Fifth Lesson: Jeopardy & Review

And this is Jeopardy...

After recess as usual the class came back to the classroom. We arranged the board and decided to have 2 teams (we just slit the classroom into two sides-opposing teams). Instead of having the each student respond in the form of a question, we just came up with questions and they had to answer them. The main parameters were that only the person whose turn it is could answer and if they couldn’t think of the answer they had a chance to conference with their classmates and think through their answers (this was particularly helpful for ESOL, but I think it was an important addition to the game for everyone.

We gave the students a few minutes in-class to review with their teammates prior to the game; a larger part of study time was supposed to be taken for homework the night before.

In the beginning the questions and responses were going well. The class listened intently, worked with one another and we were on a roll thinking we were going to be issue free until we came to one question. One team was given the opportunity to answer in what seemed like a long period to the other team and as such this resulted in complaints and took the lesson off task. From a teacher prospective we were trying to give an ESOL student a brief period to access his thoughts, he was drawing the answer on paper and it was clear that he knew it and was in the right direction but was having difficulty expressing it. We could have done a better job at summing up the lesson, but the tension lead the lesson in another direction. As was stated from our observation we could have used the opportunity to recognize how well everyone had done overall, and reinforced the idea that the goal of the activity was to aid in review for their exam. This is good to know if other situations similar to this are encountered.

I think that our unit was a success and that our work and efforts paid off. I look forward to future classroom experiences and student teaching in the fall. I'm going to miss this class, being in and out their classroom this semester and last semester is a reasonable amount of time to have built great relationships with some of them. Luckily I have papers to return so I will still see some of them soon. I might try to stop in for a visit at least once before the year is over.

Fourth Lesson: Virginia Region Part III (Appalachian Plateau & Valley and Ridge)

This lesson had the final two regions we are covering in our unit. Overall, I think that the material we covered throughout the unit is being retained. They all have varied levels of comfort with the material that we are covering. Also, some of our students that are ESOL are pulled out for various purposes and some have been absent. In efforts to account for this and ensure that even the students that aren’t present for direct instruction have something to look at and read on their own. We created an “Important Things to Remember” sheet and a brief review sheet of everything we covered. In preparation for our final assessment and jeopardy review for their exam, we used chart paper and listed the regions and everyone was given the opportunity to recall what they could remember. When they missed or cited incorrect material their classmates or one of us would correct them. This allowed for peer interaction and assistance. Everyone seems excited about the Jeopardy Game. Our classroom teacher has had Jeopardy games before so we don’t have to create the board from scratch we just bring the questions and categories we create. It seems as though our lessons have gone by so quickly. I think it’s mainly because we were in almost everyday this week. I hope that everyone reviews the material I don’t know what to expect, but in teaching I guess that’s one of the most important things-you expect the unexpected and have back up plans. Tim and I said that we would come up with a few extra Jeopardy questions just in case timing is off and we are under.

Third Lesson: Virginia Regions Part II (Blue Ridge Mountains & Rivers)

We’ve definitely began to get the swing of things...Today we introduced the Blue Ridge Mountains and Rivers. We were able to find great images (for example, the Blue Ridge Mountains) to enhance our PowerPoint and awesome quotes and interesting facts for students (i.e. The Natural Bridge that has George Washington’s initials carved in it is in the Blue Ridge Mountain Region). At the end of our lesson we had students record what they had learned and one thing that had them stumped or something that they want to learn more about. This was just another point at which we could gauge student performance. When we introduced the rivers we informed the students of a cute acronym to help them remember (Principals Race Yellow Jaguars) the rivers: Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and James. Our classroom teacher had a great display that allowed us to give the class a great visual. After our PowerPoint we took the students over to the rug area and conducted a map activity. They traced and mapped the boundaries of each region and rivers along with Mr. Tim and I. They then color coordinated every area with the specific region. I think that this helped a lot; they were able to see a spatial difference between each region and the rivers. Even though there was a lot of material covered I think that it was enough time for them to process the information. As I have looked through the Virginia Studies Journal’s I’ve noticed where some of the class has gone back and added and summarized on their own for “personal” review.

Thoughts on Second Lesson: Coastal Plain & Piedmont

In today’s lesson we created a PowerPoint on the Coastal Plain & Piedmont and we were able to jump right into things. The students were much more focused and willing to stay on task offering up occasional examples related to our discussion. As a homework assignment the class was to design and assemble their Virginia Journal for our unit, when we arrived all of the students were excited about showing us their designs. We had a Regions handout prepared as the first attachment for their Virginia Journal. The sheet has a designated area for physical features of the various region as well as location. We figured that this would be an easy way for students to have something that they could take home to review after the PowerPoint presentation. The students filled out the handout as we went through the PowerPoint. We also had them complete a “summing it up” handout for homework so that we would be able to assess the comprehension of the material along the way. The questions are basic and related to today’s lesson (i.e.: what is the fall line?). One of the most difficult components of this lesson were getting students to pick-up the important info from the PowerPoint and transferring it to the handouts, but I think it is expected and necessary for 4^th graders to need a little guidance. At least we’ve given them a brief intro to note taking. They seem excited to learn more about the Virginia Regions and our unit, this introduction to unit planning has given me a taste of what to expect next year.

Thoughts on First Lesson:

We conducted our first lesson on March 21^st. We planned our first assessment around the goal of continuing to address Virginia and its bordering states since the pre-assessment seemed to frustrate some. This way we could jump right and at show them that even though something seems unfamiliar if they are given the tools they can learn and acquire new information. We figured that the best way to illustrate this lesson and the majority of our lesson was via PowerPoint. While the SOLs only call for students to have an understanding of relative location, and bordering states we thought that it might be less dry if we focused on these concepts, but also incorporated some interesting facts. We even allowed for random moments for our class to veer slightly of task and make connects based on prior knowledge and past experiences. Thinking ahead and understanding that things sometimes go wrong we arrived early to make copies. I decided to go on ahead and make copies for our next lesson since our unit days were pretty much back to back. I think that having this already completed put us both at ease and ready to get right into the material. I didn’t know until now how quickly 45 minutes goes. We had the class right after recess, which meant that the students had a bit of extra energy. We gave the students a map that was pretty much identical to the pre-assessment to fill out while we went through the PowerPoint. I must say that we learned the importance of guiding children and that some children are easier to keep on task than others. We thought we would have enough time to have the students construct their “Virginia Journals,” but time didn’t allow for it so we decided to make that activity a homework assignment. They found the idea of design something interesting anyway. Overall, I think that this lesson definitely served my partner and I well in that now we are used to possible kinks in our original thinking. We are definitely better prepared I think that at least now the students are aware of the fact that we will start coming in on a regular basis to conduct our unit. I am at least thankful that I classroom teacher Mrs. S is a wonderful resource and gives us ideas and materials for our lesson as we go, her feedback is also useful since she interacts with the children on a daily basis.

Observation/PreAssessment

Today’s administration of the preassessment proved to be rather difficult for the students of the classroom I observe. My partner and I are teaching the students about Virginia’s regions and bordering states, but this is the first major exposure the students have had to this material. Our preassessment was a map of Virginia and its bordering states; however we removed the names of each state and had the students fill it in based on their prior knowledge. We also had students mention any info they knew about the regions. Some of the students were frustrated because they weren’t sure of the answers even though we told them to just try their best. However, this gave us an opportunity to see the range of knowledge our students have. Some students were more familiar with things than others, I overheard a student say, “oh I know this my uncle showed me where this was before.” My partner and I are just going to use this as an opportunity to link new and old material and be as innovative as possible making the lessons interactive and interesting. Just because the material is relatively straight forward doesn’t mean that it can be exciting. We’ve planned to incorporate a “Virginia Journal” in which students compile all the information that we go over throughout the unit. This will allow students to have something to reference during and after our unit is complete. We’ve created handouts, PowerPoint’s, etc. We will begin our teaching this week Wednesday and I am looking forward to it.

Observation #2: February 23 (Planning for unit and conference with classroom teacher)

Today the students’ had a free period during our observation time because of good behavior. During this time my partner and I were able to just observe the students’ interactions with others at their grade level. There was a brief awards ceremony in which awards were given for honor roll achievement and improvement. Then everyone was allowed to watch a magic school bus video about the planets, which they seemed to be rather excited about. I must admit I am a fan of Ms. Frizzle. The students’ were congratulating their friends that received awards and you could see that academic achievement was something of value.

After school my partner and I met with our classroom teacher to discuss our plans for our unit. We are going to be doing a unit on the five regions of Virginia. We can teach the regions in any order we like. We planned a tentative schedule and began to brainstorm possible pre-assessment ideas. We will conduct our pre-assessment on Wed. prior to their Math lesson. Our teacher also provided us with links and possible ideas. Our official teaching will likely take place the week of March 19 after we have given our teacher a chance to review our unit. I like the fact that I am able to brainstorm with my partner as well as my classroom teacher. We are pretty much in good shape! We’re just going to do some research and we should be fine.

Observation #1: February 21

Today was my first official day back in my 4^th grade classroom placement; I hadn’t seen most of the students since before Winter Break. Throughout all of the snow day chaos and other unexpected events I have maintained lines of communication with my classroom teacher, and was ready to get back into the swing of things this week.

As soon as I entered the school building there was a since of comfort. I love being around students, no matter how chaotic my day, when I see children it just makes me happy. When I headed toward the fourth grade area and my classroom placement, one of the best things happened I saw the students recognize me and whisper too each other, “oh look its Ms. Janelle!” When I reached the doorway I was greeted with hugs and smiles and it felt great.

My partner and I observed a Math lesson. The students were reviewing parallel, perpendicular, and intersecting lines. Being that the classroom has 7 or so ESOL students my classroom teacher is always incorporating as many hands on and visual activities and references as possible. In this activity students used tooth picks to represent the different lines along with definition cards that they glued on construction paper (picture-text support). This will definitely be useful for future reference and later instruction.

The activity was easier for some than others. Some students finished within a few minutes after hearing the directions and others needed guidance from their peers and my partner and I as we walked around.

Today’s lesson observation reinforces my teaching metaphor. Students were collaborating with one another, the teacher was in tune with student differences and the students’ were able to work at their own pace. When students finished early there was a second activity for them to work on. I could tell that time had been taken to establish a routine that students follow.

This direct instruction lesson seemed to serve as a good refresher for students. I’d say that it was effective in that it allowed for students to create a tangible item that can then be used or referenced in the future that they created themselves. I think the fact that they did it themselves will help them in their memory of what each of the lines is called, what they mean, and what they look like. I know that in thinking about observations and classroom time last semester, this lesson, and other classroom experience we should plan interactive lessons that keep students interested and engaged.

Teaching Metaphor...

I would describe my teaching style as similar to a hot air balloon:

"A hot air balloon ventures to unknown, unexplored places, able to observe on a more global manner.”

By this I mean to say that it will be important for me as a teacher to strive to be innovative, observant and in tune with the needs and learning styles of my students. I want to challenge my students to think outside of their normal frameworks, achieving what seemed beyond reach; opening up a whole new world. I want my students to read between the lines making connections between what's new and old. As a teacher I will encourage my students to see their own potential. I want my students to “soar” above and beyond reaching the heights of success. Both teaching and learning involve an element of uncertainty and discovery of new things via a collaborative effort. I’ll expect learning in my classroom to be reciprocal because learning is an ongoing process. I am hopeful that students will come into my classroom with the same enthusiasm I bring day after day. As a day winds down, my teaching like a hot air balloon’s adventure will conclude... but the journey won’t end.