Essential Components

How does the classroom environment encourage students to gain independence as readers and writers?

The classroom is one of the most essential components towards students gaining independence and confidence as well. If the teacher is able to set up his or her classroom that gives students the freedom to choose a quiet area to read independently or a quiet area to write independently, then the child can have a personal spot to go to and complete these activities. However, these spots should be secluded and aware from any distractions. That is if the area for independent reading is right next to the door which is constantly open, the child could become distracted by the children walking through the hall or the classrooms making group transitions to the library. The area designed for these specific spots should pose little threat to distractions and provide many different forms of literature and aids to engage reading and writing. The teacher in this video did a fantastic job of meeting the needs of all students.

How are the diverse needs of learners (language in particular) met in this classroom?

           

            One thing that really hit home with me was the fact that there was a teacher’s aid that spoke Chinese for the English Language Learners. The teacher also encouraged the Chinese students to share their language and try to teach the other children words in Chinese. These children were just learning the English Language from the beginning stages. It was very helpful for the teacher to put up posters and help aids to show the Chinese students what sounds look like and how they can get help with reading.

What forms of assessment are apparent in this classroom, and how does assessment guide instruction?

The teacher assessed the students by meeting with them individually. She was able to see how much the students know through shared reading experience and by assessing the children’s drawings in comparison with their sentences. This activity determined if the writing component of the lesson was fully comprehended. It also helped the teacher see what the students know and what they needed more work on.

How are reading and writing connected in this classroom?

The activity that incorporated this best was when the teacher had the students draw a picture and write a sentence. This is helpful because the other students were able to read their peers sentence and learn by comparing it to the picture that was drawn. It was also helpful for the students to discuss what they saw in the picture and what the sentence actually said. This sparked conversation between students which helps students discuss what it is they are learning.