Setting and Context
Culture and Community Context
Dunn Elementary is a public school located on the north end of Fort Collins. I was lucky enough to live near the school, which meant I only needed to walk five blocks to get to school everyday. The community that I walked through is definitely on the higher end of the socioeconomic population of Fort Collins. Large beautiful Victorian houses lined the streets on my way to school. This is clearly reflected in the school. You will often see very high parent involvement with their students. This ranges from parents walking their kids to school to tremendous turnout for the PTO and school events like the music program. I believe that parent involvement is vital to student development, and because it is so prevalent at Dunn it is not uncommon to find extremely bright first graders already writing in cursive and reading chapter books or second graders who will say, “Mr. V I need more of a challenge.”
Dunn Elementary is one of three elementary schools in the district that is an IB school. One distinguishing factor of an IB school is its focus on multiculturalism. The school offers Japanese classes as well as Spanish and French. The school represents students from over forty different nations, each of their banners displayed in the school cafeteria. Another distinguishing factor of an IB school is its high standards of academics and student expectations. It is amazing to see students at such a young age take their schoolwork so seriously. Throughout the school are posters that describe what it means to be a Dunn Student, and each one of them embodies this quite well. It was truly a privilege to work at a school where behavior issues were so low and student engagement was so high.
Demographic Characteristics
Total number of students: 411
Total number of Teachers: 25
Student to teacher ratio: 16.44 to 1
Total kindergarten students: 66
Total 1st grade students: 65
Total 2nd grade students: 74
Total 3rd grade students: 70
Total 4th grade students: 68
Total 5th grade students: 68
Total number of Asian/Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander students: 58
Total number of Hispanic students: 49
Total number of Black, non-Hispanic students: 14
Total number of White, non-Hispanic students: 290
Total number of American Indian/ Alaska Native students: 0
Number of students eligible to participate in the Free Lunch Program: 120
Number of students eligible to participate in the Reduced-Price Lunch Program: 21
* all information found at findgoodschool.com
Classroom Environment and Students
The art room at Dunn Elementary School is very welcoming for both students and teacher alike. Large windows take up an entire wall which fills the room with natural light. All of the other walls are covered with bright posters and quotes from famous artists. There is a smart board and a document camera that makes demonstrations much easier on the teacher and much more engaging for the students. There are six tables with room to sit thirty students comfortably although class sizes rarely exceed twenty five. One of my favorite parts of the room is the art island. This is a large table with lots of room to store and prepare supplies. I will prepare materials for every class before the day begins on the island. This is extremely helpful for smooth transitions between classes because as we know, in elementary school there aren’t passing periods! Working at Dunn Elementary School has really been a privilege and it is clear to see why.
A is a bright young man who always produces excellent work. His friends easily distract him, but after we changed his seating arrangement to students he was less familiar with he remained focused.
R is a bright student and is also very compassionate. He seems more interested in helping others than in completing his own work. He is more focused on passing out materials and helping others with their work than completing his own assignment.
M is a very outgoing student. She constantly wants to share her ideas with the class. Often times she needs to be reminded to raise her hand before she does.
N is a hardworking and quiet student. This quarter she went through a tragic incident with the death of her father so I am always cautious with the topics I bring up with her.
X is a very hardworking student. She rarely speaks in class and usually finishes her work before the rest of her peers. I always have to have a plan B to keep her engaged in the art room.
S seems to want to be the class clown. He usually tried to finish his work quickly so he can use most of his time to joke with other students. This semester I had to constantly remind him to slow down and focus on his craftsmanship.
O is a gifted artist. She often puts very creative tweaks onto the assignments given. For every lesson it is important to make sure there are modifications that will give her more of a challenge and keep her engaged.
D has proven to be one of my most challenging students this quarter. He is labeled ED and has a very hard time working with peers. He very rarely listens to instructions or works on assignments. I have found that the best way to get him engaged is to offer small rewards for the end of class such as, “If you complete this painting for the last five minutes of class I will let you draw whatever you want.”
L likes to please the teacher. He is always open to feed back and diligently works the entire class period.
M has more potential than she shows. I think she does not work hard in the art room because she does not think it is as important as other aspects of her life.
J is constantly seeking approval from the teacher. His work is below grade level but I believe if he is encouraged enough he could easily catch up. The reason I think this is he only seems to put any effort in after lost of teacher feedback, if you leave him alone for a class period he will do very little.
M is a very positive student. She has a big smile and is constantly encouraging her peers. She excels with the creative aspects of the classroom but struggles whenever we have to write reflections in class.
Y has the potential to monopolize your time as the teacher. She is a good worker but she wants constant feedback and help on all of her assignments. I have been working with her to try to solve her problems herself first before approaching the teacher.
C is an extremely hardworking student. I once asked her why she always worked so hard and was a little surprised that her answer was, “Because I need to impress my parents.”
W likes to know all the steps before he begins. He always wants to know what the plans are for the class. If he is unsure of what to do next he becomes anxious.
M is a new transfer student from Mexico. He speaks very little English. He is a good worker but it can be difficult to explain directions. For this reason I sat him next to peers who are more willing to help explain directions to him.
L is a very bright student. She shows lots of interest in her classes and is a hard worker. She has a twin in another of my classes who is also very dedicated to school.
Y has had behavior issues in class this quarter. He will react very violently if he is upset and throw a temper tantrum. He brings a behavior log with him so I can chart his attitude and tell him specifically what he needs to work on. This has been a big help and he seems to like the positive reinforcement of receiving all threes for the day. Since the implementation of the behavior log I noticed a positive change in his overall attitude in class.
M is a very creative student. He is constantly trying to find ways to change the assignment to make it uniquely his own.
I is a hard working student who seems to take pride in finishing first. I have to remind her that all good things take time and that art is not a competition.
L has a mother who is a drawing instructor. He has lots of background experience in art and consistently produces impressive work. For all his talent he is very humble about it and is always willing to show students how he created his work.
S is always engaged in art class. He works hard the entire period and loves to add as much tiny details as he can to all of his drawings.
School-wide Policies for Management, Safe Schools, Conflict Resolution and Student with Special Needs
The collaboration between all teachers at Dunn is excellent which has established school wide techniques for classroom management. Every student knows that if their teacher raises five fingers and begins counting down that they are expected to be quite by the time the teacher reaches one. Kindergartners have another universal management technique which is clapping. Every student knows if the teacher claps, they are expected to repeat the clap and then listen for instruction.
Every section of each grade travels to their specials at the same time. This allows teachers time to meet with one another to discuss action plans for students with special needs. While the teachers are collaborating the students are in their special classes such as music, Spanish, or art. There are a small number of students with special needs who have a Para professional accompany them to these classes. The majority of students with special needs will bring a daily progress report to class. This is a way for the specials teachers to monitor if students were productive, on task, and polite. The specials teachers will then report back to the classroom teacher using this daily progress report.
The classroom teacher is also informed of the class’s behavior as a whole every time they go to a specials class. This is recorded in a class passport. Each day, at the end of the class the teacher will give the class a three, two, or a one for the day.
In the art room specifically we use the art-o-meter. Anytime there is a conflict or disruption in the class we will move the art-o-meter down a notch. This informs the class what they will receive on their passport and lets them know if they are getting close to moving down as a class for the day. Another management tool specific to the art room is the wind chime. This is used five minutes before the end of class to signal when it is time to clean up the room and move on for the day.
Dunn Elementary is a public school located on the north end of Fort Collins. I was lucky enough to live near the school, which meant I only needed to walk five blocks to get to school everyday. The community that I walked through is definitely on the higher end of the socioeconomic population of Fort Collins. Large beautiful Victorian houses lined the streets on my way to school. This is clearly reflected in the school. You will often see very high parent involvement with their students. This ranges from parents walking their kids to school to tremendous turnout for the PTO and school events like the music program. I believe that parent involvement is vital to student development, and because it is so prevalent at Dunn it is not uncommon to find extremely bright first graders already writing in cursive and reading chapter books or second graders who will say, “Mr. V I need more of a challenge.”
Dunn Elementary is one of three elementary schools in the district that is an IB school. One distinguishing factor of an IB school is its focus on multiculturalism. The school offers Japanese classes as well as Spanish and French. The school represents students from over forty different nations, each of their banners displayed in the school cafeteria. Another distinguishing factor of an IB school is its high standards of academics and student expectations. It is amazing to see students at such a young age take their schoolwork so seriously. Throughout the school are posters that describe what it means to be a Dunn Student, and each one of them embodies this quite well. It was truly a privilege to work at a school where behavior issues were so low and student engagement was so high.
Demographic Characteristics
Total number of students: 411
Total number of Teachers: 25
Student to teacher ratio: 16.44 to 1
Total kindergarten students: 66
Total 1st grade students: 65
Total 2nd grade students: 74
Total 3rd grade students: 70
Total 4th grade students: 68
Total 5th grade students: 68
Total number of Asian/Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander students: 58
Total number of Hispanic students: 49
Total number of Black, non-Hispanic students: 14
Total number of White, non-Hispanic students: 290
Total number of American Indian/ Alaska Native students: 0
Number of students eligible to participate in the Free Lunch Program: 120
Number of students eligible to participate in the Reduced-Price Lunch Program: 21
* all information found at findgoodschool.com
Classroom Environment and Students
The art room at Dunn Elementary School is very welcoming for both students and teacher alike. Large windows take up an entire wall which fills the room with natural light. All of the other walls are covered with bright posters and quotes from famous artists. There is a smart board and a document camera that makes demonstrations much easier on the teacher and much more engaging for the students. There are six tables with room to sit thirty students comfortably although class sizes rarely exceed twenty five. One of my favorite parts of the room is the art island. This is a large table with lots of room to store and prepare supplies. I will prepare materials for every class before the day begins on the island. This is extremely helpful for smooth transitions between classes because as we know, in elementary school there aren’t passing periods! Working at Dunn Elementary School has really been a privilege and it is clear to see why.
A is a bright young man who always produces excellent work. His friends easily distract him, but after we changed his seating arrangement to students he was less familiar with he remained focused.
R is a bright student and is also very compassionate. He seems more interested in helping others than in completing his own work. He is more focused on passing out materials and helping others with their work than completing his own assignment.
M is a very outgoing student. She constantly wants to share her ideas with the class. Often times she needs to be reminded to raise her hand before she does.
N is a hardworking and quiet student. This quarter she went through a tragic incident with the death of her father so I am always cautious with the topics I bring up with her.
X is a very hardworking student. She rarely speaks in class and usually finishes her work before the rest of her peers. I always have to have a plan B to keep her engaged in the art room.
S seems to want to be the class clown. He usually tried to finish his work quickly so he can use most of his time to joke with other students. This semester I had to constantly remind him to slow down and focus on his craftsmanship.
O is a gifted artist. She often puts very creative tweaks onto the assignments given. For every lesson it is important to make sure there are modifications that will give her more of a challenge and keep her engaged.
D has proven to be one of my most challenging students this quarter. He is labeled ED and has a very hard time working with peers. He very rarely listens to instructions or works on assignments. I have found that the best way to get him engaged is to offer small rewards for the end of class such as, “If you complete this painting for the last five minutes of class I will let you draw whatever you want.”
L likes to please the teacher. He is always open to feed back and diligently works the entire class period.
M has more potential than she shows. I think she does not work hard in the art room because she does not think it is as important as other aspects of her life.
J is constantly seeking approval from the teacher. His work is below grade level but I believe if he is encouraged enough he could easily catch up. The reason I think this is he only seems to put any effort in after lost of teacher feedback, if you leave him alone for a class period he will do very little.
M is a very positive student. She has a big smile and is constantly encouraging her peers. She excels with the creative aspects of the classroom but struggles whenever we have to write reflections in class.
Y has the potential to monopolize your time as the teacher. She is a good worker but she wants constant feedback and help on all of her assignments. I have been working with her to try to solve her problems herself first before approaching the teacher.
C is an extremely hardworking student. I once asked her why she always worked so hard and was a little surprised that her answer was, “Because I need to impress my parents.”
W likes to know all the steps before he begins. He always wants to know what the plans are for the class. If he is unsure of what to do next he becomes anxious.
M is a new transfer student from Mexico. He speaks very little English. He is a good worker but it can be difficult to explain directions. For this reason I sat him next to peers who are more willing to help explain directions to him.
L is a very bright student. She shows lots of interest in her classes and is a hard worker. She has a twin in another of my classes who is also very dedicated to school.
Y has had behavior issues in class this quarter. He will react very violently if he is upset and throw a temper tantrum. He brings a behavior log with him so I can chart his attitude and tell him specifically what he needs to work on. This has been a big help and he seems to like the positive reinforcement of receiving all threes for the day. Since the implementation of the behavior log I noticed a positive change in his overall attitude in class.
M is a very creative student. He is constantly trying to find ways to change the assignment to make it uniquely his own.
I is a hard working student who seems to take pride in finishing first. I have to remind her that all good things take time and that art is not a competition.
L has a mother who is a drawing instructor. He has lots of background experience in art and consistently produces impressive work. For all his talent he is very humble about it and is always willing to show students how he created his work.
S is always engaged in art class. He works hard the entire period and loves to add as much tiny details as he can to all of his drawings.
School-wide Policies for Management, Safe Schools, Conflict Resolution and Student with Special Needs
The collaboration between all teachers at Dunn is excellent which has established school wide techniques for classroom management. Every student knows that if their teacher raises five fingers and begins counting down that they are expected to be quite by the time the teacher reaches one. Kindergartners have another universal management technique which is clapping. Every student knows if the teacher claps, they are expected to repeat the clap and then listen for instruction.
Every section of each grade travels to their specials at the same time. This allows teachers time to meet with one another to discuss action plans for students with special needs. While the teachers are collaborating the students are in their special classes such as music, Spanish, or art. There are a small number of students with special needs who have a Para professional accompany them to these classes. The majority of students with special needs will bring a daily progress report to class. This is a way for the specials teachers to monitor if students were productive, on task, and polite. The specials teachers will then report back to the classroom teacher using this daily progress report.
The classroom teacher is also informed of the class’s behavior as a whole every time they go to a specials class. This is recorded in a class passport. Each day, at the end of the class the teacher will give the class a three, two, or a one for the day.
In the art room specifically we use the art-o-meter. Anytime there is a conflict or disruption in the class we will move the art-o-meter down a notch. This informs the class what they will receive on their passport and lets them know if they are getting close to moving down as a class for the day. Another management tool specific to the art room is the wind chime. This is used five minutes before the end of class to signal when it is time to clean up the room and move on for the day.