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!