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.