Contextual Factors and Rationale for Instructional Design

Laura van Bree

Kindergarten, Lincoln Elementary
November/December, 2016
Part I: The Community

School Location
o Lincoln Elementary is a part of Davis School District. It is located on Antelope
Drive in Layton, Utah. In the immediate area are are several shopping centers, fast
food restaurants, and a mall. Several of the businesses in the area donate supplies,
learning incentives, and money to the school.
o One of the larger streets near the school is under construction, and has been for
some time. This creates danger and difficulties getting students to and from
school on the East side.

District Resources and Support

o Lincoln Elementary is a Title 1 School. This school receives resources in several
ways. There is a meal plan available to those who need it. This gives students the
opportunity to devote their attention to their learning, rather than their hunger.
o This school is a Dual-Language Immersion school. It is often viewed by the
community to be one of the best schools for Language Immersion in the district.

Socio-economic Profile
o Davis District serves 59,506 students. Out of those students, 14,254 are
considered to be low-income. That equates to about 24% of the students that are
from low-income families.
o 48% of students receive free or reduced lunch.
o Lincoln Elementary has several programs to help these families, including
Breakfast in the Classroom, Summer Lunch, and Lincoln Food Pantry. They
receive donations from several business and individual sources.

1
 Performance
o In Language Arts, this school has a proficiency rating of 35.5%. The overall
proficiency rating for Mathematics is 36.9%. The proficiency rating for Science is
36.6% Compared to similar schools, Lincoln Elementary ranks #8 in Language
Arts, #10 in Mathematics, and #11 in Science

Special Education/504
o Out of the 59,506 students in the district, 7,915 are Special Education Students.
5,956 of those students are Resource Students.
o Out of the 599 students in Layton Elementary, 99 receive Special Education
Services.

ESL Students
o Out of the 59,506 students in the district, 7,915 students r
o Out of the 599 students in Layton Elementary, there are 54 English Language
Learners.
o At Lincoln Elementary, every teacher is required to have an ESL endorsement in
order to teach at this school.

2
Part II: The School/Classroom/Individual Students

School

Lincoln Elementary serves 599 students. 79 of those students are in Kindergarten. The
average student-teacher ratio is 25:1
The school is laid out in a Y formation. In the center of the school lies the office. In one
direction, the school splits into two hallways and reforms into a singular hallway next to
the gym. Outside is the playground and portables that serve as grade classrooms and prep
classroom.
In the other direction from the main office lies a hallway that splits around the cafeteria
on one side is the kindergarten hallway. Each of the kindergarten classrooms are
connected by an entryway that leads to the kindergarten playground
In the main office are the offices of the principal, vice principal, head secretary and three
assistant secretaries.
There are 10 paid tutors and several volunteer tutors that work with students from each
grade.
In between the morning and afternoon sessions of kindergarten, there is an Extended-Day
program. This is for kindergarteners who need a little extra help outside of class. The
tutors work with them individually and in small groups based on ability and subject need.

Classroom

Describe the physical layout of the classroom(s) in which you are teaching, whether you
are required to share this classroom with other teachers, the technology and other
resources available

3
 There are several different types of technology in this classroom. there is a projector and
screen with a remote. There is a document camera near the front of the room, but it hasnt
been set up and connected to the rest of the system. Along one wall there are four
computers that are primarily used for math enrichment and testing. During center time,
students can play educational games on ABCya! and other websites designated by the
teacher.
This classroom is not shared with any other teachers during instructional time.
During the break between morning and afternoon sessions, this room and the adjacent
kindergarten classroom are used for the Extended Day Program.

4
 Individual Students

There are 14 students in this class.

6 students from the morning section and 5 students from the afternoon section attend the
Extended-Day program.
One student is in a wheelchair, so mobility is a factor I will need to take into account
while teaching. She broke her leg several weeks ago, so the wheelchair will be
temporary. However, once she is out of the wheelchair I should take care not to design
lessons that will cause her to put too much strain on the broken leg.
One student receives Special Education services for speech and academics. He gets
pulled out at least twice during the half-day session to receive tutoring. Once on his own
for speech therapy and once during a time when most students get pulled for individual
tutoring in reading.
There are three ESL students in this class. Two of them tested high enough on their tests
that they dont receive formal help.
The other student tested low. I can tell he is smart in a lot of different ways, but doesnt
quite have a grasp on the language.
One student has no documented issues, but I have noticed that her behavior

5
Part III: Implications

At this school, there are three primary factors that will affect my instructional decision

making and design of instruction. The first factor is the school itself; its population and

demographics will give me a good place to start when designing curriculum. Because this school

population is composed of a high percentage of low income families, it will be important to

design lessons that can be accessed by anyone. My lessons should include a variety of resources

that any student or parent can reach easily, without financial constraints.

This also means that I will have to develop my own understanding of the students

background knowledge and experiences. Students at Lincoln Elementary come from a wide

variety of cultures and backgrounds, and many different languages are spoken. Designing

pre-assessments that are efficient and comprehensive will enable me to gather this information.

With this information I can differentiate to accommodate English Language Learners, Special

Education Students, and any other student who may need adjustments.

The second factor consists of the classroom, the learning environment, and the schedule

and routine that my cooperating teacher has established. This classroom is designed in such a

way that allows for a variety of activities. I can design whole class activities using the open area

in the front of the classroom. Individual and small-group activities can be developed utilizing the

four tables in the center of the classroom, allowing for both independent work and collaboration

between the students.

This classroom is run using a routine that is consistent everyday. The students come in

and immediately participate in a language arts activity. Then its time for calendar, word of the

6
day, and a math lesson. After snack and recess, there is the letter of the day and associated

project. Then the students participate in center time, which includes a variety of science, art, and

language arts activities that change every week. Then its time to go home. The classroom

routine is a helpful tool the teacher has designed specifically for kindergarten. The students tend

to act out and cause disruptions if they understand the routine. Because kindergarteners generally

have a short attention span, frequent transitions are a necessary implementation.

I will have to design my own lessons to fit within the scope of the routine, so I dont

throw the students off too much. However, I also know that I will need to create my lessons in

the style that I am comfortable with do I can teach to the best of my ability. I will have to be

aware of the differences that the students will notice in the lessons so that I can foresee and

navigate potential behavioral issues that come with any change in the routine.

The third and most important factor is the students: how they learn, their capabilities and

interests, and how they interact with one another. Each student has their own learning style. I

will need to observe them to figure how how to teach them best. By using pre-assessments, I can

determine what they already know and can do, as well as the gaps in their learning. by observing

their behavior, both on their own and with their peers, I can create and adjust groups and

classroom organization. It will be imperative to the success of the students that I get to know

each child individually.