I.

Context for Learning

Provide a description of your school, class, and student contexts. School information should include:
● basic community information;
o I was placed at a school in the southeastern US. The total number of enrolled
students is 826 with a student to teacher ratio of 16:1. With the minority enrollment
being at 54%. This breaks down to 51% males and 49% females coming from the
following: 4% asian, 15% hispanic, 37% black, 41% white, and 3% two or more races.
o Out of all of these students, 57% qualify for free lunch and 5% qualify for reduced
lunch. Despite the high need for free lunch this school ranks in the top 20% in public
schools and the top 30% in all schools in Georgia based off of the highest reading
language arts proficiency (top 20%) and for the most diverse schools (top 10%).
(https://www.publicschoolreview.com, 2016 Data)
● school type and grade levels;
o The classroom I am doing observations in consists of students that are 11-12 years
old. Throughout the entire day there is a total of 118 students to plan for representing
multiple countries including: Hondurus, Portugal, Mexico, Cuba, Iran, Brazil, and the
US. The languages include English, Spanish, Hindi, and Portuguese.
● special features of your school or classroom setting (e.g., charter, co-teaching, themed
magnet, remedial course, honors course) that will affect your teaching in this learning
segment; and
o During the time I am in the classroom, I get to see homeroom (5 mins), 1st
period (on-level core), 2nd period (connections/planning time), 3rd period (co-
taught core and lunch), and 4th period (co-taught core). The rest of the day is
Elective Time known as Viking Time, 5th period (Accelerated/gifted core), and
6th period (connections/planning). See question 8 for a detailed explanation of
the students needs at each level that affect the teaching and management.
o The planning and management is not really affected by the high number of
students with IEPs in the co-taught class. Both of these teachers are well in-
sync with each other and one can automatically take over for the other without
missing a beat. It is very impressive. When it comes to the planning, the
students are considered on-level and complete the same tasks. The class has
two teachers so the students get more individualized assistance from the
teachers.
● district, school, or cooperating teacher requirements, or expectations that might affect your
planning or delivery of instruction, such as required curricula, pacing plan, use of specific
instructional strategies, interdisciplinary teaming, or standardized tests.
o The teachers in this school have to follow the county Pacing Guide, the Priority
Standards, and they have required textbooks they must use from the county.
Teacher must also plan for differentiation within the classroom. In the 6th grade
they do not have standardized tests. They only have the Ga milestones they
must complete in Language Arts/Reading and Math at the end of the year.

Class information should include:

● name and length of the course, class schedule (e.g. 50 minutes every day);
 6th Grade Earth Science

Class Period Time Class Teacher Schedule

HR 9:15-9:20 Homeroom Homeroom

1 9:25-10:17 Core On Level:

Earth Science

● describe how ability grouping and/or tracking affects your class;

The only tracking is done by test scores. The school uses this to identify the
accelerated/gifted students. This particular class uses differentiation within each class
due to high levels of IEPs and a 504 in the co-taught classes.

● name of textbook or instructional program you primarily use for mathematics instruction

The students use 1 main textbook in two formats:

HMH GA Science (consumable) Houghton Mifflin 2019

Harcourt Publishing Co.

HMH GA Science(online textbook) Houghton Mifflin 2019

Harcourt Publishing Co.

● list of other resources regularly used for mathematics instruction.

Besides from this the teachers post the homework assignments, notes, and
any other important information on their school web pages so students and
parents stay informed.
Student information should include:
● grade level and student ages; 6th 11-12 years old
● number of students, including broken out by gender identities;
● required or needed supports, accommodations, and modifications for students that impact
this lesson or lesson segment. You should consider students with IEPs, 504 Plans, language
needs, and others such as students identified as gifted, struggling readers, underperforming,
or with gaps in academic knowledge.

Number of students in 1st (on-level) class: 17 Males 11

Females
Learning Needs Category # of Students Supports, accommodations, modifications, and/or
relevant IEP goals

1st Period
English Language Learners 2 Translated materials when available,
visual representations when teaching
Underperforming Students 1 Flexible grouping during viking time and
modified assignments for scaffolding
● what you’ve learned about student funds of knowledge that may be drawn upon in this lesson
or lesson segment
o After Interviewing 4 students:
▪ Student 1 has a strong family support system and positive family
communication. They also have positive adult role models from
having so many adult family members living nearby. They participate
in youth programs, other creative activities, and attend religious
gatherings with others their age. The student also has a positive peer
influence from her religious community.
▪ Student two has great family support and positive family
communication. Parents are involved with his school and he has clear
boundaries set. He has adult role models and positive peer influence
from his basketball and baseball teammates. He has a sense of
interpersonal competence that shows through his sensitivity to other
and his friendship skills.
▪ Student three has a great sense of empowerment. She is given time
to do whatever she will like and watches her cousin’s dog. Her
family’s expectations of her are high since she has a younger sister
she sets an example for her. She is responsible for doing her own
homework and since she has a twin sister her level of interpersonal
competence is very high.
▪ Student Four has a sense of cultural competence since he speaks
another language at home. He also has a great family support system
with positive family communication. He plans his time wisely as to finish
all his responsibilities such as homework and chores before dinner.