Below are comments from David Kuschner on my weather mural lesson. This was a normally scheduled evaluation as part of the internship program. I have highlighted what I think are key comments.
Date: 3/26/98
Observer: David Kuschner
Environment: Summit Elementary,
Kindergarten
Observation Summary - 3/26/98
I arrived at 10:30. The children were at recess and Roxanne was preparing for the next activity. (This was the second of two weeks during which Roxanne had full responsibility for the classroom and was teaching both morning and afternoon kindergarten classes.) At about 10:35 the children came back into the classroom and began settling down on the carpet. Roxanne started a 'mirror game' which caught their attention and made for a nice transition to the activity.
Roxanne read a book about clouds and introduced a painting activity. At 10:50 Roxanne divided the group so that some children went to work on their 'ticket activities' and some children stayed to begin a group mural of cloud pictures. Later on the children would rotate.
I left at about 11:30.
Suggestions and comments
I enjoyed my observation this morning. The activity went well. The children seemed to be interested and you prepared them well for the activity. I particularly liked the fact that you pointed out that they didn't have to paint pictures of animals. It is important to sanction variety. It was also a good idea to have them think about the fact that the paper on which they would be painting was on the carpet. (Be careful, however, to not overemphasize the 'messy' aspect of an activity. Some children won't participate because of 'mess.' You can also point out to them that the paint will wash off of their fingers.)
Good use of your voice. When reading the story you paused in spots to let the children fill in the word and when you were giving instructions and directions you varied your voice level which I think worked well in keeping their attention.
The children's involved with the 'fan store' was wonderful! Nice example of how curriculum can emerge from the children taking and expanding on some other activity. There was great language, planning, and negotiation going on. You asked good questions of the players ("Whose job is it to sell the fans? .... Do you need some buyers?"). These questions helped to focus and extend their play. This is also a nice example of how a teacher can play a significant role in an activity without being a director of the activity.
