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TWS (Part 1) The classroom factors in this particular second grade classroom stand out very well. The classroom has a lot of very bright items in the classroom. The teacher covers the walls with inspirational poster as well as chart paper displaying the work and classroom discussions she and the students have had. The teacher does a wonderful job with making sure everything is bright and colorful to set a good mood for the students when they come into the classroom and while they are learning. Books are also on display around the classroom. Having them on display in the classroom puts the books at eye level for the children to see and explore. Technology in the classroom includes a smart board, and computers. The smart board is used by the teacher to present her lessons on. She is able to write on the board as well as show pictures, video clips, etc. The children use the computers in the classroom to play educational games. However, these are not the only sources the children have to use. There are also a couple of shelves of childrens books in the classroom that the teacher uses to teach from. Furthermore, the children are not limited to only these sources and means of technology; they will just have to go outside of the classroom to receive more. Although, majority of the time the sources in the classroom are all the children need. Parental involvement includes physically meeting with the parents as well as other means of contact with parents. The teacher may have a brief drop by meeting with the parent (where the parent comes to the room and speaks to the teacher briefly), or the teacher and the parent may schedule a time to meet. E-mails, phone calls, and newsletters are also a means of communication the teacher uses to have parental involvement.

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There were a couple of routines I noticed in the classroom. One of the more important routines I picked up on was the teacher allows the students to stand, stretch, and socialize for a brief minute after most every lesson. The students seem to get a bit antsy during each lesson so this is very important to incorporate into the day. One other routine I notices was that the students come sit at the carpet for lessons on writing and reading and for lessons that include clips on the Smart board. Classroom arrangement is very important in the classroom. The students desks are in a semi square in the middle of the room, all desks facing the front towards the teacher and the board. The carpet (a carpet that is sectioned into 5 rows of different solid colors: Purple, Blue, Green, Orange, Red) was in the middle of the room in front of the desks. The table of computers was behind the students in the back of the room. The teachers desk was beside the students desks on the left side of the room along with a small group table a few feet in front of it. In the very front of the room hanging on the wall was also the Smart board and a white board. Student characteristics in the second grade classroom are a wide variety. The ages of 0the children are from ages 7-8 years old. The girls are interested in reading and cheerleading and the boys are interested in football. As for race and ethnicity the class consists of children that are African American, Caucasian, Bi-Racial, Hispanic and Asian. The childrens cultures are that of much variety. Some of the children live with both parents. The majority of the children live in single parent homes. Many of the parents do not have a high school diploma however, some of them do have a high school diploma or either their GED. Two out of the group of parents have received an associates degree or a technical school certificate. One parent has received a masters degree. The languages of the children consist of English (majority) and ESOL (3 of the students). The learning styles of the students are mostly visual/auditory/ and kinesthetic, but

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there are some that are just visual and auditory. There is one child in the classroom that has a learning disability. If there are any students that need RTI for reading and math the teacher will address this either Compass Learning, small group instruction, extra practice, one on one assistance, and repetition of instruction/ direction. Based on the characteristics of the students in the classroom and their backgrounds, I will plan my lessons to make sure I can accommodate each and every child. Since the majority of the classroom is visual, auditory, and kinesthetic I now know that I will need to make sure that my lessons include all three ways of learning. This will be a way that I am sure all of the children are able to learn in their own way. Even adding something extra to the lesson if a child does not understand is a wonderful way that I will be able to make sure each child is able to understand every concept/ lesson taught. For the children that are of a different culture I will be sure to add in books, pictures, clips, etc. to pull in those childrens cultures to make it easier for them to connect to the lesson as well. I will also include pictures to help the ESOL children learn. They may not be able to grasp the concept just through the words so the pictures will help the children understand the concept with less difficulty. Not only will I need to include the culture in the lesson but also the interest of the children. I will include the interest of the children in the lesson to help keep the children interested in the lesson. For the children with learning disabilities I will focus on concepts/ subjects a little longer than normal; this will also mean slowing the lesson down and stretching it out over a longer period of time. Knowing the characteristics of the students is so important to know when

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planning your lessons. It makes it so much easier for the students to learn when their characteristics are in my thought process when planning my lessons. Since the classroom contains children of such wide variety it is critical for me to know my students before planning my lessons. Knowing the cultures and interest of my students will help me to keep the students interested in the lesson through incorporating those things in the lesson. Also having children of many different cultures, including those cultures into my lessons give the other children that are not of those specific cultures, a chance to learn about their classmates. If I know the ages of my students I am able to know what level of learning I need to plan my lessons around. Knowing whether there are children in the class with a learning disability will help me to know whether I may need to stretch a lesson out, repeat specific concepts, give them some one on one attention, or even get them some special help. Knowing that I have ESOL students in the classroom I will also use the tactic above. I will know whether I will need to repeat things many times as well as give these students some one on one attention.