​Teacher Work Sample
by: Christine Wiegel
East Baton Rouge Parish
Wildwood Elementary
Pre-Kindergarten
I am currently student teaching in the only pre-kindergarten class at Wildwood Elementaryin East Baton Rouge Parish. Here are some statistcs and facts on the parish, school, classroom, and students. The green buttons are linked to the parish's website, the schools website, and the pre-kindergarten lead instructors email address.
East Baton Rouge parish consist of 4 cities; Baton Rouge, Baker, Central, and Zachary, each having their own school systems. The East Baton Rouge School System is comprised of approximately 90 individual schools; 56 elementary, 16 middle schools, and 18 high schools. The geogprahical area is comprised of 470 squre miles with 15 square miles of that being water. The Mississippi River provides many members of the Parish with jobs, food, and entertainment. With over 440,000 people, East Baton Rouge Parish is the largest Parish in Louisiana. There is a diverse representation of individuals with 49.5% white, 45.9% African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.0% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 3.8% Hispanic and 1.02% from other races. Out of the 156,365 housholds represented, 32.8% had children under the age of 18, 44.7% were married couples, 34.4% were non-families, 26.9% were individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone over the age of 65. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.14. The median income for a household in the parish was $37,224. Despite the median household income being substaintial, 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line.
Wildwood Elememtary is a public school in East Baton Rouge parish comprised of 544 students and 24 teachers in grades PK-5. The student teacher ration is 16:1, higher then the Louisiana average of 14:1. Minority enrollment of 93% is also higher then the state average of 55%. The school is on a growing trend with this student population rising 18% over the past 5 years. 53% of the student population are males and 47% of the population are females. The school holds a diveristy score of 0.45 with the states being 0.34. This shows that the school has large diversity in its cultrual and demographic student population. With a high diveristy score, there are many ethnic groups represented: 2% Asian, 14% Hispanic, 73% Black, and 7% White. A large percentage of the studen population is eligible for free (84%) or reduced (4%) lunch.
The school scored an SPS of 78.5, giving it the grade of a C.
There is only one pre-kindergarten class at Wildwood Elementary and it is located in a small outside building with 4 classrooms total. The students being taught are pre-kindergarten students at Wildwood Elementary. There are 19, 4-5 year old students. The other classrooms in the building are used for special education, gifted students, and time out room. There is a boys and girls bathroom located right outside of our door which allows for an easy, open restroom policy. The children simply ask if they can use the restroom and are given permission to do so. Our classroom is comprised of a common meeting area where three lines are taped on the ground with students names on them. This gives students a spot of their own, however the students are not alway required to sit on these spots. For read alouds, students are able to gather around the teacher for a better view of the book. The students are dismissed for center in a random order using Willabee Wallabee. They are allowed to choose freely which center they will go to and if there are too many students in one cetner, the teacher will direct several students to other centers. The centers in the classroom consist of: dramatic play, music, blocks, science, library, writing, art, sand table, and the playground. Below are pictures of each center and a description of the materials present in the center.
The dramatic play center is set up as a house. It includes a table and chairs, refrigerator, stove, baby dolls and accessories, and dress up clothes such as dresses, coats, boots, and scarves. With our focus on community helpers, the dramatic play area was turned into a market with alot of food, a cash register, money, and costumes such as firefighters, mail men, police officers, florists, and bakers.
The music area is comprised of a variety of musical instruments and rhythm tools such as dancing scarves. There are drums, sticks, tamborines, and a xylophone. The students love to put on parades after learning about Mardi Gras. They use the music instruments and march around the room.
The block area is comprised of small leggos, large plastic building blocks, a variety of wooden building blocks and paper and pencil to make a plan. After introducing the idea of drawing up plans, the students have enjoyed drawing their potential creation and building it with blocks. This incorperates the leg of engineering that is associated with STEM.
The science area has materials such as sand bottles, magnifying glasses, magnets, plants, rocks, shells, a globe, and a large variety of science texts. Currently, the science center is doubling as the doctor's office for community helpers. Students are participating in doctors appointments where they present their problems, diagnose, and record their findings.
The art area has a double sided easel with all different types of paint. There are stools for the shorter students to stand on and there are aprons to keep children from getting dirty. There is also a table in the art area that has a different craft on it every couple of days.
The library is a nook that is hidden from the rest of the room. Students can excape to the quite library where there is a small couch, bean bag, and a large box that was turned into a cozy reading nook. There is a large variety of texts that are appropriate for pre-kindergarten students.
The playground is outstanding at Wildwood. It has appropraitely sized equipment for young children and a large amount of space to explore. There is a track with bicycles and scooters, a sand pit, swings, a basketball goal, tables, and a play community with a bank, house, and post office. There is also a stage where students will often put on performances.
The writing area has a variety of paper and writing tools such as: markers, crayons, pencils, and colored pencils. There are also puzzles with the alphabet on them and magnet drawing boards where students practice their letters. There are several places in the writing center where the alphabet is visibile.
The sand table is stocked full of different sized cups, rakes, buckets, toys, and materials for children to play with. They love diging for the hidden treasures like Mardi Gras Dabloons.
The student’s being taught for the duration of this work sample have been observed and documented for months prior to the implementation. Differentiation can be implemented during this work sample due to the knowledge of the students’ abilities. While planning the lessons, I kept in mind the students who are English Language Learners. Knowing these students are developing and strengthening their English skills, I have incorperated visuals and have developed lessons that use language and visuals for directions, activities, and centers. ELL's learn best while in a learning environment that is rich in text, language, and communication. They learn from their experiences with peers and from verbal communication. I was mindful of continuing the loving environment that was already present to ensure positive feelings in all of the students, both Non-English speakers and English speakers. Having prepared centers for the unit theme will allow students to delve into a rich learning experience that is developmentally appropriate for their age and learning abilities. I have also planned a field trip to the Zoo. The Zoo provides a wonderful learning experience for all of the students in the classroom. They can connect their learning to real life observations while utilizing their sense of smelling, seeing, hearing, and feeling. Overall, differentiation will be considered for all lessons being planned to ensure that students are being met where they are, challenging them with the appropriate difficultness.