1

Classroom Contextual Factors

Mrs. Fs 2nd grade classroom has 19 students. 10 of them are girls and
9 of them are boys.
Figure 1.1

Gender Distribution
20
18
16
14
12

Boys and Girls

10
8
6
4
2
0
Boys

Girls

Total

In the classroom of 19 students there are 4 students who are ELL (English
Language Learners). One of the ELL students is about to exit the program
meaning, he has become fluent in reading, writing, and speaking Spanish.
The other three students leave the classroom for 20 minutes a day to attend
a special reading group.

ELL Breakdown
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

ELL Breakdown

ELL

Non-ELL

Figure 1.2
In the Mrs. Fs class 1 student is a Pacific Islander, 4 are Hispanic, and 11 are
Caucasian.
Figure 1.3

Ethnicity Breakdown
20
18
16
14
12

Ethnicity Breakdown

10
8
6
4
2
0
Hispanic

Pacific Islander Caucasian

Total

There are 2 students with an academic IEP (Individualized Education Plan)

meaning; these students are significantly below grade level academically.
These students receive additional support through small grouping within the

classroom as well as pull outs. 3 students are pulled out for 20 minutes a day
to work with the speech therapist. No students have been identified as GATE
(Gifted and Talented Education) but there are 2 students whom the teacher
identifies as being high ability students. There are 2 students who receive
SPED (Special Education) services. One of the SPED students is identified as
being severe SPED.

Exceptionalities
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

Exceptionalities

Figure 1.4
Reading levels:
Running records have not been done with the students yet but I was able to
look at the students Treasures Literacy (the literacy program used in our
district) test scores to determine their reading levels. 3 of the students
tested above grade level, 4 tested below, and 12 were on grade level.

Figure 1.5

Reading Scores
14
12
10
Reading Scores

8
6
4
2
0
On Grade Level

Math Levels:

Below Grade Level

Above Grade Level

The district math program (My Math) doesnt assess the students to
determine where they are based on the grade level. The classroom teacher
and I met together to determine the students that were on, below, or above
grade level in mathematics. We determined that 4 students were above
grade level, 4 students were below grade level, and 11 were on grade level.
Figure 1.6

Math Levels
12
10
8
Math Levels
6
4
2
0
On Grade Level

Below Grade Level

Below Grade Level

Policies and Procedures:

Mrs. Fs class has many great policies and procedures in place. The
students have a homework folder that they bring to class every day. If the
teacher has any papers that need to go home, she puts them in their cubby.
At the end of the day the students empty their cubbies and put the papers in
their homework folder. On Monday mornings the students put their

homework for the week in the folder. They are to complete the homework
throughout the week then bring back the homework in their folders on Friday.
The class schedule is very well organized and the students seem to
know what theyre doing and when. After lunch the students are always a
little rowdy so I or Mrs. F reads out of a chapter book for 10 minutes. We
follow that up by doing a small workbook that includes a calendar, weather,
and an array of social studies topics.
There is a clip up/down chart in the classroom. Each student has a
clothespin which they either move up or down, depending on their behavior,
when asked by a teacher. We have also recently implemented table points.
Mrs. F received a grant and purchased 6 special stools. At the end of the
week the table with the most points will get to use the stools the following
week. The class had a big problem with tattle telling. Mrs. F and I discussed
what we could do to resolve the issue. We decided to read a book about
tattle telling and create a tattle tale poster. If the students have a tattle tell
that isnt an emergency, they are to write the tattle on the poster. At the end
of the day, I will look at the poster and decide if any of the tattle tells need to
be addressed.
Modifications/accommodations
During my unit on animals I will need to make modifications and
accommodations to differentiate for the variety of exceptionalities that are in

the classroom. Modifications are important for student learning. Providing

modifications ensures that all students have the ability to learn.
My ELL students are all very well behaved. The main issue that they
have is the language barrier. I plan to include many visuals for my students.
The beginning of all of my lessons will begin with me explaining the content
for that days lesson. I will have a powerpoint presentation which includes
pictures and key words from the lessons. I will also write the vocabulary
words on the board so that the ELL students can quickly glance at them
throughout the lesson if necessary. I will also pre-teach them some of the
vocabulary words before each of the lessons and ask them if they feel
comfortable sharing the vocabulary word with the class in Spanish. One of
the ELL students is far below grade level. He is in SPED and will require extra
modifications. I plan to pre-teach him all of the lessons during centers the
day before.
My high level learners love school and are active participants in all of
the lessons. These students will require extra engaging activities. Im going
to have them keep a growth log of the terrarium plant. They will make
predictions about how long it will take their plant to reach a certain height,
and then track the weekly growth in their log. I will also ask them to think of
some high level questions throughout my lesson. I will have them write their
question down and meet with them later in the day to discuss it.

The low students will need extra help to understand the lessons. I plan
on doing a lot of preteaching with my low level learners. One student is
particularly low; she is identified as a severe SPED student. I will have her
graphic organizers and foldables partially filled in so that all she needs to do
is fill in the keywords. My other low students that are not identified as severe
will also have their organizers and foldables partially filled in but it will be
less filled in than the severe students.