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)
a. The teacher uses many gestures when explaining new concepts.
Not only does she express the concepts using gestures, but also
she has the students do the same. For example, when explaining
phonics rule the teacher said, The first vowel does the talking;
second one does the walking. While doing this she walked, and
made a talking sign with her hands. After showing the students,
she then had the students do the same while saying the rhyme.
In small group instruction the teacher instructs in the same way
that she does for all students. However, she takes her time when
explaining to the ELL student. She speaks slowly and is more
likely to repeat things to this student.

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)
a. The only behavior that I noticed that was different about the ELL
student was that she watched you for a long time when talking.
Even after the teacher would finish saying something, the
student would look at the teacher for an extended period of time.
I just assumed that ger gaze was her way of processing the
information or attempting to process the information.

3. What type of interactions do you see between the ELL

student(s), other classroom students, and the teacher(s)?
Please describe in detail.
a. I would say that the interactions betweeen the ELL student and
the other classroom students are typical of any child. She has
friends, and talks to everyone in the classroom without
hesitation. She has developed very well as an English-speaking

student, so she is able to interact with the other classroom

students.

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.
a. The child is not given any extra materials. She uses the same
manipulatives as the other students in the classroom. That being
said, the teacher uses several manipulatives and pictures
throughout her classroom. She believes that all students benefit
from learning in this way. So just as the ELL student is able to
make the concepts concrete with visuals, the other students do
the same. The manipulatives, visuals, and other internet
resources do seem to very effective. The ELL student is definitely
more engaged when there are manipulatives involved. For
example, the student is able to see picture cards when learning
new phonics rules. I can see her look at the picture, identify the
object, and then sound out the phonics rule. This shows me that
shes definitely using the visual to aid in her learning.

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.
a. Sometimes the student struggles with finding materials. I do not
know if thats due to the organization of the classroom, or due to
the fact that very few things are labeled. Other than the
organization of the classroom, the ELL student seems to be very
comfortable. She is seated with students that are similar in
academic level, so I see her thrive when they are working
together. She is also encouraged in many ways to talk with her
peers. The teacher always has the students out of their seats
interacting with one another, whether in groups on an
assignment, or discussing their afternoon plans, the students are
frequently talking with one another.

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?
a. The student seems to be very comfortable in regards to the
English language. I have never seen her struggle to find a word.
The only struggle I see is with her accent. She sometimes
struggles with saying a word, and sometimes struggles to
effectively get a point across because of her accent. However,
that rarely stops her from talking about everything. She is very
well developed in her vocaulary. As far as being a first grade
student goes, I would say that she has knowledge of vocabular.
She can use her vocabulary words in sentences and in her
conversation. I do not think it is a rich, decontextualized
understanding, but she is able to make use of her vocabulary
words. For example, if she learned the vocabulary word
habitat, she may write a sentence such as, The animal lives in
his habitat. She can make use of the word, but may not
completely decontextualized understanding of the word.

7. If you feel comfortable enough to ask, ask the cooperating

teacher (or ESL teacher) what type of
accomodations/modifications they have to make for the ELL
student(s). Please describe the types of
accomodations/modifications that were discussed. Do they
appear on the checklist? Why/why not do you think they are
present/not present on the checklist?
a. The teacher told me that she does not make many
accomodations or modifications for the student. She says that
she does slow down her speech to aid in processing information.
She also said she uses visuals to help all of her students better
understand the concepts being taught. Using visuals is on eht
checklist. I think they are present on the checklist because using
visuals helps learners to make abstract ideas more concrete.