THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Edward R. Murrow High School
DESIGNATED A SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
ALLEN BARGE, PRINCIPAL, IA
TO:
All Staff
FROM:
Allen Barge, Mauro Bressi, James Cunningham, Angela Gramegna, Spy Kontarinis, Ryan
Mills, Ihouma Nwosu, Stephen Radice, Thomas Toriello, Judy Tripodi
DATE:
September 4, 2012
RE:
PRE-OBSERVATION CHECKLIST/GUIDELINES
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------It is the mission of Edward R. Murrow High School to CARE for our students (Challenge students,
Achieve academic success, Respect human differences, and Engage all students in the learning
process). Our CARE campaign will be the basis for every decision at every level at our school and will
be fundamental to instruction.
During the pre-observation conference, we always emphasize the importance of the lesson plan.
While the format of the lesson plan is up to the individual teacher, the goal of every lesson must be
the same - to maximize student learning. In order to maximize student learning, the following
elements should be evident during each lesson:
I.
Planning and Preparation – Designing Coherent Standards Based Instruction
 Instructional Objectives and Outcomes - By pedagogical objectives, we mean the specific
expected student learning outcomes. What new skill will the student have the ability to
perform after the activity that the student was not capable of doing before the activity? What
student task behavior will help you whether your lesson was effective? What specific
knowledge will the student be able to demonstrate? Your objectives should be clear to you
before you design the activities for your lesson. Knowing what your specific objectives are
determines what activities you plan to use in order to meet those objectives.
 AIM - Every lesson should have a clear focus or AIM (preferably elicited from the students)
that is aligned to the New York State Learning Standards in content as well as the Common
Core Standards in skill. It should be presented as a question or a problem to be solved by the
class. (eg. “How is the respiration rate of the human body controlled?”, “How effective was
New Deal legislation in dealing with economic problems of the 1930's?,” “Why is
cardiovascular exercise important?” etc.). The aim should be written on the board within the
first ten minutes of the period. Also, lesson objectives/outcomes, reflecting rigorous learning
and high expectations, should be clearly evident in the lesson and aligned to the aim.
 Motivation - Every lesson must be motivated. A motivation creates a readiness or anticipation
for what is to follow. It must intrigue the learner. Students need to understand the reason
why they should learn what the teacher is trying to teach them. A good motivation relates to
real life student experiences and creates a “need to know” or a “desire to know” on the part
of the students. A strong motivation will serve as the “hook” to catch student interest and
foster engagement. A motivation/motivational activity/do now should be 5-8 minutes in
length.
 Lesson Development - In this segment of the lesson, a logical sequence should be planned in
which the lesson outcomes, activities, materials, methods, and student groupings all come
together to promote student engagement and student learning. This coherence is defined by
both content (New York State Learning Standards) as well as skill (Common Core Learning
Standards). As much time as possible should be spent on thinking, analyzing, discussing and
evaluating. Of all the elements of an instructional plan, the most critical is the design of
instructional activities. Learning activities should be designed to engage all students in the
learning process. Lesson activities should be planned so as to address the needs and different
learning styles of our students. In addition, every lesson must address the basic skills of
literacy - listening, reading, and writing- and your learning activities during the development
of the lesson will provide you with many opportunities to do just that. Learning activities
should be designed to engage all students in the learning process through content knowledge
and skill development. Thus, careful attention must be made to develop effective learning
activities to ensure that they include:
1. Sound Instructional Materials – All instructional materials and
resources should be strategically selected to support students’ efforts in
meeting instructional objectives/outcomes. All materials should be
suitable to the needs of the students.
2. A Student Centered Approach – A learning environment that is studentcentered will provide the maximum opportunity for learning. As such,
lessons should be planned so as to maximize student engagement and
student participation. Students should not be passive listeners
throughout the lesson. Students need to be working AT LEAST as hard
as the teacher throughout the lesson - reading, responding, in dialogue
with other students, problem solving, writing, producing work, and
being accountable on a daily basis. Lessons should be planned to
include student to student interaction on a daily basis. Such
interaction can be done through “turn and talk” and “think-pairshare” activities, strategically planned cooperative learning groups
(determined by assessment and use of data), and project based
learning groups.
3. Assessment - During each lesson the teacher must gauge the extent of
student learning and skill development. Assessments should be fully
integrated into instruction, through extensive use of formative
assessment (exit slips, mini-projects, quizzes, learning log entries,
student self assessment activities, etc.) in addition to effective
questioning techniques. The teacher should use assessment results to
plan and modify future instruction for individual students.
Questions/prompts/assessments should be used regularly to diagnose
evidence of learning by individual students.
II.
Classroom Environment
 Sound Classroom Management Skills - Good classroom management complements a wellplanned lesson. The teacher exhibits an organized approach to classroom teaching/learning.
The teacher sets appropriate behavioral standards and enforces school rules consistently
while establishing a culture for learning.
III.
Questioning and Discussion Techniques
 Good questioning technique - A good lesson plan includes key or pivotal questions that
require higher order thinking skills and serve to promote dialogue between teacher and
student, as well as between students. Good questions evoke a variety of sustained responses
from the students. Questions that require a one-word response should be avoided (Please
refer to Allen Ornstein’s, Questioning: The Essence of Good Teaching or Stephen Reinhart’s,
Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say!).
IV.
Using Assessment in Instruction
 Summary- Every lesson must have a final summary. A final summary, elicited from the
students through good questioning techniques and/or formative assessments (exit slips, miniprojects, quizzes, learning log entries, etc.), provides the teacher with a clear indication of the
extent of student learning. A medial summary during the lesson is also advisable. A medial
summary reinforces the concept(s) being taught, allows for reflection, and gives students the
confidence to move forward by making the lesson relevant to the student’s lives.