This post has been long over due. Last year ended in a flourish and I am very grateful to all the people in my life who helped me make it through the entire school year and beyond! :)
This year I was looking forward to starting over again, as every year you get to do in some way. I moved up to 4th grade with my students and have a different mix of kids, including 7 that I had last year. Moving up with the students has been great! I know them from last year and we hit the ground running.
I'll give a brief summary of what's happened so far this year...
The first two weeks of school was completely dedicated to classroom procedure and teaching the students to rotate through centers and what's expected of them. Last year, I did not do this and I can't begin to tell you the difference it has made in both my life at school and theirs. The expectations are clear, and behaviors are manageable.
The students have been making great progress with our new reading program, Reading Street. I've also introduced Reciprocal Teaching into our center rotations and have recently had a second reading group start to do this instead of Partner Reading. We're still working on independence during this skill. ;)
Math groups are going well. All direct instruction is given in small groups and I couldn't be more grateful for this. We do cross-class grouping with the students and the dynamics are working well.
As for me, this year is going great! Things outside of school couldn't be better, and that has helped make my teaching stronger. :) I am so much more relaxed in my teaching and more confident as well.
My hope is to start using this space as a way to share lesson ideas as well as classroom ideas. I've fallen in love with Pinterest as well as Teacher-pay-Teachers and will post links to the great things I find, too!
Happy beginning of winter! :)
P.S. Thank you to whoever you are...MY PRINCIPAL LOVED MY BLOG! :)
Monday, November 12, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Happy First Day of Spring!
Hello!
It's been a long time, and many things have happened from then until now. I have begun to feel like I know what I'm doing, and at the same time, I learn something new about myself and my students every day.
Behavior has been my number one challenge this school year. I have been told that this is often a big one for new teachers, but I have some particularly challenging students. I have learned patience further than I thought possible, and strategies that work and don't work.
Planning has slowly been getting easier as I have established a routine to my lessons. The school is switching over to a guided reading program, and in scouring the internet for resources, I stubbled across the video below. It is a powerful and inspiring answer to what a teacher makes.
While I have struggled with many things this year, after writing the 2nd term report cards I celebrated many student's accomplishments. I look forward to their continued growth, and mine!
It's been a long time, and many things have happened from then until now. I have begun to feel like I know what I'm doing, and at the same time, I learn something new about myself and my students every day.
Behavior has been my number one challenge this school year. I have been told that this is often a big one for new teachers, but I have some particularly challenging students. I have learned patience further than I thought possible, and strategies that work and don't work.
Planning has slowly been getting easier as I have established a routine to my lessons. The school is switching over to a guided reading program, and in scouring the internet for resources, I stubbled across the video below. It is a powerful and inspiring answer to what a teacher makes.
While I have struggled with many things this year, after writing the 2nd term report cards I celebrated many student's accomplishments. I look forward to their continued growth, and mine!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
It has begun!
5 days down, 175 days to go...
School has started and we've hit the ground running! Everyone advises you that your first year will be the hardest, and I kind of shook it off and said, "Self, it will be hard, but you can handle it!" Well, the time to handle it came on day three. These kids are going to keep me on my toes! I've already begun to loose my voice...now I'm not a shouter, I don't believe in it. I feel a quiet, stern voice can be more effective, and of course, using the Responsive Classroom methods, I utilize the "I notice" approach and as much encouragement as possible. But what are you supposed to do with children with attitudes who bicker and argue everything with everyone...and how about the little girl who sings "Teach Me How to Duggie" and booty pops in front of the whole class?!?!
Oh, and did I mention that my 16 students exploded into 21 students? A few showed up unannounced the first day of school...
I have two major concerns right now. The first is how to manage the behavior in my class. The second is what I'm teaching. I've been told that the Literacy curriculum is not very good, so right now I'm working with two teachers who teach from the book and a principal who told me she hired me to not teach from the book, but to do the Literacy program better justice. I have a meeting Monday with the Literacy director, who assures me that with her help, we can turn the program around. Bring it on!
So, after the first six days in my very own classroom, I'm exhausted, stressed, overwhelmed, and hopeful. I'm hopeful that I can get the behaviors under control. I'm hopeful that I will figure out what I'm actually going to teach. And I'm hopeful that I can help make a difference in my school district that is struggling.
School has started and we've hit the ground running! Everyone advises you that your first year will be the hardest, and I kind of shook it off and said, "Self, it will be hard, but you can handle it!" Well, the time to handle it came on day three. These kids are going to keep me on my toes! I've already begun to loose my voice...now I'm not a shouter, I don't believe in it. I feel a quiet, stern voice can be more effective, and of course, using the Responsive Classroom methods, I utilize the "I notice" approach and as much encouragement as possible. But what are you supposed to do with children with attitudes who bicker and argue everything with everyone...and how about the little girl who sings "Teach Me How to Duggie" and booty pops in front of the whole class?!?!
Oh, and did I mention that my 16 students exploded into 21 students? A few showed up unannounced the first day of school...
I have two major concerns right now. The first is how to manage the behavior in my class. The second is what I'm teaching. I've been told that the Literacy curriculum is not very good, so right now I'm working with two teachers who teach from the book and a principal who told me she hired me to not teach from the book, but to do the Literacy program better justice. I have a meeting Monday with the Literacy director, who assures me that with her help, we can turn the program around. Bring it on!
So, after the first six days in my very own classroom, I'm exhausted, stressed, overwhelmed, and hopeful. I'm hopeful that I can get the behaviors under control. I'm hopeful that I will figure out what I'm actually going to teach. And I'm hopeful that I can help make a difference in my school district that is struggling.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
It's Official!
Today, I signed the papers and I am officially a third grade classroom teacher!
I went down to the school this week to check out my classroom and to talk with my new boss...AKA The Principal. We had some great conversations, and she is very open to creative thinking and planning when it comes to the curriculum. Within the next few weeks, I'll have to look closely at the state standards and get a feel for what I'm about to do!
Another reason I wanted to see the classroom is to take inventory of what I would need. It's a good size room, and I'll only have 16 students (HOORAY!), but the one thing that stood out among everything else that is missing was...A CLASSROOM LIBRARY!
I send this out as a plea to solicit book donations. I was given a small budget to purchase books, and I will do my best to stretch it as far as I can, so I'm not asking for money. What I am asking for is if you have kids' books that were once well loved, but now sit in a box (I know I do!), I would be happy to put them to good use - give them a second life!
I aspire my future classroom library to look like this one!
I'm looking for books that are 2 grade levels below 3rd grade, and 2 grade levels above 3rd grade. The best and quickest way to find out it to go to Scholastic.com and type the title of the book in the search box. The book will come up with Interest Level, Grade Level Equivalent, and more. It's the Grade Level Equivalent you'll want to know, and I'll take anything that is grade 1-5. If you're not sure, just ask!
Thank you so much for your help in building my classroom library! It is so important for these kids to read, especially independently.
Because lists are a good thing:
1. DO NOT send money
2. Donate books that level from grades 1 through 5
3. Fiction and Non-Fiction books alike (I SPY and picture books welcome!)
4. If I end up with duplicates or more than I need (?? fingers crossed!), I will donate them to a local women's shelter or orphanage
5. Email me if you think you have books! :)
Thank you for your support, and here's to a better literate future for children!
I went down to the school this week to check out my classroom and to talk with my new boss...AKA The Principal. We had some great conversations, and she is very open to creative thinking and planning when it comes to the curriculum. Within the next few weeks, I'll have to look closely at the state standards and get a feel for what I'm about to do!
Another reason I wanted to see the classroom is to take inventory of what I would need. It's a good size room, and I'll only have 16 students (HOORAY!), but the one thing that stood out among everything else that is missing was...A CLASSROOM LIBRARY!
I send this out as a plea to solicit book donations. I was given a small budget to purchase books, and I will do my best to stretch it as far as I can, so I'm not asking for money. What I am asking for is if you have kids' books that were once well loved, but now sit in a box (I know I do!), I would be happy to put them to good use - give them a second life!
I aspire my future classroom library to look like this one!
I'm looking for books that are 2 grade levels below 3rd grade, and 2 grade levels above 3rd grade. The best and quickest way to find out it to go to Scholastic.com and type the title of the book in the search box. The book will come up with Interest Level, Grade Level Equivalent, and more. It's the Grade Level Equivalent you'll want to know, and I'll take anything that is grade 1-5. If you're not sure, just ask!
Thank you so much for your help in building my classroom library! It is so important for these kids to read, especially independently.
Because lists are a good thing:
1. DO NOT send money
2. Donate books that level from grades 1 through 5
3. Fiction and Non-Fiction books alike (I SPY and picture books welcome!)
4. If I end up with duplicates or more than I need (?? fingers crossed!), I will donate them to a local women's shelter or orphanage
5. Email me if you think you have books! :)
Thank you for your support, and here's to a better literate future for children!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The End leading to New Beginnings
My days as intern are over. It was bitter sweet. I will dearly miss those I worked with, who I now call friends. I have learned so much from them and I know I will continue to keep them on speed dial as I begin my next journey as a....
After an interview mix up, a few prayers, and a fabulous second interview, I am thrilled to announce that I am starting a my brand new career as a full time third grade teacher in an inclusion classroom.
I originally thought this blog would serve only as a reflective tool during my time as an intern, but in looking back over it today, I realized how useful this forum is as REFLECTION. So I plan on continuing my posts as I begin teaching. In staying true to form, I will create code names for everyone involved and never mention specific places or people.
On a more fun note...I can't wait to get started!!! I won't be posting much over the next few weeks, but as I learn more about my new position, the school, and my roll, I'll have plenty to add. I have also decided to open this blog up to the public to seek advice from those who have gone before me. If you are a teacher, a friend, a parent, or someone who likes to reflect, please feel free to comment, or just come along for the ride. It's going to be a bumpy one! It's also going to be glorious, wonderful, stressful, trying, beautiful and more.
After an interview mix up, a few prayers, and a fabulous second interview, I am thrilled to announce that I am starting a my brand new career as a full time third grade teacher in an inclusion classroom.
I originally thought this blog would serve only as a reflective tool during my time as an intern, but in looking back over it today, I realized how useful this forum is as REFLECTION. So I plan on continuing my posts as I begin teaching. In staying true to form, I will create code names for everyone involved and never mention specific places or people.
On a more fun note...I can't wait to get started!!! I won't be posting much over the next few weeks, but as I learn more about my new position, the school, and my roll, I'll have plenty to add. I have also decided to open this blog up to the public to seek advice from those who have gone before me. If you are a teacher, a friend, a parent, or someone who likes to reflect, please feel free to comment, or just come along for the ride. It's going to be a bumpy one! It's also going to be glorious, wonderful, stressful, trying, beautiful and more.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Lions, Tigers, and Standardized Tests, Oh My!
Have you even been in a situation where you just mind-scream to someone, willing them to hear you? This is what proctoring standardized tests are like for me. If I were just able to say one thing, give a simple reminder or hint, encourage the student to check again, or go with their gut, I'm sure they could show more than the simple bubbled in answer shows.
The earliest recorded uses of standardized tests are from China, and throughout history, they have been used for many different purposes, as this brief TIME article can tell you. While this article speaks to the the SATs and ACTs, but at the elementary level, state tests can be the stressful equvilent to 7 year-olds. This teacher needs to do more research, as I'm sure there are benefits to standardized tests, right? I mean, I just finished the fifth of five state tests that allow me to get my teaching license, so there must be something to them...or I wouldn't still be taking them in my late twenties!
It's Been a While!
I know it's been a while, but this semester has been quite busy. As I am finished up my maters program, I had two very intensive courses this spring along with my special education concentrated practicum. To catch up on the entire semester would be a very long post indeed. Therefore I am not going to do that here. Instead, I will write weekly (or maybe even more!). Who knows...maybe I'll even continue this blog throughout my teaching career! (Wow...that's really ambitious of me!)
So to do a quick recap of the past four and a half months, not much has changed in my roll as intern, as I have still been switching back and forth between regular education and special education. As two of the teachers I work with have been getting bigger and bigger by the day (relax...they're pregnant...remember?) I have been taking over classes left and right...and loving it!
I have learned so much from my mentor teachers (and they have all in one way become my mentors), but the two I work directly with are amazing. This is a group of women I hope to never loose contact with.
The children have been...wonderful, difficult, amazing, stubborn, fantastic, creative, headstrong, inventive, lazy, clever, hardworking, teachers, humorous, and so much more.
So to do a quick recap of the past four and a half months, not much has changed in my roll as intern, as I have still been switching back and forth between regular education and special education. As two of the teachers I work with have been getting bigger and bigger by the day (relax...they're pregnant...remember?) I have been taking over classes left and right...and loving it!
I have learned so much from my mentor teachers (and they have all in one way become my mentors), but the two I work directly with are amazing. This is a group of women I hope to never loose contact with.
The children have been...wonderful, difficult, amazing, stubborn, fantastic, creative, headstrong, inventive, lazy, clever, hardworking, teachers, humorous, and so much more.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Week End
Monday, December 13, 2010
The end of last week went really well! The first math lessons of each day were a little off, but I feel that's because I needed to familiarize myself with the language to teach the content. The second and third lessons always went much better. For everything else, transitions went a lot smoother, perhaps a combination of me...but more because the children calmed down. I tried the wait time, and to not show I was getting exasperated, and I'm sure that helped, too.
Today I'll teach math but tomorrow, for my observation at the end of my "leadership week" I will be teaching a hands on science lesson, on weather instruments! :)
The end of last week went really well! The first math lessons of each day were a little off, but I feel that's because I needed to familiarize myself with the language to teach the content. The second and third lessons always went much better. For everything else, transitions went a lot smoother, perhaps a combination of me...but more because the children calmed down. I tried the wait time, and to not show I was getting exasperated, and I'm sure that helped, too.
Today I'll teach math but tomorrow, for my observation at the end of my "leadership week" I will be teaching a hands on science lesson, on weather instruments! :)
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
It's a Miss E takeover!!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Take over week/leadership week is in full swing! Although I was supposed to start on Tuesday, REM was out sick on Monday, so I had to step in...good thing I had already planned on teaching Math that day! So Monday was Greatest Common Factor (GCF). The lesson went well. I could tell the first class was getting bored because they got GCF right away! There was a lot of class work to be done, so I encouraged them to push through. We had quite a bit of issues with talking, and it wasn't just the first class. The entire grade was off, and it even carried over into lunch. I received a few apologies from students, which while I didn't expect them at all, I appreciated because I really thought there was something I was missing to be able to maintain order. I did have to take recess away from the students because I had to remind them 4 times (3 times too many) that they were to be working quietly. SPEM recommended they get a chance to earn back recess, because she felt they need recess. I'm trying to think of ways to get them to stop talking so much and stay on task...and this is becoming a behavior issue for the entire grade...
Tuesday went much better. I talked to SPEM about some strategies and she said to focus on the positive. I'm struggling with saying "I notice so and so is working well" when that child is the ONLY one doing so...and everyone else is talking and laughing and shouting out and not on task. So I'm working on some strategies for myself. Like the last class of the day, they could not stop talking, so I got their attention, and asked if we could try something different. I then had them complete their worksheet with a partner, and they were able to get it done. Sometimes it's proving to be the little things...
Wednesday went well...the kids loved the rubric I introduced and came up with some great words and phrases to describe a "good math problem solver." We then went over how to use the rubric to do an open response. The first two classes I was on my own, being SPEM was out today at a class, so REM rotated. During the third math class of the day, our homeroom (the integrated classroom), REM stepped in after I walked them through how to do the problem, and had kids do it on their own. She explained to me that there is such a wide range of learners in the class that half were done with the problem while I was still going through it. So she wanted to give students time to do the rest on their own while teachers walked around helping those who needed it. We had a second open response ready as a challenge, and many student completed them.
It is definitely a learning process for me!
Take over week/leadership week is in full swing! Although I was supposed to start on Tuesday, REM was out sick on Monday, so I had to step in...good thing I had already planned on teaching Math that day! So Monday was Greatest Common Factor (GCF). The lesson went well. I could tell the first class was getting bored because they got GCF right away! There was a lot of class work to be done, so I encouraged them to push through. We had quite a bit of issues with talking, and it wasn't just the first class. The entire grade was off, and it even carried over into lunch. I received a few apologies from students, which while I didn't expect them at all, I appreciated because I really thought there was something I was missing to be able to maintain order. I did have to take recess away from the students because I had to remind them 4 times (3 times too many) that they were to be working quietly. SPEM recommended they get a chance to earn back recess, because she felt they need recess. I'm trying to think of ways to get them to stop talking so much and stay on task...and this is becoming a behavior issue for the entire grade...
Tuesday went much better. I talked to SPEM about some strategies and she said to focus on the positive. I'm struggling with saying "I notice so and so is working well" when that child is the ONLY one doing so...and everyone else is talking and laughing and shouting out and not on task. So I'm working on some strategies for myself. Like the last class of the day, they could not stop talking, so I got their attention, and asked if we could try something different. I then had them complete their worksheet with a partner, and they were able to get it done. Sometimes it's proving to be the little things...
Wednesday went well...the kids loved the rubric I introduced and came up with some great words and phrases to describe a "good math problem solver." We then went over how to use the rubric to do an open response. The first two classes I was on my own, being SPEM was out today at a class, so REM rotated. During the third math class of the day, our homeroom (the integrated classroom), REM stepped in after I walked them through how to do the problem, and had kids do it on their own. She explained to me that there is such a wide range of learners in the class that half were done with the problem while I was still going through it. So she wanted to give students time to do the rest on their own while teachers walked around helping those who needed it. We had a second open response ready as a challenge, and many student completed them.
It is definitely a learning process for me!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Leadership Week Begins
Monday, December 6, 2010
My leadership week (traditionally known as a take-over week) begins on Tuesday and will go until the following Tuesday. However, REM was out sick today (Monday), therefor it really began today! No worries, as I had already planned on taking over math today. Last week, I stayed after school until 6pm on Thursday night and planned out Monday-Wednesday for math. Over the weekend, I made rubric posters so the kids could start grading their open responses themselves and determine what they need to work on to score a 4 on state testing open responses. Being I'm interning with the math teacher, all I'm taking over is math, as well as the other homeroom responsibilities, such as reading, writing, and transitions.
The plan is as follows for math: Monday, Greatest Common Factor (GCF), Tuesday - Multiples and Least Common Multiple (LCM), Wednesday - Open Response questions, Thursday - Vocabulary review and Divisibility Game, Friday - Prime Factorization and Factor Trees, Monday - Negative Numbers
I'm really looking forward to this week and feel prepared right now for all except Friday and Monday (and being it's only the first Monday, I'd say I'm in pretty good shape!)
Here we go!!
My leadership week (traditionally known as a take-over week) begins on Tuesday and will go until the following Tuesday. However, REM was out sick today (Monday), therefor it really began today! No worries, as I had already planned on taking over math today. Last week, I stayed after school until 6pm on Thursday night and planned out Monday-Wednesday for math. Over the weekend, I made rubric posters so the kids could start grading their open responses themselves and determine what they need to work on to score a 4 on state testing open responses. Being I'm interning with the math teacher, all I'm taking over is math, as well as the other homeroom responsibilities, such as reading, writing, and transitions.
The plan is as follows for math: Monday, Greatest Common Factor (GCF), Tuesday - Multiples and Least Common Multiple (LCM), Wednesday - Open Response questions, Thursday - Vocabulary review and Divisibility Game, Friday - Prime Factorization and Factor Trees, Monday - Negative Numbers
I'm really looking forward to this week and feel prepared right now for all except Friday and Monday (and being it's only the first Monday, I'd say I'm in pretty good shape!)
Here we go!!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Quotes and Synonyms
Monday, November 29, 2010
Today I was observed during a writing lesson by my supervisor from my college. I have a major project due in a few weeks for a curriculum class that I should have been working on over the Thanksgiving break, but this lesson plan took up all the free time and energy I had! Phew...who knew putting together two small group mini-lessons could take so much work!
The first small group consisted of above grade level students who have shown through other works and writings that they have a firm grasp on writing and show an individual style. For them, I planned a mini-lesson on the use of quotations. I had seen the use of the quotations in their writing and the biggest pet peeve I have is stand alone quotes. I know that 5th graders haven't learned this skill yet, but I feel they were ready to learn a bit about the proper use of quotes. I found some great rules for using dialogue quotes that I was able to tie into research writing. I have the lesson, so won't talk about it here, but rather reflect on the group. :)
It went well! This group of children are a quiet and controlled bunch. I find that using the thumbs up, down, sideways really works to see where they are with the use of quotes. The groups had some great input about using quotes, and while much of the information was familiar to them, the use in their own writing was new, especially using tags with quotes.
The second mini-lesson was on adjectives and synonyms. Again, I did the thumbs, both in beginning and end, and like with the first group, I got thumbs up all around after the mini-lesson. :) Using adjectives to describe an object, I had this group use a thesaurus and an online thesaurus to find synonyms. This group was a lot more rowdy than the last, but that was more dynamics (three boys one girl in this group, three girls one boy in the first group). but they did the lesson and I feel it was helpful. I even think they had fun finding synonyms because of some of the options given. They found many of the words humorous, and while behavior wise, not the best, I think they will use this skill because they had fun with it!
Once again, my supervisor loved the lesson and thought I did a fabulous job. :)
Today I was observed during a writing lesson by my supervisor from my college. I have a major project due in a few weeks for a curriculum class that I should have been working on over the Thanksgiving break, but this lesson plan took up all the free time and energy I had! Phew...who knew putting together two small group mini-lessons could take so much work!
The first small group consisted of above grade level students who have shown through other works and writings that they have a firm grasp on writing and show an individual style. For them, I planned a mini-lesson on the use of quotations. I had seen the use of the quotations in their writing and the biggest pet peeve I have is stand alone quotes. I know that 5th graders haven't learned this skill yet, but I feel they were ready to learn a bit about the proper use of quotes. I found some great rules for using dialogue quotes that I was able to tie into research writing. I have the lesson, so won't talk about it here, but rather reflect on the group. :)
It went well! This group of children are a quiet and controlled bunch. I find that using the thumbs up, down, sideways really works to see where they are with the use of quotes. The groups had some great input about using quotes, and while much of the information was familiar to them, the use in their own writing was new, especially using tags with quotes.
The second mini-lesson was on adjectives and synonyms. Again, I did the thumbs, both in beginning and end, and like with the first group, I got thumbs up all around after the mini-lesson. :) Using adjectives to describe an object, I had this group use a thesaurus and an online thesaurus to find synonyms. This group was a lot more rowdy than the last, but that was more dynamics (three boys one girl in this group, three girls one boy in the first group). but they did the lesson and I feel it was helpful. I even think they had fun finding synonyms because of some of the options given. They found many of the words humorous, and while behavior wise, not the best, I think they will use this skill because they had fun with it!
Once again, my supervisor loved the lesson and thought I did a fabulous job. :)
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Empty Pot
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Today in Language Arts we were continuing our inferencing lesson, I taught a lesson on prediction. They've seen it before, but for in their response logs, teachers are looking for deeper connections using prediction. They have to pull quotes from the text to support their predictions.
Using the Smart Board to project a graphic organizer, I was able to model for the class how to use a quote from a book to support a prediction, revise a prediction, and then explain what really happened. The book I used was called The Empty Pot, by Demi. This is a wonderful story about a little Chinese boy, Ping, who loves to grow flowers. One day, the Emperor decides to choose a successor from among the children and gives them all seeds. Whoever grows the best flower will be chosen Emperor. But there's a twist! This book made for a great prediction lesson. Unfortunately, I cannot take credit for choosing the book. It was part of a scripted lesson the school has. REM gave me the scrip and graphic organizer, however, I only used the scrip as a guide, and created the information for the graphic organizer.
I first introduced prediction, and then the graphic organizer up on the Smart Board. I had everything already filled in, but put it in white text, so to revel it to the class, all I had to do was change the font color. :) That's the first time I did that...and I loved the way it worked out! (So did REM.) I then read the book, starting with the cover, modeling how I make predictions. I made a few more using quotes, and then stopped on a page to have the students help me make a prediction and pull a quote. They participated really well!
I was also asked my REM and Sunshine if I would teach the lesson to Sunshine's class, because she didn't have one prepared herself, and they liked mine. ;)
Today in Language Arts we were continuing our inferencing lesson, I taught a lesson on prediction. They've seen it before, but for in their response logs, teachers are looking for deeper connections using prediction. They have to pull quotes from the text to support their predictions.
Using the Smart Board to project a graphic organizer, I was able to model for the class how to use a quote from a book to support a prediction, revise a prediction, and then explain what really happened. The book I used was called The Empty Pot, by Demi. This is a wonderful story about a little Chinese boy, Ping, who loves to grow flowers. One day, the Emperor decides to choose a successor from among the children and gives them all seeds. Whoever grows the best flower will be chosen Emperor. But there's a twist! This book made for a great prediction lesson. Unfortunately, I cannot take credit for choosing the book. It was part of a scripted lesson the school has. REM gave me the scrip and graphic organizer, however, I only used the scrip as a guide, and created the information for the graphic organizer.
I first introduced prediction, and then the graphic organizer up on the Smart Board. I had everything already filled in, but put it in white text, so to revel it to the class, all I had to do was change the font color. :) That's the first time I did that...and I loved the way it worked out! (So did REM.) I then read the book, starting with the cover, modeling how I make predictions. I made a few more using quotes, and then stopped on a page to have the students help me make a prediction and pull a quote. They participated really well!
I was also asked my REM and Sunshine if I would teach the lesson to Sunshine's class, because she didn't have one prepared herself, and they liked mine. ;)
Friday, November 12, 2010
Being Sunshine
Week of November 8, 2010
This was a good, but tough week. The kids are still wound up, and a bit out of control. They have had bad reports from Music, Library, and Lunch (which is a continuing situation that is not entirely their fault). I took over for Sunshine again this week, as she called in sick on Tuesday. The day went well, but Senora was out as well, and Eagle took over for her (which she was not too happy about). The day went very well, until dismissal. Two of the boys that Senora watches over were joking around and I saw one of them body slam the other into the fall. The second boy looked a bit hurt. I called them both over to me and had them explain to me what was going on. I said to the first that I saw him slam the other into the wall and that he needed to apologize for that. His response was "not until he apologize's for hitting me in the arm"... I tried to defuse the situation, with no help from Eagle (although looking back, it was probably good that I did it alone. But where was she in the first place, being it was her job that day to watch over these boys). I tried repeatedly to have the first apologize to the second, and told him that I hear what he's saying and validate that he feels he needs an apology, but he was adamant. I tried all the defusing tricks I knew, but the kids behind me were getting rowdy and impatient, so I told the boys the conversation would continue tomorrow with Sunshine. I also told the second to think back over the day to see if anything happened that he should be apologizing for. In this case, however, I'm more apt to believe boy #2.
This was a good, but tough week. The kids are still wound up, and a bit out of control. They have had bad reports from Music, Library, and Lunch (which is a continuing situation that is not entirely their fault). I took over for Sunshine again this week, as she called in sick on Tuesday. The day went well, but Senora was out as well, and Eagle took over for her (which she was not too happy about). The day went very well, until dismissal. Two of the boys that Senora watches over were joking around and I saw one of them body slam the other into the fall. The second boy looked a bit hurt. I called them both over to me and had them explain to me what was going on. I said to the first that I saw him slam the other into the wall and that he needed to apologize for that. His response was "not until he apologize's for hitting me in the arm"... I tried to defuse the situation, with no help from Eagle (although looking back, it was probably good that I did it alone. But where was she in the first place, being it was her job that day to watch over these boys). I tried repeatedly to have the first apologize to the second, and told him that I hear what he's saying and validate that he feels he needs an apology, but he was adamant. I tried all the defusing tricks I knew, but the kids behind me were getting rowdy and impatient, so I told the boys the conversation would continue tomorrow with Sunshine. I also told the second to think back over the day to see if anything happened that he should be apologizing for. In this case, however, I'm more apt to believe boy #2.
Native American Photo Albums and Alone for the Day
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Today I was observed for a Social Studies lesson. The class has been researching Native American tribes (5 in total) in groups and now they get to share their research through artistic expression. Each member of the tribe-teams, using their specific research topic (food, climate, clothing...) draws and colors three pictures on large index cards. They then write captions and mount it all on oak board to be bound together with other group members pages, including a collaborative cover.
Sunshine let me teach her class early in the morning during a LA block so I could get some practice with the lesson in before being observed. With a few insertions from her, I was able to get the language needed. She then had a doctors appointment, which went longer than anticipated, so it worked out well that I could teach all the SS lessons that day. I received wonderful feedback during my meeting, and we also went over the PPA draft I wrote. I received help with editing it, and even before that, SPEM helped me write it.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Today was parent-teacher conferences with REM and SPEM. I was left in charge of the class, and the 1-to-1 aide was out as well. All in all, it was a great day. I was prepared with the Scientific Notation math lesson, and Eagle taught the first one, so I was able to observe her being I was REM for the day and didn't rotate with our class. However, this time, I was making notes on how I would do things differently, not the same. This was a first so far this year, and I believe an important step. The next class was my own homeroom, and they did a great job. I made sure I was explaining the concept in many different ways, being as clear as I could. It was such a different experience with only one teacher in the room, ie: ME! because certain students on plans really do need those extra bodies in the room! During the third class of the day, the class became so engaged in a math conversation that Sunshine had to pop in and reminded me it was time for lunch. :) What a great experience!
Where I still feel I need improvement is class management. There were times when they would get a bit, too out of control and I found I was loosing my patience. I have to remember that they're just kids!! And sometimes they cannot control themselves!
Today I was observed for a Social Studies lesson. The class has been researching Native American tribes (5 in total) in groups and now they get to share their research through artistic expression. Each member of the tribe-teams, using their specific research topic (food, climate, clothing...) draws and colors three pictures on large index cards. They then write captions and mount it all on oak board to be bound together with other group members pages, including a collaborative cover.
Sunshine let me teach her class early in the morning during a LA block so I could get some practice with the lesson in before being observed. With a few insertions from her, I was able to get the language needed. She then had a doctors appointment, which went longer than anticipated, so it worked out well that I could teach all the SS lessons that day. I received wonderful feedback during my meeting, and we also went over the PPA draft I wrote. I received help with editing it, and even before that, SPEM helped me write it.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Today was parent-teacher conferences with REM and SPEM. I was left in charge of the class, and the 1-to-1 aide was out as well. All in all, it was a great day. I was prepared with the Scientific Notation math lesson, and Eagle taught the first one, so I was able to observe her being I was REM for the day and didn't rotate with our class. However, this time, I was making notes on how I would do things differently, not the same. This was a first so far this year, and I believe an important step. The next class was my own homeroom, and they did a great job. I made sure I was explaining the concept in many different ways, being as clear as I could. It was such a different experience with only one teacher in the room, ie: ME! because certain students on plans really do need those extra bodies in the room! During the third class of the day, the class became so engaged in a math conversation that Sunshine had to pop in and reminded me it was time for lunch. :) What a great experience!
Where I still feel I need improvement is class management. There were times when they would get a bit, too out of control and I found I was loosing my patience. I have to remember that they're just kids!! And sometimes they cannot control themselves!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Around the Magnetic World to Mental Math
October 25 - 29, 2010
This week has been filled with me teaching lessons! It started on Monday with Language Arts. I taught Text-to-World, a difficult connection for a 10-year-old to make. The lesson started off well, I reviewed Self-to-Text and Text-to-Text, and then moved on to begin explaining World-to-Text. I then read Casey at the Bat, and modeled how to write a Text-to-World using a graphic organizer on the overhead. I read a written summary of the poem (written by REM), and then modeled how to make the connection to something in the world. The connection made was to the Red Sox 2004 win over the Yankees, but from the perspective of a Yankee's fan. The kids loved it! REM jumped in to further illustrate how hard this connection was for students to make, and to request a teacher conference if they needed more help.
On Tuesday, I started part one of the two part lesson on Magnets in science. This was sooo fun! Nod was there to chime in when necessary, and didn't have to except to answer a question or two. The other student intern, Eagle from here on out, and I planned the lesson together. We discussed the worksheet that was already made for this lesson, and decided it was a lot of information that wouldn't keep the kids engaged. We reconstructed the class worksheet to make it more kid-friendly. These modifications, which Eagle made, were great accommodations for my class! The first day, we began with a PowerPoint explaining the history of magnets. It then went on to explain the poles of magnets, the Earth's poles, and how magnets attract and repel each other. I then invited the class to participate in some magnet demonstrations. First I showed them how to make a magnet repel and attract (using same poles and opposite poles) and then had a student "chase" a magnet on the overhead, trying to put the two together (using same poles). Together, we filled in a worksheet, and Nod ended the lesson with a challenge/review of the electricity unit so far.
Day two of magnets started with a challenge review. I then invited the entire class to sit up front and watch a BrainPop. This is a great website that explains educational topics in kid-friendly animation. The clip we showed was really cute, and the kids loved it. The even begged to watch it again! I guess normally they do watch them twice, but because I wanted them to experiment, we didn't have time. I then showed the class what they would be doing for their magnet experiments and sent them back to their sheets to make predictions before experimenting. I then went over the predictions on the overhead. Before we handed out the materials, SPEM went over the rules of sharing and I friendly reminded them if I saw any materials in the air not attached to their hands, they had "special work" to do (Dividing and conquering paragraphs about magnets).
The students then worked together at their table teams to see what would be attracted to the magnet. They were given a stick, steal wool, a utensil, paperclip, a colored disk (which turned out to have a wire wrapped around the edge), paper, tin foil, and a nail. We then went over what attracted and what repelled as I recorded it on the overhead. The class really seemed to enjoy this experiment, and they did everything wonderfully! :)
On Thursday, I taught mental math - multiplication and division with zeros. While I did great with the steps and process of solving for the facts and then tacking on zeros or crossing them off "one for one"...but then REM had to step in to explain what they were really doing with place holders and so forth...so I basically forgot the biggest part of the lesson...
Friday was our Halloween Parade...I dressed in my show clothes as an Equestrian. We paraded to the other classrooms and then went outside for a whole grade photo (students only) and then went for recess. The only thing academic today was making science flash cards for the Electricity Unit test next week. We also had our Vision Party today, and the class watched Horton Hears a Who. Movies on the Smart Board are awesome! :)
This week has been filled with me teaching lessons! It started on Monday with Language Arts. I taught Text-to-World, a difficult connection for a 10-year-old to make. The lesson started off well, I reviewed Self-to-Text and Text-to-Text, and then moved on to begin explaining World-to-Text. I then read Casey at the Bat, and modeled how to write a Text-to-World using a graphic organizer on the overhead. I read a written summary of the poem (written by REM), and then modeled how to make the connection to something in the world. The connection made was to the Red Sox 2004 win over the Yankees, but from the perspective of a Yankee's fan. The kids loved it! REM jumped in to further illustrate how hard this connection was for students to make, and to request a teacher conference if they needed more help.
On Tuesday, I started part one of the two part lesson on Magnets in science. This was sooo fun! Nod was there to chime in when necessary, and didn't have to except to answer a question or two. The other student intern, Eagle from here on out, and I planned the lesson together. We discussed the worksheet that was already made for this lesson, and decided it was a lot of information that wouldn't keep the kids engaged. We reconstructed the class worksheet to make it more kid-friendly. These modifications, which Eagle made, were great accommodations for my class! The first day, we began with a PowerPoint explaining the history of magnets. It then went on to explain the poles of magnets, the Earth's poles, and how magnets attract and repel each other. I then invited the class to participate in some magnet demonstrations. First I showed them how to make a magnet repel and attract (using same poles and opposite poles) and then had a student "chase" a magnet on the overhead, trying to put the two together (using same poles). Together, we filled in a worksheet, and Nod ended the lesson with a challenge/review of the electricity unit so far.
Day two of magnets started with a challenge review. I then invited the entire class to sit up front and watch a BrainPop. This is a great website that explains educational topics in kid-friendly animation. The clip we showed was really cute, and the kids loved it. The even begged to watch it again! I guess normally they do watch them twice, but because I wanted them to experiment, we didn't have time. I then showed the class what they would be doing for their magnet experiments and sent them back to their sheets to make predictions before experimenting. I then went over the predictions on the overhead. Before we handed out the materials, SPEM went over the rules of sharing and I friendly reminded them if I saw any materials in the air not attached to their hands, they had "special work" to do (Dividing and conquering paragraphs about magnets).
The students then worked together at their table teams to see what would be attracted to the magnet. They were given a stick, steal wool, a utensil, paperclip, a colored disk (which turned out to have a wire wrapped around the edge), paper, tin foil, and a nail. We then went over what attracted and what repelled as I recorded it on the overhead. The class really seemed to enjoy this experiment, and they did everything wonderfully! :)
On Thursday, I taught mental math - multiplication and division with zeros. While I did great with the steps and process of solving for the facts and then tacking on zeros or crossing them off "one for one"...but then REM had to step in to explain what they were really doing with place holders and so forth...so I basically forgot the biggest part of the lesson...
Friday was our Halloween Parade...I dressed in my show clothes as an Equestrian. We paraded to the other classrooms and then went outside for a whole grade photo (students only) and then went for recess. The only thing academic today was making science flash cards for the Electricity Unit test next week. We also had our Vision Party today, and the class watched Horton Hears a Who. Movies on the Smart Board are awesome! :)
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Oh Friday...2 digit divisor Loooooong Division
Friday, October 22, 2010
Around 8:00 a.m. today, while I was defusing a sibling fight and building block castles, the principal announced there were many absences and if teachers had time in their day to help cover, they were encouraged the call the office. I assumed as an intern, I'd be pulled. I was right. I covered for a third grade class...and boy did I have fun!! On Friday mornings, this third grade class has "Reading with Family and Friends". Parents stay to read with their child and sometimes other students read with them. I joined a group of students and we read and I SPY book. The teacher, who was running late, was running even later, so I started morning meeting. Because I wasn't familiar with the class, and earlier I noticed they had a list of meeting rules on the board, I asked if the students could tell me what their meeting rules were. They did a great job! And then, thankfully, the teacher has already posted the morning message on the while board, so I read it to the class. They had been reading the book, UP, and the class was asked a question the day before. We spent 15 minutes or so guessing the word for the definition they gave me (the word was inference), and I had a blast with the kids! (I had been with this class before, and didn't know what to do, so I took them to recess!) :)
I was having such a good time, that REM had to come find me and needed me back to cover for Chorus time. They day progressed from there, until REM received a phone call that her daughter in day care was running a fever and needed to be picked up. This was in the beginning of the integrated class' math lesson. Luckily, the student intern had already seen the fist lesson, so REM went and got her and she and I co-taught the lesson (although I mainly let her take over because it was two digit divisor division and I honestly didn't remember how to do it!). By the next class, I was good to go, which was good, because I was on my own! :) Using graph paper on the Smart Board, I modeled for the class how to do long division. I reminded them over and over how difficult this was and to give themselves time to figure it out. They were so attentive, and a few of the girls even gave me hugs. :)
Around 8:00 a.m. today, while I was defusing a sibling fight and building block castles, the principal announced there were many absences and if teachers had time in their day to help cover, they were encouraged the call the office. I assumed as an intern, I'd be pulled. I was right. I covered for a third grade class...and boy did I have fun!! On Friday mornings, this third grade class has "Reading with Family and Friends". Parents stay to read with their child and sometimes other students read with them. I joined a group of students and we read and I SPY book. The teacher, who was running late, was running even later, so I started morning meeting. Because I wasn't familiar with the class, and earlier I noticed they had a list of meeting rules on the board, I asked if the students could tell me what their meeting rules were. They did a great job! And then, thankfully, the teacher has already posted the morning message on the while board, so I read it to the class. They had been reading the book, UP, and the class was asked a question the day before. We spent 15 minutes or so guessing the word for the definition they gave me (the word was inference), and I had a blast with the kids! (I had been with this class before, and didn't know what to do, so I took them to recess!) :)
I was having such a good time, that REM had to come find me and needed me back to cover for Chorus time. They day progressed from there, until REM received a phone call that her daughter in day care was running a fever and needed to be picked up. This was in the beginning of the integrated class' math lesson. Luckily, the student intern had already seen the fist lesson, so REM went and got her and she and I co-taught the lesson (although I mainly let her take over because it was two digit divisor division and I honestly didn't remember how to do it!). By the next class, I was good to go, which was good, because I was on my own! :) Using graph paper on the Smart Board, I modeled for the class how to do long division. I reminded them over and over how difficult this was and to give themselves time to figure it out. They were so attentive, and a few of the girls even gave me hugs. :)
Friday, October 22, 2010
Observation #1: Two Birds, One Stone
Monday, October 18, 2020
Today I did a by-the-seat-of-my-pants Language Arts lesson. I thought I was co-teaching Text-to-Text connections with REM, who gave me the materials to preview on Friday, but she must have confidence in me (grin) because she handed me the overhead this morning and asked me to observe Sunshine teach the lesson so I could teach it to our class. That said....I LOVED it! I'm glad she did it this way and I'm happy to be in front of the class more. I had been feeling too much like an observer/teacher's helper, but this week, I was in front of the class a lot. :)
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Observation #1
The last week or so, REM and I have been going over the first day of Division, which we were planning for my first observation lesson. I also used this lesson for my curriculum class (two birds with one stone kind of thing). I was doing well with the lesson until Tuesday after school when I started to doubt everything. SPEM and I went to a professional development for writing and then stayed to prepare the class for the next few days. I had written the lesson plan and REM looked it over and thought it was great! So I was working on what I would say, and started over thinking it. SPEM had me walk her through the part of the lesson I was doubting, and she helped me with the language. I really do have a great team of mentor teachers!!
On Wednesday, I taught all three math classes, and the observation was in the third class, which I was really grateful for! :) REM helped me with parts of the first lesson, and then backed off for the second, but interjected when needed, and then was strictly a "helper" in the third (as was SPEM because I was being observed during my integrated class!) The kids were WONDERFUL! I know they were talked to, but they were soooo attentive and respectful.
This lesson (reminder to self: you have a revised lesson plan stored!) went really well for my observation. First, I introduced division, with a PowerPoint presentation on the Smart Board, by reviewing factors and factor pairs. I then had the class highlight vocabulary sheets as part of my accommodation of the lesson plan. To show me they were ready, I asked them to put their highlighters in the air, and wave them around like they really do care! :) I got a few smiles for that one. I walked them through the vocab on the ppt, asking them to highlight key terms. I then asked them to file the sheet in their math vocabulary section, close their binders, put the highlighters away, and store their binders under their chairs, and keep a pencil.
Next, we did a work sheet to show how division is separating a whole number into equal size groups. First I had them change the dividend so the problem worked out better, however I forgot to explain why I was doing it. One student, who loves to fight the system!, asked me why we changed the number. Clever girl...this showed me that I need to explain the small details sometimes, because they're thinking about them. :) We then drew out circles to represent the divisor, which tells you the number of groups, and then separated out our dividend equally among the groups. The next step was to demonstrate division as repeated subtraction, using the quotient we found with the drawing. Next, the students had to explain in words what they just did. (See filled in example sheet/student's work.) The first I modeled for them, asking them to follow along and do the same I was doing. I then set them to the task of completing the rest of the worksheet.
Part two of the division lesson, I invited the back three tables up to the Smart Board area to sit behind my mapped out spaces. I then modeled with base ten blocks how you divide using repeated subtraction to separate the dividend into equal size groups, using the divisor as your known number of groups. Then I asked for student help with one more problem (I have the problem written on construction paper) and together we further demonstrated division. I then dismissed them back to their seats to a worksheet using images/drawings of base ten blocks. REM and SPEM were also set at two stations in the room to help students, which many took up on the offer! Others went back to their seats, or worked in pairs with base ten blocks. I circulated the room, checking in with independent/pair workers. I then gave them a five minute warning to start the process of finishing up. I then ended the class by asking them to file their worksheets and to have cleaned-up table teams. To further the transition to dismissal, I asked SPEM if she would like to take "visions" for the day. :)
I then went and met with my college advisor to discuss the lesson. She started off by telling me it was a great lesson, and she liked how I have a strong, but inviting, teacher voice. She said I was well organized, and used the time well, giving the class a warning time to finish up. She asked me how I thought the lesson could go better, and said not that it didn't, but as a teacher reflection, was there anything I could improve upon. I told her that this was the third time I was teaching the lesson that day, and from the first to the second, I had already changed the order of worksheets. Before I did the powerpoint, then the base ten demonstration, then the base ten worksheet, and then the drawing and repeated subtraction. I felt it was working backwards a bit, and wanted the class to have to vocabulary and familiarity of repeated subtraction before doing the base ten blocks. It worked out much better this way.
I have a few things to modify in my lesson plan, but other than that...it went REALLY WELL!!! YEA!!!!
Today I did a by-the-seat-of-my-pants Language Arts lesson. I thought I was co-teaching Text-to-Text connections with REM, who gave me the materials to preview on Friday, but she must have confidence in me (grin) because she handed me the overhead this morning and asked me to observe Sunshine teach the lesson so I could teach it to our class. That said....I LOVED it! I'm glad she did it this way and I'm happy to be in front of the class more. I had been feeling too much like an observer/teacher's helper, but this week, I was in front of the class a lot. :)
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Observation #1
The last week or so, REM and I have been going over the first day of Division, which we were planning for my first observation lesson. I also used this lesson for my curriculum class (two birds with one stone kind of thing). I was doing well with the lesson until Tuesday after school when I started to doubt everything. SPEM and I went to a professional development for writing and then stayed to prepare the class for the next few days. I had written the lesson plan and REM looked it over and thought it was great! So I was working on what I would say, and started over thinking it. SPEM had me walk her through the part of the lesson I was doubting, and she helped me with the language. I really do have a great team of mentor teachers!!
On Wednesday, I taught all three math classes, and the observation was in the third class, which I was really grateful for! :) REM helped me with parts of the first lesson, and then backed off for the second, but interjected when needed, and then was strictly a "helper" in the third (as was SPEM because I was being observed during my integrated class!) The kids were WONDERFUL! I know they were talked to, but they were soooo attentive and respectful.
This lesson (reminder to self: you have a revised lesson plan stored!) went really well for my observation. First, I introduced division, with a PowerPoint presentation on the Smart Board, by reviewing factors and factor pairs. I then had the class highlight vocabulary sheets as part of my accommodation of the lesson plan. To show me they were ready, I asked them to put their highlighters in the air, and wave them around like they really do care! :) I got a few smiles for that one. I walked them through the vocab on the ppt, asking them to highlight key terms. I then asked them to file the sheet in their math vocabulary section, close their binders, put the highlighters away, and store their binders under their chairs, and keep a pencil.
Next, we did a work sheet to show how division is separating a whole number into equal size groups. First I had them change the dividend so the problem worked out better, however I forgot to explain why I was doing it. One student, who loves to fight the system!, asked me why we changed the number. Clever girl...this showed me that I need to explain the small details sometimes, because they're thinking about them. :) We then drew out circles to represent the divisor, which tells you the number of groups, and then separated out our dividend equally among the groups. The next step was to demonstrate division as repeated subtraction, using the quotient we found with the drawing. Next, the students had to explain in words what they just did. (See filled in example sheet/student's work.) The first I modeled for them, asking them to follow along and do the same I was doing. I then set them to the task of completing the rest of the worksheet.
Part two of the division lesson, I invited the back three tables up to the Smart Board area to sit behind my mapped out spaces. I then modeled with base ten blocks how you divide using repeated subtraction to separate the dividend into equal size groups, using the divisor as your known number of groups. Then I asked for student help with one more problem (I have the problem written on construction paper) and together we further demonstrated division. I then dismissed them back to their seats to a worksheet using images/drawings of base ten blocks. REM and SPEM were also set at two stations in the room to help students, which many took up on the offer! Others went back to their seats, or worked in pairs with base ten blocks. I circulated the room, checking in with independent/pair workers. I then gave them a five minute warning to start the process of finishing up. I then ended the class by asking them to file their worksheets and to have cleaned-up table teams. To further the transition to dismissal, I asked SPEM if she would like to take "visions" for the day. :)
I then went and met with my college advisor to discuss the lesson. She started off by telling me it was a great lesson, and she liked how I have a strong, but inviting, teacher voice. She said I was well organized, and used the time well, giving the class a warning time to finish up. She asked me how I thought the lesson could go better, and said not that it didn't, but as a teacher reflection, was there anything I could improve upon. I told her that this was the third time I was teaching the lesson that day, and from the first to the second, I had already changed the order of worksheets. Before I did the powerpoint, then the base ten demonstration, then the base ten worksheet, and then the drawing and repeated subtraction. I felt it was working backwards a bit, and wanted the class to have to vocabulary and familiarity of repeated subtraction before doing the base ten blocks. It worked out much better this way.
I have a few things to modify in my lesson plan, but other than that...it went REALLY WELL!!! YEA!!!!
Friday, October 15, 2010
There's a New Deputy in Town!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Today I taught a few math classes. I was only supposed to teach our homeroom, integrated class, but REM was out sick, so SPEM and I took over for the class. Today's lesson was two digit by one digit multiplication. The way REM teaches this is by Cowboy Math. So...there's a new deputy in town (the one digit) and he needs to lasso up the bandits out there. So he rounds up the ones column first, and if the product is two digits, then the puts the ones digit in jail (below the equal line), but uses the tens digit to help him find the rest of the bandits, so he goes above the tens of the two digit number with a plus sign in front of him. Then the deputy lassos the tens digit, and then adds his friend before putting him in jail. I wore a cowboy hat and used the lingo. The class loved it! (I was much better the second time, but SPEM helped me with our class, who I taught first.)
On top of that, today was the second TEAM TIME for the "all set" students. This week was grammar, and Sunshine asked me to make up a paragraph with grammatical and punctuation errors for them to correct. I took a passage from Harry Potter and the Scorcher's Stone and concentrated on object and subject pronouns as well as capitalization and punctuation. They had a blast correcting! It was so fun to walk around the room and see them concentrating and working well with friends to correct the passage. So today, we went over the mistakes on the overhead, with class participation. So fun!
Today I taught a few math classes. I was only supposed to teach our homeroom, integrated class, but REM was out sick, so SPEM and I took over for the class. Today's lesson was two digit by one digit multiplication. The way REM teaches this is by Cowboy Math. So...there's a new deputy in town (the one digit) and he needs to lasso up the bandits out there. So he rounds up the ones column first, and if the product is two digits, then the puts the ones digit in jail (below the equal line), but uses the tens digit to help him find the rest of the bandits, so he goes above the tens of the two digit number with a plus sign in front of him. Then the deputy lassos the tens digit, and then adds his friend before putting him in jail. I wore a cowboy hat and used the lingo. The class loved it! (I was much better the second time, but SPEM helped me with our class, who I taught first.)
On top of that, today was the second TEAM TIME for the "all set" students. This week was grammar, and Sunshine asked me to make up a paragraph with grammatical and punctuation errors for them to correct. I took a passage from Harry Potter and the Scorcher's Stone and concentrated on object and subject pronouns as well as capitalization and punctuation. They had a blast correcting! It was so fun to walk around the room and see them concentrating and working well with friends to correct the passage. So today, we went over the mistakes on the overhead, with class participation. So fun!
A week or two...
So much for writing every night. It's like buying a pretty journal and committing yourself to it, only to find it years later with a whole bunch of blank pages.
Here's what's been going on:
In Social Studies, they've been doing longitude and latitude, coloring world maps, and started talking about geography in relationship to climate.
In writing, the students are learning the divide and conquer method, practicing finding the main idea of a paragraph, highlighting, and note taking...all in preparation for their own research project.
The student teacher and I had to come up with a challenging math problem for the students who assessed as "all set". We came up with a bar graph comparing the amount of sugar and protein in a few cereals. (sheet in white binder)
After getting back from the World Equestrian Games, I put together a quick powerpoint to "share" with the class. The morning meeting was about how you listen and act when someone is sharing something with you. They loved the pictures, and I gave them a bit of history about Kentucky, including it's longitude and latitude. :) Two days later, we came back to the topic during morning meeting so the class could practice asking appropriate questions.
Here's what's been going on:
In Social Studies, they've been doing longitude and latitude, coloring world maps, and started talking about geography in relationship to climate.
In writing, the students are learning the divide and conquer method, practicing finding the main idea of a paragraph, highlighting, and note taking...all in preparation for their own research project.
The student teacher and I had to come up with a challenging math problem for the students who assessed as "all set". We came up with a bar graph comparing the amount of sugar and protein in a few cereals. (sheet in white binder)
After getting back from the World Equestrian Games, I put together a quick powerpoint to "share" with the class. The morning meeting was about how you listen and act when someone is sharing something with you. They loved the pictures, and I gave them a bit of history about Kentucky, including it's longitude and latitude. :) Two days later, we came back to the topic during morning meeting so the class could practice asking appropriate questions.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
What is your Philosophy?
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Today was a short Tuesday. It was a good day. In math we went over the "mean" of a data set. The kids were given "mean faces" on popsicle sticks they could hold up if they had a question. Then they had to gather their own data set by recording their reaction time for catching a dropped piece of paper with their forefinger and thumb. They had a lot of fun with that one, and will find the "mean" of their data later.
In grammar today, the lesson was on possessive nouns. The class seemed to struggle with this, all of them, not just the integrated kids. Some it was word order, some it was the placement of the apostrophe. In spelling, they were reprimanded for poor work, and had a lot to correct. Because they spent the whole lesson correcting and individuating speaking with Nod, they have to do their spelling lesson tomorrow in science...not fun, especially because they are into building their light circuits.
After the dismissal, we met a a team and went over the break up of the math groups according to their assessments. Tomorrow, the student teaching and I will have the "challenge" group and will give them challenging data to get their little brains thinking past what's been going on in class.
I also sat down with my teacher mentors to ask them their personal philosophies about teaching, school culture, and the curriculum. They had some really insightful things to say and were very passionate in their beliefs. More than ever I'm grateful to be working with such wonderful teachers.
Until tomorrow!
Today was a short Tuesday. It was a good day. In math we went over the "mean" of a data set. The kids were given "mean faces" on popsicle sticks they could hold up if they had a question. Then they had to gather their own data set by recording their reaction time for catching a dropped piece of paper with their forefinger and thumb. They had a lot of fun with that one, and will find the "mean" of their data later.
In grammar today, the lesson was on possessive nouns. The class seemed to struggle with this, all of them, not just the integrated kids. Some it was word order, some it was the placement of the apostrophe. In spelling, they were reprimanded for poor work, and had a lot to correct. Because they spent the whole lesson correcting and individuating speaking with Nod, they have to do their spelling lesson tomorrow in science...not fun, especially because they are into building their light circuits.
After the dismissal, we met a a team and went over the break up of the math groups according to their assessments. Tomorrow, the student teaching and I will have the "challenge" group and will give them challenging data to get their little brains thinking past what's been going on in class.
I also sat down with my teacher mentors to ask them their personal philosophies about teaching, school culture, and the curriculum. They had some really insightful things to say and were very passionate in their beliefs. More than ever I'm grateful to be working with such wonderful teachers.
Until tomorrow!
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