Robyn Strickland

Early Childhood Math and Science

Mrs. Fasig
May 2, 2015

Observation Notes from AZ Kelley Elementary School

On February 10th and 12th, I observed Ms. Carter's science lessons which were
kindergarten and first graders. When I observed the students were learning about guppies and
their habitats. The students were placed at certain tables and each table was given a fish in a cup.
The students were allowed to observe the fish with a magnifying glass. If the students got to
rowdy, she would tell them to put their hands in the air. She would tell them they needed to talk
quietly to their neighbors about what they observed. Another time I observed the students were
learning about habitats. Each table had their own habitat and would observe it. They would come
up with their findings and share them with the class. The students were very well behaved and
were very engaged in the lessons.
On February 12th, I also observed Mrs. Smith's 3rd grade math lesson. The students were
learning about measuring in centimeters. The students were put into pairs and measured different
lengths of laminated mustaches around the room. One students would measure and the other
would write down how long the mustache was in centimeters. Then, the students did a few
measuring worksheets by themselves. One thing I noticed was that some of the students had a
hard time understanding and listening to directions that were given by the teacher. The children
then began to dance to a few math songs played on the smart board. Then the students went to
recess.
On April 17th, I observed Mrs. Truxton's third grade classroom during science time. The
students at this time were preparing for TCAP so they were taking many quizzes. They had a line
plot quiz. Then reviewed about main ideas and supporting details and had a quiz over that. Each
student had a shield they would put up to prevent cheating among students. Next. the students
had a science test over living and extinct animals. When the students were done they were told to
read a book while the others finished their work. When the test was over, the students were given
a Scholastic Newsletter entitled "Digging for Dinos". The students loved it and were intrigued by
the dinosaurs. The classroom was very structured and the class was very well behaved. I enjoyed
observing them. It was a blast observing at AZ Kelley and I would love to go back and observe
again!