Reflection #27

My second to last week at SLE. This week was bitter sweet. I enjoy the time that I have with the students however each day I realize it is slowly coming to a close. As of now I just have to think of the times I have left with the students and enjoy it.

Credit to @Roselyn Vazquez

As I walk in on the first day the students all tell me that I only have SIX day left with them!! They are counting my days too! Ms. C told me that they counted yesterday and everyone was very upset that I would be leaving. Other then that little incident the morning went as normal. After the students put their backpacks away and get a chair they begin on the morning warm up. The warm ups are still engaging the students imagination. I have noticed that the students who struggled with this previously are now getting the hang of it and can use their imagination to come up with stories. The students have also really improved with adding details to their stories. They used to only write about 1-2 sentences and now they are writing 4 or more. Another thing they have improved greatly at is spelling. I am impressed at all the improvements that I see all around the classroom in each individual student. After morning warm up is done and checked they moved on to reading their chapter book, "The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary" The fable of the day was "Mercury and the Woodsman" the moral was "honesty is the best policy". After reading both the fable and a chapter from the book Ms. C transitioned to working on poems. She passed out their poem books and began telling the class what poem they would be working on. Diamante. Some kids knew what it was others didn't. She wrote down the rules and examples of a diamante poem. Next the students would try it on their own.

The next day was similar to the first. The only difference was that we worked on our poems first then we read about the fable. After the morning work was finished and checked Ms. C explained what we would be doing today. The class was still sitting on the carpet so that made it a little easier to talk to them and pas things out. Ms. C told the class that everyone would be getting ONE piece of paper. On that paper they would be writing their diamante poem that they wrote yesterday. After they copied it down 2 classmates had to check it for spelling, after 2 classmates checked it Ms. C or myself had to check it one more time for spelling. Once it was 100% perfect they could draw on it and color it how ever they wanted. The students had freedom to do what ever they wanted to do with this paper. Everyone was working so hard on their poems I was very proud! We worked on the poems for about an hour then we had to move on. Next the class read the fable and a chapter from the chapter book.

On the last day I was in the class the students were working on an essay. I had never seen them work on something like this before so this was new to me. The class had began this yesterday and continued it today. The essay was about why it is important to learn about culture. Ms. C choose three stories that they had read before, next they had to decide on a topic for each of the stories. For example. The story Jalapeno Bagels, the topic would be food. The had to pick a topic for all three stories. The great thing that I saw was that all the students made a graphic organizer. The had the three stories at the top, and underneath they had their topic, and four bullet points with evidence from the stories. The class worked on their essays for about an hour an a half. Ms. C called everyone to the carpet and called a few names for people to share their essays. Some people were just starting others were almost ready for a final copy. I was proud of all the work and effort they had put into their essays.

Reflection #26

On the first day I was in the classroom this week, was a great day. The students behavior on this day was amazing. As I entered the classroom I noticed the students good behavior. They were getting their chairs, putting backpacks away, and starting on their morning work. In the past few mornings Ms. C has had to remind students what to do in the morning. Or she has had to interfere with students arguments. On this day there was no feuding or disputes between students. The morning activity was for the students to write a paragraph explaining, if they were an animal what animal would they be and what would they do? On students came up with that they would be a 'Blue Fla-Jay' (A mix between a flamingo and a blue jay). Another student said she would be a Foxtapus (a fox and octopus). The things they come up with is so interesting and seeing students use their imagination and having fun in school really warms my heart. After they finished with morning work they worked on poems. Today's poem was a haiku. The class struggled with this kind of poem at first but after Ms. C explained it well and showed many exampled the class got it. They wrote their poems in the Poem Book. I was very impressed with how well they wrote their poems.

On the second day Ms. C was out. There was a substitute filling in for her on this day. The sub was Ms. E. Ms. E was really nice and worked well with the students but she was very slow. At times I wanted to take over! But I realized I just had to deal with it and let it be. In the morning things continued as somewhat normal. A few things were different of course, it took the class forever to settle down and get ready for class. There was also a lot of arguments among the students. After things settled down the students began their morning warm up. Ms. E was going to move on to the next activity (when normally they review the warm ups) so of course, everyone yelled out at once. She settled the class down and K told he they normally review the morning work, so she id and THEN moved on. The next activity was a reading packet. They did the first one together and the next one on their own. By that time it was almost time for FAIR testing. Ms. E explained to the class what they would be doing and where they would be going. Then the class went to the computer lab. FAIR test are always a big hassle for us, test don't log in, head phones don't work etc. Today it was the head phones issue. At least 4 students couldn't take their test because of headphone issues.

Credit to Amazon

The last day I was in the classroom was pretty average. Ms. C was back so that was nice. Like always the class began the same. Bathroom, drinks, pencils, filers, FASST Math, and morning warm up. Once everyone was finished with the morning warm up Ms. C called them all to the carpet, she reviewed themorning work and then sent the people who didnt finish FAIR testing to finsih it. The just worked on the computers in the classroom. As they worked on it the class read poems from 'A Light In The Attiic' Once all the students finished with the test Ms. C began on with poems. The poem for that day was a limerick. When Ms. C read the definition of a limerick the students looked at her as if she was crazy. It took them a couple minutes to understand it. The had to reread the definition and read MANY examples before they really understood. The students really love learning and writing poems. I think that is another great thing that helps with their imagination.

Reflection #25

Credit to OffBeatBride

The first day I was in SLE was normal. I was a very average morning. The students got in to the classroom and unpacked their backpacks. Then they went to their desk and got a chair.There was no morning work for the students to do so they just sat at their desk and waited for Ms. C to begin class. Ms. C called the students to the carpet. Ms. C has a 'cup' that she fills with different things (paper clips, beans etc) and each month the students try to guess the amount that is in the cup. If the guess the closest then they win a gift card. This month there were beans in the cup. With the class on the carpet she began counting the beans. There were over 400 beans!! Next we looked at the guesses that people had put in. The highest bid was  only 240.  After she finished with that she told the students what centers they would be doing and let them do get started with it.

 The second day was a little more interesting.The students came in the students came in the classroom like normal and put their backpacks away. They then saw if their was a morning warm up to do and began working on it. The warm ups this week weren't very hard they just required the students to think and use their imagination. The students had to write a short story/paragraph. The prompt on the first day was "If you were an alien, what would you look like and what would you do?" Some students did really well with this assignment, they have a great imagination and can write up an entire story off the top of their heads. K wrote almost an entire page and wanted to write more!! Other students had a really hard time with this activity. They just didn't know what to write without being told exactly what to do. I seems like kids are losing their imagination, they cant think for themselves. Students have a easier time with expository or persuasive papers then narrative. Kids should be able to come up with a story and they cant, I think that is sad and needs to change. Doing activities like this could help expand students imagination.

The third day was a pretty abnormal day. First they started with the morning warm up. It was another prompt. For this one they had to choose two animals create a conversation between the two animals. Again most students did really well with this. However some students really struggled with it. K tried for a bit, but he just would not even write anything down, maybe he didn't understand it or maybe he just could think of anything. I tried to help him but even after my help he still had nothing written down. After morning work and since it is a new month the students do their 'monthly cleaning' they take everything out of their desk and organize it. They also clean the tops of it with a disinfectant napkin. The class also gets new seats on the carpet and in the desk. The class had spelt out COURAGE from last month so they would get a reward this month. The reward they got was 'free time' for 30 mins. Ms. C gave the class popcorn, pencils and let them play games, arts and crafts or just relax. She played music and just let the kids play and relax. It was a nice time and very nice to see the students out of their 'work' environment. 

Reflection #24

This week at SLE the students had their last day of FCAT. They returned to school that Monday and started FCAT Math, then on Tuesday (the day I am there) They did FCAT Math again. this was their last day of FCAT for the year. After the usual warm up activity that was what the rest of the class time consisted of. The next day things were back to normal. The students came in and their desk were back in groups! It was a sign that FCAT was over. There was a look of relief on the students faces, some even though there was another day of FCAT. After the students had settled down and but their backpacks away and got chairs for their desk they had a seat and waited for Ms. C to tell them what to do. There was no warm up activity for them so they had nothing to do but sit at their desk, this caused some problems. The students started to walk around, talk and become disruptive. I think Ms. C should have had something for them to do, even if it was just for them to read or to draw, anything to keep them busy and out of trouble. 

A few minutes had past and Ms. C called all the students to the carpet. She decided the kids needed a 'Brain Break' all the teachers have started using a program (gonoodle.com) for their brain breaks. a brain break is when the students are working really hard and you think they deserve a reward and want to do something fun in the classroom, or if the class is really rambunctious and you think they need to get some extra energy out. Ms. C used the brain break because the class was very wild and out of hand and had a lot of energy to get rid of. The activities they have on gonoodle are exercise type activities. After they finished with the brain break the students seem much more ready to learn and less antsy while sitting on the carpet. Next the class read the "Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School" 

https://www.gonoodle.com/

The next day things were the same as before but with more well behaved students. Morning activity went as normal and then they read the book. I normally leave in the middle of their readings. In each chapter there is a fable or a moral that goes with the chapter. The book is really good and the students enjoy it a lot, it has a very good meaning and I think that even the students understand it too. 

Reflection #23

Credit to Nathan Grosshandler 

This week at the elementary school things were a bit different. This week was FCAT week. The first day I was in the class the students started their day like normal. With a morning warm up and some worked on the computers. After that was done Ms. C went over the FCAT PowerPoint again. This PowerPoint has information about what to do and what not to do during the test. For example the students could not ask questions or look at another students test booklet during the test. The PowerPoint also reminded students how to properly fill in their bubbles on the answer sheet. The students had the hardest time with the grids. A lot of students took a long time understanding how to properly fill in the grid. After they finished with the PowerPoint Ms. C handed back test. The test were similar to practice FCAT test. She told the students that this was the last time they would be doing this this year, everyone was ecstatic to hear that. The class went over the test together like they always did. They continued to review the test until I left for the day.

The next day I could not make it to SLE. I missed my students first day of FCAT but thats okay Im sure they all did great with or without me there.

The last day of the week that I was at SLE was another FCAT day. The last day for reading FCAT. We did not start testing until about 30 mins after class started. So the morning routine went on as usual until time for testing. Then about half the class left! Only 8 or 9 students were left in the classroom. The other students were sent to other classes and with other teachers. After testing began I just read a book and sat quietly at a desk until it was my time to.leave. The students behaved very well during the FCAT and I am proud of them for that. I hope they continue with good behavior for he rest of the test.

Reflection #22

Credit to Wikipedia

The first day that I was in the classroom everything was running smoothly. The students were well behaved, the computers were working etc. The whole time I was in the classroom the class acted this way. After the morning work the students and teacher went on to centers. Ms. C decided to make a change to centers and have the students do two science centers now and one more later on during science. She said they never really had enough time to complete all the centers so it was better to do it that way. The centers they did that day were, star constellation (making star constellation out of marshmallows) Sun (Read the book about the sun and answer questions) DE (Discovery education, watch videos) and Scavenger Hunt (find the answer to a question). The next day they would complete their last center. After the two centers were over everybody cleaned up their area and had a seat on the carpet. Ms. C was about to introduce a new story to them. "The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School" That was the name of the book they would be reading. and for every chapter they read there was a 'moral' or a lesson to be learned. Each lesson went along with an Aesop Fable. When Ms. C began the first chapter she read it and then read the Fable. So the students could understand the story and the lesson more. I suggested to her that maybe she should read the fable first and have the students predict what will happen in the story based on the fable. In the next chapter she did this and the predictions the students came up with were priceless. 


The next day the same things happened as the day before, the students started their day with a morning warm  up. Next they went to science centers. They only had to do one center today. After that center they read one chapter in the book. 

The last day of the week that I was in the classroom was an abnormal day. All the teachers were in a teacher meeting so the students had to wait in the hallway for their teacher to take the to the class. I walk into the hallway.. I wanted to say good morning to my class but I got shushed immediately as I walked in. The teacher that supervises the hallway in the morning is not very nice and never lets the students talk very much anyway, but to have all the students sit in complete silence I thought that was a little extreme. When the teacher finally came Ms. C asked me if they were behaving well in the hallway. They were but I wanted to know why, so I asked. Apparently R and D were bullying another boy from another class. 

This whole day was filled with drama about who said what and when. The students were not very well behaved today, Especially K, the new students, she was asked to mover her clip down 2 or 3 times just in the time that I was there. I hope that that isn't a sign of how she will act for the rest of the year. 

Reflection #21

I walk in Ms. C's classroom on the first day this week and I can almost see the frustration on her face. She tells me good morning and smiles just like every day. I start my day there like normal just by greeting everyone and walking around the class seeing what everyone is doing. I notice that nobody seems to be doing anything. Ms. C comes up to me and tells me her computer is broken, again. Ms. C's computer has been broken multiple times just in the past month. It is very frustrating for her as a teacher. All of her lessons are on computer so when it doesn't work it make sit hard to work through out the day. Ms. C and I figured out that she could take a picture of the centers from her phone and then show it on the document camera. We did this and it worked just as good. The students went about with centers and continued their day like normal. The centers they did were the same like they were used to but because it was the first day back after Spring Break. One center was sort of hard for the students. They normally do an acrostic poem using words from the story they read but since they hadn't read the story yet they were a bit confused about the words, their meaning and what to write the poem about.  All the other centers were things they had done before and the students were used to it.

After the students had finished with their centers there was some extra time. Ms. C told the class that they could play around the world. I didn't know what this game was but I was ready to learn! All the students stood up. Ms. C got out the multiplication flash cards. she went row by row and quizzed each students on their multiplication. Each student got one question, if you got it wrong you stay standing, if you get it wrong or don't answer in time then you have to sit down. All the students did very well. P did especially well. P is the ELL student that we have in our class. She plays with the multiplication flash cards a lot and always has her homework done so I believe that is why she did so well.

Credit to Jason Major @Flickr

The second day that I was in the classroom and also the second day that the students were back in school went a lot better. The computer was working again and the students were very well behaved. Ms. C told her class that since they didn't finish their science lesson yesterday they would be doing that first thing today. The lesson was about the sun. The class read a book about the sun together and then they had to find one interesting fact about the sun. Next they would write it on a sticky note to show Ms. C and make sure everything was correct (the fact, spelling, capitalization etc.) After they got it checked they could write it on a yellow strip of paper. After they wrote on the paper they could outline the words with markers or crayons. The strips of paper would be going on a bulletin board. The bulletin board said "Betcha didn't know these facts about the sun!" and it also had a "sun" made out of construction paper"

The third day was a surprising day for Ms. C and I. First of all her computer was broken again. It had just been "fixed" the day before, they gave her a new hard drive and said that everything was good. But apparently not. It is very frustrating not being able to have a working, reliable computer. The students were about to start work on their cenetrs when the next surprise arrived. A new student!! Ms. C opened the door and K was standing at the door with her sister and her dad. She walked in the class introduced herself and sat down. She joined one of the groups for centers and did most of them with them. The rest of the class continued cenetrs like normal. I am interedted to see how K adjust to school here. She also says that she took the PSSA (FCAT but for Pennsylvania), if she passed that I wonder if she will also have to take the FCAT.

Reflection #20

The first day I was at the elementary school was an average day with one acception. In the morning Ms. C was going to be on the morning news, so the class had to sit in another classroom until she returned. We went to Ms. W's classroom. I am glad that I was in the classroom to help Ms. W out. I could not imagine trying to handle two classes at one time. Ms. C's class was a little rambunctious. They were supposed to be sitting on the carpet reading a book silently, yet most of them were sitting there talking. Ms. W's class was well behaved. One thing that surprised me was that when the morning news came on the class didn't quiet down and Ms. W didn't ask them to quite down either.  I would have my class sit quietly and listen to the morning news, that is when all the important upcoming events are said, like McDonald's night, tee shirt day, jeans day etc. After the news was over Ms. C came back and things went as normal. The students from the other class came into our class and then we began centers. One students was putting in minimal effort on this day. O seemed like he wasn't even trying in ALL of the centers. O is an ELL student, however shouldn't excuse him from not even trying to his work. 

The nest day the things were the same as the day before. After the extra students left Ms. C's classroom and all of our students returned the students had earned a reward that they wanted to redeem. The reward was for spelling the word FAIRNESS. Each class is trying to spell this word. The was you can spell it is by earning 'soar card chips'. For every three chips your earn your get to add a letter. Everyone has the whole month to spell the word. Ms. C's class spelled it early so they got their reward early. The reward was an extra 20 minutes of recess. At 9:45 the class, Ms. C and I all headed to the play ground, ready to play and have fun! Then we saw the sign... "Play ground closed until 3/27". Apparently they school was painting the playground and it would be closed until said date. And the other playground had kindergartners playing on it so we didn't want to mess with them. The other choice we had was to have indoor recess. The students weren't too happy about that. I felt bad for the kids. They were so excited on their way out and then coming back  in they were gloomy and had long faces. I wasn't able to stay fro their indoor recess but I'm sure they enjoyed it, it was probably better then doing classwork!

The last day I was at the elementary school for the week was a very special day for me. I was able to teach a lesson to the students again! But first in the morning it was the same routine as the other days, the c;ass had to go to Ms. W's class in the morning and then when they returned we read a book. Ms. C also quizzed the students using brain teaser questions. When it was finally time for me to teach I was pretty nervous. I know that the kids aren't going to judge me, I guess its just my natural stage fright coming out. After I started my lesson the jitters went away. I was feeling confident in myself and happy with how it was going. I was also impressed by the student interaction during the lesson. Over all I am very happy with how my lesson went. I feel accomplished and and I am looking forward to being able to teach a lesson again. 

Reflection #19

This week during my experience at the elementary school started off pretty boring. The first day was student benchmark testing day for 3rd grade. The students had to take their 3rd quarter benchmark test for reading and writing. Last time they took the test the students did fairly poor on it. However the work that they do in the morning is specifically geared towards the benchmark test and FCAT. After the last test the students and teacher made a data chat chart. This chart showed their weaknesses and their strengths. Since Ms. C knew what the students needed to work on that is what she focused on. All the morning work was focused on the topic areas that required the most work. I really liked the idea of the data chat chart however I would not call them 'weaknesses' I would maybe call them 'focus points'. 

The second day was more eventful. The students were able to work in centers! The class started the day like most days, morning work, FASTT math, and then centers. The students from the other class are still coming into our classroom and our students are leaving our class and going to another class to practice for portfolio testing. 

I noticed that D wasn't in class for two days. I asked Ms. C were he was. She told me that her, D, all the administration and D's parents had a meeting together. After their meeting it was decided that D would be moved to an EBD classroom. Everyone in the meeting thought that it was for the best interest in D for him to be in that classroom. He will get more one on one attention and that is really what he needs. It was not fair for D to not be getting the attention he really needs. 

On the third and final day that I was in the classroom I got to teach the students!! I had a lesson plan and activity for the students to do having to do with idioms. First thing in the morning the students did their normal morning routine. After they reviewed and came up with the right answer Ms. C gave me the reigns and let me take over in teaching the class. I began teaching by asking the students if they knew what idioms were. The class went completely quiet. At that point my nerves were taking over and I started to feel butterflies in my stomach. I decided to change my question and asked students if they have heard of some idioms before. I showed them the idiom activity card. Some students raised their hands and said they have heard that before. Next I started to ask students to tell me what they thought the idioms meant. Some of the things they thought were hilarious! Other times I was pleasantly surprised by which ones they did know! I wrote all the idioms that we talked about on the board and the meaning for them. When we had almost 20 idioms on the board I told the students what we would be doing next. DRAWING! The students love drawing! They enjoyed being able to have fun and draw. 

Credit to Iowa Digital Library 

After most students were done drawing Ms. C was going to read them all a book. P ask if I could read it so of course I did. It was kind of a tongue twister of a story but I manged to make it through. 

I feel a lot better about teaching my real lesson for the class. This practice lesson has made me a lot more comfortable with the classroom and how I would control it if it was my own. I hope that my next lesson goes as well as this one did! 

Reflection #18

What an interesting week I had! First of all the computers did not work almost all week, again. In the morning the students use the computers to work on FASTT math. The internet wasn't working so that   was a major problem. Later on in the day we needed the computers for centers. They use the computers for a reading activity where they learn new vocabulary. Not havi8n the computers working was the first of the problems. We also didn't have any books for their centers. The students need a non-fiction book for "3-2-1 non-fiction" This is an activity where students have to write down three interesting things they read, two new facts they learned and one question they still have about the subject. Another activity they need books for is making a comic strip. The students are to choose a fiction book and then pick out the six most important parts of the book. Then create a comic strip using the story line of the fiction book they read.

Credit to Wikipedia

So not having the computers and not having books was a problem but Ms. C was prepare. She moved right along with the morning and had the students come wit on the carpet and they read a story together. It was the next story that they would be reading in the class. It was called "Suki's Kimono" We still had the extra students in the classroom, they had already read this story. A few of the students from the other class did not behave very well during this day. They were very disruptive and Ms. C had to move one of the students and talk to another one multiple times. After we finished reading the story we had extra time before our students came back. Ms. C asked me if I would like to read to the class. Since it is Read Across America Week I decided to read a Dr. Seuss book. I read the book "I Saw It On Mulberry Street" As soon as Ms. C asked me to read the students were so excited. I was picking out a book and they were all smiling and moving around on the carpet. It makes me happy to see the students excited for me to teach. It calms my nerves a little more for when I actually get to teach my lesson.

The computers still were not working on the second day that I was in the classroom. All students had to work on the morning warm up since there was nothing else to do. After the class finished the warm up and went over what was the right answer the portfolio kid left and the other students came into the classroom. Next we went over test grades. Ms. C handed back test to each student and to the extra students she gave them the test of the students who were not in the classroom at the moment.

The last day the computers finally were working!! It was a joyous moment for Ms. C, the students and I. The students could finally work on FASTT math. Also the students got a new center, it was one that helps with vocabulary. The students had sets of cards and were to match the vocabulary work with the definition of the word. Ms. C also decided to use Zoo Books for the 3-2-1 non-fiction reading activity. With the computers working, the new centers and the Zoo Books we could now work in centers. The other centers that the students work on are acrostic poems and writing a paragraph using two words from the word wall.

On that day Ms. C and I talked about C and D. Both of these students have problems focusing in class. C however has been put on ADHD medicine. He has only been on it for about 2 weeks but it has made a tremendous difference in his behavior. He has gone from out of control bouncing off the walls and very disruptive, to a very calm and pleasant student to have in class. Also D has major behavior problems in class. He acts silly and very disruptive. His parents have not put him on any medication, D is autistic. Ms. C said that there is going to be an emergency meeting with D's parents to see if he can be put in an E
BD class.

Reflection #17

In class we were learning about lesson plans. We used a specific template and made our own lesson plan. it included the learning goal, materials needed and also adaptations for special needs. The lesson I learn in class is helpful to what I learn at the elementary school because I will be teaching a lesson to the children there soon. The students in the classroom ask  me almost every day "When are YOU going to teach us?!?" I shared my lesson plan with Ms. C. My lesson was about equivalent fractions.Ms. C liked my lesson and the template. I am never in the classroom for math so this obviously wasn't the lesson that I wanted to teach. 

Credit to Ms. C

The warm up for the morning was fact or opinion questions. the students were given 20 statements and had to tell if they were fact or opinions. They have been working on this for a long time so it should have been pretty simple for the students. Ms. C told me that all the warm ups they do in the morning are to help prepare them for the FCAT. Every single thing they review is supposedly on the FCAT. After the morning work was done the students went to the carpet to go over their answers. At that time a few students had to go for portfolio testing as well as a few students came into Ms. C's class for centers. A new center was added on this day. It was a special center for me. It was to help me finish my bulletin board. The students were given a piece of paper and had to write a correct sentence focusing on one of the three check for three areas. Most students did really well with it. A few students came up with some very original sentences! Some students struggled a little with it a first but with a little guidance and help from friends they got the hang of it. One mistake I noticed a lot of students make is not putting a capitalization at the beginning of a sentence. I hope that the bulletin board will serve as a reminder to all students and help them remember to check for three.  

Credit to Ms. C

This week was another short week. On the second day I was supposed to go it was a half day so I couldn't go to the elementary school that day

The last day of the week that I was at the elementary school it was all pretty much the same. The morning warm up was a cause and effect match up work sheet. I noticed that a lot of students struggled with this. At least the ones that were trying. This morning was a little rough. The students were very rambunctious. very few students who were at their desk were actually doing their work, most of them were talking. Thankfully things got under control and the students got back on track. Through out the time that I was there no one was ask to move their clip down. During centers every one was on green or above. I was very impressed by the class.

Reflection #16

On the first day that I was in the class room the students worked in centers. Because of portfolio testing students had to go to other classrooms and also other students came into our classroom. Portfolio testing is testing for students who are not doing well in class and are at risk for failing FACT. There were five extra students in the classroom during the week. The extra students did the same things as the other students, worked on centers. Each center is 15 minutes long and is focused on reading and writing. The students from the other classroom had to learn about the centers from the other students. I think that is a good technique because then the students get to talk to each other and interact with one another. After centers were over the students who had left for portfolio testing returned. The students who came into the classroom from another class went back to their class too. Also on the first day I was surprised to find out that C had ISS (In School Suspension) I asked Ms. C why he had been given ISS she told me that every day she has to write C up for his behavior.

Credit  to: Positive Identity

The next day the same thing happened. In the morning the students worked on their morning warm up and listened to the announcements. when that was over a few students left and a few students came in. They worked on centers and when they were finished the students from another class left and the students who are normally in the classroom returned. Next the class sat on the carpet for reading. The class had already read the story the were reading for the week so on this day they were reviewing it. The students paired up with the people around them and went page by page reviewing what happened through out the story. I liked this method of review that Ms. C used. It helps the students remember what happened in the story and if they don't remember one part then their partner can help them out.

The last day of the week that I was in the classroom the same things were going on. All week it was the same routine. One interesting thing that happened was that the school had a fire drill. The students from the other class were still in Ms. C's classroom. Before leaving the class Ms. C counted the students in the class and then we headed to our designated area. Our area was the teachers parking lot.

In the beginning this week was not very average and kind of difficult. Ms. C and I had to reteach the centers to students and help them a lot. However toward the end of the week and once everyone started to get the hang of things it all started to get easier. Also during this week I worked on my bulletin board. I am almost done with it and hopefully I will finish with it by the end of next week!

Reflection #15

The first day of the week that I was at the elementary school was ordinary. Nothing special happened at all. The schedule went as normal. Students come in, unpack and begin on the warm up on the board. If it is their day for 'FASTT Math' then they get on the computers and begin working on that. After about 15-20 minutes of that Ms. C calls all the students to the carpet. She has been getting really upset at people wasting time in the morning so anyone who has not finished the morning warm up has to move their clip down. After they finish talking about the warm up they move on to reading. On this day they did 'Count Down To Launch Reading'. It is a workbook that they work on each week. It has a different lesson for each week. The students normal work on it individually but today Ms. C let the students work in pairs. I like that the students get to work with each other sometimes, it seems to help them get the correct answer, by comparing answers with each other they can come up with a solution. How ever Ms. C should be careful who she placed together. One pair was R and C. They were not working well together, they were talking the whole time and just goofing off.

One thing I noticed this week was that C has a behavior chart. It is to be filled out by Ms. C during different times of the day after certain subjects. He is graded on a scale 1-5 on how well his behavior is doing, also there is a place for teacher comments.

The second day that I was in the classroom at the elementary school was as usual. The only difference was that the students started something new. It wasn't a new activity or a new project however it was something that would benefit them in the future. The students were given a folder and had to write their name, student number and ' Weekly test score folder' on the front of it. On the inside the students would be a paper that would have all their weekly test scores charted, both reading and math. After their folders were all set up Ms. C handed back the students test. After they received their test they had to put the percentage at the top and also chart it on a bar graph underneath. The reasoning for the folders is for them to go home and so the students parents can see them. Ms. C stated that there would be no more'student led conferences, therefore the teacher and parent have no communication about their child's grades and school life. Ms. C made a rule that you MUST get you folders signed by your parents every Thursday, if you do not get it signed then you get no recess, you will not have recess until you get your folder signed. I think that Ms. C's approach to this subject is very direct yet effective. Children love recess, so the best punishment would be to take away something they love.

The third day that I was in the class room was exciting for me. I got to start on my bulletin board! I decided to go with Check for Three, and my theme would be 'Three Trees Check for Three!" On each tree there would be a different check for three theme, first tree would be capitalization, the second tree would be punctuation, and the third tree would be using a complete sentence. So far I have a blue back ground, clouds at the top and grass cut out at the bottom. I hop to be able to finish next week.

Picture credit to openclipart.org

This week was a special week. Not only was it Valentine's Day but also I got to spend an extra day at the elementary school! When I first walked into the class room the students were already passing out Valentine's Day cards, so I began passing mine out also. I was pleasantly surprised to receive cards from the students. Some had made cards for me and others had bought some, either way I was very touched. After all the cards were handed out and the children had settled down a little bit Ms. C began to talk about snack and the activity that students could do while they ate their snack. The activities were to write a letter to some one you love or someone you care about dearly, or you could write and acrostic poem about Valentine's Day using your name. Now, for the snacks it had been made clear that only healthy snacks were allowed, and boy did the kids obey that. The snacks they brought were; oranges, bananas, applesauce, pretzels and also juice. It was a nice little party we had going on.

Reflection #14

Source for picture: Computers in the Classroom

It was another short week for me at the elementary school which I intern at. I was only able to go two days this week instead of the normal three. I still enjoyed the time I had with the class. The days I was in the classroom were pretty normal. Last week the projector was broken and that was a major struggle for Ms. C. She was very lost with out technology. I noticed that she relies a lot on technology. It isn't necessarily a bad thing in a 21st century world however when it does stop working then it becomes a bad thing. I think that working with technology is a great thing. Learning new things about technology is important for everyone also. Technology is always growing, so we must grow with it. I however don't think that our whole curriculum should be entirely focused on and through technology.  

Since the projector was fixed the classroom could return to its normal state. In the morning the students start on the morning warm up. It is usually an FCAT type question. For example, which sentence uses 'sign' in the same way as the sentence below: The sign said 'DO NOT ENTER' 
A. My mom had to sign my permission slip.
B. The woman only spoke sign language
C. The sign said right turn only. 

Once all the students have finished with the morning warm up the students would go to the carpet to discuss. Ms. C goes through all the answers and writes notes about each one. She makes notes about what the word means in each sentence. I think her strategy works well. It teaches the students how to take notes about a topic and also how to find the correct answer.  

Philosophy Statement

I believe that education is brought together not just by the teacher and the school system but by everyone involved. The students, the teachers, the parents everyone. In order to have a good education everyone has to be in coordination and work together, we all have to be on the same page. Once we are all on the same page then the focus on education and the students can begin.

            In my classroom, I want my students to reach their full potential. I believe that student’s role in education is to learn. My role in education is to help students reach their full potential and also incorporate amusing ways of learning. My belief is that students learn best through real life experiences and active play. Most students have a hard time learning if it is straight from a textbook. It is easier if it is something entertaining, like a project that students can work on together in groups.

            One other goal of mine is to encourage positive behavior. I believe that students will respond positively to positive reinforcement. And just as likely they will respond negatively to negative reinforcement. In my classroom I will try my best to give students positive feedback when they deserve it. For example, when they answer a question correct or if they did all their homework, I will give positive words of encouragement. Of course I will give negative feedback when necessary however whenever possible I will be positive. I believe that when you as a teacher are positive then your classroom environment will be positive too.

            I know that cooperation in education is important in the school system. I will do what I can to talk to all my student’s parents and make sure that they are involved in their student’s education. Parents have a big influence on a student’s education. In my classroom I expect that students will also be working hard to reach their full potential. I hope by the end of the year they will have the skills they need to be a success and be a great asset to society. Also in my classroom students will experience many forms of positive behavior and positive reinforcement. I hope to have a optimistic attitude and a positive classroom.

           

Reflection #13

My week in Ms. C's class was shorter this week then in previous weeks. I normally go three days a week, however because of an early release day I wasn't able to go one day. The days that I was in the classroom were average. The class did everything as normal, there were no extra activities going on. In the morning when students are working on the 'word of the day' Ms. C calls for home work and also for 'soar cards'. Ms. C checks homework in a unique way. She has all the students names in a jar using popsicle sticks, she pulls out five names. If your name is pulled out then you have to come up and show her your home work. I you did your homework then you can move your clip up to 'outstanding', however if you didn't do your homework then you have to move your clip all the way down to 'parent contact'. I really like the way she checks homework. It is a fair technique and is encouraging the students to do their homework every night. Next is the 'soar cards' These are given to all students who's clip is above green or 'ready to learn' at the end of the day. A students clip moves up and down through out the day depending on their behavior. Depending on where your clip is that is how many soar cards you can receive. Blue or 'good choices' is one soar card. Pink or 'great job' is two soar cards. And lastly purple or 'outstanding' is three soar cards. 

One other thing Ms. C does with her students is a sort of scratch off ticket. She uses it as a reward. I'm not sure how they receive the ticket but on it are things like; 10 mins of computer time. homework pass, pick form the prize box etc. The students love it! Also its really easy to make, after the ticket itself is made you mix up silver paint and liquid soap and put it on the paper, after it dries its like a scratch off ticket.

I asked my teacher about a few students in the classroom. I saw that multiple teachers were coming in and taking students at different times during the day. Ms. C told me that R and C go to speech in for 30 mins twice a week. Also D and K have been listed as tier three and need help through out the day with their work. It was a surprise about a lot of this. The students who are going out for 'help' I would not have guessed would need it. In the classroom they seem normal and can function well. 

The students are becoming a lot more comfortable with me and with asking me for help. I like this, it makes me feel wanted and also I enjoy helping them. I am really looking forward to teaching a lesson and getting a real hands on feel for teaching!

Reflection #12

The week I was in Ms. C's classroom week was not very average. The first day I was in the classroom was hectic to say the least. The students had to take the FAIR test. First off the students didn't really want to take the test. We had to go to the tech lab to take the test, when we got there the door was locked so we had to wait for someone to come and unlock the door. I could tell my Ms. C was getting frustrated I was as well. The frustration was because we only had a short amount of time to be in the lab and finish the testing. When we finally got in the classroom and started up the test, only five out of the 20 total students in the class could actually test. The problem was that most of the headphone required for the test weren't working. Ms. C just had the students who were able to test go ahead and finish as much as they could and the other students just read. I would have done the same thing.

The next day almost as soon as the students entered the classroom they went to an Awards Ceremony. The school has one after every quarter, I think. The awards are given out by teacher to the students in their class. Awards are given for bringing up grades, attendance, positive attitude etc. I think the awards are a good idea however I think they should maybe be only once or twice a year. If they are too often then they lose their value. 

Photo from the U.S. Department of Education

When we returned from the ceremony the class got right back to work. The class had read a new story the day before and was reviewing it. The students were on the carpet with their notebooks, a pencil and their reading books. I sat with D (he has a learning disability and needs extra help sometimes). When I sat next to him he got very hesitant. He didn't really want to talk to me. I tried asking him questions and he scooted away from me. Ms. C saw that he wasn't accepting my help and told him why I was there. She said to D "Miss Marissa is sitting next to you to help you, how is she supposed to help you if you keep scooting away from her?" He shrugged his shoulders and moved back next to me. 

The last day I was in the class for this week was sort-of normal. It was all normal except for the projector was broken. The light bulb in the projector wasn't working. Everything is usually done on the projector so Ms. C was struggling with that all morning. The warm up, which is normally done with the projector, had to be skipped. so most of the students just talked all through the morning. I would have written the warm up on the board so that the class had some order and the students had something to do.Next they got a new packet that they will be working on every week. It is to help them with reading and answering questions about the story.  

After all the students finished with one story they worked on writing. They learned about expository writing. they compared expository and narrative essays. Ms. C told them that expository papers have about five paragraphs. She passed out papers to all the students that had five boxes in a row all the way down the paper. She copied what was on the paper onto the white board. Next she gave them a topic. "Why are cats good pets?" In the first box was in 'intro' "Cats are good pets" In the next three were reasons explaining why they are good pets. and the last one was a conclusion "Cats make great pets for people." 

Reflection #11

I began my observation in Ms. C's 3rd grade classroom this week. I was only in the classroom for one day this week. The classroom went through their regular routine. They had a morning warm up, it was to figure out past present and future tense of words. After the warm up the Ms, C asked the students to come to the carpet so they could discuss their benchmark test. She made a chart and wrote down their strongest and weakest points on the test. They were all very excited to see their strengths, with many 'oohs' and 'ahhs'. When it got to the weaknesses K shouted out "You are just showing us this to say that we are dumb!" Ms. C had to reassure him that she was just showing him to to tell the class what they need to work on more for next time. 

The next thing they did was worked a little bit in science. They talked about Fahrenheit and Celsius. Ms. C passed out worksheets and explained how to do them and then let the students return to their desk to finish them. I would have explained some of the worksheet to the students but not all of it. It was a pretty simple work sheet, they finished it quickly. 

After science they went on to reading which was what is normally in the scheduled. The students came to the carpet with their notebooks and a packet (they have been working from it all week). Today they were going to read a poem from the packet. They also had to answer 3 questions at the end of the poem. A lot of the students struggled with reading the poem, understanding it and answering the questions about it.   

I am very happy that I am back in this classroom. I really enjoy this group of children also I like the teacher a lot. The atmosphere is enjoyable as well as the content of learning. I look forward to spending the rest of my time there and getting to know the students and the teacher more.