Candice Seawright Teaching Science to Children Mrs.

McClary April 21, 2014 School Description I have been assigned to do my field observation at Brookdale Elementary School. Brookdale is located at 394 Brookdale Drive in Orangeburg, South Carolina. There is a total of 278 Pre-K through 5th graders that attend this school. The principal of Brookdale Elementary is Mrs. Charlene Stokes. This school is one of the lower socioeconomic status schools in the district. When first arriving at the school, it seems a bit small, but well-kept together. I know that Brookdale is an older school, so a lot of the foundation you can see is a tad bit old, but as a mentioned before, it is still in good standings. The main office is located on the right hand side once you walk into the school and the staff is very welcoming. The hallways are very tiny and can be crowded when two classes are walking through at the same time. There is a fully equipped science laboratory for all students to go throughout the week. This gives students a great
visual and hands on activity for learning. As far as the classrooms, they seem to be very small.

This does not allow much room for students to walk around and become interactive. However, outside is a great science learning experience for children. There are many different trees, fungi and natural habitats students can learn all about. Children can also use the field a way to learn about motion and speed. Both the science lab and outside the school are great learning opportunities for students. Brookdale Elementary School is located in a residential neighborhood. I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood in which it was located in and

noticed that the neighborhood was actually quite nice. The houses were of average size if not larger, with a big lawn in the front. This definitely surprised me because Brookdale had such a low economic status. Usually, one would think that these students would live in more a run down, not so clean house or apartment but these houses actually looked nice to stay in. Now further down the road you will see this exactly. There is trash located up and down the road and the environment seems small and not so good for students. I think a lot of these students may live in these apartments and homes. They may not be the best looking homes, but we cannot judge anyone from where they come from.