Classroom Observations
The teacher starts off
every day with Excel Sheets. These are
worksheets students complete during the beginning of the day, almost like a
warm-up. After the daily announcements,
the teacher hands out word sorts to each student. Each word sort is different because it is
based on the child’s literacy level.
Those who are working on the same word sorts work together. After working on their word sorts, the
teacher brings in the students onto the carpet to go over new material. She has the students sit boy-girl so that
kids are more focused on what they are learning instead of playing with each
other. Mrs. H typically gives all her students to sit next to whoever they like but if they start misbehaving, she pulls them to the front so they sit either in front of her or next to her so she can keep an eye on them. When creating partners or doing a
think-pair-share, she has the students put their hand on the shoulder of their
partner. Once she has completed
explaining the concepts, the students rotate between stations to work on
different activities. The teacher uses
many techniques to get her students’ attention.
She uses “1, 2 eyes on you”, clapping 3 times and countdowns from 5 to
1. When giving directions, the teacher
has students repeat what she is saying to make sure that they understand what
they’re asked to do. Students are given
the freedom of taking AR tests freely throughout the day. Students can also read quietly whenever they
finish their work. Technology is
constantly used in the classroom. The
SmartBoard is used in almost every subject that is being taught. Mrs. H used the SmartBoard and had students come up and answer questions. Most of the assessments that are given are formal assessments. There are very few assessments that are summative.
reflection
I think Mrs. H has many great ideas. I love that she starts the students' day off with math and ends it with math as well. Her students absolutely love math so they're always excited in the morning and in the afternoon to learn new math. I think it's great that Mrs. H has her students sit boy-girl. It's a wonderful way of keeping students focused on their task, instead of playing with one another. I think that Mrs. H's idea of stations is great but it can get hectic. She has about five stations that students rotate between every 10-15 minutes. I think that this doesn't give students enough time to get their work completed that they are asked to do. I don't think I would incorporate as many stations into my classroom. I would only use them occasionally and have about three stations, instead of five.