Classroom Map Windows

Whiteboard

Ms. Breedens
Bathroom Bulletin Board Reading Rug
Bookshelf Desk Area

Bookshelf
Bookshelf Students
Mailboxes

Bulletin Board
Math Tubs

Student
Cubbies

Table Student
Table

Sunshine
Rug

Smartboard
Ms.
Breedens
Student Table
Table
Student
Table

Whiteboard
Miscella
neous
Shelf

Student Student
Door

Table Table Miscellaneou

s Shelf

Kitchen
Miscellaneous Window
Shelf

Cubbies Sink with Water Fountain and Cabinets

 Literacy Lesson Description

One of the first literacy lessons I observed in my

practicum classroom involved a read-aloud (of an

AWESOME book) and a worksheet to follow. The book

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss is about different

emotions children might feel and colors that can

represent those emotions. This lesson connects well

with learning about social and emotional development

of young learners. We have learned that students in

kindergarten are just beginning to learn how to connect their emotions/feelings with their

actions, so this lesson done by my cooperating teacher was relating to those skills.

The lesson started with a read-aloud of the book. After finishing their snack, the

students went over to the reading rug while Ms. Breeden sat in her reading rocking chair.

She introduced the story to the students and asked them if they knew what an emotion or a

feeling was. It was pretty funny and cute to hear them trying to describe what a feeling was

while using the word feeling saying things like its like when you have a feeling. The

teacher then took a different approach and asked a follow-up question of what are some

different kinds of emotions or feelings? The students responded with different types of

feelings, such as happy, mad, sad, scared, and embarrassed. It was then clear that they

knew what feelings and emotions were, their kindergarten brains just werent helping

them explain. My cooperating teacher proceeded to read the story and asked a lot of

questions during the lesson, such as how do you think this character is feeling? and have
you ever felt this way? She also told the students to pay close attention to the pictures and

colors during the read-aloud. She would ask questions such as do you ever feel this color?

and what other colors do you think could relate to this emotion or feeling?

After the story was over, the teacher began to explain the activity they were going to

complete while they were still on the reading rug. She told the students to think about how

they were feeling today were they feeling happy, sad, tired, mad, etc. Then, she asked

them what colors they thought represented those emotions they were feeling. She showed

them the worksheet (page 3 of this document) and read to them what it said. She explained

to them that they were to take that emotion they were feeling and color the person on their

worksheet the color they thought went with that emotion. Then, in the blanks, they were to

write the color they used and how that color made them feel.

The students rushed back to their seats and began coloring their pictures. Some

students decided they wanted to color their person multiple colors, because they were

feeling multiple emotions that day. After they were done coloring, the students needed a lot

of help with their spelling. We tried to show them that the spelling for their color was on

their crayon, but that kind of backfired because some students wrote the Spanish word for

the color or had a funky color name, such as macaroni and cheese. After that, they also

needed help spelling their feeling. The cooperating teacher tried to write all the emotions

people were feeling on the board so they could just copy it, but some students still copied it

wrong. This part of the lesson was kind of tricky since the students didnt know how to

spell, but it just meant a little more help from us! When the students were done, they put

their worksheets in their folders to take home. Throughout the remainder of the day, the

students continued to talk about the way they were feeling in terms of color words.
 Notes and Observation Chart
Component Observed? Notes & Observations
(yes or no) (be detailed in what is included, how
various components are organized, etc.)
Classroom Three separate bookshelves
Library One by reading rug book covers are
faced out so students can see the covers
Two more on the walls adjacent to the
reading rug

Writing Center There isnt a specific writing center for them to go

to when they are writing
They just write at their tables
They have writing packets each week that
move from tracing words to writing words
to tracing a sentence to writing a sentence.
My teacher said that soon they will be
implementing morning journal writing.
Environmental There are no famous labels or logos such as
Print food places or stores.

They do have calendar, weather, and alphabet

these arent necessarily famous logos, but they
are common logos in classrooms.
Technology The students use iPads at every center time we
used by the have throughout the day. They use an app the
students PTA has purchased for the school called
STARFALL.
Reading and Language Centers ABCs
and read-aloud books on Starfall.
Math number games on Starfall
Technology The smartboard is used by my teacher for almost
used by the every lesson.
teacher for While eating breakfast and snack they
instruction listen to/watch videos on Starfall, PBS, or
YouTube
They do math and reading Starfall
together for some centers
CD Player/Songs
Every morning they listen to songs
together for saying good morning, the days
of the week, the five senses, etc.
 Dramatic Play
Area They have blocks, puzzles, a kitchen, and animal
figurines, but I have never seen them used in all
the times I have been there there is no dress up
materials or other dramatic play materials.

Student Work This is something that makes me so sad! There is

Displays no student artwork displayed in the classroom.
Just last week, she had me hang-up the students
pictures from a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom lesson
outside, but that is the only thing from the whole
year thus far. When I asked her about hanging up
student artwork, she said she is just too lazy to
do it in her free time.
Various Student Grouping students by colors based on their
Groupings reading skill levels
Yellow Low
Blue Medium/Low
Red Medium
Purple Medium/High
Green High
Table Groups
The students also complete some activities
just with their table groups
Tables are split up by who gets along well,
etc. (changes sometimes as conflicts arise)
Other: ESGI (Educational Software for Guiding
Instruction) Program
Really cool software that my teacher did a
60-day free trial on and is trying to figure
out how to get the school to pay for it/use
it (it is very expensive)
Provides literacy assessments for different
grade levels and keeps track of the whole
classs scores and what they know the
least/what they know the most, etc.
https://www.esgisoftware.com
Questions I have:
1. Do you think grouping students by ability level is a good strategy? Obviously, it
makes teaching each group easier, but I wonder if the students have a
conscious understanding of being in the bottom group and how that affects
their self-esteem.
2. Is there any research about hanging students artwork in the classroom?
Personally, I cant imagine my classroom without student art everywhere!
3. Is it important to have environmental print in the classroom? Is environmental
print only famous labels and logos?
Pictures of my Practicum Classroom

Many different ABCs

throughout the
classroom good for
kindergarteners who are
learning their letters!

Weather and Calendar

Colors
 Bookshelf

Reading Rug

Reading Color Group

Bins

Starfall ABCs

Other posters around the

room
 the three bees (a
schoolwide motto)

Reading Chair/CD
Player

Dramatic Play Areas

Other pictures of
classroom set-up