Katelyn Pratt

Practicum

Observations:
Each observation was done with Mrs. Shannon Smith at Harrison Park Elementary. I observed
from 9-10 am on 3/19, 3/24, 3/26, 3/31, 4/2, 4/7, 4/9, 4/14, 4/16 and 4/21.

Objective 1: discussion of your teaching and tutoring, including what worked and what
did not work; discussion of changes you would make to the lesson plan and to the lesson
delivery
Since I came at the beginning of the morning, they were always in their reading/writing
lesson. I think that this was the best time to come and see an ELL in the classroom since I think
that reading/writing would be the most difficult. They always started out with a review from the
day before. The set up was like a writers workshop. They would all sit around in a circle and go
over what they learned the day before. Each student would share with their writing partner what
they had added to their paper. Over the whole time that I was observing, they were working on a
persuasive paper that went along with a story that they had read at the beginning of the 9 weeks.
The story was Frindle and they were trying convince their class to use their new word. Then
there was a mini lesson that Mrs. Smith taught the class. This is when I would sit by Isaac and
make sure that he understood what was going on. After the mini lesson was over, they would
apply what was learned to their paper. For example, for the first week, they learned about
introduction paragraphs. The second week, it was concluding paragraphs. Then the next four

weeks, they learned about mechanics and how to proofread. At the end of the lesson, they would
all come back together to see if anyone had any questions.
There was not much that I would change about her lessons. I liked how she had the
writing workshop set up. This gave her the time to teach and individually work with students.
However, had I not been in the classroom, I do not think that Isaac would be getting enough one
on one attention. When I was there, I was able to help him with the concepts. Since his paper was
going to be a lot more basic than the rest of the class, having me there to ask questions to was
nice.

Objective 2: Discussion of accommodations you observed and used that met the needs of
different oral proficiency levels of the ELL(s). How did you connect culture to the
standards? How did you employ TESOL standards? From which oral proficiency level
was your student?
Isaacs level of language performance proficiency was at level three developing. He is
able to speak in simple sentences but he has a lot of errors in his sentences. I realized this did fit
along with exactly what the TESOL standards says a level 3 should be. Since he had a lot of
trouble with making sentences, most of the writing time was spent doing this with Isaac. Since he
was just learning how to write in English, it was hard to really teach him how to use a lot of the
proper mechanics.
Mrs. Smith also tried to keep him organized with graphic organizers. He would try to fill
out a TEXXXI chart. This would help him write a paragraph with an opening line, an
explanation, three examples, and an implication. This was definitely very helpful for him.

She did not really have her lessons connect to his culture, that I observed. It was
difficult to incorporate culture into these writing lessons though. She may have done it with other
subjects.

Objective 3: Discussion of instructional strategies we learned in class that you used when
teaching, how well they worked, other elements you might use
Like I explained before, the graphic organizers really helped Isaac get organized and
understand how to form paragraphs better. Another strategy was having him work with partners
or groups when discussing the mini lesson of the day. This way he was not only having social
interaction, but he was able to ask the other students questions too.

Objective 4: An in-depth heartfelt summary of what you are observing

Included with objective 5
Objective 5: A Final Summary Discussion on the types of needs you saw in while working
in the practicum placement. What should the educational system in the U.S. be doing for
students who are here from other cultures?
Although I was only observing basically Mrs. Smiths writing class each time I was in, I
think that she did a really nice job including her ELL with other students. Even though she was
not able to incorporate culture into these lessons, I know that she did that in other lessons,
especially social studies. She also had the class doing some readings on Spain in their reading
class so that Isaacs culture was included. Although Isaac goes to a remedial math and reading
class during the day, I think that the educational system should make sure that every school is
being provided with the appropriate and effective instruction and support. I think that it was very

beneficial for me to be in the classroom helping Isaac so I think that within classrooms with ELL
students there should be more than one instructor. Also, I believe that all teachers should have
background knowledge in ELL instruction.