Blog Entry 2

An opportunity I had working with a small group

In the special needs class that I attended, I had the opportunity to work with a group of 4 students on their math worksheets. I also recorded each students work on their IEP goal sheets in their individual folders. One student was in sixth grade, two students were in fifth grade, and one was in fourth grade. Each of these students had very different intellectual abilities. The sixth grader was very advanced in his abilities and he did worksheets that consisted of multiplying and dividing fractions, multiplying decimals, and multiplying four by four digit multiplication. He did his work independently and didn't make any mistakes.

One of the fifth grade students worked fairly independently, but I had to choose the worksheets that he worked on and he needed some instruction before getting started. He did worksheets that consisted of identifying fractions on number lines, and three by three digit addition and subtraction. He also didn't make any mistakes on his worksheets.

The other fifth grade student was worked on two by two digit addition and subtraction touch math worksheets. He needed consistent direction to work at all. He could do the math problems if I pointed to the dots on the pages, but he sat contently until I helped him with his work. He lacked the confidence to work on his own, but he was a very mild mannered, soft spoken, and adorable child.

The fourth grade student that I worked with demanded constant attention. His worksheets consisted of adding fractions and two by two digit multiplication. He seemed to lack confidence in his abilities and seemed to want reassurance that he was doing the problems correctly. He made several mistakes and resisted making corrections to the problems. He also talked constantly. It was a very eventful hour in this classroom.