Field+Placement+Ethnography

 FPE_Catinella_Centy High School 9310 Scott Road Roswell, GA 30076 Fulton County Schools Ms. Anne Rigs 11th Literature/10th Literature Support/Communication Skills 1/Reading & Writing/9th Literature Support Holidays: November 21-23 Thanksgiving/ December 20-31 Winter Break Parent/Teacher Conference Days: September 12th Curriculum Night/ September 19th Freshmen Parent Night Teacher Workdays: October 15th / November 6th Testing Days: September 10th GHSGT Science & ELA 12th Grade/ September 11th GHSGT SS & Math 12th Grade/ October 3rd GHSGT Writing 11th Grade/ October 17th PSAT 9th-11th Grades/ November 12th GHSGT Science & ELA 12th Grade/ November 13th GHSGT SS & Math 12th Grade/ December 3rd-6th EOCT 9th-12th Grades Other Dates: October 12th Homecoming Parade & Game/ October 13th Homecoming Dance/ October 22nd-26th Red Ribbon Week/ October 25th-27th GATESOL Conference/ October 30th Junior Parent Night Centy High School is located in Roswell, Georgia near Holcombe Bridge Road, 3 miles east of GA 400. The school is in fairly good condition as it was opened in 1997. The school building is rather large, 271,200 square feet, with most of the hallways being painted Orlando Magic blue, since that along with black and white are the school's colors. At the entrance of the school, there are several giant native like sculptures. Roswell, Georgia is about 20 miles north of downtown Atlanta and is Georgia's eighth largest city with a population of about 88,000 people. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, approximately 75% of the population is white, 16.7% Hispanic, 11% African American, 4% Asian, 6.5% another race, 2.5% are two or more races, and .3% are American Indian or Alaska Native. Roswell was founded in 1836 by Roswell King, but did not officially become a city until 1854. Roswell is probably most famous for its historic district, which has been revitalized and now houses many shops and restaurants. One of Roswell's most significant historic structures is the cotton mill, Roswell Manufacturing Company, built by Roswell King. The cotton mill was destroyed by fire twice, once by General Sherman on his march to Atlanta and the second time when it was hit by lightning. Roswell is also the birthplace of President Theodore Roosevelt's mother and Eleanor Roosevelt's grandmother, Mittie Bulloch Roosevelt. Roswell is home to 15 public schools.

One of those 15 public schools is Centy High School that was opened in 1997 and was named in honor of the 1996 Olympic Games held in Atlanta that marked the centennial anniversary of the games. Current enrollment is around 1900 students. Of those students, 52% are white, 23% are black, 17% are Hispanic, 4% are Asian, and 4% are multiracial. According to the school profile, 37% of the students are economically disadvantaged. In 2010, 6% of the student body was described as limited English proficient, with 4.4% enrolled in ESOL. There are 147 teachers at the school with approximately 65% being female and 35% being male. Approximately 80% of those teachers are white, and the other 20% are of color. The school has a state award winning Parent Teacher Student Association program. However, at the latest curriculum night, none of my co-teacher's parents attended. My co-teacher's classroom is very small with all but one wall painted white, the other is a baby blue, which she says past students painted for her. On the walls are several word walls with vocabulary terms. The front of the classroom has a white board and to the right of that is my co-teacher's desk. Every day Ms. Rigs writes the objectives for each of her sheltered courses on the white board. In the back right of the room are three computers designated for student use. On the walls surrounding my co-teacher's desk are many soccer posters, pictures of students, and student artwork. On the left side of the room are a couple of bookshelves housing textbooks, bilingual dictionaries, ESOL teaching references, and Rosetta Stone programs. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">First period is an 11th grade literature class that is a push-in model. There are only five ESOL students, 4 Hispanic and one from Cameroon, and they all should test out of ESOL this year. Second period is 10th grade literature support and is a sheltered class with seven students. One student is from Peru, three are from Mexico, one is from Pakistan, one from Russia, and one from Haiti. All of the students in this class are in Level 3 of the WIDA language proficiency levels. Third period is a sheltered communication skills class with four students, and all of the students tested at Level 1 on the W-APT. One student is from Brazil, one is from Haiti, one is from Honduras, and the other is from Mexico. The student from the Honduras has had large interruptions in his schooling, and reads at a second grade level in his native language, Spanish. Fourth period is a sheltered Reading and Writing class with only three students, with two students from Mexico and the other from Pakistan. Seventh period is a sheltered 9th grade literature support class with three students all in Level 3 to Level 4 on the WIDA proficiency levels: one from Iran, one from Brazil, and one from Mexico.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">In all of the sheltered courses, my Ms. Rigs uses the Fulton County ESOL curriculum and designated materials. Some of those texts are: Facts & Figures by Patricia Ackert, Cause & Effect by Patricia Ackert, English, Yes! Program books levels 1-3, Rosetta Stone, Discovering Fiction: A Reader of American Short Stories books 1 & 2 by Judith Kay & Rosemary Gelshenen, and Prentice Hall’s Literature Reader’s Companion English Learner’s Version. There are also Longman dictionaries & picture dictionaries for reference use. In the 11th grade literature push-in class the Common Core GPS is followed and the students are currently reading The Crucible. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Since all of the classes are pretty small, there are not very many classroom management techniques that are required. Students do have to ask if they can leave for any reason and it usually requires a hall pass to be written. Most classes are discussion based and there is frequent use of technology, mostly to show students images or videos so that they can build background knowledge and gather deeper understanding of vocabulary terms. The teacher uses an interactive approach in her class and the class might seem chaotic to some, but she is able to quickly get control of the class when she is speaking. The students are engaged and interested for the duration of the class period as she expects them to discuss with her what they are learning. This often means that the class gets off track in their discussions, but at the very least, they are discussing. In two of the sheltered courses, Ms. Rigs groups students according to language proficiency levels and they are often doing different tasks. In both of these classes, there is a paraprofessional, Ms. Mal, to assist. Ms. Mal speaks Portuguese, French, and Spanish, which really helps students, especially the Level 1 students. Ms. Rigs does not speak another language, but knows a few Spanish terms. She allows her students to speak their native language whenever they like if they are helping each other to clarify or gain meaning. However, she does have to push some of her Level 1 students to use English rather than their native language. She also uses white boards often for student responses. As I mentioned earlier, Ms. Rigs' classroom is filled with content vocabulary and she uses the words on the wall every Friday to play a review game with the students. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Overall, Ms. Rigs seems to understand her students very well and they seem very receptive to her. The relationships she has created with her students are supportive. Students often bring work from other courses that they need help with and Ms. Rigs feels that it is part of her job to assist them. Sometimes she even throws out her lesson for the day to assist the students with work from their other courses. The students seem to really get along with Ms. Rigs and enjoy her classes. She gets visits from past students often, to catch up with her on their life and hers. Students and other teachers come to her for support, when they are having behavioral issues and misunderstandings. Some students spend their lunch period in her class. All of these things indicate to me that she has created a welcoming environment for her students so that they can achieve as much as possible.

FPE- Mendenhall -Lake Elementary

Name: Ansley Mendenhall

School: Lake Elementary (pseudonym) District: Fulton County Cooperating teacher: Mrs. Goldstein Subject area/grade: ESOL, 1st & 2nd grade

A. Answer the following about your site: Curriculum night is Tuesday, September 18th (grades K-2), and Wednesday, September 19th (grades 3-5). Parents are welcome to come into their child’s classroom, speak with the teacher, and the teacher shares with parents what the year will be like. The holidays for practicum II include Labor Day, both students and teachers have the day off. October 15th is a teacher workday- students have the day off. November 6th is a teacher workday- students have the day off. Thanksgiving holidays are November 21-23, both students and teachers are off. The last day of the first semester is December 19th. The testing days during practicum II are October 22-26 for grades 3 and 5. This will not apply to the students that I have the opportunity with which to work.

B. Ethnographic narrative Located in Fulton County, Lake Elementary school is home to a population of 915 students. The school was built five years ago. A new school, where a large majority of students live in apartments off Roswell Road, was allegedly built to take a certain population of students out of a nearby school. The race/ethnic distribution of the school is as follows: 90% Hispanic, 7% African American or Black, and 2.4% white. A three story building, Lake Elementary is full of long, wide hallways with classrooms on either side. People enter on the second floor by the office, which is located at the far right entrance close to the cafeteria. The office I am working in is very small; classrooms do not meet in there. My cooperating teacher, Mrs. G, teaches three 1.5-hour blocks in both first and second grade classrooms. We travel to Mrs. D’s first grade class, Mrs. O’s second grade class, and Mrs. N’s second grade class all of which all located on the second floor of the building. Classrooms are spacious and provide enough room for three teachers each working with a group of students to fit in there comfortably. The school offers grade levels pre-k through fifth. 82% of the school population is served through ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages). All the students that we serve during the day speak Spanish as their native language. The school does a good job of accommodating the predominately Hispanic community by having a bilingual office staff, translators at conferences, and notes sent out in Spanish. During the day I see parents coming in to eat with their children in the cafeteria, dropping them off at school, and coming in to discuss their child’s success in school. The community of 141 teachers working at Lake Elementary is all considered highly qualified as defined by No Child Left Behind/The Reauthorization of Elementary and Secondary Education Act. 50% of the staff hold a Master’s degree or higher. Many staff members are bilingual (Spanish-English) in order to provide native language support for the high percentage of students who speak Spanish as a native language. Lake has 12 ESOL teachers, and all general education teachers have completed SIOP training. The school has a high mobility rate of 29%. Students come from a low SES background; 97% of students receive free or reduced lunch. Lake is a Title 1 school, which means they receive extra funding in order to support student achievement and parent involvement. The school receives $405,850 annually which they use to allocate more staff members and provide students with current computer software. Additional positions are funded through Title 1 including two support specialists and two parent liaisons. All three teachers (D., O., and N.) use a behavioral management chart where student move their clips up or down a five-tiered chart. All students begin the day on “ready to learn” and have the opportunity to move up 1-2 spaces for rewards, or move down 1-2 spaces and face the consequences. Mrs. G., ESOL works with the three teachers during their literacy block. Each classroom is broken into three groups of students: red, yellow, and blue. Each indicates the students’ reading level. One group is low readers, one group is middle readers, and one group is high readers. For 30-minute segments the students work with either the general education teacher, the ESOL teacher, or they work independently on centers or other assignments. Observing the teachers I have seen many different strategies used for literacy development including: echo reading, repeated reading, comprehension building strategies, and fluency building strategies. Each day Mrs. G. works on a different element of common core curriculum; she uses language objectives and is flexible when segments do not go as planned. She uses the reading textbook, big books, and leveled short stories. It is clear that she differentiates for the different reading groups; each group has different vocabulary words and continues at a different pace. I see reading, writing, listening, and speaking all occurring in each lesson.

FPE- Brandon Davis- Campbell High School

School: Campbell High School Address: 5265 Ward St. Smyrna, Georgia 30080 District: Cobb County School District Cooperating Teacher: Ms. Ioana Beldenau Subject Area: Physics

A. The only days that will have an affect on my field experience is conference week that takes place October 22-26, as well as graduation writing test on October 3, 2012.

B. Narrative

Campbell High School is an older school by Cobb County standards. The facilities are older and have not been renovated in many years because of a lack of financial resources. The campus is laid out with multiple buildings that contain classrooms; the school is not one singular building like many high schools. Campbell is located off Windy Hill Road in Smyrna and is located in a diverse community and economy. Smyrna has families from many different backgrounds which makes for an interesting dynamic at Campbell. The school is currently in a very hectic time because they did not meet A.Y.P. last year and are under intense pressure to fix the problem. This can explain the strong attitudes of administration which is very visible throughout the school. At Campbell, there are 2,314 students, which 43% of the students are in remedial programs. Also, 10.5% of the students are in special education programs and just over 5% of the students are qualified for ESOL services. As far as the demographics of the students when broken down by ethnicity: 52% of the students are black, 25% Hispanic, 16% white and the rest fall into the “other” category. There also seems to be an interesting dynamic of the teachers at the school. There are 142 teachers, in which 101 are white and 35 are black. Also, more than half the teachers have at least a master’s degree from a college or university and about a third of the teachers are males. This makes for a group of teachers with a diverse population, just like the students, that can work together to best serve the students. The engagement with the parents depends on the students. The community is very diverse and there are some students who have parents who are very involved in their child’s education whereas there are other students who are not involved at all with their child. The setup of the classroom is designed in the typical, high school way with desks lined up in a row facing the front of the class where the teacher’s desk is. The class I spend the most time in consists strictly of ELLs and the students are extremely kind and respectful to each other and authority. The teacher allows the students to discuss and talk without raising their hand as long as the students do not disrespect their peers or the teacher. Ms. Beldenau has an extremely effective classroom management policy that all of the students respect and follow. English is the only language spoken during class but the students tend to talk to each other in Spanish from time to time. The teacher has some effective strategies that she uses but she has already asked for my input on how to get through to her ELLs. The interactions between the students are very respectful and all of the students respect the teacher because she truly shows them that she cares about their individual lives.

FPE-W. Wesley Anderson-JJ Daniell Middle School

School: JJ Daniell Middle School Address: 2900 Scott Rd. Marietta, GA 30066 District: Cobb County School District Cooperating Teacher: Rita Morhmann Subject Area: Language Arts

A. During this Fall semester, holidays will include Election Day November 6 for students only and Thanksgiving Break the 19th through the 23rd. Conferences will occur October 22 through October 26 and no testing will occur while I will be at the school. The school’s calendar is located at http://www.cobbk12.org/generalinfo/calendars/.

B. JJ Daniell received new renovations for this school year. The structure was built in 1965 and has needed new facilities for sometime. These additions include and new administration wing, science lab, computer lab, entrance and gym. Though the building in many areas is old, the ceilings are high and the abundance of windows makes the hallways shine with natural sunlight. The school is located just behind the outskirts of the shopping centers of Barrett Pkwy in a well-hidden suburban area. For special services, 12.9% are enrolled in special education, 4.2% in ESOL, and 30.6% in remedial reading programs. The primary languages of the ESOL students are Spanish, with few students speaking Arabic and Farsi, and a few other sparse languages. 23% of the students are on free or reduced lunches and the ethnicity of the school is mainly Caucasian with 36%, followed by 26% Black students, 20% Hispanic, 16% Asian, and 2% being mixed race or other. Judge Jordan Daniell, who started his career teaching in a one-room schoolhouse, founded the school. He later became a commissioner for the Cobb County School District. Many of the teachers of JJ Daniell grew up in the same area and have continued teaching at the school for many years. The faculty and staff work well together and the atmosphere is a positive one. Over 90% of the teaching staff and administration are Caucasian with only six teachers being of another race. Parents are involvement can be seen through high participation in the PTSA program and the results of the high scores on standardized testing. The school has met AYP and in not considered Title One. The ESOL classroom is a spacious one with high ceilings. It has three desktops and multiple group areas. Students can interact in their four-desk seating arrangements, present and learn on large whiteboards, and watch instructional videos on the ceiling-mounted projector. Walking into the room there is a smell of cinnamon and the atmosphere is calming. The students speak languages of Farsi, Spanish, Bangla, Arabic, and French, though I have heard very little native language spoken as students seem to be very comfortable speaking English. Their WIDA levels overall range from the mid 3’s to the 6’s. Students are placed in their four-group setting by ability level but also by whom they can interact well with. There is at least one student at each table that another student can have a dialect with and learn from. The teacher makes sure to move around to each table and keep students engaged and on task, and the students respect her disciplined style of teaching. Every lesson in the class contains an interactive part to truly connect meaning. I have witnessed students do anything from fingerprint analysis in science to watching videos on special need students to connect with their readings. Overall a great deal of hands on learning is taking place in a safe and welcoming environment.

FPE- Melanie Kimura- North Ridge High School

School: North Ridge High School (pseudonym) District: Cobb County School District Cooperating Teacher: Mr. Brad Dilbeck Subject Area: Earth Science/ ESOL

A. During practicum II the only holidays that may conflict with our schedule is a teacher work day on Nov. 6th and Thanksgiving break. Conferences are generally done by appointment only.

B.

The main school building at North Ridge was built in 1958, making it one of the oldest high schools in Cobb County. However, my classrooms are located in the new 9th grade academy, which was constructed just two years ago. The hallways in the 9th grade academy are colorful and full of student work and bulletin boards. The grounds are clean and there is a nice football field located behind the school. The cooperating teacher I am working with is Brad Dilbeck and he has been a teacher for sixteen years with thirteen of those spent in ESOL. I begin the day in a sheltered Earth Science ESOL class with mostly 10th graders. The remainder of the day I follow Mr. Dilbeck during push-in in a 9th grade math class. The ESOL students in math seem to be doing well without the need of support from the ESOL professionals. However, in Earth Science they seem to need much more support since the content and vocabulary are challenging. The school is located in Kennesaw, Georgia which has a rich Southern history that includes an old train museum and battleground sites from the civil war. The city is well known around the state for its mandatory gun law, Kennesaw Mountain and Kennesaw State University. North Ridge High School has a student population of about 2,624. Their mascot is the warrior and the school colors are orange and blue. The high school was established in the late 1950s and is one of the largest schools in Cobb County. A wall in the main building of the school displays photographs of all of the principals that have worked at North Ridge showing its long history. In 2006 North Ridge became a magnet school and is designated for international studies. As such the school offers the most foreign language classes of any high school in Cobb County including Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, French, German, Chinese and Japanese.The demographics of Kennesaw include a population of 29,783 as of 2010. 20% of Kennesaw’s residents are college educated. The demographics of the North Ridge are made up of 43% Caucasian, 34% African American, 14% Hispanic, 5% Asian and about 3.5% Multi-racial. 4% of those students receive ESOL services. The demographics of the teachers who work at North Ridge are similar to many schools around the U.S. where the majority of teachers are middle class, Caucasian females. Nevertheless, there is some diversity especially with the addition of the magnet program and international studies. Parental involvement at North Ridge, particularly with the ESOL students, varies from student to student. Some parents are very involved on a daily basis in their child’s education. Other parents seem to have an aversion to school based on their own experiences with education. My cooperating teacher mentioned a pattern that he has noticed which is that students from more urban areas, no matter the country they are from, the kids from urban areas seem to be better students and the parents tend to be more involved. This is in contrast to students from more rural areas. This pattern is not always the case, however in his experience this is what Mr. Dilbeck has noticed. The Earth Science classroom is tidy but a little plain. There are a few posters on the walls displaying motivational quotes. I think it would be beneficial to have a big word wall or to have student work displayed on the walls in order to make it a more language-rich environment. Students sit where they choose. There are six desks across and five desks going back. There is a Promethean board at the front of the room as well as white boards. There is an American flag at the front of the room and a computer for the teacher’s use. At the back of the room is his desk which sits off to the side. There is also a book shelf where the Earth Science text books are kept. The curriculum materials the students use include their Earth Science textbooks, GPS standards including the daily essential questions and teacher-generated supplemental materials. The classroom management approach that Mr. Dilbeck uses is one where the students are able to help designate the rules for the class. He establishes flexible rules and guidelines where he goes over class expectations with the students at the beginning of each semester and explains to them that with good behavior the rules do not have to be so rigid. However, if they are not able to practice mature independence then the rules will become stricter. North Ridge also has a set of “House Rules” that Mr. Dilbeck explains at the beginning of every semester. He also has about four rules listed on his syllabus and allows students to add any rules they think are important. He tells the students that he wants a relaxed classroom which will allow them to develop responsibility on their own which starts with their own behavior. If the rules are not followed he does go over the consequences which include identifying the problem and encouraging them to handle it on their own. If it still does not work then steps will be taken to minimize the freedom they enjoy in class. The interactions I have observed between Mr. Dilbeck and his students are mutually respectful. The students respond well to his kind demeanor and calm voice. The students also engage with one another in a respectful but playful way. It is clear that Mr. Dilbeck cares about his students and they know it. He encourages them to get a good night’s rest, to study hard before exams and to think positively. He is always thinking of ways he can better serve his students. The primary language used in the classroom is English. I do hear some of the students speaking Spanish and Vietnamese to one another at least a couple of times a day. It is normally to explain something being asked of them. The teacher does not say anything when they speak another language. In fact, he himself has even explained instructions in Spanish to a student who was having great difficulty understanding the task. Parent-teacher conferences in high school are handled by appointment only. High school is a time of transition from the parents being very involved as they were in elementary school to being less involved. Still the school does offer a parent night where parents can come and learn more about the curriculum and school procedures. The testing days for high school students during the 2012-2013 calendar year include Dec. 4-13, May 7-16, February 4-15, March 4-8 with some online testing days designated for a one-week period in August, September, October and November. (See attached calendar). Other important activities taking place during my field placement include homecoming where students will participate in a pep rally, dance and football game if they so choose. Each day during homecoming week has a different theme including Nerd Day, GQ Day and Super Spirit Day. The school also has many after school activities for staff members, students and families including Zumba classes, Screen on the Green, Cow Plunge and a Parade and Block Party. All in all the experience at North Ridge has been pleasant and I look forward to continuing my time there and getting to know the students better.

FPE- Andrew Salsberry -L. Middle School

School: Lindley Middle School District: Cobb County Schools Cooperating Teacher: Ms. Terri Lewis Grade or Subject Area: 7th Grade English Language Arts

I have attached calendars dictating all applicable important dates. One additional important activity taking place during my time at the school is the fiesta the school is having to celebrate Hispanic heritage month. On Thursday, October 11th at 6:00PM the school is inviting all the parents and students to come enjoy good food, music and time together to celebrate their Hispanic heritage. During this event I will be assisting the teachers, getting know the students and talking with and assisting parents.

There are no holidays that will occur during the days I am scheduled to be spending at Lindley.

Ethnographic Narrative

L. Middle School is located in Mableton, Georgia. Mableton is a city of some 40,000 people. The building itself looks nearly new, although it in reality it is 11 years old. L. is a very large building. The colors inside are mostly white and the walls are only decorated in specific places with bulletin board materials and advertisements for student fundraisers. They have named their hallways things like honesty way, integrity lane, etc. The main hallway is called character freeway. And while the school is nice and very pretty, in some ways it lacks that ‘lived in’ sort of feeling and even feels a bit sterile at times. Once you walk down ‘character’ towards the teacher’s classrooms, you will also see some of the student’s work displayed in the halls. This helps these areas feel more inviting and ‘lived in’.

As anywhere, the students, teachers and administration of a school are its heart rather than the building. The school has 1,051 students. Of these 721 (68%) are Black, 262 are Hispanic, (25%) 39 are White (.9%) and 7 (.06%) are Asian. 12.9% of the students receive Special Education services and 10.2% receive ESOL. 86% of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunches. Similarly to the students, the administration and teachers are 71% Black, 27% White and 2% Hispanic. The overall student: teacher ratio is 14:1 and they did meet AYP during the 2010-2011 school year.

My class itself is a sheltered English Language Arts/Read 180 class with all ESOL students. Of the 36 students in the 2 classes combined, 32 are Mexican, 2 are El Salvadorian, 1 is Ecuadorian and 1 is Ghanaian. 22 of the students are male, and the remaining 14 are female. My teacher has one group 1st and 5th period and her other group 3rd period only.

The students (including the one from Ghana) regularly speak to one another in Spanish. The students are highly proficient in Mexican slang and profanity and when I arrived they were using it regularly in the class to speak over the teacher’s head. They constantly referred to the instructor as ‘pendeja’. Since I have arrived and began working with this particular group of students, I have cracked down on the use of foul or offensive language in English and Spanish. While I have only used an informal survey, most of them comment they are more comfortable speaking their first language but are not able to read in it.

My CT uses a variety of methods to motivate and manage her classroom. She has red zone/yellow zone volume indicators for the class posted in the front so the students are able to see upon entering the classroom. This gives the students a clear expectation of if they are to be working quietly or are allowed to speak softly with a neighbor. She also uses a “if you hear me clap once, if you hear me clap twice” method to calm the class when they get too noisy. Unfortunately with the size of the 1st and 5th period classes, at times she resorts to shouting over the students to get their attention. She uses a variety of strategies designed for English learners, such as always using written **and** verbal instructions, group work, realia, wait time and marker board responses. While she does not use actual SIOP lesson plans, she does use many of the key features at various points during the class. She always begins the class working with a warm-up and activating prior knowledge on topics. She regularly preteaches vocabulary.

Upon entering the classroom the class is arranged with 3 clusters of 6 desks and 1 cluster of 4 desks in the middle of the classroom. The left wall is lined with computers. The back wall is mostly cabinets covered with posters. In the back right corner is a silent reading area with a couch, some comfortable chairs and reading materials for a variety of levels. In the right side of the classroom there is a semicircle table with 7 chairs that the instructor uses for small group instruction. The teacher’s desk and a lab table are at the front of the classroom along with a white board, a projector and a TV. Because at one particular time this room was used as a science lab, there is an abundance of cabinetry and little to no empty wall space throughout the classroom.


 * __FPE_Lee_Canton High School__**:
 * School**: Canton High School (pseudonym)
 * District:** F. County (pseudonym)
 * Cooperating Teacher:** Mrs. J. (pseudonym)
 * Grade or Subject Area:** American Literature (11th - sheltered), World Literature (12th – sheltered),Math 3 (mixed grades – push in, discussed briefly in ethnography), Oral Communication (mixed grades - sheltered)
 * Important Dates** Holidays: None
 * During Practicum:** Parent/Teacher Conference Days: Sept 12 (Open House), Teacher work days/no students: October 15, Nov. 6, Testing days: Oct 3 (GHGWT, 11th), Oct 17 (PSAT, 9th -11th) Other important dates: Oct 25 (Intntl. Night)

Canton High School (CHS) first opened in 1997. It currently serves 2,087 high school students. It is located in the city of Roswell, Georgia’s 8th largest city. Roswell is well known for its older restored building and plantation homes in the downtown area. Roswell’s population is 75% white, 12% black, 17% latino/a, and 4% Asian. The average household income in Roswell is $135,186, with 69% of households earning $75,000 or more. Seventy-two percent of the Roswell adult population has at least some college credit. The demographics of CHS reflect the city’s make-up, with 52% white, 17% latino/a, 23% black, 4% Asian, and 4% multi-racial students. Surprisingly, 29% of students are on free and reduced lunch. While I could not find any specific demographics on teachers at CHS, my collaborating teacher, Mrs. J., has observed that a little more than half of the teachers are female, with the majority of teachers also being white and middle to upper middle class. There are very few teachers whose L1 is not English. Additionally, 6% of students are considered to have limited English proficiency, while 11% are considered students with disabilities. While the school met AYP criteria for test scores and academic performance, it did not meet AYP criteria for graduate rate in 2010-2011.

The layout of CHS is similar to many schools in the north Fulton area, with a brick exterior and well-kept grounds. Inside, the school is organized into 10 main hallways. Content area classes are held on certain hallways. The special education and ESOL classes are located in the next to last hallway in the back of the school, just across from the gymnasium. The main office, counseling hall, attendance office and media center are in the first hall as one enters the building. The school also has a large football stadium and other sports fields which are well kept. While most classrooms I have observed have projectors, none of the rooms I have seen have smart boards or document projectors.

In Mrs. J.’s, class, there are 16 desks. These desks are set up in various configurations, depending on the day’s assignment. Mrs. J.’s desk is towards the back right corner of the room. During class, Mrs. J. can usually be found either in the middle of the room while using the projector or walking around observing and assisting students doing group work. The back wall of Mrs. J.’s room is painted blue. On this wall, she has a word wall posted for each class as well as student work from previous years. On the whiteboard in the front of the room, Mrs. J. has a section to post the objectives for each class as well as a section for classroom announcements.

Mrs. J. teaches three sheltered classes of thirteen 11th graders, twelve 12th graders and six 9th-10th graders. She also pushes into an Advanced Algebra class that has four ESOL students. All of her students are ESOL students. The majority of the students are latino/a from Spanish speaking countries, although there are currently several students from Brazil as well as Afghanistan, Jordan, Russia, Ukraine, and Haiti. Students in the 11th and 12th grade classes vary in their English language Proficiency WIDA levels, although the majority fall into the developing or expanding range (Level 3-4), with a few students at the bridging level (Level 5). Students in the 8th period oral communications class all fall into the entering stage (Level 1). There are 2 students who also currently receive special education services and an additional 2 students who may soon be tested for these services.

As I have observed so far, Mrs. J. has a great rapport with her students. She explains that at the beginning of the year, she “stays serious” to establish a professional and respectful relationship with the students. As the year progresses, Mrs. J. continues to be professional while engaging students in meaningful conversations about their life outside the classroom. Mrs. J.’s interactions with her students are often light-hearted and friendly. I have noticed that students often come to her room to just say “hello,” or to tell her about a recent grade they got in another class. Mrs. J.’s efforts to know her students sometimes reach outside the classroom, as she recently demonstrated when she visited a student at his restaurant workplace with her family.

Mrs. J.’s familiar yet professional relationship with her students builds a solid foundation for classroom management. She often uses humor as a means for classroom management as well as one-on-one conversations with students. For example, when Mrs. J. noticed a student making fun of another student, she pulled that student aside after class to talk about his behavior and explain that it would not be accepted in her classroom. There was also recently a fight that took place between two students //outside// the classroom. Mrs. J. reacted by calling the Assistant Principal and counseling the students on their decision afterwards individually.

After the fighting incident, the mother of the student who supposedly started the fight felt comfortable enough to come to Mrs. J. to discuss the situation. Mrs. J. also helps to build trust with the parents who speak Spanish by using Spanish in her communication. The ESOL department also has a parent liaison that is bilingual and will set up necessary meetings with conferences. It should be noted that although there is interaction between students and parents, it is not always perfect. At the most recent parent-teacher conference, some ESOL teachers noted that many of the parents did not come.

In addition to her relationship with students and parents, Mrs. J. also uses established procedures to manage the classroom. At the beginning of each class, students complete an “Everyday Edit” on the board, having to find 10 grammar mistakes in a short paragraph. Typically Mrs. J. then gives class announcements, collects or hand out homework, or has a warm up activity. These activities are usually brief but engaging. A recent example is when students were given vocabulary words on sticky notes and asked to act out these words for others to guess. Next, a student is then asked to read the objective for the day, which is posted on Mrs. J.’s website as well as on the board. This is usually followed by explicit teaching, during which Mrs. J. will either present new information in a PowerPoint or through a reading. Throughout such teaching, Mrs. J. uses several strategies to engage students such as: paraphrasing, giving examples orally and visually, and asking comprehension questions throughout. She also stops frequently to get students to paraphrase in their own words or to help them make text connections (text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world). Typically, students will then work in pairs or groups to complete an assignment related to the new information. During that time, Mrs. J. is most often walking around the room checking for comprehension and asking questions to help students better understand the material.

Mrs. J. also frequently uses Spanish (her L1) with the 8th period beginner’s class to explain instructions after explaining them in English. She will also sometimes use Spanish in the higher level classes, although sparingly. Mrs. J. may also assist students by explaining a concept further in Spanish in the push-in math class. In this class, she also employs paraphrasing and using multiple examples as a way of assisting students. The text for this math class is McDougell Littell’s //Mathematics 3//. In both literature classes, Prentice Hall series textbooks are used: the //World Masterpieces// Volume II for World Literature and the //American Experiences// Volume I for American Literature. Books used in the 8th period beginning class include Longman’s //Word by Word Beginner’s Picture Dictionary,// Longman’s //Focus on Grammar// (2nd Ed.) and Full Blast Productions //Every Picture Tells a Story.//

Mrs. J. bases her lessons on the F. County curriculum that follows the new Common Core standards (for the Literature classes) or other established county standards (for the 8th period beginner’s class). While Mrs. J. gets many of her material and activity ideas from these curriculum guides, she also uses the effective strategies mentioned above to deliver lessons in a way that is comprehensible and engaging to students. Furthermore, Mrs. J. has established meaningful and professional relationship with her students which seem to add to their motivation to learn. Overall, she has created a learning environment that is standards-based, organized, flexible and personal in which students can and do thrive.

**Ethnography**

Kremena Zaffuto


 * School Name:** Crabapple High School
 * Address:** 11595 King Road Roswell, GA 30075
 * District:** Fulton County Schools

Second Period: Communication Skills I Third Period: Communication/Content Areas Fifth Period: Literature/ Composition Study-9th Grade Sixth Period: Reading/Listening/Content
 * Grade and Subject Area:** First Period: ESOL 9th Grade-Supplementary

September 13- Parent Curriculum Night September 25- New Student Breakfast October 1-3- Quality Inspection October 3- Writing Test- 11th Grade October 17- PSAT October 15 and November 6- Teacher Workdays
 * Important Dates**

**B.** Originally, Crabapple High School (CHS) was established in 1949, but the current facility opened in the fall of 1990. Crabapple High School is in good physical condition, the main building is brick, the hallways are large and clean, and the grounds are pristine. There are some trailers to the side of the school. The school is located in Roswell City in middle and upper middle class community. The school has a close relationship with the city of Roswell and many local businesses and civic organizations. RHS has an outstanding academic record and has been consistently recognized as one of Georgia’s top schools. It offers more than twenty AP courses in its Advanced Placement Program, which has been rated as one of the best in the country. The school also has an exceptional reputation with its athletic and performing arts programs.

Currently, 2400 students are enrolled at CHS, from which 12% are special education students, 4% are English Language Learners, and 22% receive free or reduced lunch. The Race/Ethnicity Distribution is as follows: 62%-White; 16%-Hispanic; 14%-Black or African American; 5%-Asian; and 3% American Indian or Alaskan Native. In my cooperating teacher’s classes the majority of the students are from Mexico. There are also two students from the Dominican Republic, 2 from Burma, 1 from Nepal, 1 from Malaysia, 1 from Turkey, and 1 from Vietnam. All five ESOL teachers are White women.

The classroom is large, the desks are arranged in a semi-circle facing the board and projector, the teacher’s desk is on the left and there is a sofa in front of it, there is also a table in the left corner of the room, and several bookshelves around the classroom. There is a rich supply of books (textbooks, fiction and non-fiction, magazines) and games. Technology is scarce at the school, and Ms. Jones has only a projector in her classroom. My cooperating teacher provides ESOL instruction to five class periods, each one hour long. Her lessons vary and she alternates between tasks and activities frequently. Once a week, students use Rosetta Stone software in the computer lab to practice their language skills. Students are encouraged to engage in discussions and think creatively and critically. My cooperating teacher does not use SIOP lesson planning. Most of her planning is recorded in a planning book daily or weekly. Students with the most limited English proficiency are encouraged to read in their native language and attend the Library with Ms. Jones frequently to select a book for independent reading in Spanish. Students are placed in their class periods based on WIDA levels, and there are limited differentiation techniques integrated during teaching and assessments. Some of the books we have used for instruction are: //Listen First, Focus on Grammar, Discovering Fiction, Exploring Literature, Among the Hidden// by Margaret Peterson Haddix, and picture dictionaries.

The Hispanic students usually interact between each other in their native language during break, and sometimes assist each other during instruction, if one fails to understand the directions or concepts. The teacher has set a section in the classroom with books, atlases and magazines in foreign languages. Ms. Jones interacts with the students in English only.

In terms of classroom management, Ms. Jones provides positive feedback consistently, and if students receive three warnings and do not correct their behavior, they go to detention in her classroom during lunch time.