Entry #3

Interview Protocol
Teacher
Interviewer: Jasmine Hughes
Interviewee: Ann Burns
Date: 03/11/16
Time:n/a
(These are sample questions. Please add your own questions to learn more about your specific
classroom. This interview should take place in your initial meeting, prior to the two week
intensive).
Planning Questions:
How do you write a typical lesson plan?
We write them as a grade level, then I go back and gear that outline towards what
my class needs.
What types of materials do you need available when you plan lessons?
The CCSS and unpacking document for both literacy and math. Google also helps
to search for new ideas. We have some other resources available to us such as
readworks.org and reading a-z.
In what ways do you plan to accommodate individual differences in the classroom?
Thinking through the lesson and knowing who is going to be able to work alone,
and possibly help a friend when they have completed the assignment, as well as the
students who you know will need to just sit with you from the start.
Instructional Questions:
What are some of your instructional challenges as a teacher?
Making sure you are giving all of your students as much as you can for what their
individual needs are. Are you reaching the students who can do it without thinking at all,
as well as the students who have no idea what you are talking about. My biggest fear is
not reaching each and every student on a daily basis. Missing something that one of them
needs, either academically or behaviorally or socially. You will always have behavior
issues or special needs who take up a majority of your time, but its the others, who I
dont want to let slip by me because they dont stand out.
What have been some of your instructional successes as a teacher?
I have a student whose new to our area this school year, She receives EC Services, and
came in as a very low reader. With the support of her family at home, as well as what she
is receiving at school she has jumped 4 reading levels, to date. Having home support is
so important for students to succeed.
What do you consider essential characteristics for successful teaching?
Patience, being able to multitask, organization
How often do your students receive social studies/science instruction?
Up until the third quarter my students were receiving 30-45 minutes a day of S.S. or
Science. However, my class came in having the lowest reading scores of all of the Second
Grades this year. No one was close to being at grade level for reading, and there are no
TD students in my class. It was decided that I stop teaching S.S, and Science and

concentrate just on reading, in an effort to raise their reading skills.

Are you satisfied with the amount of time that you currently allot for social
studies/science instruction? Explain.
Thats a difficult question to answer. Kindergarten and First Grade do not teach
Science and S.S. When I started teaching Second Grade, I really enjoyed teaching it.
However, with Reading being our North starI am not sure how to answer. I
believe that it is an important area to be taught. I believe it can be integrated in
reading, but at this time I am not focusing on that.
What social studies and science topics/units will be studied during the second week of
my clinical experience? What are possible goals/objectives I could address for my
lessons? Do you have any instructional resources that would support these
goals/objectives?
N/A
What does reading instruction look like in your classroom (e.g. readers workshop, basals,
etc.)?
We are currently in the middle of a poetry unit. We teach a mini-lesson that should
last approximately 15 minutes, then sent students off to complete an independent task
(an exit ticket they turn in, so we can assess if they learned that days skill). After
they are finished they are reading books out of their book baggies that are on their
reading level to increase their fluency. Students book shop once a week. While they
are independently reading I am either progress monitoring individual students in
Dibels or TRC, or pulling a small group for reading workshop.
What reading topics will be studied during the 2nd week of my clinical experience? What
are possible goals/objectives I could address for my reading lesson? Do you have any
instructional resources that would support these goals/objectives?
N/A
Classroom Management Questions:
What motivation tactics do you use to ensure a desire to learn?
Positive reinforcement as much as possible!
Tell me about the classroom community. What are the class rules? How is student
behavior monitored? In what ways is positive behavior reinforced? In what ways are
negative behaviors prevented? Tell me about the consequences for negative behavior.
The whole school is on a clip chart program. Every student starts the day on green.
They can clip up when doing something correct, for any number of reasons, or down
if not doing the correct thing. They may also receive purple dolphin tickets for
showing caring, being kind, and being responsible. They tickets are put in a bucket
and names are called on the announcements daily to receive a prize. There is also a
class list that goes with the class to their Connect Class, which if they get a star next
to their name they may clip up, or a dot means they were not following directions,
and will need to clip down. I have used Go Noodle as a positive reinforcement in the
middle of the day. Or if they are just antsy, and I think they need a quick brain break
to refocus. At times we will run into our recess time (which is at the end of the day)
because we cant get ourselves together. Sometimes students who dont do their

work when they have actual work time to complete an assignment, have to bring it to
recess with them. They HATE that, and it isnt fun for me either, but it does make a
point, and doesnt happen a lot.
Tell me about the pacing of lessons and interaction in the classroom- use of time- and
other aspects of timewait time, and time using teacher talk and student talk. What
works well with your students?
My students like to TALK! Subject matter doesnt matter! LOL! Again, I hate to not
reach everyone, but I have to limit how long they share as a whole group on whatever the
subject matter is. We do turn and talk with a neighbor during lessons, and come back as a
group and share. I try and have at least 15 seconds of wait time, then ask the student who
isnt answering if they would like to choose a classmate to help them answer the
question.

Jasmine Hughes
ELED 3226
IMB Entry 3 Reflection

I emailed these questions to my clinical teacher prior to the two weeks of my coming
during IMB. I wanted to get these answers and look over them so I knew what to expect to see
and how Ms. Burns runs her classroom. I was very excited when I read some of the answers and
couldnt wait to see everything implemented in a regular day. There were two questions, and
responses, that I wanted to discuss in this reflection.
Ms. Burns does use positive reinforcement a lot, which I was happy to see. She said, in
her emailed response, that she tried to use positive reinforcement as much as possible. She
always praised any student that was following directions and doing what they were supposed to
be, in hopes that others who werent doing the right thing, would. She would often have students
clip up on their clip chart for doing anything that they were supposed to be doing. It was great
to see students getting so excited to be rewarded for doing what they were supposed to be doing.

However, the students that were told to clip up were mostly the same students every day. Yet, this
was nice to see that she actually did what she says she does in her email.
One thing that I was discouraged to see was how she accommodated those in her
classroom that needed it. In her email, she said that she thought through the lessons and knew
what student would need help and how. There was one particular student that I felt never
received the help or support that he deserved. This student had a mild case of autism, and had a
hard time staying on task or focusing. He would often walk around the room and never complete
the work that his peers were completing. Ms. Burns would often just ignore him if he wasnt
causing a distraction. I felt he was just left to fend for himself. He never turned in any work and
was barely worked with one-on-one. This made me very sad to see.