Lindsey

Webb 1
Ed. 329

Teacher Work Sample-1
Contextual Factors
Classroom Factors
A. Physical Features

Mrs. Allen has created a music classroom that is warm, welcoming, and a safe
learning environment. The room is average in size and comparable to the
general education classrooms. There is a rug in the center of the classroom
with bright colorful squares where the children sit when they first come in
and/or during instruction. Located behind the rug is a set of three risers that
is used for the choir. There are choir chairs also in the room. Located in the
front of the classroom are Mrs. Allens desk, the white board, Smart Board,
the teachers keyboard, rules, theme, and objectives. There is also a storage
closet up front where the instruments and other supplies are held. The walls
are decorated with many musical posters including, but not limited to,
musical notation, staves, dynamics, notes and note values, and instruments.
Pictures of famous composers adorn the top of the cabinets in the back of the
classroom. There is also a bookcase located in the corner that holds the
music books.
B. Availability of Technology
Springfield Elementary is considered a technology school, and there are iPad
carts that teachers may sign out for a portion of the day to aid with
instruction. Mrs. Allen has taken advantage of the iPads and incorporated
them into her lessons, as well as used them as a reward for good behavior.

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She also has pianos keyboards, a classroom computer, laptop, and a

Smartboard.
C. Equipment
Mrs. Allen has music textbooks for grades K-5, chairs, risers, and a variety of
musical instruments and materials, which include, but are not limited to, Orff
instruments, Boomwhackers, scarves, electronic keyboards, egg shakers,
rhythm sticks, bells, etc.
D. Resources
For the music classroom, Mrs. Allen uses a variety of resources such as the
Internet, textbooks (music and general education), YouTube, iTunes, and
CDs.
E. Parental Involvement
Mrs. Allen strives to actively involve parents in their students music
education. She allows parent volunteers to assist with classroom events,
fundraising, and programs. Through her website, Mrs. Allen updates
classroom activities, photos, and announcements. She has several methods or
ways of contact with parents: parent contact forms, phone, email, and report
cards. Most importantly, Mrs. Allen encourages her students to demonstrate
music skills at home to show what they have been learning.
F. Classroom Rules and Routines
Springfield Elementary, like most elementary schools, has an overall theme
that serves as overall rules and reinforces positive behavior. The school
theme is SHINE, and it is located on the wall at the front of the classroom:

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The Springfield Elementary School Pledge
I am a Springfield Super Sun.
I will demonstrate self-control and honesty.
I will be independent and neat.

I will be engaged in my learning so that I shine everyday!

S is for self-control, H is for honesty, I is for independence, N is for neatness,
and E is for engagement. If the students SHINE, they get Sunny Money that
can be redeemed for a prize. The students must continue to follow these
rules, or it can be taken away. There is also big Sunny Money that is given to
the teacher if the entire class has been good. These are used towards a class
party of some sorts.
G. Grouping Patterns
Most classes come into the music classroom and separate into boys and girls.
The boys usually sit on the floor closest to the board, and the girls sit on the
risers. Sometimes they alternate, or she will move certain people who are
being disruptive. There are no specific groupings set for group work. The
majority of the time, groups are determined upon the task.
H. Scheduling
All students, kindergarten through fifth grade, receive music instruction as
part of the schools curriculum at Springfield Elementary School. Mrs. Allens
schedule is shown in the table below. This is posted on the wall outside of her

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classroom. As you can see, Mrs. Allen travels to Lakeview Elementary to

teach on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings.

I. Classroom Arrangement
The students are arranged either sitting or standing and either on the carpet
or the risers. There are chairs in the classroom, but I have only seen them
used for special purposes such as the keyboard stations. Many of the lessons
require the students to have room to move around the classroom.

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Ed. 329

Student Characteristics
A.
Student

Age

Gender

Race

1
11
M
W
2
11
F
B
3
11
F
W
4
10
F
H
5
11
F
H/W
6
10
M
B
7
10
M
B
8
10
F
B
9
10
M
W
10
10
F
W
11
10
M
W
12
11
F
W
13
11
M
B
14
11
M
W
15
11
F
W
16
11
F
H
17
11
F
W
18
11
F
W
Work is below grade level

Special
Grades
Primary
Needs/Accomm
ELA/Math Language
odations
GT
90/89
E
-----
89/91
E
IEP/504
78/94*
E
GT
93/96
E/S
-----
89/88
E
-----
96/91
E
-----
82/75
E
Asthma
81/87
E
GT
93/93
E
GT
95/96
E
-----
88/76
E
-----
83/75
E
IEP/504
70/60
E
IEP/504, Asthma
89/89
E
-----
87/79
E
IEP/504
94*/93*
S
-----
89/83
E
GT
94/91
E

B. Student Interests and Culture

From Kindergarten to 5th grade, every class participates in music. This
particular class is 5th grade. Connecting with students interests, such as
popular music, can be a great vehicle to deliver knowledge to them. For
instance, as a reward for good behavior, Mrs. Allen will show a short video
clip of the Piano Guys (actually one guy playing piano and one playing a cello)
who play popular songs, but in a classical style. The songs are easily
recognizable to the children, but it also shows how playing an instrument can
be excited and fun. By adding an element that they appreciate, it makes the

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activity seem fun. Taking note of the varying cultures students come from
also aids in connecting on a more personal level. Mrs. Allen incorporates
cultures spending on the holiday or month. For example, this April is
considered Jazz Appreciation Month. To incorporate Jazz and their studies of
the Harlem Renaissance in Social Studies, she has created a music unit
integrating these cultures.
C. Learning Styles Present
Students in this class come from many backgrounds and they span a
spectrum of intelligences. With the use of the technology offered, such as
keyboards, the Smart Board, and iPads, she is able to incorporate many
different learning styles within her lessons. Due to the varying strengths and
learning capabilities of each individual student, it is crucial to plan lessons
that are geared toward the entire spectrum of intelligences. Music is unique
because it encompasses all of the learning styles: visual, auditory, and
kinesthetic. The students read music, listen to different types and styles, and
use their whole bodies when singing, playing an instrument, or doing a
specified choreography.
Instructional Implications
A. Modifications/Accommodations
Within the IEP/504 plans that I have seen, the students in this class require
preferential seating, extended time, repeated directions, oral or visual
directions, as well as behavioral issues.

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B. Specific Instructional Implications (2 contextual factors)

I plan to integrate my three mini lessons into the Harlem Renaissance/Jazz

unit that Mrs. Allen has started with the 5th grade classes. Focusing on the
contextual factors, my goal is to relate this material to current cultural trends
in music as well as play to each students strengths. For example, in one
lesson about the style of jazz, I can define scat singing as a type of singing
that uses non-sense syllables to make the voice sound like different
instruments. Today we would call that beat boxing. Relating scat to beat
boxing is a way for students to understand past cultural trends and how they
change as music changes. The next instructional implication focuses on those
students with special accommodations. In a previous lesson within the
Keyboard Unit, one student, who has shown significant behavior issues with
anger and causing distractions, caught onto the lesson very quickly. Since he
finished early, Mrs. Allen gave him the opportunity to work one on one with
two other students who were having some trouble with their five-finger
patterns. He had absolutely no behavior problems in music class that day.
Playing to this students strengths and giving him a leadership role made him
seem like a completely different student. In my other lesson plan on the 12-
bar blues progression, I plan on using this student as a group leader, during
the improvisation, to help prevent the behavioral issues. Knowing the
specific contextual factors of each student in the classroom can play a vital
role in lesson planning and teaching.