Section 8:

Observations

Lesson 1:
Social Studies Grade 5
The first lesson I observed was a fifth grade social studies lesson. The lesson was
a debate. The debate was over whether all students should speak the same language.
There were two ESL students in the class. Both students proficiency level is at a level 6.
It was interesting to hear their opinions on the matter on whether all students should
speak the same language. Students were interested in the ESL students' opinion because
these students went through the same challenges as students that we were reading about.
The teacher used visuals to help support the ESL. The teacher also checked in with both
students after the directions were given to see that they understood. After speaking with
the teacher, she explained, that at this level, it is most important to ensure that the
students understood the directions. Many times, the students need the directions repeated
in a slower matter. I was impressed to see how much the students wanted to participate in
the lesson and speak.
Observation 2:
5
th
Grade Reading
The second lesson I observed was a 5
th
grade reading lesson. The lesson
concentrated on character traits. Students were required to come up with three character
traits for 5 different characters in the book that they were currently reading. Once again,
the teacher gave the direction first to the whole class. After giving the directions to the
whole class, she checked in with the ESL students to see if they understood. One of the
students needed clarification on some of the meaning of the words. The teacher provided
visuals to explain the character traits that the student was confused on. After the teacher
checked in with the students, the students were able to complete the assignment.

Observation 3:
The last lesson I observed was an anti-bullying lesson. Students first reviewed the
concepts of their antibullying program HERO. H stands for honesty, E stands for
empathy, R stands for respect, and O stands for open-mindness. After reviewing each
letter and the meaning of what it means to be a HERO. Students were instructed to make
a rough draft of a banner that represents HERO. After each student completed the rough
drafts, the class would vote on the best one to be made into a banner for the classroom.
The teacher provided visuals for each letter and word for the ESL students. This helped
the students understand the meanings of each word. When students started their rough
drafts, the teacher checked in with each ESL student to ensure that they accurately
understood the concept of HERO. I enjoyed observing this lesson. It was interesting to
hear the student's opinions of their antibullying program.