thought of it as an ACTUAL game. Eighth grade told me that on their French class chat group (uh first time I knew THAT existed) last night they made a new joke – that all I did was stick the word “game” onto the name of a test. Really, I did. I had invented this idea as I was writing the new book, but had never tried it, as a way to assess speaking. (I know, big secret here – Tina published a rubric she’s never used! Shhhh, folks, OK?).
        Ir was really fun! I think that the admin should be duly impressed by seeing kids reading, listening, and speaking like that. I was, at least.
        Note, this is the FIRST TIME I have ever asked them to output in speech. And they were outputting two-three sentences EASILY. They were saying words I know I have NEVER EVER said to them…that I can assume only came from reading.
        Now I have unleashed the beast cause I am sure that they are going to want to talk all the time now. Whatever, sounds fun. I almost teared up listening to some of them, and seeing how proud they were.
        If that does not melt Ben Keller’s heart, I will not even turn in that leave request. I will QUIT.

        1. Dude. It’s been a long week. Key not Lev. Published not abolished.
          Also, in the original post about my observation I said “lady period” (which is a thing LOL) but I meant “last period”. 😉

          1. Dana your prayers must have worked cause those kids were good as gold…or at least silver…maybe bronze. But I felt like they brought home a medal. 😀

          2. Yahoo! This is so fantastic to hear!!!!!!
            Tina, your creativity astounds me. I would have NEVER come up with a speaking rubric and be able to pass it off as a game. I want to get my hands on that ASAP! I have to assess speaking and I hate doing it.

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