School Observations Report NOTE: Be sure your report includes the following: -Title Page -Table of Contents -Body

of your report -Appendix section for your Fieldwork Log -15 hours signed, -Copies of Observation Notes -Lesson Observation Forms, -Lesson Plans lesson plans, student work, etc. I. Reading Autobiography Reflect on and answer the following questions. Please answer in narrative form. This will help you better understand your preferences and biases going into teaching. You may number your answersyou do not need to retype the questions! Reading Autobiography: 1. What was the literacy environment like in your home? How often were you read to as a child? Did your parents read books, newspapers, magazines, or model a love of reading? What writing materials were there in your home that you were able to use? Was there someone in your home that answered your questions about literacy events, unknown words, etc.? 2. How were you formally taught to read at school? Were you taught using a basal reading series, a phonics approach, a language experience approach, key words to reading, whole language, etc.? What feelings do you have about the reading process? In what grades did teachers read to you every day? 3. Did content area reading material (science, history, etc.) ever seem too difficult for you? In what grades? Did teachers teach reading comprehension strategies? Did you typically answer the questions at the end of the chapters in social studies or science? How did you feel about content area reading in elementary, middle school, high school, and now? Do you enjoy reading for pleasure? How many books do you usually read a month just for fun (when you are not in school!)? Is reading important? Why or why not? How do you think reading should be taught? II. Specific Fieldwork Reports: Each question is specific and requires specific answers. Be sure to answer all questions for each section! You may either answer each question in order, or write a connected narrativewhichever works best for you. A: School and District Data Obtain a copy of your schools Accountability Report Card (should be available on the district web site). Read this information carefully and report on any relevant informationplease do not attach the Accountability Report Card to your report. Also look up the schools API and AYP information (http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/). Describe the over-all socio-economic status of the population, and relevant academic information (test scores, etc.) of students in your school. List the student/teacher ratio.

B: Socio-Economic Status and Multicultural aspects of the classroom 1. How can SES and academic score information about your school make you a better teacher? 2. What areas of need (economic and academic) do you see for your school? 3. Discuss the strengths and/or weaknesses you see in the multicultural aspects of the classroom. 4. Why is it important to address multicultural issues, stereotypes, and people with disabilities? C: Literacy Program Describe the facilities available at the school site for literacy development; library, technology lab, writing lab, computers for student use in the classroom. List other technology available for teacher use in the classroom. Check on the materials available to students such as an extra set of textbooks, reference materials in the classroom dictionaries, a thesaurus, a world atlas, other resources. Observe if the classroom is a rich environment of age-appropriate reading material for the students. Inquire as to whether there are aides, especially bilingual personnel, to assist teachers. Check the department course offerings and note the tutorial classes as well as the sections for ELs. Find out about the staff training for literacy development across the curriculum. D: Reading and Writing Instruction 1. Make a list of textbooks, courses of study, etc. that your cooperating teacher uses for Literacy development in Content Area Instruction. 2. How are the lessons taught in your classroom? Describe the teaching strategies you observed sure to link these with those discussed in the course 3. How does the teacher use a balanced approach to literacy instruction? 4. Observe writing instruction a. What kinds of writing activities take place in the classroom? b. Who does revisions and editing? 5. Observe reading development a. What methods of instruction were used? Be sure to link these with course content b. Did the teacher assess learning after the lesson or just end the lesson? c. Do students work in groups or independently? 6. How is vocabulary development addressed in the lessons? 7. What methods of assessment are used in the literacy program? 8. What are the effective aspects of the teachers reading and writing instruction? E: Your Experiences in the Classroom Heres your chance to share your experiences in your field placement classroom! What things did you get to do with the students this quarter? 1. Describe your experiences observing lessons, interacting with students, and perhaps teaching the class. What materials did you use? Was it your lesson or a lesson the teacher gave you? Describe the details

of how each lesson proceeded. How did the students behave and respond? What went well? What were areas for improvement? 2. Describe your experiences working individually with a student that is experiencing difficulties in reading or in a content area and also with other individual students. Describe the work you did with these students. Was it work your teacher provided or work you developed for the student? How did the student behave and respond? What went well? What were areas for improvement? Reflect on these experiences. III. Interview: Arrange a mutually convenient time to sit down with your cooperating teacher and conduct an interview. Take notes or use a recorder, and then write up the interview. Your write up may be a verbatim transcription of what was said or a summary. This assignment will help you to understand your teachers views about reading and writing in content area instruction Ask at least 10 questions: (It is important to write the question.) 1. Tell me what you like most about teaching? 2 10. (your questions) -Reflect on and discuss your teachers responses: -Did any of them surprise you? What did you learn about him/her as an instructor that is not evident from your observations? What other comments or reflections do you have? (You may reflect after each response if you prefer.) Keep a log of your activities during your fieldwork placement. (There is a log on the GSOE Fieldwork placement website that you may download.) This may be hand written but must be NEAT and LEGIBLE. For each time you visit your classroom, fill out a section of your log indicating the following information: For time in/out column, put in the times you begin and end fieldwork each day (time for recess, lunch, and other subject areas does not count towards your hoursonly Language Arts/Content Area instruction counts). Your teacher must sign off on your hours each time. Under the activities column, briefly list what you worked on that day (observed lesson, taught small group lesson, worked with struggling reader, etc.). Please note: teachers in public schools are subject to many differing pressures, including administrative requirements, standardized and district testing, and their own continuing education. Therefore, we occasionally find that these teachers are unable or unwilling to allow Education 174 students to complete these requirements. If that is the case in your situation, please remain cooperative and make the best of the situation.