Amanda Lilly
Ms. Albanese
MAS 7998
November 13, 2012
Journal Entry #1
(Classroom)
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Observation
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Reflection
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Questions Raised/ Answers Attempted
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In the BIS and Beyond Academics 4th
grade classroom there were 7 students, 3 boys and 4 girls. Five of the
students were Caucasian, 1 African American, 1 Hispanic, and 3 were labeled
as special education. First Mrs. D’Agostino had the students take out their
homework folders. Some students started working on long division, while
others working on their reading and spelling. The students working on long
division had to check their answers without using a calculator, only their
multiplication tables. The students working on their reading homework had to
read a story and fill in the blanks with words in a word bank at the top of
the paper. The students would raise their hands if they had a question and
Mrs. D’Agostino would help them answer their own questions and not just give
them the answer. Next the students worked on their government homework as a
group to label the functions of the three branches of government. Once the
students finished their homework they put them away in their homework folder
and they lined up by the door. Mrs. D’Agostino walked the student to the
computer lab where they worked on a reading Workshop. Mrs. D’Agostino walked
around the classroom monitoring the students. Students would raise their
hands if they had questions and she would help them answer their questions. After
the students finished the Reading workshop they shut down the computers and
lined up by the door. Mrs. D’Agostino walked the students to the library for
the last 20 minutes for silent reading time. The students spread out and some
students already had books, while others picked theirs out. One of the
students was rather talkative, so Mrs. D’Agostino asked the student to sit
next to her and read. The student sat there on the floor, settled down and
began reading her book. The announcements came on to give the students a five
minute warning to pack up. The students packed up their belongings and began
to line up by the door. The announcements came on again to dismiss the
students and announce who was getting picked up, so the students not
announced were required to take the bus. Mrs. D’Agostino walked the students
out to their correct buses.
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During my observation I was able to
see how fourth grade students interacted with one another, as well as how
Mrs. D’Agostino responded to her students. The students got along with each
other and each focused on what their individual tasks were. I thought the
students transitioned well during activities because Mrs. D’Agostino expected
the students to transition with as little chatter as possible. The reading
workshop was interesting and the students seemed to stay engaged for the 30
minutes they were in the computer lab because of the game-like format used to
enhance their reading skills. I also liked how the student were given time to
silently read and choose what book they wanted to read. It was interesting to
see how some students read to themselves, while others read out loud. I liked
the technique Mrs. D’Agostino used by moving a talkative student closer to
her because a teacher’s proximity to a student can minimize unacceptable
behaviors. It seemed that the students knew what was expected of them and
were willing to receive help when they did not understand an assignment.
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Q: Why is it that these students were
enrolled in the BIS and Beyond Academy after school?
A: Most of these students had trouble
with their reading and math skills, so they required some extra assistance to
improve these skills.
Q: Why did the students spend the last
20 minutes in the library reading?
A: Every night the students are
required to read for 20 minutes and have their guardian sign off that they
have completed their reading. This was an opportunity to give them a head
start on this assignment.
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