Context
Discovery Elementary school is part of the Kentwood Public school system. It is located in Kent County. According to NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) there are 457 students that attend the kindergarten through fifth grade school. In fifth grade alone, there are 81 students. Discovery hosts students of multiple ethnicities. In descending order, Caucasian (48%), African American (20%), Hispanic (14%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10%), and two or more races (8%). Approximately half (49%) of Discovery students are eligible for free or reduced lunches. From this I can estimate that the socio-economic status of the students families are lower or middle class.
The area surrounding Discovery is residential. There are newly developed neighborhoods around the school. One of them being right across the street. There are some students who live in these next-door houses because I've seen them walk to school from them. The houses surrounding Discovery range from large two stories to small ranch style houses. There is another elementary school a couple miles away from Discovery, and a Kentwood Public middle school and high school. By the Kentwood Public high school, there are chain businesses such as Starbucks, Subway, and McDonalds. Overall, the surrounding area of the school seems to be kept up well, but it ranges from lower class housing to upperclass very quickly.
When I first walked into Discovery Elementary, I was greeted warmly by two receptionists and Discovery's principal. We had to walk into the office before entering the main hall of the school and sign in. We were given a tour of the school to get the basic outline of the school, which is basically in and “H” shape. It's broken up into the lower elementary wing and the upper.
In my 5th grade classroom there are 27 students. Mrs. Becker, their teacher, has been great in getting me accustomed to how the class runs and to easing me into responsibilities. When I first arrived, the students were in their silent reading portion of the day. They do this everyday for about twenty minutes while attendance is being taken. Each student had their own book that they either brought from home, or found in the plethora of books Mrs. Becker has in her room. During this time I'm able to read students one-on-one, and evaluate their reading for further knowledge on how well they can perform in the class. Mrs. Becker gave me a binder with a page for each student to keep my thoughts in about their reading abilities. Afterwards they go into their “good news” time. Mrs. Becker asks if anyone has any good news for the day, and the students are allowed to share practically anything. The portion of the day that I am there, however, they are in their English section.
They are expected to be respectful to other while they are talking. An example of this is that they are not allowed to sharpen pencils when the lesson is going on because it distracts and disrespects others. Since there are quite a few of them in Mrs. Becker’s classroom, there is much noise however the students respect Mrs. Becker so that they quiet down when she asks. The classroom is arranged into approximately eight pods of desks of three. The pods are either all girls or all boys. The students are not mixed in gender. I think this may allow for more comfort when they work/talk in groups, which seems to happen quite a bit. I think the amount of students in class can get overwhelming and distract students from their learning. It can be a hard atmosphere to work with, but the students seem to take responsibility of quieting down their neighbors. Mrs. Becker wants her students to be active in their learning. She allows for much time to discuss things with partners around. Instead of working silently on something individually, she pushes them to think aloud with those around. Froyen agrees with this he says, "When teachers are actually making seating assignments, they should remember that school is a social event for most students" (Froyen, p. 49). From the talks I've had with Mrs. Becker, and she is very encouraged by her students. She has a few that go to resource rooms, however she has so much faith in her students to succeed and the students are able to pick up on that as well.
The curriculum in Mrs. Becker's class varies. The curricula seems to be chosen from different areas. So far, I've observed interactive textbooks that allow using a website online to discover more than just reading the text. Another example is their math program. They are tested through an online program that prepares them for official assessments. Overall, every piece of curriculum is picked according to what fits best for each subject and classroom.
Overall, Discovery allows their students to be creative and innovative in their schooling. They produce great teachers who truly care about their students. Discovery brings forth an atmosphere of achievement for all that enter through its doors.
The area surrounding Discovery is residential. There are newly developed neighborhoods around the school. One of them being right across the street. There are some students who live in these next-door houses because I've seen them walk to school from them. The houses surrounding Discovery range from large two stories to small ranch style houses. There is another elementary school a couple miles away from Discovery, and a Kentwood Public middle school and high school. By the Kentwood Public high school, there are chain businesses such as Starbucks, Subway, and McDonalds. Overall, the surrounding area of the school seems to be kept up well, but it ranges from lower class housing to upperclass very quickly.
When I first walked into Discovery Elementary, I was greeted warmly by two receptionists and Discovery's principal. We had to walk into the office before entering the main hall of the school and sign in. We were given a tour of the school to get the basic outline of the school, which is basically in and “H” shape. It's broken up into the lower elementary wing and the upper.
In my 5th grade classroom there are 27 students. Mrs. Becker, their teacher, has been great in getting me accustomed to how the class runs and to easing me into responsibilities. When I first arrived, the students were in their silent reading portion of the day. They do this everyday for about twenty minutes while attendance is being taken. Each student had their own book that they either brought from home, or found in the plethora of books Mrs. Becker has in her room. During this time I'm able to read students one-on-one, and evaluate their reading for further knowledge on how well they can perform in the class. Mrs. Becker gave me a binder with a page for each student to keep my thoughts in about their reading abilities. Afterwards they go into their “good news” time. Mrs. Becker asks if anyone has any good news for the day, and the students are allowed to share practically anything. The portion of the day that I am there, however, they are in their English section.
They are expected to be respectful to other while they are talking. An example of this is that they are not allowed to sharpen pencils when the lesson is going on because it distracts and disrespects others. Since there are quite a few of them in Mrs. Becker’s classroom, there is much noise however the students respect Mrs. Becker so that they quiet down when she asks. The classroom is arranged into approximately eight pods of desks of three. The pods are either all girls or all boys. The students are not mixed in gender. I think this may allow for more comfort when they work/talk in groups, which seems to happen quite a bit. I think the amount of students in class can get overwhelming and distract students from their learning. It can be a hard atmosphere to work with, but the students seem to take responsibility of quieting down their neighbors. Mrs. Becker wants her students to be active in their learning. She allows for much time to discuss things with partners around. Instead of working silently on something individually, she pushes them to think aloud with those around. Froyen agrees with this he says, "When teachers are actually making seating assignments, they should remember that school is a social event for most students" (Froyen, p. 49). From the talks I've had with Mrs. Becker, and she is very encouraged by her students. She has a few that go to resource rooms, however she has so much faith in her students to succeed and the students are able to pick up on that as well.
The curriculum in Mrs. Becker's class varies. The curricula seems to be chosen from different areas. So far, I've observed interactive textbooks that allow using a website online to discover more than just reading the text. Another example is their math program. They are tested through an online program that prepares them for official assessments. Overall, every piece of curriculum is picked according to what fits best for each subject and classroom.
Overall, Discovery allows their students to be creative and innovative in their schooling. They produce great teachers who truly care about their students. Discovery brings forth an atmosphere of achievement for all that enter through its doors.