Learning Service/EDG 4467

Hello, this is Alia Kasem
September, 20, 2007
From 7:45 am. Until 10:00 am.
I entered the class and the students were doing their bell work which was daily math, proof reading, and writing the letter I. We started with the pledge then the attendance. The teacher asked the students to start reviewing the proof read first together. He is trying to build the trust in the students and let each person checked his own paper with pen while reviewing. Students did well at the trusting part except one student, but they learned to put period between abbreviations like 30 M.P.H. and learned to put a coma before a conjunction like but. The teacher asked who found the nine mistakes in the line. The only one student was the one that cheated and I did saw him and directed him not to do it again. The teacher was smart and did pass him and said I saw you changing your answers and I do not want you to do it tomorrow because today is not for grading, but tomorrow will be.
Next was the daily math sheet. They went over the symmetry line, transition, reflection, and rotation. The teacher did relate each movement to another name that makes students understand it better. He named them slide for transition, flip for reflection, and turn for rotation.

Next the front desk announced that today there will be some visitors in the classrooms who will be reading stories to the kids. After few minutes, the reader came and read Jack and the Giant. The teacher informed the students that it is an AR book and you can take a test on it to collect reading points. The students were very polite and quiet, and the story teller was interesting and full with enthusiasm. After the teller left, the teacher started to ask questions about the story. He asked where was the story took place, when was the story happened was it in the past, in the present, or in the future, who are the main characters of the story, and describe the giant and Jack. I loved the teacher’s questions because they were in different order levels. Some were direct questions and needed direct answer; others were high order level questions. He informed the students that there are two kinds of descriptions, the physical and the personality ones. One of the students described Jack smart, but the teacher improved the students vocabulary and told them there is another word to describe beyond smartness is the word CLEVER.
One thing I noticed from the teacher that he is teaches the children to behave in a good and interesting way. On the door before they go to specials, he reminded the students that we still have visitors in the school. Therefore, we have to look our best and raise your head to represent yourself and your school. The students started to straighten up themselves and checked their clothes and out the class went very quiet. Then I left.