Ben Hiromura

EE 334
Log Entry #3
Based on your observations and discussion with your cooperating teacher, what factors
influence how students are grouped during science instruction? Additionally, describe how
this grouping appears to influence science planning and instruction.
Throughout the school day, Ms. Phares groups her students based on two major factors,
which are behavior and ability. According to a conversation that we had with her, this particular
third grade class poses immense difficulties in classroom management. Ms. Phares explained to
us that the personalities within the group clash often leading to many out-of-hand conflicts. She
explained that there are many instances of mean-spirited behavior in which students out-andout disrespect each other and attempt to diminish each others self-confidence. Ms. Phares often
grows tired with this class, as they tend to wear her out physically, mentally, and emotionally.
She has been working diligently to overcome these inappropriate, second grade behaviors
through a social-emotional learning curriculum called Responsive Classroom, in addition to
purposeful grouping. The latter strategy, which we witnessed, serves to coax this class toward
their academic potential by eliminating the confrontational distractions. According to Ms. Phares,
this class has an overall positive academic outlook, with many high students in many different
subjects, which makes the behavior problems all the more frustrating.
During math and English instruction, Ms. Phares tends to group students by ability.
Students engage in guided reading groups based on Fountas and Pinnell reading levels and
ability groupings in mathematics in addition to mini-lessons. During science instruction the
students usually remain in their desk clumps (behaviorally grouped) for the actual, hands-on
experiment. This past week as the students were testing the change in water volume when frozen
and heated all the experimental procedures were done in the desk clumps. Whole group rug
time, in which students are firmly contained to a single spot on the rug to prevent behavioral
distraction, preceded the experiment. It is clear that Ms. Phares focuses intently on the
positioning and interaction points of her students during every section of instruction. The
boundaries in the classroom are firmly maintained and well thought out. For example, before the
students came into the classroom for the day, Ms. Phares switched the desks of two students
named Tamia and Ava. When the girls noticed the change and inquired further Ms. Phares
explained that this way Tamia and neighboring Dimitri could now no longer kick each other
under the table, as had been a pattern earlier in the week. Ms. Phares in not only very attentive to
these distractions and issues, but acts immediately to prevent further conflicts.

The behavioral focus of the classroom effects instruction by drawing Ms. Phares
attention away from content correctness and diminishes the time allowed to practice sound
science. First, during our past visit, rug time took so long due to redirection and inopportune
sharing that the science segment of the day started 15 minutes late. From there, Ms. Phares
worked through a whole class collaborative worksheet in which the students recorded the results
of their previous frozen/hot water volume experiments. During this part of class the students
were asked to come up with the observation part of the experiment as a desk clump. The group I
witnessed was not cohesive enough to construct an agreed upon observation and Ms. Phares
began pulling the whole group back in quickly to prevent further escalation and off-topic-ness. In
my opinion, the group collaboration pieces of these lessons often get cut short for the same
reason. For example, later in the lesson the students chose partners to read a story then answer
questions about the reading. This segment felt rushed as some groups sped through the worksheet
while other groups strayed off-topic for a significant time, ending up being behind. Additionally,
some groups I noticed were being thorough in answering the questions, but in that time most of
the class was restless and conjoining on the rug. Ms. Phares constantly has to be on alert for
down-time in the classroom as it often leads to conflicts or out-of-control behavior. Sometimes
this leads to the rushing of students who are taking their time trying to learn science.