Mrs.Elliott Math and Reading lesson

When I walked into Mrs.Elliott's classroom when she was teaching a reading lesson, I again saw that the agenda was up on the board and the students were silently reading. There was even a christmas tree in the corner and a reef on a side table in the back of the classroom. I thought it gave the classroom a very homey and cozy touch. They were given twenty minuets to read the rest of the chapter and if they did not get done they had to finish it for homework. She had each pod of tables go and take a bathroom break one at a time before she started their math lesson. I was very impressed how she was constantly at all times able to keep a calm and soothing voice even when the kids became loud when leaving for the bathroom. I could not help but write down in my notebook that I loved the atmosphere of the class and that I thought all the kids were beautiful. Every time I have observed in Mrs.Elliott's class I have found that I have loved it more and more.
The first problem that she wrote down on the board was "National elections in the United States are always held in November. The date of the election is the first Tuesday that follows the first Monday in November. What are the possible elections?" She first had a student read the question out loud and then another student read it again. I thought this was a very clever strategy to make sure that all the students were able to listen and comprehend what the question was asking. Mrs. Elliott then asked a student to come up to the board that had gotten the question done. The student came up and answered and explained how he had gotten the numbers:2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8. I was very impressed once again by how much these students knew and how they were able to articulate how they had gotten the answer at hand.
The next part of the lesson consisted of students learning how to multiply numbers. She explained to them that 25x20 is the same as 25 x (2 x 10) because 10 is a multiple of 20. She had them think of multiples as groups that could fit into a different number so many times. In addition, she handed out a sheet with long multiplication questions. They were expected to get to number 12 and then had students volunteer to come up to the board and explain how they got their answers. During this lesson, I was very surprised with how she was easily able to break down such a hard concept such as multiplying double digits. I was also very shocked how comfortable they were in getting up in front of the class. This behavior definitely represents what a strong and comfortable community Mrs.Elliott  has created within the classroom. Lastly, she had the students close their eyes and hold up a thumbs up or a thumb down to show her wether they were getting the information. I though this was a very clever way to cultivate their feelings on the material. After walking out from this class, I was very proud of the students for their hard work and dedication to learn.