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Narrative Reports of Three Children in My Classroom HD is a vibrant presence in the classroom and I have enjoyed working with him. His passion for learning and for absorbing material is inspiring. As one of the most active participants in class discussion in all discipline areas, HD has proven himself to be a classroom leader. In mathematics, we have been studying geometry. Primarily, we have examined the properties of different polygons, exploring symmetry and angles, and working with area, perimeter and volume. One large emphasis of the unit was using geometric properties to solve challenging word problems. Within the unit, the students had the opportunity to work with many hands-on materials, such as Tangrams, blocks and geo-boards. HD has demonstrated a genuine interest in the material we have been studying in this unit. He is not only eager to try the different classroom activities, but also gets so excited about the activities as he is working, that he shares his insights and "a-ha" moments with other children while he is working. For example, he worked excitedly with one other student on a optional challenge activity to find make short words that are symmetrical. Even when HD gets a question wrong, he is always willing and excited to go back and reexamine a problem from another angle. Usually, when he reexamines a problem, he can find his error and obtain the correct answer. One area in which I would like to see HD put more effort is in showing his work on worksheets, homework and exams. He, like so many of the children, often tries to solve problems in his head. While this is one of his strengths, there are times that he gets an answer wrong because he does not have his work written down. When I suggest to him that he write down his work, is almost always able to find the answer. As word problems increase in number of steps, writing down his work will also help him to organize his thoughts. If HD can master this skill, I have no doubt that HD will continue to be successful in his mathematical career. In social studies, we have been studying Colonial Pennsylvania.
In particular, the class has been focusing on developing multiple perspectives
of historical events, particularly of the Native Americans and the colonists,
through discussion and role-playing. HD is always an active participant
in our discussions. He is always trying to understand and argue what the
different perspectives of the historical groups are. In particular, he
often understands the nuances of the motivations that drive the actions
of the different groups beyond an understanding of a "good"-"bad"
dynamic. One example that highlights this was during a discussion of the
Walking Purchase trick of 1737. HD was able to understand exactly what
the motivations of the colonists had tricked the Delaware Indians were,
and shared this view to his classmates which helped flesh out other student's
understandings of the motivations of the colonists. He was also the able
to express what he would feel if he were in the group of Minisink Indians
that had been tricked. Science is another area in which HD flourishes. We have
been studying Rachel Carson, who wrote passionately about the environment
and helped spur the environmental movement. The students have also been
researching problems in the environment and creating poster presentations
to share the causes and effects of these problems. Prior to this unit,
we were studying electricity and building our own circuits to discover
how the elements of electricity work. HD is always excited for these hands
on activities and works hard to complete tasks. He often has another question
about how a circuit works after class. He even took un-required notes
on a video we watched about Rachel Carson, which was a testament to his
excitement about the material. HD has also put quite a lot of work into
his Environmental-Fair project, for which his research on "nonnative
species" has been detailed and thorough. I especially enjoyed how
he took a lesson on eye-catching posters to heart in writing "Alien
Invasion" as a hook to get other students excited about looking at
his poster. In reading group, we have been reading E.B. White's Trumpet
of the Swan. HD often stops to comment on the text, inject personal
connections and ask questions, things that any good reader should do.
He often volunteers to read loud and demonstrates great fluency. In his
writing, he is sensitive and thoughtful, though at times, he rushes through
his work and could benefit from proofreading a bit more. Often he does
not write, on informal writing pieces, complete sentences, or will forget
to capitalize the first word of sentence. He does these conventions in
more formal work, so I feel confident that he is capable to rereading
his responses to look for these things. One area in which HD could continue to improve is in taking
more time with his work. Often, HD prides himself in getting his work
done quickly. This speed is evident in both neatness of his completed
work and in the length and depth of his responses. For many of the students,
this speed is associated with a marker of success. While this speed demonstrates
his passion for learning and his determination to succeed, this speed
also sometimes hinders him from reaching his full academic potential.
I know from his great participation in class that he is capable of very
detailed and insightful responses. Sometimes his written work, in all
disciplines, does not display all that his mind has to offer. HD’s passion for learning is evident in every aspect of the school day. For example, when we watched a video on Rachel Carson, the famous environmentalist, he took a page of notes about what he saw, even though notes were not required and he would not be tested on the material. He often takes notes on material, an act demonstrates both a passion for learning and an independence that is truly exciting to see in a child HD’s age. As mentioned earlier, HD often has his hand in the air, eager to participate in every lesson. After lessons, HD often comes to ask additional questions, in order to further his own base of knowledge. HD has been a pleasure to work. His passion for learning and his sense of humor have helped maintain a positive learning environment. I have enjoyed having KV in my class these twelve weeks. She is a delight to work with because she is naturally inquisitive and an active participant in the classroom. In mathematics, we have been studying geometry. Primarily, we have examined the properties of different polygons, exploring symmetry and angles, and working with area, perimeter and volume. One large emphasis of the unit was using geometric properties to solve challenging word problems. Within the unit, the students had the opportunity to work with many hands-on materials, such as Tangrams, blocks and geo-boards. In mathematics, KV is always willing and excited to participate. She has seemed particularly interested in the hands on activities that we have done. For example, we did an activity in which the students created artwork using similar polygons. KV was excited about the activity and created a "Platter of Octagons" that demonstrated she had a grasp of the concepts we were discussing. She is beginning to develop word-problem solving skills, though this is an area in which KV can continue to grow. In science, we have been studying Rachel Carson, who wrote passionately about the environment and helped spur the environmental movement. The students have also been researching problems in the environment and creating poster presentations to share the causes and effects of these problems. Prior to this unit, we were studying electricity and building our own circuits to discover how the elements of electricity work. In these units, KV performed well, and has always had questions to ask. In social studies, we have been studying Colonial Pennsylvania. In particular, the class has been focusing on developing multiple perspectives of historical events, particularly of the Native Americans and the colonists, through discussion and role-playing. KV is always an active participant in these discussions. She is strong-minded and willing to defend her arguments, as she frequently does during these Pennsylvania history lessons. In reading group, we have been reading E.B. White's Trumpet of the Swan. Again, KV is an active participant and is often interjecting her opinions and analysis of the novel as we discuss it. Her passion for reading extends into recess, where she is frequently reading books as well as writing stories. One area that KV could continue to grow in is in responding in writing to reading questions. Often, she demonstrates that she has great ideas about the reading in our discussions, but her writing responses are less fleshed out. KV loves to write, as she is often writing stories during recess. If she can transfer this love of writing to putting more of her thoughts into her response papers, she would probably be able to get more out of her reading experience. The students also have just finished writing a freeform poem about their names. KV was one of the first people finished with this task, though it was clear that she had taken a lot of time, both in and out of school, to create a finished piece. In particular, I was impressed with the way in which she revised her poem several times, making changes that ultimately made her poem stronger. She demonstrated fluency with line breaks, poetic layout and use of metaphor in her finished work. I particularly enjoyed the way in which she used font changes to highlight aspects of her poem, like using boldface for the word darkish. KV is definitely a classroom leader. In her frequent participation and willingness to work with other students, she is a role model for many students. In areas in which she is confident, such as using the computer technology in the classroom, she is always willing to serve as a peer-teacher. I have enjoyed having SS in my classroom these last twelve
weeks. Her sweet demeanor and willingness to put effort into her work
has made her a pleasure to have in class. In mathematics, we have been studying geometry. Primarily, we have examined the properties of different polygons, exploring symmetry and angles, and working with area, perimeter and volume. One large emphasis of the unit was using geometric properties to solve challenging word problems. Within the unit, the students had the opportunity to work with many hands-on materials, such as Tangrams, blocks and geo-boards. SS often puts a lot of work and effort into her homework and classwork, which has paid off in her test and quiz scores which have been the high 80s and low 90s. One area in which SS can continue to grow is in her word problem solving abilities, which is an area that will continue to grow in importance in her mathematical career. We have also been studying Rachel Carson, who wrote passionately about the environment and helped spur the environmental movement. The students have also been researching problems in the environment and creating poster presentations to share the causes and effects of these problems. This project seemed to be one that SS struggled with in the beginning, as she formulated a topic and plan of research action. However, by the end of the unit, she had produced a well crafted and informative poster about endangered species. Her research abilities are continuing to develop as she still is learning to put together information from different sources and to paraphrase. In reading group, we have been reading Judy Blume's Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing. Through our discussions during the lessons, as well as her comprehensive answer to reading questions she has demonstrated a facility with the book and an ease of comprehension. However, during independent reading times, she seems to have more difficulty with the information, although the books are at the same grade level. She often asks to read with another person or for extra help with her reading. The next step for her is to move toward working independently with her work on reading, as she is certainly able to understand the material as evidenced by the school's reading assessments. While SS’s performance on tests, quizzes and other assessments have been good, she is often hesitant in school tasks. One area in which SS could continue to grow is in continuing to develop academic independence. She is a certainly a capable student, dedicated to her studies, though often unsure of her footing. While one day she demonstrates facility with long-division on an independent worksheet, the next day she comes to me asking how to solve the problem. When we go over the problem step by step, she answers a question about what 7 times 3 is incorrectly, a skill which she has repeated demonstrated that she has mastered. Another examples is a day in which the students took both a small math quiz and a larger math test in the same day. She had a lot of difficulty with the test and came to me many times for help. However, even though we did not go over the information much that day, the longer more comprehensive test took her less time than the shorter quiz to complete. When she felt confident about the material she was able to breeze through it. This uncertainty also comes through in the other disciplines. For example, while she will be animated and engaged in reading group one session, but the next, she is unable to speak about these same topics. SS is a bright student, who consistently produces high-quality work that demonstrates a lot of effort. The next step SS is to develop a greater confidence in her abilities. If she can master this, I am certain that she will continue to shine and excel at her studies.
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