Checklist of Instructional Modifications for LEP Students

Student(s) (initials): Rebecca Steinke 8th School: Abington Heights Middle School 04/24/2013 Grade: Date:

Observation Questions for ELL/LEP student(s)

In the chart above, I observed #7 (study sheets) and #13 (sit in close proximity to the teacher) 1. What techniques/methods/strategies do you see being used with the ELL/LEP student(s)? Are they effective? Why or why not? (Either specifically for the ELL student(s) or in whole class/small group instruction) For the class periods that I observed, French and Algebra, there was not much that I could say I relate to or picked up on when it comes to strategies or methods for the ELL student. Both classes were lecture where the students completed examples on the board or raised their hand to give an answer. The ELL student did answer one question in the French class, and seemed to know exactly what was going on. She also sounded like she knew English as well as French from the one question that I heard her answer, yet this does not prove that she knows English very well. 2. Do you notice any student behaviors that you would consider out of the ordinary? Please describe in detail. (This applies to both the ELL student(s) and other classroom students) The student behaviors were that of typical 8th graders who are ready to go into high school. They were chatty and goofy during homeroom and the two periods that I observed in. However, the ELL student did not seem to speak a lot or sadly have any friends. I actually felt very bad for her and from what I saw I felt that she seemed left out most of the time. Even the other girls sitting next to her did not speak to her from what I observed. 3. What type of interactions do you see between the ELL student(s), other classroom students, and the teacher(s)? Please describe in detail. The French teacher did go to the back and subtly check on the ELL student while she was completing some of the independent practice sentences but that was all I observed. Like I said, the students did not talk to her during the French and Algebra class. However, the secretary of the blue team (the section of the school I was in) knew her whole schedule and knew exactly who Mr. Antonetti was talking about when he brought me in to observe. This might mean that she gets extra care

or attention because they know she might require help. There are also only 5 ELL students in the whole school so I am sure they are a bit known by the teachers and staff. 4. Identify resources/materials that are being used with the ELL student(s). Please describe in detail how the ELL student is using them. Do they appear to be effective? Explain. The French class lesson was mainly about how to say ages of people in French. I noticed that the ELL student had a sheet of numbers and how to say/write them to guide her through completing the practice sentences. The sheet seemed to be effective because I noticed her use it a lot and then place it into her homework folder, maybe to use later at home. With this in mind, I expected her to have some type of guide sheet during Algebra class, but I did not see anything. However, I did notice that while the teacher was presenting a powerpoint, the student was also following along in her textbook (written in English) and many of the other students in the class did not even have their book out on their desk. This seemed to be effective, but a bit time consuming for her because the teacher was not going any slower or necessarily taking her time teaching the lesson and checking for understanding. She actually had them writing the definition of factoring square roots over and over (but thats a different story). 5. Does the classroom environment seem to be comfortable for the ELL student(s)? Please describe the environment and explain how you made your decision. The classroom seemed comfortable and the students seemed friendly toward one another. The French teacher was young and fun and the students seemed to really enjoy his type of teaching. The Algebra teacher was much older and the students seemed to make their own fun out of the class, reguardless if it made the teacher happy. The ELL student sat in the very back for the French class and sat in the very front for the Algebra class, where no one really talked to her. However, she seemed comfortable and concentrated. If I was the teacher, I would definitely focus on more group work to get her talking, but then again I was only in each class for 45 minutes so it is very possible that she does do this. 6. Whats the comfort level of the ELL student(s) in regards to the English language? What observations help you arrive at your decision?

Refer to the Vocabulary Performance Indicators. At what level would you place the ELL student? How did you decide on that level? During the French class, the student answered a question that involved speaking English and French. Gathering from the teachers feedback, I believe she was right with her answer. Also, they were reviewing a quiz that they had the day before, which I noticed was the same quiz as everyone elses. With this, I have decided that she must be at the fourth level of learning the English language. At the fourth level, she is expected to extend thinking by being able to use vocabulary in class discussions, give examples and be able to support these examples with reason. This is the highest level of English Learning. I can imagine that if she is placed in a French class she must know English very well, but this is just an assumption. In my opinion, if she is behind in English, she should be placed either in a completely ELL class or in another English class during the day for reinforcement. However, Mr. Antonetti was telling us that the school does not have as much support as they wish they did because of budget cuts. This is sadly something that many schools are facing not only in the local area, but all across America. 7. If you feel comfortable enough to ask, ask the cooperating teacher (or ESL teacher) what type of accomodations/modifications they have to make for the ELL student(s). Please describe the types of accomodations/modifications that were discussed. Do they appear on the checklist? Why/why not do you think they are present/not present on the checklist? I did not really have time to ask the teacher any questions. With the fact that they change classes every 45-50 minutes, the teachers were in a rush to get to their next class. I actually went up to the French teacher who seemed very nice and he unfortunately told me that he did not have time to answer any questions. However, I did get to see that the ELL student used the guiding sheet for writing or saying numbers in French. She also sat up front for Algebra class. Both of these strategies seemed effective.