CONTEXTUAL FACTORS

This fifth grade classroom is calm and well managed. At the front of the room there is a Smartboard surrounded by white boards on either side. On the white board on the right, the weekly schedule is displayed, along with the weekly vocabulary, and the question of the week. The board on the left side displays the students homework and any important messages, i.e. MAP testing. On the floor in from of the Smartboard, is a large carpet with rows of squares. Each row is a single color; red, orange, green, purple, and blue. The students are allowed to go to the carpet during independent reading. The desks are arranged in two semi-circles. The back row has six desks across the back with two desks on one side and three on the other. The front row has five desks across the back and three desks on each side. Each student has their name on the front of their desk. On the back wall there is a tall storage closet and in front of that is the teachers desk. To the left of the teachers desk and closet is a long table that has four computers and a book shelf right above it. The students use the computers to do Odyssey, a math program. To the left of the computers is a horseshoe table that is used for guided reading. The classrooms walls are decorated with large posters that display character traits, the writing process, solving word problems, the cursive alphabet, and the scientific method. These posters scattered throughout the classroom and serve as references for the students. The students in this classroom are assigned numbers and use them to identify their cubbies. The cubbies store the students textbooks and other materials that wont fit in their desk. Located directly beneath their cubbies are multiple hooks that the students use to hang their book bags. The assigned numbers are also used when lining up. For example, the teacher will say,1-5 line up and so on. They also have another set cubbies that are numbered, and use these to turn in work and store their library cards. The class also has a corner of the room with a really tall bookshelf that the students use when doing independent reading. The class has a schedule they follow each day. In the morning they have their special area (Monday: P.E., Tuesday: Computers, Wednesday: Library, Thursday: Music, and Friday: Art). The students go to their special area from 8:00-8:50 a.m., expect on Monday they have P.E. for a full hour. The students return and go over homework and start their math lesson. The fifth grade is on a two week schedule. This means they work on a subject for two weeks then change to another. During my time I observered Math, they did other subjects as well, but I dont recall seeing Science or Social Studies. They take a mid-morning break at 11:15 and go to lunch at about 12:00. Recess then follows from about 12:30 to 1:05, and they take another bathroom break before they return to the classroom. The afternoon schedule consists of guided reading groups, independent reading groups, and Odyssey. The students rotate when the teacher instructs them to. As a reward for good behavior, the students receive PAWsitive Paws. Students can receive these by being ready, respectful, and responsible. They can also be rewarded be keeping their desks and cubbies neat and tidy. During my time, I did not witness any parent involvement. They are easy to reach if needed. The front office has big three ring binders for each grade. And inside of the binders are separated by teacher. In each teachers section is the students parents contact information. I was able to witness this when a

student was hurt on the playground. The teacher took the student to the nurse, filled out an incident report, and then went to the notebook and was able to notify the students mother by retrieving her work number from the childs contact sheet.

Student Characteristics

This fifth grade class has twenty- two students. The class has thirteen males and nine female students. Two students are Hispanic, seven students are Caucasian, and thirteen are African American. A majority of the students are from lower socioeconomic status and receive either reduced or free lunch. None of the students in this classroom are on medication for ADD or ADHD. The teacher has the classroom under control and I have not witnessed any behavior problems. There are two ESOL students in class. One student does not have accommodations for the PASS test. The other recently enrolled on September 6, 2012, and is performing well, with a RIT score of 218 in reading. There are two students who are in Tier 2B and are pulled from class daily for RTI (Response to Intervention). Four students are also pulled from class daily for math push-in. Math push-in assists students who are have trouble in math or are not reaching their goals on the MAP test. Three other students are monitored in reading on Monday and Tuesday only. According to the teachers records, the students in her class QRI range is between 40 and 60. To be on the fifth grade level student must be at 60. I wasnt able to get the breakdown of what students scored and where they stand as far as being above, below, or at grade level. This class does have one student who always performs well on test and classwork. This student also happens to be the only one in GATAS (Gifted and Talented program).

Instructional Implications

A few students in this class have implications for instructional planning. Although this class has no students ADD or ADHD or any other learning disability there are a few students who require extra help in certain subjects. This class has two ESOL students, one would think this would cause for an accomadation during planning, but these students are very fluent and and score well in both Math and Reading. There are six students that go out of the room for help with math. Four girls go out in the morning and the other two students go out in the afternoon. This requires the teacher to assign them different problems when she assigns work. She does this when she introduces a new concept to the class. She lets their Math teacher explain it to them and then they do the problems the rest of the class had completed. This helps with grades and gives them a chance to score well. Another student is separated from the rest of the desks. He sits close to one of the whiteboards. This student is very intelligent, but has behavior problems. He is easily distracted and has constant conflicts with others. I noticed that the teacher uses him to pass out papers and to run errands for her, this keeps him busy and out of trouble. His grades reflect that of a student who understands his work, but his reputation has followed him as behavior issue. When he gets and infraction, his father is contacted instead of his mother and that seems to make a difference. The student who is in GATAS is always an early finisher, so the teacher has to assign him more work.