Data Specific Content
On October 5th, Geri (one of the class teachers) while teaching a science lesson introduced students to the class pets, 2 frogs. Students studied the projected pictures of the frogs and decided to name the frogs Star and Pepper based on their physical attributes. Later on, Geri unveiled the frogs to a visibly excited class and divided students into small groups to observe the frogs. Connecting their observation to lesson teaching point to “what scientists do” Geri instructed students to record their observations or questions in their science journal. A reward was attached to completing the task, “show me your drawings and written observations in your science journal and you would be allowed to choose …show more content…
Geri brings the glass box containing the frogs to their table and says “boys and girls I want to give you another opportunity to look at the frogs again. Remember to write your observations and questions about the frogs in your science journal.” I stand behind Dominic and listen to the conversation he has with Gabriel. “I am going to write why do frogs have sticky feet?” “How do you know it’s sticky?” Gabriel asks. “Because I just know and Geri said they have sticky feet.” Dominic continues this conversation by describing the details of how he would draw the frogs with special emphasis on the frog’s feet. Other students on the table chip into the conversation detailing what they drawing and what their observations are. Dominic gets carried away by vocalizing connections he has to their various responses. Few minutes later, Geri uses the chime to call the noisy class to order and reminds them to concentrate given task. It is at this point Dominic begins to draw the frogs in his journal and I walk away from the table. About 10 minutes later, I notice that Dominic is seated alone on the table, scribbling in his journal. I also notice his face is red and is at the verge of crying. As soon as …show more content…
I also noticed that though Dominic could articulate his observation verbally and through drawing, he experienced difficulty expressing his thoughts through writing.
Analysis Dominic is perceived as performing on grade level by his teachers. He contributes meaningful to class discussions, however, I wonder whether his active participation has masked his inability to document his thoughts, via writing, from his teachers. I also wonder why Dominic did not ask for help when he could not complete the task, he sat down alone on his table crying. It is possible that he sees asking a teacher for guidance may make him appear less smart and a dependent learner.
Lastly, I was surprised to see a lot of scribble writing in his journal. Is that how he responds to the frustration of not being able to write? Is his frustration borne out of the concern that he wants to get the spelling of each word correctly or he just doesn’t know the technique of sounding and stretching to spell/write unfamiliar words. I would attempt to provide answers to these questions in future