Contextual Factors Classroom Factors This third grade classroom is a very comfortable environment for students to engage in learning.

As you walk in the classroom, you will immediately see a kidney shaped table. This tables purpose is for guided reading and also another desk for the teacher. She sits at this table when she is teaching a lesson on the SmartBoard. Behind this table are the students cubbies. The teacher puts graded test and parent letters in the cubbies for students to pick up on Fridays. The SmartBoard is located in the front of the classroom along with a whiteboard and bulletin board. The SmartBoard is used for lessons, videos and going over homework. It also is used to encourage students interaction with technology. The white board has the Word of the Day located on it and also morning work. Located in front of the boards is a colorful rug where the students gather for many activities. The bulletin board is used for the classroom rules, the schedule for guided reading, a monthly calendar and the teacher hangs up notes the students write her. On the right side of the classroom the students have personal cubbies. This is where the students hang their personal belongings. This includes book bags, lunchboxes and coats. Above where the book bags are hanging are shelves for the students to place their textbooks. The top of the cubbies are used to hold the students reading baskets. To the right of the cubbies is a cabinet the teacher uses to hold supplies and worksheets. Located at the back of the classroom are computers for students to use. The students use these to take AR Test and play educational games during guided reading. Above the computers are shelves where the teacher has hand on materials, such as math blocks and cubes. There are also books set out that the teacher picked. Beside the computers are baskets labeled with each subject. The labels read History, Language Arts, Math and Science. These are used to keep up with the students work throughout the week. This also teaches the students to be responsible for their work and to make sure their work is turned in when it is due .On the left wall is where the teachers desk is located. The teacher is never at her desk because she is always interacting with the students. The Reading Corner is located in the left corner of the classroom. This corner has a variety of books for any reading level. The students are able to get books from the Reading Corner and exchange the books for others when they have finished them. On all four walls there are posters with reading rules, writing rules and more classroom rules. The teacher has a number line that goes across the front wall, above the SmartBoard. After each lesson the teacher will post information of that lesson on the wall. An example would be, the teacher taught the class how to round to the tens place, after the lesson the teacher posted the rounding rules on the wall. The teacher does this to give students resources throughout the year that they can go back to. The teacher has handmade posters with facts about reading and writing. These were posted to show the students the steps needed to remember when they are reading, writing, or during any lesson. Common Core standards want students to do more critical thinking and to be able to explain their reasoning during lessons. The teacher knows this is a new process for the students to adapt to. Posting charts are resources the students can look back to during any lesson. The desks in the classroom are set up in pods. There are five pods in the classroom. They are spread apart throughout the classroom. Three pods have four desks in them and two pods have three desks in

them. There are also two desks not in a pod located in the front of the classroom. The teacher moved two students by their selves because they were having a hard paying attention. One of these students has behavioral problems and has to be watched constantly. This student goes and meets with the counselor a couple times a week. The teacher and guidance counselor are working very hard to find ways to help this student. The other student does better work when they are sitting by their selves and can focus on their work. The teacher gives each student a number one through twenty. The teacher uses the class roster to assign the students numbers alphabetically. If the students last name starts with an A then that student is number 1. This is used for an organization method. The teacher randomly placed students in pods. The main reasons for the pods are discussion with peers. Students will discuss with their peers in there pod about certain lessons. Some point in every lesson the students are able to turn to a partner and discuss what they are thinking. This is also an objective stated in Common Core. Students in the class work together, to come up with reasoning on specific tops. I find this a very successful way to group students. Schedules and routines are very important when teaching young students. This class has a set schedule and routine that seems to really benefit them. As the students arrive in the class room each morning they are expected to come in quietly and unpack their book bags. They should have all the materials needed in their desk and should begin writing their homework in their agenda. During this time lunchroom monitors will be collecting breakfast. If they are done writing in their agenda, the students should start on their morning work which is written on the SmartBoard. There is a bathroom located in the classroom. Students are allowed to use the bathroom when needed as long as the teacher is not going over instructions. Students line up based on their number. The teacher uses the numbers to organize the students book baskets. Also when the teacher is calling the students to the rug she uses the same method as when lining up the students. The teacher will call out the numbers in groups. Such as, 1 to 5, 6 to 10, 11-15, and 16-20. This is a way to keep what could be an unorganized procedure very organized procedure. Students are not allowed to talk in the halls and must walk on the black line. Students also are called to the colorful rug using their numbers. The afternoon procedures also use the number system. Students are called by their number groups to go and retrieve their belongings. They should then pack up what is needed and wait for dismissal. From what I have seen the number groups are working out in a positive way. The daily schedule is the same each week. The only thing in the schedule that changes week to week is Science and Social Studies. The whole school switches from Social Studies to Science by weeks. The class starts their routine day off by going to their daily activity (Monday: Computer Lab, Tuesday: PE, Wednesday: Art, Thursday: Library, Friday: Music). This is also the teachers planning period. On Wednesday mornings all of the third grade teachers get together during this time to discuss material and lessons that are being taught that week. When the students return from activity they finish writing down morning work and then as a class they go over it. It is then time for Guided reading. The teacher calls the group up that is needed for that day. The groups are based on reading levels of the students. The other students can read, work on their vocabulary tree, write in journals and if its their computer time, they can play educational games. The students are only allowed to visit the computers for games once a week. During this time is when I really engaged in my students interest. I would discuss books

they are reading and why they chose that book. I observe during this time by walking around the classroom or tuning in to how the teacher performs Guided Reading. After Guided Reading the students have Math. Next is shared reading and followed by that is lunch and recess. After recess the students come in and it is time for writing. They write in their journals, sometimes on topics given by the teacher or sometimes on topics they pick. Once a month every student in the school has a writing prompt given by the Principal. The teacher gives the writings to the principal and they read over them. They do this for practice before the PASS test. I am assuming they will continue this when the students take the SmarterBalance assessment. After Writing the students have either Science or Social Studies depending on the week. After the last lesson it is time for afternoon pick up. One thing the teacher does after every lesson is taught is something called an Exit Slip. This method was introduced by Common Core. The students receive a notecard and in their own words they are expected to describe something they have learned during the lesson and explain how it works. This is another method for Critical Thinking. It also is a way for the teacher to see if the students actually grasp the knowledge. They can write down what they learned but have a hard time explaining the cause of it. Parental involvement in this third grade classroom is very limited. There is little parent involvement. There are a few parents who try and stay involved in their students schooling. For the most part the parents are easy to access. The parents, who have been contacted about their students progress, have shown little concern. The teacher reaches parents the best by sending home notes in the students agendas. The parents are expected to respond and sign the agenda each night. This is a way the teacher lets parents know when homework is due, tests are assigned and the progress of their student. Sometimes a teacher conference is needed. Each week the teacher sends home papers and expects them to be signed and returned that following Monday. Each month the parents will receive a monthly newsletter that explains what the students have covered and will be covering. This is a positive way to keep the parents involved in their students education. Student characteristics There are twenty students in the third grade class. The class consists of 75% male and 15% female. Out of the twenty students the class has 10% Hispanic, 40% Caucasian and 50% African Americans. Since the class is majority male, the teacher does a lot of different activities. The teacher lets the students sit on the rug while a lesson is being taught. The reason for this is because most male students learn better if they are able to move around during the day. A large majority of the class comes from low income families. This has a major factor in the students education. There are two ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students that are not served because of their ELDA scores. The teacher makes accommodations for these students in the classroom. They are allowed to work in small groups; teacher writes the definition of vocabulary before the topic is presented, flash cards/dictionary, examples of completed work, study guides and alternate reading selections. These two students usually have no problem engaging in lessons. One of the two is much more outgoing than the other. This student is always participating in class discussions. This student also has a hard time explaining what he has read. The student can write it but when asked to verbally explain has a difficult time. The other

student is quiet and will only discuss when called upon. This student seems to know the material but doesnt like talking in front of the class. There was one student being pulled during math instruction based on their 2012 MAP scores. There are two students that go to RTI (Response to Intervention) every day for reading. . This is based on their 2012 MAP scores. The teacher is now in the process of receiving the 2013 MAP scores and deciding who needs extra help in specific areas. There are two students that go to speech Tuesday and Thursdays. One student in the class has an IEP (Individual Education Plan). This student goes to another teachers classroom for inclusion during ELA time. Some students in the class take medication for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). One student in the classroom has severe behavioral problems and never wants to stay on task. After the teacher reviewed transition sheets and conducted running records the reading levels in the class range from a DRA level 12 to a QRI level 38+. The lowest scorer in the class is one of the students that are pulled out for RTI. In the class 45% of the students are on level, 25% are below and 30% are above. To be on grade level in Third Grade students have to have at least a DRA of 28. 75% of the class met their personal goals. Based on the 2012 MAP scores only 5% of the class during this time gets pulled for math instruction. The teacher is in the process now deciding which students have qualified for Tier 2 RTI and may need extra instruction. 10% of the class were severely below level on 2012 MAP scores. Reading Scores of this class are very low. There is only one GATAS (Gifted and Talented Program) student. The student is pulled for instruction one day a week for the second half of the day. The same student was pulled out in second grade as well for instruction. This is a very active class. They seem to be tactile-kinesthetic. They all really seem to enjoy being engaged in activity. They enjoy moving around the room during lessons. The class has limited time in their desk. The teacher believes more activity means more doing which means more learning. During a math lesson the students enjoy taking a class practice quiz. The quiz is fast paced and shown on the SmartBoard. They have to answer thirty questions in two minutes. They really seem to all be engaged in this activity. They sit on the rug and all get to call out the answer. They have to work together and discuss answers. One thing the teacher is trying to steer away from us the material they are reading. They all seem to be hooked on the book serious, Dairy of a Wimpy Kid. The teacher wants the class to know there are more books out there that are just as interesting. The librarian is also helping with this matter. There is a wide variety of different personalities in this class which makes it a well-round classroom. Instructional Implications The students characteristics in the class have implications for instructional planning. One example is the student who attends speech every Tuesday and Thursday. This student also goes to RTI for reading and gets help for math during the math lesson. This student is below grade level and also scored very low on their 2012 Map scores. Because of this students serious needs the teacher has to make special arrangements during lessons. The student is in a low Guided Reading group that meets Monday-

Thursday. During math someone comes in and goes through the lesson step by step. When completing independent work this student rarely finishes and is never fully engaged. The teacher is constantly observing this students work and repeating what was said numerous of times. As I start writing lesson plans I will keep each student in mind but specifically ones with special needs. One way I would consider this student is to make sure the student sits close to me while conducting a class discussion. Most of the discussions are done on the colorful rug. When students are doing independent work the teacher usually checks on this student numerous times and ask if they have any questions. By checking up on the student the teacher always knows exactly what they are doing. The teacher asks the student questions to see if they understood the lesson and how much they grasped. I realized that this particular student loves read alouds. As my first lesson I incorporated a read aloud in the lesson. The student sat right in front of me and was fully engaged. The student wanted to participate in discussions which were unusual. I asked questions and let the student answer when they raised their hand. This not only helped me assess the students it also gave this student a boost of confidence that they usually dont get to have. This student is also going through hardships at home. The teacher puts this into consideration when homework is due or test needs to be studied for. Since this student gets extra help and is pulled out for reading, the teacher gives the specialist reviews they can go over on the material covered. One way I will make sure this student grasp what is needed during my lesson is to give the specialist that helps them a lesson plan with my objectives. This way they will know exactly what is needed. I will also work one on one with the student when I am observing the class. The teacher has to plan the lessons around the student with sever behavior problems. During Guided Reading the student likes to get off task and write on the board. The teacher cannot stop the Guided Reading group every time this student gets off task. The teacher tries to keep this student busy. The more the student has to do, the less distractions this student will cause. When teaching my lesson I will call on the student to answer questions or participate in an activity just to keep the student alert and engaged. I will also make sure the student is sitting in the front. This child is also OCD. One way I have thought about reaching the students needs is to write down the steps of my lesson. This way the child can see structure and see exactly what is next. Also if I am using in objects for a lesson make sure to give the student the same color or same number of objects. These are just little things but they all could make a big difference in the way the student reacts during the lesson. Knowing about each childs learning style and learning need is needed to plan a successful lesson. The whole reason for preparing a lesson is to figure out ways to successful reach those needs. If a teacher doesnt put into consideration that some students in their class have ADHD, the lesson could be planned for the students to not be active at all. This would make it hard for these students to pay attention. If a ESOL student is having a hard time understanding words used in a story then the teacher has to make accommodations for that student. With this particular class I know during my lessons I will have to walk around the whole time. If I am standing in one spot I will lose the students interest. The students bring so much to each lesson. The discussions they have with their peers can sometimes clear up a topic that was giving students a hard time. The student who needs to be active during a lesson brings activity to the lesson more than it would before. The student with the IEP needs assistance in reading. One way I think would benefit this student is shared reading. After I finish a book I would have the students discuss

or write about what was read. I would then go over what was read with the student and point out words that are important to know. The method I really like is to underline the word that the meaning is unknown and have the students search the text for hints on what the word could mean. This would not only be beneficial to the student who needs assistance during ELA, it would also be a good idea for the whole class. This strategy would also satisfy factors in their IEP. Students just want to learn and as the teachers job and now, my job we have to make it possible for each student to learn. This means knowing each childs needs and striving to meet the student where they are at.