Observed By Head!

[Guest]

Hi just wondering if anyone has any great ideas for a lesson. I teach reception and at the moment our head is observing each teacher for one lesson. It is my turn next week 2nd May! It can be anything at all CLL, MD, KUW etc and I am stumped for ideas! Our topic is messengers and change (ive incorporated growth and lifecycles into this) and would appreciate any ideas for a lesson approx 1 hour including input and child initiated activities also one adult directed activity. ANY ideas grately appreciated.

[Guest]

Initial thoughts on life cycles (though not particularly inspiring) would be to tell the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, follow up activities could include sequencing pictures from the story, writing captions for things it ate, counting items of food, making food from plasticine/play dough, painting butterfly pictures (splash painting/symmetry), looking in non-fiction books for info about butterfly, or internet search if a spare adult in class, using Painter on Black Cat (IT) to make butterfly pictures, talking about healthy and unhealthy food - leaves are healthy food for butterfly - going outside to look for signs that animals have been eating leaves. You may have some of those life-cycle jigsaws???

 

OR tell story of Billy's Sunflower (I think that's what it's called) and then plant some sunflower seeds, paint pics of sunflowers etc.

 

Don't know what the topic 'messengers' really means.

 

Harricroft

[Guest]

I think I am soon to face an observation - so I had been thinking about 'setting up' a real life problem to cope with - ie - telling the children that it is the class puppet's birthday but all her puppet friends have forgotten. How can we help? And then plan a celebration with different groups doing different things - wrapping, card making, possible cake making etc etc and finish with the party (plenary)

 

I thought that hopefully the children would love it, and be motivated and it would cover all areas.

[Guest]

Hi Kat, don't stress over it - why not just carry on as usual? I don't think preparing an all singing all dancing lesson is necessarily going to make you or the children feel at ease. Observations shouldn't be threatening

 

Incidentally, am I the only one who doesn't do hour long lessons ?

[catma]

what had you planned to be focusing on in that week? Have you looked to your assessments of where the children are in relation to the curricular aspects you are focusing on? That will be guiding you in terms of the intended learning and I think that is an important starting point. Then you will be able to consider what activities you may be supportig this through. As an observor my first thoughts are always WHY have you planned something rather than what are you doing - may help to focus your preparation.

 

Cx

[Marion]

Hi Kat, don't stress over it - why not just carry on as usual? I don't think preparing an all singing all dancing lesson is necessarily going to make you or the children feel at ease. Observations shouldn't be threatening 

 

Incidentally, am I the only one who doesn't do hour long lessons  ?

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No I dont do hour long lessons either. 10/15 mins whole class input then small groups while the other children choose.

I think its only human nature to feel anxious about being observed but why should we do something different to what we normally do?

[Guest]

Thanks, Marion. I feel quite relieved!

P.S. love the new avatar - will you be keeping this one???

[Guest]

Hi, try not to worry about it I remember being observed by our fs govrnor and thinking that they would question why I did things ie why the children had full running of the class and why they werent sat in rows but it worked really well. I would stick to the hungrey caterpillar story and do activities around that cutting and sticking sequencing evets, also see if you can oredr the live caterpillars for then- great for discussions!!!! Good luck

[Marion]

Thanks, Marion. I feel quite relieved! 

P.S. love the new avatar - will you be keeping this one???

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Trying to find one that reflects my personality..........this one is close

[Guest]

Thanks for all your replies and ideas feel much better about it now think im going to do the hungry caterpillar and our lessons aren't for an hour either thats just how long he is observing for - unless we can get him out sooner with threats of painty hands and snotty noses etc!!!

[Susan]

Good luck, Kat.

Have fun and Im sure it will be ok!