Where are the Grades?

This semester makes me nervous and not just because of the amount of work that I had to complete, but the fact that I don't really know how I'm doing in my classes. I didn't get my first grade back for an assignment until one week after Spring Break. Spring Break is the mark of half the semester, so it took until half way through the semester until I got a grade back.

I'm not worried that I'm going to fail my classes or a class, but I really wanted to get straight A's this semester and I don't think that will happen. It seems like everything is due towards the end of the semester especially the big the assignments. That makes me extremely worried because then there is nothing I can do to change it since it's the end of the semester.

By the way I got my literacy bag back and on the evaluation and the parent wrote that I messed up on one of the activities and now I worry how badly that is going to affect my grade. (Future teachers remember to triple check everything that you do especially the items that will be sent home to the parents!) Needless to say I'm embarrassed. 

Service Learning Day

We have to do a service learning day and for my cohort we did it differently then the other cohorts. We had to work with our science professor and cohort professor for this day. We did this at one of the other schools on a Thursday day after my placement school already let out. We had to be there at 3 and our cohort professor provide us with pizza and water which was very nice of her.

Before this day we were split into three groups of five. The service learning night was about senses, so in the groups you had to pick one sense and create a center. We also had to create take home bags for the students with an activity inside about senses. Thinking about this now, I don't now how we will be graded because my cohort professor never saw the activity of the bags we made. By the way, this was for Spanish families and students, so the directions in the take home had to be in English and Spanish.

I wasn't very nervous for this night because everyone in my cohort was there. First the parents and students came in and my cohort professor talked to them and then we left to the classroom where we had setup out centers. There was a total of twelve kids, which was more then I thought was going to be there. One of the girls from the cohort read a book to them in Spanish. Then we split them into groups and they each went to a center. We also had them rotate through the centers, which was unknown to us, but worked out fine anyways.

Take Home Bag

It ended earlier then we thought, so we got to leave at 6 instead of 6:30. The kids were good and all spoke English, so there was no trouble understanding them. This day was a very long day since I had gotten up at 5:40 that morning.

Student Teaching: Day 9 (Semester 6)

I have never been so tired waking up in the morning then I was on this day. I woke up about 25 minutes early then I had been because I wanted to ensure that I had everything that I needed to take with me plus I still had to get myself ready. Also I had to get construction paper from the art closet since my daycare center didn't have any.

My mentor teacher warned me that one of the students was coming back today from having surgery and that he might be in wheelchair. Everything started to go down hill from there. School had began and other students talked about seeing the student in the office in a wheelchair. My mentor already told me that she couldn't push him around because she still as a cast on her arm and doesn't want to mess it up. A lady came in with the boy along with his mom and the lady wanted my mentor to make all of these changes to her classroom right now. My mentor was busy teaching the class and had two interns to deal with too. Then in walks my cohort professor.

I already knew my cohort professor was coming, but she came at 8:15 and we were planning for her to come at 9:00. This made it even more hectic for my mentor. My mentor ended up not watching my lesson since she came early and just watched how I presented my prop box, so now I have my observations done from her.

During lunch, my mentor and me and Anne hid from the lady in another teacher's classroom with the door shut and the lights off. The day was little crazy trying to make sure the little boy could get everywhere.

We found out that next week my mentor won't be there. We have already met the sub before and it will be an interesting day with her. My mentor is giving us stuff to do and teach to the kids to help out the sub. I will be doing the morning routine with the students. Anne will read a book

Busy Night

This post is not going to be very good because it's really late and I'm tired. Since I have gotten home from work I have been busy working on my prop box, lesson plan, and my service learning stuff. I had to make some changes to my lesson plan on that my mentor suggested. I had to print at the worksheets too. I also was worried because my cohort professor didn't email me back about going to my placement school tomorrow. Which she needs to because after tomorrow I don't have anything left to do for her to observe.

F.Y.I., after tomorrow there will only be two more days that I will be at placement. I can't believe the time went by so fast.

Also tonight I had to finish getting things finished and ready with my prop box. Mostly I had to decorate the box and then I had to change my plan for the art activity. Thanks to my parents who helped me come up with another idea, but I could still use the items I had planned.

For the service learning, I had people from my group texting and emailing me about stuff. Which was really annoying because it took away from time that I needed to do. Whatever. I think everything is good now. We will find out tomorrow.

I will explain more about everything on Friday's post.

Lesson Plan: 5 (Semester 6)

Emergent Writing Lesson Plan

Objective:

1. The students will be able to tell a story, real or imagined, using writing and drawings about a time they wanted something. 

Materials:

• The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems
• Markers or crayons
• Pencils
• Writing worksheet

Introduction:

• Ask the students to give you examples of what a 'want' is.

Procedures:

• Read the The Pigeon Wants a Puppy story. 
• Have students find partner to tell about a time they wanted something. 
• Model to the students a story about a time you wanted something. 

Closure:

• Have students write and draw about a time they wanted something on the writing worksheet using markers or crayons. 

Student Teaching Break

This week is the student's Spring Break, so I didn't have to go to placement today nor did I have to go to the College either. I sent most of my day working on a lesson plan that I need to teach next week and my prop box that I'm doing next week too.

I got a lot done on both of them, but I still have quite a bit that I still need to do. I will discuss more about each in separate posts on Monday and Wednesday along with pictures.

In the last post I was talking about group projects and what do you know......I get group project drama. I'm the type of person of not wanting to leave group project stuff done last minute especially when it's a group assignment. That is what happened Thursday night and the lesson plan we were writing was due the next morning in class and almost nothing was done.I really though that I had good people in my group too. Then right before I'm about to go to bed this girl decides she wants to do a different activity that she found. It was a good activity, but the lesson plan was already finished. She should have said something earlier instead of the night before.

Anyways class was ok. I think the one girl was a little frustrated because we decided to do both of the take home activities and we left her in charge of getting the activity she picked ready.

In other news this week went by really fast and I have neither my prop box or lesson plan started and they are both due this upcoming Thursday.

Group Projects

I have never had a semester before where I had so many group projects. Luckily, we all have the same classes, so that makes it easier to meet up. Since we can meet before or after class to work.

The main problem is that there are some many different groups that you forgot who's in which group and some people are in two or more of your groups. Also for one of the projects, it's for two of my classes which also makes things confusing too some how.

I'm going to mark down all of my current group projects that I have going on and who's in the groups for which class.

ECED 343/341:
-Centers Presentation- Me, K.B., B.W., and A.S.

ECED 461:
-Shadows Puppets- Me, A.S., C.R., and A.D.

ECED 417:
-Differentiated Lesson Plan- Me, A.S., and A.D.

SCIE 371/ ECED 343/341:
-Service Learning- Me, D.W., K.B., B.W., and K.H.

I got pretty lucky with the partners in my groups, in which they all do part of their work for the assignments that they need to do. I believe after the end of next week that the group projects should be over.

I was talking to someone in my cohort the other day and she said that all the assignments next semester are with groups. AH! I so very hope that is not true.

Lesson Plan: 4 (Semester 6)

I didn't implement this lesson plan in class because I didn't have time to and I have another lesson for the same class that I will implement.

Shared Reading; Read Alouds

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to retell the story, Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see? by placing the pictures of the events in the correct order on the worksheet. 

Common Core Standards:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.2 - With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3 - With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

Materials:
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you see? Big Book by Eric Carle and Bill Martin Jr.
- Brown Bear Sequencing Worksheet
- Crayons/Markers
- Pencils
- Big Post it Notes
- White board
- Character Cards

Introduction:

• Ask the students to look at the cover and ask what characters will be in the story based on the cover. Then write down the answers on Post it Notes and place on the front of the book.

Procedures:

• Read the title of the book and model a prediction for the students from the title, then have the make predictions. Write predictions down on post it notes and place on front of book.
• Read the book and then afterwards go over the predictions and see if they were right or not.
• Next have the students retell the story by having each child be one of the characters from the story and give them a character card (picture of the animal and the word). 

Assessment:

• Student's complete the brown bear sequencing worksheet at their desks. 

Student Teaching: Day 8 (Semester 6)

Thursday was sort of a confusing day in the morning for me because I bumped into my cohort yesterday and she told me that she emailed my mentor teacher asking to move my lesson to earlier, so that she could observe me and Anne. That wasn't possible since Anne was teaching a small group and I was teaching the whole class. Then I found that was not what she emailed my mentor. Whatever. My mentor had me working with the students when my cohort professor was there, so she got to observe me a little anyways.

This upcoming week the students have Spring Break, so I won't be going there on Thursday. Though I planned with my mentor teacher about teaching a lesson on the 24. This will be the last lesson that I will have to teach. I ended up not having to teach another class for a class that I originally thought I had too.

At placement I didn't do anything special. I always have work to do to help my mentor with. I began my day having to make copies of somethings. Then during groups for one of the centers the students worked with me using the ten sticks and cubes to make numbers.

I discussed with my mentor about my lesson at the end of the day and then I got to leave earlier again today. We were going to help step up for the grandparents event that was happening today, but our mentor told me that there was already plenty of people helping. I left shortly after 3.

I'm heading for the beach today after class for the weekend. This is the perfect time to do it because I don't have anything that is do this upcoming week and I don't have to prepare for anything for placement. I'm glad to get away and not to worry about anything.

Lesson Plan: 3 (Semester 6)

First off let me say that I have finally gotten my first feedback on a lesson. We are over half way through the semester and this is the only feedback back I have gotten for a lesson so far. It was good. I only got one point off for...I'm not sure, but this makes me hopeful that my other lessons are going to be good too. Well maybe. It depends on the professor I turned the lesson plan in to.

Also I got an email from my cohort professor and I may have one less lesson that I have to implement at placement. That would mean that I only have this lesson and one other lesson to teach and I would be finished. I still have one other project I need to do at placement, but that should be simple.

Science Lesson; Living Things

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to learn about living things by making a collage of living things by cutting pictures out of a magazine. 

Common Core Standards:

• K.MD.A.2 - Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which has "more of" / "less of" the attribute and describe the difference. 

Next Generation Science Standards:

• K-LS1-1 - Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive. 

Materials:

- What's Alive by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfled

- Magazines

- Scissors

- Glue Sticks

- Pencils

- Living Things Construction Paper

- Pictures of Living Things 

- Pictures of Non-living Things

- Living and Non-living Things Header

Introduction:

• Ask the students, "What does it mean to be alive?"

Procedures:

• Read What's Alive to the students and after reading ask the students again, "What does it mean to be alive?"
• Then sort the pictures of living and non living things together as a class on the board.

Assessment:

• Students will use magazines to find pictures of living things to create a collage. 

Literacy Bag

Front 

For this project I picked one student in the classroom that is going to receive this bag. The student will take the bag home for one week and read the books and complete the games in the bag with their family. The bag needs to be themed based and the file folder games need to relate to the books.

I'm giving this to my student this upcoming Thursday and he will get to keep it over his Spring Break. I'm asking for it back on Monday, April 22 to make sure that I get it back in time because that following Tuesday it's due.

Back     

Materials Needed:

• Bag that is decorated with the theme
• 3 or more Books that are fiction and non-fiction
• 3 or more Literacy File Folder games
• Additional list of 3 more books
• Additional list of 2 more activities
• Organized literacy bag with directions
• Family Evaluation Form
• Introduction Letter
• Checklist of Materials

Activity 1: Real Words vs. Nonsense Words

I created this activity and I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. I'm glad I used shark teeth to place the words on to make it look more nicer. and shark related.

Activity 2: Label the Shark

This took some time trying to find a good shark labeling image to use that wasn't already labeled or too many parts to label. I just had them label the parts that went along with Book 2.

Activity 3: A-B-C Shark Order

I got the different sharks from Three Dinosaurs. It's free to download. I just made a cover for the folder and the answer key.

Activity 4: Story Sequencing
I added this activity last second because I felt that my other ones weren't really literacy activities. This goes along with book 4. 

Book 1: Shocking Sharks by Charlotte Guillain

This book is great for beginner readers. It uses large font with only a few sentences on each page. 

Book 2: Surprising Sharks by Nicola Davies

I liked this one because it showed different types of sharks and the different parts of the shark which I needed for activity 2.

Book 3: I'm a Shark by Bob Shea

Book 4: The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Ken Geist

Side Notes:
This project has been more time consuming and difficult then I thought it would be. I wish I had worked on it more during Spring Break. The big problem for me was trying to find appropriate/good books. I don't have time to just sit at a library and looks at books, besides it way to many to go through, so I would put books on hold to pick up. I didn't want to purchase books unless I looked at them first and I can't do that with ordering them online.

I also had to laminate the file folder games and decorate the bag. I wanted to make sure everything looked nice and neat. One thing I would have changed was not to use the Velcro because it made the pieces bigger and it made it difficult to put everything into the bag.

Student Teaching: Day 7 (Semester 6)

Yesterday at placement went well. I did the morning routine and I felt that it went fine. My mentor didn't have anything bad to say about it. She only asked me how I felt that it went. Before the students came into the classroom, I asked her if there was a certain order that it had to be in and she said no. This helped me feel much better about doing it because I was worried that I was going to mess up the order, but there is none.

I finished everything for my screening project, so I didn't have to worry about taking time to pull my student aside to give him the assessments. This made it a much more relaxing day with not having to worry about having to get assignments done. It was a normal day. I would walk around and make sure the students were on task and if they needed help I would assist them.

I also do some quick assessing of the students on sight words, counting to 50, and counting to hundred by 10. I would pull the student aside in the classroom and ask them to count to 50 for me or read the sight words on the paper. This didn't take long at all since Anne was also assessing too.

Next week I'm going to be teaching a science lesson to the whole class. This will be the first time I'm teaching all of the students. I talked to my mentor about what to teach and she told me to teach a lesson about living things because that week they are learning about living and non-living. Anne is teaching non-living on Tuesday since we don't have class that day and we both can't teach a science lesson on the same day, so I will teach mine Thursday.

No class again today. I woke up early and looked at my phone and my professor sent an email saying she doesn't feel good, so we wouldn't be meeting. I don't think my Cohort Professor is going to be happy about that because we really need to discuss the Service Learning Project that is coming up and my Friday Professor is suppose to help us with the project.

College Organization: Tip 6

Ask the Professor Questions

This isn't really an organization tip, but it's something good to do and know. On the first day of class don't be afraid to ask the professor questions:

• Do you need a notebook or a binder? It might be a lot of note taking in the class, so you need a notebook or the teacher might pass out a lot of hand outs instead and a binder is better to use to store them.

                                          

• Do you need to bring the textbook every class? Lugging a heavy textbook around is no fun and it's especially annoying if you don't even use it in class, so then you carried it around for no reason. 

These questions can save you time and energy, so ask your professor and mostly likely other students in the class were wondering the same thing.