ELL Endorsement Portfolio By: Sydney Freel

Evidence & Rationale for Competency 6.18

6.18 Candidates demonstrate the ability to observe and reflect on classroom,
school, and community experiences and how such experiences influence the
education of culturally and linguistically diverse populations.

Document Components Overview:

Rationale
Practicum Experience Reflection

Rationale:
I provided a reflection from my six-week practicum experience in
a second grade classroom. My reflection illustrates my observations of
ELL students in the classroom during this time. It also expresses my
ideas for how I would have accommodated ELL students differently. In
my critique I demonstrate how I, personally, have the ability to observe
and reflect on classroom, school, and community experiences and how
they influence the education of culturally and linguistically diverse
populations.
This piece of evidence shows how Ive grown from the opportunity
to observe and reflect on someone elses classroom experiences,
school, and community experiences and the influence these things had
on the education of culturally and linguistically diverse populations. My
ability to do so will strengthen as I am given more opportunities to
observe and reflect on my own classroom experiences, in my own
school, and community.

 Practicum Experience Reflection

Reflection

As a part of the education program at Washington State

University I had the opportunity to spend six weeks in a second grade
classroom from start to finish. I had two ELL students in my classroom,
and both of them were at a level three proficiency and were not in any
type of pull out model. The school had a title 1 reading program that
both of these students participated in.
During the time I spent in the classroom I didnt see much
accommodation being made for the ELL students. The only
accommodation I observed was that upon arrival every morning,
students put their things away, check-in on the attendance board, and
quietly get started on their entry task except for the two ELL
students. Instead of entry task worked on an ELL app on the ipads.
As I reflect on my observations I can think of quite a few more
accommodations that could have been made to enhance their
education. For example, there were a few activities the class did that
involved reading from a textbook and filling out a worksheet or
completing a project with a group. During this time I noticed the two
ELL students struggle to participate, and become less involved during
group settings. If it were me teaching this lesson I would have read the
material with them ahead of time to prepare them, or given them a
less challenging text.

On another note, I didnt see any representation of students

culture within the classroom, or building of community and culture
within the school. Again, I saw a lot of way where this could have been
implemented. Students within my school are highly diverse and the
school as a whole could have done collaborative art, projects and/or
events that could have made students aware of how diverse their
community was, and had the opportunity to come together and
celebrate this diversity together. In the classroom, the teacher could
have facilitated some sort of about-me project that allowed students to
learn about their own cultures and share them with the class through
writing, show and tell, or art project. The teacher could have even read
a book on diversity followed by a rich discussion.