Emily Murray

Shadow Study
I had the opportunity to shadow one of the students in my first grade class for a whole
day. I was able to observe her interactions with others and behaviors. I will be referring to this
student as Katie.
When Katie first arrived at school she demonstrated that she was in a positive mood by
smiling and greeting the teacher in an upbeat tone. Soon after Katie arrived the class went to
Mass where Katie was very respectful by not talking and being involved in the service. Katie
seemed to understand that it was a time to be serious. When Katie came back in the classroom
after Mass she began her morning work without prompting. During this time she was focused on
her work and not talking to her peers. When Mrs. OBrien was going over the worksheet she was
willing to volunteer answers. During the read aloud Katie was eager to answer questions and
tended to make comments without raising her hand. She wanted to discuss events in her life
related to the book. When it was time for reading Katie appeared to really think about the
questions that the teacher was asking and became exited when she thought of the answer. While
reading a story from the textbook she followed along with her finger and tried to help others
when they didnt know a word. When she was asked to read she used expression and was
enthusiastic about getting to read aloud. She was very involved in the discussion over the story.
Katie completed her reading worksheets quickly and was one of the first ones done. She had no
trouble completing them. At lunch she was very talkative with peers and seemed to enjoy getting
the chance to socialize. While out a recess she appeared to be worried about another peer when
she got hurt. She took her to the teacher and asked for help. Katie became dramatic by covering
her eyes, looking away and saying I dont want to look! She didnt play with a certain person
or group. She went around from group to group. When interacting with her peers she was very
animated. During work time she had to have some assistance forming her letters. When it was
math time she did a timed test for the first time. She demonstrated good recall but didnt quite
finish the test in time. Katie followed along during the guided practice. She demonstrated an
understanding of subtraction on the independent practice by getting them all correct and
finishing quickly. When she was at music she sang out over all her classmates and seemed to
enjoy it. She was talkative with a peer beside her at times. She was engaged during the hands-on
music activity and made comments frequently to others. At the end of the day she was quick to
pack up her belongings as directed and earned a green for good behavior.
After observing Katie I would say that she is a social learner. She seems to enjoy being
around others and interacting with them. Therefore I would use cooperative learning when
working with Katie. This would allow for social interaction, discussion, and the chance to help
others. I would use the strategy of group discussions because Katie likes to have the opportunity
to share and be involved. I would do interactive read alouds that would allow her to share as
well. I could even allow her to read at times. I would also have her do presentations because she
likes to be in front of the group. This could also be an enrichment activity because she could
choose a book to present over that she has read in her own time. I would give her the chance to
recite poems due to the fact that she is very animated and charismatic. I would also give her the
opportunity to teach because she seems to like to help others and is more advanced than others in
the class. I would have her participate in role playing by acting out a story with a group of peers.
I would plan field trips so she could have social interaction with others outside of the school and
have the chance to ask questions. Since Katie is at a level above many of her classmates I would
provide her with enrichment activities such as creating her own game based on the math topic
being studied for the group to play. I would use multiple texts and supply Katie with the ones
that are more at her level. I would use supplementary materials such as games that enhance skills
such as adding, reading comprehension, or spelling. When Katie finishes assignments before
others I would allow her to use the Ipad to practice skills and play games that take her to
different levels. When designing lessons I would make sure to use Blooms Taxonomy of
Thinking, creating questions and activities to enhance her critical thinking skills. She really likes
to sing so I would use songs or chants, such as songs about grammar rules. I would integrate art
into my lessons to let her be creative because she enjoys art. For example, I would have her
create an alternate setting for a certain book by drawing it and painting it. I believe that all these
strategies would be helpful when it comes to working with Katie.