Classroom Observation

Torin Sawyer
(Partners with Bri and Emma)
1. What is the general layout of the classroom and resources available for you to use
for your lesson and stations? Whiteboard, projector, laptop, document camera,
smartboard, Chromebooks, etc.? What supplies do the children generally have in
their desks that they can use?
a. The tables in this classroom are all rounded tables with four to five chairs
set up around them.
b. Each table has crayons, pencils, scissors and glue sticks
c. There is easy access to materials around the room that are all in labeled
bins with a picture of what is inside attached to the front.
d. There is a table set up on the side of the room that houses five
Chromebooks with headphones. The students use these computers to play
educational games, and to practice letter recognition.
e. There is a reading corner in this classroom that has many boxes and bins
of books. This reading corner also has motivational reading posters on the
walls, with a beanbag chair for added comfort. While we were observing
the classroom, the students were expected to sit and silent read, and many
of them went to the reading corner to pick out books.
2. What are some of the classroom dynamics to consider? Number of boys and girls
in the class? What grouping strategies might you consider for your stations?
a. There is a pretty even mix of boys and girls in this classroom, I would say
probably 50/50
b. There is an even grouping of students at the desks as well, with an even
number of boys and girls sitting at each table.
c. There are 5 tables in this classroom, with about 5 students per table
d. One teacher table sitting at one end of the room for a group of students
to work with the teacher
e. I would consider moving the tables around so there is more space between
them, because the classroom felt very cramped.
3. What are some of the general mathematics concepts that all of the students in your
grade level can understand/use, regardless of their math grouping? Are there
particular mathematical concepts that the teacher thinks would be useful for your
lesson to use?
a. There are multiple means of representation of math concepts around the
room hanging on the walls.
b. There are Spanish words for the numbers to help remove language barriers
in mathematics
c. We were not able to observe a math lesson or even ask the substitute about
their math program.

4. What are some of the main themes in the social studies curriculum for your grade
level that might be a good tie in for your lesson?
a. Did not teach Social Studies or tell us about it
b. In kindergarten, students usually learn about family and community as
topics of social studies.
5. What social studies resources do you observe in the classroom (maps, texts,
books, etc)?
a. Multiple maps around the room (one USA and one World)
b. Magnets that are in the shapes of the States
c. The maps that were around the classroom seemed very dark and not
engaging.
6. Regarding ELL students, what is the first/home language? Are they receiving
services in the school? How many years? What strategies have teachers used that
were helpful?
a. There were no ELL students in this classroom
b. If there were students who are ELL, they would receive services from the
school, but Im not sure how encompassing they are in language
development.
7. Regarding students with special needs, what accommodations do you need to
consider for reading, math, language arts, and social studies? Think about
students with documented IEPs and 504 plans as well as those that do not have
official plans on file. What strategies have been successful?
a. There were no Special Education students in this classroom.
b. If there were students with special needs, I would have tried to integrate
them in with the rest of the class and to rearrange the groups of students so
they are included.
c. For students who are low, I would try and implement alternate resources to
help them
i. For instance, during the silent reading time, many students were
easily distracted, so to combat this issue I would have had the
students read for only a short time and try and track their progress
of silent reading times throughout the year.
ii. For math, I would allow manipulatives to be readily accessible for
any student who needs a different perspective of a math concept.
iii. In social studies, I would help support learning by relating the
concepts to things in the students lives, especially about their
family and community.