Running head : TEACHER OBSERVATIONS 1

“Teacher Observations for Kindergarten”

Location- W.D. Richards Elementary School

Teacher- Mrs. Anderson

Grade Level- Kindergarten

Hours Observed- 10 hours

Observer- Dana McKie

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The First classroom I observed was Mrs. Andersons Kindergarten class at W.D Richards

Elementary School in Columbus, Indiana. This class was made up of a great mix of students. Some of the

students were English as second language learners, some were considered gifted and talented, and the

rest were right where they were supposed to be according to Indiana state standards. I had such a great

time in this class because the students were so welcoming and eager to learn. In my reflection of this

class I will be addressing Mrs. Andersons classroom management, the early use of inquiry based

learning, and the English standards that she addressed.

Mrs. Anderson’s classroom management was excellent and is something that I am already

working on being part of my own classroom someday. Her classroom management method was one

that she called “Clipping Down.” At the beginning of the year she created a chart made up of four

different sections. The first section at the top, labeled in blue was called “Good Day.” The second section

was labeled in green as “Ready to Learn.” The third section was labeled in yellow as “Think about it” and

the last section was labeled in orange as “Teachers Choice.” There were clothes pins with the students

names on them clipped to the side of the chart. As the day progressed the students could move up or

down on the chart according to their behaviors throughout the day. At the end of the day the students

drew in the color they ended on, on a chart that was sent home daily. I really liked this idea of classroom

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management because it gave the students the power to end on a good note, even if they started off

badly. The students responded very well to clipping up or down because they knew that if they had

gotten in trouble for something earlier, although they are still initially responsible for that action, they

still had the opportunity to do something well and clip back up. I think this changes the attitude of

students who get in trouble throughout the day. Typically, if a student gets in trouble for something they

did they are stuck with that mindset for the rest of the day. By giving the students the opportunity to

correct their previous behavior, they feel more hopeful and positive about their actions for the rest of

the day.

The school I observed at had a very strong focus on reading and English. I got the chance to talk

to the principal, Mr. Sprong, about how the corporation is moving towards literacy stations in every

classroom and the importance of these stations. Mr. Sprong said, “I feel these stations are so important

to have in every classroom. We are not there yet, but we are moving towards implementing this practice

in every room of this school. The corporation feels very strongly about giving students at least 45

minutes a day of nothing but reading. We have two classrooms at Richards who are utilizing these

stations to give feedback on it for fellow teachers for the following year.” The state standards that these

stations address are:

Comprehension-K.7.1 Understand and follow one- and two-step spoken directions

Concepts about Print

K.1.1 Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.

K.1.2 Follow words from left to right and from top to bottom on the printed page.

K.1.3 Understand that printed materials provide information.

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K.1.4 Recognize that sentences in print are made up of separate words.

K.1.5 Distinguish letters from words.

K.1.6 Recognize and name all capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

Although at this particular age group I did not see much use of inquiry, I did observe some hand

on learning based stations that addressed specific questions. I feel that kindergarteners need more

guidance and practice using inquiry based learning, but the learning stations for math and English did

implement some of the qualities that inquiry learning possesses. For instance, at each station the

students are started with a question such as, “How does reading to my partner help me become a better

reader?” Or, “How does knowing my cite words help me become a better reader?” These types of

questions engaged the children to think about what they were about to do at each station before they

actually did it. I believe this to be the beginning of inquiry based learning for the future.

Some of the ways I would include inquiry to this classroom to such young learners would be

create more hands on learning stations for science and math. These two subjects are a great way to get

students thinking on their own and answering inquiry based questions. For instance, In Mrs. Anderson’s

class the students were learning about insects. The teacher would read a new book about different bugs

and insects and the difference between each two every day. Maybe after reading a book about inquiry

she could have introduced a new bug to the classroom and had the students create a new habitat each

week for each bug or insect. The kids could have created a habitat for caterpillars by reading about

them, and then use hands on materials to create the habitat. At the end of the week the teacher could

have brought in the real insect to place in their habitat! I think this would be a fun, informative way of

introducing inquiry based learning in to a kindergarten classroom.

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With such young students I understand that it may be hard to introduce inquiry, but I don’t

deem it impossible. I think with some tweaking and understanding of each student as individuals it is

definitely possible to introduce inquiry at such a young age because this style of learning is something

they will experience for the rest of their academic careers. I know that even young learners respond to

hands on activities in a positive way. When students get the chance to be hands on it opens up their

minds to new ideas. All of the students in Mrs. Anderson’s class were smart and interactive. If they were

introduced to more inquiry based learning lessons I know they would respond in a great way, with very

interesting questions and responses!

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References

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.doe.in.gov/achievement/standards/indiana-standard-

resources

Boushey,Moser, G. J. "The Daily 5".