Nita Frazier

Professor Rachel Bernal

EDUC – 1301
04/16/2024
EDUC 1301.103 – Foundations of Education
Field Observation Report #2
The Site: (for each site)

 Mrs. Sarah Holder and Miss Jamie Young

 Pasadena Independent School District
 Turner Elementary
 Kindergarten
 - Mrs. Sarah Holder (Circle Time, Reading, Individual Work)
 - Miss Jamie Young (Individual Work, Math, Center Time)
 March 1, 2024 and February 23, 2024
 8.00 a.m. – 3.00 p.m. and 8.00 a.m. – 3.00 p.m.

Effective Teaching
Description: For each teacher, describe as many of the following elements as apply:
1. Mrs.Holder

 Room arrangement
 Items on the walls

 Beginning of class
Mrs. Holder had her electronics ready before the students entered the classroom. The
classroom started on time. The students entered the classroom at 8 a.m. and unpacked
their backpacks, then put them in their designated area. Students picked up their
breakfast, which provided by the school, and ate at their tables. The students cleaned
up after themselves and moved on to the carpet for the school announcement and
pledges, followed by encouragement sing along song, “Reach for The Stars”. While still
sitting on the carpet, Mrs. Holder briefed them on my presence. It was Dr. Seuss Day.
Mrs. Holder went through what the day was going to look like in terms of activities and
expectations.
Mrs. Holder then proceeded her morning routine by going through the goal folder with
her students. Students were required to trace “YES” with pencil / crayon, if the goal
listed on the folder was met, and “NO” if the goal was not met.

 Activities observed
Circle Time (8.20 a.m. – 8.35 a.m.):
Circle time started after the morning routine. Students were on the carpet during carpet
time. The circle time was done digitally on screen by projector. The students sang and
danced to the days of the week, months, and seasons songs. Mrs. Holder proceeded to
 the alphabet recognition. They started with sing along to the alphabet song, followed by
alphabet review. Mrs. Holder went through students’ last names and list them on the
board. Whoever had their last name started with a letter she chose, inquired to raise
their hands, and erased their names from the board. She used this opportunity for
attendance. There was one absent student that day, and she encouraged her students
to wish their friend well. She continued circle time by reviewing class rules.

Reading (8.35 a.m. – 8.55 a.m.):

Mrs. Holder started reading and comprehension time after the circle time. While
students were still on the carpet, Mrs. Holder read “The Cat in the Hat” book by Dr.
Seuss. She inquired students to pay attention to any setting, character, and rhyme word.
After reading, she reviewed students’ comprehensive by questioning them about the
beginning, the middle and the end of the book, the settings, characters as well as the
genre of the book. Using the whiteboard, she wrote down rhyme words students found
in the story. The students then faced their partners sitting next to them to talk about
what their feelings and opinions about the book.
The students then lined up and escorted to do their block period.

P.E and Art (9.00 a.m. – 10. a.m.):

Block period was Mrs. Holder’s conference time, which she spent catching up on her
emails. She allowed me to interview her during this time.

Individual Work (10 a.m. – 11.30 a.m.):

Students were back in the classroom from their block period and sat themselves on their
assigned seats as part of their individual work for the day. Students were tasked to make
The Cat in the Hat character. Mrs. Holder demonstrated her students on how to make
the character through the projector then placed it on the whiteboard for students’
reference. Mrs. Holder then called on the students based on their table color to gather
the pieces of The Cat in the Hat to color, cut then assemble. Once the character finished,
the students then worked on their worksheet. As part of the rhyming lesson, the
students were tasked to match pictures with rhyme names / descriptions.

 Time management
Mrs. Holder managed her classroom time effectively. She started the morning on time
and prepared. Her routines were set and intentional, as well as activities throughout the
day. She utilized a timer to informed the students on how much time they would spend
on a task, and when to switch to the next activity. Mrs. Holder was actively used her
time to involve herself in teaching the students through several different effective ways
to engage the students. The classroom was very interactive, especially during reading
time. It was a fun experience to observed. The students were so engaged in the book
and continued to discuss and discover rhyme words until the timer was off. Block time
was utilized as conference time and during the independent work, Mrs. Holder utilized
her time to individually tested the student and supervised the work.
 Questioning strategies
Mrs. Holder reviewed her students’ understanding by giving related questions to
answer. This was done by calling on the students who raised their hands or picked one
student directly. This were answered by the students either verbally, on by putting the
answers on the projector screen. Mrs. Holder called on variety of students, although at
the end, the same few students were called more often than the rest. She praised her
students by saying “good job” after each effort and moved the clothing pin, with the
student’s name, to the good job wall chart. The students whose name were on the chart
that day earned a sticker to collect, which they can trade with a gift from the reward
bin.

 Classroom management strategies

Mrs. Holder had a great classroom management. She was very engaged with her
students. She danced and sang with them during circle time. Every activity was
intentional. The classroom seemed to have developed daily routines that worked for the
teacher and students. The students’ familiarity with the routine resulting in smooth
transitions. It was very structural, but safe and fun at the same time. I did not witness
any misbehavior on the day I observed. Mrs. Holder was on top of her classroom. Her
eyes were on the students all the time. She walked around the classroom to monitor
student’s work during individual time. I came to observe almost at the end of the school
year. The students seemed to be aware of the consequences by now and made the right
choice that day. She allowed students to interact with one another, so long as they were
on task and not causing any distractions.

 Special needs students

There was one student in her classroom that is in the spectrum. She accommodated this
student by providing visual graphics, such as a sign with symbols on it, that she carried
and utilized during class transitions, whenever she escorted the students to block, lunch
and recess.

 Technology
Mrs. Holder had a laptop that connected to the projector. The classroom had a touch
projector screen and projector that was utilized often throughout the day. Each student
had their individual school laptop to use with a set of headphones during their center
time, to access Waterford and Dreambox applications.

 End of lesson
At the end of their individual project, the students were told to clean up their work
space. They threw away the leftover papers and trash from cutting in the trash can, put
their names on the project they created, and left them on the tables. They put away
their supplies, and picked up their name tags, water bottles and lunchboxes. They lined
up and escorted to the cafeteria for lunch.
2. Miss Young
 Room arrangement

 Items on the walls

 Beginning of lesson
Miss Young picked the students up from the cafeteria and brought them back to
classroom. The students then returned their tags, and put away their water bottles and
lunchboxes in the designated area. They sat on their appointed tables afterwards, to
start a worksheet.
 Activities observed
Individual Work (noon – 12.15 p.m.):
The students were handed a booklet about Abraham Lincoln. Miss Young explained to
the students what to be done with the worksheet, gave clear instruction on where to
color, to trace his name, and to make a sentence about him. Miss Young told the
students to hand her the worksheets and returned to their tables, as it was time for
Math.

Math (12.15 p.m. – 1 p.m.):

Miss Young handed them a penny. She talked about the value of penny and asked the
students to identify the penny. From size, character, and the pictures on both sides.
Miss Young then asked the students to get their laptops and to work on Waterford
application for 30 minutes. The students then escorted to the playground afterward, for
recess.

Recess (1.00 p.m. – 1.30 p.m.):

The students played in the playground with other students from another Kindergarten
classes for 30 minutes. Miss Young and the other Kindergarten teachers were present at
the playground to supervised.

Center Time (1.30 p.m. – 2.30 p.m.):

The students returned to the classroom. Miss Young quizzed the students with flash
cards before entering the classroom, then assigned each group to do different center
activities. There were arts and crafts, Dreambox, independent reading, and word search.
The group were scattered throughout the classroom. After completion, the students
were allowed to rotate to a different activity. Miss Young used this time to check emails,
test individual students, and mark assignments to put in the students’ folders. By 2.30
p.m. the students were required to put everything away and clean up. They packed their
folders and lunchboxes and were given snacks to eat before dismissal.

Dismissal ( 2.30 p.m. – 3.00 p.m):

At 2.45 p.m. students were dismissed. They were required to sit on the hall before they
were sent to bus or the pickup line.

 Time management
Miss Young managed her classroom time effectively. She had classroom routines set and
intentional, as well as activities throughout the day. She and the students were engaged
in different interactive activities throughout the day. Miss Young was actively used her
time to involve herself in teaching the students through several different effective ways
to engage the students. The only time the students were working on their own was
during individual task / writing. Block time was utilized as conference time. Miss Young
utilized her time during center time to individually tested the student, mark assignments
and folders, while supervised the students while they were working on their center.
 Questioning strategies
Miss Young reviewed her students’ understanding by giving related questions to answer.
This was done by calling on the students who raised their hands. For some activities, the
student was picked using popsicle sticks. This were answered by the students either
verbally, on by putting the answers on the projector screen. Miss Young utilized the
popsicle sticks called on variety of students. She acknowledged each effort by stating “good
job, please kiss your brain, (student’s name)!” or in the group setting, “tell your friend next to
you he/she did a great job and shake his/her hand!”. Miss Young stamped the students’ folders
with a smiley face stamp, to notified parents of good conduct. The students with smiley face
stamp for the whole week earned a gift they can choose from the reward bin at the end
of the week.

 Classroom management strategies

Miss Young’s classroom management was impressive. She came in the morning
prepared and conducted the lessons very fluently. She called on things quickly if she saw
a possibility of interruption or before they got escalated. Everything was very purposeful
including lesson plans, grouping, and classroom organization. Miss Young were very
engaged with the students. She sang and danced with the students throughout lesson
videos. She asked questions to make sure the students understand the materials and
were paying attention. I came to observed almost at the end of school year when the
learning processes were established. The students were also reminded on how to act
when another teacher / sub present in the classroom. Those were all contributing
factors of why this field observation was such a positive experience. The students were
allowed to interact with their partner(s) during center time as long as they kept working
and in low voice tone.

 Special needs students

Miss Young’s classroom did not have any students with disabilities.

 Technology
Miss Young had a laptop that connected to the projector. The classroom had a touch
projector screen and projector that was utilized often throughout the day. Each student
had their individual school laptop to use with a set of headphones during their center
time, to access Waterford and Dreambox applications.

 End of class
After their last activity for the day, the students were required to put everything away
and packed their backpacks. They packed their folders and lunchboxes and were given
snacks to eat before dismissal. Upon dismissal, students were required to sit on the hall
before they were sent to bus or the pickup line.
 Teacher Interview
Teacher’s Name
School District
School Name
Grade Level
Describe each of the following in detail:
1. What factors contributed to your decision to
teach this subject and at this grade level?
2. What do you enjoy most about teaching this
curriculum? What do you enjoy least?
3. How do you go about selecting what content
and skills to teach?
4. Do you try to offer different perspectives
(multidisciplinary, multicultural) on these
topics?
5. Are there areas of this curriculum that are
controversial? How do you handle “hot”
topics when they arise?
6. How do you accommodate multiple
intelligences in your classroom?
7. How do you track and record grades? Does
your school or district require a certain
format? Do you use grading software?
8. When do you do your planning? The week
before, the night before, impromptu?
9. How do the school district’s official
curriculum and the textbook shape your
decisions?
10. Can you make your own decisions as to
what topics to teach, or are you confined to
the official school curriculum? How do you
make your class unique?
11. Do parents or students participate in
deciding what is taught?
Sarah Holder
Pasadena ISD
Turner Elementary
Kindergarten
I always wanted to be a Kindergarten teacher. I like
little kids. I taught Sunday school and was a swim
coach.
Most:
- Love teaching foundational skills
- I can shape the student’s behavior
Least:
- Little control of standard in teaching
District dictates what need to be covered and I make
some adjustments.
Yes.
Not many controversial topics in kindergarten.
Incorporate different techniques.
-Rubric based grading. 1 on 1 conjunction with
classroom.
-Checklist and running records
-District provide certain format
-Uses Skyward as grading software.
-General 9-week planning.
-Every Tues, Kindergarten teachers meet and each
take one responsibility with activities for that week.
I try to be compliant.
Not really. Follow what’s told, but how to teach more
individualized.
By vote probably.
Reflections
I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to observe two amazing and dedicated

teachers. Both Mrs. Holder and Miss Young experienced teaching for more than a decade. Their
effective classrooms were claimed to be the result of reflective teaching, which they

thoughtfully analyzed their teaching practices and classrooms. (383) They based their lesson

and activity plans were all intentional, based on what they knew would work and effective for

both students and teachers.

Mrs. Holder and Miss Young applied direct teaching model in their classroom, “a model

of instruction in which the teacher is a strong leader who structures the classroom and

sequences subject matter to reflect a clear academic focus.” (375). They implemented models

for classroom management, from group alerting, by questioning first then naming the student

to respond, withitness, a term “by researcher Jacob Kounin describing teachers who aware of

student behavior in all parts of the room and at all times,” and least intervention, by intervene

quietly and quickly to address misbehavior conduct. (356). Students were very engaged, on task

and well behave in both classrooms, impressive accomplishments for Kindergarten classrooms.

Transitions between classes were very smooth, since the students made aware of the routines.

The behavior modification both teachers implemented, a strategy to alter behavior in a desired

direction through the used of reward, contributed to the success. (186)

Although, they restricted by allocated time, “the amount of time a school or an

individual teacher schedules for a subject,” they managed to pack each subject with engaged

time throughout the day, “the part of time that a teacher schedules for a subject in which the

students are actively involved with academic subject matter.” (353) .

I favor both teachers to model, as they were very similar, and implement this

experienced I observed in my future classroom as my foundation.

Points Possible Category Below Expectations
Details of Includes very few details of
Observation observations in each
setting. Paper lacks details
(Part 1) that support/relate to
/30 information presented in
class discussions and
textbook readings. Hours
were not included and/or
information was lacking.
0-14 Points
Reflection Paper is lacking and/or
(Part 2) unclear about positive and
negative observed
/20 experiences and observed
ideas that you would and
would not include in your
classroom one day.
0-9 Points
Key Terms from the Paper is lacking in
Course Textbook. references and/or
Key terms should references are not reported
/25 be in bold or accurately.
highlighted
(Part 2)
0-14 Points
Time Log, The student did not
Formatting of adequately document
/15 observations
Assignment, Writing
Time Log was not filled out
Skills
correctly.
The formatting of the paper
is not correct
0-5
Appearance The Paper has multiple
spelling and/or grammar
/10 errors. The Paper is missing
relevant components. Key
Terms are not cited
correctly.
0-4 Points
Average Expectations
Includes details of
observations in each
setting. Details
support/relate to
information presented in
class discussions and
textbook readings. Hours
were included but details
were minimal.
15-24 Points
The paper includes positive
and negative experiences
observed. Includes some
ideas that you would and
would not include in your
classroom one day.
10-17 Points
All/Some references are
included but may not have
been reported accurately.
References are from the
class textbook. Some key
terms are included, but too
many direct quotes may
have been included.
19-15 Points
Student documented
observations of the child in
a meaningful way
Time Log was included, but
with some errors
The formatting of the paper
has some mistakes
6-14
The Paper is typed, and
mostly free of spelling and
grammar errors. The time
log was submitted, but with
possible errors. Key Terms
are somewhat cited
correctly.
5-9 Points
Exceeds Expectations
Includes details of
observations in each
setting. Details strongly
support/relate to
information presented in
class discussions and
textbook readings. The
student observed only 1
teacher for FE 1 and only 2
teachers for FE 2.
25-30 Points
The Paper includes many
positive and negative
experiences observed.
Includes several observed
ideas that you would and
would not include in your
classroom one day.
18-20
Five or more references are
included and reported
accurately. References are
from the textbook.
References are key terms
from the text and include
how the term relates to the
observation.
20-25 Points
The student showed a high
level of skill in
observations, making
detailed descriptions and
including specific examples
The time log is completed
correctly
The Paper is formatted
correctly
15
The Paper is typed and free
of spelling and grammar
errors. Time Log, notes, and
grading rubric was
submitted in class. Key
Terms are cited correctly
10 Points