In my first visit to the classroom, I was able to form a solid understanding of the general culture of both the class and the school community, which should help to guide my conduct on future visits. The physical environment proved to be different from my expectations but did reflect PBL readings and some EL Core Practices. As Boss suggests in PBL, the classroom had a “project wall” that outline significant events or pertinent information for that day (Boss, 24). Explicitly, the wall justified the purpose for splitting up into groups that day, to help facilitate learning, and a note that limited the use of bathroom breaks during class. Additional “subtle messages about who ‘own[ed]’ the space” took shape in the form of student artwork in the back of the classroom (Boss, 23). Those colorful and personalized butterflies seemed to make the environment more inviting, and most likely made the students feel as if that classroom was theirs. Moreover, there was a class pet, a Guinee pig, which most likely served a limited use academically, but made the classroom feel more laid back and inviting. The teacher’s expectations for students were outlined on a poster board in the class as well. One poster stated how one might enter into the “high five club,” which had to do with different aspects of student conduct. The purpose for that period, or its content, involved orienting the students on the day ahead and accomplishing any medial tasks that needed to be finished, such as homework or checking emails. Also, they would accomplish most of these tasks on their personal Chromo books, ensuring that technology was a part of their daily lives. This period seemed to help produce positive, daily habits for these young kids in order to be successful in the future. This aspect of the classroom focuses in on developing the Culture and Character domain of student education, as stated in EL Educations Core Practice. Explicitly, these students are “develop[ing] the mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life” (Core Practices, VII). Lastly, the only true language routine that I witnessed was the raising of hands in order to speak. This is a good example of a class norm, stressed in PBL reading, since all were welcome to speak and the teacher tried, the best she could, to pick different people. Additionally, this helped avoid students speaking over one another. All in all, Mrs. Dowless’s classroom showed a fair amount of EL Education and PBL aspects, all of which created a positive learning environment.