Urban Ed Field Study @ UWW @ueatuww-blog - Tumblr Blog

Last day at Lincs

Got to the school, signed in and headed to class. First group came in and there was just one boy. He looked at me and i asked how he was and he was just giving me short answers. He finally said oh i forgot something and left. He came back and i asked what he forgot and he told me his reward card. He said the girl he is usually in group with wasn't there today again. He was then told to read a book and he said " this is easy" The teacher said he was ready to move on to group D books and later said not to really mention it to the other girl. After he read the book he was given an ipad to complete some activities. The teacher changed is reading level. He looked at one book and said " this is hard" On the ipad it kept track of all students. They could read with audio, read alone and then take quiz. He did that with a few books and did well for his first time with this level books. He continued til it was time to leave. Next group, first boy arrived early and said " am i late?" And teacher replied no and then he left and did that 2 more times. Then the other 2 girls joined. Together walked to library and as a group worked on a packet. Then they were told to go back to room and work on a worksheet on their own in separate spots. They all worked pretty well. They all finished except for one and she ended up taking the remainder home for homework. Next group was a girl and boy and they were hyper and jittery. They went from blurting out words to blurting out sounds and giggling. Throughout all of that they were working on a packet. They were told to draw a pic and write down a word. Their motivator were stickers that smelled with what was on the sticker. The girl finished with no problem, the boy had trouble writing the work evaporated. They were given their stickers and their teacher walked them down back to their class. This was the only group the teacher walked to and from group. Next group we went to the students class. 8 th graders everywhere. There was 2 rooms but no separation between them. The ELL students were told to come to group. The teacher split them up and worked with 6 students on small board going over associative property while the other group of 3 worked on perimeter worksheet. Students seemed to be understanding what they were learning then they switched tasks. And again they seemed to be getting the hang of it. Soon group was over and we went back to room. Last group were told to come to carpet and get clipboards. They did that and was given a 2 part worksheet. Top half was Monday and they completed as a group and bottom half was tuesday which they did alone. Once finished they checked their answers with their teacher. Once finished they got to play a game. Teacher had a stack of notecards that she would show each of them and if read correctly they would be given to student. Then teacher switched it up and she would put up the card and give the card to whomever said the word correctly the quickest. At times there was a tie. In the end they didn't win anything, it was just for fun. One girl got to pick a prize because she had filled her sticker sheet. Soon everyone was dismissed and the school day was over. Though my time there was short, i enjoyed myself. The kids were amazing and the staff was too. Everyone seemed to get along and it seemed like they enjoyed working together. I liked the set up of the groups. They were laid back, but managed to get work done. Overall it was a fun experience . TT

Second day at Lincs

Today i got to the school a few minutes before 8. I walked in I saw parents dropping off their kids and kids heading to class. When i got to the class I was reminded that it wasn't going to be a regular day. The students were taking the MAP test today in the computer lab. Once my teacher came in she told me I would help read to the students. Before we went to the computer lab, all the teachers discussed rules for reading to students. They finally came to the conclusion that we were allowed to read everything except for numbers and symbols. We walked to the lab and i noticed the rest of the school was in session. The first group were 4th graders. They walked in and sat at the computer with their names. The students were then given a pep talk by one of the teachers then they were given the cue to begin. The girl i helped was doing a pretty good job. There were times she seemed to be confused. When i asked her if she was nervous before the test she said no. I overheard one of the other teachers saying that she had a no care attitude sometimes. She finished and her final school was a 200. She was then given the ok to go back to her regular classroom. The next group was a 5th grade boy. The group was given the same pep talk as before. Then they began the test. He was a bit nervous as he had a score goal of 209. He seemed to guess at times and i reminded him to use his dry erase board and then he did. For a few he went back and forth between answers and I wanted to yell out " this one this one" He ended up getting a 205. I told him he did well and seemed satisfied even though he didnt reach his goal. He was then given the ok to leave. For the most part everyone did well one girl even got a 222. Lastly I helped 2 3rd grade girls. After the same pep talk they were told to begin. One girl seemed to be doing well and the other guessing. I asked one of them if they wanted me to repeat the questions she said yes and so i did. When i did i saw the light bulb come above her head. She said " awwwww i get it " and got the right answer. I didn't get to see how both of them did because i ended up having to leave for a final. TT

1st day at Lincs

I arrived at Lincs around 9:15. I went to the front desk and was told to sign in, take a visitors pass and then directed to my classroom. I walked to the class and was told my teacher would be back soon. As i looked around I noticed that there were multiple teachers in the room and the room was a decent size. Soon my teacher came in and told me the plan for the day. First group came in and there were 2 kindergartner, a girl and a boy. Taking turns they both read a book. While their group was going on so were about 3 others. To divide the groups they have large gray boards. There were 2 groups on my side of the room and 2 on the other. Two teachers were missing. One had a sub another didnt. I heard the sub ask names of kids that how i figured it out. After this 3 8th graders arrived for group. They talked and around for a bit. Once group started they went around taking turns reading a book about gum. Some were amazed at some of the facts. The next group were 1 st graders. Both ELL teachers combined groups and they played a game. They were to roll the cube on the mat and whatever picture showed up they had to put a circle on the first letter of the word. They decided to group themselves by gender, 2 girls and other group were the 2 boys. They seemed to have a lot of fun and were doing pretty well. The next group that entered were 10 8th graders. When they came in they at two tables. All of the boys seemed to sit at one table and the girls at another. All except for one girl. Someone told the girl to sit with the rest of the girls and she shook her head. Another girl said " no she can stay there" I thought hmm i can see cliques already. Group finally began and they were reviewing associative and distributive property. Together as a group they worked on problem on the board. Then they were told to work on the remainder of a worksheet. One girl said she was going to get a dry erase board and a few others decided to do the same. I helped a few girls. They pretty much seemed to get the gist of it. Soon time was up and they were dismissed. Last group came in and their were 4 of them. They were told to go to the carpets and as a group completed a worksheet. At the end they were all given a chance to pick a toy from the toy bin then they were dismissed. I then signed out and left for the day. TT

LINCS-New Day New school

I visited Lincoln Inquiry Charter School (LINCS). I started the week of May 5th and on the first day that I arrived at LINCS School I felt nervous for two reasons. One reason I was coming to a new school and secondly I arrived at the end of the school’s academic year. The first day was Monday and even though I was nervous I was still very excited to learn and absorb new teaching techniques. As I signed in at the front desk I was welcomed with a good morning from the secretary she asked, “Where are you heading” and I responded, "to the 4K room." She pointed in the direction of the classroom and I headed down the hall. As I walked I felt like everyone was staring at me and wondering who I am. The teacher that was walking ahead of me with two students stop and asked me, “Hi, do you need help finding a room. I told her, I am looking for Ms. F's room she responded with a smile and said, “That is us.” We reach 4K and the teacher introduced me to Ms. F she greeted me “Good Morning” and “Welcome to 4K” we did not talk too much because she had to return to a child that was helping her clean up brown spill on the floor. When I found a seat in the corner of the room near the window the first thing I noticed was the walls. The walls reminded me of my bedroom’s wall; white bricks. The room was small and had only two windows which was very different from ICS classroom. At 8:00 a.m. the bell rang and students greeted the teacher with a “Good Morning” and quickly sat at the table to sign in their names. After the children signed in the students meet up at the carpet for circle time. I noticed on my first day that this 4K class has a two teacher, a lead teacher and teacher assistant. The teacher told me, “Today will be a little hectic, because I am doing placement testing with my students.” And I said, “That’s fine.” Ms. F lead circle time and the class used the smart board for circle time I noticed everything was done on the smart board evening singing. The next day I arrived at 7:45 a.m. I quickly sign in and walked to the 4K classroom as usual the children signed in at their assigned spots at the table and walked over to the carpet for circle time. This morning was a little different because the teacher assistant played her guitar throughout circle time. One main thing I noticed when Ms. F left the room to do placement testing with a few students. The teacher assistant instructs the class the students do not listen and they misbehaved. Child S a girl who wore yellow shorts was disruptive during circle time because she was did not sit still she was crawling around the carpet, which frustrated the teacher assistant and made her send Child S out in the hall with the teacher. Another incident happened during center choices when one boy called her an “overweight baby” the teachers intervened when she said, “We use nice words.” But the boy did not listen and continued to call her “overweight baby” The teacher face expression was a look of irritation and I felt like she needed help with the students. My last day for the week ended smoothly I did not stay the entire day but I observed children making Mother’s Day cards. My week at LINCS was exciting and different. I enjoyed how friendly the teachers were and how quickly that made me feel comfortable. I look forward to my last few days of observations next week

K.W

ICS-Late post

I arrived at ICS with the thought that today would be a great day. The weather was exceptionally sunny and to add to my great mood I was excited to see the K-4 students. I arrived to the classroom and the students had just finished breakfast. Two girls that both wore pink shirts walked up to me and gave me a hug. At the moment I felt a part of class and someone the children felt safe and comfortable with. The day started right away with circle time the weeks theme was friendship. The teacher asked, “How do we show kindness to our friends.” One boy with a yellow truck on his shirt said, “Nice words.” “Correct” the teacher said. After circle time a girl with blonde hair walked over to where I sat and gave me a hug and said “You look like a beautiful person I ever seen.” I was struck with instant love and I gave her a hug and told her “You are very beautiful and special, thank you.” After she walked away two more students came over to hug me and played with my hair. One girl asked can you play with us in the kitchen area I said, “Yes I sure can.” As the day went on I knew it was close to lunch time and so did the students I help the girls clean up in kitchen area, At that moment I heard someone crying and I looked over my shoulder to see a boy had tripped over some stacked blocks the teacher swiftly walked over to the boy to ask what happened he told her he tripped over the wooden blocks the teacher asked, “are you ok” and “do you feel a little better.” The boy said yes and walked where the students were to get in line. My day ended short and I waved good bye to all my K-4 friends. My overall day at ICS was a special day for me the weather was nice and I gain the student trust. I look forward to my last few days at ICS. I am just ready to learn more and more.

K.W

Happy April Fools

As usual I arrived at 8 am and went to my seat at the back table. I did a little math activity with the kids and then I played a card game called speed with them. It's basically a game where you have to count up or down with the cards and who ever loses all their cards first wins. It is a good game to practice counting skills with students and it is a lot of fun. We did a couple of rounds of this game and then we had to transition to music class. During music class I stayed in the classroom and graded some spelling homework. I was not exactly sure how picky the teacher graded, so I had to ask her a few times if I should take points off or not. Then at 10 I worked on two child maps with some students. One of the boys I had asked originally wanted a friend to do it with him. I think he was a little nervous to work on a project that me, my peers, and professor would see. He asked who would see his work and once I told him his eyes got a little big. I told him if he was uncomfortable he could have a friend do it with him or I could ask someone else. I told his teacher some of his concerns and she must have talked to him more because he seemed comfortable while working on his map. I looked at his map and his friend's map and compared the differences. The student I originally asked did his like a comic strip and his friend did his like a traditional map. I thought the way each student thought about their home life and school life was interesting. I also liked how each of them drew their maps differently. The boy who drew his like a comic strip took a lot of time and made sure his was "perfect." I think he takes art more seriously or he is more self-conscious about his work. I tried not to put so much pressure on them and tried making it a fun activity, which they warmed up to and they seemed to enjoy the interview part. One of the boys talked about hiding in his basement with tons of boxes. He seems like the kind of kid who has a huge imagination and I could see him having fun with the boxes. Then it was time for RTI and before we played a game Mrs. Ash said, "Should we give Ms. Olivas a brownie?" At this point I'm thinking of course you should give me a brownie! So, the teacher rummages through one of her cabinets and sets a brown cut-out shaped "E" on the table. Everyone burst out laughing even including me, although I was bummed about not getting a brownie. 5th graders:1, Ms. Olivas:0. Mrs. Ash told a story of how she did this same trick to the class next to them and she even fooled the teacher! I admire her for keeping things real in the classroom and being able to joke. We went outside for recess and I even played! I kicked the ball, but I wasn't fast enough and got out right away. Those kids had a leg up on me. Unfortunately, one of the students fell and injured his ankle, so he was sent to the nurse's office. At lunch the normal talk occurred about drums, yo mamma jokes, and what happened at recess. At the end of the day the class went outside to write poetry and it was very peaceful. I wrote a poem and watched other students explore. The school is surrounded by grassy plains and trees. When the time was up the kids wanted to roll down a hill near the school and the teacher was perfectly fine with it as long as they would line up once they rolled down once. I wanted to roll down, but I thought it might not be that professional and I had on nice clothes. The kids wanted me to do it too, but I figured I'd let the kids have all the fun. Once we were inside, we shared our poems and drawings. At 3 they got ready to head home and I said my last goodbyes. I'm going to see them perform Alice in Wonderland though, so I will still have a chance to see them. D.O.

ICS observation

I arrived at 8:00 and sat in the back. The teacher wanted me to grade some spelling worksheets, so I did that before the math game. At 8:30 I facilitated a game where the students had to match the answer they got with the one on their boards. It was similar to tic-tac-toe. I played with them and it took me a little longer to catch on just because I had not done adding or subtracting fractions in a while. The students started helping me, which I found humbling. Then at 9 the class went to their music class. The instructor lectured some more about their culture and how it connects to flute playing. The instructor seems really patient and understanding. When the kids are talking out of turn he just tells them he understands that they are excited and he likes learning new things too. The main music teacher however, is more forceful and is on them quicker about listening. The class seems to be engaged with the instructors lecture, granted it's Friday when I'm there. As expected the students. After music class the students have RTI and split up into classrooms. For this part of class I got to work with a student on his math skills. He only used my help when he needed it and worked though the problems well. This is the same boy who talked to me at recess one day instead of playing kickball. He seemed comfortable doing his work beside me and at the end of RTI asked the teacher to double check his work. Then recess came at 10:30 and we all went outside for kickball. I stayed by the boy who does not like to play and we chatted again. Mrs. Ash came over to talk to us and we were both sad that the boy told us he was moving. He said he was going to miss the teachers, but is excited to move up north at the same time. At 11 I headed to lunch with the kids and as usual the students fought over where I would sit. I chose to sit at a table that I had not sat by before and the students understood. During lunch the kids talked about drum rehearsals and who was going to perform next in the room next to the fireplace. I have learned that this is a regular practice amongst the school. After lunch, the students took their spelling test and one girl was moved to the table in the back where I sit. During the test she looked at me and asked if she spelled a word right. I shrugged my shoulders and said I can't answer that. It made me kind of laugh at her audacity, but I had to try and stay professional. After their test the students presented their book reports to younger students outside the classroom. It was fun seeing them show their work and educate the younger crowd. Some of the teachers had not known specific things about the people the 5th graders did their projects on. I could tell that Mrs. Ash was proud of her students by the way she smiled and watched them. She has encouraged her class to continue reading and has made it fun for them. The students made huge posters for the person they read about and I can say that their art skills make my stick people look well...like stick people. I got to see how they progressed with their project and they would practice with me. You could tell who was more confident speaking and who was more shy. The students helped each other out though, because they would tell each other to speak up or slow down. At the end of the day the students went to their reading buddies and I got to watch them again interact with the kindergardeners. Around 3 is when they started packing up to go home and I said my goodbyes. D.O.

day 6

On my 6th day at school, I was greeted with my usual waves and smiles. My partner and I went straight to work on our map. She started coloring her pictures and finished drawing her map. She added a park and a mall to her map. She continued to draw pictures of her favorite things. She colored her kitchen because it was her favorite place in her house. She drew her favorite park where she liked the swings. She liked going on the shorter swing because it was swing faster. She drew several other pictures while I walked around the classroom. I noticed some of the students would look at my partner and then look back at their work. I assumed they were jealous because I didn’t choose them to work on my school project. When everyone got in groups they seemed to work quietly this time. Not as many students had to flip cards. During Hmong Language, I pulled students back for a reading assessment. I enjoyed watching the students say the words and if they didn’t know the word they looked puzzled. I observed them sounding out the words they didn’t know. Only a handful of students could say every word on the sheet. There was roughly 60 words. When the students went to lunch, I stayed with the teacher and talked about my classes and teaching. Another teacher across the hall came in and joined us. When it was time to get the students from recess, I sat at my table and watched them mingle. They still had so much energy, even after running around outside. During science they were working on another worksheet and when they finished that they started working on their reading. They got in pairs and started reading their stories to each other. They read their stories until it was time to go.

4th day

On March 26th, I arrived in class at 7:23am. The students again waved to me and gave me smiles. They were happy to see me twice in one week. I told my partner to go to the back of the class at my table so we could begin our child map. One of the girls came to the back table while we were working and asked if I was going to be their everyday now. I explained I was on spring break so I had free time and wanted to spend it with them. The girl I was working with was drawing her house when I noticed she was smiling. Whenever I told her to draw another picture it seemed her eyes sparkled when she smiled. I loved her enthusiasm when she wanted to color. Whenever she pulled out a new colored pencil to use, she would look at the color. If she didn’t like it, she would put it back in the box and find another. She was still coloring when it was time for breakfast. During breakfast several students asked me why I didn’t pick them. I was struggling for an answer so I just shrugged my shoulders. I didn’t know what to tell them and didn’t want to hurt their feelings. After breakfast, everyone went to their groups. I worked with the cause and effect group to keep them focused. After groups the students and I went to gym. The assistant teacher pulled a student back to work on assessments. In the middle of one of the assessments, a girl threw up all over her sweater during warm-ups. The gym teacher took control of cleaning the floor, while I watched the students play beach volleyball. The students enjoyed throwing the beach ball at each other. After gym we went back to the classroom to finish their groups. We then went to lunch where they again stacked their lunches and knocked it over. After lunch my partner and I started coloring again. This time she was working on coloring her map. She drew a curvy street leading to her school from her house. She also added Wal-Mart and Culvers because she goes their many times. Before I knew it, it was time to go.

week 4

I arrived at the classroom a little after 7am. Students were throwing stuff into their lockers and rushing to class. We would give our handshakes and they would go take a seat. The students were shocked to see me on a Monday because they thought I only came on Thursdays. While they were doing their calendars on the carpet and reciting their song of the day, I was grading papers. During breakfast they sang the pledge for engaging. After breakfast I would call students back one at a time and help them with their homework. I was intrigued by watching them figure out their mistakes and watch their faces when they were thinking. While they would work on their mistakes, I watched around the classroom. The students at the computers were talking and had to flip a card for being to loud. The students with Ms. Lisa were talking about scarves and kept complaining about all the writing they had to do. When I walked around, I noticed the cause and effect group were not focused. One of the students only had a sentence wrote down. I asked him if he needed help and he told me no. For the rest of the time, he would look busy and I saw he wrote answers that didn't relate to the topic. After groups the students and I walked down to the library. The library is as big as 2 or 3 classrooms. All the books are crammed into shelves. The students sat down on the carpet in front of one of the librarians. She read 3 books about spring to the students. She then talked about Robins and the students all wanted to touch the stuffed Robin she brought with her. One of the boys kept moving place to place and messing with the white tape on the floor. The white tape were their boundaries, they were not supposed to go outside the white tape. Once story time was over we went back to the classroom to prepare for lunch. I went outside with them for recess and they asked me to play with them. We played a zombie game where I would have to take them to the dungeon. After roughly 10 minutes the teachers blew a whistle. The students made lines and we walked back to the classroom. The students then got to color pictures of animals for their science class for the rest of the day. Once they were done with their pictures, they were allowed to get their belongings out of their lockers. We then all walked down the stairs together.

week 3

I arrived in room 312 later this week at 7:41am. When I walked through the door, the students waved to me and I saw lots of smiles. Once the teacher got the smartboard working, the students recited "You're a grand ole flag" by G.M. Cohan. The students enjoyed doing all the motions to the song and would have to be reminded to settle down several times. Once they were finished, the students went to their seats and tracked the teacher. Today they were reviewing Subject nouns and verbs. Afterwards, we all sang happy birthday to one of the girls. She turned 7, so everyone did 7 stomps and 7 snaps. During breakfast, students kept stacking their lunches, trying to make the biggest tower. Once they finished, they knocked it all down. Once back in the classroom they formed their groups. Whenever they went to the teachers station they would recite, "I love to read, I'm ready to read, reading gives me knowledge, to go to college." While observing the cause and effect group, I overheard students talking about death. One girl said she was going to hell when she dies. I was shocked that first graders were talking a lot about death. Once they finished 3 of the groups, they went to their tables for Hmong Language. The students were excited to review numbers 1-50. Once that class was over, they went back to groups. The last group needed lots of assistance because they didn't grasp the concept of what they were supposed to do. Finally the students went to lunch. During lunch, older students would walk around and collect all the garbage off the tables and throw them away. After lunch and recess the students worked on their science projects and finished their reading assignments for the day. Then we all walked out of the school together.

3/27 observation

8:00 I sat in my usual spot in the back by the windows that overlooks the prairie. The kids were working on fractions again when I got there. facilitated a game again and Houdini came by to show me another trick. I could tell some of the other students wanted to stay on track and one of them said "we could work on math or see magic tricks." She said this with a dab of sarcasm, so I interviewed and said I would love to see his trick when we have free time, but lets do some math first. Houdini seemed fine with this and we got back on track. At 9 we went to music class and I even got to play! I was impressed by how well the students were as I was last week. They all seemed very respectful and were quiet when someone wanted to play in front of the class. The flute instructor is really passionate about what he does and it shows in his teaching. He told the class they would get the opportunity to perform to the community. He wanted to work with students who said they would be willing to perform and practice. The entire class seemed really enthused about this fun opportunity and multiple hands shot up. The kids who seem more timid didn't raise their hands though. At 11 I went to recess with the class and they played kick ball. One student from anther 5th grade class came up to me and started chatting to me about him moving. He told me why he was moving and how he was going to be sad to leave everyone. He didn't want to play kickball because he said the kids were not nice to him when they played. I didn't mind chatting with him, so I stayed over by him. He showed me a couple of his drawings from his journal and was really excited to tell me about them and how he likes to use his journal for doodling. I thought this was really precious of him to feel comfortable sharing me these things because sometimes I feel like journals are a way for people to express themselves. I'm not even assigned to his class, so my interaction with him has not been as personal as the other 5th graders. He had this eccentric and wise demeanor about him, so he was always fun to talk to. After recess I had lunch with the kids again and they noticed my water bottle had the alien from Toy Story on it. That was a big hit for the 5th graders. I was like the cool kid on campus when I sat down with that. At 1 I learned how to make a couple poems with the class and we shared them with each other. I wrote a fake apology about elbowing a runner during a cross-country race and the students giggled about it. I really enjoyed helping the kids with poetry and doing different activities with them. They learned about personification,metaphors, similes and much more. During this time the kids would rotate to different stations and my station was picking lines out of a book and matching them with different poetry concepts. The students seem to help each other out and would ask me for confirmation to make sure they were right. I thought this activity was cool because they applied what they learned to actual writing and labeled it. 2:30 we headed to the kindergarden class to have reading buddies and that was really exciting. I had so much fun watching the 5th graders and the kindergardeners interact. Making the older kids have more responsibility was a nice change to see because they got to practice their leadership and interaction skills on a different level. The 5th graders love this time of day and they really seem to shine. They even get frustrated when the little kids get off task, so it shows they care about reading to them. 3:00 the buses came and I said my goodbyes to the class once again. D.O.

observation 3/21-sorry this is late!

8:15 I got in the classroom and the students were doing math. I facilitated a game where they had to add and subtract fractions together. It was interesting to see some of the kids doing it in their heads. I was never good at math, so it was kinda neat so see them wiz through it. Other students had a tougher time working through the problems, but they got help from the kids who excelled. At 9 music class commenced and all the kids fought over who would sit by me. It was really fun learning about a different instrument. I played the flute in band, but the one the kids played at ICS were more traditional. The boy who always does magic tricks usually volunteers to play for the class. The students were really good and I could tell they practiced quite a bit. I noticed overtime that the same kids would volunteer to play, which tells me they are very comfortable sharing things to the class. 10:00-The boy who is going to be the next Harry Houdini comes up to me every Friday and has a new trick to show me. He always has a new trick up his sleeve...no pun intended. He's the sweetest boy ever and seems to march the beat of his own drum. The class does not make fun of him and show him respect every time he demonstrates a trick. It makes me really happy that the class is really supportive of him. The teacher told me that he had a magic show for the kindergardeners one day and it was only suppose to last a few minutes. It ended up lasting at least an hour. I think the teacher does a good job of supporting and encouraging her students. She reminds me of the Mrs. Luddy from the book The Children in Room 4B. At 11 we played a game where we bet on how many things make up something. For example we had to guess how big the biggest diamond was in the world in carats. This taught the kids the idea of estimation in a fun and engaging way. I was able to teach the kids the acronym for the order of the planets from Mercury to Pluto. At 11:30 I had lunch with the kids and the main topics of conversation were "Yo Mamma" jokes and if Pluto was really a planet. I then headed back to Whitewater after lunch. D.O.

ICS

I arrived at ICS at 7:45, and after I signed in at the front desk I walked down the hall to the K-4 class and greeted the teacher with a “good morning.” After the teacher gave me her “hello,” she quickly informed me that her class and the other K-4 class would be on a field trip for most of the day. She suggested that I make my observations in the class next door which was a K-5 class. I was introduced to a very bubbly and energetic teacher who seemed to really care about her class. The teacher left to pick up her class from breakfast. The children ran quickly into the classroom where I observed circle time. The circle time I observed was on Friday, and I learned that every Friday in this K-5 classroom is called “Funday Friday.” As the day began, the teacher seemed to be uncomfortable with me observing her class. The teacher kept looking over at me every time she talked to her classroom to see if I wrote any of her comments down. One interesting activity that I witnessed while in the K-5 classroom was prayer. The prayer was a part of Native American culture. The class sat along the carpet in a circle. Two girls helped with prayer. One of them, who wore a black dress, held a shell that contained incense, and the other girl had a long brown feather in her hand. The girls walked together around the circle as a pair and fanned the smoke from the incense in each child’s face, and each child said, “thank you creator.” The activity for the day was Deviled Eggs. I asked the teacher if this project was part of a theme. She replied “No.” The teacher’s facial expression made me think that she did not want me to ask her questions or take pictures of the children’s creation of deviled eggs. This made me feel unwelcome, so I sat down across from the students and took mental notes as I watched them. Before lunch we went on a nature walk where I was given the chance to see a tall hill that the children rolled and ran down. After a few minutes of playing on the hill, the students were taken by the teacher to the playground where they played until it was time for lunch. At 11:30 the K-4 class returned from the field trip, and I gathered my things to continue with my observations and worked on my child map. Overall, the day in the K-5 class was completely different from my observations in the K-4 class. I learned that not every teacher is the same when it comes to teaching children. The K-4 teacher just has a natural way with children; she is a delight to be around and an inspiring person over all. I feel that I learned more from the K-4 teacher than I did from the K-5 teacher.

K.W

4/11

We arrived at the school around 7:45. Many students were finishing up breakfast and heading to their classrooms. My class was still eating so I joined them. One student ask for me to sit with them so I did. After breakfast we headed to their classroom. The students picked up their coats as we were heading back. Once we go to the class the teacher did a quick math lesson. Students were then broken up into their groups. Some students read, others were on the computer and other worked on a worksheet. I assisted the students that needed help on the worksheet. For the most part students did well on. There were a few students that asked me questions. I also noticed a few students didnt even need help they just flew through the worksheet. After the different groups, students were told to go to the carpet. There they had a discussion and after that it was time for library. It was my first time going to the library with them so I didnt know what to expect. The students returned their previous checked out book and were told to sit in a circle. It wasnt much of a circle but it worked. There were enough of the little beans for them to sit on, but a few didnt want to share. One girl barely gave another student enough room and she complained she was about to fall off. I told her to sit next to me and she was glad to. The student on the other side of me slowly made her way to sit close to me on the carpet. While they were in a circle, the librarian read to them a story. Some students were having trouble sitting still and not talking, and the teacher had to constantly remind them to listen. After they were finished reading the book as a class, they had time to find another book of their own. A few students wanted me to read to them, and even though my voice was kind of going in and out, I did. When class was over we headed back to the class. It was then time for recess. Before recess, was the bathroom break. Students were told to bring their coats because it may have still been cold. Once they were waiting in light by the restrooms they saw other students running around outside with no coats and told the teacher. Once they were outside the teacher told them they could sit their jackets on the bench. Students were on the swings, slides and chasing each other. A few studentwere misbehaving earlier and were told to sit out the first few minutes of recess, but then were able to play. After recess was lunch. I promised a student I would sit with them so I did. We talked about quite a bit of stuff and the students loved to tell me stories. After lunch we went back to the class. Students went to their various RTI groups. I worked on the child map with the student and we ended up finishing. She was excited about finishing. The entire day she kept reminding the teacher about it. Of course the other students asked what was going on. We ended up going back outside again for a treat. The treat was popcorn and maple sugar. Students didnt really like it that much, they also had snowcones with maple sugar. Afterwards they were allowed to play a bit because it was so nice out. After we went back inside we went to the classrooms. They were told they had one more treat. I heard many of the students say”its a movie.” They seem unenthused as if they already new what the movie was. We joined the other first grade class and watched a movie about the easter bunny. They seemed really into it. The students were offerred a snack with small tomatoes, many didnt like it. Once the movie was over it was time to go. Students began packing up and getting ready to begin their spring break. TT

reflection

A place that I visit the most outside of school and around campus would be a soul food restaurant in Chicago, IL two miles south from where I live. Every Sunday my sisters and I get together for brunch or late dinner and we make a reservation for a table to talk about problems or to share some new information in our lives. The food that is cooked there is like comfort food to us. The ambiance of the restaurant feels like our mother’s home, relaxed and comfortable. The restaurant serves fried chicken, candied yams, macaroni, collard greens, corn bread, and many other items. My culture plays a huge part in where I frequently visit because growing up and even now as an adult family tradition is very important to my family. We always had a Sunday dinner and at the dinner my sisters and mother would cook “soul food” and talk about things in our lives while my mother would teach us how to make a certain dish that our grandmother showed her how to make. The Sunday dinners brought my family together and it is the reason my sisters and I are extremely close.

2. My school is where I learn the most because I have different courses and each class teaches various values. I cannot say I gain any knowledge anywhere else because my mother and father never attended a university and my father was a high school dropout. Having a degree has always been the goal reinforced by both of my parents. What place says about where I learn the most is that I am familiar with a classroom setting.

K.W

Reflection Questions

What types of places do you most often frequent?-I most offend visit various places on campus including Roseman, Winther, UC, McCutchan and Starin. I also frequently visit my home in Chicago.

What does this say about your culture(s)?-It says that I spend most of my time studying./in class and or working.

Where do you learn the most?- Its hard to say, I feel as if each place teaches me something rather it be in the actual classroom, at work or even at home. I learn things by the various things I encounter or a day to day basis.

What does this say about how you relate to spaces?- This says that where you learn and experiences you encounter may determine who you are and how you may view the world.

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