Erika Chado

Setting & Context:

The School Community

Having a safe and welcoming environment in a classroom helps students stay engaged

and fully motivated. When students feel that the teacher cares about them as an individual, the

student is more likely to excel in the classroom. This is evident in Poudre School District at

Rocky Mountain High School.

Rocky Mountain High School has one of the most welcoming and encouraging cultures

for students. Rocky instills confidence and encouragement in their students through the variety of

clubs and athletics they offer. One resource for students that is extremely useful for both the

students and teachers is the wellness center. The wellness center is relatively new at RMHS but it

has already proved to be beneficial in the overall health and well-being of students. The wellness

center can be used if students are stressed, dealing with something at home, or just need a quick

break from the classroom. Some programs that are accessible to students include both student led

clubs and school sponsored clubs. There are 30 student-led clubs at Rocky Mountain High

School, as well as 41 school sponsored clubs. Some of the student led clubs include, but are not

limited to, anime club, bigfoot club, Bob Ross fan club, girl rising club, etc. Some of the school

sponsored clubs include, but are not limited to, American sign language, debate & forensics, key

club, link crew etc. It is evident that there is no shortage of both teacher and student involvement

throughout the school. Some other programs and activities for students at RMHS include

athletics, alternative education options, and the college and career center. Parents of RMHS have

plenty of resources available to them which include, but are not limited to, college in CO., k-12

student insurance, school payment solutions, school announcements, staff directory, etc.
 Along with the numerous clubs listed above, there are programs that support and

encourage appropriate student behaviors. Peer counselors at RMHS is a program that was

developed so that students who become peers can provide support for other students. To become

a Peer Counselor, students must complete a training that is provided by a current counselor at

Rocky as well as fill out a rigorous application and interview. After being selected, Peer

Counselors duties include, but are not limited to, assisting with support groups at Rocky, help the

transition from middle school to high school easier for incoming freshman, sponsor activities and

projects with promote a positive atmosphere at Rocky. It is evident that this program benefits the

students enormously as they become more comfortable around each other. Some students may

not listen to the school counselor because they have issues with adults with authority, but they

will listen to someone their age giving them advice. Overall, the learning climate at Rocky is

very inclusive and encouraging. In the classrooms I have observed, most of the students are fully

engaged and complete the task at hand.

The mission statement of Rocky Mountain High School states: Rocky Mountain High

School inspires, guides, and supports our students, faculty and staff to reach their maximum

potential in a caring, challenging and safe environment (Rocky). It is evident that Rocky

Mountain High School both values and follows their mission statement. The demographics of

Rocky Mountain High School include: 1% American Indian/Alaskan Native, 3% Asian, 1%

African American, 0.2% Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander, 15% Hispanic, 76% White, 4% two

or more races, 49% female students, 51% male students, 21% on a free lunch program, and 5%

on a reduced-price lunch plan. 26% of Rocky Mountain High Schools population is

economically disadvantaged while 24% of the population make up the minority enrollment.
There are 126 licensed staff members and 72% of them hold advanced degrees. (Rocky). RMHS

is a well-rounded school due to the variety of student programs and diversity.

Students and Classroom

The students I am directly teaching range in grade level from freshman to senior. The

students in my class are voluntarily in this class as they chose to take it and receive college

credit. Since my students chose to take this class, and were not required to for a graduation

credit, they are extremely motivated and well behaved. The developmental levels of my students

are all over the board. It is evident that some of them really excel in college trig while others

need a little extra time and help to be successful.

This college trigonometry class is different than most classes at Rocky Mountain High

School as it is a flipped classroom. The students are given videos to watch the night before class

that have usually 5 to 8 follow up questions. The abilities of these students vary across the board.

The culture of this classroom is unique and unlike a traditional classroom because it is flipped.

The students come to class ready to tackle the homework. When they have a question about the

homework, they try to ask other students before asking the teacher. They can accomplish this as

they have a very supportive and encouraging climate in their room. The students start each day

answering the question of the day which changes every day. For example, the question of the day

yesterday was Would you rather explore space or the deep sea? Why? These questions every

morning help the students to start on a light note and connect with each other based on their

answers.

The physical environment of the classroom helps aid in the collaboration of students. The

class consists of tables pushed together into groups to facilitate group learning. The diagram
below is of the current classroom and the desk configurations. The demographics of this

classroom are; 11 females, 10 males, 6 seniors, 11 juniors, and 4 sophomores.

Modifications, Adaptations, Accommodations:

The classroom I am placed in at Rocky Mountain High School is a college trigonometry

class. Since this class is for college credit, the students taking the course are there by choice,

thus, they are highly motivated. The grade level of my students ranges from freshman to senior,

however, most of the students are juniors getting ready for calculus. There are two students that

stand out in the classroom for their giftedness. One student is fully engaged and answers any

questions the teacher asks with enthusiasm. He recognizes when the other students are annoyed

of him always speaking out and sits quietly while others try answering some questions. This

student flies through the in-class assignments and homework so quickly and then takes time to

help other students who are struggling. The other exceptional student is always on his phone or

computer during class, not paying attention and causing a disruption for students around him.

However, as soon as he gets time to work on homework he powers through it. Both students are

excelling immensely in the college trigonometry class. There is one student who struggles with

the content each week but puts in an immense amount of effort. This student needs a little extra

one-on-one help from the teacher each day but the other students understand this. They are all

supportive of this student and help him out whenever they can.

The college trigonometry class does not require much differentiation as most students in

this class learn at the same pace. The only exceptions are the three students listed above,

however, none of them are labeled. This class is a flipped classroom which allows the students to

learn at their own pace. Since they are required to watch the videos at home the night before,

they can re-watch the videos if needed or rewind. This allows students to continue with the
content at the pace they are comfortable with. At the beginning of each class, Mr. Callahan and I

ask the students if they have any questions about the content and then we go over the questions

they are required to answer for each video. For the more advanced students, if they complete the

worksheet and homework assignment, they are given challenge problems to complete. The

challenge problems are not collected for points but they are beneficial in pushing these specific

students outside their comfort zone.

There is one student whom is provided modifications and another one whom is provided

accommodations. The student whom is provided modifications is extremely intelligent and likes

to answer all the questions the teacher asks without giving other students a chance to respond.

This students modification is that he is to change how he responds. When a question is asked,

this student is to give the other students a few minutes to try and answer and if they dont or

cant, then he can answer. The student whom is provided an accommodation is the student listed

above that needs extra help. He receives extended time on his exams, he can stay during lunch to

complete the exam, but is not required. If he completes the exam during class time then he does

not need to use extended time but it is provided to him if needed.

 References:

Rocky Mountain High School; Student Body. U.S. News & World Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 26

Mar. 2017.