In the spring of 2025, I had the opportunity to observe in a first-grade classroom at Hillview Elementary School in Grove City, PA. Mrs. Thompson was a great teacher and very helpful to me during this time. Below are some journal entries written during my time as a field student. 

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Week 1:

Today I observed Mrs. Thompson's first grade math class. Today was the 100th day of school, so their activities all revolved around that! She gave each student 5 marshmallows and they made estimations on how many marshmallows the class had in total. The class had 90 marshmallows, so she then asked them to figure out how many more they would need to get to 100. The desks were set up in groups of 2-3 students, and I think this was the perfect size groups for this age level. She had the groups discuss the problems she gave them, and then asked people to share what their group talked about. The biggest think I saw in her teaching method for math was following each answer with "Can you prove it?" This really gets behind the WHY of learning. Whether the student was right or wrong, she wanted to know WHY. She gave praise for the WHY, not for the correct answer. There were several signs of math within the classroom. She had a number line at the front of the room and different math facts throughout the room. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and am excited to learn more through out the rest of this field! 

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Week 2:

Ms. Thompson's first grade classroom is set up with students sitting in groups of 2-3. The desks are all angled towards the board and the students remain seated at their desks for a majority of the class time. She has a carpet at the back of the room with a white board table. She has two rocking chairs that students can sit in on the carpet but other than that there is not much flexible seating throughout the room. The room has lots of built-in storage and most of the materials are located in the cabinets. The room is pretty tidy but there are lots of fun decorations scattered throughout the room. The materials that the students use on a daily basis are found close to their desks. They have seat covers that hold most of their materials for easy access. The students are responsible for taking care of their belongings and keeping the room tidy. At least during math, it doesn't seem like the class does a lot of moving around. It surprises me that the whiteboard/group work table takes up a majority of the carpet space. 

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Week 3:

Mrs. Thompson has very good order in her classroom. She starts her lesson by explaining what is going to be taught that day. On this day in particular, the class did a partner activity. She explained what was expected of the students before she gave anyone any materials. She told them exactly what to do and where to work. She picked the partners for the class, and then let them begin the assignment. I thought this was a great activity for first grade. The students had to work together to sort which equations equal the sum of the equation at the top of the page. Then, a teacher had to check their venn diagrams and ask the students WHY each equation does or does not equal the equation at the top of the page. Asking the students to explain the why behind their learning is one of the most important things I've noticed in Mrs. Thompson's math class. This was a great time for student exploration. They completed the assignment with their partners but were able to ask a teacher for assistance if needed. I was surprised how on task the students were, considering their age. They worked very well together and got along great. Overall, I was impressed with the lesson this week!

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Week 4:

There are many support materials that are available to students in Mrs. Thompson's class. Number racks are always allowed to be used by the students and the teacher uses a large number rack in the front of the room. Occasionally the students also use number blocks to count to 10. They do not need to ask for these materials and they are very used to using them and now exactly how to use them. 

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Week 5:

In Mrs. Thompson's first grade math class, there are no text books that are used during math lessons. No books are available to the students, however, the students do word problems often. Mrs. Thompson tries to relate them to the real world when she can. ELA is connected into the math classroom as students are expected to read the problems on their own/with a partner. She also has them work on a math program on their computers independently each day, and this involves them reading each problem on their own. These often are word problems. I don't think the students would benefit from having a text book, as most of her lessons are presented using a slideshow, and I think this is beneficial to the class. They read the instructions for each game or activity on the board, and that sets out clear expectations for what is to come for the rest of the class time. I think this is easier for the students' cognitive load. They can focus on exactly what is expected of them, rather than reading from a textbook. However, I do think they would benefit from reading a little more throughout math class (more word problems, etc.).

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Week 6:

My field experience is going well! I am enjoying learning new things each week. Mrs. Thompson always makes sure I have an opportunity to work one-on-one with a few first graders each week, which I really appreciate! As of right now, I don't really have many questions. I am learning a lot about what to expect when I teach in my own math classroom, and I'm happy to be learning some great techniques. One thing I have learned is definitely to be flexible! One of my favorite techniques I see Mrs. Thompson's class use daily is a hand signal that the students use when they agree with something that one of their friends is saying. They also are always allowed to use manipulatives - they don't even have to ask.

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Week 7:

Mrs. Thompson uses the Promethean board as her main form of technology in her mathematics classroom. She can drag and drop virtual manipulatives and show engaging videos to her class. She recently used a virtual clock and could show the hours changing quickly. Students were able to come up to the board and drag and drop the answer on the board. I haven't seen any issues with using the Promethean board, however I do think using real manipulatives that students can physically touch would be more beneficial at times. 

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Week 8: 

Mrs. Thompson is incredible at classroom management and handling behaviors in her classroom. She is patient and caring, but also has high expectations for her students' behavior. If she sees a student off task, she tends to walk near them and quietly have a conversation with them. If the situation continues after this, she will move them near another adult in the classroom. If it continues beyond this, the student will lose recess time. She tends to keep the class pretty engaging by having students do various forms of partner work, whole-class instruction, independent work, and enrichment in small groups. Transitions are very smooth. Students know exactly what to expect during transition times.