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Contextual Factors
School and Community Factors
Woodfields Elementary is a welcoming and inviting school. The school has very nice facilities and a wide
variety of resources for teachers and students. Woodfields Elementary is considered a Title One school
located in a high poverty community area of Greenwood, South Carolina. It is the largest elementary
school in Greenwood District Fifty, containing six hundred thirty eight students. Forty two percent of the
students are African American, thirty percent Caucasian, and twenty five percent Hispanic. Eighty one
percent of the students at Woodfields are on free and reduced lunch. Woodfields Elementary offers the
choice program, ACTS for artistically talented fifth grade students. Woodfields also offers a twenty first
century after school program that aids students in additional support.

Classroom Factors
Physical Features and Resources
The classroom is a warm and welcoming environment with vibrant colors and decorations. The classroom
has a restroom and one sink located in the back of the classroom. The desks are arranged by groups,
facing the front of the classroom. At the front of the room, there is a smart board. This is where the
majority of whole group instruction takes place. There is a classroom library located in the front corner
of the classroom where students can access a variety of books.
Availability of Technology
This is a model IPad classroom where a variety of technology is implemented into instruction. Located in
the front of the classroom is a smart board that is used daily. There is a class set of I-pads that are also
used almost daily for various assignments. For certain assignments, students complete assignments on
their I-pads and airdrop them to the teachers I-pad. An example of this is a new progress monitoring
program called Dream Box. Students work at their own level and progress reports can be sent to the
teacher. Students behavior is also monitored through an application called class DOJO that parents can
view daily.

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Parental involvement
Woodfields Elementary is considered a high poverty school and this results in a lack of parental
involvement due to limited resources such as transportation, communication, and other factors. Students
work is kept in file folders that are sent home and signed by parents weekly. Important updates and
behavior reports are also sent daily through an application called class DOJO. This serves as one of the
main methods of communication between parents and the teacher. There is no grade level parent or parent
volunteers that assist in the classroom.
Rules
Woodfields has a motto that describes the school as a place where students are soaring to success. This
goes along with the schools PBIS system that emphasizes the importance of maintaining a safe learning
environment where everyone can learn and grow. This system uses the concept of balloon bucks, a
positive reinforcement strategy to reward students for appropriate behaviors. This system is applied in
every classroom. The expectations and rewards system is located on a wall that is visible to all students in
the classroom. The expectations are outlined in the acronym SOAR. Soar stands for safe, on task, actions
of respect, and responsible.
Classroom Routine and schedule
Each morning, students unpack and eat a free breakfast provided by the school. Designated helpers are
responsible for getting the breakfast and the cleanup process. This is the morning routine, and the teacher
takes attendance and lunch count at this time. During morning routine, students watch the morning news
show, say the pledge, and have a moment of silence.
After breakfast, students go to special area which varies by the day of the week. When students come
back to the classroom from special area they engage in morning meeting and go over morning work. This
transitions into calendar math and then science or social studies. Students then go to lunch and come back
to the classroom for a reading lesson and word study. After this, students go to recess and come back to
complete writing work shop and engage in reading groups. At the end of the day, students pack up and are
dismissed by bus and car riders.

Student Demographics & Characteristics

Demographics

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This is a self-contained class of twenty-two students; nine girls and thirteen boys. The ages of students
range from eight to eleven years old. Ten of the students are African American, seven are Hispanic, and
four are Caucasian. The students represent diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Students are interested
in a variety of things such as sports and extracurricular events outside of school. A majority of the
students also expressed that their favorite subjects in school consist of math and working with the I-pads.
Skill Levels
Seven students qualify for RTI intervention in reading and have been placed on a Tier II level. Six of
these students have also been placed on a Tier II level for math RTI. Two students receive speech therapy
at school. One student is diagnosed as high functioning autistic. Six students are considered ESOL, but
only three are pulled out of the classroom for ESOL instruction. According to reading MAP data, eleven
students are considered below grade level, five are on grade level, and four are above. The majority of
the class is in the concrete operational stage of development, showing the need for hands on learning.
The learning styles of students are primarily kinesthetic and tactical, usually requiring an active hands-on
approach to teaching.

Instructional Implications
A. These contextual factors have implications for instructional planning. With the majority of the
class being in the concrete operational stage of development it is very important that the class
engages in hands-on learning. Students work best with the use of manipulatives in all subjects,
especially math. It is important that students are active which aids the majority of the class being
kinesthetic and tactile learners. Other modalities such as visual and auditory learning styles will
also be addressed during instruction to aid all learners. To meet the diverse needs of students, a
variety of assessments and instructional strategies will be used. Students are seated in groups and
they benefit from collaborative learning in groups. A variety of cultural resources will used in the
class to reach all students from different backgrounds. I plan to use culturally relevant books and
I-pad software to implement an aspect of multiculturalism.
B. Students that qualify for RTI require individualized or small group instruction. I plan to work with
these students individually or in a small group setting as much as possible. There are several

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students considered emergent learners that may also require small group instruction that works
towards a higher rigor of learning.
Reading: During reading instruction, I will work with small guided reading groups as the teacher
also pulls groups. Students that receive RTI services will also receive more individualized reading
instruction. I will use a variety of reading instructional strategies to aid these learners. I will assess
student progress by conducting running records and comparing data.
Math: During math instruction, manipulatives will continue to be used and struggling students
will receive individualized help. There are several technological resources available on the I-pads
that aid in math instruction. The Dream Box program is one method that can be used to assess
student progress in math. I plan to work with students that qualify for RTI together or separately
with more individualized instruction. I will also work with a small group of students using
multiplication flash cards and strategies.
C. While students are engaged in learning, I will walk around to observe student progress. Several
students have ADD/ADHD and I will ensure that all students are staying on task and completing
their work by walking around and monitoring students. I plan to create mini lessons that are brief
and focused to keep students attentive and engaged. The needs of all learners will be met in the
classroom to ensure the most beneficial education for every student.