Back in a High School so exciting… My visit to Mr. Simms’s 9^th grade English class was everything you could expect from a high school class. Kids sleeping before class, on their phones, others are reading, but once the bell rung and class began, the students locked in for the most part. While we were observing the classroom, I noticed a few examples of the EL Education Design Principles like principle six “Collaboration and Competition”. There was not much of this principle throughout the class period due to the introduction to their new book. The examples that were present were one, the kids had an open discussion about the book and their perspectives of the characters presented. The other example of this principle was their group project they did in class. The project consisted of the children getting into groups and collaborating on how to draw the important scenes they have read so far. This is exactly what principle six means when it talks about the value of friendship and group action. The second principle that was present was principle two “Having Wonderful Ideas”. Throughout the open discussion on the book “Monster”, the teacher asked a few questions that sparked the creation of a few important ideas during class. One of the questions was “What is a Monster?” and one of the students answered saying “someone or something that causes fear and or fearful thoughts in other person”. This was an interesting answer that I wanted to hear more about but the teacher went onto another student. While observing, I was also tasked with scanning the room for important visuals that promote learning. While there I saw a few paintings on the walls, the daily objective was written on the side of the board, books on the book self in the back, and a new and improved board made to look like a jail cell was hanging in the back of the room. Personally, from what I have viewed so far, I believe that this potential PBL workspace could go either way due to the participation of some students but not all. The teacher’s awareness and effectiveness to find what works and does not work with each student. I believe that if these two minimal requirements were met on a consistent basis, the atmosphere of the classroom would increase from good to outstanding.