CONTEXTUAL FACTOR ANALYSIS 1

Mast Landing School: Mrs. Tremblay’s 5th Grade Class

Katie Josephs
Contextual Factoral Analysis
2/5/19
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Community:

Mast Landing School is in Freeport, Maine. Freeport is a large town where many choose

to reside or travel to as a tourist destination. The population of Freeport is 8,456 year round

residents. Freeport spans a total of 34.70 square miles making the population per square mile 227

people (Census). Geographically, Freeport has oceanfront

shores on the Harraseeket river (Google Maps). There are

many ways that this information informs my teaching

practices. The energy level of my students can be affected

by how long they spend on the bus each morning. If they

live on the edge of town, they could be riding on the bus for

close to an hour each morning. Some students will need

energy increasing activities that wake them up such as

morning yoga or a fast paced morning meeting greeting.

Students will also need a snack or breakfast close to when they get to school because it may have

been quite a long time since they have had food. It is my belief, and research proven, that

students learn best when they have food to fuel their thinking.

There are many popular tourist destinations in Freeport such as L.L Bean Flagship Store,

L.L Bean Discovery School, Wolfes Neck Center, Bradbury Mountain State Park, Wolfes Neck

Woods State Park, Desert of Maine, Smudge Art Studio for Kids, Winslow Park and more (Visit

Freeport). These destinations are frequently visited by tourists as well as people who reside in the

Freeport community. Some of these locations are used by students for after school activities. In

particular, Smudge Art Studio for Kids which is a bus stop for many students for after school
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care. Most of these destinations have the same theme of being outdoors and active. Knowing

this, I can infer that some of my students have been to and experienced these locations. I can now

use personal connections between assignments and these locations to bring familiarity to

students. Given that the community has such a strong tourist economy, the school budget is

stable and somewhat reliable from the words of Emily Grimm, Mast Landing Principal, “we are

a school that does not lack in resources.”

District:

Mast Landing School is part of RSU 5 which includes the towns of Freeport, Pownal, and

Durham. The district has 7 schools including the technical high school that is offered to multiple

towns in the surrounding areas. For schools in exclusively in Freeport, there is Morse Street

School: grades pre k-2, Mast Landing School: grades 3-5, Freeport Middle: grades 6-8, and

Freeport High School: grades 9-12. Other schools in the district include Durham Community

School: grades K-8, and Pownal Elementary School: grades pre-k-5. The average class size for

all schools is about 16-20 students (RSU 5). Given that there are multiple elementary level

schools in the district, it is important to know all of the transitions that the students make as they

progress throughout the district. When students are in 3rd grade they have made one school

transition already. When moving into middle school, they have been through two transitions so

students have the fundamentals of what the change may entail. But, what will be new to them is

the increase in responsibility and new peers to interact and learn with. It is important to keep in

mind how to assist and prepare students transitions by creating a community culture with

positive work and social ethics that promote learning. This will travel with them when they reach

middle school.
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School:

Mast Landing School specifically supports students learning and teacher education

resources in many ways. The school website has a tab for teacher education resources that target

PBE. This is helpful going into the school district because being able to define the RSU 5

expectations of PBE will help align my practice to their standards. PBE is not a requirement

statewide and there seems to be different interpretations of PBE in districts throughout the state.

By having these resources, I will be able to follow the districts guidelines when assessing the

students in my classroom. Mast Landing School values hands on learning and language arts. The

school focuses on project based learning in math, social sciences, and science. The school values

language arts enough to have reading and writing two separate periods in all classrooms. The

school also values that students need to be up and moving with choice throughout the day by

giving students a morning and lunch recess period to break up their day. The values that

surround MLS align with my teaching philosophy in positive ways. Knowing this will foster my

ability to take leaps in my teaching with supports that will be able to give structured advice.

The physical layout of the school is in a logical sequence. The main office consists of a

rounded wall with glass windows allowing full visibility inside. This promotes a community and

trustworthy feel for all parents, staff and students. There are 3 wings in the building, one for each

grade. Within the wings, there are three classrooms upstairs and three downstairs. In the middle

of both hallways, there is an alcove for lockers, commonly referred to as the locker bays.

Seemingly the only hardship of this layout is for the classroom that abuts the locker bays. It tends

to be quite noisy during transition times for beginning of the day, lunch/recess, and end of day

routines. Students in the middle classroom become distracted and unfocused due to the noise
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even with the door shut. This shows me that specific times during the day can be hard for

students to focus due to noise. It is imperative that I keep this in mind during assessments and

silent work time to keep students who are easily distracted away from the door area.

The school has very low rates in all diversity related demographics. Mast Landing School

is below the state average in free and reduced lunch rates. 22% of all students in the school

receive free lunch and 3% of all students receive reduced lunch rates (Public School Review).

The cost of lunch per day is $2.65 at full price. If qualified for reduced lunch, cost is $0.40

(Lunch Menu). This means that one quarter or 65 students are experiencing food help in the

school. Knowing this then impacts my teaching at morning meeting and around lunch times.

Students who are not receiving food at home need to be able to go to the school cafeteria at

breakfast time to eat. This means that I will not be able to start morning meeting when the bell

rings nor will I be expecting students to have their food finished within a few minutes. Students

will need time to sit down and eat. At snack in the classroom, there is not a school program that

provides snack. Two students in the class receive reduced lunch and come to school without

snacks. Mrs. Tremblay (my mentor) has chosen to provide a snack to the two students everyday

so they have food to keep them focused but also to feel included while others are eating. Around

lunch time, I will need to keep in mind that the activities need to have time alloted for less

demand as the students who receive lunch may be getting extremely hungry. The students only

meals may be at school. However, all this said, there may be students who are not receiving

free/reduced lunch who may be having the same time of struggles. There parents may have

chosen not to apply for the free lunches or their family may be experiencing a temporary impact.
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This is why when considering food insecurities, the whole class needs to be on the same

schedule of demanding tasks around meal times.

At Mast Landing Specifically, there is little ethnic/racial diversity. According to a poll,

there are students who identify as: 91% White, 6% Asian, 2% Black, and 1% Hispanic (Public

School Review). I know that

there is at least 1 student in

my class that identifies as

Asian. However, a large part

of the school identifies as

white. Knowing this informs

my instruction in a few

ways. I know that we will

need to have read many window/mirror books that reflect or shed light on different cultures,

ethnic backgrounds, and race based on the fact there is little diversity in the school. It also may

benefit the class to have discourse on different diverse issues to provide a model for healthy

conversation surrounding different diverse topics.

Classroom Factors:

The classroom layout in some ways follows a flexible seating philosophy. The classroom

I am placed in is the smallest out of all of the 5th grade classrooms. This brings some challenges

for space to hang things on the walls or for variety of seating arrangements. Currently, the tables

in the classroom are in two rows of 3 tables, making a total of 6 tables. Then, there is a table at

the front that my mentor, Mrs. T often sits at to work with small groups of students. Each table
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has a picture hanging above the top to identify the table name. In our class, it is based on sports

teams. My mentor has her desk in the front corner of the room with a desktop available for

student use. We have a sink and countertop that holds the lunch magnets, classroom sign in/sign

out sheet, and compost bin. In the back right corner of the classroom there is a large area rug for

students to sit during instructional time and morning meetings. Along the back wall, there is a

library in which Mrs. T spent $2,000 on books for the classroom library. To the left of the room,

there are student resources such as writing folders, personal book bins and relevant materials.

There is some technology available to students. However, it does remain limited. So far

in observation of my mentor, students were only able to use laptops at delegated times for a

research project. Students handwrite most to all of their assignments as they have not had formal

typing. By having students type with no typing impedes access to getting thoughts out in written

work, especially in a timely manner. There is a projector in my classroom that can be used. The

team teacher does have ipads available in his room for math use only. The last piece of

technology is a sound system for teachers to be using during instruction. There is a speaker in the
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ceiling that is projects the teachers voice evenly throughout the room. This enhances students

accessibility to knowledge for any teacher who may be soft spoken, to allow all students to hear,

but most specifically to allow students who may be hard of hearing to access their information.

It is my goal to integrate more technology into the classroom. This is going to look like a

few different things. I would like to use SeeSaw for student work. It will increase discourse

about their own work with peers. SeeSaw will also be used as a multimodal mean for assessment.

If students have written something, they will be able to voice over and talk about it. For students

who process through writing using the app is using speech as another form of assessment. For

students who process through speech, they are getting an opportunity to talk about their writing.

Parental involvement looks a little different in my classroom than some others. There are

not any parent volunteers that regularly come into the classroom. However, parents are

encouraged to attend field trips such as the planetarium trip and the Boston Trip. There is a

weekly letter that goes home that is updated every Friday by the teaching teaching team. It is

called the “Peek at the Week” which outlines the homework and expected schedule of

curriculum. This keeps parents informed as to what their children are learning.

The classroom rules are not displayed in the room. However, Mast Landing School

follows the responsive classroom model where spending the time to building and classroom

community is key to a productive and collaborative environment. The students hold each other

accountable for rules and routines such as packing up at the end of the day, morning routines,

and quiet time routines. The schedule for the day is written on the board so that students are

aware of what to expect. A typical day goes as follows: Quiet time, Morning Meeting, Writing,

Recess/Special, Math, Lunch/Recess, Quiet Time, Read Aloud, Reading, Units (S.S/Science),
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Study Hall, Pack Up. The day is broken up with natural brain breaks such as frequent recesses

and opportunities to socialize in a non academic context.

Students:

My placement is in a 5th grade Classroom with Mrs. T. She team teaches with Mr. Bean, so I

have two groups of students that I work with directly on a daily basis. Each class is referred to

5T or 5B to represent the grade and teacher. On the first day of my placement I have both

classrooms a survey to get to know them a little better. I found that each class has very diverse

interests in many ways. Displayed are both sides to a blank survey that I created:
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The intention of the surveys was to capture a piece of the students likes and dislikes in their

academic subjects. Knowing this will help inform my instruction and their learning in many

ways. For example, the surveys came back that 92.7% of the 5T class reads for at least 20

minutes at home. This tells me that they are building their reading stamina and can handle a

reader's workshop style instruction. It also tells me that students are able to identify books that

are just right for them to

continue reading with some

level of understanding. I will be

able to trust them to pick out

just right books for readers

workshop. Thus, giving students

independence and ownership in

their own work.

Mrs. Tremblay teaches two sections of writing and one section of reading. It was

important to me to ask in my survey what were students favorite subject, including lunch and

recess. I specifically made it clear that

lunch and recess were included

because if it is close to that time during

the day, some students may be getting

antsy or excited. Using movement

activities during that time would help those students. Interestingly enough, 11 out of the 16 total

students liked either reading or writing the most. This happens to be what Mrs. T teaches, so this

is an interesting finding. But, it does tell me that students value what they learn in reading and

writing which will make the class be that much more engaged. Using students interests will help

the five students who do not prefer reading and writing and will help keep them engaged as well.

In my survey, I specifically asked students to write a fact about themselves that I should

know about for two reasons. One, was to get to know a more personal fact that may inform my

instruction. The other reason, was to create a trust with students so that they could tell me about a

fact that they may not be able to

tell me in person. In doing so, I

found that one of my students was

born in Kazakhstan, many of my

students enjoy a form of hockey,

they love the outdoors, and sports. This is helpful to me as I can refer students to books on

sports, create opportunities for literature based in Kazakhstan, and integrate outdoorsy themes.

Something to note as well, is that all of my class is white, while one of my students is from

another country. This tells me that

it is important to create window

and mirror scenarios in reading and

writing instructional methods. This

could include greetings in other

languages, books with main characters of a different race/ethnicity and/or including daily facts

about other countries.

There are a few specific learning needs in 5T that follow an IEP or 504 plan. MV has

been identified with dyslexia, anxiety and ADHD. In the classroom, MV always has the option to

opt out of reading their work out loud in whole and small group settings. MV’s anxiety often

correlates with the

stigma related to his

dyslexia. For

instructional needs,

MV is allowed to use

speech to text technology for assignments. Given this information, it will be appropriate to

include multimodal assignments as well as access to an ipad to complete assignments in an

equitable manner. KH is reported to have limited verbalization of ideas in both reading and

writing. They benefit most from multimodal instruction as a way to collectively display

knowledge in all subjects. It is best practice to have assessments incorporate multimodal options

as well as include student choice. This will be especially true for KH in order for him to be

successful. ND receives services for speech difficulties including stuttering. ND is actively and
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successfully using strategies to help improve stuttering. ND, and all students have the option to

opt out of whole and small group speeches, shares and read alouds. This greatly impacts

assessments. If a curriculum project is using a speech for an assessment, I will need to create a

written option for students as well. TB is young for 5th grade and is doing well considering.

There are concerns for the work output that TB is producing. Currently, it is not in the IEP or

504 plan that TB receives 1:1 help with independent assignments. However, he does benefit from

such attention. TB is identified with a central processing disorder and benefits from an

environment with least distractions. This means that after I give a direction, I will need to

circulate to TB first to make sure he understands what he is doing. In my time in the classroom, I

have found that giving TB “challenges” helps his ability to stay on task during class time. Those

challenges are very small and easily attainable. They often include using phrases like “We have

been doing work time for 10 minutes and I notice you have one jot written down. I am going to

challenge you to have 1 more jot written by the time I circle back, that will take me about 3

minutes.” TB is often successful in these challenges. MD is diagnosed with ADHD. They benefit

from 1:1 attention during assignments and use of headphones. MD also has a yoga ball available

if feeling their body needs to be active during classroom work times. MD often spends time

overthinking problems on assessments resulting in needing extra time on assessments even

though it is not in her plan. The only assessments where she is allowed extra time is summative

assessments in class.

When keeping all of my students in mind, there are a few pedagogical techniques that are

going to be most successful in the 5T classroom. These would include quiet independent work

times with multiple pairs of headphones for students who are feeling distracted, especially during
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times when the locker bay becomes loud nearing transition times. Multiple time warnings to both

encourage and calm students for when the work period is drawing to an end. By doing so,

anxiety will decrease and students who are struggling may find that they are running out of time,

thus motivating work production. Assignments will need to have both written and speech

components as much as possible for students to display their learning to the best of their abilities.

This creates and equitable learning experience for all in the classroom.

The students in my class vary in personality and ability. They each deserve some recognition

when looking at their needs implicating my teaching practices. Here is a list of students with

brief bullet points to describe each of them individually.

LB:

LB is shy in the class and does not speak loudly. This makes it hard to listen to her during

turn and talks or during speeches. LB will need reminders to speak louder and multiple modes of

assessment. LB has a Fountas and Pinnell reading score of Z. Z is the last level of the grading

scale. LB will be able to comprehend more challenging texts during research and independent

reading time. LB is on Green Team and enjoys working with other students. Green Team is the

school club that promotes environmentally friendly living.

TB:

TB is a younger 5th grader. Currently, TB struggles with work output. TB is able to

verbally dictate essays or jots. But, when asked to do so independently they struggle to do so. TB

has a laptop in the classroom available to use talk to text for anything that needs to be written.

TB has a F&P score of T. It is projected that students come in the school year in September with

a S or T level. At this point in the year, students should be at a U or V. TB reads mostly non
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fiction text and claims it is their favorite type of text. TB will need a goal of reading more fiction

to possibly help improve his comprehension. When speaking to his 4th grade teacher, TB was

able to write two pages on his own this time last year. TB will need to be exposed to more fiction

writing as well as have access to multimodal strategies for both formative and summative

assessment in addition to the talk to text technology that is already available. Last year was TB’s

first year at Mast Landing School.

MC:

MC has a complicated home life. She does not have her mom living at home. Sometimes mom

will show up at school to say hello before MC is able to walk into the building. This greatly

effect’s MC’s mood and ability to focus for the day. It is my job to give MC a safe place to

process when this happens. MC has had some social difficulties with one other student in the

class, KFR. MC has made KFR feel unsafe with inappropriate affection. While this continues to

be addressed, it will be my job to make sure the two are not paired in the same groups for

projects.

ZD:

ZD receives RTI support for math instruction. ZD does not receive any special education

support, but does seem to be a grade level behind in reading instruction as they have gained an N

score. ZD has started to show work avoidance behavior by “stalling” work until RTI support

comes. ZD has a wonderful personality and enjoys reading the Warrior books as well as the

Amulet series. ZD is also shy in class but seems to have a mutual friendship with MC. They

would be an option for a small group instruction or pairings.

SD:
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SD is a pleasant students who continues to offer support in the classroom to other students as

well as the teachers. SD often writes a large volume of work that does not always meet the

quality requirements. SD has a reading score of Y which does place him beyond grade level. Due

to SD’s personality and flexibility, he is able to be grouped with a variety of different students.

KFR:

KFR was born in Kazakhstan and is adopted. KFR has been labeled by peers as the class clown.

Often after lunch/recess, KFR seems to have an influx in energy. KFR often needs to be

reminded that he needs to be in control of his actions/body. KFR will often throw his body

around the room or say random (funny) jokes that keep his groups off track. KFR has a reading

score of V which means that he is where he need to be grade level wise. KFR does need to be in

groups away from MC and could benefit from kinesthetic activities after lunch.

KH:

KH enjoys soccer very much and is currently reading a book called ​Soar b​ y Joan Bauer. KH is

very close friends with TB. They would not benefit from being partnered together as they often

become off task. KH is shy and has an IEP for verbalization deficits. KH has a reading score of

R. KH is at beginning grade level for reading. However, KH does have good written

communication. So, KH would benefit from a written component for assessments and

independent work.

RP:

RP has a bubbly personality. RP often needs to be reminded to put personal belongings away

when switching classes. RP is able to be flexible with groupings and partner work. RP has

demonstrated that she can focus while doing work on the rug. RP has a reading score fo Z. RP is
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able to handle harder texts during research projects and will continued to be challenged to reach

for appropriate difficulty novels.

AS:

AS has communicated that academic expectations are high at home. AS is on the math team and

is a model for citizenship in the class. AS has reached grade level for reading with a score of W.

AS gets along with most students to be in flexible when creating groupings. AS does have

writing difficulties. AS is at grade level, however parents have communicated that they would

like AS to have a writing tutor for writing mechanics and spelling. AS is actively involved in

hockey.

ES:

ES has an eye muscle tissue weakness that requires her to wear reading glasses when doing

work. ES does have to be reminded but is making progress in remembering herself! ES does not

have an IEP or 504 plan. ES has a reading level of T which is what 5th graders should be coming

in on. During the testing, ES was able to answer the comprehension questions, but it unable to

meet the fluency qualifications to increase reading levels. ES is not currently having anything

read to her, but it would be best practice to read aloud to the whole class passages for pre and

post assessments. ES is an avid hockey player and is on the same team as PW. It would benefit

ES to have books about hockey.

NS:

NS has a strong personality. I have observed NS having some negative interactions with other

peers in the class. During pre and post assessments in reading and writing NS needs time nudges

to keep him motivated. NS does need to be with peers who are more flexible and peers who are
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not class clowns. NS has a reading score level of U. NS is at grade level for this time of year and

at the end of the year. NS is currently reading books by Avi and the ​Amulet​ graphic novel series.

MS:

MS is diagnosed with anxiety and ADHD. MS is able to follow routines in the classroom with

little reminders. MS benefits from time reminders for class ending or assessments nearing to an

end. MS does benefit from “challenges” as she is able to complete work more on time than

without them. With any type of written work, MS needs extra time to complete assignments. MS

enjoys horses and the ​Lunch Lady​ graphic novel series. MS has a reading score of Y. MS is able

to handle a more complex level of texts, however if notified that it is more difficult MS would

likely stress and regress.

MV:

MV has been diagnosed with dyslexia and anxiety. MV has been declining his accomodations

for letting a teacher read aloud for him, but the continue to be an option. MV has a very involved

mother who often checks in with Mrs. T about MV’s progress. MV’s mother has instructed MV

to ask teachers to teach him his accommodations. Mrs. T has decided that reminders are always

available, but teaching him his accommodations will have to fall on the special education

teachers shoulders. MV is

very passionate about

basketball, specifically the

celtics. In the beginning of

the year, MV was

classified as the class

clown along with KFR. MV has grown out of it in some ways, however, MV does still present

very silly behavior at tiring parts of the day. MV becomes overwhelmed during potentially

embarrassing situations. This tells me that speeches in front of the whole class are not a preferred

method of assessment.

LW:

LW has a quiet, yet pleasant attitude throughout most days. LW is often first choice picked for

seating chart options. LW can be quite silly at appropriate times such as Crazy Walk during

morning meeting. LW has a reading score of Y. She is also able to handle more complex texts.

She can be a resource for peers in her research group. LW attends Smudge after schools as she

has a passion for the arts. LW is also on Green Team and Civil Rights Team at Mast Landing

School.

PW:

PW is a very outgoing student. PW is an avid hockey player with siblings in national women's

league hockey teams. PW is on the same hockey team as ES. PW has a reading score of Y which

marks her close to the end of the scoring cycle. PW is not able to be grouped flexibly. PW often

becomes frustrated when others in groups are not what she perceives as “trying hard enough.”

PW is also on Green Team with LW and LB.

GW:

GW is a lovely student who is quiet. GW has a love for all animals, specifically cats. GW is

reading graphic novels such as ​Lunch Lady​, ​Baby Mouse and Sunny Side Up.​ GW works well

with others but does need a push to share her ideas with her peers as she often gets overlooked in

group settings. GW has a reading score of V which puts her at grade level reading. GW is able to
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have flexible groups, but should be kept in a group where her peers will support her in speaking

about her own ideas.

Overall, all of my students are unique individuals based on their likes and needs. I will

use this CFA to remind me about students strengths and areas of needs. There are many ways I

can support my students whether it be through multimodal assessments or activities that promote

positive social interactions. Having this CFA to refer to will aid me in instructional decisions that

are a crucial key to planning an effective and successful lesson. I am thankful for taking the time

to do this level of research because it has helped me to become a more informed practitioner.
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Works Cited:

Google Search,​ Google, www.google.com/maps/place/Freeport, ME

04032/@43.8513631,-70.1623573,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4cb27e343e85a163:0x2b0

ee47bc7bb0e7d!8m2!3d43.8570065!4d-70.1031201.

“Mast Landing School Profile (2018-19) | Freeport, ME.” ​PublicSchoolReview.com​,

www.publicschoolreview.com/mast-landing-school-profile.

“Play | Your Maine Vacation Destination | Freeport, USA.” ​Visit Freeport​,

www.visitfreeport.com/visit/play/

SchoolPointe, Inc. “Resources.” ​RSU5,​ ​www.rsu5.org/​.

“U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Freeport Town, Cumberland County, Maine.” ​Census

Bureau QuickFacts,​ United States Census Bureau,

www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/freeporttowncumberlandcountymaine/EDU635217.

Lunch Menu:
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