Sunhwa Presents: Steele’s Six Functions of the Classroom Setting of Practicum A, First Grade

Sunhwa Yoon

Tedu 410

Professor Larson

October 6, 2014

SECURITY AND SHELTER

I believe tissues to be a feature of security because it helps maintain hygiene and sanitation as well as bring comfort to a sniffling child in knowing that the classroom can accommodate his/her needs.

SECURITY AND SHELTER

This door locks when closed and can only be opened from the inside. There is an exit plan and blueprint of the school’s structure. These are all to accommodate emergency situations.

SOCIAL CONTACTStudents read to each other as well as read to themselves. They have rules to adhere to when reading to their partners. They instruct students to take turn reading pages, as well as sit elbow-to-elbow and knee-to-knee. The students are allowed to pick their partners by raising their hand to show they need a partner, and the partner then high-fives them and they pick a spot together to do their shared reading.

SOCIAL CONTACT

The kidney shaped table is for students who do one on one activities with the teacher or where several students can go to do group work.

SYMBOLIC IDENTIFICATION

These are the “Panda Pride” principles. They are recited every morning and have coordinated movements to accompany each principle.

SYMBOLIC IDENTIFICATION

This is a tree that was used to help symbolize fall. The apples were colored and cut by the students. The legs of the apples have sight words written by the students and the apples are placed on the tree to help illustrate the ripening of apples during the fall season.

TASK INSTRUMENTALITY

Each chair has a cloth holder for the student’s folder. The space man clip is to aid students in spacing their words when writing in their journals.

TASK INSTRUMENTALITY

This “Word Wall” is to aid students during their journal time, so they do not get slowed down. It is a wall of words they should have learned in Kindergarten.

PLEASURE

The rug where morning meeting takes place is very bright and colorful with the alphabet and numbers are decoratively placed. It also acts as a tool for the teacher to help arrange students on the rug if needed for positive or negative reinforcement for behavior.

PLEASURE

The curtains on the window also has hanging decorations of pumpkins, to help illustrate the fall season. The curtain on the language arts area covers the basal readers. There are also foam pads for students to sit on during shared reading.

GROWTH

The reading chart that also has rules displayed also has a graph that shows how many minutes the students have read each day. Every day that the students read together the amount of time is increased by two minutes and is graphed. This also occurs for silent reading and journal time.

GROWTHEvery day during morning meeting, there is a section for calendar time. A student is selected to call on his/her fellow students as well as answer the calendar questions. He/she says the date, season, and weather for that day. Another activity that is nestled into this time is going over the tens and ones place of the date. The student then writes the number and writes a number less than the date and greater than the date. This is a display of growth because each day is cumulative to the next. The curriculum is referenced when the date is broken down into tens and ones.

CONCLUSION

In this classroom, there are many features and functions to it

that fulfill Steele’s six functions of the classroom setting. As a

seasoned teacher, this Practicum A instructor has accumulated

many materials that satisfy the functions in multiple ways.

Some features can fulfill several of Steele’s functions.