Observation Questions for ELL/LEP student(s)

1. What techniques/methods/strategies do you see being used with the ELL/LEP student(s)?
Are they effective? Why or why not? (Either specifically for the ELL student(s) or in
whole class/small group instruction)

I observed an ESL classroom and the first class had 6 students who were 5th graders.
There was a new student who had just arrived from Ecuador and was in the silent stage of
language acquisition. The assistant teacher attempted to give him a diagnostic test but he did not
respond to anything and it was not understood if he did not understand English or if he was too
shy to communicate with us. The other group of students was preparing for some type of a test
and were going over questions to it. Their English seemed almost native like except for a few
grammatical problems and errors. Another class played a card game with compound words
where a student would match up the first part of the word with the second. The students seemed
to respond more to the game and were eager to learn and find the proper matches. Later in the
other class we played Go Fish and myself and the main ESL teacher kind of of manipulated the
game so the new student from Ecuador could win. He was very happy.

2. Do you notice any student behaviors that you would considerout of the ordinary?
Please describe in detail. (This applies to both the ELL student(s) and other classroom
students)

The only behavior that I would describe as out of the ordinary was the new student
who would not say and word and would barely make eye contact with anyone except his peers.
The students behavior became more animated when he was playing Go Fish. When we were
doing the diagnostic test he seemed to be experiencing extreme anxiety. A behavior that was
probably not out of the ordinary but was interesting was when we were playing Go Fish the
Ecuadorians peers would translate words for him without even being asked.

3. What type of interactions do you see between the ELL student(s), other classroom
students, and the teacher(s)?Please describe in detail.

The classes were smaller so I was able to observe more intimate interaction. The students
all seemed friendly with each other and seemed to feel some sort of unsaid bond based on the
fact that they were all ESL students. My favorite interactions were between the new student and
his peers who would cheerfully translate unknown words for the new student with being asked. I
also enjoyed being an active part of the classroom and helping the teachers with their lesson. The
students, for the most part, were not shy and seemed to want to talk with me.

4. Identify resources/materials that are being used with the ELL student(s). Please describe
in detail how the ELL student is using them. Do they appear to be effective? Explain.

The main resources I noticed were ESL specific books and games which the ESL
students would play. The games seemed to be more effective than the textbook as it more
actively engaged the students. The students would play the games with both the teachers and
each other. I liked this arrangement as it seemed that the teacher was communicating to the
students that she was not in a position of power but was one of their equals in learning. Both
teacher and student were sharing in their educational endeavors.

5. Does the classroom environment seem to be comfortable for the ELL student(s)? Please
describe the environment and explain how you made your decision.

Yes, the classroom environment seemed very comfortable for the ESL students as they
were grouped with other ESL students. The classroom was also colorful, well decorated, and
welcoming. The students seemed at ease with both their environment and their teacher and did
not seemed stressed which allowed them to focus more on their education.

6. Whats the comfort level of the ELL student(s) in regards to the English language?
What observations help you arrive at your decision? Refer to the Vocabulary
Performance Indicators. At what level would you place the ELL student?How did you
decide on that level?

All the students seemed comfortable and near native level except for the new student. Of
course, I was not able to engage in extensive observation or conversation with the students so I
cant say for certain. However, the teacher mentioned how she was not a fan of the standardized
tests for the ESL students and thought they were not effective indicators of their level of
performance.

7. If you feel comfortable enough to ask, ask the cooperating teacher (or ESL teacher) what
type of accommodations/modifications they have to make for the ELL student(s). Please
describe the types of accommodations/modifications that were discussed. Do they appear
on the checklist? Why/why not do you think they are present/not present on the checklist