Kindergarten - Primary Grade Onsite Observation Location: 10th Street Elementary

Date: Wednesday October !" !011 #ime in and o$t: %:00am to &:1'(m

)$mber o* children: !1 children Grade and +ges o* children: Kindergarten ' to " years )$mber o* ad$lts: Environment 1, Describe the classroom incl$ding si-e *looring storage shelving and other *$rnit$re, . /as told that the room /as 10!% s0$are *eet, #he children1s c$bbies /ere 2$st o$tside o* the door in the hall/ay, #he *loor /as covered in a bl$e-gray car(et, #here /as a /all covered in shelves, #here /ere cabinets at the entrance o* the room *or the teacher to store things, #he shelves held di**erent storage bo3es /ith a tag on the *ront telling /hat each had inside, #he teacher1s des4 /as (laced at the *ront o* the classroom5 there /ere three bean bag chairs on the other side o* the teacher1s des4, !, 6hec4 the learning7activity centers in the classroom, 8 9loc4s 8 :o$se4ee(ing 8 Science 8 ;ath 8 Emergent Literacy 8 Library 8 +rt ! ad$lts

8 ;$sic 8 ;ani($latives <($--les beads etc,= 8 Large ;otor 8 Sensory Play <sand7/ater table (lay do$gh= 8 6om($ters 8 Other-describe >, List and describe evidence o* environmental (rint in the classroom s$ch as labeling o* (ersonal items (osters /ith r$les in*ormation and so on, #here /ere name tags (laced on the children1s des4s and c$bbies a list o* ho/ the children needed to act in the hall/ay /as (osted at the entrance o* the classroom a ?@eading is A$nB (oster as /ell as other (oster that (rom(t children to read /ere (osted aro$nd the room emergency e3it signs /ere (osted at the door/ay o* the classroom as /ell as disaster (lans, &, List and describe a Word Wall listening center letter7so$nd bas4ets or other evidence o* emergent literacy activities, One side o* the room had a *e/ lo/ shelves lined /ith boo4s, .n one o* the t/o corners that this /all to$ched there /ere three bean bag chairs, #he bean bag chairs /ere se(arated *rom the rest o* the classroom by the teacher1s des4 and *iling cabinets, #he children /ere able to read to themselves $sing (honics (hones,

', Describe the area *or com*ortably sitting and reading7(laying in a 0$iet s(ot, .n the o((osite corner o* the bean bag chairs there is a tent-li4e area /ith (illo/s and blan4ets, #he tent-li4e area is se(arated *rom the room $sing three blan4ets, #/o o* the

blan4ets are attached to the /alls to 4ee( the children *rom b$m(ing their heads on the /alls and the third blan4et se(arated the tent-li4e area *rom the rest o* the room, #his area /as also near the boo4 lined /all, Sched$le 1, Do children s(end most o* their time in learning centers or doing /hole-gro$(7small gro$( activities /hile sittingC ;ost o* the children1s time /as s(ent in large gro$( activities, #hese activities ha((ened in the circle time area, When the children /ere in their learning centers they /ere bro4en do/n into *o$r gro$(s, #hree o* the *o$r gro$(s had *ive children in them and the *o$rth gro$( had si3 children in it, !, :o/ m$ch time is s(ent in re0$ired sitting either at tables or on the circle r$gC #he children s(ent abo$t *ive to ten min$tes rotating at the di**erent centers set o$t *or them that day, #he children /ere at their tables *or ten min$tes5 this /as /hen the children /ere /or4ing on /or4sheets, #he circle time r$g /as $sed bet/een the di**erent activities to 0$oting the teacher ?calm the children do/n re*oc$sed and ready *or the ne3t activity,B #he children /o$ld sit at the circle time r$g *or no more than ten min$tes, >, :o/ m$ch time is s(ent in o$tdoor or indoor large motor (layC #he children had thirty min$tes o* recess, #here /as a (laygro$nd located a *e/ *eet o$tside o* the 4indergarten classroom, . /as told that /hen the /eather /as not acce(table *or o$tside (lay the children /ere given their recess in the gymnasi$m, &, +re children allo/ed to ma4e their o/n choices abo$t /here they /ill (lay or learnC :o/ o*tenC

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#he children /ere not given a choice as to /hich learning centers they co$ld go to, #hey /ere told /hen they /o$ld go to the ne3t learning center and /hat center it /o$ld be, #hey children /ere allo/ed to choose /hat (art o* the (laygro$nd they (layed on, #his /as the only time they /ere allo/ed to choose *or themselves,

', @ecord the daily sched$le and res(ond to the *ollo/ing 0$estions, 8 Do yo$ *eel the sched$le is develo(mentally a((ro(riateC . do *eel that the sched$le is develo(mentally a((ro(riate, 8 Why or /hy notC #he children /ere given an a((ro(riate amo$nt o* time to /or4 /ith7in the learning centers they /ere also able to (lay o$tside and e3ert some energy and the children /ere as4ed a *e/ o(en ended 0$estions a*ter their larger activities, 6$rric$l$m 1, Describe some o* the activities available *or learning math and science conce(ts s$ch as co$nting one-to-one corres(ondence sorting classi*ying gra(hing and so on, #he teacher $sed large *lash cards /ere $sed to sho/ one o* something is one <e,g, one bear means there is only one=, When the children had *ive to ten min$tes o* *ree time there /ere r$bber animals that the children co$ld sort into miniat$re environments, +nother *ree time activity the children co$ld do /as a b$g naming game, #he children /ere given cards /ith b$g names on them then they /ere as4ed to loo4 into the b$g environment containers and (lace the name card onto( o* the correct environment,

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!, Describe some o* the activities available *or emergent literacy conce(ts s$ch as (honemic a/areness reading boo4-ma4ing /riting and so on, #hey children had a small area in one o* the corners o* the room /here they co$ld sit 0$ietly and read, .* the children /anted to read o$t lo$d they /ere allo/ed to $se (honics (hones, + (honics (hone is a (lastic t$be that the children (lace against their mo$th and ear then s(ea4 into5 this ma4es the children ca(able o* hearing themselves s(ea4 them /ords they are reading easier, #he children /ere enco$raged to ta4e one boo4 *rom the classroom home and have a (arent7g$ardian7caregiver read the boo4 to or /ith them, >, Describe some o* the areas *or dramatic (lay incl$ding /hether the environment ever changes to be a store o**ice etc, and /hether child-designed environmental (rint s$ch as men$s lists signs and so on are dis(layed, #here /as a small area set aside to loo4 li4e a 4itchen *or the children to roll (lay in, #hat /as the only constant dramatic environment in the room, . /as told by the main teacher that they have a month dedicated to di**erent careers, &, +re /or4sheets and /or4boo4s $sed in the classroomC Des, 8 :o/ o*ten and in /hat s$b2ect areasC #he children do one (age o$t o* the /or4boo4 every day, #here is only one /or4boo4 and the s$b2ect area is the al(habet, 8 What is the teacher1s reaction i* a child doesn1t $nderstand the directions or ma4es mista4es on the assignmentC #he teacher /ill go thro$gh the assignment /ith the child or go over the mista4es that /ere made to correct them,

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', Does the teacher $se a standard c$rric$l$m ado(ted by the school systemC 8 .* so identi*y it and e3(lain /hether she is ha((y /ith it and /hy or /hy not, 8 E3(lain /hy yo$ thin4 the c$rric$l$m is or is not D+P, G$idance 1, Describe ho/ the children behaved d$ring yo$r observation, #he children interact /ell /ith one another, #here /as no *ighting verbal or (hysical *rom /hat . sa/ and heard, Some o* the children seemed more interest in getting the teachers1 attention than (laying /ith the other children, !, :o/ did the teacher res(ond to children /ho: 8 ;oved *rom activity to activity /itho$t accom(lishing anything, #he activities /ere (ractically sel*-e3(lanatory, #he children moved thro$gh the activities at a good (ace and each accom(lished /hat he or she set o$t to do, 8 9othered other children, #he teacher /o$ld as4 the child that /as bothering another to sto(, .* he or she had to be as4ed more than t/ice he or she /as sent to a di**erent area then the child that he or she /as bothering, 8 @e*$sed to *ollo/ directions or the class r$les, #he children did not do anything to be ($r(ose*$lly disobedient, ;ost o* the children *ollo/ed the r$les5 the *e/ that did not seemed to have gotten over e3cited abo$t the activity that they /ere abo$t to do,

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8 9ehaved other/ise ina((ro(riately, #he teachers handled these ty(es o* sit$ations the same /ay that they handled one child bothering another, >, Describe ho/ the teacher1s reaction did or did not accom(lish the *ollo/ing ob2ectives: 8 #o sto( the behavior #he assistant teacher /as the one /ho too4 any disci(linary action, .* a child /as doing something he or she sho$ld not be doing they /ere as4ed to sto(, #he child /as given t/o verbal /arnings and i* they contin$ed to do something they sho$ld not they /ere as4ed to se(arate *rom the gro$( activity and sit /ith the teacher $ntil the child /as calm eno$gh to re2oin the gro$(, 8 #o assist children in solving their o/n (roblems #he child /as se(arated *rom the rest o* the children and /as as4ed /hat he or she /as *eeling or /hat had been going on to $(set him or her, Once the teacher 4ne/ /hat /as $(setting the child the teacher too4 care o* the (roblem or started to /or4 /ith the child to overcome it, 8 #o hel( children $nderstand /hy the behavior /as ina((ro(riate #he children /ere given t/o verbal /arnings /hen they /ere doing /rong, #he children /ere e3(lained to by the teacher as to /hy they sho$ld not be doing /hat it /as they /ere doing, .* the children contin$ed to do /rong they /ere as4ed to se(arate *rom the gro$( and stay /ith the teacher $ntil that child /as ready and calm eno$gh to re2oin the gro$(, 8 #o hel( children (lan a di**erent behavior that might /or4 better the ne3t time

&, Describe the teacher1s demeanor, 8 What did she do that /as loving and a((roachableC .n one o* the circle time activities one o* the children did not get a ($((et and the other children did, #he teacher /as $na/are o* this mista4e $ntil a*ter the activity /as over, When the teacher had *ig$red o$t /hat had ha((ened she told the child that she co$ld have any stic4er she /anted to ma4e $( *or the child not getting a ($((et, 8 :o/ co$ld yo$ tell that she did or did not en2oy her 2obC . do not thin4 she en2oyed her 2ob, She seemed $ninterested and ($shed most o* her /or4 onto the assistant teacher, 8 Did the children seem to res(ond /ell to herC #he children interacted more /ith the assistant teacher than they did their main teacher, +nytime the children had to s(ea4 to their main teacher they seemed to not /ant to s(ea4 /ith her, Overall they children seemed to res(ond to the assistant teacher better than they did /ith their main teacher,