Whittaker Elementary School Classroom Context Description Danielle C. Hicks Elementary School Curriculum and Assessment Mrs. Wright November 16,2014

Whittaker Elementary School This is a picture of Whittaker Elementary School on located on 790 Whittaker Parkway Orangeburg S.C Mission statement- Whittaker Elementary School exists to ensure academic success for all students.

Whittaker Elementary School Grounds and Local Neighborhood The local neighborhood surrounding Whittaker Elementary School is poorly maintained. A few of the houses look like they are in good condition but the majority of the houses look like the owners do no put any effort in keeping up the appearance of their yard or their house.The neighborhood is not overly crowded with houses and they seem to be a close knit community. They seem to be a close knit community because many of the community members work or volunteer at the school and they have a good repertoire with each other. The community members are the working lower class. Below are some pictures of a few of the houses in the community and a view of the school grounds surrounding the school.

Classroom The classroom is located in room 42. In order to get to the class you have to exit the school using a side door and then you will see room 42 on the left hand side. The classroom condition and appearance are excellent. The classroom is covered in educational, insightful, and educational posters and it has a very nice bulletin board that is displayed in the class for all to see. The students work is also displayed in various areas of the class for all to see what they are doing in class. There 16 boys in the class and 6 girls, there is a total of 22 students in the class. All of the students in the class are African Americans.

Classroom There are also several areas that are used for storage in the classroom. There are several storage closets and bins that Mr. Moss uses to store materials that are necessary for the lessons that he teaches. He also stores his personal items in there as well. Additionally he has two bulletin boards that he utilizes. The first one that I saw was the on located outside of the classroom, it had pictures of the students work on them about matter. The second bulletin board displayed the students pictures along with the classes role model President Obama.

Classroom Mr. Moss also has a very nice classroom library. I liked the way that he had a variety of books. He had some books that were for those that were on a low reading level, a regular reading level, and some for those who were on an advanced reading level.

School Demographics Whittaker Elementary School Whittaker Elementary School is located in Orangeburg Consolidated 5 The school contains grade PK-5 Mascot: Wildcat Colors: Blue and White Average Class Size: 24 Total Enrollment: Girls 351 Boys Whittaker Elementary School has a total of 70 faculty and staff members, 36 teachers (52% with master’s degrees, 47.6% with Bachelor’s degrees, and.04% with Doctorate degrees). There is 1 principal, 12 teacher assistants, 1 administrative assistant, 1 attendance secretary, 7 cafeteria workers, 1 cashier, 1 guidance counselor, 1 assistant principal, 1 teacher facilitator, 1 school nurse, 3 custodians, 1 building supervisor. Teacher to student ratio 22.8 to 1 African American -562 Hispanic-70 Caucasian-40 Most of the students come from single mother homes The principal is Dr. Casandra H. Jenkins The superintendent is Cynthia Wilson (Report card summary)-

Bulletin Boards This bulletin board was located in the back of Mr. Moss’s classroom. This bulletin board really caught my eye because it was very colorful and creative. It also displayed the classes role model President Obama in the middle. This bulletin board was displayed outside of the classroom. I like the way that it displayed the students work that they did pertaining to matter. I also like the way it looked neat and organized.

Classroom Displays The students work that they completed on solids, liquids and gasses was displayed all around the classroom so that the parents and all who entered the class could see what they were working on. Their math work on basic addition was also displayed.

Classroom Displays cont’d. This is a word wall that shows the alphabet and corresponding pictures.

Classroom Displays contd. This display shows the jobs that the students want to do when they get older to help the community. I like this display because it motivated the students to want to do something positive with their lives when they get older. This is a display of the agenda that the students follow on the daily basis.

Other areas in the classroom This is a picture of the computer area that is located to wards the back of the classroom. The students use the computers to take A.R. tests, complete research for projects,and complete online educational games. This is the classroom library that is located towards the back of the class. The library contains a lot of books that are on a variety of reading levels. The students seem to really enjoy reading these books.

Other areas in the classroom This is where Mr. Moss keeps important information about the students. Such as parent contact information, and make up work for the students who missed assignments etc. This is the reading table. Mr. Moss does reading with small groups to help them improve their reading fluency and word comprehension.

Materials and Resources This is the science book that he class uses. It is very easy to understand and it has a variety of pictures to help the students better understand the topic that is being discussed. This is a science kit that the class uses to conduct fun and interactive science experiments. This is a great way to get the students excited about science. This is a class set of the books that the class uses to help them improve on their reading skills. They can also take A.R. tests on this book.

Labeled Diagram Mr. Moss’s 2 nd Grade Class The classroom is set up very well for instruction. Since the classroom contains way more boys than girls he has the boys seated together so that they will be pay more attention to the lesson. He also has the students with learning disabilities seated closer to the front so that they will be able to get more attention when they do not understand something. The Smart Board is also displayed in the middle of the class so all of the students that are able to see it clearly.

Labeled Photographs of the Classroom This is a picture of the storage area that is located in the back of the classroom. Mr. Moss keeps important student documentation inside of it. The students are currently learning basic addition this a poster of an addition chart that assists the students with their basic addition. This poster is located in the front of the classroom.

Labeled Photographs of the Classroom This is a photo of the whole classroom. You can clearly see how the class is arranged into groups and where the Smart Board and cubbies are located. This is a picture of the boys group they are seated together to help prevent them from getting distracted by the girls.

Labeled Photographs of the Classroom This is a picture of Mr. Moss’s work area. This is where he completes lesson plans, contacts parents and grades papers. This is a picture of the Smart Board. The students love doing work using the Smart Board because it is very interactive. They also use the Smart Board to view educational videos that pertain to the lesson.

Labeled Photographs of the Classroom This is a picture of the alphabet that is clearly displayed in front of the class so that the students are able to see how to formulate their letters. This is the kids corner where the students can go to read their books and relax.

Labeled Photographs of the Classroom These are the cubbies where the students store some of their work, textbook and school supplies. This is the area that the students use to store their book bags, to prevent clutter from being around their desks.

Effort to improve or maintain schools status In order to improve the schools status the teachers are attending professional development workshops and seminars to make sure that the teachers are informed of the best ways to help the students learn and succeed. The students also attend after school enrichment programs such as 21 st century and after school tutoring to make sure that the they reach their fullest potential in their academics.