My internship is in a seventh grade social studies class.

The teacher organizes his lessons in a

way to develop a routine for the students because they only see him every other day and the day they see

him varies depending on the week. The first lesson of the week is when the teacher introduces new

material and vocabulary. Displayed on the white board is the vocabulary for the day. As the teacher

lectures he pauses any time one of the vocabulary words appears within his slides. He asks the students

to activate their prior knowledge and infer the meaning of the word based on what they already know.

After a few students share their inferences with the class he defines the word and then has the students

make connections between the word and the lecture by asking questions like “how are abolitionist

(vocab word) relevant to the civil war (unit)”.

During the teachers lecture is also when I saw evidence of writing as an instructional method.

The students are expected to take notes during the lecture in a way that was structured for them by the

teacher. A series of questions is provided to them at the start of class. As the teacher approaches a slide

that will answer the question he asks students to first write the question in their notes. He then asks

several students to verbally answer the question based of what they have just learned from that portion

of the lecture. For difficult questions he sometimes has students think-pair-share. This activates their

higher-level thinking and keeps the students engaged in the learning instead of mindlessly writing down

what is written on the slides. He gives them time to write the answer under the question in their notes

and then contuse this process through out his lecture. On lecture days the student’s ticket out the door is

a written detailed summary of the lesson, which is sometimes prompted by a question that correlates the

days objectives. Based on the quality and detailed summaries I have read, I feel like this is an effective

writing method because students are able to reflect on the days lesson and then comprehend it in their

own words.

The students reading instruction is also the only type of research instruction they receive and

although the content changes each week the way the material is presented to the students does not

change. The second lesson of the week always involves a reading packet. Prior to reading the teacher

reviews the vocabulary words from the previous lesson that will also be seen in the reading and
discusses any new words they will see in the same discussion based learning as he does on lecture day.

Within the discussion prepares the students for the reading by reviewing what they learned during the

lecture and has the students make predictions about the text they are about to read. One of my

observations was done on a day when students were reading the Gettysburg Address; during the

discussion he asked students recall what happened during the battle of Gettysburg and its significance to

the Revolutionary war. He described the setting of the Gettysburg Address and then asked students to

make predictions about what they think President Lincoln is going to say to the people at this dedication

and in what kind if tone. I like that the students are being asked to critically think about the topic and by

making those type of predictions are able to connect to the event.

The reading is always done individually and lacks instruction compared to the pre-reading. The

only thing I have seen being used is a graphic organizer and both times were when students were reading

from a primary source. In one lesson the students were comparing and contrasting letters written by a

Union and a Confederate General. The other time students were comparing and contrasting a primary

and secondary source describing the First Battle of Bull Run. Any other time there has been no evidence

of literacy strategies being used during reading.

After reading students are always given a series of questions that are to be answered in detailed

complete sentences. The final questions are always a compare and contrast or a role-play that students a

required to answer with a minimum of one paragraph. (Example: compare and contrast the viewpoints

from of each of the soldier’s letters. Based on what you know about the Revolutionary war how might

their motivation for fighting and their view points of the war differ?) I enjoy reading the students

responses because for the most part they are all quality and unique responses.

These weekly readings are the only inquiry that students are participating which is unfortunate

because inquiry and research are such key components to learning and understanding history. I feel that

the best way to comprehend why we study history is to step into the shoes of a historian, generate ideas

and questions, and discover the answers through research and analysis. “Gathering, organizing, and

sharing information are crucial to both academic success and success in our information-rich society.
Inquiry should, therefore, play a major role in learning important content, and the process of inquiry

should be woven into thematic units of study.” (Mraz, Vacca, Vacca, 128)

The physical layout of the room is extremely bare, all of the walls are white and do not have any

type of decoration, word wall or displayed student work. The only wall being utilized is for personalized

learning where literacy based extra credit assignments are posted. The desks are arranged for student

interaction and there is a table set aside next to the teacher’s desk that is utilized as a teacher conference

area. The teacher does provide a posted schedule for the day on the board as well as the objectives and

the vocabulary for the lesson. I do like that the vocabulary words are posted however they are erased and

changed each day. The is no literature available for the students in the classroom other than dictionaries,

not even text books are kept in the room. The room is equipped with a laptop cart however they are only

utilized for administering exams.

My overall impression based on these observations is that the lessons and the room have a lot

of room for improvement. I like how the teacher executes his lesson however I would like to see more

variety in his lessons . I also would like to see more displayed on the walls especially because his lessons

are full of content related vocabulary. His lessons and classroom leacj Another thing that I would like to

change is the use of technology. Research and discovery is such a key aspect to participating in social

studies and I hate that the resources available are not being utilized. The last thing I would like to see is

more literature available to the students, such as a library. Reading is another key aspect to studying

history and it would be great to see a history rich library available for students to further explore their

curiosities about a topic. The main things I would implement in my classroom would be the compare and

contrast graphic organizers and the style in which he has students take notes. I love how the questions

engage students and get them to use critical thinking skills.

 Works Cited

Vacca, Richard T., et al. Content Area Reading: Literacy and Learning across the Curriculum. Pearson, 2018

RDG 323

Desert Valley Elementary

Literacy Checklist
Pre-Service Teacher: Clara Valdes

Dates and Times of Observation: 8:40 AM (first period) 9/18/18, 10/2/18, 10/16/18

Class: 7th Grade Social Studies

1. Evidence of Effective Reading Instruction o Grand Conversations

___X__ Pre-reading 2. Evidence of Writing as an instructional method

o Anticipatory guides __X___Writing to Learn

o Journaling
o Survey a. Learning logs
o Vocabulary Introduction b. Note taking
o Activating prior knowledge c. Journaling
o Previewing structure of text d. __________________
o Predicting / Previewing e. __________________
o Framing Activity
o _____________________ ___X__ Writing to Demonstrate Learning
o _____________________
summary/ answering questions
___X__ During Reading (paragraph)

o Concept map / Think ___X__ Authentic Writing

o Active Reading Guide
o KWL(R)chart Unique and quality summaries/ answers
o Interactive Reading Guide
o Graphic organizer _____ Scoring Guide Utilized:
o Re-reading points per question/ 5 points per
o Think aloud summary
o Questioning
o ___________________ _____ Writing Process Utilized
o ___________________
3. Literacy Physical Environment
___X__ After reading
o Word Wall
o Oral Response o Student Work Displayed
o Written o Desk arranged for student interaction
o Physical response o Student/Teacher conference area
o Visual Response o Classroom library
o Summarizing o Writing Workshop Area / Supplies
o Questioning o Literacy Material on Wall (personalized
o ___________________ learning wall)?
o ___________________ o Posted schedule
o Literacy related manipulatives
_____ Read Alouds o Computers / Technology
o Variety of Literacy Materials
_____ Shared Reading
4. Vocabulary Development during lesson
_____ Guided Reading
5. Research Instruction
__X___ Individual Reading

___X__ Student Interaction

o Paired / Buddy reading

o Jigsaw
o Word study
o Literature Circles
 6. Ask a student the following questions:

- What do you read for this class? packets

- What are the writing expectations for the class? Answer questions, take
notes, write a summary
- How many books are you expected to read? none
- How do you do if you are not able to comprehend something? Then I
don’t know answers on the test
- How do you learn new vocabulary? Writing and talking about it during
notes
- How do you get help? Ask my friends or Mr. Lawson

7. Accommodates for ELL / Special Needs

Describe: ELL/ ADHD/ Autism

All students are provided a pre-printed copy of the notes that includes all the vocabulary

and definitions. During reading they are offered extended time on assignments and are able

to have the teacher or aid read as they follow along or take turns reading depending of the

student.