Being a part of Hazel Valley Elementary was amazing and eye opening.  Walking into the school I felt a sense of community and inclusiveness.  The environment was warm and open.  Walking into Mrs. Velez-Gracia’s classroom I was greeted with open arms.  Listening to the morning messages over the intercom and hearing the children repeat the mission of the school made me feel that they want the children and staff to live their message.  The guidance strategies that were used in the classroom showed me a new technique to use with the children.  A few strategies, such as using hand motions while talking to have the children remember what the teacher needed them to do, allow the children to solve their own problems, and allowing the children to earn classroom bucks to spend or save.

Areas of strengths based on my student evaluation are taking imitative in the classroom, recognize that children respond to situations differently and to offer children choices.  Having the opportunity to work with a large group of children was intimidating, but I was able to use strategies I have learned throughout the years and model new strategies that I learned in the classroom. 

The area of growth that I want to address is working on managing a large classroom and working with children special needs.  I want to make sure that I am able to meet the needs of all the children in a classroom.  Working or volunteering in a classroom with children that have special needs will be my next step in learning. 

Yes, I was able to see Hazel Valley Elementary mission statement in action. The teachers, staff and children all modeled the behavior of knowing the students by their first name and creating a sense of community within the school.  As I mentioned before the school had a warm feeling as soon as you walk through the doors.  Hazel Valley created an inclusive atmosphere.  I left the school learning so much from the Mrs. Velez-Gracia, other teachers and staff members and the students.

After my visit I am 100% still invested in wanting to continue teaching.  I am going to embrace everything that I have learned and will continue learning through Highline College.  I strive to be the best teacher I am able to be for my students and families.  I cannot wait to see what my future holds.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bzss05su70j3yli/Video%20lesson%20240.wmv?dl=0

o Briefly describe your activity and why you chose it?

I chose this activity because we have been talking a lot about the weather and cloud formation. I the morning we go over our calendar and the children take turns being our weather announcer. February was an amazing month to talk about the weather. Talking about the cycle of weather and what causes clouds to form can be taught throughout multiple age groups. Adding an element for the children to experiment with creates a hands-on learning approach which piques the children’s interest and helps them learn through multiple levels.

o Explain how you prepared for this activity.

We first read a book a few days before and the day of the experiment called Clouds by Eric Carle. This was great for the younger children. I am currently taking an environmental science course and I used examples and diagrams from my class to talk with the older children. We watched the cloud formation and noted what differences we saw day to day. A great time do this was on the way to school drop off in the morning and school pick up in the afternoon. I also researched different experiments we could do so the children could have a hands-on project. I also created a large diagram for us to review before the experiment.

o What went well during the implementation of your activity?

What went well during the implementation of this activity was how excited the children were to complete the lesson plan. It was an interesting subject because we can see the changes of precipitation and cloud formation on a daily basis. The children though it was exciting because they did not know that clouds are full of water.

o What did you notice about the implementation of the activity when you viewed the video of yourself? Be specific.

What I noticed about the implementation of the activity when I viewed the video of myself was that the children were excited to share their information, they have learned about cloud formation and what causes precipitation. I feel that I was a bit nervous in the video and talked a bit to fast. The children loved the experiment, but we added to much shaving cream to some of the jars, so it was harder to count how many drops of food coloring it took to go through the clouds to simulate rain. All in all, the children enjoyed our lesson.

o What would you change if/when you implement this activity again?

What I would change would be maybe decreasing the number of jars used for the simulation. I would have also tried the experiment before introducing it to the children to see what would work best during the lesson.

1. Name of the book you read.  Why you chose this book and how your choice shows evidence aligning with what you read about choosing anti-bias books.

            I chose to read “It’s Okay to Be Different” by Todd Parr.  This book aligns with anti-bias books because the visual and verbal message is that it is okay to be different and it is important be who you are.  The book looks at how we can be different in our outward appearance, our family make-up, ability level, and how imaginative or creative we are as individuals.  It also touches on emotion.  One page of the book says, “It’s okay to be mad.”  With children we need to tell them it is okay to have emotions and that getting upset will happen, but we need to give them coping mechanisms to work through these emotions. 

2. What impacted your choices in choosing this book to read aloud?

This book had vibrant colors and simple text for the children, since I was reading the book to children two to four years of age.  I also loved the message of the book.  We are all different and loving ourselves is very important.  This book also lets us as teachers have discussions with our students about how people have different family make-ups, to do something nice for others or ourselves and to talk about our feelings.  I also chose this book because you can keep it simple for younger children, but this book also allows us to go more in-depth with older children and beyond. 

3. What did you do in preparation for your read aloud activity?

I read through the book and also did some research online about the book and different areas to touch on.  With this read aloud activity I wanted to make sure I was meeting the needs of all the children that were hearing the book.  I looked at the different family make-ups that were present, the background of the students and how I can show the children we need to love ourselves and how to love the differences of others.

 
4. What reading strategies did you use during your read aloud activity?

I read the book thoroughly and wrote on post-it notes about what I wanted to touch on more in detail with the children.  I also had each child pick a page that they wanted to talk about and share what they loved about themselves.  Before opening the book, we talked about the title, “It’s Okay to Be Different.”  I then asked them a few questions about what they like about themselves and others.  At the end of the story we talked about how being different is wonderful and how boring it would be if everyone was the same in this world.

 
5. What did you learn from this experience?

            I learned that we need to be mindful of what books to have in the classroom.  Looking at anti-bias books is important and how to break down reading the book and having conversations while reading a book to the children makes a big impact.  Taking the time to read through the book and think about what we want the children to gain an understanding of when listening.  I also learned that we need to pause and reflect on different words that we want to highlight during the reading.  As teachers we need to use books as tools for us to use to create inclusive environments, teach children how to love ourselves and others. 

            Finding a curriculum that can meet the needs of multiple age groups can be difficult.  When researching different curriculum’s for my program I found a program called FunShine Express.  Before implementing this program last year, I did research to make sure it would align with Washington States guidelines for Early Childhood Education.  These guidelines were created to enhance and support children’s development and learning.  The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) was created to make sure children are given the opportunity to thrive and reach their fullest potential.  The mission statement for NAEYC is mission statement is to, “promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children” (NAEYC, n.d.). 

            The FunShine Express curriculum was created to meet the NAEYC standards and align with Washington State guidelines.  The founder of this curriculum is Beth Ehlis.  She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, and a Master’s Degree in Education.  FunShine Express began in 1995.  There are four other members that hold degrees in Early Childhood Education and family studies that help with the curriculum development and research for creating and updating information as necessary to meet statewide early learning standards.  The theory behind FunShine express is, “while the members of the Curriculum Design and Development Committee at FunShine Express originate from a wide range of backgrounds, we all work together to create a curriculum that is aligned with our interpretation of classic child development and learning theories that have been widely accepted by the field of early childhood” (E Space Communications, Inc., n.d.).  They have taken information and research from Maslow, Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson and current research regarding brain development to create this amazing curriculum for in-home and center based early childhood settings.

            This program has enhanced my center in a variety of ways.  I am currently using their Fireflies Curriculum, which supports children from 3-5 years of age.  There is also a Buttercups curriculum for children 0-3 years of age.  This program focus’ on the whole child.  It does support a child’s social and emotional development, cognitive, culture, family and community, self-awareness, self-regulation, creativity, curiosity, thinking, reasoning, fine and gross motor development, writing movement and dance.  It also helps create receptive and expressive language development.  These are just a few examples about how the FunShine Early Learning and Development Continuum meets Washington States Early Learning and Development guidelines for children birth to third grade.  For a complete list please visit https://www.funshineonline.com/docs/Washington%203-5%20Year%20Alignment.pdf.

            A few ways the materials from FunShine Express meets Washington State standards are creating a daily curriculum that has daily basics, learning activities, physical development and creative expression.  There is also a newsletter that I add in with the monthly note I send home.  This newsletter has book ideas, activities for home, nursery rhymes, books, songs and cooking together recipes.  There is a fun interactive board for the children to review for our monthly shape, number and color.  We also have pictures that are displayed such as our picture of the month, work wall and I am theme.  I add this to our other curriculum activities to create a fun and special place for the children to learn. Here are a few pictures to add so you are able to see the layout.

NAEYC. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/about-us/people/mission-and-strategic-direction

E Space Communications, Inc. (n.d.). Curriculum and Assessment for Ages 0-5. Retrieved from https://www.funshineexpress.com/

1.  Begin to pay attention to the types of management strategies that you see throughout your practicum site.
Make a list of the different strategies.

• There is a feelings chart by the front door of the classroom, which allows the student to place their peg on the emotion that they are feeling during the day.  Some children stay in one area for the entire day, but others change their peg around throughout the day.  This allows the teacher to talk with the children one on one, if needed.

• The teacher gives out pretend money to the students throughout the day.  Children are given time in the morning to count their money and decide if they want to save or spend their money.  There is a store that they can chose items from.  Five dollars gives them a choice of a stuff animal that they can keep with them for the day, ten dollars allows them to choose their reading partner and twenty dollars allows them a chance to have lunch with the teacher.

• Mrs. Gracia also has the children take turns leading the class calendar and math counting for the day.  This allows the student to take over a leadership position and call on his/her classmates.

• In the beginning of each day the word listen was written on the white board.  If she had to ask the class to use quiet voices or follow instructions more than once then she would erase one of the letters.  If the children kept the word listen on the board then they would get free play at the end of the day.  If they kept part of the word up then they would get a shorter free play at the end of the day.

• If we are getting ready for recess the children are expected to line up quietly and the line leaders are supposed to inspect their lines and give Mrs. Gracia a thumbs up when their line is ready.  If the children were talking and/or not listening we would stand and wait for them.  This meant that they lost some of their recess time.

• Mrs. Gracia would also use positive oral praise when she saw a child modeling behavior during class.  She would also try to ignore the unwanted behavior from some of the children.

• The students are also able to go color at a small table if they needed some quiet time away from the group.  This allowed the children to refocus and join the group when they were ready.

• The children are encouraged to solve their problem with a friend.  They would notify Mrs. Gracia that they need to solve a problem and they were allowed to go away from the group and solve the problem.  If they needed support Mrs. Gracia would be called in to help.

2.  Pay attention to the language teachers use around managing student behavior, the “broken records”.
Make a list of the types of phrases or techniques you hear repeated to guide behavior.

• Make good choices
• Work out your problem
• Talk with a friend
• Sit in magic 5
• Put a bubble in your mouth
• Wow, I see that “Jace” is ready to learn
• Thank you for being patient
• Let’s work together to solve this problem

3.  Pay attention to the types of incidences that are identified as undesirable behavior in the classroom/school.

            In Mrs. Gracia’s class she does have the same expectations around each student’s behavior.  During class there were some students that were focused and ready to learn and other students that needed some encouragement.  Mrs. Gracia would try to focus on the positive behavior of the students and really emphasize how proud she was when the class as working well together.  Mrs. Gracia also has a loud and powerful voice.  She grabs the children’s attention and wants the children to discuss questions together in pairs.  This allows the children to work together to solve problems.

            There were some students that had to have more reminders to stay on task then others.  She would encourage them to try their best and that she was available to them if they needed to talk.  She would also ask if they needed her to repeat the directions, if they were not on task.  I also helped the students that needed extra support, which helped the student to stay on task.

            I did not see any verbal discipline used in the classroom.  Mrs. Gracia would only say do you need me to repeat the directions for this assignment.  She would also go up to a student that is not on task and speak with them in a whisper voice.  The student would then pull out their assignment and start working on it.  I feel that there is a bond between the students and teacher because most of the children have had lunch with her in the time I have been there.  She knows the students and their families and they have wonderful conversations.

            I was fortunate enough to observe the children in music class.  The music teacher was out sick for a week, so this was her first day back.  I could tell the students were acting out a bit and were squirming around when she was trying to talk.  Most of the children were shouting out the answers to her questions, even though she asked the children to raise their hands.  The teacher took a pause and a deep breath and talked with the students about the behavior she expected during their music lesion.  The children calmed down a bit and then they all got a turn to lead the class.

4.  Post pictures of 5-7 behavior management systems you see visible in your classroom/school. Post to your blog.

1. Revisit the student demographics and assess your “funds of knowledge” with two specific groups, using any characteristics (gender, ethnicity, ability, language or social class).

2. Use the handouts provided in class on Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain to conduct a walk-through of your classroom. Reflect here about the findings.

            Using the guide on Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain I conducted a walk-through of the first-grade classroom of Mrs. Velez-Garcia at Hazel Valley Elementary.  I wanted to enter the room with an open mind and to make sure it felt like a safe, welcoming and culturally responsive atmosphere.  Having prior knowledge that a child needs to feel safe to thrive in a school environment.  It is important to also keep in mind that we have to create a trusting bond with each child and their family.

            I first conducted a visual walk-through of the classroom.  I noticed that the room was open and inviting.  There were six tables in the classroom.  One wall was lined with cubbies for the students to hang their jackets and keep their backpacks.  The wall next to it had hand drawn pictures on large white paper.  There was a map drawn on one and a drawing of a man and a woman dressed in colorful clothing on the other.  I then saw children sitting on a colored carpet.  They were looking at a projection of a large count down clock.  Mrs. Velez-Gracia’s desk was next to the colorful carpet and she was facing the children.  In front of her desk was a large area with books sorted in bins. 

            I then started to listen to what was happening in the classroom.  Mrs. Velez-Gracia was telling the children, “our timer is almost done, so put your things away and meet me back on the carpet in perfect 5.”  The children got up and put their things away while talking to each other.  I then heard a beeping sound and a student reading the daily report on the intercom.  This was first spoken in English and then in Spanish.  Some of the children were sitting at desks, so the Mrs. Velez-Gracia called them by name to come and sit on the carpet.  Then one child was asked to come up to the front of the room to lead the calendar and count the days that they have been in school.  Mrs. Velez-Gracia then showed the children the schedule for the day. 

            There were many conversations that were happening throughout the morning.  Children were talking with each other about their toys and others were eating breakfast and talking.  Some of the children were speaking in English and others were speaking in Spanish.  When Mrs. Velez-Gracia was conducting her morning meeting, she would use hand gestures to remind the children what she wanted them to do.  She would then tell the children to repeat what she wanted them to do.  Mrs. Velez-Gracia also spoke to the students in English and Spanish throughout the day.  Another point Mrs. Velez-Gracia made was for the children to interact with each other.  Throughout the morning she encouraged the children to talk to their neighbor and share ideas. 

            I am impressed by what I saw and heard throughout the morning.  The children were encouraged to have conversations in the language of their choice.  The students did a wonderful job talking with each other and sharing with the class.  The room was large, but also inviting.  The displays in the room were well though out.  Mrs. Velez-Gracia’s hand signals were wonderful and helped students remember the steps she wanted them to follow.  The morning flowed will with minimal interruption.  The students were able to work together and independently, so they had multiple ways of learning.  I also liked having the visual countdown, so the children can see how much time they have left for free time in the morning.  I also noticed that she knew each child by name, but also siblings of the students. It was also nice that she was able to communicate with the children in both English and Spanish.  I cannot wait to go back next week to see what other things I can learn from the children and Mrs. Velez-Gracia.

            Hazel Valley Elementary has a warm inviting feel to the school as soon as you walk through the front doors.  The school has two stories and they separate the building up into eight pods.  As I walked through the main hallway, I looked down on a large open library located on the lower level.  The library was surrounded by large windows letting in the natural light.  I made my way down to the lower level where I peered into different rooms where students were working with adult instructors. Once I found my first-grade classroom, I was shocked by the size of the room.  The layout was ideal with a carpet in front of the white screen and tables off in the distance.  The teacher had music playing while some students were socializing, others were coloring and a few were finishing breakfast.  It was such a calm and inviting atmosphere.

            There are so many relationships within the school I saw on my first day.  In the classroom, children were interacting with each other and there were a group of students eating breakfast and chatting.  Other children were coloring at a smaller table.  The teacher was also finishing up her breakfast.  She was talking with a group of children around her desk about Martin Luther King Jr. and the march that was going to take place at the school on Friday in honor of him.  Once it was time for the children to have their morning meeting, the teacher turned off the music and told the children they have five minutes to complete what they were doing before heading over to the carpet.  She repeated this in Spanish for the students as well.  A paraeducator came in the room and tapped one of the boys on the shoulder and said, “Alonzo it is time to come over and work with me.”  Alonzo went over to a small table and was working with the paraeducator.  There was a group of principals that came in to observe the students who were so excited to see all of them.  I cannot express how great the students, teachers and other staff members really created a community within the school and you can tell the relationships are strong.

            The rigor work in the classroom was evident throughout the school day.  The teacher used a lot of hand signals when she talked.  This helped the children remember the parts of the assignments she wanted them to work on.  The students were split up into groups and each of them grabbed the materials that they needed and started to work at the individual tables.  Some students were working on reading books and pulling out interesting facts while others were using I-pads to do some read along stories.  The students had individual usernames and passwords on the I-pads and none of them hesitated or forgot their login information.  The last table children were sitting at were journaling.  The journals were labeled dreams, wishes and experiences.  Each child chose a journal and started writing.  I was in awe of how responsible these first graders were.  This type of work continued throughout the day.  In the afternoon the children had to take part of a standardized test.  Each of them grabbed their assigned bag with headphones inside and an I-pad.  They then spread themselves out around the darkened room.  The children were able to sit on a pillow on the floor, in the closet area and at desks to complete their test.  I was able to walk around and assist the children during this time.  This exceed my expectations in the classroom.

            I am excited to continue to watch over the children over the next couple of weeks.  I want to get to know them on a more personal level.  I want to help them develop skills, so they are able to reach their fullest potential.  I will keep my eyes open, my ears listening and taking notes of conversations that are happening within and outside of the classroom.  I hope we are able to learn and grow together.

Every student is known by name, strength and need. We will empower our scholars to be resourceful, considerate, curious, problem solvers who will graduate ready for college, career and citizenship.

How I have seen Hazel Valley meet their mission statement:

In my short time at Hazel Valley I have seen staff members address each child by name.  The entrance in the school was warm and inviting. There were signs hanging in the office written in both English and Spanish.  When I was in the office signing in for the day, I noticed students lined up waiting for the office attendant. The women behind the desk called each child up by name.  She had a smile on her face and was speaking with the student as she filled out a yellow slip of paper.

As I entered the first grade classroom I saw children working with paraeducators, each other and with the teacher.  A group of principals came in to speak with certain students in the classroom. They were not calling students off a list, instead, they went right up to the child that they needed to speak to and got down to their level.  Another thing I noticed in the classroom is that students were encouraged to solve their own problems. To me they were so mature asking the teacher to take a minute so they could solve a problem with a friend. Once the problem was solved they notify the teacher and went back into their course work.  Hazel Valley met their mission statement in a variety of ways. I am so excited to be apart of the school for the next couple of weeks.

I was able to collect data from October, 2018 for Hazel Valley Elementary.  Here is the breakdown:

Enrollment: 689 students

Female: 48.6%

Male: 51.4%

Hispanic/Latino: 51.2%

Caucasian: 16.8%

Asian: 14.9%

African American: 7.7%

Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islanders: 1.7%

American Indian/Alaskan Native: 1.5%

Students with Disabilities: 14.1%

English Language Learners (ELL): 39%

Migrant: 1.8%

Section 504: 3.7%

Low Income: 76% of the school

Free-reduced lunch- 80%

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton