SCED 330: October Blog

            This month we have focused more on our group science fair projects, the unit, clinicals, and water cycle project. If I have learned anything with these group projects like the science fair, or water cycle that is that I have some great partners and just a great group of future teachers. I feel like we just divide and conquer no matter how big the project and it always seems to just come together seamlessly. I have planned and taught my clinical learning segment for our practice edTPA. This was an interesting learning experience. I have learned that with kindergarten you never know what to expect or what they will say. It is something new every day. I am proud of the fact that I was able to work ahead and go ahead and knock this out before Thanksgiving. I did however consider this a struggle too because I was only given around 20mins of instruction time each day and this was at the end of the day when these students are just done with school and trying to pay attention, so they seemed all over the place. This is definitely something that I want to work with my CE on in the future with student teaching and maybe rearranging the schedule or doing more integrating for the future. 

Below is a great resource I found that talks about some tips of how teachers should end their day and avoid the usual hectic bookbag throwing, teacher yelling, classroom a total mess typical ending. 

http://www.teachhub.com/classroom-management-how-end-school-day

This month we suffered yet again some hurricane weather, and this was a great current event plug that my water cycle group decided to use in our presentation. This gives us great practice for when we have a classroom of our own and how to integrate those current events right into the lessons. Which also brings me to the fact of this relates directly to the NCTCS: 3c teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content area/disciplines, 3d teachers make teaching relevant to students, 4a teachers know the ways in which learning takes place. By plugging in current events teachers are integrating. In order for this to be successful they make it grade level friendly and relevant to students. To be able to do this, teachers must also know in ways in which all learning takes place.

This past week we also participated in the Hands on Halloween event and I contributed by leading a group in the problem solving station. This was a fun activity that gave some great experience in an upper grade level that I don’t have much practice in. In the upcoming weeks I plan to continue to work alongside my peers and encourage them in any way I can as we begin to wrap up this semester. Some action steps I would like to take as we continue through this course is to now really start working on my unit. This seems to be the learning experience that I push to the side. I have picked the topic I just really need to take the time to dive in and start working on chunks of it weekly. 

What a wonderful activity to incorporate into the classroom. This tweet showcases a group of students doing a team building activity to portray how mental health works. This teacher had students break a planting pot write encouraging words on each broken piece and then work together to glue it back together. So powerful!

This is a great project that I found that talks about sparking student inquiry. This has been a topic we have talked about all semester and a personal goal that I have. If students are engaged and interested what the lesson is about they are more likely to contribute to the class and result in successful learning. 

This is an article I found that discusses how to the 5E model can be brought in to the classroom. I also found this tweet to be very relavant to our classroom discussions we have had on what the 5E are and how they are easily drive student learning.

             

EDUC 435: October Blog

LEARING EXPERIENCES

O-C-T-O-B-E-R that’s the month of Halloween; and apples, and pumpkins. I feel like that has been two of our main focuses this month. We have done all things apples and now are finishing all things pumpkins in my classroom. I love this time of year because when doing apples and pumpkins these are great themes to incorporate science and social studies. My CE has a time slot in the afternoon that is supposed to be “science/social studies” but this is also at the end of the day when students have just finished their time outside and are back in trying to cram in snack and packing up, so this is a crazy time. Therefore, I have seen my CE integrate these into her literacy block mainly. This month has also brought about the sickness and it seems with kindergarten it is 10x worse. I have never had to deal with so many bodily fluids. We have had students sneezing snotty noses everywhere, projectile vomit in the hallway, and I even had a student have an accident in the room which ended up getting on my feet. So, I am learned how to handle these types of situations the best and most strategic while also trying to keep the class together. I am slowly by surly feel myself molding into a kindergarten teacher whether I want to be or not. 

NCTCS

            After experiencing and observing all of these learning experiences I can definitely see the following NCTCS being put into practice: 1a teachers lead in their classroom, 2a. teachers provide an environment in which each child has a positive nurturing relationship with caring adults. I have had to step up and becoming more of a leader in the classroom, so I can jump right in and take over when issues arise. I also have had to be the second momma to a lot of these students and love them because there are some that just don’t get that at home. This is also a trait I have had to practice with issues arise and the class witnesses them and get worried or don’t know what happened. Kindergarten is a very routine day and when something happens these students freak! So, I have helped explain why some people throw up and why they then go home, and why we should take care of our bodies and wash our hands to help prevent this type of sickness from entering the class. 

FUTURE CLASSROOM 

            In my future classroom I plan to do the same things that I have been doing especially informing students on what is going on around them in the classroom. This age group is so curious and there is no point in hiding these types of things from them, but rather using as a teaching opportunity. No teacher likes interruptions, but it is how you handle them that make you a great teacher I feel. 

OUTSIDE RESEARCH

            Below is a link to a great article that gives some statistics about classroom disruptions and then how teachers and schools can prevent some of these from happening for the future. 

Go check it out! 

            https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2018/06/06/how-unexpected-interruptions-hurt-student-learning.html

EDUC 435: September Blog

LEARNING EXPERIENCES 

            Ohhhh how much fun I have been having in my clinical placement so far. My CE has wasted no time in prepping these kindergarteners to read. We have been doing regular phonics instruction working specifically with letters: a,b,g,f and blends, ba,fa,ga. We have also successfully gotten every student logged into Reading Horizons which is our phonics program, so we can begin working every Wednesday on assessing them. So far, I am a fan of Reading Horizons. The teacher is able to assign specific assignments with an instructional and assessment piece. These students love it because to them it is just a game. The challenging feature is getting students to understand how a computer works with the keyboard, and mouse. These students also have a crazy long log-in that they must be able to do on their own, so we have been practicing and practicing. 

            Since my last blog I also have had the opportunity to teach a learning segment to my students. I did a writing segment focusing on uppercase and lowercase letters, spacing and punctuation. I revolved my lessons around farm animals. I think these students did a remarkable job with this considering it was one of the first times these students had a chance to practice writing on three-lined paper. I feel that I am learning the makeup of my classroom well now seeing which students need more support than others. 

OUTSIDE RESEARCH 

            This time for my outside research piece I found an article that gives some great strategies about teaching kindergartens writing composition. An interesting point that is mentioned is the fact that kindergarten students enter schools with varying levels and abilities. Some come in and are able to write their first and last names, and then there are others who have never held a pencil before. We definitely had students at both levels at the beginning fo the school year, but the key has been meeting each student at their need currently.

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/sharon-taylor/strategies-teaching-writing-kindergarten/

NCTCS

            As I reflect on this past month and the opportunities I have had with my students along with the observations I have seen I can relate all of my learning to the NCTCS: 2b. teachers embrace diversity in the school community and in the world, 4d. teachers integrate and utilize technology in their instruction, 3b. teachers know the content appropriate to their teaching specialty. We have a wonderful diverse group of students all with different learning needs. So, as I was planning my learning segment and as I have watched my CE teach I see how differentiation must take place for this class to be successful. I have observed my CE integrate technology specifically into our literacy and phonics blocks with the Reading Horizons program. My CE knows the kindergarten content like the back of her hand, so she was very helpful in helping me plan a successful learning segment for these 5-year-olds at the appropriate timing of the school year. 

FUTURE CLASSROOM 

            Some things that I would like to take with me into my future classroom are just simply the practices that my CE does in her classroom. We have really dived into phonics which I had not seen used with this new program. But my CE makes sure she is consistent and that there is time build into our schedule for this every single day. Routine is a must with this age group and I am seeing the positive results from that. The principal of my school has gone on and on about how great my CE is at getting her students to read by the end of the year. In fact, we have had another kindergarten class join us here at first, so their teacher can see how phonics should be taught for kindergarteners. Their teacher was in second grade last year, so she is new to this grade level. This is a goal that I want to have in my future classroom is to be so good at what I do that the principal is able to point it out.