ELS 523-0500 week 4

Classroom Simulation Transcript

Media Introduction Narrator: As a teacher, it is important to take the time and think of the best way to

set up a classroom that is conducive to student learning. Our classrooms must be set

up in such a way that we create a positive and comfortable learning environment that

supports student achievement. One way to achieve this goal is having walls in your

room that engage and support past and current learning, such as having a math wall.

Classroom Set-up Introduction Narrator: The way you set up your room is critical, because setting up your classroom

in an ineffective way can actually hamper student engagement, lessen achievement

and lead to classroom management issues. Let’s take a closer look and discuss each of

the five different classroom layouts.

Layout 1 Narrator: In the first layout, the classroom is set up in the traditional way

where desks are lined up in rows. Unfortunately, this model usually leads to a

classroom environment where there is less discussion and more teacher-

directed learning. This is highly discouraged, especially for classrooms serving

ELL students.

Layout 2 Narrator: The second layout is a better option than the first, but it is still not

the most effective. In this layout, students are seated next to a partner. This

seating arrangement allows students to speak comfortably only with the person

directly next to them, but not others. Another disadvantage of this layout is

that every student is still facing in one direction. This layout doesn’t allow

students to access anchor walls throughout the classroom.

Layout 3 Narrator: The third layout is known as the circle table set up. With this set up,

it can take up a lot of space because of the size and shape of the table.

Another downfall to this set up is that it can be hard for both teachers and

students to navigate throughout the classroom. Since the students are sitting in

groups of three, not every student has a partner they can speak to. For

example, while one student speaks, the other waits their turn and is not

consistently engaged in thinking and conversation.

Layout 4 Narrator: The fourth layout is known as the horse shoe set up. There are some

positive aspects of this arrangement. It provides students with the opportunity

to easily see and hear everyone in the classroom during whole group

discussions. Students also have access to use anchor walls throughout the room.

Finally, it provides space on the carpet where students can work together on

projects, or the teacher can have whole group lessons on the floor. The

downfall to this is that students are limited to speaking with the person directly

next to them. It can also be difficult if they are sitting across from another

student who might be disruptive.

Layout 5 Narrator: The last layout is the most effective of the five. This set up allows for

students to actively engage in conversation with one another. It also provides

students with access to different parts of the room. Finally, it allows for the

teacher to easily navigate through the room

Lesson Introduction Background Information (Non-Spoken): The students have been studying how magnets

work and how they are used in daily life. The class is midway through the unit and has

an understanding of how magnets work. The students understand that magnets are

only attracted to some kinds of metal ( e.g. steel, iron) and that magnetic power can

pull through paper, glass, and thin wood. They understand the idea of permanent and

temporary magnets ( e.g., if you rub a steel nail with a magnet, it becomes

magnetic).

They understand that the Earth is magnetic and that a compass will always point to

Earth’s North Pole. They have just begun to talk about how magnets were first

invented and how they are used in real life.

Lesson Part 1 Teacher: Good morning, Students! To begin, please copy down the objective

and write the new vocabulary words in your journals.

Teacher: Good work, everyone! Who remembers our book, Magnet Magic?

Excellent! Let’s do a quick review.

Narrator: I like the way the teacher posted her objectives on the board and had

the students copy them down. When you write your objectives, it is important

to make sure they are written in student friendly terms. The teacher also took

the time to introduce the academic vocabulary words the students will

encounter throughout the lesson. This was a good start, but the lesson would

have been more effective to also provide visuals or realia. It would also have

been helpful if the students each had their own copy of the book or at least

one to share with a partner to follow along with the teacher. The last

recommendation I would make is taking the time to scaffold and make

connections to student knowledge. Accessing the students’ prior knowledge at

the beginning of the lesson will help them make a connection and build a

bridge between what they know and what they will learn.

Lesson Part 2 Teacher: On page 5, it says that magnets have the power to attract some kinds

of metal. What kinds of metals do magnets attract?

Carlos: I know! Magnets are attracted to anything made of iron, like this.

Teacher: Excellent, Carlos! On page 9, the question is “What is the rule of

magnetism?” Who can show how magnets attract and repel? Tonya? You may go

to the table to demonstrate this. (Tonya demonstrates)

Teacher: Have you ever thought of using magnets to find the amount of iron in

your cereal?

Narrator: If teachers expect students to be engaged in lessons, they must give

them the opportunity to actively participate and take ownership of their

learning experience. This can be achieved by developing higher level thinking

questions for students and to provide them with sentence stems to answer.

Instead of asking, “What kinds of metals do magnets attract?” show the

students two sets of objects and ask, “Compare both objects and explain which

is magnetic and why.” The second question requires the students to elaborate

on the answer and to use academic vocabulary, which is superior to giving a

one-word answer. For students who are used to giving one-word answers or who

are at a lower English proficiency level, you can support students by providing

sentence frames. An example would be, “This objective is magnetic because

(student justification – briefly say what this is).”

Moreover, students should be given the opportunity to discuss the questions

with other members of their group. Giving students the time to discuss

questions affords everyone the opportunity to be engaged not just one student

at a time – it allows them to verify if their answer is correct or talk with peers

to come up with an answer.

Lesson Part 3 Teacher: Class, you are going to be looking for iron in your cereal today.

Remember that one person in the group should be reading the instructions.

Student: Read the nutrition information on the cereal box to determine how

many milligrams of iron is in the cereal. Multiple students find milligrams and

write down numbers on worksheets.

Student: Step 3 - Crush the cereal into small pieces, using your hands.

Student: Step 4 - Add water and stir with a spoon.

Teacher: Good job, everyone! Be sure to wait about 15 minutes for the iron to

be extracted.

Student: Step 5: Stir the magnet rod to attract the iron particles.

Narrator: It is important to provide students with carefully planned and

engaging lessons. Such lessons must be effective and push kids to proficiency

through meaningful activities where they make connections and build on to

what they know in an effective classroom environment. It is up to us as

professional educators to teach the learners of today to be the leaders of

tomorrow.