More Observing

On a normal Monday morning, there were a lot of students missing from 1st hour. It makes the classroom look so empty! First hour is never really awake. They get their work done with little enthusiasm. I think they are all still sleeping.

During daily geograhpy today, I noticed that we had a new student. He is Asian and doesnt seem to know much English. He was seated next to the two ESL girls at the side of the class. I found this somewhat, not strange, but possibly negative, that the teacher "groups" her ESL students together. I think it might make the students feel separated from their classmates. While they were working, she gave them some extra time and even worked with them. Her whole tone seems to change while working with these 3 students. She almost seems to develop an accent. She is probably trying to pronounce her words more clearly. She also uses a lot of hand motions. When reading the directions to them, she used her finger to point to the words. Im not saying that all this is a bad thing. I just think that although the ESL students might need more help and attention, they should still be integrated into the classroom. She should also try to avoid being condescending while talking to them.

Once again, it was hard to interact with the students because of the lesson. The teacher read aloud a couple of chapters to the students. I have to say, she is an excellent reader. She acts out all the voices and some of the actions. It keeps the students engaged since they do not have books. She also tries to relate events from the book to the students' lives. She asks whether or not they have experienced similar situations. It is nice to give them that connection.

After reading a few chapters, the students have about 10-20 mins to take notes out of the next section of their textbooks. There is nothing we can really do except walk around and watch them take notes. The students work independently for the most part. They know when their notes are due, so they work to get them done. Of course there are students that talk, but it doesnt seem to disturb others around them. Second hour is much more lively that first; they are also a little ahead of them as well. Because the 8th grade classes are right in a row, the teacher is able to work out the kinks from first hour in second hour, which causes the lessons to go more smoothly. She also may leave out a personal story here and there that relates to the lesson. Since second hour is more awake, they might also get their work done quicker.