Site Visit Notes - 1

Site Visit Notes- Visit 1
Student Name: Rabeia Shaikh

School: Islamic Foundation School
Date/Site Visit Number: 09-19-2016/Visit 1

Grade Level/Subject: 2nd Grade
Using the space provided below, briefly summarize todays classroom experience.
Identify the Illinois
Standards 4, 5 & 7
Professional Teaching
Standard(s) targeted in
todays experience.
Identify performance
activities that occurs
today which addressed
the teaching standards
identified above. Then
describe what you
learned.
Describe the impact of

the performance
activities on student
learning.
Describe any additional

activities of significance
that occurred today.
General comments and
observations including
at least one emerging
question.
Teacher actively engaged in conversation by asking and answering

questions. She also facilitated goal-setting as she talked about the
marbles remaining to fill the marble jar and how students can
perform to achieve the goal of filling the jar soon to earn rewards.
While setting marble-jar goals, she practiced counting by 5s with
students as they figured out days of the week and how many marbles
are left (using an egg carton) which also promoted critical thinking
and reasoning. As she took a pretest for spelling, she followed the
word with an interesting and funny sentence to keep children
involved and attentive.
Spelling pretest was done to determine which student would get
regular spelling list and who would get the challenge list.
Today was my first visit as an observer/pre-service teacher. I learned
that routines need to be set up in class just as we set up routines at
home for our kids. I learned persistence as teacher repeated her
directions softly over and over again.
Students were participating actively in most activities. For example,
they eagerly counted marbles left to fill up the marble jar,
enthusiastically compared and contrasted two students plants and
looked at the roots in amazement when Mrs. H took the plant out of
the cups. During spelling pretest, they were laughing at funny
sentences that Mrs. H was making following the spelling words.
Students actively made choices for themselves and liked the
appreciation received on making the right choice.
Subjects were well-incorporated in the class discussion like plants
were compared/contrasted: one students plant was wilting and the
other students plant was growing well which give way to the
discussion on why the other plant was wilting.
My first day as a pre-service teacher went extremely well. The class
had a variety of students including one student with ADHD and
another who is autism spectrum. Mrs. H had told me prior to the
beginning of the class when there were no students present in the
class about the two children. She had kept their desks right in front of
her in the first row to give them extra attention. My emerging

question is how should teachers manage a class with children of
varying emotional/mental health needs effectively?


Standard 4 & Standard 6
todays experience.
describe what you
learned.

the performance
learning.
Positive social interaction could clearly be sighted in todays visit.

Compared to my last visit, students were more friendly with each
other and unpacking in the morning went smoothly.
Mrs. H had already written sounds of various animals on the board
along with the rhyming words in a list. She asked students to create
one sentence for the poem they were writing using one animal sound
with its rhyming word. The poem is being written in a period of five
days and students write one sentence a day as per Mrs. Hs directions.
Students were also given few minutes to write journal entries.
I learned that preparing before the class starts will save time for the
teacher as well. Organization is not for students only while they
unpack and settle, but teachers must also be organized to model. On
Monday, I had not seen such organization as today as Mrs. H had
come early and set up the class room so the lessons may begin as
soon as students were done unpacking and turning in last nights
homework.
Students were not as grumpy as they were on Monday. Being helpful
and friendly towards each other had a positive impact on the class as
a whole. While creating the sentence using words from the board,
students kept making animal noises as they read each word and wrote
their sentences.
Mrs. H gave students a tour of the newly-built basement where the
students saw the new cafeteria, weight room (for older students),
computer lab, and some other classrooms. We had fun walking down
to the basement in line as Mrs. H showed around.

question.
I noticed students werent as tired today as they were when I last

observed them which was on Monday. I can easily relate to this
situation as my own children are the least cooperative on Mondays
since it is the first day of the week. I graded some homework and
Mrs. H showed me how she keeps her files and folders organized and
the rolling cart she uses to transfer papers back and forth between
home and school.
My question is what should the teacher do for a student who are
having difficulty grasping a concept even if she has tried few
different strategies?

Date/Site Visit Number: 9-23-2016/ Visit 3

Standard 1, 5 & 7
todays experience.
describe what you
learned.

the performance
learning.
Mrs. H had given out two spelling lists at the beginning of the week
depending on the results of the pretest. Students had either regular or
challenge spelling list in order to serve students diverse needs.
During the week, they had prepared for the spelling by doing various
activities. One activity was to fill out a chart with the spelling words
every day. Today, as Mrs. H said each word while testing students,
she used familiar sentences she had used throughout the week while
practicing spelling. Afterwards, she handed out weekly newsletter to
the kids and told them to read the story in the newsletter (Times
Weekly for Kids).
Spelling assessment was the summative assessment in order to test
the knowledge and how much children had retained.
I learned Mrs. Hs persistence while trying to keep children on track.
For example, she gave old-fashioned telephone shaped plastic
instrument called whisper phones to the students who were reading
too loud. The purpose of the whisper phone was to let the child hear
himself as he reads so he can read slowly.
Students listened as Mrs. H called out spelling words. Since there
were two spelling lists, she passed out handouts for two items on the
agenda: the spelling test and the brainstorming map. One group of
students was writing the regular spelling words as Mrs. H called each
word out following an interesting sentence. The other group worked

question.
on the brainstorming map. The topic of the brainstorming map was

school pets. What animals can be kept in class or in school as pets?
They were speaking a little louder as they fill out their brainstorming
maps and had to be reminded to keep the answers to themselves as
the teacher would discuss the answers later as class.
Students were eager to do the activity at the end of the newsletter
after they finished the story. Some students asked Mrs. H to repeat
the spelling words they had missed and she did.
Some students looked tired which indicated insufficient sleep. I also
made a note of the friendliness of students and increase in
trustworthiness towards me as they were seeing me for the third time
this week. My emerging question is what can teachers do to form
positive relations even with the children who dont listen easily or
dont follow directions as smoothly as others?


Grade Level/Subject: 2nd grade
Standard 1, 4, 5 & 7
todays experience.
Identify the activities that

occurred today, which
addressed the teaching
standards identified above.
Then describe what you
learned.
Mrs. H discussed the presidential election candidates first debate

(Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump). She asked all the students
who watched the debate and whose parents are going to vote in
November. She also went around the room asking students if they
know who their parents are voting for.
As the discussion on the debate was taking place, lots of students
mentioned their parents cant vote because they are not citizens or
they are not registered to vote, Mrs. H took the opportunity to
briefly expand on the process of becoming a US citizen if someone
has lived in the US for certain years and encouraged students to
talk about registering to vote if their parents are already citizens.
Before students began taking the Math quiz, teacher repeatedly
reminded them to write their names on top of the page and
rewarded them with a thumbs up stamp for doing so.
In the beginning of the class, there was a short Math quiz on
subtraction without regrouping. Afterwards, there was a reading
Describe the impact of the

performance activities on
student learning.

activities of significance that
occurred today.

observations including at
least one emerging question.
comprehension quiz as well. I was given the opportunity to grade

the Math quiz to see how the class is performing overall.
I learned that students dont just learn everything at school, but
rather, parents viewpoints in many real-life situations leave a
strong imprint on the personality of their children. I also learned
that talking about current events is never a bad idea (My prior
thoughts were that second grade is too early to discuss current
events, but I was wrong). I also learned that as a teacher, our role
is to maintain neutrality when it comes to opposing viewpoints in
class and guide students to learn to be accepting to everyones
views with respect.
Students seemed quite organized today and most of them were
done with the Math quiz in less than ten minutes. While talking
about the presidential election, all the students actively
participated. Some students responses were pretty interesting.
Many students strongly opposed Donald Trump (probably
something they learned from the adults at home). One student said
that my parents would vote for Hillary but they cant because
they are not from this place. Students were also given a chance to
check on their plants in the back of the class to see if anything had
changed from the last time they observed their plants.
Mrs. H picked a few students who were done with both Math quiz
and the comprehension quiz to help the teacher. These students
were given the task to sort through a pile of story books and put
them in their designated shelves in the class.
Todays observation was an excellent experience as the students
participated in current events discussion. Many students seemed to
be using the same exact words they had probably heard at home
from parents or other adults. My emerging question is, what
strategies may be used by the teacher to teach students that it is ok
to disagree while talking about current events and politics?

Date/Site Visit Number:9-30-2016/Visit 5

Standard 6 & 8. (Kindergarten teachers demonstrated Standard 5)
todays experience.
activities that occurs today
which addressed the teaching
Students unpacked and turned in homework. There was a

kindergarten parade which was going to take place in a few minutes

learned.

student learning.

occurred today.

so Mrs. H decided to have students practice writing so they wouldnt

be interrupted while working on something which takes more time.
While students were working on their writing, they were called for
the Kindergarten parade. Students lined up and sat in the hallway by
their classroom wall. Kindergarten teachers had covered the middle
of the hallway with thick red paper to give it red carpet look.
Students were lined up on the other side of the hallway to walk the
red carpet. When the parade began, each student came walking from
the other side of the hallway and walked all the way to the end of the
hallway wearing a brown bag vest covered in their assigned letter
and pictures of the items that began with their letter. As they walked
the red carpet, they chanted the phonics for their letter. I enjoyed the
parade and Mrs. H told me this was something new for her as well.
We all cheered and clapped as each pair of students walked down
the hall. Other elementary grades were also present to enjoy the
parade and the parents of the kindergartners were also present.
I learned that it is not about the class we teach only, but rather,
elementary is a community and sharing what has been learned to
encourage students is a great way to raise the confidence of younger
students. Teachers work together and appreciate other teachers
efforts instead of becoming grumpy at some of their lesson time
being taken away.
Mrs. Hs class was working on their writing prior to kindergarten
parade and teacher walked around the room helping her students as
they practiced cursive writing and providing feedback.
Kindergartners were very excited. Some were extremely confident
and well-practiced while others were shy and avoided direct eye
contact with their audience. Their teachers said that they had worked
very hard in order to prepare for the parade decorating their brown
bags together with the teacher and practicing phonics.
I was in Mrs. Hs class for an hour and today was a slow beginning
since they were expecting the Kindergarten parade. Students came
back in from the parade and continued writing practice. They also
took a ten-minute snack break in which Mrs. H discussed some
prospective ADHD cases with me and shared the form (doctor
wanted filled out by the teacher) and booklets she received from a
parent for the student who was under observation for ADHD. I
looked through the booklets which contained general information
about children with ADHD and how to keep the patient busy and
engaged so that their time spent in school is productive.
Kindergarten parade was an excellent boost to anyone who could be
feeling down before the parade started. As I talked with Mrs. H
about ADHD, I realized she had a very tough task at her hands to
tackle students with certain learning disabilities. She is a very
experienced teacher and seems to recognize what needs to be done
to keep the class working together at a good pace and making sure
that all children are making progress. My emerging question is

regarding ADHD. Does the state have anything special to offer for
students with ADHD since it is so common and it is definitely a
difficult task for teachers to keep up with everything effectively and
making sure all students needs are met?


Grade Level/Subject: KG
Standards 1, 4 & 5
(Mrs. H was going to come a little late today so I observed KG in
order to stay under a licensed teachers supervision)
todays experience.

learned.
Once students were settled unpacking and sitting down, Mrs. Adil
started a discussion over what everyone did over the weekend. She
asked each student one by one what they did and received different
responses from all students.
As the students told her what they had done, she responded back
with either praise or constructive criticism. For example, when
students said they had done activities involving physical activity
such as riding bike or going shopping, she encouraged such
activities and commented that riding bike is a good exercise. When
students responded by saying they watched TV all day, she softly
explained to them that it is important to get up and move and that
can be achieved by playing various games or taking a walk outside
or playing in the backyard.
Mrs. Adil took the class to sit down on the rug so they could start
their day off by adding the day/month/date and weather to the
Velcro chart on the board. She called on one student to come up
front and asked the whole class to help him as they figured out
what day, month and date it is today. She asked a lot of before and
after questions as a review while they figured out todays date. For
example, she asked what date was it before the 3rd and what month
came before October.
I learned that teachers must consider the grade level of students
when lesson planning and start the day off according to that.
Younger students such as Kindergartners are still learning and
getting used to the routine of school and I learned it is extremely
important to slowly begin the day compared to the second graders

student learning.

occurred today.

I usually observe who get to work right away. (It took some
cheering up for Mrs. Adil to make some sad students feel better
and this must be kept in mind if someone will be teaching
Kindergarten)
Students enthusiastically took part in the discussion about what
they did over the weekend. The student who was todays calendar
person today was having some difficulty figuring out some of the
things and the whole class participated in helping him figure out
todays date and month.
One of the Kindergartners came in a little late and was crying as
her mom was about to leave. Mrs. Adil hugged her and comforted
her by saying its ok sweetie, I know you feel sad but it is
important so spend some time at school and learn about all the fun
things in the world, right? The student was feeling much better
and started participating in class discussion in a few minutes.
Even though it seems easy to tackle lower grade levels such as KG
but keeping all the students on track and making sure of each and
everyones progress is tough. It takes years of practice and
patience to achieve the level at which teachers can handle even the
most uninterested students diligently. My question is: what
techniques may teachers use to keep themselves patient throughout
and consistently as they try to teach same concepts over and over
again? I saw much more repetition today in the kindergarten
classroom which is why I am asking this question. It was quite a
different experience today compared to the second grade class I
observe.


Standard 1 & 7
todays experience.

Students had a spelling test today. 18 out of the 20 students were

on challenge list and only 2 students were on the regular list. I was
given the job of testing the two students who were on the regular
list and then grade their papers. Those two students performed
pretty well after week-long practice of the spelling words. Mrs. H
learned.

student learning.

occurred today.

casually discussed the importance of completing the homework

and turning it in by giving a real-life example of her own son who
had received a C on his exam because of spending more time on
playing video games. Students participated in class discussion very
actively and agreed with Mrs. H that playing too much video
games, is not good and that it is important to get a good education
to make the world a better place for all.
I learned that teachable moments come in many forms such as
Mrs. H took the opportunity to specially mention how her son was
spending too much time on video games which distracted his
learning and the privilege was taken away as a result. I also
learned that students perform better when teachers can present an
example of the task at hand (such as the handwriting) vs. just
giving directions to do something.
Students seemed to be involved in the work they were doing. They
practiced writing after the spelling test. Mrs. H demonstrated on
the projector how to practice handwriting in their workbooks.
One of the students kept standing up and was having a hard time
keeping still. Mrs. H allowed him to stand up and discussed with
me privately that she had recently read about letting students stand
if they need to (ADHD cases).
Mrs. H takes into consideration different emerging needs of her
students and tries to cooperate with them in that which would
make them focus more and perform better. My emerging question
is how can a teacher effectively address each individual students
needs without spending too much of the class time disciplining the
children and keep in mind each individual students unique style of
learning?


Standard 2, 6 & 7
todays experience.
Students got ready for spelling pre-test which determines candidates

for regular and challenge spelling lists. Mrs. H reviewed vowels and
consonant blends and syllables with students before pre-test because

learned.

student learning.

occurred today.

least one emerging
question.
she wanted them to look for a pattern in the spelling words. When
they were finished with the spelling test, she asked the students to
identify a pattern in the words that they might have observed. The
students guessed different patterns but the right pattern were the
diagraphs. Mrs. H demonstrated in-depth understanding of content
area knowledge as she discussed the phonics.
Pre-test gives a good idea to the instructor about childrens different
learning needs. Mrs. H does not keep all students at the regular list,
but rather, challenges those who get full points in pre-test by giving
them a little harder word list. This also seems to help her with
differentiated instruction.
I learned that outlining what the teacher expects students to
concentrate on is a great way to promote critical thinking and helps
in initiating deeper understanding of concepts in students minds.
Students were actively participating in the review before the pre-test
and most of them had the right answers. After the test, they learned
about diagraphs such as ch, tch, sh and etc. Students seem to grasp
the concept very well.
When the pre-test was over, they observed the exceptional weather
above 75 degrees in Mid-October. They talked about the geese who
had landed in the vast green field which could be seen from the
classroom windows. Mrs. H asked the students why they think the
geese were landing in the fields and they responded: for food.
I graded the pre-test for Mrs. H. There were 5 students who had spelled all
14 words correctly. Majority of the class got 2 or 3 wrong.
My emerging question is regarding the students who do not abide by
repeated reminders to follow teachers directions. I understanding that the
parents should be sent a note home if the student is being a complete
distraction to the class, but what may the teacher do right there at the
moment so that the second grader who would not listen would start
behaving (or instantly start behaving) without losing her patience? What
techniques may she use to positively reinforce the child to listen and
follow directions?

School: IFS
Grade Level/Subject: 2nd Grade (Section A)
Standard 2 & 6
todays experience.

learned.

student learning.

occurred today.

The class discussed and reviewed previously learned concepts

about American Government. Teacher wrote the question on the
board: why is American government important to people? They
briefly discussed as a class the three branches of government.
Students had previously created a lap-book entitled My
Government Lap-book. Students glued flaps in their lap-book and
under the flaps for governments branches, teacher asked them to
write the names of the legislative/executive/judicial branches.
When students finished working on their lap-books, Ms. Y asked
them to take out their workbooks and Social Studies textbooks to
work on two pages. She asked them to read specified pages in the
textbook and fill out the workbook pages. She walked around to
help anyone who needed it.
Teachers oral communication with students was very clear and
precise. She asked them clearly what she expected them to do. To
get full class attention, she kept repeating eyes on me several
times. She also used the countdown technique out loud while
pausing before switching form one activity to another.
I learned that giving clear instructions and letting students know
what the teacher expects are crucial to effective teaching. Along
with that comes repetition of directions over and over again when
students ask without losing patience.
As the students reviewed the concept of American government,
they actively participated in answering questions their teacher
asked. I didnt see anyone speak out the answer. Rather, they
waited with their hands raised to be called on to give the answer.
While working on the workbook, some students who needed help
raised their hands and either I or Ms. Y helped them by providing
them with the clues to obtain the right answers. They were
reviewing for the quiz that they have tomorrow in Social Studies.
Students happily participated in the discussion about who is our
current president and who may be our next president.
Besides above mentioned activities, the Sea Star (basically star
of the week) student gave his presentation on the poster he had
made about himself. Two students were assigned the duties of
classroom cleaner and board cleaner. One boy swept the floor
with a kid-friendly broom and picked up the scarps in the tray. The
other student erased the board for the teacher before they started to
pack up.
Ms. Y seemed to be a very calm and patient teacher and I noticed
her tending to her students need. She was not rushing some of the
students who needed more time. She rather allowed them some
extra time to finish up before switching from one task to another. I
helped by walking around and making sure students didnt need
assistance. If they did, I helped or Ms. Y helped.
My emerging question is: How can an effective teacher
successfully create a classroom theme which would cater to needs

of all students in class? For example, a theme that would not make
some students feel left out?


Standard 7
todays experience.

learned.

student learning.

occurred today.
Students reviewed the past, present and future tenses with Mrs. H
before she gave a test in language arts. Mrs. H used hand gestures to
point out past, present and future and students followed. Students
were also given a maze handout to work on as a warm-up before the
test. Most students were able to finish the maze handout quickly and
correctly.
I learned that it is always a good idea in elementary grades to review
the concepts quickly before assessing students in order to refresh the
lesson. A lot takes place between the time when school ends to the
start of a new school day and it helps to review in case anyone has
forgotten anything.
Students enjoyed the maze handout and I heard phrases such as this
is so hard and I finished already. Many students also finished
their language arts assessment on past, present and future tense
quickly. During review with Mrs. H, students followed Mrs. Hs
hand gestures to remember past, present and future tenses.
After an hour of above mentioned activities, snack time and reading
(for those who finished test early), students went to gym. I stayed
with Mrs. H to help put the big pile of papers she brought from
home in students mailboxes. As I worked on putting away the
graded work, Mrs. H and I talked about similarities and differences
in public vs. private schools. She stated that public schools have
more access to updated technology compared to private schools. I
mentioned to her my chat with Mrs. Mazaccano last week during
Parent-Teacher Conferences about the different points-of-views of
public school teachers compared to private schools. I also asked her
if she gets to pick her room furniture or she just has to work with
whats available. It was interesting to hear that she was allowed to

pick her own bookshelves online and the school reimbursed.

I enjoyed talking to Mrs. H about the public school experience I am
getting while working with a public school teacher for another
Education class. My emerging question is: Why are public school
teachers held accountable more than private school teachers?
Shouldnt the ability of teachers be judged equally with evaluations
for private school teachers as well just as public school teachers?

School: IFS

Grade Level/Subject: 4th
(Mrs. H was absent so I observed 4th grade)
Standard 2, 6 and 9
todays experience.
learned.
The day began with journal-writing as usual. Todays topic was

Happiest day of my life. Ms. W and I walked around and read
student responses.
After the journals, students were gathered on the rug and Ms. W
began talking about some upcoming events and on-going issues
within the classroom community. She demonstrated leadership skills
as she combated the issue of bullying based on gender. She
explained to the class that she does not expect this behavior from
them and they should be very careful about poking fun at others. She
pointed out that bullying causes a lot of mental damage to other
children which leads them to isolate themselves and may lead to
even worse circumstances if it is not stopped.
She also updated students on the upcoming events which included a
parents day when parents will spend an hour next week with their
fourth grader to see how it is like in a fourth-grade classroom. She
also mentioned that upcoming field trip forms are due tomorrow.
Ms. W began instruction with the book called Titanic. She gave
instruction on the new reading goal which is to get an idea of what
the book may be about by looking at the pictures. As an example,
she pointed out that among different stories of people who survived
Titanic, there was a picture of perfumes. She discussed with class
what they may think the perfume represents. Then she read to the
students about the specific passage related to the picture that it was
the story of the perfume-maker whose perfume samples survived for
decades and were retrieved from the ocean in the year 2000 and
were used to make perfumes.
I learned that journal writing in older grades (and even in second

student learning.

occurred today.
grade) are a great idea to stay connected to the childrens internal

thoughts. I learned that gathering students at the beginning of the
day in one spot and talking to them helps warm them up and gets
them ready for the day ahead. Effective teachers take care of their
students emotional needs at school to keep them connected to the
rest of the class.
Students wrote really interesting response journals to the topic of
happiest day in life. Many students mentioned vacations they took
and about half the class mentioned that the happiest day of their
lives was when they had a baby brother/sister.
As Ms. W discussed the bullying issue, many students actively
participated in the discussion. They gave examples of why bullying
shouldnt be tolerated and seemed to be understanding what Ms. W
was communicating. When upcoming events were discussed,
students asked never-ending questions and Ms. W had to remind
them that there were other things to focus on as well. When students
were asked to guess what the picture of perfume might be a
representative of in the book Titanic, they shared interesting
thoughts and were amazed to hear the actual story of the perfumemaker. They seemed to get the gist of what Ms. W was trying to
explain.
Today was a pretty normal day in Ms. Ws class and the students
seemed to have recovered from the post-election effects a little.
Mrs. Hemmingsen was going to come late today so I observed in
Ms. Ws 4th grade classroom (I have observed her classroom for
Education 1101).
Some students journal writing was very interesting. For example, a
girl wrote in her journal about the happiest day in my life that she
wants Ms. W to tell her mother when she performs well in class.
Another student wrote a response about what she would think would
be her happiest day of life instead of a day in the past.
Ms. W believes that by making her students write personal journal
entries, she gets a chance to keep track of students lives outside of
school and if she should be alarmed for any students situation at
home.
My emerging question is, if there is a situation that requires extra
attention, should a teacher approach the student directly or should
she wait and see if there is a pattern in the journal entries every day?
How would she know that what students is writing is the complete
truth if action is needed?

School: IFS

Grade Level/Subject: 2nd
Standards 2, 5 & 6
todays experience.
learned.

student learning.

occurred today.
First item on todays agenda was writing practice. Student worked

on their writing for some time. Mrs. H gave instruction on the
overhead regarding letters/numbers students were to practice today.
She also pointed out the general mistakes students make while
tracing the letters. She pointed out that some students write a 4 in
such a way that it cant be distinguished from the number 9. She
emphasized writing clearly so that the answers are not marked
wrong on tests.
The class also reviewed the different habitats they had learned about
few days ago as Mrs. H encouraged them to check out books from
the library with interesting pictures and stories about the habitats.
Mrs. H started instruction in ELA and went over the vocabulary
words for the new chapter they started reading as a class. The class
read each word out loud following Mrs. H and followed with the
sentence related to the word. After they had discussed each word
and Mrs. H provided excellent real-life examples using each word,
she read a small passage which included all the vocabulary words.
Mrs. H used the CD-ROM that came with the book to play the story
titled Clickety Clack Moo, Cows that Type. As the story was
played, students followed along. She paused the story many times to
discuss what was going on in the story and what the students
thought of it.
I learned that activities done as class together are enjoyed more by
this particular group of second graders and thus, it would be
effective to plan more activities to be done as class for this group of
students. We must keep in mind the type of class we have, what the
majority of students like and which strategy works best.
Students seemed to be pretty distracted when Mrs. H instructed them
on writing practice in their workbooks. There was a lot of distraction
and Mrs. H had to remind students again and again to pay attention.
It clearly looked like the majority was bored.
When Mrs. H started instructing on the vocabulary words, students
finally seemed interested as she made up silly sentences besides the
ones in the text book. They actively participated and made up their
own sentences as well. While the main story was played on the CDROM, students giggled and enjoyed the expression of the storyteller. They responded to Mrs. Hs questions actively regarding the
events taking place in the story.
I would like to mention something that is not related to Mrs. Hs
class. Today, a group of third graders came from another private
Jewish school to meet with IFSs third graders. This is an excellent

example of interfaith education and would help students as they

learn about each other and become Poetry Pals.
If a subject (such as handwriting instruction) that the teacher is
instructing on is so apparently boring for the students, what
strategies may be used by teacher to make it interesting?
Site Visit Notes- 13


Standards 6 & 8
todays experience.
learned.

student learning.
Mrs. H introduced the new series of chapter books for children

called Nate the Great. She also discussed this weeks agenda. Due
to a shorter week, Mrs. H said there will be no tests and spellings.
Students will read Nate the Great as a class and they will create
masks, magnifying glasses and case files for solving mysteries. Mrs.
H told students that she wants to make this three-day week prior to
Thanksgiving a fun week and the marble jar party will be held on
Wednesday as well. Mrs. H asked students if they know what
mystery means and asked questions regarding what may be the
Nate the Great books be about.
One of the mechanics at the school came to the class to show Mrs. H
his story that was published in the community magazine. To
encourage and appreciate the old man, Mrs. H asked him to read his
story out loud to the class. She exhibited professionalism and
positive attitude with colleagues by demonstrating an encouraging
gesture to this person who is a part of those who keep the building
maintained.
I learned that effective teachers try to balance between sticking to
the book and incorporating new material that also reflects the
subject matter learned in the textbook. I also learned that effective
teachers should appreciate and encourage other school staff that
perform outstanding activities. It helps build positive environment
and thus, sets a great role model for students to follow.
Students were excited to hear this weeks agenda and actively
participated when Mrs. H asked questions regarding what they know
about mystery books. They cheered happily when they found out
they will make masks, magnifiers and become detectives. Cheers got
even louder knowing that the marble jar party is going to be held
this Wednesday.
I asked Mrs. H if she would allow me to take the kids to the gym

occurred today.

and she was more than happy to let me do so. (I was thinking of
bringing some form of goodies for the kids on Wednesday when
they would have their marble jar party). When the kids lined up, I
told them that if they walk quietly and well-behaved to the gym,
they would receive a surprise from me on Wednesday. Students
demonstrated excellent obeying skills which they might not have
otherwise demonstrated so easily. Mrs. H was impressed but I did
mention to her, that I understand teachers cant always be offering
tangible surprises for good behavior so this is not a great technique
after all. She wholeheartedly agreed!
There is one particular student that comes in tardy every single day
to class which results in missing about 30 minutes of instruction
time and morning work. How can Mrs. H tackle it better instead of
just reminding him that being late is not a good thing to do? Should
she contact the parents with regards to this issue or should she keep
it to herself assuming there might be a valid excuse for this kid
being late every single day? (This particular student was recently
transferred from the other section of the second grade class to Mrs.
Hs class for personal reasons).

School: IFS

Standards 2, 6 & 7
todays experience.
learned.
Students took a short Math quiz at the beginning of the day.

Afterwards, Mrs. H discussed the lessons learned from the Nate the
Great book they had read the day before. Students worked on their
magnifying glasses, glued them to instruction paper and cut them
out. They also made the detective hats and wore them. When they
finished the Nate the Great activities, they got super-excited and
ready to make the dirt cups as promised by Mrs. H for the marble
jar party. With their detective hats on, kids, Mrs. H and I began
making the chocolate pudding. Students stirred the pudding once,
crushed Oreo cookies in Ziploc bags and some of them got the cups
ready. Mrs. H used every teachable moment that came her way to
teach students how to implement learned material in daily lives. She
measured two cups of milk and showed it to the students explaining
that one cup is 8 ounces and she will use 16 ounces of milk for one
pack of Jello pudding. She poured it in the bowl and mixed it really
well and pointed to the students as the consistency of the pudding

student learning.

occurred today.
mixture changed. (Prior permission slips had been sent home to

parents and everyone was going to have a dirt cup). Students poured
in the Oreo cookies in their cups and Mrs. H and I scooped the
chocolate pudding in each cup and students added jelly worms (one
each) to their cups. They ate it pretending that they are finding
worms in the dirt and eating them.
I learned that teachable moments come at any time and effective
teachers must be ready to utilize them like Mrs. H did as she made
dirt cups with her class. I also learned that presents that these little
students receive from teachers dont have to be super expensive. It is
enough excitement for them to know that they will receive tangible
gifts from their teacher.
Students were extremely excited to make the dirt cups. There were
12 boys and 9 girls in class. Mrs. H had brought two bowls and two
packs of pudding to make. She asked me to make one and have the
girls help me and she can have the boys help her to make them feel
involved. When I was going to have girls give a stir to the pudding,
the girls started arguing on who would go first. I first asked them to
stand up in alphabetical order but this didnt resolve the issue. I then
asked them to each pick a partner and be nice to your partner and let
her go first. This one worked like a charm and everyone was happy.
I asked the ones allowed to go first by partner to specially thank
their partners.
A student got upset and started crying because she misunderstood
that they were going to have lunch instead of dirt cups at the marble
jar party. Mrs. H consoled her and assured her that she would
receive a lunch at the cafeteria.
I got to experience today how teachers have to make decisions in an
instant before the fights break out. I enjoyed the experience and
was thrilled to see my technique work. Although the first time, it
didnt work but the technique of asking them to pick a partner and
let the partner go first worked great. Everyone was happy in the end
and no more upset little girls over who would stir the pudding first.
Students cooperate really well when we ask them to perform
activities keeping in mind their age. My emerging question for today
is how can teachers manage if their instant techniques to resolve
disputes dont work? Should they altogether abandon the activity to
discipline the kids? What else may be done to avoid disruption in the
first place?
The reaction of the students upon receiving the goody bags I had
promised the day before was priceless. Many of them came and
hugged me and thanked me for bringing them presents. (I had
wrapped a sticker book, glow stick and a fancy pencil in tissue paper
and tied ribbons around it. Each student received these packs)

School: IFS

Standards 2, 4 & 5
todays experience.
learned.

student learning.
occurred today.
Mrs. H started a new chapter in Science on Ocean life. Her

instruction style was teacher-centered but she incorporated other
strategies as the class read the chapter aloud and paused to discuss
each new piece of information. Teacher demonstrated content area
and pedagogical knowledge as she used different strategies to make
the concept easier for students to understand. For example, to
explain the concept of flow, she asked students to slide their hands
from right to left. She also asked questions to promote critical
thinking. For example, before she elaborated on the fact that the
Salmon swims against the flow of the water, she asked the class if it
would be easier to go against the flow or difficult. Most students
answered that it would be difficult. From there on, she elaborated on
how Salmon swims against the flow of water in the ocean. She kept
students actively engaged and made each student read aloud a
portion of the chapter as she discussed it in detail. She purposely
picked on students who seemed distracted to read aloud or answer a
question pertaining to the discussion. She outlined what she wanted
students to look for in the pictures as they read. She drew on the
board to explain different concepts to the students. For example, she
drew a circle and divided it into four equal parts and showed the
students that only one part is land and three parts are water. She
assigned a project of drawing an ocean scene on a white paper but
without use of blue color. She illustrated on the board that she
wanted them to draw the ocean life and at the end, they will paint
the whole scene blue with paints.
Over and over again, I have learned to keep my calm and stay as
patient as I possibly can when there is no extra help available to
assist in class. Mrs. H is an excellent example of that! She keeps her
calm and tries different strategies without getting frustrated and
angry at her students. I believe it is an extremely important aspect of
an effective teacher and I must train myself to be like Mrs. H.
Students were actively involved throughout with the exception of a
few students. They raised hands and answered questions.
A student on Autism Spectrum was not following directions and at
the end, got extremely upset because he had not started working on
the ocean project and it was time to go. This student always takes

more time than other students to follow the instructions. Two ADHD
students were distracting the class a great deal during instruction.
Mrs. H asked one of them to sit right by her on the rug to minimize
the distraction. She also gave her students (both ADHD) energy
breaks where they went to the reading rug and jumped up and
down and walked around in that area to release energy.
Even though, IFS agrees to provide assistance with screening for
students who may need an IEP, many parents deny that there may be
a need for special education plan for their child. This creates a havoc
in classes where teachers have no extra help to meet needs of
individual students. How shall a teacher tackle such situations when
the whole class is impacted during instruction because of certain
students? Consider that the teacher has no extra help and the
teachers aide spends half her time with the other section of the 2nd
grade class.

School: IFS

Standards 2 & 4
todays experience.
learned.

student learning.
Mrs. H began the day by reviewing where the class had left off the
day before. She shared colorful books with class on the topic of
ocean life to give them more ideas about what they can add to the
ocean project. Then she began a new lesson in ELA. The class read
the vocabulary words out loud. Some students were not looking at
the words as they read so the teacher picked on a couple of students
to read the words by themselves to make sure they were following
along. They read the sentences related to the vocabulary words out
loud as well. After the vocabulary, teacher read the background
information passage (the topic was Musical Instruments). She asked
students to picture in their minds what they heard as she read the
passage. She asked the class where they have heard the bands play
together to promote critical thinking.
I learned that effective teachers keep the entire class involved like
Mrs. H picked on students who seemed distracted and paid less
attention.
Students followed directions for reading the vocabulary out loud.
Some students started dancing in their chairs when they heard the
introductory passage about musical instruments as she read it aloud.
Students were eager to share their response to the question about

occurred today.
bands. Some students shared they had heard bands playing together
at parades and at games.
The morning began quietly and nothing significant had happened yet
in the short period of time I spent in class today.
Emerging question: How long should it take for an effective teacher
to develop a routine and have students follow through as she expects
them to?

Site Visit Notes - 1

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Site Visit Notes- Visit 1

Student Name: Rabeia Shaikh

Date/Site Visit Number: 09-19-2016/Visit 1

Describe the impact of

Describe any additional

Teacher actively engaged in conversation by asking and answering

her in the first row to give them extra attention. My emerging

Site Visit Notes- Visit 2

Date/Site Visit Number: 9-21-2016/Visit 2

Describe the impact of

Positive social interaction could clearly be sighted in todays visit.

General comments and

I noticed students werent as tired today as they were when I last

Student Name: Rabeia Shaikh

Date/Site Visit Number: 9-23-2016/ Visit 3

Describe the impact of

Describe any additional

on the brainstorming map. The topic of the brainstorming map was

Site Visit Notes- Visit 4

Date/Site Visit Number: 9-27-16/ Visit 4

Identify the activities that

Mrs. H discussed the presidential election candidates first debate

Describe the impact of the

Describe any additional

General comments and

comprehension quiz as well. I was given the opportunity to grade

Student Name: Rabeia Shaikh

Date/Site Visit Number:9-30-2016/Visit 5

Students unpacked and turned in homework. There was a

standards identified above.

Describe the impact of the

Describe any additional

General comments and

so Mrs. H decided to have students practice writing so they wouldnt

that all children are making progress. My emerging question is

Site Visit Notes- Visit 6

Date/Site Visit Number: 10-03-2016/ Visit 6

Identify the activities that

Describe the impact of the

Describe any additional

General comments and

Site Visit Notes- Visit 7

Date/Site Visit Number: 10-7-16/ Visit 7

Identify the activities that

Students had a spelling test today. 18 out of the 20 students were

Describe the impact of the

Describe any additional

General comments and

casually discussed the importance of completing the homework

Site Visit Notes- Visit 8

Date/Site Visit Number: 10-17-2016/Visit 8

Identify the activities that

Students got ready for spelling pre-test which determines candidates

occurred today, which

Describe the impact of the

Describe any additional

General comments and

Site Visit Notes- Visit 9

Date/Site Visit Number: 10-25-2016/ Visit 9

Grade Level/Subject: 2nd Grade (Section A)

Identify the activities that

Describe the impact of the

Describe any additional