TWS: Setting and Context

School Community:
From the moment I stepped into Poudre High School, I could see the
diversity. Sometimes living in Fort Collins makes me feel that I am living in a
bubble, since I am originally from Seattle which is much more diverse.
Poudre is different from much of Fort Collins, and I think it is really beneficial.
Students come from many parts of Colorado for the IB program at Poudre,
and this is reflected in the demographics. Poudre is said to have about 70%
white or Caucasian students, 22% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 2% multiracial, and
1% African American. Although the majority is still Caucasian, the population
at PHS allows for varied backgrounds, cultures, and identities which benefit
the community by bringing multiple perspectives. This idea would fit well
with the schools mission statement which, according to their PSD website is
PHS educates every child, ever day through rigor, relevance, and
relationships. I also saw in the student handbook PHS opens with the
statement, Poudre is a place of learning where shared decision making
prepares students for the pathways of the world. I thought this was
interesting because the IB program is so important to the school and its
students; it is a great way to get the students to think on a global scale.
The daily learning environment seems to be relaxed but firm when it
comes to respect. The students seem to admire their teachers and the
administration, and are willing to listen and look to them as role models. This
is especially true of the IB students, who seem to have developed their own
community and built strong relationships with instructors. There are a lot of
interesting classes available to students, in a greater variety than I ever had
in school. Most students seem to take advantage of the opportunity to
participate in sports, extra-curricular clubs, or drama and get a lot of
enjoyment out of these offerings. Because there are so many deans,
administrators, tutors, teaching assistants, etc. the students are benefitting
from individualized attention a large percentage of time, which helps their
learning process. There are also a lot of chances for parents to help out or
get involved, and they seem to be in fairly regular contact with the teachers.
Parents can also look at the website and get a lot of information from
schedules and the ParentVUE.
Students and Classroom:
This semester my cooperating teacher is Doug Elliott, who teaches US
History to juniors. The class is an interesting mixture, as Elliott explained to
me that some students could be in AP US History if they wished, while others
have trouble writing in complete sentences. There are several ESL in the
class, who often help each other understand assignments and instructions.
Some of these students, like Alondra and Alexis, have more trouble
translating their thoughts into English on paper. Others, like Valeria, help

them in the process, which is cool to see. I quickly noticed that Ashley has
trouble following directions much of the time and needs extra instruction.
When I asked Elliott about her, he said she had had a head injury in a car
accident and will need extra support through the semester. After observing
and becoming involved in the class for a few weeks, I could fairly easily pick
out the students that tend to excel and can do their work without too much
support, these include Fox, Jacey, Brie, Claire, Sam, and Carter. Sam and
Carter are more willing to answer questions and share their opinions
regularly, while Fox, Jacey, and Claire are quieter and do not generally
volunteer on their own. There are a lot of other students who fall between
these groups, those that need some guidance but generally work on their
own, and others who do not seem to be invested or motivated in class. The
latter includes Jeff, Jackson, Ethan, Sadie, and Carlos. Over this past project
where they had a court case in which the South sued the North for damages
after the Civil War, it was really cool to see Jackson and Ethan get into their
roles and willingly participate in discussion.
The classroom set up is very similar to the image below. Elliotts
classroom does not include the computers in the back, however, so it is
much easier to move around and facilitate in his room. This set up allows one
to move to wherever is necessary to draw students attention or redirect
attention back to the teacher. The Smart Board is in the place of the chalk
board in the photo. I find it very easy to move about the classroom as
needed and answer questions and better assess each students attendance
and learning style. I like how the instructor can walk through the middle
while debriefing or lecturing the class. The set-up is also beneficial for group
discussion, as the students face each other and are already divided into two
groups. Interestingly, Elliotts seating chart is organized alphabetically. This
seems to work well, as the students are typically not disruptive or distracted.
Elliott has more pictures and documents hanging on the walls, such as the
Bill of Rights, photos of JFK, and maps.

Topic and Rationale:

The class has been going over the events of the Civil War. They
participated in a court case in which the South sued the North for damages.
Most of what the class has covered has been a general overview of the major
battles, political events, and people involved on both sides of the American
Civil War. Therefore, the students have already learned about the events
leading up to the war (causes), as well as most of what happened during the
conflict itself. Elliott will be giving a lesson before I complete my own to give
an introduction to the Reconstruction period. I will give the following lesson
delving a bit deeper into what happened during Reconstruction, as well as
what could have happened and its lasting effect on our country in the
following years. I will be utilizing recordings of former slaves to help the
students better connect to the time and empathize with the thoughts and
feelings of those living in the period. I think I will use the Circle of Viewpoints
Strategy from Making Thinking Visible. It would be fun to split the class into
two and consider how both Northerners and Southerners felt about what
went on during the years after the Civil War and Reconstruction. I may also
have some students look at the information in the context of former slaves in
both the North and the South. I will have them pair and share and discuss
what they came up with, then select a few to share their ideas with the class.
This will most likely take on the form of a quick write which Elliott uses often.