With my third graders, I have an hour to spend with them everyday. On this particular day, we focused on Language Arts because the students struggle the most with that particular aspect of English in their classrooms. The purpose of the lesson this week was to review everything they had been discussing about nouns in their classroom. To begin with, we discussed what nouns were (person, place, or thing). I had a few objects or pictures that could be categorized under a person, place, or thing. Each student got a few and had to sort them under person, place, or thing. We then discussed it as an entire group. Secondly, we went on a Scavenger Hunt around the classroom and school to locate all of the nouns. The students all did a great job with this aspect of the lesson because it was just a quick review of what had been discussed in their classrooms.
When we came back to the classroom, the students were given an activity where they had to cut out words and place them under person, place, or thing. This activity was a informal way to assess whether the students needed more time on identifying nouns or if they were ready to move onto proper and common nouns. One of my students in this group is a CORE student, therefore I made modifications for her and worked one-on-one with her so if she needed help sounding out a word, I was there to provide support. Once the students were finished, we checked them as an entire group.
All of the students had a great time with the Scavenger Hunt around the school and did an amazing job! They completely grasped the concept and were ready to move onto proper and common nouns for the next day! :)
Community
The students are all such great friends because they have been in ESL together since 1st grade. Therefore, they have been able to create a sense of community and are very helpful to one another. If someone needed help with a word or the concept, the other students were very respectful and considerate. They did not make fun of the student or laugh. The students in this group are extremely loving and caring students! During this time, my EA works with a Non-English student. Normally they work on different stuff than my group does, but since he is in the same class and is able to identify most nouns in English now, he came along on the Scavenger Hunt. All of my 3rd graders are Hispanic and were so helpful with the Non-English student. They would speak to him in English until he did not understand something and would quickly speak Spanish to him to help him understand. They truly want everyone to be able to learn English.
Most of the students in this particular group, are intermediate which means they had to have scored a 3 on their ELDA the previous year. However, due to time constraints, I have one CORE student. I see all of the students for an hour since I do have the one CORE student.
Ethnographic Perspective
During the lesson, I observed the students working cooperatively with each other. They have been together in ESL for 2 years now and all have developed a strong relationship with one another. By observing, you can tell that they have a strong desire to learn and want the best for the other students around them. All of these students come from families who place a high value on education and therefore so do the children. Informal interactions occurred during my lesson and you can see that students are very considerate of one another and are helpful to each other. From the interview, my student answered the question regarding two of the other students in ESL. He stated they were his friends because "they helped him when he did not know an answer." Therefore, demonstrating the community and interactions the students have with each whether they are formal or informal.
If an outside observer came into the classroom during this lesson, they would have seen different types of learning happening. I try to provide the students with as many opportunities to view the concept as I can to help reach all students. We learned about nouns through visuals, auditory, listening, and kinesthetic learning. Also, I like to introduce the vocabulary the students need to have in the beginning, then guide the students through a very hands-on and engaging activity, and at the end have them work individually or in pairs to complete an independent activity. Therefore, I know where the students need help and can make the appropriate accommodations for the independent practice or review the next day. I like having the students work together during the guided instruction because it helps all of the students take on the tutor role and feel welcomed and accepted. They aren't forced to tell answers they may not be sure of until they have had a chance to work with their partner and discuss it. Therefore, they are actively taking a role in their learning and being able to discuss the concept to revise their original understanding or be able to thoroughly explain the concept they understand. The students then know they are all welcomed and accepted no matter where they are in the English proficiency.
