TWS 1: Contextual Factors (Student Information)

Roland Addy
EDUC 461
9-29-14
Student Demographic Questions
Total Number of Students

19

Total Caucasian Students

Total African-American Students

13

Total Latino/Hispanic Students

Total Other Race Students (mixed)

Total Male Students

Total Female Students

12

Age

10-11 year olds

Special Services Count

How many students receive ESOL Services

How many students receive Gifted and

Talented Services
IEP Students

504 Plan

Student Test Scores Count

PASS Results: Exemplary Students in Math

PASS Results: Met Students in Math

PASS Results: Number of Students Not Met

Number of students on grade-level in

Mathematics
Number of students above grade-level in
Mathematics
PASS Results: Exemplary Students in Science

PASS Results: Met Students in Science

PASS Results: Number of Students Not Met

Number of students on grade-level in Science

Number of students above grade-level in

Science

5
1

Classroom Factors
Physical Features
This 5th grade math and science classroom at Johnston Elementary School is arranged in
a way that learning can be maximized to its fullest extent. At the front of the room there is a
Promethean Board in the center, with a small chalk board to the left and a whiteboard to the
right. In the front right corner of the board is the classroom library which includes books for all
subjects and books that are good to read. In the front left corner there is a book shelf that has
dictionaries and thesauruses for students to use. When facing the front of the room on the left
wall there are student cubbies and hooks for students to hang their backpacks on. In the back left
corner of the classroom the teacher has her desk and computer. On the back wall is a bulletin

board. On this bulletin board there is a regular calendar that has the whole month's calendar up
and there is a section for calendar math. Calendar math is a daily math exercise where students
have to use the calendar to do different math operations. When facing the front of the room in
the back right corner there is a table set up where students make their lunch choices, sharpen
pencils, turn in work, and their multiplication cards are easily accessible for them to get. When
facing the front of the room on the right side the teacher's closest is located. On one side of the
closest she keeps some books and materials for her to use and on the other side there are hands
on manipulatives and games for students to play if there is a rainy day recess.

Arrangement of Desks/Grouping
Desks are arranged in 5 groups of 4. In the front of the classroom there are 3 sets of
tables lined up across the front of the classroom. In the back there are 2 sets of tables. The
classroom is arranged so that students have room to set on the floor at the front of the room for
note taking. It is also arranged so that students have room in the back of the classroom to move
closer for calendar math if needed.
Schedule
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday
7:30-7:45
7:45-8:00
8:05-8:55
9:00-10:05
10:10-11:15

Morning Work
BEAR Time
Related Arts
Block A
Block B

Afternoon Schedule (Everyday)

11:20-11:40 Recess
11:40-12:00 Lunch
12:05-1:10
Block C

Tuesday
7:30-7:45
7:50-8:55
9:00-10:05
10:10-10:50
10:55-11:15

Friday

Morning Work 7:30-7:45 Morning Work

Block
7:45-8:00 BEAR Time
Block B
8:05-8:55 Related Arts
PE
9:00-10:05 Block A
BEAR
10:10-10:40 Block B
10:45-11:15 Block B

1:15-2:10

Academy (Pull-Out)

As anyone can see our schedule is a little different. At times this is confusing and the
students really havent figured it out yet, but with only having a PE teacher in the mornings it
makes scheduling difficult. As for a teaching schedule, 2 math lessons are taught and one
science lesson is taught per day. This homeroom class gets ELA, Math, and Science or Social
Studies taught to them every day (Social Studies and ELA is by another teacher). Science is
taught to them every other day and each class gets a short block of science on Fridays. So
science is taught 3 days a week. The afternoon schedule is consistent. The good thing about this
schedule is all pull-outs are done during academy time, this was designed so students are pulled
at the same time and not at scattered times.
Technology/Equipment
As stated above there is a Promethean Board located at the front of the classroom. It is
connected to the teachers computer. There are no student computers in the classroom, but we
do have access to chrome books and they are used practically every day. These must be checked
out on a daily basis from the library. We generally check out a class set everyday and use them
for lessons sometimes. We also use them during academy time and students are allowed to get
on them if they finish their work early.
Resources
The main resource used in this classroom is the EnVision Math textbook and workbook.
Math lessons are taught out of the book and the book is used to its fullest extent. Science is not
taught out of the book and students are given notes on what they need to know. They do have a
book as a resource, but it is not used to teach the information. Another resource that is used a lot
is the chrome book laptops. These devices are used to their fullest extent and they are used for

students to research items, and for students to receive extra math practice when they are finished
with their other work.
Prenatal Involvement
Many forms of parent contact are used to keep parents updated. Parents are updated on a
weekly basis with a progress report going home every Thursday. This progress report updates
parents on how they are doing in each subject, their participation in class, and their behavior for
the week. During this time their work for the week and any important information that needs to
be signed by the students parents will be sent home in a folder. This is designed for parents to
stay up to date about how their child is progressing in the class and let them know of important
dates that are coming up. Parents will also be contacted by phone, email, or agenda if there are
discipline problems that need to be dealt with immediately.
Classroom Rules and Routines
One big thing in this classroom and at this school is students showing respect. They have
a school pledge based on respect that they say every morning. Students are expected to respect
their self, others, property, and their learning. Students are expected to show this and are
reminded of respect and responsibility daily. Students are expected to become self learners and
be their own teachers. The rules in the classroom are to always have respect, be prepared for
class, no talking while teachers or other students are talking, and always have a positive attitude.
Students also know that when they come in, they are supposed to make their lunch choice, get
their materials out, put their back packs under their cubby, and begin their morning work. Other
classroom procedures include no one going to the bathroom, sharpening a pencil, or getting up
while the teacher is teaching. Also when walking in the hallway students must walk on the 3rd
block, face forward at all times, and the last person is in charge of getting the key. The student

of the week is always the line leader. Other school wide procedures include students lining up in
ABC order at all times and silent lunch is done every day.
Students Characteristics
Special Needs
There are several students that have special needs in this class. There are 5 students with
IEPs and one student with a 504 plan. Of these 5 students with IEPs, 4 of them have specific
learning disabilities. The other student has a disability labeled as other health impairment.
These students have accommodations that apply to each student; most of them have oral and
small group testing. Most of the students are also required to sit close to instruction based on
their IEPs. Extra time for completion of work and simplified directions are also a part of most of
the IEPs. They are pulled for their appropriate amount of time each day and many require the
notes to be printed out each day. The student with the 504 plan has the same accommodations
from above plus, being able to take a break as needed. All of these students have trouble staying
on task, you constantly have to refocus them and keeping them on task is a challenge. The main
thing with these students is to make sure they are paying attention when important information is
being given.
Age/Gender/Race/Language
For the most part all students speak fluent English. Even the student that is in ESOL
speaks fluent English. This student speaks at a slower pace, but can relay the information back
clearly if given an appropriate amount of time. All of these students are in the 10-11 year old
age group. There are predominately African American students in this class with 69% of the
class being African American. The other ethnicities in the class are white students making up
26% of the class and Hispanic making up 5% of the class. Females make up the majority of

gender in this classroom with 12 students. They make up 63% of the class and males make up
the other 7 students or 37%.
The socio-economic status of these students is low. The majority of the students have
free or reduced lunch. This school is a title I school and 88% of the children in the school
receive free or reduced lunch.
Achievement/Developmental Levels
Overall this class is not where they need to be according to their PASS testing results.
Science is their best subject with 56% of the class being on or above grade level for their PASS
testing results. The other 44% have not met their passing score for PASS testing. There is a lot
of work that needs to be done in math with 60% of the students not meeting their passing score.
The other 40% of the class was on or above their grade level in math.
Interests
This group likes sports and video games for the most part. There are a lot of females in
this group, but they seem to be interested in sports of some type. Some of the girls are also
cheerleaders and are currently cheerleading. A good many of them like to play basketball. The
boys seem to be most interested in football, which that could be because it is football season
right now. The group as a whole likes to play video games as well. They are also a very social
group. They like to talk and hang out with friends.
Learning Styles
Overall these students are a good group of students. They are a close group and as
stated above can be a social group. Their most suited learning style is cooperative learning,

although this will make them think. Cooperative learning is their most suited learning style
because it gets them involved with each other and helps them all feel important. I think using
their social skills to help them learn will work out to their benefit.
Instructional Implications
Classroom Factors/Student Characteristics
There are a few student characteristics that must be taken into consideration with this
group of students. Overall they are a good group of students. At times they can be a little
talkative, but they are just being children. Children are not going to be quiet all the time.
Besides from this, the biggest concern is keeping some students attention. As a teacher this can
be used to ones advantage though. With 6 having accommodations that all deal with not paying
attention, this is a big concern. There are also other students that struggle with this that do not
have any accommodations. There is also one student who has been known to break down and
have outbursts in the classroom. There hasnt been any major outburst so far this year, but this
student does have the capabilities. There have been a few crying instances, but nothing any
worse than that so far this year. Outbursts and breakdowns have been known to happen in the
past though. As a teacher, one must always keep this in mind when dealing with this student and
the safety of the students must always be kept in mind.
Instructional Implications
One instructional implication that will be used to help with the talking factor is to use this
as an advantage to teaching. Instead of having to constantly call students down for talking; Let
them talk quietly, but control it by making lessons discussion based. Guide their discussions
with prompt questions and rotating around the room. Since this is a social group it only makes

sense to use this factor as a benefit to the classroom. The main goal is to make sure they stay on
task and are talking about the topic being covered in class.
Another contextual factor that specific instructional strategies must be used to address is;
are students having trouble staying on task and not paying attention. To aid students that have
this problem lessons should be hands on. Students are more likely to pay attention if they are
working with their hands and seeing what is happening besides just seeing it on paper. There
should also be short intervals of talking, instruction should last no more than 20 minutes at a
time. It has been proven that students attention span does not last any longer than 20 minutes, so
short instruction periods will be better. For students who struggle paying attention it is also a
good idea to just give them plenty to do and keep them busy. Always have extra work planned
so if the lesson doesnt take as long as first thought, there will still be something for them to do.
Modifications
The student mentioned above that is capable of having break downs will require some
modifications. It is something that is not easy to deal with and just requires some consistency.
The main thing is to keep the student as calm as possible and try to keep the student on task.
This is hard, but as long as the mind doesnt wander, outbreaks are less likely. It will also
require some patience and ignoring when questions about wanting to get out of class are
constantly asked. If a dangerous outbreak ever occurred, the first priority would be to get the
other children out of the classroom. There are some other instances where some children for
whatever reason do not get their medicine. On these days especially when the teacher is notified,
patience is required and the teacher must realize that focusing is going to be hard for that day.
Another modification is academic scores of these students are overall low, which is essential to

realize that lessons will not go as planned and that there will be times when the information may
have to be re-taught. Using assessments to know when to re-teach the material will be a
necessity in this class. One plus to this is the small class size; this school has a rule that there are
no more than 18 in a classroom. This class has one more because of 2 transfer students and a
new student that came in after the year started.