Student Document and reflection

Classroom: Language Arts Observer: Jennifer Gulin

Grade: 3
rd
grade Date: 10/20/2014
Curriculum Area: Reading Time: 8:45am
What I Notice/ thoughts, questions, connections to methods classes.

In this document above students were about to be assessed on their vocabulary words they had
been working on for two weeks. There was 6 students being assessed. The class is divided into 4
groups depending on their reading level. The word study test consisted of 3 sentences. The words
assessed in this test consisted of words ending in le , el, il and al. Students had been working on
these words for two weeks now. Every day during word study time students divide into their groups
and do a different activity with the words. Some play word scrabble while others play the memory
Student Document and reflection
game with their words. On the last day they are tested on these words. The teacher would read out
the word 3 times and students were responsible for writing the correct word down and placing it in
whichever column it belonged in whether it was el or le or il. The test also consisted of word
study challenge which was bonus words they were introduced to and encouraged to learn as well.
These words were extra credit if spelled correctly. The students being tested seemed to know there
material very well. As I observed the student they were all spelling the words correctly. The teacher
remained close to them while still observing the class and making all students were working on
their assigned activities. During this observation I also concluded how well the teacher had
students transition from one activity to the other. Little time is given for word study so it is essential
for students to master switching activities in a well manner. After the test was conducted I reviewed
some of the exams and noticed that the teacher provides a rubric at the bottom of the paper to
allow students to know how many points they can earn. In the spelling part 2 points were given to
students if they spelled the word correctly and sorted it in the correct column. Students were given
an additional extra credit point of each challenge word spelled correctly. In the dictated part
students had a potential to earn 2 points. 1 point was given if the vocabulary word used within the
sentence was spelled correctly. 2 points were given if they spelled their word study word correctly
and if they got the correct spelling of the high frequency word being used. Students seemed to be
very well engaged in all their activities. I believe allowing students to work with each other or play a
game with vocabulary word takes the idea of learning being boring out. Having different activities
every day allows students to use different learning methods and helps them differ from instruction
and see what allows them to learn better.