Observation Questions for ELL/LEP student(s)

1. What techniques/methods/strategies do you see being used with the ELL/LEP

student(s)? Are they effective? Why or why not? (Either specifically for the ELL
student(s) or in whole class/small group instruction)

The limited English proficient student that I observed was paired with a higher-level student
that she got along with when the teacher would give worksheets or activities to be done at the
small groups. Since this was in the pre-school that was at a high school, there were many high
school students that helped out the pre-school students. Therefore, there was always someone
older to help Student H with things like writing her name or following directions. The high
school students helping her out seems to be effective because she gets one-on-one instruction
from these students on what she should do, and being paired with the girl she gets along with
helps her as well. In this way, she gets to be with a friend while also getting to listen to her friend
use English when explaining and pointing things out.

2. Do you notice any student behaviors that you would consider out of the ordinary?
Please describe in detail. (This applies to both the ELL student(s) and other
classroom students)

I see that when H is asked to write her name, she just laughs and scribbles. Other times when
she is asked to write her name, she gets upset and throws her paper. she reacts differently in
different times to the same task, and I am unsure why this happens. I would assume that
sometimes she would get frustrated when she cannot understand what she is supposed to do or
cannot write her name, but sometimes she will laugh when she does not know what to do. This
seems out of the ordinary to me.

3. What type of interactions do you see between the ELL student(s), other classroom
students, and the teacher(s)? Please describe in detail.

I do notice that when the other students talk to Student H during their time of play, Student H
does not say anything. She merely will nod or say yes or no. This does not seem too out of the
ordinary as an LEP student, but the other students sometimes do not understand why Student H
does not speak. They will be playing in the kitchen area playing house and Student H will say
short phrases like here or eat it. When interacting with the teacher, H likes to raise her hand
a lot when questions are asked. However, when she is called on she does not say anything even
when wait time is applied.

4. Identify resources/materials that are being used with the ELL student(s). Please
describe in detail how the ELL student is using them. Do they appear to be
effective? Explain.

The teacher gives Student H the opportunity to bring some of the word puzzles home with
her as well as to use during play time. These puzzles have the word as well as a picture of the
word on them so that H can associate the word with the picture. The teacher will help H with the
puzzle and after she puts it together will say the word with her, so that H knows how to
pronounce it. Having H take the puzzle home encourages her to use it more often and has her see
the word with the picture more often. I believe that the teacher wants Student H to have more
exposure with English words when she is at home because the family does not speak English at
home. Another thing that the teacher does in class is teaching rhymes and songs. This seems to
be effective because student H likes to sing a lot, so when she learns a new song she always sings
it at her seat in class.

5. Does the classroom environment seem to be comfortable for the ELL student(s)?
Please describe the environment and explain how you made your decision.

The classroom environment seems to be comfortable for the LEP student. Student H seems
very comfortable with knowing where activities take place. For example, H knows that when
everyone goes to the carpet first thing in the morning, they are either reading a story together or
doing their morning routine. It is beneficial to Student H that the classroom is not moved around
because she knows that a place like the kitchen play station is somewhere that she does not have
to use much language, but somewhere like her table requires her to use her language when doing
academic activities or engaging in conversation with her peers.

6. Whats the comfort level of the ELL student(s) in regards to the English
language? What observations help you arrive at your decision? Refer to the
Vocabulary Performance Indicators. At what level would you place the ELL
student? How did you decide on that level?

Student H has little to no comfort with the English language. I observed Student H at her
table with the other students doing an art project. The students were talking with each other as
well as with the high school students helping them at the table. One student asked Student H to
pass the glue stick that was in front of her down the table. Student H reacted to her name, but
continued her work after the student who asked her the question finished asking for the glue
stick. Then, the same student who asked the question called Student Hs name and pointed to the
glue stick. Student H then proceeded to hand the glue stick down the table. From this observation
as well as many others, I believe Student H has between no knowledge of vocabulary, when
referring to the Vocabulary Performance Indicators chart. Student H really only knows what
people are saying to her when they use gestures.

7. If you feel comfortable enough to ask, ask the cooperating teacher (or ESL teacher)
what type of accommodations/modifications they have to make for the ELL
student(s). Please describe the types of accommodations/modifications that were
discussed. Do they appear on the checklist? Why/why not do you think they are
present/not present on the checklist?
I did not have the chance to ask my co-operating teacher what types of accommodations or
modifications she makes for the student. I did not really see many accommodations being made
for Student H, especially because I was in a preschool classroom where there was more play
going on. At some points, the classroom teacher would have a high school student help Student
H out with her work, which somewhat works with number 17 on the modifications checklist.
Other things that I checked off on the modifications checklist that I observed were visual cues
being used to accompany oral directions, teach in small cooperative groups, reduce paper pencil
tasks, provide manipulatives, and simplify language and adjust rate of speech when needed.
Student H would be taught in a small group with her table that she sat at for some lessons. This
seemed to help her understanding of the task. Also, every student would be given manipulatives
with their tasks. I think that the modifications that Student H received are on this list because
they are seen to be highly effective. In the setting that Student H is placed in, I think these items
on the checklist are effective, but she definitely needs further instruction to help her develop her
L2 more.