Albemarle Road Elementary School Teacher: Jessie Lay First Grade Class

Members of the community: 22 students Ages 6-7 12 Hispanics, 10 Black Students Students have uniforms o Navy blue or white polo shirts. o Khaki navy blue, black bottoms Friendly towards one another, Everyone gets along Hispanic students speak Spanish to one another Teachers o White o Female o Age from 24-48 o Assist children

Philosophy/ Beliefs Classroom setting is set up for children to learn and succeed Children are challenged in their work Children use problem solving skills to work things out Children are not given direct answers There is always an activity for them to exercise what they just learned They review previous material

Meetings At the time I observed the kids the teacher claps her hands in a rhythm the children are familiar with to get their attention. They all copy the clap. The teacher then gives them instructions to clean up and meet on the carpet. This happened both times I observed so I believe this is a regular routine at this time. Once they meet on the carpet the children go over vocabulary they recently learn. I watch a Hispanic student fall asleep with her head in her hands. Another student, African American, plays with his shoe laces. Two Hispanic boys continue to talk while the teacher proceeds with her lesson. She sternly calls their names and tells them to split apart. Once they split up she continues to go on with the lesson. She holds up the word ladder and asks, whats this word 7 hands fly in the air. She chooses

on a African American girl who answers lunch. Ms. Lay replies no and picks on another hand, a Hispanic boy who replies ummmm.. as you can tell hes unsure of the answer. She chooses another hand, an African American girl who yells out ladder. She says very good. She then calls attention to 2 girls playing with each others hair, and directs them to move their clip down. As she finishes up her lesson I cant help but think the kids arent ready to branch off on their own and do their work by themselves. She tells them to get in their assigned groups and work on worksheets together. The first group I visit is flying through their worksheets and ask for no help. I go to the second group who are all side tracked and talking, once I walk over, they begin to get back to work. The class is very loud and busy. It is very hard to keep the class under control at all times. It feels as if Ms. Lay has gotten used to it and doesnt correct it anymore. After group work is done, Ms. Lay claps her hands to grab their attention. The children stop what theyre doing. She says clean up and meet at the carpet to go outside. The kids scatter. Everyone meets at the carpet. Ms. Lay calls on the children who are quiet and sitting criss crossed. The other children imitate this good behavior to be able to line up to go outside. After the children are all lined up they exit the trailer to the playground. Leaders The leader of the class is Jessie Lay, she is the teacher. Shes very positive, uplifting and encouraging. She is also stern when she needs to be. The children respect her.

Structure The teacher keeps the class very organized and under control. Its very structured, the teacher leads and the children follow. Language In the classroom they use very simple language. None of the words are complex. They have words that only that classroom would know what it meant, such as clapping words, word wall, or phrases such as go move your clip up. Overall Overall, I learned that my discourse community it very organized and it stays true to its philosophy and beliefs. All of their goals are met. I learned that there is more to a teachers job than we think and the patience level of an elementary teacher has to be very high to be successful in teaching. I also learned that its very hard for children to stay focused and they need direct instructions to be successful and do as they are told, not many kids take the initiative to do the right thing without being reminded. The children arent where they need to be.