Journal #3-Domain #3- Teaching and the Curriculum

How is the day planned? What is the teacher’s daily schedule? How does it relate to the age level of the group?

The 7th grader’s schedule is composed of homeroom, then three elective classes, a gym class, lunch, then their four core classes (Math, English, Science, History). Also, Ms. Sorensen informed me that after the first semester the school used to have the students switch their electives with their core class from in the morning to in the afternoon. Meaning, the student’s day would be the opposite as above. They would have their four core classes in the morning, and then their electives and gym in the afternoon. Unfortunately, they don’t do this anymore and the students strictly just have their core classes in the afternoon. I think having their core classes in the morning would be more conducive to this age group because I have noticed that the students get very antsy and restless in the afternoon.

Furthermore, the way Ms. Sorensen plans the day and runs the classroom relates well to the age level of the group because she provides the students with structure, but also flexibility and independence.

My observing teacher, Ms. Sorensen, teaches one elective class in the morning called SPFY (pronounced spiffy). It stands for Speak For Yourself which serves as the student’s speech class requirement. Also, she has meetings on Wednesday. While school normally ends at 3:00, on Wednesdays the students get done at 2:10 because all the teachers have meetings to go to.


How is the classroom time used?

Class time is used very well. There are always things to do and time is never wasted. Ms. Sorensen always fits in a lot into the class period, but it never seems rushed. The teacher has the students read a little bit at least every day of the week. Monday through Thursday, the work on reading some of Freak the Mighty. Friday, they do their silent reading with the book of their choice. The daily schedule for each class period is different on different days. On Mondays, they go over the new vocabulary for the week. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays they work on D.O.L (Daily Oral Language) at the beginning of class. Also, every Friday they have a vocabulary quiz.


What preparations were made to start and conclude various activities?

To introduce the activities, Ms. Sorensen often has handouts and worksheets that she passes out while she starts explaining what the students are expected to do. To conclude the activities, she has them do a journal entry on the activity or homework questions so that when they are at home they can continue thinking about the lesson.


Can you identify the purpose or objective of each activity?

Usually, the purpose is very clear and it ties in with things they are doing in the English class, and sometimes the activity ties in with what they’re doing in other classes. For example, she created a handout that was titled “Restating Questions.” She gave the students a list of questions and they had to answer them by restating the question in with their answer. The questions didn’t just pertain to English class, but their other classes as well. For example, “How did WWII provide opportunities for women in the workplace?” This activity had several objectives. One was to improve their writing, and it was also a preparation for the ISAT exam that the students will be taking in a couple of weeks.


How are cultural differences considered and needs met?

Like I stated in my last blog, Polish is the biggest culture at Emerson; however, there are only a few students who are actually English as a Second Language Learners. So Ms. Sorensen doesn’t really need to accommodate her lessons around cultural differences. She basically teaches everyone to the same high standard. If there are any students who need extra help they can attend and work on their homework in the Resource room. Resource is for students who are slower learners or if they have any type of learning disability. However, Ms. Sorensen does have the students work at different levels for their reading logs. Their reading logs are weekly worksheets that keep track of books they’re reading and have their parents sign them. Ms. Sorensen informed me that they used to require the students to read at least two hours every week. However, reading wasn’t getting completed and students really weren’t pushing themselves. Now they have a set goal of how many pages they want to read every week. Every student has a different goal and every two weeks Ms. Sorensen meets with each student to see if they want to increase their goal. She told me that every student always increases their goal. The only time their goal might decrease is if they read a more challenging book.



In the text Teach our children well: Essential strategies for the urban classroom by Maniates she talks about how it is important to “Provide Time to Process and Reflect” (77). From observing in Ms. Sorensen’s class, I have noticed that she incorporates this idea in her lessons. Usually after she teaches a lesson she hands out a journal prompt that reflects on the lesson, but also allows for the students to be able to right freely about their opinions. Furthermore, from observing another thing I learned about Teaching and the Curriculum is that teachers need clear guidelines and expectations for her students. Maniates writes, “Teachers must be clear about the quality work they expect” (67). Ms. Sorensen has always given out clear guidelines for each assignment. Also, at the beginning of the year they received a handout for what was expected from each assignment. For example, all work turned in must be written in black or blue pen and there must be a heading in the upper right hand corner of their paper. Also, when the students have a paper Ms. Sorensen makes sure they are well prepared and clearly understand the requirements. She accomplishes this by handing out a rubric with the requirements and grading scale on it when the paper is first assigned.