Courtney Sobotka

EDUC 359 Fall Semester

November 17, 2016
ELL/LEP Student Observation
1. In the short amount of time that I observed an ELL student, I noticed some strategies the
teacher used that we have discussed in class. The strategies used seem to be effective for
both the ELL student and the rest of the class. The most important strategy that Ive seen
used is using visuals. When the class is learning a new vocabulary word, the teacher will
have a picture of the word and will also have the word written on the board. When they
are doing their fundations lesson, the teacher goes through every letter in the alphabet, the
sound, and an example. For example, the teacher will say A, apple, aaa and the students
will repeat her. In the classroom there is a poster with all of the letters and a picture of
that example. Another important strategy is gesturing and pointing. Because there is an
ELL student in the class, the teacher will point to each letter and picture during
fundations. I noticed that the teacher uses shorter sentences when explaining directions
and talks slowly, that way the ELL will have more time to process what is being said.
This student always sits close to the teachers desk and to the front of the room. Im sure
there are more strategies and techniques that the teacher will use to help the ELL student,
but these were just a couple that stood out to me.
2. There was one week that one of the girls in my class was out sick everyday. When she
came back the next week, she would cry every time her mom dropped her off. This
behavior was out of the ordinary for this particular child because she always loved to be
at school and always looked forward to going to school. Another one of the students
would act quietly and would keep to himself. Some days he would even start to cry at

random. I found out that his behavior was because his mom was sick in the hospital.
Another student who is very disruptive to the class, gives the teacher an extremely hard
time, and gets sent to the main office frequently, is one of the brightest students in the
class. The teacher gives this child a hard time because of his actions, but Ive come to the
conclusion that he must have some sort of attention deficit disorder. There are times that
he will mentally be there, participating and paying attention, while there are other times
where he is very disruptive. One day he was out of school because he was getting
evaluated; I dot not know the results of his evaluation, but ever since then he has been
behaving a lot better and doing what he is supposed to be doing.
3. All the students seem to get along with one another, even with the ELL student. The
teacher uses peer tutoring where the higher-level students will work with the ELL student
and help him. The teacher also allows translations by peers for clarification. The ELL
student sits by one of the higher-level students who know to help that ELL whenever
need be. The students desks are set up in rows. I am not particularly a fan of this set up
because I feel that is more for middle school/high school students, not first graders. I feel
the best set up would be in tables of four or five, that way the students can learn how to
co-exist and work with one another. The ELL student, as previously stated, sits closest to
the teachers desk and is close to a higher-level student.
4. One of the resources the ELL student used was a website that practiced the alphabet,
phonics, reading, and writing. The student would use the computer, someone helping
him, and he would have to create CVC words. The website is in the form of a game to
make it more fun for the student. When making the CVC words, a picture of the word
would be shown that way to help the child more. ELL students are not the only ones who
use this website. I have worked with multiple students on this website who struggle

academically. I feel this website is beneficial to students. When the child places the
mouse over the letter, the computer says the sound of that letter. I feel it is effective for
both ELL students and lower level students.
5. The ELL student seemed to be comfortable with both the teacher and the students. The
classroom environment is welcoming and comfortable for all students.
6. Because I did not get to observe this child as much, I am not sure what their comfort level
is of the English language. I noticed that the student is very quiet and seems to keep to
himself. Every now and then he would speak a little, but not a lot.
7. Most of the accommodations/modifications made for the ELL student were present on the
checklist. The teacher allows extension of assignments for the ELL and shortens most, if
not all, of the assignments. When being tested, the tests given are done orally or an audio
tape. Not all of the modifications are present on the checklist because modifications and
accommodations have to deal with the child itself, and only the teacher knows what
modifications should be made.