Our last lesson was devoted to the summative assessment. We had thought originally about trying to include more information and cover the Oregon trail through some sort of activity before the test, but we decided against it. You could say that reality kicked in and we realized that not only were we tired after a week of intensive teaching, but we also recognized that the students already had enough information on their plates to remember and process that day. So instead, we planned on allowing for 5-10 minutes of review time at the beginning of class before passing out the test. After students finished with the test, they could take out a book to read. Once everyone was done, we'd have students presents the advertisements they'd made the day before.
When we got to the class, though, we found out that the students were visiting Williamsburg the next day, and the teacher wanted some time at the end of the class to go over what the students would be doing on that fieldtrip. As one might imagine, we didn't end up presenting our advertisements. The students took the test, read, and then listened to the teacher as she explained what would happen the next day. During my period (the first block), I also had to deal with 9-10 students being pulled out for various tests and things for other classes. 7 students were pulled out so they could finish a math test (I told the woman, 'but they have a test in this class.' ...Apparently our teacher said it was okay for them to go. Whatcha gonna do?). Then, in the middle of the test (luckily, after most of the students had finished), 2-3 more students were pulled out by a different woman for something completely different. I do realize that my class is not the end-all, be-all of the day, but I'd never had students pulled out during any of my other lessons, and so it was surprising to have it happen the day of the test. Therefore, I unfortunately only have test scores for some of the students (and even more unfortunately, the students that were pulled out were lower-achieving students, so I don't have a good handle on how we did with that achievement group). That was frustrating to me, and I wish I could see their tests (if they ever even took it) to see how they did, but the teacher never responded to my request for those tests. Alas...that's the life of a teacher, I suppose.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Observation 3
Today I went to the classroom to observe the end of their Language Arts class, as well as their science class. When I walked in, there were only 4 students left in the classroom (many, I believe, are pulled out at this time for remedial and gifted education), and all of them were writing stories from prompt cards. Before the other students came back in for science class, three of the students went up to the front and read what they had written so far from the prompt. What was most amazing to me was the level of detail and thought put into the story by one of the students in the class. Generally, he slouches in his chair and pays absolutely no attention in class (and as he doesn't disrupt the class in being off-task, the teachers have mostly stopped paying attention to him--out of frustration, I guess). Still, his word choice and style of writing--while not extraordinary--showed a greater depth of understanding and a greater engagement than he normally shows. In terms of differentiation, this is the kid that misses out pretty much every time, and now that it's the third or fourth quarter of the year, the teachers have all but given up on him. Still, with support, I've seen him perform and demonstrate some understanding--however basic--and I think that something as simple and teacher-free as pairing him up with a higher-achieving student from the beginning of the year would've really helped this student along. This kid can learn; he just needs a little extra help and attention.
During science class, the class read from the science book about plants and filled out a graphic organizer based on the material in the book. The teacher would read a passage (or have the students read a passage to themselves), ask students to tell her about what they just read, and then have students fill out the graphic organizer (the piece related to that section of the text) in pairs. While I know that reading from a book and writing things down has the potential to be boring, the teacher did a good job of following up the reading by having students summarize the main points of the passage, thus reinforcing the material in their minds. I like the alternation between whole-group and pairs, as well. I think it kept kids moving enough to keep them from disengaging (on the one hand) or being overwhelmed (on the other hand). After the class had finished the reading and graphic organizer, they copied down important terms related to plants, which were written up on the board.
During science, I tried to keep Cody engaged by standing behind him, making sure he turned the pages and copied down what he needed to in order to complete the organizer, and talking with him. At first, he responded pretty well--doing what needed to be done--though it required a whole lot of support on my part, but not long after, I could tell that the activity was difficult for him and he was frustrated easily. All the task required was searching through the text for the 4 needs of a plant, but it was hard for him and he became easily frustrated when it wasn't as easy as copying down headers (as he was able to do with a different part of the organizer). I really hope that his teacher next year can pair him up with another kid or help him get re-engaged at school. I think with proper support, this student would show rapid progress. He just needs the help.
Lastly, one thing I noticed today (and which I'd been thinking about during our classes last week) is that behavior management is not a huge problem for our teacher. There is the occasional student who's not paying attention, or who's doing something he/she's not supposed to, but all in all, I noticed today just how good her students are for her. There was a point during the class when she was at the front, flipping through the book looking for something, and the students didn't take advantage of this intermission to cut up. I looked around to see one or two students playing with something in their desks, but all the other students were waiting quietly for the teacher to continue (looking at the book, looking at her, etc.). If there's one thing that I can say about our teacher, it's that she has definitely obtained a certain authority in her classroom and respect for her students. There are some things I would do differently if it were my classroom, but I can say that she does a great job of showing the class that she genuinely cares about them and that she expects good things from them. I hope that I can maintain a similar level of respect and authority in my classroom, and be able to likewise show my students how much I care.
During science class, the class read from the science book about plants and filled out a graphic organizer based on the material in the book. The teacher would read a passage (or have the students read a passage to themselves), ask students to tell her about what they just read, and then have students fill out the graphic organizer (the piece related to that section of the text) in pairs. While I know that reading from a book and writing things down has the potential to be boring, the teacher did a good job of following up the reading by having students summarize the main points of the passage, thus reinforcing the material in their minds. I like the alternation between whole-group and pairs, as well. I think it kept kids moving enough to keep them from disengaging (on the one hand) or being overwhelmed (on the other hand). After the class had finished the reading and graphic organizer, they copied down important terms related to plants, which were written up on the board.
During science, I tried to keep Cody engaged by standing behind him, making sure he turned the pages and copied down what he needed to in order to complete the organizer, and talking with him. At first, he responded pretty well--doing what needed to be done--though it required a whole lot of support on my part, but not long after, I could tell that the activity was difficult for him and he was frustrated easily. All the task required was searching through the text for the 4 needs of a plant, but it was hard for him and he became easily frustrated when it wasn't as easy as copying down headers (as he was able to do with a different part of the organizer). I really hope that his teacher next year can pair him up with another kid or help him get re-engaged at school. I think with proper support, this student would show rapid progress. He just needs the help.
Lastly, one thing I noticed today (and which I'd been thinking about during our classes last week) is that behavior management is not a huge problem for our teacher. There is the occasional student who's not paying attention, or who's doing something he/she's not supposed to, but all in all, I noticed today just how good her students are for her. There was a point during the class when she was at the front, flipping through the book looking for something, and the students didn't take advantage of this intermission to cut up. I looked around to see one or two students playing with something in their desks, but all the other students were waiting quietly for the teacher to continue (looking at the book, looking at her, etc.). If there's one thing that I can say about our teacher, it's that she has definitely obtained a certain authority in her classroom and respect for her students. There are some things I would do differently if it were my classroom, but I can say that she does a great job of showing the class that she genuinely cares about them and that she expects good things from them. I hope that I can maintain a similar level of respect and authority in my classroom, and be able to likewise show my students how much I care.
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