Day 1 (1/7)

For my observations, I was placed in PS 527 (the East Side School for Social Action), and I couldn't be happier for my placement. For the first day, the head teacher Ms Amy was very encouraging of me, and allowed me to be active with the K-C class. I started by helping cut, and paste new sight words into the class' notebooks, and writing sight words for them to trace, and then replicate. After, I floated, and helped students write sentences using the sight word of the day. I floated around the class during different activities, and helped with work, particularly in math, and their Guided Reading period.

When I had first walked into the classroom, I was surprised at how large the classroom is. Even with 20 students, the class didn't feel small at all. There is room for a reading rug, with a large library that is responsive to the various reading levels in the classroom. For Guided Reading, once a week students go into bins labelled A through at least H (though I don't remember the exact letter), and pull a few books for Guided Reading. In the library area, and the Circle Time area, there are rugs, but the rugs both have additional places to sit too (with the library having 4 bean bag chairs, and the circle time area having a container with mats to sit on). The Circle Time Rug is also next to a small collection of books that have been used for recent "Read Aloud"s. I love how reading, and reading spaces aren't just immediately available, but they are also designed to be comfortable.

Attached to the back of the chairs of the student chairs are little sacks. In each sack is a collection of different folders, and notebooks. Some are for math work, others  are for writing assignments, and sight words.This helps to ensure that lessons can transition quickly, and easily without distraction. That's also why art supplies, and manipulatives are close to the students' desks. By making supplies immediately accessible, lessons move quickly, and smoothly.

The classroom has multiple centers. Aside from the previously mentioned Reading Center, there is also a Sensory Table with magnetic sand. There isn't a center focused around art, math, or writing. With the art supplies nearby, and the math/writing notebooks being attached to the chair though, the centers are the seats. Also, printer paper has a space inside of a desk that students can access easily during choice time. I like how centers can be brought to the desks. It frees up space in the classroom, and based on what I observed, during choice time, students doing similar activities stay together (anyone doing drawing, or coloring stays in one or two tables together, while students playing with unifix cubes/magnetic tiles stay in a different area).