#1 This second grade classroom is well organized and engaging.

At the front of the room, there is a SMART Board that is mounted between two white boards. The daily objectives are posted on the whiteboard on the far left. There is a large carpet located in front of the SMART Board with five different colored rows: red, blue, green, orange and purple. The teacher also assigns students to different rows and uses these assignments when conducting activities; for instance, dismissing students, naming groups, or some other classroom activity. The desks are arranged in a horseshoe fashion with one row between the sides. The teacher places the students based on their performance levels, personalities and their ability to work with others. For instance, one boy in the class has a hard time being social in the class, so he is seated beside another boy who likes to talk a lot. This has an effect on both of the students by the shyer boy socializing more, and the other student behaving more. There is another girl in the class that sits by herself in the classroom, but her desk is not so far away that she is isolated. She was placed there by the teacher because she caused too much of a distraction by talking and gossiping to the other students around her. The teachers desk is at the front left corner of the room and is a kidney-shaped table that is also used for the guided-reading center. Behind the desk are shelves that he stores resources and materials. The classroom walls are covered with large chart papers that display the information that they have been recently learning such as antonyms, synonyms, facts vs. opinions, main ideas, money sense, and adjectives. The teacher uses these as a great way to remind students of concepts during lessons by pointing at different charts. On the wall next to the door, each student is assigned a cubby and a hanger. The cubbies house their library books, and library cards along with some textbooks they do not use regularly. Students hang their coats and book bags on the hangers beneath the cubbies. Along the back wall there are cabinets that the teacher uses to store additional materials and resources. He has each cabinet organized by subject and labeled accordingly. Underneath the cabinets are four computers and a printer. These computers are used for Accelerated Reader tests and educational computer games that the students can play during their computer time. On the back counter along with the computers, there is a sink with a water fountain head that the students can use during breaks. In the back corner, there is also a classroom bathroom. The teacher does not currently have a specific bathroom policy, but plans to implement one if the bathroom becomes a problem and/or a distraction. The class has a daily morning schedule and is normally followed. First, they eat breakfast in the classroom while they do their morning work. They briefly pause to watch the schools broadcasted news on the SMART Board. This is followed by answers to the morning work, and possibly further help with the questions. After, the teacher does a read aloud from a novel that he has been reading out loud. During this time they were reading a book called Hatchet. Next

they go to the station their group is assigned to. It could be guided reading/writing, computer, seat work or math questions that are on the board. After 10-15 minutes they circulate groups until each group has completed each station. Each station is tailored to reinforce what they have been learning in class. The students are accountable for completed work because it reflects their daily participation grade. This usually takes them until lunchtime and after lunch they return for a science or social studies lesson; one or the other is taught for two weeks and they alternate. They work on this until their daily activity; e.g. P.E., music, computer, etc. After activity they have recess time until dismissal time at 2:30. There is a school-wide behavior system that promotes positive behavior. If a student is ready, respectful and responsible, then they can receive PAWsitive Paws which is a reward system to promote good behavior. Further classroom rules are to be organized at their desk with only the necessary materials visible and to only interrupt him unless its extremely important. Overall, parental volunteering in the classroom was not noticeable, but the teacher knows that he can easily reach a childs parent if he has a problem or concern with a child. Student Characteristics This second grade class consists of twenty students with ages ranging from 7 8. The class consists of 10 male and female students. 55% are African American, 25% are Caucasian and 20% are Hispanic. There is a large portion of the students who are from a low socioeconomic status in the room and receive free lunch. There are no learning disabled children in the classroom, but three students are in the second tier RTI. There is one ELL (English Language Learner) student, who is Hispanic. There is also two other students who are labeled as being bilingual. Most of the students are good listeners, but sometime struggle with following directions. Most seem to be tactile-kinesthetic learners because through my one-on-one sessions with children during individual work they seem to benefit more from manipulating objects to help convey a point. For example, there was one child struggling to understand the coordinate grid. It seemed to help if they looked at the tiled floor as a grid and move their hands to track the process of plotting an ordered pair. The class was screened for the gifted and talented program, and three students met the criteria for placement next year. Instructional Implications Most of the variables of the students have implications for planning instruction. For instance, the RTI students who struggle with math concepts and reading, would need additional assistance when doing class work. These students receive intensive help from the teacher

through guided reading and other one-on-one help. The teacher receives assistance from the resource teacher for advice on different teaching strategies and methods to help these students. Also, when planning instruction, the teacher must take into account a particular student with extensive behavioral problems. This student usually does not do well when working in groups or partners because he is disruptive and sometimes bullies the other children. The teacher usually assigns different work for him to do individually and the teacher will check in on him frequently to make sure he is on task. There are a few other students with talking issues, and the teacher usually pairs them with other students who are not as socially active. This typically balances the two out.