Context

The amount of learners in the classroom is about 14 boys and 11 girls

for a total of 25 in the class. There are 3 black students and one
Scandinavian student. The rest are Caucasian Americans. Being able to
afford an education, because the school charges tuition, they are all at least
middle class. One particular students native language is from where she
grew up (I currently do not remember where). Since she moved to the USA
last year, her spelling appears to be behind the proficiency level. However on
her spelling test, she appears to be trying and is doing well. Spiritually, all of
them seem to be in a good place. My elementary school offers devotions in
the morning and chapel every Friday. F likes to talk to me about her faith life
every once in a while and how she worries for her non-Christian friends. In
terms of families I only know 3 students outside life, Fr whose family moved
over 7 different times, E who I worked with her older sister in Johnneys, and
Ss. Ss parents are divorced and his mother doesnt get him out of bed and
getting him to school on time. This sometimes means that he misses
breakfast which affects his learning.
According to Mrs. Rooy, she says There are a few squirrels meaning
that there are some students who dont like to sit in their seats a lot. Two
students who have special needs are S. and C. S is on the autism spectrum
and has defiance disorder. This means that I have to tell him during my
lesson that it is not his turn to speak. He also likes to lie if it benefits him. I

had a problem with this on March 3, 2016; he took a penny and insisted he
didnt take it. Eventually, he gave it back to me. This also means that I have
to keep a close eye on my materials when I collect them. C likes to rock back
and forth. Both students are given stools that rock back and forth. Personally,
I think all students could benefit from a rocking stool because they get
impatient sometimes. The way the room is set up is alright for my unit plan.
The students are already set up into table groups so it will be easy to have
them talk with their peers or have experimental groups. There is also a
microwave and sink in the back of the room for experiments that would
require those. The Smartboard would also be useful for watching videos or
have the students come up and draw or show an explanation.
My elementary school is located in Ottawa hills just outside of East
Town. The school seems to be middle and upper class students. All of the
students dress nicely without holes in any of their clothes. My school is
following the Common Core state standards and takes all the national and
state mandated tests. All of the textbooks are also common core with the
exception of science. The Science curriculum is made up of lessons written
by a former teacher. These follow the Next Generation standards.
Most of the students commute to my elementary school. There are
only a few students who walk to school. Many students are either driven or
bussed in. The school is located in a community that appears to be middle or
upper lower class. I presume that is why there are not a lot of children who

walk, their parents cant afford it. Parents are a large part of the support
system. The parents bring in snacks for their childs birthday. They also bring
in the students dogs for show and tell some days. The parents also come to
parent teacher conferences and offers to volunteer for being a chaperone for
field trips. There is not a bunch of learning opportunities in the community. If
the students go out to a field trip, it is outside the community.