Kolb EDUC 461 Fall 2014

Contextual Factors
A. Classroom Factors
1) Physical Characteristics:
Ms. Souths room theme is Wild about Learning. She has kept this theme for years
because buying materials for a new theme for your classroom is too much money. Starting at
the door, she has an Absent/Here pan for students to put their picture up for student role.
To the left is the art center. The classroom has a bathroom and sink for the students and
teachers to use. There are cabinets above the sink which have all the arts and crafts supplies
for lessons for the week. She has another large cabinet in which each shelf has been divided
by language arts, math, science, and big books. Next are the cubbies where the students put
their book bags and their folders. This is the place where they put their work in for the day.
Next is the book center in which there is a couch and a chair for students to read during
center time. The set of shelves contain math manipulatives where the students take a tub and
bring it out to the table and to use for enhancing math skills. Next is the big block center in
which students use big wooden blocks or large Lego pieces. The next shelf is spilt for the
puzzle and science centers. Since there is no room for the students to stay in that spot, they to
take the materials to the carpet for use. Finally, the last center is the housekeeping center and
it tends to be the most popular center. Next, you get to the carpet and general learning area
where the SmartBoard, calendar, and books are placed. There are three tables, and each one
has a different color for each one. The students are grouped according to ability and
academics.
2) Availability of Technology/Equipment/Resources:
Students are allowed to use the SmartBoard during calendar and for lessons throughout the
day. Students use the computers in the computer lab for usage programs such as Success Maker
and Early Literacy for enhancement of skills. Students have access to using many of the
resources in the classroom and during center time. The centers include learning and pulling
students for extra needs like interventions.
3) Extent of Parent Involvement:

Kolb EDUC 461 Fall 2014

We send letters home to parents and other information they need to know. During
school/supply drop off time, parents had the option of helping out with food for special events in
the classroom. Ms. South also had a packet which was called Student/Parent/Teacher
Conversations which gives Ms. South information about the family. We have some families that
are very involved in their childs education by helping them enhance skills at home and others
that are not but say they do. It is a rule from the principal that that the teachers need to be in
100% contact with their parents.
4) Classroom Rules/Routines/Scheduling:
The teachers are using whole brain teaching for their classroom rules. Whole brain teaching
has five rules which consist of: follow directions quickly, raise your hand for permission to
speak, raise your hand for permission to leave your seat, make smart choices, and keep your dear
teacher happy. Students are to come in and take out their folders. They have bag books where
they exchange another one and put one book back. They start on morning work while the news
plays and we have our Pledge of Allegiance. To use the restroom, they have to hold up two
hands, but mostly we let them use it without that rule. To speak, they hold up one finger. We
have a routine of morning meetings, the calendar, and going over the beginning of letters and
blending of words for ELA. Then we also do comprehension and learning of sentence endings
for a big book that we are working on for the week. We then do our math lesson, which could
consist of tens frame or learning our basic numbers. Ms. South and I will then put them in
centers until lunch time. After lunch, we either come back to the room to enhance basic skills,
like doing activities with sight words or doing other things with numbers or tens frame.
Otherwise, on Wednesdays we go to the small computer lab to do an activity or two on Success
Maker. Then the students go to their related arts while Ms. South and I plan or wipe tables to
keep down germs. The students then come back into the room where we do fun reading or do our
science/social studies lesson if it is not related to the lesson for ELA or Math. Finally, students
will either go back to centers or go outside to recess until the end of the day for dismissal.
5) Grouping Patterns:
Ms. South and I grouped the students by ability for the tables but as the school year
progressed we realized that we do need to change some things around because they are in a table

Kolb EDUC 461 Fall 2014

where they should not be. We also try to group the students by boy/girl, white/black so we are
not grouping them by gender or racial status.
6) Classroom Arrangement:
Ms. South has her room set up in a way that is easy to get to things that she needs and the
students. I have been helping her get more organized so it does not take long to find something.
Her arrangement of the tables is easier and accessible for students to get to after they have learn
time on the carpet. Students are also able to see the SmartBoard when we use it in the classroom.
B. Student Characteristics:
Mrs. Souths Class, Long Cane, Kindergarten
Description

Female

Male

Total Number
of Children

18

15

Six years old

White

Black

Mixed

Speech

RTI

Repeaters

Visual

18

Number of
Children

Age of Children Five years old

Race/Ethnicity

Special Needs

Learning Styles

Kolb EDUC 461 Fall 2014

Achievement

Kinesthetic

18

High

3 (One is a

repeater)

Levels (MAP
scores will be
come soon)
Middle

3 (Two are

repeaters)
Low

C. Skill Level in Reading and Math

We have students who are different in both skill levels for each of the core subjects. We have
about four students who are already reading level one books with simple sight words in them.
We have 3 students who already know how to add numbers together. There are students who do
need RTI time at the end of the day or even during center time. We have one student who does
not know any of his letters because he is the youngest in the class. He was four but turned five
when he arrived. We have one student who does recognize some letters and numbers, but she has
no idea how to write them. We mostly use a yellow marker for her, and she traces over them.
One student is low in knowing his letters and numbers, but he does answer questions when it
comes to a story being read to him.
D. Instructional Implications:
1) Awareness of the classroom factors will help the students learn in a way that
will address each of their needs. We do have the calendar which helps with
counting by ones, fives, and tens for students who need it. The academic
information helps us with interventions plans for our low, middle, and high
students. Each student is on a different level in the core subjects; therefore, the
information in the chart will let me know in which direction I need to go with
my teaching.

Kolb EDUC 461 Fall 2014

2) Two instructional implications that I use for planning, teaching, and assessing
will be for the following core subjects ELA and Math. Since Science and
Social Studies are integrated with them, it also guide my planning for the
basic skills that will be used for these two subjects. One instructional
implication is that I should use more partner work to establish collaborative
and cooperative learning. I would like to have the students paired by ability. I
used to do low with high student, but it does not work because the high
student will do all of the work. And this implication could be geared towards
both ELA and Math. Another instructional implication I will use it to allow
extra time on an assignment or use another tool to help the ones that need it,
such as a yellow marker to help with writing.
3) Since we have three repeaters, one receives RTI, one receives Speech three
times a week, and the other receives SSI, which is a student service program
at the school. We do not have any IEPs or 504 plans. With the students that
need help with speech, I let them look at my mouth as I am saying the word so
they can see the mouth movement. For students who need help with writing, I
use a yellow marker and have them watch me do the movements. For the
higher students and middle students, I let them illustrate or try to spell the
word or make another math problem.