1.

Provide a summary of what you experienced so the reader knows what you did
and what you experienced.
a. It was our first visit to Clay Middle School, which was a surreal moment
for me personally. I haven’t been in a middle school since I was in that part
of my educational career. The teachers that have set up an experience for
us gave us a tour of the school, and it was interesting and kind of a cool
idea that they had each grade level split up by color. This was something
that interested me because at my middle school it was spread out all over
the place and I think that having this separation can help with
organization which is always a plus for me! With my time in each
classroom that I was able to observe and help in, I really liked being in the
resource room. It was a different type of classroom that I have never been
in, but I would love to continue to keep exploring and learning more about
the resource room. It was a smaller class of students, but the teachers in
the room seemed to be very invested in helping their students gain new
skills to help them in their daily lives inside and outside of the classroom.
Overall, I am looking forward to many different experiences and
opportunities to be able to have at Clay!
2. Make at least one connection to personal experience, other texts you’ve read
and/or what you know about schools.
a. With my time at Clay so far, this makes me think about the book that I
read in the ED491. It was called, The Positive Classroom which discussed
all things behavior, classroom management, environment, etc. I think this
relates to our first visit because I was able to see how all the teachers I saw
created their classroom environment and how that has helped students
learn to trust and engage with their classmates, the teacher, and most of all
the material that is being taught within the room.
3. Expand on five High Leverage Practices or more you chose to use in your write up
by telling which one, how you used it and what your thinking was in choosing this
for your student/students.
a. HLP #7 - Environment
i. I haven’t really been able to do this personally yet, but the
environment that has been created in each classroom is forever
beneficial for each and every student in the classrooms.
b. HLP #18- Student Engagement
i. In the history class and science class we were in, the topics of what
they were learning seem to catch everyone's attention which I think
made the students willing to be more open and excited to talk to all
of us
c. HLP #17- Flexible Grouping
 i. Flexible groups were present in the history class that we were in.
The history teacher mentioned to us that the students were able to
work in groups together, but they eventually would break off
because they would find something that would interest them about
the topic they were researching. He also told us that some would
rather work on their own instead of working with others. I think it
goes to show how working in groups can work for some, but not for
all and that it gives options for students.
d. HLP #16- Explicit Instruction
i. This HLP was present in the science class my group visited. We
came in the middle of when they were doing a lab. The teacher
made sure that her expectations were clear and that every student
knew what was going on. If you are able to give clear and precise
instruction to your students, it can help build a relationship, but to
also keep in place the expectations that have been built into the
classroom.
e. HLP #8 & #22- Feedback
i. I haven’t been able to do this myself, but it is prevalent that there
are definitely times that the teachers would provide feedback. The
history teacher was the one that I physically saw giving feedback to
students whether it was after a question, or taking a moment to see
what students have done and if he can help them in any way.
Overall, feedback is one of the best ways for students to get new
ideas as well as a little extra help if needed.
4. Field Experience- Pick three questions
a. How was the classroom environment (routines, procedures, student
behavior, physical space, etc) on student learning.
i. Within each classroom that I visited this past week, it is clear that
every teacher within the building cares about each and every
student and wants to make sure they feel safe and heard within the
big school that they attend. In the classroom, there is work
highlighted from the students that are in the classroom as well as
posters for clubs that are highlighted through the hallways of the
school. I think that this does really go to show that the teachers at
Clay take pride in their students and want to see them grow as
individuals and as learners. I think that is one of the greatest things
that is included in this HLP and how this can help promote better
student involvement at the end of the day!
b. How did the teacher/you have fun with kids and is she or he peaceful in
how they interact with kids?
 i. The way the teachers were involved with their students were very
different from other classes I visited. In the history class, the
teacher just kind of stood in one area and then if students had
questions, they could go ask him. In the resource room, the three
teachers that were in there had conversations with each student and
showed a genuine interest in their day and what they have been up
to. One of the students showed the teacher what they completed
and how they got a good score, which resulted in the teacher getting
excited and telling the student how proud she was of them for doing
such a good job. I think this was a great thing to watch and take
note of because we have talked about it for so long and to see it in
practice shows me how important it is to tell our students how
proud we are of them and that what they are doing has a purpose.
c. Are opportunities provided for practice in: Good health habits, sharing
with others, waiting turns, making rules, emotional control, taking care of
their own property, cleaning up after work, accepting responsibility,
overcoming difficulties, being leaders, being helpful, enjoying books,
hearing music, meeting friends, and anything else you wanted to note from
your setting.
i. When my group visited the resource room, this class was the one
class that interested me the most because it was providing students
with an extra set of hands to be successful by themselves. They were
working on a worksheet that was focused on study skills. It was cool
to watch each student work on it and at their own pace as well,
which I think is important to highlight because we need to be able
to give our students the time to work on things that they are
passionate about or promote thinking because that is how they will
produce some of the best work. I will be looking forward to seeing
what the students will be working on next week.