Context

In Mrs. Noordewiers 4th Grade classroom at Grand Rapids

Christian Elementary School, there are 24 children total; with 12 girls
and 12 boys. All students are within the appropriate age range for the
4th grade between 9 and 10 years old. Twenty of the students are
Caucasian , two are Asian and 2 are bi-racial. One of the Asian students
was adopted from China, one is caucasian and African American and
the other is Latino and African American.. About 7 of them have Dutch
last names from what I could gather. All students are fluent in English
and it is their primary language. All students in this 4th Grade class are
also proficient in English and can read well and write legiblyactually,
most kids cursive is really lovely.
Many of the students have their go-to friends in the class. There
are two boys that dont really associate themselves with anyone but
each other, but they are the two students that are struggling the most
in this class. Another boy in the class doesnt really socialize with other
students unless there is a specific group or partner activity. All students
are Christian. They have knowledge about the Bible and know Bible
songs and stories. When prayer is opened up to them, many of the
students offer up a prayer. They pray for each other, their teacher, and
their families. There are some students that get distracted easily. They
struggle to get settled into the routines of the day. This is not every
day but it is an element of this group. Some also are continuing to work

on staying in their seats and not roaming the room to avoid their work.
On occasion, some of them use the beanbags and chairs available to
them throughout the day when theyre not supposed to but they have
grown in this area as they have settled into a new grade with new
classmates and expectations. Also noted are some students who can
get sidetracked during the middle of a lesson. Staying focused for
some of these students is a challenge. Many of these same students
struggle with the organizational piece. They often have desks cluttered
with colored pencils, markers and coloring templates. It has been a
goal for them to try and keep their learning space neat so they can
concentrate on the lesson. In order to help these students in this area,
much time and encouragement has been put into place. There is a
parapro that comes in most mornings to help with these students as
this is an exceptional class in this regard.
When applicable, the students talk about their home lives a lot.
When grading papers, I notice at least one parent writing notes to Mrs.
Noordewier about the assignment. This tells me that parents are
helping the kids with their work and have questions and concerns for
the teacher.
One student has difficulties with Spatial Ordering. She can read
and write fine, but she cant picture what the text is saying or telling in
her head. She just sees words. Mrs. N understands this is an important

element of her learning but also is monitoring her ability to focus on

details as she seems to miss crucial elements of instructions.
Ive noticed a few students having trouble with writing. This
proves that it doesnt come naturally and they have to concentrate
really hard to get the letters right and clear. But when they do put in
the effort, the outcome is quite great. I worked with another student
going over her math test. She had left a whole page completely blank,
but when working with me she was able to do all the problems that she
had initially skipped with the help of talking through her steps out loud.
Generally speaking, this group needs concrete directions, both verbal
and written on the board.
Grand Rapids Christian Elementary is a PreK-4 school. I wasnt
able to find any official statistics on the socioeconomics of the students
that attend there, but Mr. K the principal told me it ranges from middle
to upper class. Grade levels are configured by students age. It is very
rare that a student will fall behind and get held back. The school does
MAP testing where they track every students progress and ability
three times a year. This helps the teachers see where students are at
in curriculum standards and how fast or slow they need to teach the
content. The school follows Michigan Common Core Standards.
Most all students live within a mile and a half (at most) radius of
the school. Their website does show that they have bus routes. The
buses go 10 miles north of the campus towards/close to Cannonsburg.

They run south to 68th street, west to Division Street, and about 7 miles
to the east towards Cascade and past East Paris. There are many
students who use these bussing services. Some families choose not to
pay the additional costs so they drop off and pick up their children
each day in the car line. Im not sure of the exact number of students
who live outside of the immediate neighborhood but there are 8-10
busses that drop off and pick up students each day.
. There is a local library right by the school on Hall Street. It isnt
very large, but community members have said that many families from
the school bring their children to the library during the summer and
throughout the week. Although, it is on the smaller side, there is a lot
that happens there like summer reading programs and workshops for
kids.