Tyler Morder

Journal 1

Today I observed Mrs. Mickeys classroom of 3rd graders at

Metzgar Elementary School as they went through a language arts
class. Mrs. Mickey greeted every student as they entered the class and
this translated to their lesson. The teacher student interactions were
respectful and diligent all day. The students sat with Mrs. Mickey as
she re-read a book they had read a few days ago. She then assessed
the students through a character map. The students were asked to
state the character, four traits the character displayed and exact
examples of how the characters displayed the traits. Students worked
completely independent except for a few students with special needs
who had assistance from the second teacher, a learning support
teacher. The class had five students that needed the aid along with an
additional student with Down syndrome.
The students then moved onto spelling. I gave a student last
weeks spelling test because he was absent. They went over the words
and spellings as a class before moving to the back of the class to play
a game. The game was called Cherry Pie. Students would go around
in a circle spelling the word letter by letter. After the word was
completed, the following students would state the word then say the
phrases, Oh my, Cherry Pie, Bye, bye and the next student was

out and had to sit down. This was a great activity in my opinion
because it had students pay attention to one another (follow along),
break down each letter of each word, and collaborate with one another.
Mrs. Mickey explained to me that this is a two-year-old
curriculum and teachers, including herself, are still working on how to
implement the materials. I could see some things didnt flow as easily
as others and I believe this was due to the new curriculum.