Anecdotal Record for Observing Students

NAME OF OBSERVER: Katie Brandon

DATE AND TIME OF OBSERVATION: October 5, 2004 7:45-8:45 a.m.

LENGTH OF OBSERVATION: 1 Hour

PERSON AND/OR EVENT OBSERVED: Bryce Gaff, student

GRADE LEVEL AND/OR SUBJECT: Second Grade; Special Education Room

OBJECTIVE OR OBSERVATION: To see how a child with Learning Disabilities responds in a Special Education Classroom during English.

According to his teacher, Bryce Gaff is labeled with a Learning Disability in reading, written expression, and abstract math. He is in the second grade and I will be observing him in a special education classroom that is a home to first-fifth graders. At a given time there are 12 students in the classroom with one Special Educator and three teaching assistants. As I observe Bryce, I will be sitting at the same table as him, but I will be participating and observing at the same time, so he will not know that I am observing him.

As Bryce enters the classroom he places his book bag next to the wall and lays his coat on top of his bag. He then walks over to the cabinet that has his attendance flag and places it in the can, so the teacher knows that he is present. He walks throughout the room until the teacher reminds him that he needs to mark if he is eating a cold or hot lunch. With his teacher’s assistance, he circles the word indicating the type of lunch he will be having, and then goes to his first station.

As he sits down I notice that he is a student of average height and size for his grade. He has blonde hair that is short, but not buzzed and it looks like it has not been combed. He also has a pair of glasses and they are very dirty. They have dirt and smudges all over the lenses and they look like they are also a little crooked. He is wearing a green and blue sweatshirt and orange pants. He is also wearing a pair of gym shoes.

As soon as all of the students are seated the teacher introduces me to the class and Bryce becomes very excited to have a visitor. After the teacher introduces me, she begins giving instructions for the students on what they will be doing at each station. Bryce’s first station is reading, which is with another second grader. As the teaching assistant begins to go through the book by doing a picture walk, Bryce begins to turn in his seat and look everywhere, but at his book. The teaching assistant has to ask Bryce over and over again to turn and sit correctly in his seat. He finally listens to the teaching assistant and sits correctly in his seat, but he is still moving a lot and he begins to swing his feet. As he is swinging his feet he kicks the teaching assistant and she asks him to stop. Then the teaching assistant asks Bryce three times to stop swinging his feet until he finally stops. Bryce notices the book in front of him and begins to look at the cover. The teaching assistant then begins to discuss the picture with the students at her station. The teaching assistant asks the students what they think the picture is showing and Bryce says, “Running away from something. When run away scared.” Bryce then tries to open the book, but the assistant will not let him. He then begins to rub his eyes over and over, again. The teaching assistant continues to ask questions about the book to try to keep the attention of the students. Bryce notices the bugs on the front cover and states that there are three bugs. Two out of the three bugs were hidden quite well, but Bryce was able to find them. He again tries to open up the book, but the assistant will not let him. She then asks Bryce to read the title of the book. As he is reading the title of the book he does not sound out the words. He finally completes the title and the assistant allows the students to open the book. As Bryce opens the book he jumps back in his seat and says, “That is a big cat.” As the other student reads, Bryce does not pay attention to the book because he is looking all over the room. As Bryce reads, he doesn’t always sound out the words, as he will just look at the picture to tell the story. When he does this the teaching assistant stops him and makes sure that he takes the time to sound out the words he is reading. She reminds him to follow along with his finger. After reading a few pages the assistant asks the two students some questions so they stay involved, but the other student answers before Bryce has a chance. The students continue reading for a while and Bryce continues to point out what happens in the picture. The assistant begins to ask questions that are directed towards him and he answers them correctly. After approximately 20 minutes of reading, it is now time to switch and move to station number two.

At station number two Bryce sits on his legs and is asked to sit on his pockets instead. At first he doesn’t listen, but after a few times of asking, Bryce finally follows directions. At this venue the students are doing a writing activity. They are writing sentences using a list of nouns that is provided to them from their discussion in class the day before. The teaching assistant at the station has to tap Bryce on his shoulder to get his attention. It seems to work well because he begins to write his sentences. After he completes each sentence, he shares it with the assistant. He then squirms around in his chair and asks for help. As the assistant helps, Bryce stands up and regains focus and he begins to write sentence number 2. After completing sentence number 2, he reads both sentences to me and then begins rocking back and forth in his chair. Bryce notices that the students at the table behind him are reading a story, so he turns in his seat to listen to the story. After the teacher reminds him of what he is supposed to be doing, he turns back around in his chair and begins to write sentence number 3. As he begins to write sentence number 3 he gets up out of his seat and goes to the attendance cabinet and pulls out a student’s name and begins to wave it back and forth. Still holding onto the nametag, Bryce ventures over to the table where the story is being read. The teaching assistance asks Bryce to turn around and work on the noun sentences and Bryce listens. He begins to write his third sentence, but before he can, he asks how to spell a student’s name and also asks what type of animal he likes. After completing his third sentence, Bryce begins his fourth. He then begins to look around the room and then pulls a folder out with a student’s name and gets out of his seat to ask the student what type of animal he likes the best. After completing sentence number 4 and number 5 Bryce taps the assistant on the shoulder and informs him that he has completed five sentences. Bryce takes the nametag back to the cabinet and then asks the assistant how to spell a name. He goes to a different teaching assistant and asks what animal is her favorite. He then begins to vigorously erase his paper and continues to write.

This is the sequence of events that took place from 7:45-8:50 on October 5^th, 2004 while observing Bryce.