Student Needs Chart Allison Testolin ED 450 Winter 2013 The diversity at my school is mostly socioeconomic.

c. Because of this, I decided to include the student s socioeconomic class in their description. I have also included the class they are in, grade, and a general description. My accommodations were made over a 16 week period they are bulleted in chronological order. Names have been removed to protect the privacy of the student. Overall, the biggest thing I learned from my student needs chart is that gaining the trust and respect of the student is essential. In almost all of these cases, once I gained the students trust I was able to better understand them and accommodate them effectively. Students first name Student A (male) Grade 9 Description of Student Classes: Honors I, Spanish I He is extremely smart with a dry, sarcastic sense of humor. Socioeconomic: Middle class How are you applying your knowledge to meet the individual and cultural needs of the student throughout the semester? In English he reads books very quickly, which is part of the reason we gave them all of their jobs at the beginning. He went through and finished all of his jobs within the first week of having the book. After getting the surveys back I found that he and I didnt exactly click. He was very unhappy with how I treated him and the other students. He felt that I was condescending and not respectful. He was bold enough to sign his name, so he knew I knew his feelings toward me. After this incident, things were a little awkward. It got to the point where Mrs. Martinson had to speak with him privately. Since this incident, he seems to be more open to me. His attitude seems to be fading; hes been asking me more questions and talking with me more. In English hes very high achieving. Much of the class is self run and driven, so he has been excelling at his level and pushing himself. I have accommodated him in Spanish by going over a couple things with him that I think he may be struggling with. I gave him some feedback on his family tree project, which will hopefully help

his pronunciation improve. Ive noticed more about him and his family dynamics as well. Being the youngest of four boys, I think he feels he has to defend himself often. Ive tried to get him to speak his mind and/or opinions in class so he can feel appreciated. Student B (male) Grade 9 Class: Honors I Ive noticed, potentially due to his socioeconomic status, that students pay attention to what he says. They dont ask questions they just go with his leadership.

He is extremely smart and Ive been accommodating him by letting him stand up at his seat as well as energetic with a sassy sense checking in on him often to make sure he stays on task. Hes extremely smart but of humor. needs some guidance to stay on task. Socioeconomic: Upper class A lot of the time he likes to interrupt Mrs. Aprill and/or act like the teacher. Last week he was in Florida and I noticed that 4th hour, which is usually my problem hour, was much less chatty and more on task. Its amazing how much of a difference can be made when one person is gone! He was gone on a vacation for one week. I helped get his homework together and when he turned, I helped catch him up on his assignments. Hes very talkative in class. He likes attention and if he has a question or comment, he says it. Ive tried accommodating this by letting him speak, but in some cases this has backfired. Hes friends with pretty much everyone and before you know it, the whole class is off task. When we have group work time, I make sure to keep an eye on him to so he stays on task. Once he gets focused, hes fine but it tends to take him a while to get there. If there is an errand that needs to be run, I usually ask him to do it to get him out of his seat and moving around.

Student C

Class: Spanish II

He likes to move around and always starts class sitting at the podium. I think he

(male) Grade 11

He is funny, loud, and loves to socialize. Hes definitely the class clown. Socioeconomic: Middle class

works better if he can get up and move around he tends to be the one to get up when they have to get books or anything else. Learning wise for Spanish it takes him a little longer to grasp a concept. He tends to stay after class into my 8th hour to work with Mrs. Martinson. This can sometimes turn into an issue because his brother is in my 8th hour. I occasionally have to ask him to leave because he distracts my 8th hour students. Ive recently learned that he has ADHD. I had a suspicion that this was the case. Its nice that I now officially know I feel like I understand him a little more. He swears often in class, which initially upset me. As far as managing this, I dont think he would respond well to yelling or anything harsh like some of my other students. He needs friendly reminders to keep him off task. He never does anything drastic, so saying things like What should you be working on? Do you have any questions? seems to get him working. He sometimes stays after to work with Mrs. Martinson. To accommodate him in my 8th hour, I sometimes let him stay if he promises to behave. But I think my biggest accommodation with him has been to just let it go. I cant control everything he does. Hes going to get up and walk around and say things aloud at inappropriate times. Ive learned to accept this and plan my lessons and teaching style with him accordingly.

Student D (female) Grade 9

Classes: Honors I, Spanish I She is funny, opinionated, and outgoing. Socioeconomic: Middle class

She is what some would call a tom boy. Shes usually wearing sweatshirts and jeans, and has told me she wouldnt be caught dead in a dress. In Spanish class I used to say chicos (boys) when referring to the students. Technically because the class has boys and girls, chicos would be the correct way to address the class. She pointed out to me that I had been saying this in class and that it offended her. I explained to her why I was using it, and since then have tried to break my chicos habit. My goal was not to offend her, but after her pointing

this out, Ive realized that saying chicos y chicas (boys and girls) or estudiantes (students) is a much better way of addressing the class. She tends to ask gender questions when referring to nouns or pictures. Weve had several discussions as to why words are feminine and masculine in Spanish. In one particular incident, most of the class assumed a picture of a cartoon cat was a girl because it had pink ears. She made an entire argument as to why the cat could be male or female, and that just because it has pink ears, doesnt mean the cat is female. I loved that conversation! As time has gone on, Ive developed a relationship with her. Shes absolutely hilarious! Every day she comes up with something new to say that just totally cracks me up. Ive noticed that she seems to do really well on homework assignments where she has more time aka the vocabulary and grammar packets. She does well because she takes her time. She struggles with Spanish pronunciation. Ive been trying to correct her politely if she pronounces words wrong. Once she knows a word, she has it down but it tends to take her a little longer. Student E (female) Grade 9 Class: Spanish I She is sweet, opinionated, loud, and has an attitude. She has some anger issues, and sometimes gets worked up over small things. Socioeconomic: Lower class She seems to be very against me taking over her class. She seems to like Mrs. Martinson and is uncomfortable with me being in the room. I learned quickly that getting an in with her is essential. She likes some of thing quirky things Ive said, which was how I started to gain her trust. Sometimes you have to identify with a student on a level theyre comfortable with. She smiled at me in the hallway today, and yesterday I was able to help her with an assignment. It took a while for me to get to know her and break through her barrier, but I think her and I have an understanding. Shes not as sassy with me in class, its getting better. She is not allowed to wear makeup, skinny jeans, heals, etc. but everyday she gets to school early and makes herself up and then takes it all back off at the end of the

day. Its interesting that shell do that much just to rebel against her parents and do what she wants to do. As of now, Im on her good side. She often wants to write on the board at the beginning or end of class and 9 times out of 10 Ill let her. Its little things like that she enjoys. Ive found through surveys that she doesnt like yelling, which makes sense. I changed the seating arrangement last week, and tried to put her next to someone she doesnt hate (she has issues with some of the students in class). She has been better in class it seems overall. Shes now involved in track so she has some motivation to not only do her assignments, but ask for help if needed. On her family tree project she used me as a resource for help. I tried to keep her on task as much as possible by checking in with her during our work time because I know she doesnt have Internet at home. Student F (female) Grade 10 Class: Spanish I She is quiet, loves to read, and is very artistic. Socioeconomic: Lower class She has recently been diagnosed with depression, which she informed me of at the end of class last week. She tends to miss a lot of school due to family issues and doctors visits. She usually checks in with me before and/or after to get her work, but does not always complete it. I have worked with her and have been flexible so that she can do well. She such a nice girl, but I can see her depression. Shes not very social and withdraws from the rest of her classmates. Ive been trying to get her out of her shell a little bit during Spanish activities by having her work with different students. Ive done a lot of accommodating for her over the weeks. She is usually pretty good at reminding me and checking in with me, which has made it easier for her to miss class. Ive let her do some other things during our family project work time. Because she finished her project early, I let her help out another teacher with a project. Because she was caught up on her work (I checked her project before she left), I gave her this time because this is something she enjoys.

Ive socialized with her when I see her in the halls and what not. Shes approached me and told me about some positive things going on in her life, which is great to hear! Ive noticed her volunteering more in class, and socializing more. It seems as though things are improving with her home life, which is helping her excel academically. Student G (female) Grade 9 Class: Remedial English In class she is quiet, outside of class shes more outspoken. Shes respectful, emotional, and social. Socioeconomic: Lower class It seems as though when shes not around her bad influence friends that she does pretty well. Shes started socializing in class and does a good job on her assignments. Whats interesting is that she totally shuts down when class starts. Her mood changes from happiness and social to a straight face of no emotion. Shes quiet when she talks in class. Ive tried to get to her talking a little more in class. I think Im starting to gain her trust. She was doing her work, coming to class, etc. and then something happened. I emailed her guardian to express how well she was doing in the class and the next week was when everything changed. She got an ISS which she felt she didnt deserve and has missed other days as well. I gave her as much time as I could to wait for her to catch up on reading and questions before taking her quiz, but eventually it came down to take these or get a zero. She didnt do as well, but its better than getting a zero. Shes been gone the last three days which is when weve started our research projects. Ive taken it upon myself to catch her up and find some articles for her. This way, there will be no excuse for her not to do her work. I try to talk with her before class starts. We dont always talk about much, but I think because shes the only female in our nine person class, she feels a tad left out. Ive brought in works written by females and weve had multiple days where weve talked about womens rights. She expressed her appreciation for this! She is very up and down. She goes in spurts of about two weeks two weeks

shell be fine, the next two she wont be fine. She seems unstable. Ive thought about talking with her about this, but I don t think Ive built up enough trust to do so at this time. Weve been reading The First Part Last, a book that deals with teenage pregnancy told from the male perspective. Because shes the only girl in the class, Ive made sure to let her express herself during discussions and make sure she feels comfortable with the things were talking about. Though I dont know this for sure, I feel as though teenage pregnancy hits a nerve with her. Ive tried to be as sensitive as possible and make sure the other students in class are respectful of teenage parents and the choices others make. Student H (male) Grade 10 Class: Remedial English He tends to be absent a lot when the weather is bad or its too cold because his mother chooses not to drive him to school. Ive talked with him about this and He loves to talk and express accommodated him by giving catching him up on what he missed and giving him his opinion in class; he has sufficient time to make it up. a story about everything! Because he loves to talk, Ive let him share his journal pretty much every day. I Socioeconomic: Lower class enjoy hearing his connections and stories. I sent an email to his mother about his grade and lack of motivation in class; she did not respond. I communicated with his mom when he missed two days and didnt get his work from me in advance. He was able to get the book we were reading at the library to make sure he was caught up He sometimes gets frustrated with what and/or how to do something. For example: he had a very difficult time finding articles for his Letter to the Editor. Ive found that when he feels like he cant do something, he totally shuts down. Hell read the same paragraph 50 times to make it look like hes working so I dont catch on. To accommodate him, I found his articles. Sadly, he did not end up turning his

Letter to the Editor in. I try to keep him on task during class discussions seeing that he can get the entire class off task very easily. I let him share, but sometimes have to stop him so that other students can share as well. Student I (male) Grade 10 Class: Remedial English He is quiet in class, but very talkative in the halls. He loves politics, history, and computers all three of which he seems to be very passionate about. Socioeconomic: Middle class He is very smart every exam Ive seen him take he does very well on but he wont do any other work in practically any class. Its a shame. Right now, were currently working on a Poetry Project in Remedial where students have to find two poems and two songs that relate to The Runner. They will present these projects to the class and were given 4 days in class to work on this (1 song or poem a day, which Mrs. Aprill and I both thought was reasonable). When I check in with him he wont give any eye contact and pretty much ignores me. Yelling at him wont get me anywhere, so I just keep reminding him that its his choice to do the work or not. Ive given him passes for study hall to come in and get help, but to no avail. Ive had a break through! Ive finally figured out what makes him tick! History. I did a theme day on the Vietnam War and he loved it. He participated, shared his opinion, etc. Since then, Ive been able to get him to work in clas s and participate in discussions. He doesnt always do all the work, but hes at least trying a little now which is great! Hes just so darn smart he summed up my entire womens rights lesson when the other students were somewhat struggling with it. I fe el like hes opened up a little to me and will at least give me a chance to work with him before totally shutting down. Ive also figured out that he doesnt like super creative things hes more of a fact, straight forward kind of a guy. This being said, our current assignment involves research (I purposely have him Vietnam as his topic!) so hopefully hell respond better to this. I redid my Letter to the Editor rubric because of his letter. It was so well written college level work but didnt contain any of the other elements (research, works cited, etc.) I couldnt let him fail the assignment, so I revised my rubric by changing

the point values of certain elements. I didnt give him an A, but a C is much better than the D- he would have received. I wrote the following note on his assignment: Student I, Wow. I'm seriously impressed. You have an impeccable vocabulary and expressed your ideas clearly and concisely. This is college level work. Because of your letter, I decided to change the rubric. With the old rubric, you would have failed this assignment due to lack of research. But after reading your letter, I couldn't let you fail this assignment. I know you've heard this before, but sometimes you just have to play the game, Student I. Again, amazing job! -Ms. Testolin I know he read the comment, but he never mentioned anything to me. I know I might not be able to change his outlook on the importance of education, but I can sure try! Ive found out that he desperately wants to go on the trip to Europe with the history department. Since then, Ive seen him put more effort into his assignments. He still chooses not to do some of the assignments (Word of the Day, journal questions), but Ive seen him participate more as time has gone on. Ive been trying to incorporate some political and economic issues into our discussions to get him to talk in class. He no longer ignores me and will now look me in the eye when speaking to me. I feel like he has accepted me as his teacher. Student J Class: Remedial English Sometimes he is sassy with me. I have to get on task most mornings to get him to

(male) Grade 9

He is quiet and very opinionated. He is definitely not a fan of school and isnt afraid to express that. Socioeconomic: Lower class

do anything. While working on projects, I let him listen to music, which has helped him feel more comfortable. When he answers questions in class, he seems very unsure of himself. He says things like I dont think its right, but Ive encouraged his opinions and thoughts and have made a point to mention multiple times in class that most of these questions are opinion based there is no right or wrong answer, I just want to know what you think! He mentioned to Mrs. Aprill in her history class that hes on the five year plan and doesnt have much motivation to graduate high school. As soon as he turns 16 he plans on dropping out and getting his GED. Ive tried to motivate him more in class, but it seems like the more I try to help, the less he does. Hopefully over time, I can gain his trust. He missed three days of school due to illness. I got him homework together and sent it home with his sister. Along with this, his mother requested I send home all of his assignments from 3rd quarter that I had. Because he failed 3rd quarter, she wanted his assignments so she could talk with him about it. We are reading The First Part Last by Angela Johnson. I found out the first day that he had already read the book. Because of this, Ive seen him participate much more in class discussions and assignments. He feels confident in his abilities because he knows more than the other students. I like that hes gotten out of his shell hes very opinionated once he gets talking!