Other Grade Level:

On March 12th, I switched from observing a first grade classroom to observing a fifth grade classroom. Mrs. Cindy Ware was gracious enough to allow me to visit her grade level and observe the environment. I also took into consideration additional activities as well as images in classroom.
Every morning after the announcements Mrs. Ware’s class does the “Problem of the Day”. This lesson consists of 5-6 small math questions. It helps the class get started and settled down to prepare for the day. I really think this is helpful for her 5th graders to have a better focus. While watching the students work, I noticed they treated it almost like a race. They were eager to get their questions completed. It almost seemed like they wanted their peers to think they were the smartest and knew how to do their math the best. This is such a great incentive to have for the students, it creates a situation that makes it fun to learn and do work. When completed, the students were allowed to show their work on the board if they got the right answer.
They were able to start the activity and knew to work individually. I appreciated how organized and neatly listed the instructions on the board were for the students. There is enough on the walls but not too much that it is distracting. I noticed how the 5th grade classroom was different from the 1st grade in that there was a cursive alphabet, instead of regular print. There were also fewer pictures and fewer colors than the 1st grade classroom. Mrs. Ware teaches math, so there were many multiplication and other math related posters on the wall. Her class is larger than my 1st grade teachers’ classroom and has more students. Each desk is lined up in rows facing the board and the calendar. The teachers’ desk is off to the side placed in front of the window. A round table next to the bookshelf and sink is located in the back wall. Everything is neatly placed away to keep from distractions.
Being in a different classroom was a fun experience. Having an opportunity to observe another classroom really did help me further determine which grade level I am interested in teaching. I find that the lower elementary grades are more interesting and fun whereas the higher elementary grades were pretty plan and boring. I love how Mrs. Worthen is colorful and creates an environment that makes learning fun. I hope that when I am a teacher my students will want to come inside my classroom and look forward to learning.