Today we did the lesson on lunch buddies which seems very similar to the lessons we have throughout the rest of the week because they cut out a piece of paper and wrote something kind on it. It's something that seems like we will reiterate again and again in the next few days. But Nicole and I decided that we won't switch the lessons too much because there is not much more to change it to because kindness is a very narrow topic. It also seems like the teachers (Nicole, Katie, Olivia and I) seemed to all stand up and talk above the kids, like we're towering over them. I'd like to split the kids up into 4 groups in the next few days so that all of the teachers get to lead and to reduce the students from feeling like they're talking up to us. But, it seems like our lessons revolve more around talking then actual hands on activities, which is why I feel like our lessons are very repetitive because we're only "talking" about kindness. So, I'm going to brainstorm ideas to make our lesson better! But, I was very impressed by Katie and Olivia's lesson because it was very active and involved unique ideas!
Day #1
Today we did the lesson on lunch buddies which seems very similar to the lessons we have throughout the rest of the week because they cut out a piece of paper and wrote something kind on it. It's something that seems like we will reiterate again and again in the next few days. But Nicole and I decided that we won't switch the lessons too much because there is not much more to change it to because kindness is a very narrow topic. It also seems like the teachers (Nicole, Katie, Olivia and I) seemed to all stand up and talk above the kids, like we're towering over them. I'd like to split the kids up into 4 groups in the next few days so that all of the teachers get to lead and to reduce the students from feeling like they're talking up to us. But, it seems like our lessons revolve more around talking then actual hands on activities, which is why I feel like our lessons are very repetitive because we're only "talking" about kindness. So, I'm going to brainstorm ideas to make our lesson better! But, I was very impressed by Katie and Olivia's lesson because it was very active and involved unique ideas!
0 Comments
Tuesday: We have a very important physics project coming up, and who knew that I would find ideas at Britton! The students are creating public service announcement projects on environmental safety. They can use iMovie, chatter box and pixie to create a project that shares the idea of environmental safety! Chatter pix is such a cool app that allows inanimate objects to speak, as the mouth moves, and the students voice over what they want the objects to say. It was a very unique and fun way to bring life to a video, and I learned so much about technology in only a few minutes. Mrs. Sutliff and Mrs. Hart are struggling to help one of the students who I talk about quite frequently. He struggles with some ADHD, but he doesn't receive the adequate support from the school that he needs, as Mrs. Hart is legally not allowed to help him, which is really challenging for Mrs. Sutliff because she can't teach if he is constantly distracting the class, as he makes noises and ignores teacher instruction. I sat with him for a little bit and he hid his head in his arms while I talked to him. But, I think I helped him a little bit because I talked about how he could be Lebron James someday! It was Just an interesting idea that I could build off of as a teacher! Wednesday: It seemed to slip my mind that third graders have crushes! And, it's especially funny that as soon as one student leaves the room, the other student will go tell the "crush" that the other person likes him/her. I didn't even realize they were old enough to have crushes, but I guess I had a crush on someone in third grade too! But, I have noticed that a lot of the students are very unorganized so I suggested to Mrs. Sutliff that I would lead an organization workshop to help the students keep their papers for one subject all in one place. I have seen many teacher tips about staying organized as a teacher, but I think it's also just as important to encourage students to use organization skills so they can learn with the resources they need and they can be prepared for the future where organization will be key. As always, I still love Mrs. Sutliff's class, but we are doing some of the same things everyday, so I'm not learning as much as I could in another class. I'm thinking that next week at Avery if I find a kindergarten or first grade teacher who I really like I could start observing there! Thursday: It might be a little difficult to sum up everything I experienced today! First as soon as I walked up the stairs, I saw some of my students arguing over an iPad, and that just started it all. The student who was the root of the issue has tended to be an issue for a few weeks now, as he needs a lot more help to realize that he is not always correct and that he can't sass people left and right. He tends to act like other people are "stupid" for not doing exactly as he does. It makes me feel stupid sometimes when I didn't even do anything, so he needs a lot of help, so the next few weeks my challenge is to help him improve. During the project time the students are getting, two students, one who is officially one of Mrs. Hart's students and the other who I mentioned earlier this week, are working on a wonderful idea, but they can't seem to cooperate together, as they have been so focused on behaviors that they haven't had time to focus on improving collaboration skills. Suddenly, project time was ending and a lock down drill was starting. We sat in "silence" for fifteen minutes, but some students really struggled with that, so the teachers in the room constantly had to silence the students. Some of the students started to get really scared. But, fortunately, the lock down ended and two students who were in the bathroom and went to the closest classroom were reunited with Mrs. Sutliff's class. Mrs. Sutliff announced that the students should go sit on the carpet, but one of the students was crying in the doorway, so Mrs. Sutliff immediately began to deal with her sadness, and I quickly jumped in to play the game "guess the number!" With the class, it was a quick game to keep the students quiet and calm. It was an idea that I can use as a teacher. Afterwards, the students took a pre-test, and it was challenging! There were objectives that I hadn't learned until I was in 6th grade. I was asked to read the test to some students, but Mrs. Hart's student that I mentioned above was really really struggling. So, I took him out in the hallway and read the questions to him and immediately it started to make sense for him. It was great that I could see him really do well with my help! It reminded me of why I love teaching :) Finally, Mrs. Sutliff told me about why the student was crying, and it was because her father died of cancer when she was in kindergarten, and this time of year is really challenging for her. It's very sad to see an 8 year old without a dad, and it's heart breaking to know that she's struggling, but she is very fortunate to have a great support system, which is why it's important to have teachers to give students the love they need! What a short week! My observations started and ended with one day! A student from Ashland University started observing in Mrs. Sutliff's class and she will be with us for the next 3 weeks, so it was very exciting to get to know her! During observations today, I helped with some math games and their app ST Math. Some students work out in the hall, while others remain in the classroom. So, I went inside to check on the students and when I came back out, one of the students was pushing one of the behavior students' buttons, saying that this child had said a bad word and that he was planning on telling on this behavior child. Then, this behavior child was covered in tears. Fortunately, because he is on an IEP, he could go talk to Mrs. Hart, which made him feel much better! So, I went with him, and it was so hard not to tell her about the book I've been working on to dedicate for her class! But, I caught my tongue so it is still a surprise! As soon as it's complete, I am going to bring it to her class and read it to her students!
When the student and I came back to the classroom, it was time for silent reading, so I got a chance to talk with Mrs. Surliff, and I am so surprised to hear that her first degree was in acoustic guitar! The journey from performing to teaching is quite the ride, but those experiences were likely to have given her the true knowledge of life which gives her the opportunity to truly be the best teacher, as she can truly inspire students to follow their dreams and accept all different kinds of people. Oh before I forget, when I came into the classroom, she was showing the students her old grade card from third grade. I was very confused as why she was showing them this, but then I noticed how some of the ideas didn't make sense to her when she was in third grade, and this showed the students that they didn't need to be great at everything to succeed! It was a great lesson that truly gives the children a new appreciation for life! Tuesday:
Today when I came in, the students were taking the dreaded SMI. How boring! Not only was it boring, but the students were also really struggling with the concepts, so Mrs. Sutliff had me walk around and note the questions that were testing the students. They were not even close to third grade level! There were many questions that 6th graders wouldn't have been able to answer, but I felt like a teacher as I walked around and observed the students and noted the concepts that the students had the most difficulty with. It was also a great insight to the data that I will keep on the students, but it also failed to show the importance of standardized testing, as it doesn't give the teachers direct feedback and doesn't correlate with the common core. Unfortunately, Mrs. Sutliff lost her voice, but in order to conserve it, she let me teach a part of the lesson! We created a schedule for their special read in write in day, and I tested their homophone skills between right and write in the words "read in write in," and practicing their telling time skills, as I stated "If we started at 9:00 and read for 30 minutes what time will it be after we're done?" Thus, we intertwined their telling time knowledge into something simple that shows the practical application in life. It was fun to give the students the responsibility to make their own schedule because you could tell they felt very special. All of the students were behaving so polite except for one student, whose struggling with the medicine he is taking. Mrs. Sutliff caught him lying on his desk because he couldn't control his behaviors because of his ADHD. It is sad seeing a child like that, but it is great to see a team of people who came in to help him! Wednesday: Today I showed up for observations, and I couldn't find my class! All of the students' materials were sitting there, but the students were no where to be found! I walked around the building a couple of times, and finally found them in the library learning about energy conservation! How cool! It was a great lesson to help the students really grasp the concept of environmental sustainability and the effects that their energy conservation has on the world. Later, they went back to the classroom and heard from one of the student's mothers about her journey from citizenship in Canada to become an American citizen. It was very unique to hear about the difficult journey that she had to endure to get to this point. So, I can't even imagine the much more difficult journeys that people of a foreign country must endure because of their lack of English skills. Thursday: Love, pajamas, reading writing and Valentine's all in one day! I'm not sure if there is anything better than that! The kids were so excited, and so was I! We all decorated valentines boxes for a special category and the class voted on the best one in each category, and let me tell you there were some very creative boxes! I was so impressed, they made my minion box look pretty lame. But, it was evident that the day was very hectic for Mrs. Sutliff because the students were all hyped up on sugar and when it was time to clean up, the students were too excited about their treats to actually clean their things up. Once the students were out the door, I stayed to help Mrs. Sutliff clean up, and I really enjoyed that because it was the first time I really got to have a conversation with her because normally when I am in her classroom she is always teaching, so we don't get a lot of time to talk, but it definitely helped me get to know her and to relate to some of her interests! All in all the students had tons of fun, and I LOVE all their smiling faces. Happy Valentine's Day!! :) Tuesday:
It was wonderful to be back in Mrs. Sutliff's class again, and it's crazy to know how much the students have changed since I left them 3 weeks ago. One of the struggling students who was in the process of being tested for ADD Is doing much much better! The whole three weeks she has improved so much! She is much happier, calmer and mature. Another student was diagnosed with a behavior disorder and is receiving the help he needs, so he has grown so much stronger. But, another student had his medicine switched, and now his ADHD is off the charts, which is very concerning. Another student, who has such a sweet heart, was removed from his mother's home. This has caused quite the obstacle for him as he has transitioned to live with his aunt and uncle, but it is very evident that this is taking a toll on him, as his hair is slicked back and his outfit transformed from sports shirts and jeans to "rockstar" clothes. That doesn't describe him. While the students were taking a spelling test, the students fell really far behind the other students. He knew the information, but he wasn't focused because of the difficult things going on at home. It's amazing to hear all the different stories that students endure at home and how some are happy, but some are heart breaking. Thursday: Each students' individual story is enough to change the world. Their pasts transform them into beautiful children who have so much to offer this world. One student who was born in Iraq, but is headed back to the country on March 18th, which is very soon! I can see it in her eyes that she is terrified, and if I was in her position I would feel the same way. There is so much terror that occurs there, and the transition from the culture here, where she has lived her whole life, to Iraq, would be quite the challenging obstacle. Fortunately, she has tons of family in Iraq, so she will at least feel a tad comfortable, but she has never met them (that she can remember). And she's going to meet her older sister for the first time! And that is so exciting! But, it is scary to know that this is where she's headed, and I am very surprised to hear about this because most people don't transition from the U.S. To Iraq during a scary time like this. I am hoping that her family was on a green card and that has expired, rather than a family emergency. On a more positive note, the students are having a wonderful time utilizing fun math games to help them learn multiplication! One game is like bingo with multiplication and the other is a little difficult to explain, but it is a number line game. These ideas are helping the students strive in the classroom!! Last week was the great kindness challenge, and I loved it! Last year, I had TGIF every other week, so I taught my own lesson every other week which I loved! This year, because I have been observing, I haven't had the chance to teach my own lessons. But, this program gave me the opportunity to teach my own lessons once again. It was wonderful to give my own personal piece of creativity back in the lessons with our special songs and ideas. Working at J.W. Reason gave me wonderful insight on classroom organization, as many of the teachers hung up student work on clotheslines! Very cute! Most of the classrooms also organized a cozy area to reward the students.
My experience within the classroom was wonderful! Friday engaged the students and was a great kick off to a fantastic week of kindness. Monday, Nicole and I were grouped with two of the first year seniors for the first lesson, and they wanted to use the PowerPoint, which was a struggle for us because we wanted to inspire the students with something fun.Tuesday was a great all around lesson, but we took too long on the lesson, I need to work on making the lessons more concise. Wednesday was just the second year seniors and I had a blast leading my own class of kindergartners and first graders, especially about compliments because I felt that it had a major impact on the students' kindness characteristics because it demonstrated how to be kind to others not just what the definition of kindness is. I think I want to teach Kindergarten! Thursday's lesson was too similar to Tuesday's, so the students were bored and were starting to show signs of exhaustion about kindness. The idea was spectacular, but it closely mimicked what the students had already completed, so it appeared to be busy work. Friday was a refreshing perspective on kindness because it discussed a compliment of ourselves and proved that we can be kind to EVERYONE! I had tons of fun this week, and this idea was executed very successfully, and it even reminded me to constantly portray kindness. |
The Map of the Learning WorldAlong with me as your tour guide, you'll also find I've added my daily journal entries, or blogs, to help guide you through the learning world. Feel free to check them out! Archives
May 2016
Categories |