Randi Rhodes ECED 329

Classroom Factors Classroom Arrangement When I first enter this third grade classroom there is a bookshelf to my right. The bookshelf contains pictures and valuable items that belong to my cooperating teacher. There is a shorter bookshelf that is right beside it that holds the teachers lunch bag, and it is also where students pick their lunch choice. Above that bookshelf there is a bulletin board that has the calendar and the lunch menu on it. On the same wall to my right there is a white board that is used by the teacher during social studies and math. There are two laundry baskets that sit on the floor to the right of the room that are used as book bag holders. When the students first come into the classroom in the morning they are told to come in quietly unpack and put their book bags in the basket and fill out their planners. In the front of the classroom there is a smart board on the wall. In the front corner there is a semi-circle table that is used as the teachers desk. This is where she keeps her laptop computer and papers for her lessons. Right beside her computer she has what they call Elmo. On the left side of the classroom there is a countertop that takes up the whole wall. There are cabinets above and below the countertop which store supplies such as boxes of scissors, arts and crafts, books, workbooks, etc. In the back left corner there are four computers, however; I think only three of them work. Since I have been in the classroom the students have never used the computer. Only one of them is used by the teacher for lesson plan purposes. In the back of the classroom there are two shelves set up with books that are categorized easy, just right, fiction, nonfiction, and some of them are by author and series. There are four beanbags and two soft chairs for the students to sit on while reading in the mornings. Grouping Patterns There are 27 desks in the room. The desks are set up in groups of four and there are three groups of four in the front row and there are three groups of four in the next row. There is one desk in the back right corner and there is one in the back left corner of the classroom for two students that have a difficult time working with other students in the classroom. Three of the desks are empty due to students moving schools. There is no apparent skill level pattern to how my teacher seated the students. Physical Features There are posters of the United States and South Carolina that are posted on the white board. Above the second bookshelf there is a bulletin board that has the calendar and the lunch menu on it. There is a poster that has individual pockets on it that have cards with each childs name on it. This is used as their disciplinary system. Beside each students desk there is a basket that is used

Randi Rhodes ECED 329

to hold each students books and blinders. This helps the students be more organized and to not have their desk cluttered. Classroom Rules There are a few rules that they have to obey in the classroom, the lunch room, and in bathrooms. In the classroom students have to raise their hands before speaking and they may not sharpen their pencils throughout the school day. The students are encouraged to answer questions throughout the lessons. If a student continues to answer questions throughout the day then they are rewarded with a lottery ticket. This helps the students to be more motivated to be engaged in classroom discussion. The students also have school-wide reward system. If the students are behaving in an outstanding manner then they receive a line loop. A line loop is used as if it were money, they can buy something out of the closet in the cafeteria, they can buy a homework pass, they can pay to have a friend sit with them at lunch or sit with a teacher, etc. This system promotes good and expected behavior throughout the school. In the lunch room, students set a timer at the beginning of lunch and they have to be silent and eat their lunch until the timer goes off. They can whisper quietly until it is time to leave. In the bathroom only five students are allowed to go in at one time and they are not allowed to talk. There is one student that the teacher selects to monitor the other students. . If a child gets a circle then he or she has to move their card down. The discipline system that I mentioned earlier has categories that range from Outstanding (top) to Very Poor (bottom). Classroom Routines The students start off their day by coming in and unpacking. After they finished writing down their homework in their planners they read silently on the rug until everyone is done. The teacher moves straight into a math lesson once everyone is done with their planners. Followed by math the teacher introduces the ELA lesson before they head out for recess and then lunch. When they come back from lunch they usually finish up their ELA lesson and move to a related arts class. When they come back they do a full social studies or science lesson. Scheduling The students have one related arts class every day. On Mondays they go to music class and they are currently working on songs that the third grade will sing for their school performance. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays they have P.E. Also, on Wednesdays the students go to the library to return their old books and check out new ones for the week. The students have physical education twice a week in order to meet the required time of physical movement. Every other Thursday they have computer lab and when they do not have computer lab they have science lab. On Fridays the students go to Art class. Availability of Technology

Randi Rhodes ECED 329

Students have daily access to the promethean board. The teacher can access the math workbook that the students have on the board so they can go through the workbook together. As I mentioned earlier they teacher has an object called the Elmo which is a handheld microscope that allows the students to see the object that is under the microscope on the smart board. In the classroom there are 4 computers. Only 1 of the 4 computers is used by the teachers. The students do no use the computers in the classroom. Parent Involvement My cooperating teacher mentioned that there are not too many parents that are involved in her classroom. The parents will do anything that my teacher asks them to do such as bring items for the classroom. My teacher mentioned that there is a shortage of parent involvement when it comes to functions such field trips due to the lack of time that parents have to give to the school. Resources The students use a My Math workbook that is used as a guideline for the lesson and it also has the students homework that they can tear out and do at home. For social studies and reading they have small chapter books that they read as a class and by themselves. They have questions that go with each chapter in a pamphlet that have to fill out once they are done reading that chapter. The students also have plenty of choices in book selection in their class library. Equipment At each group of four desks they are a basket with different materials for each student. There are markers, pencils, and pens that are used to mark their work correct or incorrect. The students have library cards on a lantern that hang on the white board until they get ready to go to the library. Learning Environment The students are used to staying seated in their desk while the teacher goes through the lesson. The teacher usually asked the students a few questions throughout the lesson and then requires them to complete an assessment after the lesson. From what I have observed the students do not get up and move during instructional time. Student Demographics and Characteristics Description # of students African-American Bi-racial White LD Resource SST Female 9 1 0 8 0 0 Male 15 3 1 11 3 4 Total 24 4 1 19 3 4

Race/Ethnicity

IEP

Randi Rhodes ECED 329

Advance Programs

Repeater PLUS

0 1

1 0

1 1

Based on the MAP test that was given to the students the first month of school there is 1 student that is far below the reading level for third grade. There are 2 slightly below reading level, 7 on reading level, and 14 above reading level. In math there are 3 students below grade level, 15 students barely on grade level, and 6 above grade level. Upon talking with the students in my third grade classroom I learned that 6 of the boys are actively involved in football 5 of the 6 are on the same team. The majority of the girls in my class participate in cheerleading. One of the football players also participates in rodeos. Instructional Implications Classroom set ups and characteristics of each child are important factors that directly affect the students. The technology is also a big factor in student learning. Having one computer that does not work properly in the classroom is not helping the students. Fortunately, the technology time that the students are missing on the computers in the classroom is being made up with a related arts computer class. Some students in my classroom go without a pencil through several lessons so they fill as if it were okay to not pay attention to the lesson because they could not do the work. The lack of supplies could cause a student to fall behind in their academics. Getting to know each student is also important in teaching. Since I have found out that many of my males in class like to play football I may reference a math problem to football so they will become interested in the lesson. I can also do that with the cheerleaders in the classroom or with any other interest that my students have. When teaching to the whole class I have to consider all levels of skill that may vary in my classroom. I do not want to move too quickly for the students that may need extra time to complete their work and I would not want to just lecture about a subject because the visual learners in my class may have a hard time grasping the lesson. Having hands-on lessons can benefit everyone in the classroom. Another important factor that all teachers should implement into their lessons is diversity. Every student needs to feel like they have a place in the classroom. I would simply read books that have to do with African-American culture, White culture, and some bi-racial books. When coming up with word problems I could make sure that all students would relate to the problem. Little factors that teachers can demonstrate in their classrooms can go a long way with meeting their students needs. I believe students are more willing to please their teacher when they think that we understand and care about them.