Week 15

Monday was my first time full time teaching with a substitute teacher in the room.  It was a positive experience to have someone in the classroom who was new but really supportive of what I was doing.  She was helpful, encouraging, and eager to participate.  She asked how she could help me often, but let me control the classroom.  It was a new, but positive co-teaching experience (3F).  It was also fun to talk with my students about their Spring Breaks on Monday.  During writing, they wrote sentences about the highlights of their Spring Break.  At the end of the day, I gave them a chance to read one of their highlights in front of the class.  They were eager to volunteer and the class was interested in listening to what their friends did over break.  

Tuesday we finished a Native American version of Cinderella during reading comprehension.  The students have been working on making connections between different versions of the same fairy tale.  This was the third version of Cinderella we have read, and the students really understood this one.  In the story, the students figure out that the Cinderella character is able to see "the Invisible Being" because she has beauty on the inside.  It was fun to watch the students comment on abstract ideas like courage, and inner beauty.  They really connected to the story and got SO excited when they could see "the Invisible Being" on the pages of the story.  They were excited about learning and it was a positive experience to facilitate that.  They are also growing in their use of questions words during partner talk.  They are starting to ask questions during partner discussions without promptings.  I'm glad we extended the fairy tale unit through this week so they would have the chance to make deeper connections between Cinderella stories.  They have been extremely successful so far! 

On Wednesday as I looked at my week plan, I was reminded of how much changes over the course of a day or a week.  In more than one subject, we were not at the place I anticipated being at.  I can't believe how many wild cards there are in a day of teaching.  My plans change daily, sometimes from one part of the day to the next.  I've learned that flexibility is a MUST in teaching.  As I revise plans throughout the day and throughout the week, I'm thankful for my laid back personality and for the example my cooperating teacher has been this semester of taking things as they come.  

On Thursday during math, one of the students who often refuses to participate in portions of the math block surprised me.  Often when he isn't interested in participating, he won't respond to anything said to him, he'll put his head down, and he'll say rude things.  Thursday, however, he refused to work independently during math because he was too interested in a book.  He didn't want to put it away, he didn't want to put it down, and he was SO interested in it.  As a teacher I had a complex:  do I make him work on math because he knows that's what I expect of him during this time?  Do I let him read because he is a struggling reader and I want to continue to give him opportunities to enjoy reading? Do I come up with some sort of compromise? 

It was one of the best problems I've had all semester. 

On Friday we focused the day on plants.  It was a beautiful day, and I planned activities that could be done outside so students could experience spring and practice learning in a different environment (4I).  They loved it.  We made observations, made comparisons, planted seeds, read about plants, talked about what they need and what they give us, etc.  They LOVE science Fridays! 

Schmidt Chapter 7

I would love to use the community in my classroom.  One of Schmidt’s ideas I liked was taking students on a walk to investigate the neighborhood (p. 144).   I liked the way Schmidt suggested using a community investigation, but also making sure it was purposeful for students by being sure that each student could explain the purpose for the field trip, what they should be doing on the trip, and how they will be gathering information.  I’m interested in using a community investigation like this one when we talk about maps in social studies.  Having students draw a map of the neighborhood before going out (as a warm up, allowing me to assess their mapping skills, what details they are paying attention to, etc.)  and then having them either add things or draw a new one afterward is something I’d like to try.  Including a scavenger hunt, like Schmidt mentions on p. 145, so students have a list of things to look for could also be helpful, especially with lower elementary students. 

I’m also interested in trying to incorporate photography into a community project.  On p. 147, Schmidt talks about putting a photograph in the center of a large piece of paper and having students draw around it to “add on” to the photograph. I’ve heard this idea before, and want to try incorporating it into a classroom activity. 

I think using activities like these would motivate my students by not only incorporating new ways of learning, but also by getting them involved in fun, different things that have purpose.  Incorporating things related to the outside world is important for students to know that their learning isn’t for nothing, and that what they are doing in school reaches beyond everyday activities and routine subjects.