ASSIGNMENT 1: Observations

Observation 1:What are your first impressions of the classroom environment? Is it warm,
inviting, organized, etc? Describe the physical environment in detail.

-As soon as I entered the classroom Ms.Diaz gave me a warm greeting and introduced me to her
four students. Each student said hello or waved to me. The classroom was very organized,
eye-catching and extremely colorful! There were different kinds of posters(alphabet, numbers,
emotions, etc.) and art pieces made by students. I loved that in front of the sink there was a
mirror in front of it and above the mirror it said “I see the leader in me”. I loved the physical
environment of the classroom and how I felt being in there.

Observation 2:Please describe the student make-up of the class, including gender, ethnicity, ELL,
students with physical challenges, and any other apparent attributes that are important to note.

-The class has four students all with special needs. There are two boys and two girls and all the
students are hispanic. They all participate in the classroom but two students have trouble
remaining focused on a task and have tantrums every now and then. But Ms. Diaz and Ms.
Jasmine(teacher assistant in the classroom) guide students in every step. You can tell that the
teachers and students have a wonderful bond with one another.

Observation 3:What are the posted class rules in the room? (exactly as written)

- Listen to your teachers, Be kind, Share, Take a Seat, Nice Hands

Observation 4:Does the teacher enforce these posted rules? Are rewards or consequences being used
for compliance or noncompliance?

- Yes, she has little flashcards that are colorful or have an image of the rule and show it to them
while reinforcing it verbally to the student. She says that the flashcards are very helpful with her
more moderate students that are still learning how to communicate. If students are setting a good
example then they get a small prize from the classroom treasure box. Inside the treasure box
there are stickers, bubbles, skittles and crayons. Ms. Diaz told me that they change the prizes of
the treasure box weekly.
 ASSIGNMENT 2: Classroom Layout

1. Describe the workflow of the room. Is the space used efficiently?

-Ms.Diaz utilizes her classroom space well. She has areas dedicated to certain activities for her
students. They have a good space for art time, a play area, teacher center where she gives
students instructions for the day. And she utilizes the center half of the room for music activities
in front of the smart board. She also provides a colorful rug and couch for the students to sit on.
The workflow of the classroom is very organized and a good routine that the students seem to
enjoy.

2. In your opinion, how can the physical arrangement of the room be improved?
-I think that the physical arrangement could be improved if the toy/free play shelf were closer to
the free play area. So it can be easier for students to access when they are in that center and also
so when they are in the middle of a lesson, they don’t get distracted by the toy shelf that is next
to them. I also think that the student couch could be arranged to be facing towards the
smartboard, so students could sit there and view the music videos they are listening to.
 ASSIGNMENT 3: Instruction

1.
● Breakfast
● Writing Center
● Reading Session with Specialist
● Music Center
● Art Center
● Playground
● Teacher leading centers(coloring, puzzles, etc)
● Free Play
● Lunch
● Recess
● Math Center
● Science Center
● Snack
● Go Home

2. Instruction is done in a whole group.

3. Kind and supporting

4. Yes, this is done through their “Pet of the Day” activity. They read a story involving the
pet, then they do songs based on the pet, then they do an art activity where they create the
pet hands on with paper, paint, crayons, markers, etc.
5. All students are engaged and being helped by Ms.Diaz and teaching assistants constantly.
Students are usually engaged but some need help while doing an activity.
6. No
7. Yes, Ms.Diaz splits each subject into a center and the students are very interested and
engaged.
8. The classroom subject transitions are done well, sometimes students do not want to
transition at first but Ms.Diaz will show and explain what will be next and help them
move to the next activity/subject.
9. “Eyes on me”, “Listening ears”, “Nice Hands”, all seem to work, two students need extra
attention in ensuring they are listening to instructions, after a few tries(1-2) all students
are attentive.
10. “Zoning out” or not paying attention, occasional tantrums, students not sharing with
classmates
11. Ms.Diaz’s laminated schedule flashcards have images of different activities throughout
the day(recess,lunch,art,etc). Showing students that are having trouble with
 communication skills helps immensely during instructional time. It helps students make
picture to word connections while getting used to a routine.

ASSIGNMENT 4: Culture
Physical Characteristics:
1. The school property outside is very clean, it also has decorations on the fence of school
displaying their mascot, a tiger. There are a lot of flower bushes, trees and green shrubs
around the school. By the preschool playground there are hand paintings of students by
the entrance. It looks very clean, safe and colorful.
2. The interior of the school is beautiful. Every wall either has something encouraging or its
a display of work from students in different grades. When walking in, guests have access
to enter the main office, to enter inside the school an office employee must open the
locked door to let you in.
Culture of the School:
1. Their mission statement is to effectively achieve high social and academic standards
through a partnership of students, parents, staff, and community. Their motto is, Soaring
even higher! Their school mascot is a tiger.
2. Staff in the office are kind and helpful. Teachers and students greet each other all the time
and have conversations. They all say they are a tiger family.
3. The school includes them. They all eat in the lunchroom with the other classes and play
on the same playground as the other students.
4. The school field, playground, hallways and lunchroom.
5. Their school placed in the top 50% of all schools in Nevada for overall test scores. A
community partner Tom Williams E.S has is CIS nevada,get outdoors nevada and Nevada
PEP. Their extracurricular activities include soccer, choir, theatre club, chess club, and art
club.
Culture of the Classroom:
1. Ms. Diaz has high expectations for her students, she constantly encourages and praises
her students when they do something well. She gives her class daily challenges for them
to accomplish.
2. All students participate, but all require teacher assistance to do some activities.
3. The interactions between teachers and students are kind and respectful. The teacher has
classroom rules that students must follow. But she also practices choice in the classroom.
Student’s opinions and choices in class are valued.
 ASSIGNMENT 5: Interview
1. Originally she wanted to become a kindergarten teacher. But when her younger brother
was diagnosed with autism and when she began volunteering at an autism center, she
realized that she wanted to be a special education teacher.
2. -Paperwork all the time
-Feels like there is never enough time to finish everything in a school day
-Still working even after school hours
3. The best part of being a teacher is watching my students make progress in the classroom.
4. She determines her seating chart based on student needs. She sits kids who need more
help next to a role model student during class. She will also sit those kids near her desk in
case they need something.
5. When doing any kind of center activity or groups, she will pair students that need more
help with a more independent student.
6. She uses teach made assessments, observation data/documents, and work samples
7. Progress reports four times a year
8. She usually interacts with parents during parent conferences and IEP meetings. She also
communicates with them through the student’s daily communication notebook.
9. She completes grading for a whole week in 1-2 hours.
10. It takes her 1-2 hours a week to prepare lesson plans for the day/week
11. She utilizes visual schedules, routines, engaging activities and reinforcement
12. She utilizes a red,green,yellow system, a daily treasure box, token boards, and
reinforcement breaks
13. Her students don’t go to specials, so the specialists are not involved in the instructional
planning process.
14. She is evaluated three times a year. Administration uses Student Learning Goals, Teacher
Responsibility and Duties Rubric/Guidelines, and Student Learning Responsibilities.
15. The consequences if an evaluation is not favorable is an unsatisfactory report, seasoned
procedures to get support to get score up.
16. Administration is very helpful and supportive. They help give budget for supplies.
17. What surprised her most about the profession is the amount of paperwork and how there’s
never enough time for anything.
 ASSIGNMENT 6: Observing a Student
Ms.Diaz was playing learning videos of their “Pet of the Week” (this week was a turtle) and the
student volunteered to tell a story related to the subject. They discussed how their family had a
pet turtle. Student was playing with their bracelet and swinging their feet while sitting in their
chair during classroom instruction. While Ms.Diaz was playing classroom turtle videos the
student was singing along softly to themselves. Ms.Diaz instructed students to go to the art table
to do their daily arts and crafts project(they were going to make a turtle out of construction
paper), The student walked over and took a seat. The student seemed out of focus at first, they
kept looking around the classroom(lamps,toys,etc), they didn’t pay attention to the teacher's
instructions at first. Teacher noticed and instructed the student to pay attention. Student started
the project with little help. After art time was over the student lined up by the door(they usually
have recess after art time), the teacher explained to the student that they would go outside later
because they have to go take pictures for picture day soon. The student appeared confused and
continued to stand by the door. The teacher explained to the student again why their schedule is a
little different today. They had free time, the student chose to play with princess shoes and
puzzles. Then the class was instructed to line up to go take pictures.
 ASSIGNMENT 7: Summary
My ten hour observation experience with Ms.Diaz was truly a pleasure. I was always greeted
with a warm welcome and enjoyed being a part of her classroom environment. She answered all
my questions and has been very helpful. Observing her classroom gave me ideas and inspiration
on the kind of teacher I would like to be with my students. Ms.Diaz and her students have a great
dynamic and it was great being able to witness it. I hope to give my students a wonderful
learning experience like Ms.Diaz and her teaching assistants.