Contextual Factors Template

Total Number of Students in the School: ____313____

School Socio-Economic Make-Up (i.e., % free and reduced lunches): ____51.6____

Class Class Class Class Class

1 2 3 4 5
Grade Level/Subject Taught JH Choir HS Band HS Choir 6th Band 5th Band
Number of Students in Classroom 20 13 10 30 19

Contextual Information: Class Class Class Class Class Student Learning Adaptations:
(List te number of students identified in 1 2 3 4 5 (Describe at least one example of a strategy
each class you teach and identify the to provide equitable opportunities,
class in which you are teaching your accommodations, or modifications you
unit) attempted for any student identified within
each contextual characteristic)
When doing group work I split them up in
Gender 8 12 9 23 10 different ways than just boys and girls. I
Number of Females: 12 1 1 7 9 also will sit with different groups and sing
Number of Males: their parts in choir.
I try to interact with everyone equally. We
Ethnic/Cultural Make-Up have talked about different cultures and
Caucasian/White: 16 12 10 30 17 everyone’s musical tastes.
African American/ Black: 3 1 0 0 2
Hispanic/Latino:
0 0 0 0 0
Asian/Pacific Islander:
1 0 0 0 0
American Indian/Alaskan Native:
0 0 0 0 0
I did not work with any one in this category.
Language Proficiency If needed I would have printed out parts of
Number of English Language 0 0 0 0 0 the lesson and used more visuals to help.
Learners (ELL):

Academic Performance I have worked individually with students

Students Performing 7 2 4 7 6 not understanding the concept. I will either
Below Grade Level: sit by them or take them to a separate area
Student Performing
11 11 6 23 13 and listen to them play or catch them up on
Above Grade Level:
different concepts.

Students with Special Needs 2 0 1 0 2 Either I or my CT consistently sit by one

Learning Disability: 1 0 1 1 0 student and point to each note until the
Emotional/Behavioral Impairment: 0 0 0 0 1 student learns the song to help him visually
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD):
0 0 0 0 0 see how the rhythms work and to help him
Developmental Disability:
0 0 0 0 0 stay focused. This student tends to be off
Intellectual Disability:
Speech/Language Impairment: 0 0 0 0 0 task and look around the room a lot.
Autism Spectrum: 0 0 0 1 0
Gifted: 1 3 1 2 2
Blind/Visual Impairment (VI): 0 0 0 0 0
Deaf /Hearing Impairment (HI): 0 0 0 0 0
Physical Disability: 0 0 0 0 0
Other Health Impairment: 0 0 0 0 0
Military Connected Students
0 1 0 0 0 One student has a brother in the military
who just came back from overseas. This
student is well adjusted and this does not
seem to cause them grief. We have
discussed the family member before and
are always willing to talk with this person if
they so choose.

Contextual Factors Continued

Student Characteristics:
Describe the developmental characteristics of students in your classroom.
(Cognitive, Physical, Emotional, Social).

Junior High Choir: The students in this class do not get along very well as a whole. Even though this class is
small there are definite clicks. The students do not like sitting by those other than their friends. This is also
hard to get participation with unless they enjoy the song they are singing. A couple 7th grade students seem a
little immature for junior high, but they will catch up. Overall the group seems of average cognitive
development. This group is also the most ethnically diverse group I was able to work with. That however did
not appear to affect the class or their interactions. One particular student seems stunted developmentally.
This student still sucks their thumb and gets off task a lot by interjecting random thoughts. Most of the other
students ignore the interjections.

High School Band: This group is an interesting mix of personalities. Cognitively all students are very bright
and perform well academically. Emotionally and socially, however, the students are in much different places.
While this group contains 9-12 graders it does not appear the grade level is much of a factor. We have
freshman much more developed than two juniors. One student likes to cause lots of drama and be the center
of attention at all times. The other does not do well reading social cues and has problems interacting with
others. This student says inappropriate things about their ability putting others down in the process, and it
does not seem that this student is aware of how what they say is affecting their peers. The other students get
along well and create a fun environment. It is very easy teaching with high energy as this class just has that
vibe.

High School Choir: This group has a wide range of cognitive development. There are a couple students
below grade level and a couple above. One student struggles emotionally and rarely shows up to school. A
couple students are very hard to motivate. All they do is talk, no matter where you put them. A couple
students really care and want to be in choir while the rest seem to just want an easy class. Their musical
abilities are widely varied so it is hard to plan songs and activities.

6th grade band: This group is highly motivated and seem to excel in all aspects of school. They have been
such a joy to work with. The group we have all seem to be gel together well. There are two students a little
behind socially but as a whole the group works well.

5th grade band: This group seems to struggle the most. They talk all the time and never listen to instruction.
Two of the students so not want to be in band anymore but cannot quit until the year is over. We have to
constantly go to their classrooms to look for students. One student even hid under their desk to avoid coming,
which is strange. We have tried all sorts of different activities that these students would enjoy. The rest seem
to truly enjoy being in band. A couple of the girls are getting to that attitude stage of development and there
have been lots of eye rolls and snarky comments. We have had multiple talks with this class about attitude
and tone of voice. We also have a wide range of ability levels both academically and musically. Regardless,
they perform well together and I am very proud of their progress.

Highlight the prior knowledge and interests of students in your classroom.

Junior High Choir: One boy in this class is big into rap and rappers. Most of the class enjoy country music.
Many are involved in sports. There are also a lot of video gamers. A couple are farm kids and enjoy animals.
These students know lots of folk songs. They have experience singing in multiple parts but are not always
successful sustaining their pitches.

High School Band: These students are involved in every single extra-curricular or club offered. Some one is
always gone on a school trip. I do not think we have had a full class in over a month. Their interests vary
between sports, academics, music, ag, art, forensics, cheer, and dance. The three seniors all want to continue
music during their college experience. These students know how to tune individually and have a good
beginning grasp on performing musically. All have experience performing solos and working on small
ensembles. They do not have as much experience in big band settings as their band is small and not all
instruments are represented, but they know how to cover the different parts.

High School Choir: This choir does not have similar musical backgrounds as most of the choir are relatively
new to the school district. They have all sang songs with multiple parts and are familiar with singing
different styles. This group also has experience with singing in Latin. One senior in this group is going on to
study music production in college and comes from a very musical family. The other students do not seem as
interested in music. They seem to want an easy class more than they want to learn. This group is not nearly
as actively involved in the school or clubs. Some of the girls like to write, and many are interested in art.

6th Grade Band: These students are very athletic and most are involved in some sort of little league sports
group. A lot of these students take piano lessons and are actively involved in performing or singing at
different churches. They are very comfortable with playing songs with multiple parts and harmonies. They
struggle a little with ¾ but they understand the basic concept. They have a good grasp on harmonies and
musical history eras.

5th Grade band: The fifth grade has some students taking piano lessons as well. Some are involved in little
league sports but not as many as 6th grade. Most in this class are farm kids and are really into ag and animals.
They are just starting to work on songs with more than one or two parts. They have a good grasp of
harmonies. They count rhythms very well and do a good job of incorporating dynamics and basic
articulations (staccato/legato).

Describe the implications these characteristics have on planning and instruction.

(e.g. What instructional strategies will you use to meet the unique learning needs of all your students?)
Junior High Choir: This choir needs lessons that give ample time to work on pitch matching within each
song. However, I cannot stay too long on one song or topic because this class gets out of hand extremely fast.
This means my lessons must be fast paced and include things they are interested in. I sing with them at all
times to help with pitch, so modeling is a must.

High School Band: This band focuses really well on music. I am able to actually rehearse and work with
small groups of people at a time, but they easily lose focus and get frustrated if I do this too much in one
rehearsal. Regardless we get a lot done in each lesson. They pick up and change things very quickly. I am
able to ask tough questions, and they are able to give valuable feedback. I cannot use lots of musical terms
however. They know how to do musical things but they do not always know the names of the concepts so I
must work in time to explain things. It sometimes catches me off guard when I say things and they don’t
know what I am talking about when it is something I know they do daily. I plan out different ways to ask
questions and discuss concepts.

High School Choir: This group is not very advanced musically nor are they motivated to learn. Lessons must
be full of modeling for pitch matching and time must be left to work with small groups. Some of the altos
have problems hearing harmony but do not have the soprano range. The group as a whole drops or changes
octaves frequently on melody so I always plan on time spent getting sopranos to actually sing soprano. The
emotional/behavioral student does not show up to school often, but when they do there has never really been
any problems. This student has opened up to me some and I think that helped them a lot.

6th Grade Band: In this band I am able to move very quickly between activities. I must plan lots of things for
them to do as they gain mastery quickly. The student with autism is low on the spectrum but very bright and
has a fantastic ear. They like to do things themselves and do not need or ask for much help. This student
recently switched from trombone to tuba so I write in some of the fingerings for them but they are really
starting to figure it out. This group overall functions at a very high level cognitively which helps us get more
accomplished.

Environmental Factors:
Describe district, school, and classroom environmental factors impacting the quality of education for all
of your students.

The district places great emphasis on test scores and performing well academically. The last couple years
they have been awarded numerous things for this performance and their strategies on bridging the gap
between low achievers and high achievers. They just recently received the Challenge Award. They are
also a National Blue Ribbon School. The school does a really good job of working with all students who
need help. Although test scores are rising, behavioral problems there can really affect class time. This is a
major struggle in both the junior high band and choir. A lot of these kids have some sort of complex that
they know best and don’t want to work the way we ask them to. This affects the educational quality for
those in the class with special needs as they may not get the extra class time to work and ask questions as
so many students in certain grades are so disruptive.
 Describe community and family environmental factors impacting the quality of education for all of your
students.

Here two schools in two separate towns combined into one school about 75 years ago. It seems like the
towns are still trying to figure out their identities. While the communities greatly care about their school and
each other, it does not seem as tight-knit as many other small communities I have known. Like most small
communities, many families are economically disadvantaged and many students are on free or reduced
lunch. This has not seemed to impact the quality of education though. The teachers do a fantastic job of
working within their means and providing the students with the best opportunities. Also unlike many small
towns I have worked with, many students come from broken homes. A lot of parents seem to take a back seat
when it comes to parenting and students are left to work on their own. Not all are this way. There is a stark
contrast between the high achieving students (with parental support) and low achieving students (without
parental support). This means the school has to work harder to reach those without solid role models and I
feel this school has done a good job.

Describe the implications these factors have on planning and instruction.

(What instructional strategies will you use to address the unique environmental factors impacting each
student?)

Students may not have access to advanced technology at home so if I want to do something that involves a
lot of technology it must strictly be done in the classroom. Mandatory attendance also seems to waiver as
many parents do not place priority on music activities done outside of the school day. We must come up with
things to have students do so they are not missing out. As far as planning and delivering lessons I did not find
I had to change much from my normal teaching, this could be because I grew up in a small town and small
school. I relate to what the school is going through and it seems normal to me.