I would like to start this post with some words of wisdom: Laryngitis and teaching are not a good combination. (Also, it is pretty bad when the program you are in is so strict that you are afraid to take a day off.)
So my six weeks of full-time teaching did not get off to a good start, because I was sick and practically had no voice the entire week. (About which I still feel really badly.) Monday, during reading workshop, the students and I tried to fill in a KWHL chart about leaves. Either I did not explain the chart well enough or it was too hard for them to understand, but they were really disinterested. Trying to engage them in discussion about what they knew regarding leaves was like pulling teeth. I guess I should have had something more active for them to do that still required them to think critically. For math on Monday, the kids used the “feely” bags to identify rectangles, squares, circles, and triangles. I liked this lesson and thought it was successful. Because they actually had to feel the shapes, they really started to recognize the characteristics of the shapes.
Tuesday morning was slightly disastrous. My voice was barely audible in the morning, so Laura had to do calendar and shared reading. (Thanks again, Laura!) After stations, the morning started to get better. For reading workshop, Laura had scheduled a team teach with Ms. Hernandez in the computer lab. I absolutely loved this! It was so exciting to see teachers collaborating. Laura was able to combine her knowledge of content in the classroom with Ms. Hernandez’s knowledge of technology. North has access to all these resources, and too often, the teachers do not take advantage of them. It was also nice to see the fifth graders “mentoring” our students. Sometimes I think students learn more from each other. It is like they have their own language that lets them explain things to one another in a different way then teachers are able to.
Wednesday during reading workshop, we investigated leaves that the students collected. While it was messy (which I loved), the kids liked looking at the different leaves, berries, cones, nuts, and grasses. And since there were so many different kinds and colors of leaves, it led to a great introduction to sorting. I prompted the kids to think about how they could group the leaves that look the same together. I was pleasantly surprised when they suggested grouping them by color or by shape/kind. Since they suggested both, we voted on which way we should group them, and color won. Then on Thursday, using a PowerPoint I created that explained the different types of leaves, the students sorted the leaves by type. I was nervous about Wednesday afternoon, because Sarah Selmer was coming to observe my math lesson. I have decided that being a nervous wreck is beneficial for me, because every time I am, the kids behave amazingly and my lessons turn out great. During the lesson Sarah observed, I used the Whiteboard, which always seems to “grab” the students. Their response to technology is astounding. Anytime we use the computers and Whiteboard, they sit quietly, know exactly how to use the equipment, and are so engaged. The second half of that math lesson required the students to “nibble” graham crackers into rectangles, squares, circles, and triangles. From my observations of that, the students still need some practice constructing shapes. They seemed to know what each shaped looked like, but couldn’t actually make them. However, the fact that they had to make the shapes with food may have contributed to the difficulty. Overall, I thought the lesson was successful, and Sarah absolutely loved it. She really liked that the activities I did required the kids to think out loud about what each shape looks like.
On Friday, I went to an IEP meeting for one of our students. This was the first meeting I have attended where I felt like I could actually give some input. I have had the opportunity to work with the student not only at school, but also at his home. I have developed a relationship with his parents, and am able to provide information from school to home, and vice versa. I think when that type of communication is established, educators and parents are better able to work together for the benefit of the student.
Finally, I think it is sometimes confusing working with another teacher, because you are not always on the same page. Teachers have different styles and tolerance levels. Things that bother some do not bother others, and vice versa.
Ahh, teaching while you're sick--something so important to master! I know what you mean about the KWL chart--when I do those I feel the same frustration about lack of interest--maybe together we can think of some ways to make them more interactive. Since we know they love the whiteboard, maybe we should utilize that--we could even incorporate some graphics. Let me know what you think.
I would like to start this post with some words of wisdom: Laryngitis and teaching are not a good combination. (Also, it is pretty bad when the program you are in is so strict that you are afraid to take a day off.)
ReplyDeleteSo my six weeks of full-time teaching did not get off to a good start, because I was sick and practically had no voice the entire week. (About which I still feel really badly.) Monday, during reading workshop, the students and I tried to fill in a KWHL chart about leaves. Either I did not explain the chart well enough or it was too hard for them to understand, but they were really disinterested. Trying to engage them in discussion about what they knew regarding leaves was like pulling teeth. I guess I should have had something more active for them to do that still required them to think critically. For math on Monday, the kids used the “feely” bags to identify rectangles, squares, circles, and triangles. I liked this lesson and thought it was successful. Because they actually had to feel the shapes, they really started to recognize the characteristics of the shapes.
Tuesday morning was slightly disastrous. My voice was barely audible in the morning, so Laura had to do calendar and shared reading. (Thanks again, Laura!) After stations, the morning started to get better. For reading workshop, Laura had scheduled a team teach with Ms. Hernandez in the computer lab. I absolutely loved this! It was so exciting to see teachers collaborating. Laura was able to combine her knowledge of content in the classroom with Ms. Hernandez’s knowledge of technology. North has access to all these resources, and too often, the teachers do not take advantage of them. It was also nice to see the fifth graders “mentoring” our students. Sometimes I think students learn more from each other. It is like they have their own language that lets them explain things to one another in a different way then teachers are able to.
Wednesday during reading workshop, we investigated leaves that the students collected. While it was messy (which I loved), the kids liked looking at the different leaves, berries, cones, nuts, and grasses. And since there were so many different kinds and colors of leaves, it led to a great introduction to sorting. I prompted the kids to think about how they could group the leaves that look the same together. I was pleasantly surprised when they suggested grouping them by color or by shape/kind. Since they suggested both, we voted on which way we should group them, and color won. Then on Thursday, using a PowerPoint I created that explained the different types of leaves, the students sorted the leaves by type. I was nervous about Wednesday afternoon, because Sarah Selmer was coming to observe my math lesson. I have decided that being a nervous wreck is beneficial for me, because every time I am, the kids behave amazingly and my lessons turn out great. During the lesson Sarah observed, I used the Whiteboard, which always seems to “grab” the students. Their response to technology is astounding. Anytime we use the computers and Whiteboard, they sit quietly, know exactly how to use the equipment, and are so engaged. The second half of that math lesson required the students to “nibble” graham crackers into rectangles, squares, circles, and triangles. From my observations of that, the students still need some practice constructing shapes. They seemed to know what each shaped looked like, but couldn’t actually make them. However, the fact that they had to make the shapes with food may have contributed to the difficulty. Overall, I thought the lesson was successful, and Sarah absolutely loved it. She really liked that the activities I did required the kids to think out loud about what each shape looks like.
ReplyDeleteOn Friday, I went to an IEP meeting for one of our students. This was the first meeting I have attended where I felt like I could actually give some input. I have had the opportunity to work with the student not only at school, but also at his home. I have developed a relationship with his parents, and am able to provide information from school to home, and vice versa. I think when that type of communication is established, educators and parents are better able to work together for the benefit of the student.
Finally, I think it is sometimes confusing working with another teacher, because you are not always on the same page. Teachers have different styles and tolerance levels. Things that bother some do not bother others, and vice versa.
Ahh, teaching while you're sick--something so important to master! I know what you mean about the KWL chart--when I do those I feel the same frustration about lack of interest--maybe together we can think of some ways to make them more interactive. Since we know they love the whiteboard, maybe we should utilize that--we could even incorporate some graphics. Let me know what you think.
ReplyDelete