My first classroom observation!

I completed my first week in the classroom. I was so excited to get in there, and really see the concepts and strategies that I have been learning about in my block classes. I was given the chance to really play a role in the classroom. The third grade teacher welcomed me and made me feel comfortable in the class. I get to be a part of writing, math, social studies, and sometimes story time!
I was able to walk around the room during writing time and watch the students as they were in deep thought. It was my job to circle any words that were misspelled. If the word was a word that was on the word wall, I would draw a line and have the student write the word correctly as it corresponds to the wall. There was an overhead projector that the teacher would use to display her example of the writing activity, and then it would be the student's assignment to do an entry in their notebooks that revolved around the same topic as the teacher's. Using a projector that blew up the teacher's response was helpful because it gave the students better view of the example so that they would understand what their entry should look like.
During math, the students would group up into 3 groups into the corner of the room. This was neat because I could see differentiated learning happening, which I have been learning about a lot in Kim R's class. I worked with one student, and the teacher would supervise the larger group working in pairs, and the classroom aid would have a small group of about 5 students. The students were able to work with others that were at the same level as them. I had to modify the subtraction lesson by minimizing the problems to only 2 or 3 digit numbers, while some other students were doing 4. I would have to keep the student on task because he would have trouble paying attention to the problems.
The social studies lesson consisted of reading different article in the school newsletter. This was a great activity that combined reading with learning different events occurring. The students would take turns reading the articles aloud as they sat on the rug in a circle. The teacher would hold a discussion after each article and ask productive questions to help guide the students' thinking.
I did notice that there was minimal technology used in the classroom. I am aware that the school district is limited with what they can afford with the budget. There is a computer in the room, but all I have seen it used for is to send in the daily class attendance. I hope that there is a way for the teacher to integrate some more in the classroom if possible. Now that I know the benefits it can bring to the students, it would be a shame to have the students miss out on all that potential success.