ASSIGNMENT 1 (Observations): After arrival, take a seat in a nonintrusive location to begin your

classroom observations. Complete the questions below:

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

My first impressions of the classroom were that it was inviting, homelike, organized, relaxed,

fun and encouraging. One of the first things I noticed was that the class was not set up like a

traditional classroom. Instead of having 36 desks with chairs there was a couch, two large

dining room tables, a soft bench for three people against one wall, and a vaviety of tables that

were different sizes and shapes. At those tables were different styles of chairs as well. Some

chairs were stablility balls, others were wobble stools, a few bar stools, some scoop rockers,

and then some floor chairs with backs so students could stretch out their legs. There were two

traditional school desks next to each other and those desks were placd close to the teacher’s

desk. Students also had access to pillows and floor cushions to sit on if they chose the floor.

Clipboards were available for every student so they could do their work no matter what seating

they chose. Since there were no desks to put supplies and folders away each student had a large

basket to keep their supplies in and each basket was numbered and had handles for carrying. In

addition to the nontraditional chairs there were several lamps in the class that could be turned

on for softer lighting when the overhead lights were turned off. On the walls were motivational

sayings, a banner of the alpahbet in cursive writing, and large papers with examples of things

the class was working on at the current moment. The walls were not cluttered or distracting

and contained essential things for the students instead of things that could cuase their minds to

wander. A few other things on the walls were the posted classroom schedule, the rules, an
emergency exit plan, a calendar that had the birthdays for the month, and the classroom helper

chart. There were two large bookshelves filled with lots of books. Next to the door was a large

cubby that had a slot for each student and each slot was numbered. This is where their graded

take home work and papers were put and it was placed well so the students could grab their

stuff at the end of the day when leaving. Ms. Stewart’s room was nontraditional, inviting,

homelike, and the arrangement was perfect for moving around the room efficiently and safely.

Observation 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. >>>

In Ms. Stewart’s classroom she has 36 students. Of these 36 students there are five African

Americans, nine Hispanics, two Asians, and 20 White students. Fourteen of the students are

female and 22 of the students are male.There are two ELL students in the classroom and none

of the students have any physical challenges. There are four students with ADHD.

Observation 3: What are the posted class rules in the room? (exactly as written) >>>

At the front of the class there is a chart with five clear pockets that have the rules listed on

cards. These rules change depending on the assignment the class is working on and Ms.

Stewart changes the cards after she has explained each assignment. Card one tells the students

what noise level is acceptable. The second card describes what they should do if they need

help with the assignment. Third, this card lets the students know how they should be working

on the assignemnt. When they get to the fourth card it states what type of movement in the

classroom is acceptable during the assignment. Finally, the fifth card lets the class know what

type of assignment the class is working on. This classroom is set up with flexible seating and
in addtion to the classroom rules, flexible seating rules are posted as well.

Class Rules

Card 1) No Talking, Whisper, Soft Voices, Normal Voices

Card 2) Work Through the Problem on Your Own, Come To the Teacher’s Desk, Ask

Another Student

Card 3) Independent Work, Group Work, Partner Work

Card 4) Stay In Your Seats, Move About the Classroom

Card 5) Writing or Creating, Completing a Test or Quiz

Flexible Seating Rules

1) Choose a seat and spot in the classroom that allows you to do your best.

2) Use each seat appropriatley and respectfully.

3) If the seat you choose isn’t working, move to find one that allows you to do your best.

4) Clean up and take care of your community supplies.

5) Any teacher may change your seat at anytime.

Observation 4: Does the teacher enforce these posted rules? Are rewards or consequences being
used for compliance or noncompliance? >>>

Ms. Stewart does enforce the posted rules by using dojo on her computer. On the SMART

board a dojo screen is pulled up and each student has a cute little monster with their name

under the monster. Each monster also has a circle with a number in the center of the circle.

When students have a positive number of points the circle will be green. If the student is at
zero points the circle will switch to blue. Finally, if the student has a negative number the

circle will turn red. When a student is not on task or doing something that they should not be

doing she deducts a dojo point from that student. What I love about this system is that she does

not have to call out the student’s name and embarrass them or take time away from the lesson

to tell them that they did something wrong. It is amazing to watch because when a point is

deducted it makes a specific sound and all of the students know that means someone just lost a

point. This method is great because the person losing the point is not embarrassed in front of

the class but knows it is them who broke a rule or was not on task. Most students would look

up for a brief second to check their monster and then would sigh with relief when they realized

it was not them that lost the point. I only saw a couple students try to figure out who the person

was that lost the point but most would just look to see if it was them, sigh with relief if not, and

then go right back to working. The student that did get the point deducted would know

instantly and did not question the teacher because they did not want to draw attention to

themself. I noticed this system cut down on arguing about the infraction and also stopped the

student from continuing with the negative behavior. It appears that when a student is called out

they have already been put in the spotlight and so will continue to act up but when the

discipline is handled more discretely they think about what they did instead of going into

defense mode. At Kitty Ward they have a paw bucks program. Paw bucks are like money and

are earned for staying on task, following rules, helping others, and having good behavior. At

the end of each week students can take their paw bucks to the student store and exchange them

for prizes. At the store there are things available like snacks, small toys, stickers, and Kitty

Ward merchandise. If students want to save up for bigger items they do not have to cash their

bucks in each Friday. Ms. Stewart does an amazing job of tying the paw bucks program in with
the class dojo points. At the end of the week she is able to see how many points the student

earned on dojo and then she rewards the students with that many paw bucks. If a student

earned ten dojo points then they receive ten dollars in paw bucks. On Monday, the dojo points

reset so that students who had a difficult week the past week have an opportunity to earn

money again the next week. In addition to the dojo points students are divided up into one of

four house groups. This house group is a team and they work together to earn points each day.

When a student is on task they are told to go give their house a point. Students walk up to the

front of the class and under their group put a tally mark on the laminated paper. Once a group

hits one hundred points the entire group receives a reward. These rewards are things like donut

party, extra recess, pizza party, popsicle party, etc. The entire group does not have to be on

task to earn a point so groups that may have classmates that struggle to follow directions are

not penalized. As long as the other students are working hard to earn points it is possible to

earn the reward. This system works well for this age group because it cuts down on a lot of

wasted discipline time. Ms. Stewart simply deducts points or gives points and is able to do so

while she is still talking and teaching. It is quick and extremely effective. The flexible seating

works well for this class which I feel cuts down on behavior issues. While I was observing

there was only one time she had to move a student from their spot. This student was at one of

the high tables and therefore was sitting on a high stool. He began rocking his stool from side

to side which caused the stool to tip over. She quickly told him to move spots since he was not

able to sit on the stool properly. The student immediately moved his stuff to another location in

the room of his choosing and went right back to work. Ms. Stewart’s rewards and

consequences are swift and efficient, do not cut into valuable learning time, and are age

appropriate.
ASSIGNMENT 2 (Classroom Layout): Use graph paper or drawing software to create an accurate
overhead view, labeled drawing, of your assigned classroom before answering the questions below

<<<

Student Cubby Shelf Tall Shelf Shelf

Table

Tall
Dining
Room Regular Height
Table Dining Room Table

Table
Couch
Book Shelf Book Shelf

Table

Low Table

Bench
Table Table
Table
Filing
Cabinet

Water
Low Organizer
Teacher Desk
Fountain Table Fridge
Shelf

Organizer

Shelf
Sink

Shelf Shelf Shelf

White Board Smart Board White Board

Classroom Layout Question 1: Describe the workflow of the room. Is the space used efficiently? >>>

Ms. Stewart has done a fantastic job of making her flexible seating classroom functional. At

the back of the class are taller tables with higher chairs that make it easy for the students to see

over the other student’s heads. In the center of the class are the middle height tables, chairs,

and a couch and these seats are also placed well so that students can see over the heads of the

students at the front of the class. Towards the front of the class the tables are low to the ground

and students are able to sit on the ground, pillows, cushions, or floor chairs at those spots so

that they do not block the view of the students behind them. The flow works well because

everyone can see the SMART board and front of the class no matter where they are sitting.

Students are also able to choose a different seat throughout the day as long as it is available.

The walls are free of unnecessary clutter and only contain important information for the

students. Supplies are put away neatly on shelves and are easily accessible. Students always

know where they can find markers, clipboards, protractors, pencils, books, and paper. Ms.

Stewart’s desk is in the corner so that she can look out towards the classroom and see everyone

including who is entering and exiting the room at all times. Her desk is also close to the

SMART board, which allows her to quickly get back to her desk to start and stop videos on the

computer. Students are able to get to her desk easily to ask assignment questions or to ask to

go to the bathroom. There is enough space next to her desk for students to line up to wait their

turn without bothering other students or fidgeting with things they should not be. Next to her

desk are two student desks and these are placed there for students who are struggling a little bit

academically and need extra help. This placement gives them the opportunity to ask questions

quickly without having to get up and for her to be able to check their work frequently. The

student cubby is placed by the door and has a slot for each student. Graded papers and other
important papers are put in these numbered cubbies. This placement works well because when

the students line up to go home it is easier for them to remember their papers at the end of the

day because it is right next to them. Ms. Stewart can easily glance at the cubby before the class

exits and give a reminder to grab papers to whichever numbers have forgotten them. This

classroom arrangement worked well and I never felt like I was tripping over kids or that the

room felt congested even though there were 36 students. Ms. Stewart was able to move around

the room quickly and with ease and students were not bumping into each other.

Classroom Layout Question 2: In your opinion, how can the physical arrangement of the room be
improved? >>>

Honestly, I do not believe that the arrangement of this room can be improved any better. There

was only one issue that I saw with this flexible seating arrangement. It appeared that this style

of seating could make it more difficult for the teacher to see who is on task and who is not on

task. I noticed that students were able to hide what they were doing at times easier than they

would have been able to with traditional seating. A couple boys were playing on their

chromebooks instead of doing their writing assignments one time. They were able to hide their

chromebooks under a lower table while lying on the ground. Although this arrangement

requires more effort on the teacher to make sure everyone is on task, I believe this arrangement

is best for the personalities in this group. This class is extremely large; there are a lot of boys,

four ADHD students, and a large amount of kids with extra high energy. Even though it may

be harder at times to see who is on task with flexible seating I believe the traditional seating

may not work for this group of students. It is possible that the traditional setting may be too
restrictive for them and so even though there may be a few off task at times and harder to

catch, they may actually perform better with the flexible seating and be off task less than if

they had traditional seating. Other than that the arrangement of this classroom worked

extremely well.

ASSIGNMENT 3 (Instruction): Observe any instructional time in your assigned classroom, and record
your observations when presented with the questions below:

Instruction Question 1: What is the posted daily schedule for different subjects or periods? >>>

The posted dailly schedule for Ms. Stewart’s classroom is as follows:

Schedule

7:40 - 7:50 Student Pick-up

7:50 - 8:00 Announcements

8:00 - 8:15 Morning Work

8:15 - 9:15 Math

9:15 - 9:45 Language Arts

9:45 – 9:55 Snack Break

9:55 – 10:45 Writing

10:45 - 12:00 Small Groups

12:00 - 12:30 Lunch

12:30 – 1:00 Reading

1:00 - 1:30 Science/Social Studies/Health

1:30 - 2:10 Specials

2:11 Dismissal

Specials Schedule

A = Art

B = PE

C = Library

D = Technology

E = Music

F = PE

GATE

Tuesday – 9:00

Wednesday – 1:00

Thursday – 11:00

Instruction Question 2: Is instruction done in small groups, centers, whole groups, individual? >>>

Instruction in Ms. Stewart’s classroom is done in whole group at the beginning of each lesson.

After instruction is given the activities that go along with the lessons are mixed up with small

groups, partners, whole groups, and individually depending on what the activity is and what

they are working on. One of the whole group activities that I was able to observe was each day

after lunch the students come in, turn off the overhead lights, turn on the lamps for a calmer

atmosphere and then take out their books. Every student is reading the same book and follows

along while Ms. Stewart reads out loud. Another group activity was a jeopardy game that the
class got to play during their poetry lesson. The game was presented on the SMART board and

all the students participated by writing the answer to the jeopardy question on their mini white

boards with their dry erase markers. Students were able to cheer if they got the answer correct.

In math the class was working on angles and using protractors. After the students had worked

hard individually for awhile Ms. Stewart put a whole group activity game on the SMART

board for them. Each student logged into the game on their chromebooks and played the game

individually but the scores and answers could be seen for the entire class on the SMART

board. This was a competition and the students had a great time battling each other while they

learned. There were many individual assignments given as well while I was observing. SBAC

testing for the class was only days away and they were preparing for the writing section. Each

day I was there they had to write independently and I could tell it was one of their least

favorite things to do. There was also a writing assignment she gave them to do individually

after showing them a funny video on April Fools’ Day about marshmallow bushes. All but one

student in the class thought the bushes were real. In addition to the writing assignments the

class had to work on a worksheet individually about angles in math. They also had to do their

reading assignments by themselves. When finished with their work they were also told to work

on educational games on their chromebooks independently while others worked. This class

was a very social class and I could tell that independent work was their least favorite. There

were a few times that they were told they could work on their math packets and writing

assignments in pairs or small groups and they would cheer and rush to find a partner. These

students enjoy group work and Ms. Stewart did an excellent job allowing them to work this

way when it was possible and was of benefit to them.

Instruction Question 3: How would you describe your cooperating teacher’s teaching style? >>>

Ms. Stewart has several different teaching styles to keep the class involved and engaged.

Differentiated instruction is one of her strategies as she incorporates all of the different

learning styles into her lessons. Cooperative learning is another strategy she uses. Students are

encouraged to work with a partner to share their ideas and come up with other ideas.

Integrating technology is another tool she uses in the classroom. When the students are

working on their individual work at their seats and finish they are to take out their

chromebooks and headphones and work on Freckle or Math Acceleration. The students like

working on their chromebooks and it keeps the class in order while she helps other students

who may be struggling on the assignment. In addition to individual work with technology she

also incorporates group work with fun educational games on the SMART board. Ms. Stewart

allows this class to have a lot of freedom while still maintaining order. Her lessons are well

prepared, fun, and the class never wastes time.

Instruction Question 4: Does the teacher incorporate the sensory modalities (learning styles)? If so, give
examples. >>>

Unfortunately I was in the classroom during a time when the main part of the lessons had

already been given in each subject prior to my attendance. Although I was not able to see the

lessons presented I am guessing that Ms. Stewart does an excellent job of incorporating the

sensory modalities. The reason I believe she most likely does is because her activities that

followed the lessons incorporated the different learning styles. Spatial, audio, and kinesthetic

learners benefited when the class was able to play educational games on their chromebooks.
Some of the students were struggling with protractors and so Ms. Stewart had the class stand

up and work on angles with their arms. This activity helped the kinesthetic and visual learners.

For each lesson Ms. Stewart puts large sheets of paper on the walls with steps and examples

for the students to look at. By doing this she is helping the logical and linguistic learners. This

group of students is extremely social and by allowing the students to work with partners and

small groups often she is helping the interpersonal learners to excel. When she reads out loud

the audio learners in the class benefit and I noticed that some of these students enjoy listening

but not following along in their books. Interestingly it would appear they are not paying

attention but they are and when asked a question they are able to give the answer. Short videos

were also played to help the visual and audio learners. In addition to her activities touching on

the sensory modalities her classroom is also set up to accommodate the different learning

styles. There are rocker chairs and stabilizer balls for students who need to move their bodies

more. Students who enjoy music are allowed to listen to music on their headphones while they

are working. Since the room is set up for many different styles and personalities I believe her

lessons are most likely designed the same way.

Instruction Question 5: Do the students seem engaged in the lesson(s) that are being presented?
Please explain. >>>

All of the students in Ms. Stewart’s class are engaged in the lessons except for a couple of

boys who have ADHD and are not currently on medication. While working on their

assignments students are not shy to ask questions or ask for help. During independent work

Ms. Stewart does a great job of telling the students approximately where they should be at that
time during the assignment to help keep them focused in case they start to daydream. These

students love group work and enjoy talking through problems with each other. During group

work they look around less and are more focused on their assignments. They also have a lot

more fun when they can work in groups and are definitely more engaged in the activity than

when they have to work alone. In addition to partner or small group work they also are

engaged when it is a whole group activity. Educational group games were one of their favorite

things to do and I noticed that even the students who have ADHD were completely engaged

during these types of activities. Independent work appeared to be the hardest for those students

with ADHD but all of the other students were engaged at all times.

Instruction Question 6: Are there any students isolated from the rest of the class for any reason? Why?
>>>

There are not any students in Ms. Stewart’s class that are isolated from the rest of the class at

anytime. Although they are not isolated there are two traditional desks and chairs that are

placed close to Ms. Stewart’s desk. These desks are for students who would like to sit there

that feel they could use extra help from her. By being closer to her desk they are able to ask

questions quicker and she is able to monitor them faster to see if they are making mistakes or

not. Sometimes she tells students she would like them to sit there during certain assignments.

These desks are not a punishment and the students know that they are placed there temporarily

for extra help. A few students do leave the class three times a week to attend GATE and a

couple other students leave for ELL.

Instruction Question 7: Is instructional time managed efficiently? Please explain >>>

Instructional time is managed exceptionally well in Ms. Stewart’s classroom. When the

students first arrive to the classroom they put their things away and immediately go to the

SMART board and tap their monster to show they are in attendance. This saves a lot of time

and she can easily look at the SMART board to see who is missing. Another strategy she uses

to manage time efficiently is after giving an assignment she tells the students to raise their

hands if they need extra help. Once they return to their seats to work individually on the

activity she knows to go to the students who had their hands up first. After she assists those

that had their hands up she then moves on to those that did not to make sure they really are

okay and understanding. Transition times in Ms. Stewart’s class are seamless. Students always

know what is expected of them during transition times and they are instantly rewarded with

house points or dojo points for smooth transitions. Another time saver that allows for efficient

instruction is that students are able to have a water bottle with them all day. This cuts down on

students asking to get up and get a drink just because they want to get out of their seats. One of

the biggest things that I have noticed in Ms. Stewart’s class that helps manage instruction time

efficiently is that she does not waste time on the small behavior issues and simply ignores

them. One of my children’s third grade teachers would nag the students all day long for every

little thing. In that class I noticed that she was nagging more than teaching and helping and that

the students learned very little that year. Often times I wondered if she just nagged all day

because she did not prepare lessons and that was her cover up for her lack of preparation. Ms.

Stewart does a phenomenal job of not stopping the class for every little infraction. I noticed

that a student might turn to another student and say something quickly but then is right back on

task after. By not stopping every single time somebody whispers to his or her neighbor Ms.
Stewart is not wasting precious teaching time or breaking the rest of the class’s concentration.

Finally, Ms. Stewart does an excellent job of adjusting to unforeseeable situations to keep

instruction time running efficiently. While I was there she noticed that one of the ceiling tiles

was sagging and it looked like the bulge was due to water accumulation. She immediately

cleared the students in the area to the other side of the room, climbed on a chair, and then felt

the bulge. When she realized it was water she had a student go get Mr. Kevin the janitor. In

this situation the district had to be called to come fix the issue and the students had to leave the

classroom while they were fixing the water leak. Ms. Stewart did a fantastic job of having the

students gather their supplies quickly and moved everyone to the courtyard. While in the

courtyard they continued with the activities and did not miss out on any learning time.

Having helped in all four of my children’s classrooms over the years I have seen how messy

transition times and behavior problems cut down significantly on instructional time. I have also

seen in many classrooms how excellent classroom management leads to more instructional

time. Ms. Stewart’s classroom management is completely under control, which allows her to

manage her instructional time efficiently.

Instruction Question 8: How does the cooperating teacher handle transitions from one subject or period
to another, and are these transitions efficient? >>>

Before it is time to transition in Ms. Stewart’s classroom she always lets the students know

ahead of time that they will be switching activities soon. Usually she gives them the amount of

time they have left to wrap up what they are working on and quickly tells them what they will

be moving to next. During transition times house points are given as a reward for students who
are staying on task. One thing I noticed during transition times is that the students are allowed

to quietly talk to each other as long as they are cleaning up and preparing for the next activity.

Another thing I noticed is that Ms. Stewart does an excellent job of closely monitoring those

students who need a little extra help to stay focused during transitions. She politely reminds

them what they are supposed to be doing. While they are transitioning she is also good at

thanking students for making good choices. Since specials are at the end of their school day

she takes the opportunity to let them know that if everything is not cleaned up they will wait to

go to specials until it is. Since the students love specials it works out nice because all the

students quickly wipe down their areas with sanitizing wipes and they make sure all the trash is

picked up. Transitions are efficient in Ms. Stewart’s class and there is little learning time

wasted.

Instruction Question 9: List ways that the teacher attempts any “attention getting” commands? (Ex:
Countdown, Light flicker, Heads on Desk) How effective are they? >>>

There are a few “attention getting” commands that Ms. Stewart uses throughout the school

day. One attention getter that the class responds to is when the phone in the classroom rings

Ms. Stewarts says loudly, “telephone” and then the class repeats “telephone” and the class goes

completely silent. Another attention getter is when it is starting to get too loud she calls out

“peanut butter” and the class responds, “jelly time.” After the students say jelly time the room

is quiet and they wait to see what she has to say. When exiting the room sometimes she says,

“Flipped and zipped” and the students pretend to zip their mouths and then fold their arms.

These “attention getting” commands were effective but only used occasionally. The most
effective “attention getting” command for this class was the sound of earning or loosing dojo

points. That sound got students attention quickly and would keep them on task or get them

back on task if they were off.

Instruction Question 10: What specific behavior issues does the teacher have to deal with? How does
the teacher deal with these behavior issues? Be specific. >>>

Ms. Stewart has 36 extremely energetic fourth graders and occasionally has to handle some

behavior issues but for the most part the class is usually well behaved. While I was observing

there was an incident where someone had wrote on one of the stability balls with a marker and

it read, “Cum, Dick, Nigger.” When Ms. Stewart found the ball she did not say anything to the

class. Instead she handled the situation by after lunch passing out a small piece of paper and

telling the students they were going to write down what she said. She gave the students the

words in this order, bigger, sick, number. After the students were finished she collected all of

the papers so that she could compare the writings to that on the stability ball. Once she had it

narrowed down to whom she thought the girl was she made a phone call to the parents. Since

there was not absolute proof she explained the situation to the mom and told her it looked like

her handwriting. When the mom said her daughter did not know those words Ms. Stewart went

on to tell her that maybe it was not her daughter but that she had narrowed it down to a few

students and wanted to make those parents aware of the situation. Another incident happened

while I was there where a boy came up to her desk and asked her if she knew what 420 stood

for. Instead of engaging in the inappropriate conversation she replied with, “Yes, I know 420 is

a time.” The student said, “No, the other 420, you know.” At that point she then responded
with, “Yes, I know 420 is also a date.” The student tried to continue but Ms. Stewart then told

him to go take his seat and get back to work. One day Ms. Stewart told the kids it was now

time for math and to take out their packets. From the back of the room a boy shouted, “Math

sucks balls.” Instantly Ms. Stewart said, “Who said that?” All of the students sitting in the back

pointed to one boy. She then looked sternly at him and sharply told him, “That is not

appropriate and do not say that again.” At that point the students who did not hear what he said

began asking what he said and she responded, “Nobody repeat what he said, it is over, we are

moving on.” In this situation I thought Ms. Stewart handled it very well because by remaining

at the front of the class and not moving to her desk to write a citation she kept order in the

class. The class knew if anyone repeated it or kept talking about it they would begin to lose

dojo points. By remaining up front and keeping her eye on the class it also kept the students

from being able to tell each other what he said. Moving on with the lesson was wise because a

lot of the students most likely forgot about it shortly after. During an independent working

assignment a few boys thought they would be funny and started making popping sounds with

their mouths. One boy would start and make the sound and then another boy would do it about

15 seconds later. The boys were not sitting by each other and thought they were clever because

it would be hard to catch who was doing it. Instead of getting upset with them Ms. Stewart

pretended that she did not hear what was happening. After a short bit the boys got bored since

they could not get a reaction out of her and went back to working on their assignments.

Finally, there was a safety hazard in the classroom while I was there and the class had to leave

while maintenance came in to fix the issue. During this time we moved to the courtyard so the

students could continue working. At one point a group of students took out a small bouncy ball

and started playing with it. All the students would remain sitting with their work on their laps,
one student would throw the ball, another student would be on look out and have a code word

to warn the others if Ms. Stewart was turning their direction, and then they would assign one

student to chase the ball. This went on for some time and they were very good at hiding this

game from her since they always had a lookout. I observed what was going on and after the

students went to lunch I informed Ms. Stewart about how sneaky they were and which students

were involved. Instead of getting on the students when they returned from lunch and telling the

students that I was the one that ratted them out, she told the students that another teacher had

walked by and observed what the group was doing. She explained that the teacher watched for

some time and told her which students were all involved. Next, she told them she would not

give a punishment if the bouncy ball were brought to her. This situation was also handled well

because instead of wasting time dealing with the large group involved she simply took the toy

away that was causing the distraction so that they could not continue with the game after

lunch. It also reminded the students that others are watching and that even though they thought

they were getting away with it they were not which may cut down on that behavior in the

future. Ms. Stewart does an amazing job of picking her battles with this large class. She does

not waste educational time worrying about the small stuff but is quick to put bigger issues to

an end swiftly and in clever ways.

Instruction Question 11: Are there any policies or procedures in place that help or hinder instructional
time? If so, explain them and how they help or hinder use of instructional time. >>>

There are two school policies that teachers are supposed to follow in their classrooms at Kitty

Ward and I do believe that both of these help the instructional time. First, when the students
know an answer instead of raising their hands they are supposed to pop up, stand up, from their

seat to let the teacher know they would like to answer the question. Throughout the day you

hear, “Pop up if you know the answer.” In my opinion I believe this policy helps instructional

time by keeping the students motivated and keeps them from getting sleepy. When hands are

raised some students that are more reserved may get over looked if their hands are not up high

enough but with pop up it is easier to see who is standing. Pop up also helps the teacher to see

who is still sitting and who may need extra help with the lesson. What I found interesting about

pop up is that not all students popped up immediately. They would think about their answer

and pop up once they knew they had an answer. This is a great strategy to keep students from

getting bored. Another procedure the teachers have to use is called CHAMPS. This procedure

informs the class how they should be working during the assignment given. In CHAMPS a

clothespin is placed in each category letting the students know what is acceptable behavior

during this activity. The categories are conversation, help, activity and movement. Below is

what is listed on the charts:

Conversation

What is the voice level?

Voice Level 0 – Silent

Voice Level 1 – Whisper

Voice Level 2 – Quiet Voice

Voice Level 3 – Regular

Help
How Do I Get Attended?

Raise Your Hand

Ask a Friend

Ask Your Group

Ask 3 Before Me

Activity

How Am I Working?

Whole Group

Independent Work

Pair Work

Group Work

Movement

How is my Movement?

Stay In Your Seat

Stay In One Place

Safe Movement

Tunn In Complete Work

This helps instructional time because students always know what is acceptable at that time and

what is not. It also helps if a teacher has to discipline because the student cannot say they did

not know. One policy that I noticed that hinders instruction time is when the school changes
the student’s schedules while they are preparing for SBAC testing. Instead of keeping the same

schedule and having a different teacher come sit with the class during SBAC testing who is on

their prep time, they alter all the teacher’s prep times which then alters the student’s schedules.

This causes the students to get out of sorts and not stay as focused. It felt similar to when the

students start getting antsy for holidays, breaks, and summer vacation.

ASSIGNMENT 4 (Culture): Using the information provided below, carefully observe and evaluate the
culture of the school where you are assigned to observe. 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.

Physical Characteristics: Look at the physical areas 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. >>>

When pulling into Kitty Ward the grounds are well maintained and everything is clean.

There are big beautiful palm trees on each side of the steps leading up to the crosswalk.

Crosswalks are well staffed and there are four of them in the area. There are three

crosswalks on the streets. One is at the road right in front of the school, one at a major

road down the street to the west from the school and the third one is down the street to

the east of the school. The fourth crosswalk is after the parking lot leading up to the

school. Crossing guards manage the crosswalks at the streets and staff manages the

crosswalk in front of the school. Traffic flows well at Kitty Ward because they have

three lanes when entering the school and each lane has a rule. When in the far right lane

you are able to park there and get out of your car to meet your student or you can wait
 in your parked car. If you are in the middle lane you are not allowed to leave your

vehicle and you are not allowed to park in this lane. This lane is a quick lane where

students meet their parents at the vehicle, hop in and then leave. In the far left lane

parents are not allowed to stop and allow their student to enter the vehicle here. The

third lane is for entering the school and exiting and is a passing lane only. Gates

surrounding the school playgrounds have fun posters and other creative projects the

students have worked on. Kitty Ward is fortunate to have a marquee sign on their

building that is always updated with upcoming events so the parents always know what

is going on. Kitty Wards school property is clean and inviting.

2. Next, study the interior of the school: halls, floor coverings, lighting, doors, windows, hall
colors and decorations and entrance security. >>>

When entering Kitty Ward there are two sets of doors you go through before arriving in

the office. In this entry it is decorated with giant colorful flowers made from butcher

paper. This year there is a new principal because the principal before retired. When the

old principal was there the entryway decorations were switched out constantly to match

the themes and holidays of that month. She was from the South and in the office she

always had one or two Christmas trees that stayed up all year, a southern tradition, and

were decorated to match the theme and holiday of that month. Once inside the office

you are not able to enter the school until they hit a button that allows you to open the

doors that lead to the classrooms and rest of the school. To enter you first have to sign

in on the computer which then takes your picture and prints out a name badge for you

that you must wear while visiting. When you go to leave the school you also have to
 sign out. While walking down the halls at Kitty Ward you are able to see how much

pride they take in their students work. Each class has a giant board that they decorate

and update frequently. Classes are able to choose how they decorate the boards and it

always displays the work of the students in the classrooms. It is fun to see the things

each class are working on and the student’s progress. In one corner of the school near

the library and not far from the office is a Dr. Seuss themed area. This area has a

rocking chair and Dr. Seuss decorations. Once a week on Fridays, a group of students

are selected to be able to go to the Dr. Seuss area and listen to a story read to them by

the principal. Outside of the office by the lunchroom on the wall are pictures of each

staff member and their names. There is also a shadow box on one wall that has a

display of the Kitty Ward Wigglin Wolves, which is a hip-hop dance team at the

school. When walking into the school and down the halls it is obvious that Kitty Ward

takes great pride in their students and is extremely proud of them.

Culture of the School: Read, listen and observe to determine the climate, values, and atmosphere
within the school.

1. Identify the school’s mission statement, motto, and mascot. >>>

Kitty Ward’s Mission Statement

The mission of Kitty Ward Elementary is to provide a safe, enthusiastic, and

challenging environment that promotes learning and achievement. We are a community

of students, staff, and families working together toward academic success and social

growth.
 Kitty Ward’s Motto

We are great and getting greater!

Kitty Ward’s Mascot

Ward Wolves

2. Analyze staff and visitor interactions in the main office. Note student and faculty interactions in
other areas of the school. >>>

When entering the main office at Kitty Ward you are greeted with a friendly smile and

asked how they can help you. They are also good at trying to remember faces and

names. Staff members coming in and out of the office are friendly and kind to each

other. Everyone is working quick and hard and have smiles and positive attitudes while

doing it. Students and staff our extremely respectful to each other at Kitty Ward.

Teachers and other faculty look for students who are following the rules in the halls

and when noticed they give those students paw bucks. Mr. Kevin is the janitor at Kitty

Ward and all the students know and love Mr. Kevin. When in the halls and pods

students are not able to talk but if they see a friend or staff member they want to say hi

to they are allowed to waive and then go back to folding their arms. On the playground

and in the lunchroom teachers and other faculty members are visiting with the students

and everyone looks happy.

3. Look at the formal practices: School bell schedule, and the grouping of students. (ie. grades,
block scheduling, periods) Does the school use inclusion, or a pull-out program for special
education students? >>>

Kitty Ward starts earlier than most elementary schools with a start time of 7:50 a.m.

and a dismissal time of 2:10 p.m. Instead of students going to lunch first and then to

recess, students go to recess first and then to lunch. For the most part, classes are

grouped together by their grade level. There is a pod area in the center and then about

five to six classes around each pod area. Gifted students in third through fifth grade are

pulled out of the classrooms at Kitty Ward to attend Gate three times a week. Students

with special needs spend most of their day in the general classroom but are pulled out

of class at times to attend special classes.

4. Observe student-to-student interactions, inside and outside of the building. Observe where
students gather to socialize – lunchroom, halls, playground, etc. >>>

Kindness and respect is stressed at Kitty Ward and students go out of their way to help

each other. Students hold doors for each other and the other students say thank you

when the door is held for them. When people drop things everyone is quick to help

gather papers or whatever else it is that was dropped. Although they are not allowed to

talk in the halls and are to fold their arms while walking, they are permitted to waive to

someone they know to say hi and then go back to folding their arms. Students follow

this rule well, wavie and smile, and then go right back to what they are supposed to be

doing. In the lunchroom students have assigned seating but even though they cannot sit

where they want the students are busy eating, visiting, and laughing. On the playground
 there is a bench called the buddy bench. If a student does not have someone to play

with that day or is nervous to ask others to play they can go to the buddy bench and that

lets other students know they want to play with someone. It was great to see that a few

students went and sat on or stood by the bench waiting for someone to invite them to

play. Within minutes the buddy bench was clear and all students were off running

around having a good time. At the end of the day when the students are dismissed they

waive bye to each other and say see you tomorrow. Students are also waiving bye to

staff and crossing guards. Faculty and parents are telling each other to have a great day

and having short conversations. Kitty Ward is a super friendly and loving environment

full of smiles, laughter, respect and positive attitudes.

5. 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 traditions at Kitty Ward are Fall Festival every October where the students

dress up in their Halloween costumes and get to enjoy carnival games put on by their

teachers. Raffle tickets are sold, there is a cakewalk, a haunted house, a bounce house

and lots of food. Another tradition is the annual mooseball game that is held between

the teachers and the fifth grade students. Mooseball is baseball and kickball combined.

It is played like baseball but with the ball used for kickball. When running the bases

you can throw the ball at the person to get them out. It is a huge event at Kitty Ward

and the teachers are on one team and the entire fifth grade on the other team. Music is
brought out to the field and snacks are available for purchase for the students in first

through fourth grade. First through fourth grade classes take turns coming out to watch

the game and families are invited as well. There is only one year that the fifth graders

have one so far. There are many extracurricular activities at the school. Wigglin

Wolves is a hip-hop dance group that you can try out to be a part of. One year the

Wigglin Wolves took first place in the Martin Luther King Parade. Before covid the

Wigglin Wolves had performed at the Lady Rebels basketball games and the Wranglers

hockey games. Jam Pack is another group that is available for fifth grade students to try

out for and is a drum corp group. In the drum corp they play all kinds of different

drums. Usually the older children make the Wigglin Wolves dance team but there is a

Kitty Ward Wolfettes team as well that is a cheerleading and dance team. These groups

perform for the rest of the students two to three times a year at school assemblies.

Football is a sport that the school has that students can try out for. Other clubs include

chess club, Spanish club and student council. Not only do the parents and students

think Kitty Ward is great, the school has also been recognized in the community for

being great. One year the art teacher had the students create a project and they sent it to

Mr. Doodle. Mr. Doodle was so impressed that he did a special You Tube special

where he answered Kitty Ward student’s questions. One of the 3rd grade students at

Kitty Ward was featured in the Review Journal for her article on distant learning. Mrs.

Young was named Nevada’s 2019 Assistant Principal of the Year. Recently Mr.

Wiegand who is the music teacher was featured on Vegas Morning Blend for being the

winner of the 19th annual Walker Furniture Teacher’s Appreciation Day Contest. He

won furniture from Walkers to put in the teachers lounge. One of my favorite
 traditions at Kitty Ward is after assemblies, performances, or award ceremonies before

returning to class the students all chant super loud at the same time while pumping their

fists in the air, “We’re great and getting greater, we’re great and getting greater, we’re

great and getting greater.” Chokes me up every single time I watch and hear it.

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

1. Look for teacher(s) expectations for learning and success, interactions with students, and
his/her personality. >>>

Ms. Stewart does an excellent job of expecting a lot out of her students without

overwhelming them. She pushes each student to the level she knows they are able to

achieve but does not go beyond the limit of breaking them so that they want to give up.

Students are eager to answer questions and communicate in her classroom. In addition

to not making them feel bad when answering wrong she also makes them feel safe

when they do not know or do not answer at all. If a question is asked and the class

seems to be drifting off she encourages them by reminding them that they are smart and

they know the answer. They respond well to this and it causes many hands to go up to

be called on to answer. While I was observing they were preparing for SBAC testing

and working on a writing assignment. Most of the class dreaded this assignment and

there were a lot of complaints. Instead of getting mad and frustrated with them she

agreed that this is not fun but important. She then told them if they worked super hard

for the next 20 minutes they could take a quick snack break out in the courtyard. That

small encouragement and little reward was all they needed to push them through the
 remainder of the assignment. After they were finished she followed through with her

reward. There are many positive quotes posted in her room. Some of these quotes are,

“All things are difficult before they are easy,” “It’s not that I’m smart, it’s jus that I

stay with problems longer,” and “Don’t let failure be an ending, make it a beginning.”

Ms. Stewart is kind, patient, energetic, fun, polite, respectful, and helpful. Her example

trickles down to her students and they also exhibit all of these qualities. Students are

quick to help each other and are kind to one another. They are always encouraging one

another and telling each other great job. In addition to being kind to each other they are

also comfortable with Ms. Stewart. Not once did I see a student look nervous to

approach her or look hesitant to ask her for help. She creates a safe learning

environment and students feel welcome. This classroom is full of high energy and

positive vibes.

2. Evaluate the level of student participation in the class. Who participates? Who does not? What
modifications, accommodations, and/or inclusion techniques were observed? >>>

Almost all of the students participate all of the time in Ms. Stewart’s classroom. There

are only a few students who do not participate in the activities all of the time and they

are the students who have ADHD. Levi is one of the students with ADHD and is not on

medication for it so he has a difficult time focusing and staying on task. Any chance

Ms. Stewart has where she can break away from the other students she immediately

goes over to Levi and encourages him to join the class or to focus on his assignment.

Sometimes Levi will join the class and answer questions but other times he just sits
 there and looks around or tries to play games on his chromebook. When Levi does

participate, Ms. Stewart is quick to give him a dojo point for positive reinforcement. In

addition to encouraging him throughout the day, Ms. Stewart also sends home a daily

performance report. Levi’s dad has requested this daily report and gives rewards or

consequences at home as well according to how well he has done each day. Other

students in the class that have ADHD are on medication and do not have to be

reminded as often as Levi but Ms. Stewart does an amazing job of constantly checking

on them and reminding them what they should be working on. She is firm with the

students that need redirection but never unkind or rude. Ms. Stewart does a wonderful

job of following through on giving and taking away dojo points which causes her class

to stay focused and to participate.

3. Evaluate the interactions between teachers and students, rapport, cohesiveness, distribution of
power, tone, frequency and reinforcements. >>>

This was my first time being in a classroom where it was set up for flexible seating and

I noticed the tone was a little different than other classrooms I have been in. The tone

and interactions felt were similar to what you would experience in a positive home

environment where the parents are in control, there is mutual respect among family

members, everyone is comfortable being themselves, people forgive each other, and all

members contribute to help out. One thing that stood out to me is that with this type of

seating if students were starting to get irritated by others they could just get up and

move to a different spot in the classroom. Similar to a home situation, often times
people just need a break from each other and some time to cool down and think about

things so that the situation does not escalate. With this type of classroom I noticed that

a person could easily avoid conflict if needed or move to a different spot if someone

was causing them not to be able to focus on their work. This freedom allowed students

to be in control of their emotions and handle difficult situations on their own. Most of

the time I witnessed students getting along, working together, and quietly interacting

while doing their work but the few times that there were some issues the students were

able to handle it without the teachers help. One time a student pulled out his music

recorder and was fiddling with it instead of working on his writing assignment. While

pulling the pieces apart he accidentally hit the student beside him above the eye and left

a large red mark. The student who had been hit started to cry a little and was holding

his head. I immediately walked over to make sure he was not bleeding and to ask him if

he was okay. After removing his hand from his head he said he was okay but that it

hurt a little. Next I asked him if he wanted me to let the teacher know but he said, “No,

I do not want him to get in trouble, he did not mean to.” Relieved, the other student

looked at him and told him he was sorry, put his recorder away, and began his writing

assignment. It was impressive to see how the two boys handled this situation without

having to stop the teacher from helping other students. In addition to the students

talking and working together like siblings I also noticed that they were extremely warm

with Ms. Stewart and were able to talk to her like she was their mom. She respected

their individual personalities and they all looked comfortable enough being themselves

around her and the other students. By the sink Ms. Stewart has a large job chart with 15

job assignments posted and the students rotate responsibilities to make sure the day
 runs smoothly. These jobs include: line leader, door holder, caboose lights, mail

deliverer, teacher helper, two garbage helpers, two paper passers, substitute teacher

helper, librarian, board eraser, pencil sharpener, sanitizer, and positive patrol. Students

know to check the chart to make sure they are contributing to the good of the class.

Dojo points are given when students perform their jobs and points are taken away from

those students who forget to do their task. The students in this class are extremely busy,

smart, and chatty. Ms. Stewart has done a phenomenal job by helping them release

their energy through working together, letting them move about the room within

reason, and allowing them to quietly talk as long as they are accomplishing their work.

She allows the perfect amount of freedom this group needs without losing control. The

cohesiveness of this class was good and it reminded me of a beehive where all the

students are buzzing about the hive working hard.

ASSIGNMENT 5 (Cooperating Teacher Interview): Complete the questions below by interviewing your
cooperating teacher during a convenient time. Include any school documents that your cooperating
teacher will allow you to photocopy for your packet.

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

Ms. Stewart’s primary reason for wanting to become a teacher is because she has always loved

kids and enjoyed being around them. When she was young she even loved babysitting kids and

playing with them.

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

There are several challenges that Ms. Stewart says she faces as a teacher. In the classroom she

faces large class sizes each year, which makes it more difficult to meet the needs of each

student. This year she has 36 students in her class. Test scores are also a challenge in the

classroom since there is much pressure put on the teachers for the students to perform well on

them. In addition to these in class challenges she also has to deal with long staff meetings that

are unnecessary because they waste valuable time and the information given could be sent

through emails instead. Daily logs, data collection for intervention, and class bulletin boards

are also time consuming which are a challenge since teachers are already taxed with much

work.

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

Ms. Stewart says the best part about being a teacher is when the kids get stuff and she sees that

light go on and they are proud of themselves. This is very rewarding for her.

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

In Ms. Stewart’s class she has flexible seating and the students get to pick where they sit each

day. It is a first to school first pick process so when she brings the students in from outside in

the morning the order of how the students lined up determines the order they get to pick seats.

If a student is struggling during the week she will pick their seat for them that week and then

they can try again the following week. One student in her class needs glasses and so that

student is not allowed to sit in the back of the class.

Interview Question 5: How do you determine the members of any flexible groups? >>>

When determining the members of any flexible groups she has found that mixing up the

different learning levels is useful and beneficial. The groups that work the best together are

when she places low to medium with eachother and medium to high with eachother. She finds

that placing high and high together or low and low together does not usually work out well.

Depending on the lesson she will at times let the students pick their own groups. Other times

she will use class dojo and let the system mix it up for her. When using dojo she is able to

check the names of students that should not work together. Another random way she

determines groups is by passing out fun cards and the students have to find their matches. For

example, onion cards pair up with the pepper cards. In reading she does not have any reading

groups. Instead, students read on their chromebooks at their reading level. She gives the

students a list of books to choose from and they select their top three choices. For the students

who need extra help in reading and are 25% or below they meet with a specialist for 30

minutes each day.

Interview Question 6: Beyond standardized testing, what assessments do you use regularly? >>>

Ms. Stewart uses formative and summative assessments to measure how the students are doing

in class. An example of formative assessments would be a class assignment, homework

assignment, or a quiz on adding fractions. The next formative would also be about fractions

but instead of adding fractions they would be assessed on multiplying fractions. Formatives are

smaller bits of the unit being worked on and there are no retakes for those assessments.

Summative assessments are given at the end of a unit and test everything the students have
learned within that unit. It would include adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing

fractions. Unlike formative assessments, students are able to retake summative assessments.

Interview Question 7: What requirements are placed on you for reporting progress to parents? >>>

There are a few requirements placed on her for reporting each child’s academic, behavior, and

social skills progress in the classroom to the parents. Every three to four weeks progress

reports are sent home and the parents are to review, sign, and then return back to the teacher

that they have read the report. An unsatisfactory notice is sent home each week for any student

that has a D or F in the class or a big behavior issue. This unsatisfactory notice has to be signed

by the parent or guardian and returned to school on Monday. Report cards are sent home twice

a year at the end of each semester. Class Dojo is also required so that the parents can go online

to see their child’s grades at any time. Private messages can also be sent to the parents through

Class Dojo. It is also required to send a text, email or both to the parents when Ms. Stewart

notices anything that needs attention.

Interview Question 8: How often do you interact with a student’s parents in person, and what type of
discussions do you typically have? >>>

Now that people email and text more than they did in the past interacting in person is less

frequent. Most interactions are done through class dojo, which acts like text messages. There

are also parent teacher conferences every October where she meets with each student’s parents

to discuss progress. Meeting in person with parents is on an as needed bases or if the parent

requests a meeting. While I was observing the classroom one parent requested to meet with
Ms. Stewart since she had received a dojo message that her son refused to do any work for the

entire day. In the meeting Ms. Stewart explained that the boy wanted his chromebook

password changed but that the school assigns it and she could not change it. He was upset that

he could not have the password he wanted and refused to do any work. Ms. Stewart explained

to the parent that this was unusual behavior for him. During the meeting Ms. Stewart learned

that a cousin who needed some extra attention had recently moved in with the family and the

student was having a hard time adjusting to the new normal. This in person meeting was

beneficial because the parent was able to see that her son was struggling with the new situation

and Ms. Stewart was able to understand why the student had changed behavior.

Interview Question 9: How much grading do you complete on a daily/weekly basis? >>>

Each week Ms. Stewart grades a formative in each of the core subjects. During the fractions

unit in math there are less formatives to grade. At the end of units she then grades a summative

in each of the core subjects.

Interview Question 10: How long does it take to prepare lessons for the day/week? >>>

Fortunately for Ms. Stewart it does not take her a tremendous amount of time to prepare

lessons each day and each week because the work is done ahead of time. Lessons are designed

and then placed on the curriculum engine. These lessons can be altered and adjusted to fit the

needs of the students in her class. Teachers are given a prep time and she is able to copy all of

the papers she needs during that prep time. She has a cubby beside her desk with drawers for
each day of the week. The papers that she copies during prep time are placed in the correct

drawers. If a sub has to come to her class they can easily find the lesson plan and all of the

work that the students are supposed to do that day in those drawers.

Interview Question 11: What procedures or strategies do you use to maximize instructional time? >>>

Ms. Stewart believes that sticking to routines helps to maximize instructional time and that

when routines are broken it throws the students off. While I was in the classroom I got to see

exactly what she was talking about. One week they were on their regular schedule and I

noticed the students were more focused and on task. The next week when I came in their daily

schedules had been altered so that they could prepare for SBAC testing. It was interesting to

see how they looked unsettled, fidgeted more in their seats, and were less focused. Another

strategy she feels maximizes instructional time is by using the dojo point system. The students

respond well to this and it keeps behavioral issues to a minimum. Finally, if students finish

their assignments before it is time to move on to the next lesson she has them open their

chromebooks and they can choose to work on Math Accelerator or Freckle.

Interview Question 12: What positive reinforcement programs have you had success with, and what
behavioral consequences seem most effective with this age group? >>>

Dojo points work well at this age for reinforcement and behavior consequences. When a

student is on task they receive a dojo reward point but when a student is not on task or doing

something that they should not be doing she deducts a dojo point from that student. At Kitty

Ward they have a paw bucks program. Paw bucks are like money and are earned for staying on
task, following rules, helping others, and having good behavior. At the end of each week

students can take their paw bucks to the student store and exchange them for prizes. Ms.

Stewart ties the paw bucks program in with her class dojo points. At the end of the week she is

able to see how many points the student earned on dojo and then she rewards the student with

that many paw bucks. If a student earned ten dojo points then they receive ten dollars in paw

bucks. On Monday, the dojo points reset back to zero for each student. In addition to the dojo

points students are divided up into one of four house groups. This house group is a team and

they work together to earn points each day. When a student is on task they are told to give their

house a point. Students walk up to the front of the class and under their group put a tally mark

on the laminated paper. Once a group hits one hundred points the entire group receives a

reward and the class starts over at zero again. These rewards are things like a donut party, extra

recess, pizza party, popsicle party, etc. In addition to the dojo points she finds that around

springtime the students start getting antsy and for some students the dojo points no longer

work as well. When that happens she starts sending citations home for behavior, which usually

gets all the student’s attention that she means business and helps them to get back on track.

Interview Question 13: How are specialist teachers involved in the instructional planning process? >>>

For the most part specialist teachers at Kitty Ward have their own curriculum and do amazing

lesson plans for their time with the students. Every once in awhile a specialist will ask her what

they are working on in class so that the specialist can tie the lessons together.
Interview Question 14: How often are you evaluated, and what measurement tool is used by the
administration for determining your teaching performance? >>>

Each year there is one official visit where administration comes in the classroom to observe the

performance of the teacher. In addition to the formal visit there are two to three informal visits

where the teacher will be observed. There is also a rubric that the district uses to evaluate

teacher’s performance and in each standard you are graded one through four. Teachers want to

make sure they are receiving threes and fours in each area because that means they are doing

well.

Interview Question 15: What consequences are there if your evaluation is not favorable? >>>

Ms. Stewart has never had an unfavorable evaluation but she has heard that if a teacher does

then they are put back on probation. While on probation they will have more classroom

evaluations and the school is supposed to provide resources to help them with instruction

and/or classroom management. Other teachers may also be asked to help the teacher with the

unfavorable evaluation by sharing ideas of what works in their classroom.

Interview Question 16: What types of support do you receive instructionally, financially, or professionally
from the school, parent organization or school district to enhance instruction? >>>

As far as financial aid the district does not give much to help teachers in the classroom.

Teachers are responsible for their decorations, reward systems, and curriculum enhancements.

There are places like Donors Choose that teachers can ask for donations or they can ask

parents and the community for donations. Things that the district does provide are in-service
days and staff development days where teachers continue to learn and make necessary changes

for their classrooms. There are also reading strategist, math coaches, and online training

classes available to teachers that are free.

Interview Question 17: What surprised you most about teaching as a profession? >>

In the beginning when Ms. Stewart began teaching she said the thing that surprised her the

most about the teaching profession was how different the education system was in the United

States from place to place and that it was not universal. Since each state’s expectations were

different and the curriculum was different when students would move they were either behind

or ahead. Now the things that surprise her most are how much more work teachers have to do

even though they do not get more support or better pay. Finally, she is surprised by the lack of

discipline students now have compared to the past and says that they give up easier and do not

want to work as hard.

ASSIGNMENT 6 (Observing a student): Discretely observe one student in your assigned classroom
during an extended period of direct instruction.

Detail what was going on in the environment, and what you observed the student doing while the lesson
was being given. Make sure to document ALL behavior in relationship to what was being presented by
the classroom teacher. Please describe the setting, the lesson that was given, if the student was on task
and engaged in the lesson, and what you uncovered about putting yourself in a lesson from the student’s
point of view. >>>

Levi was the student that I chose to observe in the class because his social behavior

immediately caught my attention. When I arrived in the class two of the students are my
neighbors and were excited to share that with the class. All of the students were smiling at me

and would take turns coming up to me to say hello and introduce themselves during

appropriate times. Levi on the other hand walked up to me the first day, stood in front of me,

stared at me with no expression on his face, and then said, “Why are you here?” I smiled at

him and told him that I am a student and that I am here to observe the class and take notes to

help me become a teacher. He stared at me for a little bit longer and then said, “What is your

name?” I gave him my name and then told him it was nice to meet him and asked his name.

Instead of telling me his name he said, “Nope” and then turned and walked away. While

observing Levi the first day I noticed that he was always behind the rest of the kids in what he

should be doing. If they were supposed to pull out their writing packets he did not get around

to doing it until the assignment was half over. When it was time to get protractors for the math

lesson he was one of the last to get his. Often times Ms. Stewart would get things out for him

and hand them to him. Most of the time he was off task but was not disruptive. During one

activity the students were supposed to take out their mini white boards and write the answers to

the jeopardy game they were playing. Students were to turn their white boards around for Ms.

Stewart to see when she told them it was time to give an answer. Each time Levi turned his

white board around it had doodling on it instead of an answer. He would erase the doodling

when the other students erased their answers and then doodle a new piece of art the next time.

One time we had to leave the room to move to the courtyard and had to take a lot of belongings

with us. I noticed that he was always the last to gather his things, the last out the door, and that

he had a tendency to be unorganized and drop a lot of his stuff. I offered to help him carry

things but he told me he could do it. My second day in the classroom Levi chose to sit at a

table that was close to where I was sitting. I smiled at him and said hello but he once again just
stared at me with a bit of a small scowl. That day they were preparing for SBAC testing and

doing a writing assignment and he was only able to write two sentences because he was unable

to stay focused. He would look around the room a lot and appeared to be talking to himself at

times. Each day when they returned from lunch and were supposed to get out their books for

reading time he would get out his book but not open it. He would hold the book in his hand

and his eyes would wander around the room as his body fidgeted a lot. When it was time to

work on angles and use protractors he liked studying the protractor but did not work on his

assignment much. During the assignment he moved seats several times and looked like he was

having a hard time getting comfortable. At one point he started stacking markers on top of

each other and Ms. Stewart had to take them away and remind him to work on his assignment.

On the day that they were working on protractors it was my third day there and I decided that

day I would not make eye contact, smile, or say hello to Levi to see what he would do. Out of

the corner of my eye I noticed that he kept looking over at me to see if I was going to smile at

him or say hello. It appeared to be bothering him that I was not noticing him this day. Towards

the end of the protractor lesson he finally walked up to me and said, “Will you help me with

this?” I smiled and told him of course I would and we began to work on the assignment

together. At the end he looked happy to have had the help. On my fourth day in the class he

was different with me and came up and told me hello and smiled at me. Also on the fourth day

when I asked if he needed some help carrying his things in the halls he let me carry his water

bottle for him. After talking with Ms. Stewart about Levi I learned that he has ADHD and that

his dad does not want to medicate him but asks for a daily progress report. At home Levi earns

rewards for doing well in school and consequences for having difficult days. He does not have

behavior issues but struggles terribly with staying focused and has impulse control issues.
Sometimes he will touch other students and they do not like being touched. One thing that

stood out to me with Levi is that when he was able to play educational games on his

chromebook he was able to focus and he thoroughly enjoyed the games. Levi is a good and

sweet kid who just has a hard time focusing. I am not sure why he behaved the way he did with

me at the beginning of my observation but was happy that he warmed up to me. I have not

taken Educational Psychology yet but am looking forward to that class to see if it helps me

understand his social behavior better.

ASSIGNMENT 7 (Summary): Thoroughly summarize and reflect upon your entire 10 hour Field
Observation Placement.

>>>

When I received my field observation placement at Kitty Ward Elementary I was absolutely

thrilled. All four of my children attended Kitty Ward and they all absolutely loved going to

school everyday and received an excellent education there. I was assigned to a fourth grade

class of 36 students and was excited to learn how a teacher successfully teaches that many

students all at once.

One of my goals while observing the classroom was to pay special attention to classroom

management. Classroom management is an area that I believe if you want to be a successful

teacher you need to have excellent classroom management skills. Fifteen minutes into class

time I knew I had been assigned to a teacher with phenomenal classroom management skills

and immediately began taking notes on everything she was doing. During my ten hours of
observation I was in awe at how smooth her classroom ran. Things were in order, lessons and

assignments were well prepared, and she made smooth transitions form one activity to another.

Students always knew what was expected of them and what they would be working on next. It

was amazing to watch how well Ms. Stewart was able to keep order in a classroom of 36

students with 22 of those students being energetic boys. By using a point system on class dojo

and tying it in with the paw bucks reward system they use at Kitty Ward, she was able to add

and deduct points with little effort while making a huge impact. Her students responded

quickly when they would hear that a person lost a point and that one reminder would cause

everyone to quickly get back on track.

My second goal was that I was hoping to see the different learning styles incorporated into the

lessons. Twenty-two years ago I took Introduction to Elementary Education and was placed at

a school and in a classroom that was nothing like Kitty Ward or Ms. Stewart’s classroom. In

that course I was taught about the different learning styles and was looking forward to seeing

how teachers would be able to incorporate all the different styles in one lesson. When I entered

the classroom I was thrilled to see that it was a team teaching class. With two teachers I

thought they would have more time to make the lessons extra amazing. Unfortunately that was

not the case and the class was rather boring with both teachers standing at the front just

lecturing. Both teachers were friendly and kind to the students but I remember being

disappointed that I did not get to see in action what I was being taught in school. I am so

fortunate 22 years later to have the opportunity to have been in Ms. Stewart’s classroom where

I was able to see how to carry out the different learning styles. In each lesson or activity she

incorporated as many different learning styles as she could. It was amazing to watch how much
students learn and stay engaged when a teacher does this and I was thrilled to be able to

observe it.

One thing that has been emphasized in my classes is that teachers have to be ready to

effectively adapt in many different situations that are outside of their control. During my

observation I was able to take notes on how important this skill is. While Ms. Stewart was

going around the room checking work and helping students she happened to look up and see

that there was a water leak in the ceiling. The ceiling tile above had a huge bulge and looked

like it could give way at any moment. Without panicking she moved the students in the area to

the other side of the room and sent a student to get Mr. Kevin the janitor. After assessing it the

district had to be called and the room had to be evacuated for them to fix the problem. Instantly

Ms. Stewart had a new game plan and had the students round up various things to take to the

courtyard to keep working. This could have been an immense amount of education time lost

but because Ms. Stewart was able to stay calm, keep control, and adapt quickly the students

only lost about ten minutes of learning time while they gathered their belongings and moved

location.

Finally, I was hoping to be able to observe how a teacher is able to teach a large class with

high energy. This class was definitely the right class for this type of observation. All the

students were great kids and were extremely kind but almost all of them had exuberant

amounts of energy. In all of my years helping in classrooms I had never before seen the

flexible seating arrangement. At first I was a little confused and thought that this may be too

chaotic and cause a lot of behavior problems but I quickly learned that was far from the truth.
This class was super social and I observed that they did much better staying focused and

working hard when they were able to visit a little and work with a partner or in small groups.

Independent work was very difficult for these particular students and although they could do it

I noticed they thrived better with interpersonal methods. Had the class been set up the

traditional way I do believe there would have been a lot more behavior problems, they would

have been bored, and less engaged in what they were learning. It was fascinating to observe a

new style and how well it worked for this group. In addition to this new style I was also

impressed with how Ms. Stewart ignored the small annoyances that could have turned into

bigger problems. By ignoring the small issues they usually worked themselves out and she did

not stop to waste valuable teaching time.

Last semester I had a friend who was doing her student teaching and told me she cried

everyday because the classroom she was assigned to was out of control. She said the teacher

had poor classroom management skills and was unorganized. Her experience caused her to

question why she was becoming a teacher. My experience is completely opposite and I am

grateful I was assigned to Ms. Stewart’s classroom where I learned many valuable skills in a

short amount of time. Ms. Stewart makes teaching look easy and I am excited to implement

many of her amazing ideas in my future classroom.