Dear Prestudent Teachers,
I have ben hearing about your preparations for your 10 day student teaching some starting this week and most next week. Remember to ask your Cooperating teacher to:
1. Videotape a portion of you teaching one of your lessons and talk about it together. You will post your video reflection to your webpage.
2. Ask your Cooperating Teacher to formally observe you during your solo teaching experience. You can supply her with an obsevation form from our UNM Handbook or she may use one from the school. This you will keep to include in your professional portfolio.
3. Engage in a Dialogue journal about an issue, question or concern prompted by your lesson, teaching, classroom management, routines, students, etc.
I encourage you to keep a teacher's journal from now on. This will help you in becoming reflective practitioners in your teaching career.
I hope you are transitioning to think like teachers now!
If you have not sent me your 10 day solo teaching schedule of days and times, please email me them to me at fvitali@unm.edu by Friday, Nov. 12.
Thank you and look forward to your reflections below............Frances
My practicum work is going great!!! I am really enjoying it and learning great ways to teach with manipulatives as opposed to handing out paper (worksheets BORING!) Mrs. Martinez is the only teacher I have observed that hardly uses worksheets. I am just amazed how she uses centers for teaching Math and Reading! I go to her class every Tuesday and Thursday and stay for most of the day. I help when she needs help, assist students, observe how she does things, and step in to lead reading groups. She is a great role model that is very inspiring. She will lead the first group for reading time while I observe how she does it, then I do the second group. This has been a lot of fun!! I start my 10 day teaching on the 16th with a new reading series they started. I am really excited, but also a bit nervous to operate the interactive boards.
ReplyDeleteWhile in the class today, I got to do a read aloud for the students: "The Little Red Hen Make A Pizza". It is a really cute book and the students loved it! The class has been reading four different versions of the Little Red Hen and making a chart to compare all four.
I'm over joyed that I can be a part of Mrs. Martinez class because already, I am getting to know students fairly well and getting attached to them. They really do bring a smile to my face everytime I enter the room. So it's great to know that I'm in the right profession.
10 Days
ReplyDeleteI am at the beginning of my 10 day teaching schedule with 3rd graders at Animas Elementary. Yesterday went great. I was watching the time and was able to have things come to a close just at the right time. My CT observed my teaching and made notes for me to review afterward. I was grateful for that. I got positive feedback and constructive pointers for things to watch for. My CT was glad to get a different perspective as well and has moved one student to a more visible locale. It will be good for this girl. The kids were good, I thought, and they were attentive to the lesson. I am teaching the concept unit, "Authors Purpose", and it is new to them. One of the things I realize is that I moved too quickly into some form of assessment. I was thinking I needed documentation for the assessment as per lesson plan template. Actually, I could have done formative assessment and waited for the summative until later toward the end of the unit. Today I did re-teaching, using props and visuals from yesterday as well as a short skit with Frances. The kids loved it and I will be excited to see how their memory serves them when we visit this topic again later in the week. Good Luck to all! Patricia
Wow! I began my ten day teaching yesterday and I quickly learned how to be flexible and change my lesson for the next class period. My Ct has graciously given me her last two class periods so that I may observe the different learning styles of different classes and how they change everyday. So far we do not agree on the two periods except that there are some very gifted students in my last period. I think because we have different teaching styles the students are still struggling with understanding what I am asking of them. I give them a daily agenda and have them do one activity on it so I may see for myself how many of the students grasped the concept. So far my last class is rapidly catching on. I think my first class is not because they are my guinea pigs! Today I learned how to adapt my lessons. I was afraid I had not planned enough but instead I have too much planned! Francis came in today and I was nervous. It is funny how the Principle and my CT came in yesterday but I was fine then. I felt more comfortable during my second class. So comfortable I almost forgot to introduce Francis! It is funny how at the middle school everything is rushed and the classes tend to blend together. I have to keep reminding myself where every period left off because they are not at the same place. Well so far I would not trade this experience for anything. It is truly enriching!
ReplyDeleteSo far I have just been observing and helping my CT with mini lessons in math. The students are working with regrouping in both addition and subtraction. I am looking for ways other than the usual worksheet to help them with that. Frances gave me an idea to do a relay game where I put the students in groups of three and each group gets the same problem and the first student does it then passes it to the next person to check it and then finally the third person to make sure it is correct and then they bring me the problem. I thought this would be fun. So thanks for the suggestion Frances I can't wait to try it. I start my ten day on the 15th. I am kind of nervous, I just don't want it to be boring. I am finding different manipulatives to use to kind of mix it up a bit, I think the students will enjoy it. I really like the class I am working with, the students are great and they are getting to know me and I am getting to know them. When I walked in the classroom the other day one of the students said it's time for math. I must have a big math sign on my forehead. I thought it was funny. I am really enjoying being in this classroom. I am learning so much from my CT. It is great to be a part of an elementary class and I am thankful that I found a CT who has welcomed me. I'm having a blast and I'll keep you posted on what I am going to do for my lesson.
ReplyDeleteThis week I co-taught a lesson on adjectives with my CT! We agreed on what we thought the lesson should include, but my CT let me write it up and work out all the details. We started with paper bags filled with different foods. The students couldn't look in the bags - they could only touch, listen, and smell. (This is a lot like something Dana did in science!). They had to use adjectives to describe what they touched, felt, and smelled. We got together as a class and I wrote down some of their adjectives, then they got to guess what was in each bag. After this, we brainstormed some food that we eat at Thanksgiving. One student said tortillas! This would have been a great lead-in to a mini-lesson on culture, but unfortunately we didn't have time! After we brainstormed, each student got a paper plate divided into four sections. In each section they were to draw a food they eat at Thanksgiving then label it using one adjective and the name of the food. After they were done, I checked it, then they went to my CT for a Thanksgiving sticker. After everyone was finished, I brought a special treat for them all! One of the mystery bags had half a mandarin orange in it. I brought enough mandarin oranges for all the students to have one of their own! They each had to give me an adjective before they could eat it, though! This was a great way to wrap-up the lesson. My CT and I both thought it was great and fun. My CT says I need to find my "teacher voice" but that will come in time and with practice :) Speaking of time, I start a Time unit in math in their class for my 10-days on Monday! My CT gave me a lot of resources to use. We discussed how we thought it should progress through the unit, which was very helpful. I am so anxious about it! I look forward to some helpful feedback and just getting in there and doing it!
ReplyDeleteI have completed my first week of my 10 day teaching and I am learning so much. It has been so helpful to be able to go in and talk with my CT anytime I need to. I have asked her many questions I thought I knew the answers to and come to find out I did not. I had a great time with the kids so far teaching oceans and continents. They have been excited to see me each day. I can see how I could expand on even these lessons with more time and hour just isn't enough to finish up some things or cover them as well as I could with more time. I also learned that sometimes you have to revise what was planned because of many factors that can occur and it is okay. The lesson plans I wrote will need a little tweaking(not sure about the spelling) when I am finished but its going great and makes me even more excited for next semester.
ReplyDeleteMonday was my first day of solo teaching. Although, initially I felt well prepared, I have to admit that I was nervous. I was secretly hoping that my CT would leave me alone with the kids, but she didn’t. She’s been in the class every day, which doesn’t make a difference anymore. I have actually come to like her there! After all, teaching in front of other adults is going to be very much part of the job as a teacher.
ReplyDeleteI decided to do my unit on the scientific investigation in correlation with the water cycle. The week before presenting the unit, I had a very difficult time deciding how to deliver the instruction. I felt that every lesson had to be great and unforgettable. I put a lot of pressure on myself the days leading up to the first lesson, which I think was counter- productive.. On the first day, I was a total mess, I forgot some of the information that I had practiced so well to deliver. I was nervous like never before, and at one point I even thought about leaving!(yea it started off bad!!)Yet, I’m glad to announce that after a few minutes of complete distress and mental disarray, I was able to collect myself and deliver the lesson successfully. I could tell that the kids were excited to be working with someone new. They were attentive and enthusiastic. After class, I stayed and chatted with the teacher about my first day. I felt terrible about the way I had started out the lesson, so I wanted to receive reassurance from her. She made me feel a lot better about my blunders. I confessed that her presence in the classroom had initially made me very nervous and perhaps was the reason I started off rocky.
The rest of the week went very well; we are all getting to know each other better and I am feeling very comfortable there. The students greet me with hugs when I come in, which always helps put me at ease. They’re really a great class. I’m having lots of fun! Week one flew by!
Frances came to visit the classroom last week. It was great because she gave me constructive advice and she also helped video tape my lesson. I thought I was going to be extremely nervous with her being there, but surprisingly, I wasn’t nervous at all. (I think I used up all my anxiety the first day! haha)
I changed my teaching days to start tomorrow. I am going to teach the 15th through the 19th. The 22nd, 23rd, 29th, 30th, and Dec 1st. I am really excited to start my teaching. I have plans to do a Thanksgiving book with the children starting tomorrow. In this book, we are going to draw and write about some things that led to the first Thanksgiving. I think it is going to be fun. Monday 22 I am going to teach out of the Social Studies Unit book. I am going to teach about Pilgrams and the American Indians. On Tuesdsay 23 we are going to have a Pie Party. This will give me a chance to meet some of the parents:) I can't wait to start:)
ReplyDeleteMy 10 days are coming to a close. My CT has given me good feedback as she observes my lessons and I appreciate it so much. Today I struggled with grading papers and I reflected on things I may have not stressed enough. Some students used the Venn diagram to compare the types of trees rather than the two stories. There is a definite reteach opportunity. I have realized also that if they want to do well, they will. I still am a little vague on just what a third grader should know at this point. I am learning a lot and I am seeing how my vision of a classroom, as well as the flow of instruction would progress. It is exciting to think about- having everything go this way or that way. I thank my crew for giving me tips (Suzie, Frances) and I hope to improve. Everyday is better than the one before. It means a lot to have that support group! Good Luck Everybody and Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteWow my ten days are almost over. It has been an eye opening experience. I work all day in a classroom full of kindergarteners so it was neat to see how much more second graders know about stuff. I feel I have accomplished my goal of teaching oceans and continents to the students. Tomorrow we will have a mini quiz to assess how well I did and how much they learned. It is a little worrisome wondering if they really got anything out of the lessons I presented. I have realized that I do still have alot to learn about older students and look even more forward to my student teaching semester as I chose second grade for that too. I will let you all know how it goes. I really do see myself in a classroom and running it all by myself more each day. My CT has been so great giving me comments about things I need to do or not do all along the way. I will sure miss having her support each day. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
ReplyDeleteI have finished 7 of my 10 days and it is so much better than I thought it would be! I have been teaching a unit on Time. I am finding it challenging and sometimes frustrating, but also very rewarding! I love seeing the light in their eyes as information clicks, as knowledge falls into place. We have made two clocks so far (one normal clock, one divided into four for the quarter hours), done a few handouts going over hour, quarter hour, and 5 minute intervals, and on Monday we read a book called What Time is it, Mr. Crocodile? In the book, the crocodile has his day all scheduled out. He goes through his day and there is a clock on each page. The students had to tell me the time before we could continue reading. After the story, we made our own time books. The students had to write what time they woke up, when school started, what time they went to bed, and then two times of their choice. They had to draw the clock as well as write the time. Then they got to make pictures to go with each sentence. My CT recorded this session and I will watch and reflect on it later (it will be on my portfolio page). Tuesday was just some review (around the world with time!) since everything was crazy. After Thanksgiving we will be moving on to elapsed time. We will be using examples the students give. I already have one in mind - one student wrote in her time book that she plays on the computer until 5:00. We will use this and say that if she gets home at 3:00 and plays from 3:00 until 5:00, how long did she play? I am really looking forward to next week! My CT has been absolutely amazing. She always has something positive to say and has great ideas to help me along. I am learning a lot from working with her and her class.
ReplyDeleteI also want to wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving! See you all next week.
ReplyDeleteI started my ten day on the 15th. The students are working with regrouping addition and subtraction. I was nervous at first but the students were excited and that made me feel better. My CT is great to work with and she makes me feel comfortable in her classroom. We work on math from 12:45 until 1:45 and after that the students have recess time. I think I went over about 5 to 10 ten minutes almost everyday. There is so much to cover and the clock just keeps on ticking away. I was afraid I wouldn't have enough information to cover one hour but I had plenty and I was going over the allotted time. The students were great sports about it but I could tell some of them were getting frustrated with me. Overall I think my lessons went well and I had a great time working with the students. I did a relay using the small white boards in the classroom and students really liked doing that and the next day they asked if we could use them again sometime but there was so much to do that we were not able to use them again for that lesson. Starting on the 29th I continue with my ten day and this week we are going to be working with money. I think it will be better (have more fun with it) than regrouping because I can use manipulatives and my CT has said that I can use whatever I need of hers. It has been great, can't wait to get started again on Monday.
ReplyDeleteWell I finished my ten day solo teaching! This experience has definitely opened my eyes. I think the most important thing that I’ve learned is the fact that when planning lessons things can take unexpected twists from one moment to the next. Something that looks wonderful on paper might not turn out to be so great in real life. I also found that flexibility and improvising saved my lessons a few times. I planned a wide range of activities to incorporate the information that I wanted the students to learn. We played games, we did reader’s theater, we read books, we worked in small groups, large groups, participated in whole class discussions, we conducted experiments, we created art, watched short videos, and sang songs. Through all these activities, I would like to think that every student learned a thing or two about the topic at hand. I purposely designed my unit to include a vast number of different projects. My wish was to reach as many kids as possible.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised at how quickly I became attached to these kids. I felt a connection with every single one. I especially made it a point to form connections with the more quiet ones. I wanted everyone to feel important and involved. For the most part,the students were cooperative and willing to learn. I’ve learned a lot about myself as well. I know in my mind what kind of teacher I want to be, but I’ve learned through this experience that it is going to take practice and determination to get there. I also found that it is rather easy for me to relate to children.
The hardest thing was being able to fully and one hundred percent be relaxed and at ease. If I am to be honest, I must say, that I found it a bit difficult at times having someone constantly observing my every move. I know that with time I will gain more confidence in my teaching ability, but right now I’m only beginning and I just don’t like to make mistakes in front of my CT. It is kind of like when you get your driver’s license and you’re nervous because you know that the instructor sitting beside you is analyzing everything you do. However, I am thankful because I did receive invaluable information and feedback that I know I’ll remember when I go into my student teaching next semester.
I wanted to make our last day special so we ended our unit with a cupcake and lemonade party. My CT took photographs of us and the kids made me a sweet Thank You card. It was a special class and a great learning experience!
My 10 days are going more smoothly each time I teach! I finished seven days so far and I can definitely tell the difference from day one to now. It is going a lot easier and smoother and the students are getting accustomed to me and being well behaved. I'm very lucky to have Mrs. Martinez around to help guide me and set examples for me.
ReplyDeleteI finished my 10 ten day and I must say that it was a great experience. I enjoyed working with the students and getting to know them better. The last week started out a little rocky but towards the end of the week it smoothed out. My CT gives me a lot of great advice on what is working and what is not. I also wanted to say thank you to Frances because she helped me when things got kind of rocky. She gave me some good pointers and it helped smooth out my lesson.
ReplyDelete