ED 345 Calvin University Teacher Intern Observation Template

Teacher Intern: Sharon Kim Date:

Grade Level: Grade 3 Subject/ Topic: Government
Approx. time spent planning this lesson: *The template will expand as
text is added.*
DOMAIN 1: PLANNING & PREPARATION
Main Focus/Essential Questions​: “How is the government of Michigan organized?”
- Students will learn how the government of Michigan is organized.
Brief Context​: In the previous lesson, students have learned about the Michigan constitution. This lesson
will dive deeper into how the Michigan constitution limits the power of the government by separating
the power, and students will examine how power is separated among the three branches.

Prerequisite Knowledge/Skills​:
Students will need to understand the purpose of the Constitution and why the power in the US is split
up into different sections. Students will also need to understand the differences between local and state
government.

Lesson Objectives/Learning Targets Aligned Assessments

Consider formative & summative tools

Please number objectives and the aligned assessment measures.

The learner will: I will assess learning by:

- Students will correctly identify different
characteristics of three branches of
government.
- Students will create their own posters and find
a new method to explain the branches of
government.
Formative Assessment:
- Students will work together to try and fill out the
branches of government together.
Summative Assessment:
- Students will create a poster of the three branches
of government. .

Standards Addressed in Lesson: ​(Include full standard.)

3-C3.0.3
Identify the three branches of state government in Michigan and the powers of each.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.3
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Instructional Resources:
Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum 3rd Grade Social Studies
Student Paper handouts: Student packets, Powerpoint slides, Poster paper

Consideration of Learners:
How have you responded to your diverse learners?​ ​Consider UDL ​(Multiple means of Engagement,
Representation, Action & Expression)​ & principles of differentiation. If appropriate, identify individual
accommodations you will make in response to needs or interests of students.
 - Students are able to design and create their own style of the different branches of government
and share their product with their peers. This allows all the students to be actively engaged and
can also see each other’s creativity. The teacher will push the higher reading/writing level
students to write out labels and describing sentences onto the poster, and the lower reading
level students would focus more on writing simple labels without as many full sentences.
- Rather than having students review the content through discussion and pair-share, which they
are quite familiar too, I will be asking the students to cut out and glue paper strips onto their
paper worksheet, which is a novel activity in which the students will find to be engaging.
- There is quite a lot of discussion and explanation in this lesson because there is a lot of content
to go through and teach. If the students are continuously just learning information without
having time to process and discuss the ideas, they may find it to be boring and the lessons to be
dry. In order to help the students be more engaged, I have made multiple points throughout the
lesson where the students discuss with their partners, share their thoughts, or discuss with the
class about their ideas. Creating a place in which the students can share and collaborate is
important since it offers some time to understand the content area and review, without the
teacher explaining everything.

DOMAIN 2: THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

BUILDING RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS:​ (Note any specific ways in which you plan to establish
rapport, build mutual trust, monitor & maintain relationships. Consider student-teacher &
student-student relationships.)
- Students are able to share and celebrate their poster product with their peers and learn more
about what their peers have drawn.
- When I have to correct a child’s behavior or the comments that they make, I will provide one on
one feedback to students and pull them out later on, rather than announcing it in front of the
classroom. I think students would feel like they are respected more if they are told how to
improve privately.
- I will also attempt to build respectful relationships by recognizing the student’s skills. Everyone
wants to hear the things that they are good at, or what they are doing well, and so throughout
the lesson, I want to make sure to acknowledge the student’s strengths that I observe.
- Students will be divided into groups that are divided up and taken into consideration the
different factors that exist, such as gender, reading ability, friendships, and race.

ORGANIZATIONAL ROUTINES:​ (Identify ways that you have intentionally organized time, space,
materials, & students to minimize disruptions and maximize learning.)
In order to help students understand the poster project more easily, I have added instructions
onto a Power Point slide so that students can read the instructions, hear what the teacher is
saying, and also check requirements by looking at the given rubric.

SPECIFYING & REINFORCING PRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR:​ (Note how expectations are specified,
productive behavior is reinforced and disruptive behavior is redirected.)
- I will layout the expectations that I have for the students before I start the lesson. (No
talking while the teacher is talking, eyes on me, hands to yourself…etc)
- Before the students are launched out to complete the poster assessment, I will provide
clear expectations about the things that I expect from students. Before I pass out the
 assignment, I will explain that the students can spread out across the classroom and can
sit anywhere but it must be a location where they will not be distracted and they aren’t
able to see their peer’s work.

DOMAIN 3: INSTRUCTION

CONTENT MANAGEMENT: YOUR ​INSTRUCTION

Motivation/Opening/Intro: [Think creatively about how to recruit learning.]
Development: [It may help to number your steps with corresponding times.]
Closure​: ​(Be creative and consider authentic audiences for the work. Think beyond giving an
assignment or independent practice.)

Opening
Matching Review
- Teacher will ask students to get into the pairs that they worked with the
previous day. Then the teacher will instruct the review activity that the pair
5 mins. will be doing.
- The pairs will be asked to cut out the strips of paper and to glue them onto
the correct place on the graphic organizer. The teacher will explain that the
sentences will be connected to each other and will flow like a sentence.
- Teacher will give students time to complete the activity, and then the
students will check the correct answers on the board with their own
worksheet.
- Teacher will go over the answers with the students as a class.

-
Development
Class discussion
- Teacher will ask the pairs to hold hands and show the three branches
of governments with their partner, just like they did yesterday, and
pretend that they are a tree.
- Teacher will explain the different branches of the LOCAL government
by using a graphic organizer, and will share that it is very similar to
5 mins. that of the STATE government branches.

Branch Activity
- Teacher will ask the student on the left to raise their left arm.
Teacher will explain that the left arm is the legislative branch that
makes laws. The people who make laws consist of the senate and the
house of representatives.
- The teacher will ask the student on the right side to raise their right
arm. Teacher will explain that the right arm is the judicial branch and
that they act as the “judge” and decide what laws mean. This
includes people such as the Supreme Court and other courts, and
decides what happens to people if they break the laws.
- Lastly, the teacher will ask both students to raise their hands
together. This will be the executive branch that enforces laws, such
5 mins. as the governor of the state or the mayor of the county. The
governor of the state makes important decisions and is the leader of
a state (Ex: During COVID, the governor decided to shut down
schools and restaurants). The executive branch is also in charge of
things like natural resources, the state police, and transportation.
The governor is helped by a secretary of state and an attorney
general and is voted by the people.

Pair Tree Activity

- The teacher will model how to complete the graphic organizer of the
local government branches. (Tree) and will explain the different
branches. While the teacher is presenting on the board, the students
will be writing down the information onto their papers.
- Once the teacher is done with showing the local government
branches, then the teacher will ask the students to pair up and
complete the organization of the State Government of Michigan by
10 mins. selecting the square pieces and writing it out in the graph.
- Model the activity:
- Teacher will show the different square pieces that the
students need to use. Then will do a think aloud and write
down the three types of branches onto the first layer of the
 branch. After writing it down, then the teacher will cross out
the square that they used.
- Teacher will ask students to complete the graphic organizer
individually.

Branches of Government Poster

- Once all the students are done with their worksheet, the
teacher will introduce the poster activity.
- Teacher will ask students to create their own poster of the
three branches of government.
- Explain that the teacher used the tree to demonstrate the
three different branches, but there are many other ways in
15 mins. which the students can represent the government. For
example, someone can draw a tricycle with the three wheels
to represent the different branches. Or a student can use a
stool with three legs.
- Teacher will ask the students to choose an object that can be
represented as branches of government.
- Teacher will ask students to draw their own version of how
they will represent the three branches of government onto
poster paper, and write down the labels and the function of
the government onto the drawing.

Students who are finished early

10 mins. - If there are students who have finished early, then they can complete
the Michigan Legislature Information sheet during class, rather than
taking it for homework.

Closure Closure:
- Once the students are completed with their drawings, then they can
2 mins. share with their friends about what they have drawn. If they haven’t
completed their drawings, then they can draw their poster when
they have spare time after class.