Laura Beth Martin

ECE 3313
Field Experience

Journal #1
February 24, 2015
For my Preschool Curriculum Class, I was assigned field experience at Sprayberry
Academy. This is Cobb Countys largest Preschool Provider. I had the opportunity to spend 35
hours with Christie Miltons class. She had an assistant teacher named Precious White. Their

classroom consisted of thirteen boys and nine girls.

The classroom walls had student work placed high and low (eyelevel for the kids).
Students work generally showed the theme. It would be labeled with name and date in order to
update monthly. This classroom had plenty of artwork to put up. I helped with updating pictures.
On my first day, most of the drawings reflected the theme space. According to the teachers, they
particularly enjoyed learning about space. Originally they were going to study this theme for a
week, but extended it to 2 weeks because the kids were motivated to learn. Many students
already know their letters. I observed student work on the walls with PLDT for Pluto. The
classroom walls also had educational posters. There was a weather chart and job chart that
showed which student is the door holder, lunch helper, weather helper, and flag holder. Calendar
shows days of the week, months of the year, yesterday was, today is, and tomorrow will
be. Shapes, numbers, and the alphabet surrounded the room.
Of course, this Preschool Classroom was set up with different centers. The tables were
spread out labeled with numbers and an animal (Table 1: Hippos, Table 2: Giraffes, Table 3:
Cheetahs, Table 4: Elephants). These tables and chairs were age appropriate because of size. All
the students were able to get in and out of their seat and stack chairs. There were many materials
for the arts and writing center. I found the usual pencils, markers, and crayons. I also noticed age
appropriate magazines, stamps, dry erase boards, paint, chalk, and felt. The students were

responsible for cleaning up these materials by placing them in the correct labeled spot.

The block center was well organized. The students were responsible for cleaning up the
blocks by matching the blocks to the placemats (similar to puzzles). This center is very popular
and gets noisy. This center also includes cars, cups, and superheros. I was surprised by the

racetracs and superheros they made using only blocks.

The reading center was equiped with a puppet stage. The books were constantly updated
to match the theme in the classroom. Next weeks theme is Eric Carle, so his books will be placed
here. There are also puzzles and a few quiet games here. Unfortunately, there is only 1 comfy

chair, but students do not mind sitting on the colorful rug.

The dramatic play center seems to be a favorite for the girls. Costumes and real food
boxes are available. The girls often wanted me to play house with them. The more realistic
they could be the better. For example they pretend to turn on the water, wash the vegatables,
place them on plate, cut them up, then eat them. They do not skip steps.

Laura Beth Martin

ECE 3313
Field Experience

Journal #2

March 3, 2015
I observe my classroom nearly every Tuesday from 9 to 2. This is beneficial to me
because the class actually starts at 9. Many students show up late, but that doesnt stop the class.
Once the students walk in, they know to put their stuff away at their cubby and get on the main
rug. The large group activity always begins the same way. The weather helper gets up and guides
the weather chart. The class helps with the date, shapes and letter sounds. They already know the
letter names and the teachers challenge them to learn the letter sounds! I noticed that the days of
the week song is in English and Spanish. They sing both parts. Most of the classroom music is
from KidsBOP or the Learning Station.
I appreciate all the music and movement in this classroom. Our church recently made a
pamphlet about music. It states, Music is among humanitys most essential and enriching
experiences. Children are especially aware of music and delight in the simple pleasure of rhythm
and melody Providing early musical experiences to children is a scientifically recognized
jump start for brain development and cognitive ability. These kids get up and dance to almost
any song. On birthdays, the teacher will dedicate a song to the birthday boy or girl and play it.
They get really excited to show off their moves. This morning the students danced to Shake
Jitters Away and Walk it out. They were instructed to listen careful and move with the music.
It was fun to see them move slow, fast, and even like a robot.

The theme for the next two weeks is Dr. Seuss. The class will have a Dr. Seuss birthday
party (incentive for good behavior). There was even a huge cupcake piata for the party!

Before the class could come to the piata Mrs. Christie determined safety rules. Back up, we are
not going to jump, and dont close your eyes. We had trouble setting up the piata and breaking
it. In a way, this was good because all the students and teachers had a chance to hit it. They
encouraged each other by cheering. One girl was bothered by the noise and covered her ears. In
the end, Mrs. Precious busted it opened. Children were told that they could only collect a certain

amount. The Dr. Seuss celebration was extended throughout the school. It was neat to walk
around the outside of other classroom and see how they decorated!
The kids are already warming up to me. They like routine and understand that I will join
them on Tuesdays. Often during centers, I jump back and forth so the students can excitedly
show me their work. I am continuously surprised with the things they come up with. One group
of students were using Kinects. They created snowflakes and ice cream. When making robots,
one boy made his 3 dimensional! I raced over to blocks were the kids were calling me to see
what they made. Not only do they use blocks to stack up high, today they used many blocks to
make a long squiggly line. In dramatic play, the girls were playing beauty salon. For some
reason, they always wore sunglasses to get their hair done. This center was calm and quiet. The
art center had painted letters and hearts. I believe this is because it was recently Valentines Day.
I even got a few Valentines. Some students used markers to draw a sun, grass, and sky. The
artwork of the kids in the center often looked like copies of one particular student. In the reading
center, the students plan what to do first. I noticed that they focus on turning the puppets to talk
to each other.
When center time was up, the teachers used music as an incentive. The students eagerly
picked up their centers spick and span so they could have time to dance. One girl requested
Taylor Swift. During clean up, some boys were still playing with the blocks. They were lining up
small toys based on shape, not color. They would argue a little about what to line up next. One
boy got bothered by the mess and cleans up as the others continue to play.
I noticed that a lot of the classwork on the walls has descriptions. The teachers like to
write down the explanation of a picture by quoting students. For example, a picture with a bunch
of circles was described, Olaf, Olaf, and Olaf again Some work did not have a name and

made it difficult to return. The teacher took this opportunity to remind the students to put a name
and date on their work.
I planned out my Parent Project Lesson and Individual Lesson. Today I presented it to the
teachers and they gave me positive feedback. This class has a history of parent projects and
participate well. Originally, I wanted to focus on the Dr. Seuss theme. Mrs. Christie suggested to
have a parent project planned further in advance. So I switched to the next theme: Dinosaurs. I
had the opportunity to add a reminder in the upcoming newsletter! This week I am gathering all
the materials for students to create shape dinosaurs with their parents. I will also find an article
about parent involvement, and add instruction to the assignment. On March 10, I will pass out
the Parent Project. On March 17, I will implement a large group lesson with a dinosaur story and
large group activity. On March 24, the Parent Project will be due for the kids.

Laura Beth Martin

ECE 3313
Field Experience

Journal #3
March 10, 2015
Whats shaking? This is how Mrs. Christie starts her class. She is animated and excited
each day. Her fun behavior is contagious. I always enter the class with a smile because they are
very welcoming. As a future educator, I find it important to have a positive attitude no matter
what age the students are. If you are having a rough day, fake it till you make it!
Today our large group activity started out with our normal routine. We went over the
weather chart and calendar, then sung a couple movement songs in English and Spanish.
Everyones first language is English, but there are a few Spanish students. The others enjoy
learning the Spanish words and follow along with the song.
Mrs. Precious, ended up taking over this morning because a mom wanted to talk with
Mrs. Christie. Unfortunately her child has been struggling with behavior and hurting students
and teachers. His fits are harmful to the classroom, but the parents do not even have him

apologize. The teacher comforts the parent and shows concern for the child. They talk for nearly
an hour. Mrs. Precious occupies the students with a fun large group activity. She brings out little
whiteboards in the shape of hands. One student passed out tissues while another passed out the
hands. The teacher passed out the markers. I notice that the teacher often allow the students to
help out. I will plan for them to help out with my large group activity on dinosaurs. While
materials are being passed out, the chatter begins. I overhear some students make analogies.
They compare themselves to being squished like a bug and other creatures.
The game begins. It is boys against girls. Today there are 11 boys and only 7 girls.
However, the competition is big. I was told that the girls normally win, regardless of the
numbers. The first problem is written on the board, 4 + 1. The question is written and read
aloud by the instructor. The class is spread out to write down an answer on the hand then hold it
up when finished. This way only the teacher can see the answers. It is an excellent way to assess
the students. Most of the kids got this answer correct, except some wrote the number 5
backwards.
The next problem, 1 +2 got many correct responses. Again students would write the
answer backwards. By this time, the girls are winning the competition. All of the students are
very engaged and cheer on their teammates.
Now the students are told to come up with a word that rhymes with cat. The teacher
tells the students that they can even make a pretend silly word that rhymes with cat. One girl
noticed a boy struggling, and helped him by saying, cat in the hat. He wrote the word seven,
without the vowels. Once all the students put up their hands, the teacher asked individually what
they wrote. This was an important step for preschoolers. Some students may understand and

know rhyming words, but have trouble writing it down. The students came up with 3 correct
rhyming words: bat, at, and hat.
The next question was tricky. Recently the class talked about syllables. They are told to
write down how many syllables there are in the word pan. The teacher emphasized the
question and repeated it a few times. Some kids tapped their head or chin, while others hummed.
They came up with many different answers. Only 2 boys and 3 girls got the correct answer. The
teacher took this learning opportunity to clap the syllables as a class. Then asked them to write
down how many syllables there are in the word banana. Students clap automatically to find the
answer!
We end with a tie breaker math problem, 5+4. I could tell they were getting nervous. A
few changed their answers, and some counted on their fingers. A couple students wrote the
number 9 backwards. The game ended with the boys winning. They cheered, jumped up and
down, and gave me fist bumps. The girls took it hard. Some cried and shook their heads. One girl
asked if we could do more questions. I had no idea the competition would be this intense with
preschoolers. As they line up to wash their hands they get rowdy. The teachers do not yell.
Instead, they stay calm and count down. This was effective.
As they had snack, the boys would still talk about the game. Ms. Laura Beth, first we
were behind then we won! The girls continued to get upset so I would try to change the subject.
The snacks at this school seem to be healthy. Today they had veggies and dip. The lunches
generally include vegetables or fruit, but many seem to not enjoy their food and throw it away.
Meals in this classroom remind me of a Montessori classroom. The students help set the table,
pass the food, and clear their spots. The teachers informed me that they are much better at
cleaning than they were in the beginning of the year.

Laura Beth Martin

ECE 3313
Field Experience

Journal #4
March 17, 2015
I am so happy that St. Patricks Day falls on a day that I attend the preschool. It was such
a joy to watch the kids get excited about the sneaky ol Leprechaun. I entered the classroom
this morning, and there was a huge mess. Not only were toys all over the floor, but there was
candy, grass, and green foot prints all over the place. The kids were hilarious running around the
classroom cleaning up to find more clues. I was surprised to see how engaged they were in
picking up the classroom. They stayed busy for literally 30 minutes (long for preschoolers)! Mrs.
Christie tells me that this is a good activity for the spring. By this time of year, the students know
how to correctly put things away without delay. After cleaning the students gathered to the rug
for large group time.
Mrs. Christies hook was telling a story about what happened to her this morning. I
recognize that many teachers use quick fun stories to capture the students attention. It becomes
exciting when there are known characters in the story. Mrs. Christies story talked about how the
sneaky ol leprechaun was at her house too! Later they noticed that the leprechaun mixed up
the calendar dates. This was actually not done on purpose, but was adorable that the students

came up with this conclusion. After calendar and music/movement, the teacher announced that I
will be reading a story about our new dinosaur theme.
I was excited to implement my lesson for their large group activity. Originally, I was
going to read a different book, but it did not come in the mail in time because I forgot to change
my new address. Sometimes this sort of thing happens. I reacted quickly once I caught my
mistake. I went to the TRAC center (an excellent resource for future teachers) and rented a
different dinosaur book. I was very pleased to find that this story included movement. The book
was called Dinosaurumpus. I had the students assist me with handing out the shakers (dinosaur
eggs) that I created. I instructed them to shake them only when I said, Shake, shake, shutter.
During the story many kids used their shakers with the syllables. They happened to talk about
phonological awareness and segmentation earlier this week. I continued to keep the attention of
the students by asking questions and adding movement. The students predicted that the roar
was a T-Rex. They knew the difference between an author and an illustrator. Many students
enjoyed doing the dinosaur romp.

After the story, the students had the opportunity to create dinosaurs in groups. This
project was similar to the Parent Project. Materials (scissors, glue, and paper) was handed out,
and the students were told to place shapes on the provided dinosaur bodies. I tried not to give too
much direction. I wanted them to be creative. Previously, the kids made the human body and
surprised us with bones, organs, and even bloodstreams! As they worked on their dinosaurs I
noticed that some students got frustrated with the scissors and glue. Some dinosaurs were unique.
One had a princess crown, while another was an Indian dinosaur. Group 2 asked me how to cut
out a hexagon! Other groups only put circles and squares on their dinosaur. Many dinosaurs had
spikes. I walked around to assist the groups and ask what sound their dinosaur makes. This
lesson turned out well. I am glad I had the opportunity to implement it with this class.

Centers continued the dinosaur theme. There were bones in the sandbox. Clay was used
in the art center to create dinosaurs. The class finished centers quickly so they could finally enjoy
the outdoors. They were anxious to go outside because we have not had the appropriate weather.

My first impression of the playground was bad. All I saw was a fenced in concrete area
with a few bikes and high basketball hoops. The bathrooms were easily accessible with an
outside light indicating if someone is in there. After spending time at Sprayberry Academy it
grew on me. All the kids seemed to enjoy being in that area. The bikes were a hit and age
appropriate. The basketball hoops were lifted to challenge the kids. Even though they would
often miss, they continued to play. One teacher informed me that the hoops used to be lower, but
the kids asked for them to be lifted. The concrete allowed students to use chalk and watch their
shadows. The lack of materials allowed the students to use their imaginations. Some girls were

pretending to be mermaids. They used the bottom of the basketball hoops as boats. The teachers
explain that there is an actual playground behind the building but it is too wet.
During outside time, the kids got the opportunity to socialize with classmates as well as
teachers. I could tell that they really look up to adults. The teachers appreciate the humor of the
kids. They really do say the funniest random things. For example one student said, Look at my
shadows dance moves! The peer relationships improve while they are outdoors. I notice kids
playing rock paper scissors, tracing each other with chalk, and establish best friends. After
about 20 minutes some kids decide they are done and wait by the door. According to the
teachers, this is an improvement. In the beginning of the school year, students would
immediately lay down on the grass because they were too tired! I was shocked to hear this. When
I was growing up, I was homeschooled. My big family would constantly be outside. My mom
would have to drag us indoors for dinner. Even though the some students wanted to go in early,
the teachers try to keep them out for an hour. This makes me wonder about their home life. Do
these kids go home and watch TV and play on devices?

Laura Beth Martin

ECE 3313
Field Experience

Journal #5
March 31, 2015
The students are reaching the end of the school year. They are very good at music and
movement because it is used every day. Today we are practicing for preschool graduation. I was
surprised to see that they are learning so many new songs when there are only 5 weeks left. They
practice the entire ceremony. The class likes routine and the teachers want to prepare them
completely. They assign a line leader, flag holder, and places. They practice calling each student
up. This also helped the teachers with pronunciation. Many students have difficult unique last
names.
The students were very excited to perform the songs for me. They showed me how they
separate by placing boys on one side, and placing the girls on the other side. They stayed in a
straight line and sang loudly through the whole ceremony practice. When asked for criticism, the
only thing I could advise was to move two boys so they would not get distracted. They also
needed a little more practice with the new songs, but they did great for the amount of work they
had to do.
The new theme is spring! The kids are excited to learn about different insects. The school
brought in butterfly nets in order for them to observe the butterfly move through all the stages.
They also read a butterfly story.

After the story, the students were taught the parts of an insect through a song. This song
was the same tune as Head, Shoulder, Knees, and Toes. The kids sang Head, Thorax, and
Abdomen. It was awesome to see that these little ones can tell the parts of an insect at such a
young age. They were also taught the life cycle of a plant.
In order for students to line up, the teacher assessed them without even knowing it. They
were asked a spring question, once answered they could line up. The students were so focused on
the answer that they didnt know they were being graded. Others did not appear to be judging.