Elementary- Physical Classroom

Main ideas / lessons

• Self-regulation for classroom emotions: A brief moment addresses anger/hunger (“You’re hangry… that means you are hungry and angry both”), emphasizing that feelings have causes and are managed until lunch soon.
• Early literacy skills (phonics): Students practice identifying and producing the beginning, middle, and ending letters/sounds in words.
• Progression of reading practice:
  • Start by using colored cues (beginning/middle/ending colors).
  • Then practice identifying the same parts in black-and-white (no color support).
  • Finally, read a story with teacher and partner support.
• Listening and turn-taking rules during a game: Students learn to follow classroom expectations—quiet when not their turn, no running, stay in their line.
• Reading together and with partners: Students move to a book page and are encouraged to sound out words, help each other, and read “my shadow”/a short story (“The Seasons”).

Methodology / instruction list

A) Phonics routine: beginning–middle–ending letters and sounds

• Practice with color-coded parts of words:
  • Beginning letter (one color; e.g., white/green/others as referenced in the video)
  • Middle letter (green is explicitly mentioned as the middle letter)
  • Ending letter (blue is referenced as the ending letter)
• Students repeat:
  • Beginning
  • Middle
  • End
• Teacher writes a word and asks students to identify:
  • Beginning letter
  • Middle letter
  • Ending letter
• Teacher then has students sound out each part:
  • “beginning sound”
  • “middle sound”
  • “ending sound”
• Practice continues with multiple example words (teacher prompts students to supply beginning/middle/ending).
• Next, teacher removes colors:
  • Students listen and identify beginning/middle/ending without visual color cues.
• Students are told to:
  • Look for beginning, then middle, then end based on what they hear/see in the word.
  • Repeat sounds to confirm.

B) Game: erasing letter parts by team

• Students split into two teams and two lines:
  • Each team has an assigned “eraser” student/device.
• Before the game, teacher states rules:
  • Be quiet when it’s not your turn
  • Do not run around the classroom; stay in your line
  • When the turn is done, return to the front/start of the line (per teacher instruction)
• Practice round:
  • Teacher writes a word (example given: “can”).
  • Teacher calls out “beginning,” “middle,” or “ending.”
  • Students/teams erase the called part.
  • Teams repeat the letter name as they erase (teacher prompts: “when you erase… we say the letter”).
• Feedback is given based on speed/correctness (one team described as faster).
• If students break rules, the consequence mentioned is getting red X’s.

C) Reading routine: whole group + partner support

• Students go to a specific place in the book:
  • Teacher directs them to page 44.
• Teacher leads reading:
  • Students follow along and repeat (“so say it with me,” and gestures like putting a finger on the word).
• Reading expectations:
  • Students put fingers on words and read together.
  • Teacher models phrasing/flow through the text.
• Partner support:
  • Students are instructed to work with a partner to read the story.
  • If struggling, students should help each other sound out words.
• The story is referred to as “The Seasons.”
• Students are directed to continue through the pages (“go to the next page,” “go to the first place,” etc.).

Speakers / sources featured

• Teacher (primary speaker throughout; gives instructions, asks questions, leads reading and the game)