Case Study #1

Rose Carter – Grade 7

Evaluation Notes:

9:58 / Students are entering the classroom. The teacher is greeting students and talking with students who were absent the day before. She directs them to the classroom wiki to take a look at what they missed. Students are getting laptops from the laptop carts and logging in.
10:00 / The bell rings, and the teacher directs students to the top of the day’s wiki. Most students are already on the wiki site, and others are logging in. The teacher welcomes the students and asks them to review the Clear Learning Targets and Essential Questions on the wiki. She then asks them to take a look at the Activating Activity/Pod Talk Activity: Work in your pods to discuss essential question #2 - Who discriminates and why?
While students are discussing the question, the teacher is taking attendance in NCWISE and asking about two students who are not present in class. Most students are on task. A few students are discussing “people who do not like people who are different than they are.” Some students are discussing ethnicity and social status. One pod of three girls is discussing how boys discriminate. There are two pods who are off-task. One group is discussing an off-topic subject, and another pod is not interacting with each other at all. Within some pods, quality conversation around the topic is ensuing. In one pod, two members are having a quality discussion, but the third member, Jamie, has her head on the desk.
10:06 / The teacher asks the student pods to share what she calls a “60-second shout out.” She sets a timer for 60 seconds and grabs a long pointer stick and points it to a specific group. As she points the pointer, that group shares out ideas.
From the first pod, Sharon shares that “people discriminate against people they don’t like.”
The teacher writes “don’t like” on the board.
She points at a second pod, “Mike says, “Sometimes, people discriminate against people because the people get on their nerves.
The teacher writes, “get on nerves” on the board.
In the third pod, Raquel shares, “White people discriminate against me because I am brown.” The teacher writes “white people.”
Then, Sam says, “Yeah, but when I go to the soccer field on Saturdays, the Hispanic players discriminate against me because I am white. If Javier wasn’t there, they would never let me play with them.”
The teacher writes, “Hispanics” on the board.
In the fourth pod, Karen shares, “Our group thinks we all discriminate because we all have opinions.”
The teacher writes “everybody/opinions.” In the next pod, Alex says, “Democrats and Republicans discriminate each other.”
The teacher writes “Democrats and Republicans” on the board.
Sarah says, “Discriminate AGAINST each other, Alex.” Jack says, “That’s because Democrats are stupid.”
The teacher says, “Jack, you know that response does not align with our group norms.” The teacher points to the group norms on the wall. She says, “Is there something you would like to add?” The timer dings. Jack apologizes for his earlier comment.
One of the pods of boys is off task. Randy has baseball cards on his computer and is passing them to Leo.
“However,” the teacher says, “Jack has demonstrated the very point this essential question makes, does anyone know what that is?” No response. (Wait time 5 seconds.) “Look on the board. The answer is here.”
Sharon says, “That everybody discriminates.”
The teacher says, “Exactly. So, let’s get to the why.”
Sarah says, “Because everybody thinks they’re right.”
The teacher says, “That’s a good point, Sarah.
Jaquan shares, “Or, like in that story we just read where they tease the kid with the braces on his legs because he is different from them. That’s what Raquel meant.” Several other students make comments. The teacher adds them to the board.
Beth says, “Yeah, it is like we put everybody in a pot that is alike, and everybody else doesn’t fit in. (pause) …I don’t know how to say it…I guess I mean you have to be like me for me not to discriminate. Does that make sense? “
The teacher says, “Yes. I believe I understand.” Students continue to share some ideas. Most students are on-task and listening. A few are disengaged.
Meanwhile, the teacher has captured some of the “big ideas” of the discussion on the board.
She says, “Do you think I have captured all of our big ideas and thoughts on the board?”
Karen says, “Will you add something about bigger groups discriminate more?”
The teacher asks for clarification.
“Well. We think people gang up on other people in big groups just because they can.”
Most students are engaged in the conversation. The teacher captures this comment on the board. She asks Jamie to please get her head up off the desk and pay attention. The teacher praises the students for their thoughtful responses.
10:12 / The teacher says, “Ok, you have shared that most of the time, people discriminate against those who are NOT like them or who are in some way different. Right? (Teacher does not wait for a response.)
So, what if we were all alike? What would happen then?” (Wait time.)
Beth says, “There wouldn’t be any such thing as discrimination?”
The teacher says, “I wonder…”
10:13 / The teacher gives the students directions to read the passage on the wiki entitled “The In Group” and choose what they think is the most important word, phrase, or sentence and be able to explain why.
She sets the timer for 8 minutes. After about two minutes or so, students start to talk quietly in their pods. The noise level slowly rises. Some students are talking about the passage and meaningful or important words or phrases.
I can hear students talking about the last sentence of the passage “Too often our actions are determined by the moment.” Sarah’s pod starts talking about peer pressure. Karen’s pod is discussing the sentence, “Differences between us did not cause hatred; hatred caused differences between us.” A girl in Randy’s pod asks her podmates what “elite” means. None of them know. This pod falls off-task. The teacher is at her podium reading something I cannot discern. Some groups are obviously talking about the passage and looking back at the passage. Other groups are talking about off-task topics.
With about 4 minutes left on the timer, the teacher looks up and realizes some students are off-task. She says, “Look down below the passage (she models on the overhead with her own computer) at the area that says, ‘Rereading Activity.’ I want you to choose someone in your group to read the passage aloud to your pod and look for answers to the question ‘What kind of person is Eve?’ I want you to be able to share the specific words, phrases, or sentences in the passage that helped you make your decision. Are there any questions?”
The students take a few moments to decide who is going to read the passage. Some groups decide to split the passage up while others designate one person to read the passage.
Most pods are on task. A few pods are moderately engaged, yet two pods are completely off task and do not complete the second half of the assignment.
The pod with Mariela, Jenna, and Todd have not contributed to the discussion yet. They are also off-task at this time. Mariela is putting lipgloss on her mouth, and Jenna is reading The Hunger Games which is propped up on her laptop out of the teacher’s line of sight. Todd is quiet but is silently disengaged.
Another group of three boys, all basketball players Jacquan, Blake, and Troy, did not reread the passage. They are talking quietly. They are concerned about the basketball game this afternoon against Happy Village. They are discussing the fact that with J.P injured, they have a good chance of falling short. They then begin discussing the Carolina Tarheels and their chances for an ACC Championship this season.
10:21 / The timer expires, and the teacher steps away from her podium and promptly brings the class to order. She asks them to revisit the first question during their 60-second shout out– what was the most important word, phrase, or sentence in the passage?”
Many hands go up. The teacher uses the long pointer to call on Karen’s pod. Karen shares that the final sentence of the first paragraph was the most important – Differences between us did not cause hatred; hatred caused differences between us.”
The teacher thanked the group and asked for another response. She calls on Jack’s pod. Jack reads the following sentence from the passage: “I would like to say that if I were in that situation today I would react differently, but I can’t honestly be sure. “
Another pod shares the last sentence of the passage – Too often our actions are determined by the moment.” Another group agrees with that statement.
Two more pods give answers. The teacher has written all of the responses on another section of the board. (At this point in the class, 6 of the 9 pods have contributed in some way to some part of the class discussion. There are still 3 pods who have not shared any information since class begun.)
10:23 / The teacher says, “Ok, now, I want you to share what kind of person you think Eve is and share what in the text led you to that understanding.”
Several students raise their hands and share their opinions on Eve. The teacher asks them what they read in the text to make them think this way. Most do not have an answer prepared and have to go back and look at the passage.
The teacher states, “Let’s everybody go back to the text again. Nobody raise a hand until you have something from what you read that supports your opinion of Eve and what kind of person she is.”
In a little less than a minute, Karen’s hand goes up and the teacher calls on her. She says, “Our pod thinks she’s weak because she says that she would like to think she would react differently if this same thing happened to her, but she isn’t sure she would. Well, we think that means she would rather people like her and be her friend than do the right thing.” The teacher nods.
Jack’s hand is up. Jack says, “We liked that same quote, but we just think she is being honest. We saw it as she knows she might do the wrong thing, but at least she admits it. We think that makes her better than some people.”
Mercedes rolls her eyes and says, “What do you mean, ‘better?’ You think just because she says she might make fun of somebody that makes her better? No! I don’t think so.” Jack tries to restate his thoughts.
The teacher interrupts. “What I think Jack means, Mercedes, is that Eve is self-aware. She has come to terms with the fact that it is easier to fit in than to do the right thing. Eve wants to be a good person. She knows how horrible it feels to be ostracized (students look confused), but she also knows deep down that she would rather someone else be the person who is the one who is left out rather than her. Is this what you are trying to say, Jack?” Jack nods.
Mercedes just looks away. Several other students comment, but their comments are simply a reflection of what the teacher shared when addressing Mercedes.
10:32 / The teacher gives the students a two-minute stretch break. She plays music and gives each student a Tootsie Roll during the break. Jamie puts her head back down on the desk and closes her eyes. The timer expires, and the teacher asks the students to return to their seats.
10:35 / The teacher sets to timer for 10 minutes, and students start to read. It takes very little time for murmuring to begin. Students are struggling with the passage.
Karen’s pod has gone to and is looking up the words “hindered, humility, sufferance.” Three pods are off-task and having sidebar conversations.
Mercedes has her cell phone out by her side texting. Five of the nine pods are making a genuine effort to answer the questions. Hands go up from Jack’s pod, and the teacher joins them. They are asking about the character Shylock and who he is. The teacher explains that they will discuss that as a class and that she wants them to do the best they can to use the text to gain information about him by themselves first.
Beth’s pod raises their hands. The teacher goes over to answer their question. They inquire about when this was written. They ask about the word “hath” and what it means. The teacher shares that it is an outdated form of the verb “has.”
Other students are beginning to use online dictionaries to search for the words “sufferance” and “villainy” to respond to question 2. Many groups seem stuck on question 4.
Five groups have their hands up. Jamie puts her head back down. The teacher goes by Jamie and asks her to sit up and work with her pod. Jamie sits up.
The teacher then goes to work with Jacquan’s group in an attempt to get them on task. Mercedes’ group is off-task. Most other groups are not engaged but are waiting patiently with their hands up.
After about two minutes, Jamie puts her head down. For the next four minutes, the teacher continues to work with Jacquan’s group while the other groups wait with hands in the air.
The timer expires.
10:45 / The teacher moves back to the front of the room and asks students to go back to question 1. Karen raises her hand. The teacher calls on Karen. “Ms. Carter, uh, we didn’t finish. We didn’t understand what he was trying to say. “
The teacher says, “That’s ok, Karen. Did you get an answer for number 1?” Karen says, “Yes. He is a Jew.” The teacher says, “Yes, he is. Let’s hear from another pod. What about your pod, Danny?” Danny shrugs, but Sharon who is in his pod says, “Well, he wants people to understand that he is like them.” The teacher nods.
Alex raises his hand and the teacher motions for him to talk. “He doesn’t like Christians.” The teacher says, “why?” Alex says, “I don’t know. I think the Christians are mean to him.”
The teacher asks for other answers to question 1. She repeats question 1. The room is quiet.
For the next two minutes, the teacher provides some responses to question 1 by taking students to specific lines in the text and translating the text into her own words.
Then, the teacher asks students to answer question 2. Two pods answer this question with dictionary responses they have found online.
10:49 / The teacher looks at the clock and tells students they do not have much class time left and that they are going to need to move on to question 3.
Alex responds to question 3 by saying, “He wants to make a point that Jews are just like Christians. They have hands and feet, and they eat. They feel stuff like hot and cold. They laugh and stuff and cry – just like Christian people do.” (Some students begin to pack their bookbags.)
The teacher asks Jamie again to get her head up. Karen has her hand up, and the teacher acknowledges her. “I agree with Alex. I don’t think he wants anyone to answer him. He is a guy right? (giggle) I think he is mad. He doesn’t understand why people can treat him bad.”
The teacher says, “How do you know they are treating him badly?” Most students are beginning to disengage from the discussion. No responses are heard.
The teacher repeats the question. Ben says, “Well, he says somebody disgraced him and mocked him.”
Several students are now shutting down their computers and packing up. The teacher looks around the classroom, checks the clock and says, “Oh wow. We are out of time. Here is what I need you to do. Tonight, I want you to write your answers to questions 4 and 5. If you need to write these questions down because you do not have a computer at home, please do that now. I will take these up tomorrow at the beginning of class. Remember, if you would like to come in before school to use the computers in here, I will be here by 7:00. Ok, make sure your computers are shut down and on the laptop cart before you leave.
Bell rings. The teacher goes up to Jamie and has a private conversation. The teacher looks stern but concerned. Jamie begins to talk and cry. The teacher then pulls Jamie into her office and puts her arm around her shoulder.