My first experience was on October 26 with a small reading group in fourth grade (in

person). At first, there was only one student in class. He began class with a quiz about phonics.
Tim explained to us that words that were hard during the quiz were used to build the weekly
lesson plan. He also explained that students are considered to have mastered the listed words
whenever they can spell them correctly five times.
There were a couple girls who weren’t in class on time. Tim explained that when his
fourth grade students don’t come on time, they have to miss out on recess time to make up their
work. I didn’t really like this idea. I think that recess is important for kids because it gives them a
brain break and lets them get active. On the contrary, I’m not sure how else these kids could
make up work they miss when they come in late. Tim explained that after the first week or so, it
is the students’ responsibilities to come to his class. All the classrooms have Small Group time
during this class, so students know when it’s time for them to come to his class.
Because the other students were late, Tim worked on reading with one male student the
entire time. I believe his name was Riley, but I didn’t think to write it down so I’m not completely
sure. Tim stated that his goal for this lesson was to work on making predictions. They worked
with an “I Survived…” book, which Tim explained to the student before they began reading. He
discussed what the “I Survived…” books were about. Then, he read what year the event
happened, which was the tornado in Joplin, Missouri, and asked the student how old he would
have been when the tornado happened. I thought this was very cool, because it engaged the
reader and gave him more perspective on the time frame. Then, he asked about the students’
weekend. It seemed like a bad time to ask (transition wise), but I think Tim just forgot to do it
before they started talking about the book, and he wanted to make sure he asked. I think it’s
important to ask students about their lives outside of school, because it shows that you are
interested in every part of the student’s life. This builds trust, and it helps the teacher get to
know the student better.
Finally, they were ready to read the book. Tim told the student that they would read the
first three pages together and then make a prediction. At first, the student read, and Tim would
help whenever needed. Tim would revoice what was read, and ask questions for
comprehension, clarification, and to see if the student was engaged. As the student read, Tim
would point to the words. Eventually, Tim read a few paragraphs, but then switched to listening
as the student read. I thought it was very helpful that they switched, because it gave the student
practice reading, but it also allowed the student to hear how a strong reader reads. At one point,
Tim asked, “How would you feel if you experienced this?” I think this is such an important
question to ask, because it brings the reader into the story. It helps the reader visualize himself
in the story, which is an important strategy in reading. Finally, the student was asked to write
two sentences to predict what will happen to the main character, and then draw a picture. The
student asked if he had to draw a picture, and Tim told him he didn’t, as long as he wrote the
sentences. I’m assuming the picture was only to help the student write the sentences, so it
wasn’t needed if the student could write the sentences without a picture, but I wish I would’ve
thought to ask Tim about this directly.
I learned a lot about helping students read through this lesson, but it felt a little
unrealistic since there was only one student. I wish the other students had gotten there on time
so I could see Tim work with multiple students.
 My next experience was also on October 26, this time with a fifth grade math group over
Zoom. There were multiple students on the Zoom call, but Tim was working individually with one
female student in a breakout room.
The student was given a problem that had a list of ages. The student had to arrange the
numbers in order, and find the mean, median, and mode. When it was time for the student to
find the mean, Tim asked, “Do you remember the steps to find the mean?” I thought it was really
good that he asked this question, because it gave the student the opportunity to do it on her
own if she could, but it also allowed her to ask for help.
As the student was finding the mean, Tim wrote down everything she said on his piece
of paper that was shared on the document camera. I think there are pros and cons to this. By
him writing down what’s happening, it’s almost like he’s revoicing what the student was saying,
while at the same time showing the steps (for addition, for example) as he wants the student to
see them and be able to do them. When he was adding, he used the Pull Apart Method. By Tim
writing this down, the student could see how the Pull Apart Method works, in case she forgot.
On the other hand, I think it’s helpful for the student to write down their work as they explain it,
because it allows the teacher to see exactly what the student is thinking/doing, which can help
the teacher know if he needs to teach on something specific. For example, maybe the student
doesn’t completely understand the Pull Apart Method if she has to do it on her own, and Tim
would see that if she was doing the writing instead of him. However, I understand that over
Zoom it’s very hard for the student to show their work, and that it’s much easier for the teacher
to show work over the document camera. Also, this was only one lesson, and I’m not sure what
this student’s homework looks like. I’m sure Tim has other ways to know if this student is
understanding all the things he is writing down.
After the Pull Apart Method, Tim asked the student to give one or two thumbs up to tell
him how she was doing. She gave two thumbs up. This is a great way for students to evaluate
their understanding, and ask for help in a safe way. After this, Tim asked the student what the
next step should be, and then he wrote down what she told him. Once, she used math vocab,
and Tim said, “I love the math vocab [you used] there.” This is so important because it builds
confidence in kids, especially kids who have a specific educational need. I learned during this
problem that the kids are taught songs to help them with problems, but I didn’t get to watch the
student sing a song that helps her. I think songs are great, as long as the student is
understanding what is happening mathematically, not just memorizing the order in which she is
supposed to do a problem.
Once the student finished the problem, Tim revealed that each number represents the
age of a teacher at the school. At the end, he told her which teacher was the oldest. I thought
this was really cool, because it made the math realistic and relevant for the student, which is
something we’ve been learning about in Block B. It was a cool twist on the end to know that the
numbers represented the ages of people the student knew, but I also think it might have
engaged the student a little more if she had known that from the beginning.
Next, the student was given this problem: 2x3+7-(5-2)+1=⬜. Tim wrote PEMDAS on top
of the problem. The student told him the steps to take, and Tim rewrote the problem after each
step. He put a check mark above each letter in PEMDAS when the steps were completed. I
think this is a great way to use visuals, and to show the student what is expected of them. If the
teacher rewrites the problem every time, the student will understand that they should rewrite the
problem every time. Tim also told us that last week the students learned the order of operations,
and that they used different colors to show this order. Again, I think this is a great visual.
I enjoyed watching this math lesson. Similar to the first lesson I saw, I wish there had
been multiple students that Tim was working with. I know that it’s very unlikely I’ll get to spend
thirty uninterrupted minutes with each student who needs additional support, and I would like to
see what support like this looks like with a group of students. I’ve noticed from this math lesson
that Tim is a very patient teacher, which is so important. Kids can tell when a teacher gets
impatient, and that affects their learning. Students should feel safe to take their time, and Tim
has created that space for his students.