Breanna Cook

TWS 1: Contextual Factors

A. Classroom Factors:

This semester, I am at Springfield Elementary School a Title 1 school in
Greenwood, South Carolina. At Springfield, I am in Mrs. Powells fifth grade reading
class. Mrs. Powell has four classes of reading. Her first class is the class for which I
have collected data. When you first walk into Mrs. Powells classroom you will notice
three groups of eight desks each, the reading area, and the computer area. To the left
after walking in there is a sink area. Past the sink on the left wall of the classroom is the
SmartBoard. Where the SmartBoard is located is considered the front of the classroom
and this is where the most instruction takes place. Mrs. Powells desk area is in front
corner of the classroom. To the right of the door are cubbies and hooks for hanging
backpacks. Across the back wall of the classroom is shelving filled with books, cabinets
with supplies, and three desktop computers. In the corner at the back of the room is the
reading area with two chairs, a carpet area, and bookshelves filled with novels. This fifth
grade class has the availability of technology through the SmartBoard, the three desktop
computers in the classroom, the teachers laptop, the teachers iPad, and the fifth grade
set of thirty Chromebooks that are available for teachers to reserve at any time.
There is a good amount of parent involvement at Springfield and many parents
make an effort to be involved in their childrens learning. During the summer parents are
contacted and invited to the schools orientation. Additionally, Springfield makes
personal calls to each child prior to the first day of school. Parents are contacted daily
through students agendas and are required to conference in October to pick up their
childs first report card.
Breanna Cook
Classroom rules are based on school-wide expectations known at Springfield as
SHINE. SHINE stands for self-control, honesty, independence, neatness, and
engagement. Each day, students watch the schools morning news and students say the
Pledge of Allegiance as well as the Springfield pledge. Springfield also uses a Positive
Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) system. Students are rewarded with sunny
money whenever a teacher or other faculty member observes them at their best behavior.
Students who do not follow directions or disrupt class are given laps at recess and/or
phone calls home. Mrs. Powells class follows several routines during the day. Every
morning students enter the classroom, choose their lunch, and start on morning work.
Students who have jobs such as turning on the news or ordering breakfast will complete
their jobs. When switching classes, students line up at the door in alphabetical order by
their last name and then go quietly to their next class. Mrs. Powells classs daily
schedule is:
7:35- 8:00 Homeroom
8:00- 9:00 First Period Reading---Powells Homeroom
9:05- 10:15 Second Period Reading---Cooks Homeroom
10:20-11:30 Third Period Reading--- News Homeroom
11:40-12:25 Lunch/Recess
12:30- 1:20 Fourth Period Reading---LaForges Homeroom
1:30-2:30 Related Arts/Planning Period
2:30 Dismissal

Mrs. Powell groups students based on academic achievement first and then by behavior.
Students that need the most help or supervision sit near the front of the classroom.
Students are also in groups based on personalities.



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B. Student Characteristics:

Age Gender Race Special Needs
Achievement Level
ELA
10 Male Caucasian GATAS High
10
Female
African
American
N/A
High
11 Female Caucasian IEP- Full resource for math Low
10 Female Hispanic GATAS High
10
Female
African
American
N/A
Average
10
Male
African
American
N/A
Average
10
Male
African
American
N/A
Low
10
Male
African
American
N/A
Average
10
Female
African
American
IEP- Reading
Low
10 Male Caucasian GATAS High
10 Female Caucasian GATAS High
10 Male Caucasian N/A Low
10 Female Caucasian N/A Average
10
Male
African
American
IEP- Speech
Low
11 Male Caucasian IEP- Extended for math and reading Low
11 Female Caucasian IEP- Out but still monitoring Average
10 Female Hispanic ESOL & IEP- Extended for math and reading Low
10 Female Caucasian N/A Average
10 Female Caucasian GATAS High
12
Male
African
American
N/A
Low

Mrs. Powells class has twenty students. Six students are at a high academic
level, six at an average level, and eight are at a low achievement level. Of these
students, five students are part of the gifted and talented program, five are resource,
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and one is served for speech. Every Thursday from 8:15 until 11:30, the gifted and
talented students are pulled for instruction. Eight students are auditory learners, four
visual learners, and eight kinesthetic learners. The reading levels are determined by
QRI assessment data, which show that these students range from a low of 38 to a high
of 60: three students are on a level 38, one student is on level 40, one student is at
level 44, five students are at level 50 and nine students are on a level 60 for reading.
Two students go to resource for reading, therefore, these students scores were not
provided. Mrs. Powells class has four students that are assessing for RTI. There are
no students with a 504 plan in Mrs. Powells class. Other than the two Hispanic
students whose primary language is Spanish, the rest of the class speak English as
their first language.
Students in this class come from diverse family cultures. For example, eight
students come from divorced parent homes, eight from both parent homes, two from
single parent homes with very involved grandparents, and one grandparent as primary
caregiver. My student survey data showed me that my students are interested in a
variety of shows and music artists but that most students enjoy football and
basketball, like dogs, have at least one sibling, and have been to other states in the
southeast region. It also showed that nine students specified math as their favorite
subject in school, six indicated reading as their favorite subject, two science, and one
writing. For the least favorite subject category, four students answered math, two
reading, five science, five social studies, and two writing. For math, student
achievement is mediocre. Three students are pulled out for math. Based on current
math averages, there are eleven students with a grade of 86 and above, three with a
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69-85 and three with a failing grade below 69. For science averages, there are six
students with an 86-100, seven with a grade of 69-85, and seven students failing with
a grade below 69.

C. Instructional Implications:

Knowing who my students are as individuals on a personal and academic level
will allow me to better teach these students. If instruction is not catered to the students
learning styles and needs, they cannot be successful. These students would also benefit
from movement so I will incorporate activities where students are able to talk with a
partner and travel to different groups for discussion as well. As I plan my lessons I will
look at achievement levels and learning styles for grouping. Grouping students in this
manner allows students to collaborate and assist one another. Thus, I will place students
that are below grade level in groups with students who are at and above grade level. If all
students in a group were at the same achievement level, they may either misbehave
during group work or may finish the activity quickly and begin to disrupt other groups.
Many students indicated that they do not enjoy math, science, and social studies;
therefore, I will incorporate these subjects into my reading lessons in fun and engaging
ways. In doing so, I hope to bring a positive light to math, science, and social studies.
Since my students come from a variety of households, I will be careful in choosing
reading material that includes only the traditional two parent homes. Football and
basketball were some of the reccurring favorite sports and hobbies of the students, so I
will relate lessons to these sports. Many students stated that their favorite animal is a
dog, which means that I will choose materials and texts with dogs to make instruction
Breanna Cook
more relatable. The majority of students have traveled outside of South Carolina, but for
those who have not, I will need to provide background knowledge before lessons if
reading materials based in other states are used.
This class has a great sense of community and all students are willing to work and
help each other. Students who are more talkative and lose focus easily will need written
guidelines for activities within lessons. For the gifted and talented students I will need to
have activities prepared for them to complete if they finish other work early. For the low
achieving students I will pull small groups and work with them closely to ensure they
grasp the lessons being taught. I will also use small groups to review concepts in which
students need additional work. For the students who are at grade level, I will use reading
materials that they are capable of comprehending but that also challenge them
academically. I will teach to the auditory learners, use a variety of hands-on activities,
and use visual models to address all students needs. Through differentiated instructions,
all students will have an equal opportunity to succeed.