Aly Caudle

SPED Law
December 17, 2015
Preliminary Discussion Questions, completed by Aly Caudle and Brittney DeNeal
1. Caudle: Students are expected to volunteer to participate in instruction by silently
raising a hand. If they are called upon, there is a no opt out rule. If a student
simply does not have an answer, they may pass the question to a peer. Students
should be prepared with paper and pencil daily. Extra pencils and paper are not
supplied. Students are expected to complete homework and written assignments at
home, unless they require after school help. They are expected to advocate for
themselves if they do indeed need help after school. A number of students are
contracted to regularly receive help during after school hours.

DeNeal: Students are given ten points for participation per day. They can gain
points by contributing to discussions or answering when called upon. They can
lose points by opting not to participate or by acting as a distraction during lessons.
Students must always be prepared with journals and pencils. Not having these
things will result in removal of participation points. Students also receive points
for completed work. If they do not complete the work, they simply do not receive
the points.
2. Caudle: Basic classroom rules include the one mic policy, in which only one
voice is allowed at a time, overall respect (i.e. no insults or disruptive activity),
use of hall passes, and use of hand symbols to communicate specific needs or

feelings such as disagreement, agreement, the need to use the restroom, and the
need for a cup of water. Volume levels are implemented for each type of activity,
leveling from one to five. Violation of these rules include redirection the first and
second time, and detention for the third violation.

DeNeal: Students are expected to respect one another by actively listening when
either myself or a student is speaking. They are expected to follow directions
quickly the first time they are given, and are expected to complete work on time.
When these rules are broken, participation points are removed. If students get out
of hand, they are sent out of the classroom.
3. Caudle: Students are grouped by levels. For instance, a student who is particularly
skilled at the task at hand is often grouped with a student who requires additional
help with the task. Because my classroom is so small, most grouping is done with
coupling.

DeNeal: Students grouping is done randomly with number selection cards, which
I give out at the beginning of class.
4. Caudle: I like to let my students complete work in groups (stations) or
independently during class time so that they can learn from one another. I often
give brief lectures with guided notes, but let students complete work or do stop
and chats regularly to later discuss answers as a group. Because there are many
students who like to receive individual help from me, I often offer a help station

where students who are completing independent work are able to come and work
with me to complete small objectives.

DeNeal: I regularly use the Socratic seminar model and allow students to lead
discussions. I do give formal instruction as well, generally in the form of a
conversational lecture.
5. Caudle: I regularly use gallery walks, in which students are able to gather and
record information by walking around the room and either observing or creating
poster-like information boards. I also like to use small group instruction or lablike stations.

DeNeal: Students almost always work independently to practice concepts. I also

provide vocabulary words weekly and, as a group, they must complete sample
sentences after I have provided examples.
6. Caudle: I monitor progress by checking in with my students to ensure that they
understand the content. I also give a daily exit ticket to see student progress and
give comprehension quizzes.

DeNeal: I monitor progress through daily writing and regular assessments.

7. Caudle: My quizzes almost always include eight to ten multiple choice questions
and one to two written answer questions. Students are expected to write complete

paragraphs for the written portion, and are to take quotes from the text, which
they are able to use during the test.

DeNeal: Essay tests are given regularly, as well as fill-in-the-blank vocabulary

tests.
8. Caudle: Students have been given essay assignments, which they are given some
time to complete in class but is primarily meant to be completed at home. They
have also been given character sketch assignments, in which they are meant to
both draw a character and provide answers for questions about their preferences
based on what they know about them as textual characters.

DeNeal: Students have memoir assignments, which are assigned two weeks
before they are due. They are also expected to complete reading at home, as well
as poem memorization.
9. Caudle: Students with special needs are always accommodated, often with
differentiated guided notes, visual representations, altered texts, or, for students
with intellectual disabilities, altogether different work that focuses on IEP goals
but is still related to our class assignments.

DeNeal: Special Needs students are sometimes given clarification of objectives

when other students are not.

10. Caudle: Students with special needs are given extended deadlines and are
provided with one-on-one instruction outside of class. Their assignments are also
often altered. For instance, if the class is assigned a five-paragraph essay, a
student with a disability may be given a shorter paragraph count. During tests,
some students are provided with illustrations, connect the words diagrams, or
guided sentences instead of written responses.

DeNeal: Special Needs students are given extended deadlines for memoirs. They
are also provided with word banks for vocabulary quizzes, pull-out Socratic
seminars with Ms. Caudle, and quiet space to complete tests.
11. Caudle: I communicate with families daily, but primarily when a student has been
particularly outstanding on a certain day, or particularly problematic on another
day. This is generally done by phone, text message, or email, depending on the
parents preference.

DeNeal: I call parents when students have not been turning in assignments or
have been disruptive during the day.
12. Caudle: My biggest strength as a teacher is my ability to connect with my
students. Because they know me as a person and know that I care about them,
they are generally respectful toward me. My classroom management and
organization could use some improvement. My pet peeve is being talked over or
interrupted when giving instruction.

DeNeal: One area that Im strong in is my classroom management. I rarely have

issues with student behavior. I could work on being more flexible. I do not like
when students waste class time.
13. Caudle: A potential role as a co-teacher is to provide students with differentiated
instruction. Another is providing students with more than one point of contact for
assistance. I am responsible for ensuring that students receive the
accommodations that they need and being sure to support my co-teacher.

DeNeal: A co-teachers roles and responsibilities revolve around making sure that
students who require extra help are accommodated.
14. Caudle: As a team, I hope to work cohesively and support one anothers
instruction rather than working against it. I also hope to build an extra support for
one another and our students so that, as a team, we can better assess their needs
and do what is needed to build strength in them. I am concerned that working
together may result in the feeling of two separate classrooms or spaces instead of
a cohesive partnership.

DeNeal: I am concerned that a strong classroom might be compromised by a coteaching partnership, but I would hope that it would instead help to assist students
who particularly need extra assistance.