Observing/Reflecting in the Field

Name: C. Denney
School or Learning Environment Location: Elementary school in Metro, Nashville, TN
Primary Language/s of Students: 9 Spanish, 1 Kurdish, 5 English
Age Span of Students: 6-7 years old
Grade Level/s of Students: 1st grade
Date Time: January 27, 2010, 12:30-1:30
Minutes/Hours: 60 minutes
Description of Activities:
Math lesson on solid shapes
The purpose of this lesson was to allow the students to manipulate and describe the characteristics of solid shapes.
Lesson opening: Each math lesson is opened with a review of math skills. The children are seated in a circle on the carpet. We started with math "graffiti". I placed the number 13 on a long piece of paper. Then I placed 13 blocks in the middle of the circle. A child was asked to separate the blocks into 2 groups. Using the two groups, they were to write their addition "graffiti" sentence on the long paper. Next we discussed the solid shapes that we have been learning about. I told them that today we were going to predict then test the shapes to see if each one can slide, stack or roll. We discussed what each action means. Then I held up a cube and asked for predictions as to what it would do. Then I used a ramp created from an angled book to test if it could slide and/or roll. Next I showed them how to test for stacking.
Basic Steps of the Lesson: Then I divided the students into groups of 3. Each group was given a basket with a ball, a can, a bar of soap, a ramp (book), and a worksheet with a table for recording their findings. The children were asked to take turns testing the shapes and I showed them how to mark "y" for yes, and "n" for no one the appropriate columns. I moved around the room to help the students if needed. Two of the groups were a little unsure about recording their answers so I sat with them and showed them how to do the first shape.
After all groups had finished testing and recording their shapes, the students returned to their desks. I had a transparancy of the same worksheet which I place on the overhead projector. The students were called to tell me how they complete their tables for each shape according to their findings. If they had one marked incorrectly, I called on a student to demonstrate the correct answer for the class by using the shape. 
Rules and management: One child was rolling the ball across the room. I went to help his group next in order to keep him on task. After testing the ball/sphere, I took it with me. Another student was having trouble staying with his group. He was wandering around the room to see what everyone else was doing. Therefore, I asked him to hold the basket of shapes for his group and to help them remember whose turn it was. After receiving this "job", he remained with his group. At the beginning of the lesson students had trouble  maintaining a circle. They kept scooting closer to the blocks. I would praise a child who was "staying put" and the others would then scoot back. Another time I asked a student who was being blocked out why he would like the student blocking him to move back. The student then moved back. At the end of the small group activity, several of the students wanted to bring me their paper and tell me that they were finished. I asked them what was the procedure when they finished their work. They knew to put it in the basket and then get a book until the others were finished. As the students returned to their seats, the tables that were sitting quietly earned a point. On Friday the group with the most points gets to eat lunch in the room and watch TV.
Student interactions: I intentionally grouped the children so that each group was a mix of ability levels. I knew that the recording table on the worksheet might be a challenge for my beginning readers. Therefore, I placed them with students who would be able to read the words, "slide", "stack" and "roll" in order to fill in the table. The students worked well together by sharing the shapes and helping each other with the recording table.

Teaching: The purpose of the lesson was to allow for the students to analize the properties of 3 solid shapes. The underlying purpose of the small group activity for my ELL students, was to allow them to use the vocabulary associated with the shapes and their properties. During the introduction to the lesson, I had the children demonstrate with their hands what each property meant (slide, stack and roll) using TPR.
Community: The students in my room are mixture of NELBs (Non English Language Background) and NES (Native English Speakers). At the beginning of the year, all the ELL students were placed in my room. However, starting January 1st, I began receiving any new students, regardless of language backgrounds, as newly mandated from our district. Therefore, the students vary greatly in their levels of language acquisition, and also in their reading and math proficiency. However, they are accustomed to being partnered or grouped. We have worked very hard on sharing and knowing how to help someone rather than just providing them with an answer.  
Ethnographic Perspective: Most of the formal interactions occured during the whole group activity. The students were asked questions and were called upon if they raised their hands or if I sought them out. They were also asked to write their addition sentences on our long paer. Formal interactions also took place at the end of the lesson as we were checking our answers on the overhead projector. The informal interactions took place during the small group activities as the children discussed the shapes' properties amongst themselves. I was able to engage the students in informal discussion as I moved about the room to assess how they were doing.
An outside observer would see a lot of activity and discussion upon entering the room. They would see that the children were engaged and using lots of vocabulary as they tested their shapes. If a second language learner was to enter the room, they would immediately see that the children were having fun as they went about the learning process. They would hear children excitedly talking about what they were doing.

MTSU Honor Statement:
This assignment/assessment was solely written by me. In no way have I
plagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violated
the copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violations
of this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee State
University and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me.
Signed (submitting this statement to Teaching Faculty with student's name typed
below constitutes signing):
C. Denney
Date: January 27, 2010