CSN Education Department - Alternative Field Observation Activities Packet

Greetings Future Educator,

One of the most rewarding aspects of EDU 201, 202, or 203 is the opportunity you’ll have to
observe in a school classroom where students are actively engaged in learning. Each of these
three CSN courses require students to complete a 10 hour "Field Observation" in a Clark
County public school. If CDC Guidelines for Covid-19 prevent you from physically attending a
school campus during the current semester, this packet will offer the alternative experiences
required to satisfy your “Field Observation” requirements for this class virtually.

If possible to pair you with a cooperating CCSD teacher, your placement will be processed by
CSN’s observation coordinator, and you will receive details regarding your assigned school from
your CSN professor. Only then, will you contact the school and meet virtually with your assigned
CCSD “cooperating teacher”. Both you and your cooperating teacher will design a mutually
agreeable schedule to complete your required contact hours once you meet for the first time.

Within this packet, you will find the required field experience assignments that you must
complete in order to pass this class.

Your Name: Abigail Luna-Hernandez

CSN Course: Edu 201

Professor: SALADINO

Professor’s email: steve.saladino@csn.edu

CCSD School: Oran K Gregson

Cooperating Teacher: Armine Martirosyan

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION FIELD EXPERIENCE GUIDELINES
DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION FIELD EXPERIENCE GUIDELINES

Standards of Conduct
You are student representatives of the CSN Education Department and the teaching profession.
Candidates are expected to maintain high standards of personal and professional ethics.

Attendance and Punctuality

Regular attendance and punctuality are mandatory. Once you determine a schedule with your
cooperating teacher, this becomes an agreement in which you are expected to adhere to. You
are expected to login and log-off to virtual meetings at the scheduled time. In case of illness or
emergency that would prevent you from joining a scheduled class virtually, you must contact the
cooperating teacher a minimum of 3 days in advance to let them know you will not be in
attendance on that day.

Relationships
You should exercise respectful discretion when voicing your personal views. It is important that
your demeanor and opinions remain confidential. Under no circumstances can information
about any students be released to, or discussed with, any unauthorized person. It is forbidden to
have any contact with students outside of the classroom you are assigned. This restriction
includes CSN students contacting CCSD students in person, through any electronic means, or
through the use of social media.

Dress Code
CSN Department of Education wants you to be a success. Therefore we have adopted the
CCSD dress code for students fulfilling their observation requirement in the assigned school
district. Appearance creates credibility; make a good first impression by dressing professionally,
even when meeting virtually.

Required Acceptable Attire: Males:

• Shirts with collars
• Ties (optional) with button down shirts
• Khakis, trousers, slacks; belts if pants have loops, (no sagging, rips or tears)
• Simple jewelry
• Shoes and socks that cover the toes and heels
Required Acceptable Attire:Females:
• Shirts or blouses that cover the shoulders & waist; no see-through or mesh
• Sweaters worn over shirt
• Pants, pantsuits, khakis, trousers, slacks (no sagging, rips or tears)
• Jumpers, dresses, skirts (in length from 2" above the knee to the ankle)
• Shoes and socks that cover the toes and heels
• Leggings worn under dresses/skirts/jumpers
• Simple jewelry or none
• Little (daytime) make-up
Not Acceptable Attire: jeans, shorts, tank tops, halter tops, muscle T-shirts, tight fitting
clothing, warm-ups, sandals, flip flops, stilettos; no cleavage showing, no sagging or frayed
hems; no head covering except for religious reasons, such as a yarmulke or turban-like. No
nontraditional hair colors/styles. Undergarments and tattoos should be covered. Remove facial
jewelry. *School principal/supervisor has the sole discretion on questionable clothing or
appearance that distracts from student learning.

Classroom Conduct: At all times, the cooperating teacher maintains legal responsibility for
pupils in his or her classroom. You should never assume that responsibility and be left
unsupervised with children. You should not discipline students. You are an observer, who
should take notes to discuss during your next education class meeting, or to record in your Field
Observation packet.

Professional Conduct:
Never speak to staff or students in an abusive manner.
Never touch or be alone with a student for any reason.
Never give a student food, drink, or other items without the teacher’s permission.
Never take photos/video of students or staff without written permission from the principal.
Never make or accept calls/text using any communication device while at the school.

CCSD WAIVERS
Review the terms of the CCSD Waiver Forms provided by your instructor.
“Student Statement of Responsibility” (Exhibit B)
“Student Confidentiality Statement” (Exhibit C)

These 2 waiver documents MUST be agreed to in order to secure your observation placement.
While submitting your Field Observation Request, you will be prompted to check that you have
read the waivers and that you agree to the terms. Completion of the CSN Field Observation is a
PASS/FAIL component of the course.

ONCE YOU ARE ASSIGNED A COOPERATING TEACHER WHO IS DISTANCE LEARNING

1. Pre-plan for initial contact with the school you are assigned and make sure that all interaction
with CCSD employees and students is respectful, courteous, and professional. You are a
representative of this class and the college. CCSD is allowing you to observe their teachers to
further your understanding of the teaching profession. It is imperative that your actions reflect a
willingness to learn, and are reflective of a future professional educator. The school will select a
teacher for you to observe and provide you with their contact information.

2. The first half of your field observation/experience will be centered around learning
background information about the school you were assigned, and focusing on the general and
unique characteristics of its culture. You will be looking at, and reflecting upon things that are
going on in the virtual classroom at the school level that you were assigned. You are simply
observing during this time. Your cooperating teacher may give you guidance on how your
experience can be expanded beyond simple observations, if he/she feels comfortable with your
professionalism and skills.

3. Contact your Cooperating Teacher to introduce yourself. Since this is your first contact, ask
the teacher for the necessary information to access their virtual classroom, and when the live
sessions occur that they would prefer you to join. Share this “Field Observation Activities
Packet”, with your cooperating teacher as well as the last 3 pages which contain the
“Cooperating Teacher Information”, the “Time Log” and the “Field Observation Student
Evaluation”. Let the teacher know that you will be taking notes during the observation for your
packet assignments, that you will be asking them to verify your hours of attendance, and
evaluate your participation once the total observation hours are complete.

4. When logging in with your cooperating teacher and their students during a virtual meeting, it
is recommended that you keep both your microphone and video camera OFF during the
observation, unless the cooperating teacher directs you to speak or be seen while observing. In
that case, make sure your home workspace is void of background distractions, or anything in
view that may be considered inappropriate for students to see. Your online attire should be the
same as if you were visiting the school in person. Employ the use of typical lighting and image
framing to make the most of your broadcast. The typical “Rule of Thirds” works well, whereby
the camera height is adjusted so that your eyes are positioned in the top third of the window.
Front lit subjects look better on screen than being backlit by a window or artificial light.

THE FIELD OBSERVATION PACKET ASSIGNMENT DIRECTIONS

Read through all the assignments and take notes during your observation visits. You will gather
information on more than one assignment during an observation. Then, using your notes
answer the questions for each assignment.

• All assignments must be word processed. Your detailed responses to assignment questions
must demonstrate careful analysis of the questions and the observation information.

• Questions and their responses must include thorough explanations and examples from the
classroom observation. All responses must be written as complete sentences.

Include the question number, along with your response as a short essay response as in this
sample below:

Assignment #2 - Question 1: What is your first impression of the classroom

environment?
Response: “The classroom environment is friendly and welcoming to the students and
seems a fun place to learn. The classroom is decorated with the students’ work,
interesting posters and the teacher shows respect to the students.”
When it is time to submit the Field Observation Packet for grading, these items must be
included:

• The cover page of the Field Observation Packet

• All observation assignments

• Time Log verifying hours spent within virtual meetings

• The Cooperating Teacher Evaluation

THE FIELD OBSERVATION ASSIGNMENTS: Cooperating Teacher assigned to CSN student

ASSIGNMENT #1 (Culture): Using the questions below, carefully observe and evaluate the
culture of the school. School culture refers to the way teachers and other staff members work
together and the set of beliefs, values, and assumptions they share. A positive school climate
and school culture promote students' ability to learn. Remember you are evaluating the school
for its educational culture, place of learning, sense of safety, invitation for learning, promotion of
self-actualization, development of values and socialization. Use online resources such as your
assigned school’s CCSD webpage, http://nevadareportcard.nv.gov/di/,
https://www.publicschoolreview.com, and https://www.greatschools.org/nevada/las-vegas/ to
answer the following questions.

Physical Characteristics: Look at a picture(s) of the school to determine atmosphere, comfort,

and feelings the school creates for students in the educational setting.

1. Consider the school property: building, grounds, fencing, equipment, landscaping,

trees, parking lot, crosswalks, gates, signs and symbols. Describe in detail.

There are 3 large parking lots allowing for entry and exit. There is fencing all around the school
with large amounts of grass around. There is a lot of land and landscaping of plants. There are
a few trees with a playground. The plants make the area look very comfortable to be in.

2. Next, (if available) study the interior of the school: halls, floor coverings, lighting,
doors, windows, hall colors and decorations and entrance security. Explain in detail.

The halls lead to different classrooms where there are decorations of student work/pictures.
There are tiles and carpet in different parts of the school. The entrances can only be opened by
front staff.

Culture of the School: Read, listen and/or observe to determine the climate, values, and
atmosphere within the school.
 1: What are your first impressions of the school? Enrollment, graduation rate, proficiency
rates, student/teacher ratio etc.

There were about 22 students to a teacher in most classrooms. There is a lot of talk about
proficiency in morning announcements and progress.

2: Please describe the student make-up of the school, including gender, ethnicity,
students with disabilities, ELL students, and any other attributes that are important to
note you found.
Majority number of students are Hispanic and with a mix of African American students. There is
an equal mix of female and male students.

3. Explain the school’s mission/vision statements, motto, and mascot.

-Their moto is “we will be remembered by the tracks we leave behind” and their mascot is Gray
wolves. Their mission is to educate students for academic and social success.

4. Examine school traditions, achievements and awards; community recognition or

community partners; extracurricular activities/clubs and athletics. Look for and
document sources of community pride and sense of identity through ceremonies,
assemblies, trophies, and artifacts.

-School has traditions of acknowledging student achievements in morning announcements and

described how the week will look like on Mondays. They do spirit weeks that involves different
activities like pajama day. They also have individual days like cat in the hat day.

5. Briefly describe three other pieces of information that can be found on your assigned
school’s website.

There is contact information listed on their site, lunch meals for the month, and featured projects
done by students. They provide a lot of information about registration and things for parents.

Culture of the Classroom: Each classroom has its own culture and way of life.

1. What are the teacher’s expectations for learning and success?

She waits for complete silence and respect for one another to talk. She reminds students of
expectations for the day. She expects for full participation with work and to be focused
individually.
2. Evaluate the level of student participation in the class. Who participates? Who does
not?
The teacher asks students to participate and awaits response from whole class or ask individual
student to answer question. There are times she gives the whole class time to share.
 3. Evaluate the interactions between teacher and students, rapport, cohesiveness,
distribution of power, teacher personality.

Teacher is very patient to repeated questions and has a happy personality. She is very
elaborate with instructions and speaks slowly and clearly. She changes her tone to meet
seriousness of situation and to keep students engaged.

4. Observe student-to-student interactions, inside and outside of the class. Are they
using any chat features to communicate with each other?

Students keep their mics on mute unless called upon but also have a chat where they
communicate with one another or ask questions. She lets them share answers when it is
appropriate to do so.

ASSIGNMENT #2 (Observations)

1: What are your first impressions of the virtual classroom environment? Is it warm,
inviting, organized, etc? Describe the virtual environment in detail.

Virtual classroom is very inviting and smooth moving despite unavoidable interruptions.
Students have their individual expectations and were very considerate of guest. There was an
organized plan everyday.

2: Please describe the student make-up of the class, including gender, ethnicity, ELL,
students with physical challenges, and any other apparent attributes that are important
to note.

There seemed to be an equal amount of female to male ratio. There were some students who
struggled to speak English who were accommodated.

3: Are their posted class rules or course expectations? If rules/expectations are posted
write them exactly as they appear.

If you have a question you have to raise your hand and when students aren’t talking, they must
mute themselves. They must respect themselves and others. They were expected to stay on
task and do their work.

4: Does the teacher enforce these posted rules/expectations? What rewards or

consequences are used for compliance or noncompliance?
The teacher would go over expectations if students were not complying and would make them
work individually to avoid distraction to other students. She would reward students with
classroom points to show they were doing good.

5: What is the posted daily/weekly schedule for different subjects or periods?

They would leave according to their own schedule that was divided into three groups. They did
two hours with their teacher and would leave on specials. They would come back after specials
to their teacher.
6: Do you see evidence of the school’s mission/vision statements in the virtual
environment?
The teacher makes sure she helps every student by doing small groups and focusing on
what/were a student is on their work and asking if they need help. She allows them to talk to
one another to get a little social interaction.

ASSIGNMENT #3 (Classroom Layout): Take screenshots of the learning management system

used by the teacher (Canvas, Google Classroom, Seesaw etc..)

1: Describe the workflow of the online environment. Is the space and time used
efficiently?
The online workflow is efficient to get things presented to all student quickly however time is not
used efficiently when it comes to preparation of students and having students do things
independently. Students can seem confused or not get what the teacher is trying to portray.

2: In your opinion, how can the virtual arrangement of the room be improved?
In my opinion if students need to get something done for the first time instead of walking them
through by voice commands making them watch a small tutorial to walk them through.

ASSIGNMENT #4 (Instruction): Observe any instructional time with your assigned Cooperative
Teacher, and record your observations when presented with the questions below:

1: Is instruction delivered in small groups, centers, whole groups, individually?

Instruction was given in whole groups most of the time. There were times when small groups
were formed and each group had an assigned task. Students were addressed individually if
there were in need of assistance.
 2: Describe your cooperating teacher’s teaching style.
Teacher walks students step by step on what they are doing and ask questions to confirm all
students know what they are doing. She would have them described where they were on their
work and explain their own thought process.

3: How does the teacher incorporate the sensory modalities (learning styles)? Give
examples.
The teacher would incorporate small videos that often-contained songs or explanations of what
they were doing. She had students doing popcorn reading and would constantly communicate
with them

4: Do the students seem engaged in the lesson(s) presented? Please explain.

Yes, they are engaged because they are showing their cameras and giving teacher feedback
and asking questions. There work would be moving as a class and waiting for everyone to
understand to make sure no one was left behind.

5: Are there any students isolated or not present/participating in the class? Explain?
All students were participation in the class, there were some who did it differently. Instead of
turning their camera on they would communicate through chat and given a short time to respond
to ensure they were listening.

6: How does the teacher handle absences from the class?

The teacher would catch the student up on what they needed to get done at home on their own
time to not affect the day they are present. Once they were caught up with assignment, the
teacher would check for a good understanding of what they have learned.

7: How does the teacher handle transitions from subject to subject or activity to activity?
Are the transitions efficient?
The teacher would give different parts of the day a time and when they were done with one
subject students would get small breaks so teacher could prepare the next subject and students
to rest their minds for a bit.
8: List ways the teacher uses “attention getting” commands, word phrases, signals, etc.
Are they effective?
She would use a rhyming pattern that students would repeat in order to get their attention or
would go silent until they realized she was waiting. She often would mute student mics when
they couldn’t do their own.

9: What specific behavior issues does the teacher have to deal with? How does the
teacher handle the behavior issues? Be specific.
There were times when students were off task on different sites they were not supposed to be
on, and she would address them and remind them of what they were supposed to be doing. She
reminded them that she could see what they saw.
 10: Are there any policies or procedures that help or hinder instructional time? Please
explain them and how they help or hinder instructional time.
The camera on was a good policy in her classroom because students would engage more and
would often do their work on time. The students who didn’t have their camera on had issues of
not being on task.

ASSIGNMENT #5 (Observing a student): Discretely observe one student in your assigned

classroom during direct instruction.

1: What drove you to choose this student?

I chose Xiomara because she was asking questions and participating in class. She attended
every zoom call and would do her work.

2: Explain what the student did during the observation.

The student had their camera on most of the class and was listening to teacher most of time. I
could see that the student was looking somewhere else at times and was a little fatigued early
on the call.

3. Summarize the lesson given and the student’s responses to the lesson.
When the teacher started teaching the student would start focusing on what she was saying.
When there was a question to answers she would raise her hand. She followed all class rules.

4. Make sure to document ALL behavior in relationship to what was being presented by
the classroom teacher.
The teacher had to call for attention once and the student would start to focus. There were set
timeframes for particular work that students were given that led to students focusing before time
was up.

5. Please describe what you discovered about the student’s learning styles, involvement
in class, and his/her educational needs.
The student likes participating in class and working in a group to read. There were times when
distractions would present themselves so she would have to get up and refocus.

Students at home seemed more comfortable and would participate by having camera on. There
seems to be more distractions at home like talking on mute and looking away.
ASSIGNMENT #6 (Cooperating Teacher Interview): Arrange for a convenient time to
interview your cooperating teacher either on the phone or by video conference. Ask the
questions below. Include any school document, handouts, etc. the teacher provides..

1: What was the primary reason you became a teacher?

I became a teacher because I wanted to help children succeed.

2: What are the main challenges you face as a teacher?

The main challenges I face would have to be students that give up too easily on
academics.

3: What is the best part of being a teacher?

The best part of being a teacher is seeing my students succeed in life.

4: How do you determine where students sit in class?

I assign them best on their academic levels.

5: How do you select members of any flexible groups?

I may pick them randomly or assign them a number.

6: How often do you interact with parents in person? What are the main reasons for
interactions with parents?
I interact with my parents on a daily basis. To talk about behavior, attendance and
academics.

7: How much grading do you complete on a daily/weekly basis?

We have weekly tests. Grading happens daily and weekly.

8: How long does it take to prepare lessons for the day/week?

It takes about an hour every day to prepare for the next day.

9: What procedures or strategies do you use to maximize instructional time?

I plan work daily and set time frames,

10: What positive reinforcements have you used successfully? What behavioral
consequences seem most effective with this age group?
We use class paws for positive reinforcement.

11: How are specialist teachers involved in your instructional planning and process?
We have weekly meetings with our specialists.

12: How often are you evaluated, and what measurement tool is used by the
administration for determining your teaching performance?
I was observed twice this year. After the observation we have meetings with the admin
and talk about how it went.

13: What consequences are there if your evaluation is not favorable?

You are placed in probation

14: What surprised you most about teaching as a profession?

Nothing surprised me. I knew what I was getting myself into.
 15: What drives their lesson plans? What standards do teachers use during lesson
planning?
We as teachers need to cover all the standards for 3rd grade.

16: If they are teaching at a Nevada Charter school, are there lessons prescribed from
core standards or from other resources?

17. How do you accommodate ELL, GATE, General Ed and Special Education
students?
I do small group instruction to accommodate those students.

ASSIGNMENT #7 (Summary): Thoroughly summarize and reflect upon your entire 10 hour
Field Observation. What did you observe, learn, realize about teachers, students, instruction,
the school environment? How has this observation better prepared you to understand the
teaching profession? How does the observation relate to the text information and class
activities? What specific ideas on teaching will you remember to include in your classroom?
_____________________________________________________________________

Remember that before receiving the final grade for this EDU course, the CSN student must
submit the completed Cover Page, Field Observation Activities, Time Log, and Student
Evaluation to the CSN instructor for grading.

The cooperating teacher must also email the instructor to confirm the successful completion of
the observation. The student is required to provide the CCSD cooperating teacher with their
CSN professor’s email, so the cooperating teacher can send an email to verify that the student
has successfully completed the 10 hours of observation. The instructor’s email must be
provided on the first page of this packet, and on the next page for the cooperating teacher.

Remember that completion of the Field Observation is a PASS/FAIL component of the course.
Students must save this completed packet in digital form, and as a hard copy for the Education
Department’s capstone course, (EDU 299) Education Portfolio or (EDU 220) Educational
Psychology
COOPERATING TEACHER INFORMATION - CSN FIELD OBSERVATIONS - VIRTUAL

Dear Cooperating Teacher,

Thank you for assisting in the preparation of a new generation of Nevada teachers. Our
education majors are required to complete 10 field observation hours in: EDU 20____
Introduction to ___Elementary_____ Education

This class is where many of our students actually make the decision whether they will continue
further study of the profession. We appreciate you joining us in providing these students with a
wonderful first experience in the virtual classroom. If at all possible, please utilize the student to
assist you in supervised classroom instructional activities if you deem them ready.

We are hopeful that the information we have enclosed with this letter, which has been approved
by the Nevada College Consortium, will help you with a clear sense of how this field experience
works. When the student has completed his/her required 10 observation hours, please complete
and sign the “FIELD OBSERVATION TIME LOG” and “FIELD OBSERVATION STUDENT
EVALUATION” (along with the student). Then, return these two pages to the student who will
submit them to his/her professor.

For your convenience, the student has provided you with CSN contact information below.
Please contact the CSN instructor if there are any questions or concerns.
Also, before a final grade for EDU _201_ can be assigned, the CSN professor MUST receive
your official email verification that the student successfully completed the 10 hour observation.

Please also “cc” the student on this email. The student WILL NOT receive a final grade in the
course until the email is received from you.

CSN Course # & name: EDU _201___ Introduction to Elementary____ Education

CSN Professor: Steve Saladino

CSN Professor’s phone: (702)651-3105

CSN Professor’s email: steve.saladino@csn.edu

Student’s full name: ABIGAIL LUNA-HERNANDEZ

Student’s email: 5006779279@student.csn.edu

Should you have any concerns or questions about this process, please feel free to contact the
instructor directly, or the CSN Education Department at: (702) 651-4400.
TIME LOG - CSN Field Observations - VIRTUAL MEETINGS

CSN Student: Abigail Luna-Hernandez

CSN Instructor: Steve Saladino

CCSD School Assigned: Oran K Gragson

CCSD Cooperating Teacher: Armine Martirosyan

CCSD Grade/Department: 3 rd grade
CCSD School Principal: Lucia Valenzuela
CCSD School Phone: (702) 799-7330

Date Log On Log Off Hours

March 1, 2021 9:15 11:00 1:45

March 2, 2021 9:15 11:00 1:45

March 7, 2021 9:15 11:00 1:45

March 8, 2021 9:15 11:00 1:45

March 14, 2021 9:15 11:00 1:45

March 15, 2021 9:15 11:00 1:45

March 21, 2021 9:15 11:00 1:45

March 22, 2021 9:15 11:00 1:45

10

Total Hours

CCSD Teacher Signature: _Armine Martirosyan_ Date: _4/7/21

FIELD OBSERVATION STUDENT EVALUATION - completed by Cooperating CCSD teacher

Please complete the following evaluation using the Performance Indicator Scores below (with
the student) once the total observation hours are met. Your constructive comments are
extremely valuable to the student. Return this page to the student along with their Time Log to
be submitted to the instructor with the completed Field Observation Packet.

Enter the appropriate “Performance Indicator Score” in the spaces below

(4)=exemplary (3)=consistent level (2)=not consistent (1)=lacking
___4__ Professional appearance, adherence to CCSD dress code
__4___ Reliability, punctuality
__4___ Communicates effectively with teachers and staff
___4__ Demonstrates manners, graciousness
__4___ Reflects upon observations using critical thinking
___4__ Demonstrates enthusiasm and curiosity toward the profession
__4___ Models respectful behavior with students
___4__ Uses appropriate language
___4__ Exhibits pre-service educator success indicators
Comments: Abigail was very professional and
kind.________________________________________________________________________
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Cooperating Teacher’s Signature: Armine Martirosyan Date:4/7/21_