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Whitney Inskeep
11/17/15
Unobserved Learning Guide Reflection, Lesson and Student Sample MAT 663/669

Inference Learning Guide, Part 1 of 2: Fossil by Bill Thomson

While teaching the lesson on inference many impromptu adjustments were made. The lesson required a systematic application of creative teaching techniques. During the lesson a student noticed that I had mistakenly failed to punctuate a sentence on the example worksheet. The mistake provided a teaching opportunity, which I quickly provided. I praised the student for his astute observation and made note of his advanced punctuation skills. Although the lesson was on inference, a student shared a prediction on the story. I praised the student for his prediction and restated his prediction in the form of an inference. Explaining the difference and connection between inference and prediction helped the students understand the mental process and importance of inferring. The students were extremely familiar with concept of prediction. I was aware of the class’s prior knowledge of prediction due to my previous observation of class read- alouds. Inference however, was a new concept. I used the term “is happening” as opposed to “will happen” to help the students understand the unfamiliar concept.

I began the lesson by building background knowledge and linking the new concept of inference to their personal lives. I helped students understand that inference is something that all people have experienced. I believe linking the concept of inference to their lives added meaning to the lesson.

In order to make the deep structure comprehension strategy of inference more approachable, students were asked to assume the role of a reading detective. The worksheet I created listed each step of the inference process as a formula that a detective would use. The students were asked to talk with their peers about what they believed detectives do. The peer share appeared to increase student engagement. The peer share aided in assessing student comprehension of what clues where and how detectives use clues to answer questions. The lesson objective seemed obtainable considering the students were aware of the importance of finding clues.

The strengths of my lesson included appropriate pacing and tenacious classroom management. During Phase I and II, I modeled the skills required to complete the task for Phase III. Key vocabulary was consciously limited and repeated throughout the phases. Students were given appropriate time to finish the Phase II task. Additionally, I was enthusiastic about the topic, which most likely elicited student interest. The students were asked to write as many inferences as they could during the Phase II task. Allowing varying numbers of inferences from each student was an example of differentiation within the lesson. The students who finished early were able to draw their best inference. Extending the task to drawing also provided differentiation. Students who needed extra scaffolding were helped by one-on-one conferencing. I released responsibility to the students during Phase II and consequently I was free to assist students as needed. I brought 12 fossils for the students to examine and make inferences about—this extension gave students the opportunity to apply their new skill during Centers Time. The fossil examination exemplified the synthesis of the students’ knowledge of inference.

In the future I hope to write on the board legibly and with finesse. Improving my handwriting would undoubtedly help model proper writing. I would also like to reduce and/or eliminate the repetition of the word “so” in a lesson. My presentation skills will hopefully improve through additional teaching experience.

Although my lesson seemed successful, I believe that a deep structure topic such as inference will take many more sessions for the students to master. Phase III of the lesson, homework, exhibited a high level of student comprehension. I believe most of the students understood that in order to infer, awareness of what they see and think is necessary. The connection of personal experience was surprisingly easy for the students to grasp. A student who is on level for 1st grade, Mya, was able to use infer in a sentence, identify clues, make a connection based on personal experiences, and infer. Mya’s homework proves that my instructional strategies were developmentally appropriate for the students. Students who struggled with the homework on Part 1 of the inference lesson, benefited from the review and practice in Part 2 of the inference lesson.

Effectively executing the learning guide required adaptive instruction, flexible yet steady pacing, as well streamlined vocabulary and clear expectations. Considering the inference learning guide was the last of my required methods placement lessons, my performance as an instructor adequately reflected the skills that I have acquired thus far in the MAT program.