Tessa Swiger

Practicum PreK-4

Mrs. Spudys LS Classroom

Monday September 18, 2017

1:30-3:30 PM

Todays observation was similar to last weeks observation. The

student who was absent last week was in attendance this week. However, the girl in

Mrs. Spudys class that was here last week was absent this week. Instead of

observing both sides this week, I really wanted to focus on Mrs. Spudys side since

that is the group I will be primarily working with it seems. I sat on her side of the

classroom. I arrived shortly before the students came into the classroom. The

routine was the same; students took their assignment books either to Mrs.

Newingham or Mrs. Spudy. Some students brought some math work with them, and

both teachers went through and quickly adapted them. One student forgot his point

card and had to return to his previous class to go and get it. Mrs. Spudy takes her

students planners and writes their assignment for ELA in it. She informs them that

their spelling and vocabulary test will be on Wednesday.

She first instructed students to get out their activity books. The began with

some decoding practice. They reviewed as a group the sounds they had been

working on (e,y,r,l,w, and a few others). Each student went through and read the

line. After reviewing this, they moved onto shifty word blending. Each student took

a column and had to sound out the highlighted/underlined letter sound, then the

word (h, hill, l, well, etc.). They came upon the word swell. Mrs. Spudy asked
the students if they knew what that meant. Student S and B tried to explain it, but

were thinking of the word swollen. This was technically correct, however she was

looking for happy, good, great) example. Following this activity, they did some

focused word practice. Each student read a set of six words. The term lend came

up in practice, and she asked the students if they could define this term. Student D

was able to describe it as lending a hand, while correct, Mrs. Spudy went on to tie

it into borrowing something. After some more practice, she touched upon the term

lets. She drew an arrow to the apostrophe and asked students what this was.

Student S said apunctuation, but then fixed herself with some prompting and

answered apostrophe. Mrs. Spudy asked what kind of word this was. Student D

guessed and said a compound word. Although incorrect, he was on the right

thinking path. With some then further prompting from Mrs. Spudy, D was able to

come up with the term contraction. The group then went forward with breaking

apart the word and determining what the long version of it was (let us). The activity

book went on to further focused sound word practices and mixed practices which

students took turns saying. The group then came upon the word shed. When asked

what this meant, S answered a building that you put tools in. Then, B answered to

shed a tear. Mrs. Spudy was super impressed and asked him to repeat his answer

for the group. She asked him how he thought of that or where he heard that at. He

said he remembered it from the last story they read together in their reading books.

I personally was super impressed he came up with that phrase as well, and was able

to recall that information from the prior story they read. Finally, student D

responded with it could be like when a snake sheds its skin. All of the students did
an impressive job with being able to define all of the various answers for each term.

In the next section of the activity book, students read each word and identified the

specific sound they had been working on. The group then read simultaneously

words that ended in ank. The next section required students to read sentences.

They read quietly to themselves and then read individually. The group then went

through and broke down parts of the sentence (subject/predicate). They would later

revisit this skill in a later activity. Students then read as a group multisyllabic words.

Students were then instructed to get out their storybooks. They reviewed

what sort of stories they were reading, which were fables. The group defined fables

(stories with animals that teach a lesson). The story they read last week was about a

cricket and an ant. The fable taught how it was important to get your work done

first before you play. This is the story that B remembered the phrase shed a tear.

The title of the next story was The Hen and the Bucket. She reminded the students

that as they went through and read, to be mindful of phrasing the text, using

inflection, and not to read like a robot. First B read, then the teacher, then D, and

finally S. Throughout the guided reading, Mrs. Spudy asked questions about the text,

such as What is the hens problem? What is her idea? Mrs. Spudy also would

prompt throughout to use phrasing voices, to speak more clearly or to look again at

words they may have missed. The group reviewed the lesson of the story, in which B

said it means you have to work hard to get what you want. This was the second

time this session that B impressed both Mrs. Spudy and I with his answers. Mrs.

Spudy tied back the lesson of the story to real life by saying how as third graders,

the teachers arent going to do your work for you. They will guide you and help you,
but it is up to you to get the work done. There is a lot of emphasis on both sides of

the room (which their should be), on how each student should be independent and

responsible for their actions and choices they make.

The group was then prompted to then go back to their activity books. The

group read the directions together, and emphasized each sentence. Mrs. Spudy

prompted the students to check their work to make sure each word made sense. The

worksheet was broken down into three parts: fill in the blank, write sentences, then

draw a picture (all relating to the story they just read). Students worked quietly and

independently to complete this activity. Mrs. Spudy again throughout would prompt

students to check their work, fix their handwriting, and to re read the directions. I

noticed while the students were writing that S used her one finger spacing after

sentences, which I thought was a great skill that she was utilizing without

prompting. Mrs. Spudy went through each work book and graded the assignment for

each student.

After, the students then worked to complete a fluency exercise. Mrs. Spudy

explained that fluency was the rate at which we read. Students were to read the

story to themselves, and if there was a word they did not know, to underline and ask

for help. Only one student underlined a term (S), which was scooted, and both her

and Mrs. Spudy worked together to sound out the word. The students then read the

passage as a group. Students then read for the third time individually. Mrs. Spudy

timed each student, and would mark how many words they completed in one

minute. At the bottom of the page students then rewrote a sentence.

 For the final lesson, students got out their spelling books. Students were to

correct and identify errors in the sentences given. The first sentence was written as

the following: the cat was mad. Students correctly identified that there was no

capital letter as well as no period at the end. Mrs. Spudy went further with this

sentence and had students identify the subject/predicate. She commented on how

boring the sentence was, and asked students what words could they put in front of

cat to make this sentence better. Students gave a variety of answers, and also

correctly identified those terms as adjectives. At the end of the class students earned

fake money as a reward that they put in envelopes that stay on the back of their

chairs. Mrs. Spudy had to go down to talk to the principal, so with my remaining

time at the site, I made copies of ORF exercises and assessments that will be put into

each students individual folders. Mrs. Spudy also commented on how next week I

could start working directly with the group, possibly starting with doing some of the

scripting that is provided in the reading program.