Classroom Obs. I
Fourth Grade Classroom
Teacher Directions/Activity
The instructor conducted a vocabulary lesson using slides to introduce medical terminology. The words were organized into thematic clusters, with approximately ten words presented on each slide. For each word, the instructor explained its meaning and provided synonyms to support student understanding.
After completing the introduction of one cluster, the instructor asked students to create sentences incorporating some of the newly learned words. Students who successfully produced sentences using three or more of the target words received enthusiastic praise from the instructor, reinforcing their effort and encouraging active participation.
Learner Response
During this segment of the lesson, one student appeared largely disengaged. The student remained seated quietly with a relaxed posture, often occupying themselves with a small toolkit rather than attending to the vocabulary instruction. They rarely looked up while the instructor presented the slides or when classmates contributed to the discussion.
On the student’s desk, several books were visible. At times, they picked up one at random and read briefly during the vocabulary teaching period. Throughout this activity, the student did not respond to the instructor’s questions or participate in the class discussion.
Teacher Directions/Activity
The instructor directed the students to open their textbooks to page 22. They began by reading the first paragraph aloud and then posed questions to the class about specific details in the passage.
Learner Response
One student opened their textbook as instructed by the instructor. While the instructor was reading aloud, the student paused their play with a small toolkit and followed along with the text. However, once the instructor finished reading the paragraph, the student returned to playing. When the instructor asked a question about specific details from the passage, the student raised their hand for the first time during the lesson and provided a correct answer.
Teacher Directions/Activity
After reading a paragraph from the text, the instructor asked the class, “What features do you think this article demonstrates in terms of its writing?”
Learner Response
One student raised their hand and responded, “It’s written in a ‘*chonology’ order.”
Teacher Directions/Activity
The instructor appeared uncertain about the word “*chonology” and asked the student to repeat the word aloud.
Learner Response
Instead of repeating the word aloud as requested, the student turned to the back of the classroom and searched for their word list in a box on the bookshelf. After locating the list, the student showed it to the instructor and pointed to the word they intended to use, “chronological.”
Teacher Directions/Activity
After recognizing the word the student was referring to, the instructor exclaimed, “Oh, ‘chronological’! This is a word we learned in the previous class. Well done!”
Learner Response
The student placed the word list back into the box and returned to their seat.
