Almost done!

I have learned so much about teaching, the students, and myself this semester. I cannot believe it is almost over. My practicum experience went very well, and my cooperating teacher was wonderful. She was patient, encouraging, and helpful with my lessons and other required assignments. Working with eighth graders definitely brought new experiences. They are so smart and willing to share their thoughts. I learned a lot about teaching social studies and I am more excited than ever to be student teaching in an 8th grade classroom in the fall. Teaching includes such a wide variety of skills and patience. Finally seeing the THE TEST this week showed me that it is only a test. Why focus, stress, and worry about this ONE test. We should teach the students what we can, the best ways we know how. If we stop stressing out about it, the students will be more relaxed and probably will do better anyway. Let's teach what needs to be taught and this little test will be just that--an assessment of their knowledge.

What happens Next?

As this semester finally comes to an end, I have been reflecting on all of my experiences throughout the past few semesters. When I started out in my Admissions semester, I was excited and relaxed in the classrooms I observed. As my Practicum I semsester rolled around, I became very nervous before teaching each lesson. I felt like it took me forever just to write up one lesson. During Practicum II, I was comfortable in front of the classroom when I taught my lessons and had little trouble coming up with lessons that would engage the students. I will be student teaching in the fall, and I feel very prepared. I know that I have not learned everything about teaching, but things will come to me in time. I have realized that this is the right profession for me, and I think I will do great at it.

Substitute

I was supposed to teach my lesson on Thursday, but when I walked in there was a substitute teacher there. it was an interesting day to say the least, because right before the kids were to switch classes the power went out. The kids began screaming and they ran out the door! I was glad that the special ed teacher was coming into the classroom, because she had them all walk right back into the room. We were told to stay in our rooms, and the students basically had free time to talk amongst themselves. The substitute then became sick, and had to leave which left the special ed teacher as the sub for the day. After the lights came back on, three special ed teachers took over per class, as there was no substitute teacher available for the class. We mostly followed what my cooperating teacher had left, which was an assignment they had started working on earlier that week when I was there, so it was good to know what they were supposed to do. The kids did try to do everything they could to the substitute teacher, but I am glad the special ed teachers were there, because they kept the room working and calmed since the students know who the special ed teachers are. I get to do my lesson now to just one class instead of two, when we get back, which makes me sad.

Unexpected lesson

During the first class of the day, my teacher taught the lesson. It was about the North and South and how they are different geographically, economically, and socially. I liked this particular lesson because she used a visual approach to illustrate the differences. She mentioned that this was a review for the students and another way for them to see how drastically different the regions were throughout US history. The students are going double-blocked in social studies for the next 2 weeks until "THE TEST" so she is trying to squeeze as much information as possible, while reviewing important topics. I thought the lesson went very well for her 1st period so I asked if I could teach the 2nd class. I liked just jumping in, doing the lesson with the information I already know about the subject. The students seemed to enjoy the lesson because halfway through there was an activity she had for them to complete. It kept them occupied and gave necessary information about the north and south. Since we were reviewing, for the most part, I was able to use their prior knowledge to make inferences about the time period and what it was like for those living in the U.S. right before the Civil War.

EDU 348 - Teaching Social Studies in the Middle Grades: Second Lesson

EDU 348 - Teaching Social Studies in the Middle Grades: Second Lesson

I taught my lesson today, and it went really well. I used the Iron Maiden song that Dr. Besnoy brought to class and surprisingly enough the kids enjoyed it!! I love open discussions and having the studnets become involved so I allowed them to read for ten minutes the chapter section in the book and then with the background knowledge we discussed the information on the Trail of Tears more in depth. My teacher wanted me to use a certain map he had premade which was fine, but I spent most of the time talking with the students. It is very refreshing to hear studnets say thankyou or that was really cool, becasue I did put alot of time and effort into the lesson, because I wanted them to enjoy it becasue what they think really matters to me. My teacher was so funny, becasue he said he never uses technology in the room so on Wednesday I came to the school and my teacher, myself and the technology teacher hooked up a projector to the laptop and the teacher said it was so simple he might actually do it-I wont hold my breathe though lol. The teacher gave me the oppurtunity to teach all three periods before lunch and it really did help me, because I was able to change what I didnt like, add some things, see which questions I wanted to use and it helped me build my confidence before I was observed by Dr. C. Again, Dr. Besnoy really does have some great ideas and he is willing to share, so if anyone is a procrastinator like me and hasnt been observed by Dr. C and is in desperate need for some great ideas, Im telling you what, he really does have them.

A side note, it was really windy on Thursday and I was talking to Leanne and I put a stack of papers on top of my car and they blew everywhere so if anyone saw me scrambling the parking lot, I am not a stalker or a weirdo, I was trying to pick up the papers lol.


Jenny :)

Second Lesson

Last week I taught my lesson that was observed by Dr. Cook. I actually was not nervous at all for some strange reason. I could have been the Hip Hop Academy visit that was right before my lesson that loosened up my jitters but I felt fine.
As for the lesson it went great. The students responded well and worked very well in thier groups. I had no dicipline problems at all. It actually was sort of weird now that I think about. I did goof up on my conclusion because...well...I forgot to do it. I should of wrapped things up with asking them what they had gotten done and what they had learned that day but I just let them walk out the door. Oh well. I cant believe that we only have TWO more visits in our classrooms. Its been a great experience that I have learned a great deal. For example I now know how to break dance, freestyle, and DJ the wheels of steel thanks to the Hip Hop Academy. Dont ask me to show you.

Final Lessons

I taught my second and third lesson this week. My lesson on Tuesday did not exactly go as planned. There was an unexpected assembly. So, my 52 minute lesson got cut down to 30 minutes. That made me feel very rushed. Also, in the kids learned how break dance at the assembly, so when they came back to the classroom they were like little monkeys going crazy! Literally bouncing off the walls! It took a while to calm them down, however, once we finally got going, I think what material I did get to cover went over very well. I had to get on one particular student a few times, for putting his head down and not participating. My teacher was very pleased at my flexibility and said that I did a great job. Today I taught my last lesson for the semester. Luckily there were no surprise assemblies this time! I think it went very well today!

2nd Lesson

I taught my second lesson on Tuesday, with Dr. Cook observing. The lesson went well and I was pleased, as was Dr. Cook when I spoke with him. There was a bit of chattering when other students were trying to speak, so that is something I definitely need to work on. That lovely classroom management concept!!!

I was pretty excited because it seemed like a few students who are usually quiet and don't participate spoke up and joined the discussion. I think interacting with the students is my favorite part. I really look forward to student teaching and being with students on a consistent basis. In some ways, I feel like I'm just developing good relationships with the students and now the semester is almost over :(

Adjustments

CCMS has the CATS test coming up. My teacher has just found out that the 8th graders don't really know any of the information they learned in 7th grade social studies. So she and the other 8th grade social studies teacher are re-planning their curriculm to fix this. Instead of going into the the Civil War, they are going to be reviewing ancient civilization. This is a problem for me, because I have one more lesson to teach and I have start over, because they will not be covering that info now.

Today's lesson

Today my practicum teach did a lesson on the Women's Rights Movement. As part of the lesson, she played a song the oppressed American women would sing and gave a copy of the lyrics to the students. After listening to the song while reading the words, the teacher led a discussion about oppression and why the women felt they way the did. She brought up the topic of persuading others to join your cause and getting your point acrossed in a calm manor. The teacher also showed a video about the movement and how women were treated in society. The video said once women were married, all of their possessions went to the man, including their children. All of her belongs were now his responsibility. The segment of the video told about what married women were entitled to if their husbands died: nothing (unless he left something in his will). This started a class discussion on what the women received if they were divorced. I was surprised because divorce was not discussed in the video; they just started asking questions and wondering what would happen to the children and her possessions. It made me realize the students wanted to relate this information to their lives in some way, and unfortunately many students have dealt with divorce. The teacher spoke about the topic for several minutes to answer their questions get their responses before moving on. This helped me to realize the students will become more engaged in the lesson if they can relate it to their lives.

Waiting for next Lesson

I went into my practicum earlier this week to find that the brochures my students had created had been put up in the front of the room around the board. That really made me feel that my lesson was worth it and very creative. My cooperating teacher said that he had gotten nothing but positive comments on the brochures! It really made me extremely happy. He even told me that he was using the lesson with his second group of students that do not come in during the time I am there. Today on Thursday, he showed me their results and they all turned out great. I am glad to have left a mark on the class and the teacher! haha

So I am ready for my 2nd lesson to teach, and Dr. Faulkner will be there to observe. The one thing that has me worked up is how well the students will behave, and if they will perform well. I am going to do a lesson on vocabulary and Russia. I am going to put the information on 4 posters, and have the students walk around in groups gathering their information. Then we will end up playing a game with the vocabulary words. I have no idea what to give as prizes, I was thinking pencils, bookmarks, and my cooperating teacher said he will have candy.

Any other suggestions??

2nd Lesson

Well I was a little disappointed in my second lesson. It went okay, but not as well as the first. My practicum teacher asked me to cover the invention of the cotton gin and its effect on the American economy. I guess it probably didn’t help that the students were going on spring break the following day. She also wanted me to show how it effected the North and South differently. Unfortunately, she ended up covering a lot of this material several days before my lesson. I felt bad because I knew the students had to be bored. It seemed like a waste of time. The students became engaged eventually, but the beginning of the lesson was necessary to explain the second part of the lesson. It was tough getting through the first half, but I was able to get the students interested because I related this event to their lives. We discussed new technologies that have had an effect on the current economy in America. I found that students really do like to talk about the world around them and how it affects their lives.

Next Lesson

I am teaching my next lesson on April 3. I'm so excited because the lesson will be on the Vikings, which should be fun. However, my practicum teacher will be observing me, so I'm quite nervous. My teacher has allowed me to be creative with the lesson and go in any direction I want, but I'm having a hard time finding something that is informative, productive, and fun. Any suggestions would be appreciated! My practicum is on spring break this week, so I have some time to do some research. I hope it goes well!

Good Discipline???

I have been uncomfortable with a behavior I have observed by cooperating teacher. Overall, I feel he is good with the students. But, there are times when he seems to have no patience (which I understand) and sends a student into the hall (which I don't understand). It seems he sends the students because they are disrupting the class and continue talking after being told to stop. However, from the 4 or 5 times I've seen this - I have not noticed the student being overly disruptive. But, I am not in the front of the class so I am sure there are things going on that I can't see. Regardless of how disruptive the student may be, it seems to me sending a student into the hall is not the correct "answer". Given our discussion in classroom management last week, I am even more certain that is not how the situation should be handled. I honestly cannot say how I would react to the situation. It is one of my concerns and I am not sure I feel we have been given a lot of tools to utilize. We are told to 'prevent' disruptive behavior by presenting meaningful and engaging lessons - but that is not full proof. I do not feel entirely comfortable judging a teacher who has so much experience, but this happens to be one area I question.

Two Lessons

I taught two lessons this week at my practicum site. The first one was on the Black Death, and the second one was on Renaissance art. For my first lesson, the students behaved exceptionally well--the best I have seen at my school yet. Based on that, I had high hopes for today, which was the lesson that Dr. Cook was at.
Unfortunately, the students played the "defiance" card on me. When I divided students into groups (which I had to modify on the spot because a student got sent to the office during our opening bell work), two of the boys decided to go to different groups--they simply changed the number that I had given to them. When I tried to get them to go with their original groups, both refused. They wound up getting behavioral marks for defiance, but that was definitely something that I did not need to deal with. I recovered and the lesson went fine, although it could have been better. Students did not behave well this time, with a couple exceptions.
For some reason, I was not a bit nervous about teaching either lesson. By all rights, I should have been...I had never taught a social studies lesson before Tuesday, and I am teaching in an environment that I am not comfortable in at all. I was not nervous at all (even with Dr. Cook comnig in), and I think I handled myself well. If something went wrong, I was able to get back on track quickly enough, and my cooperating teacher was there for support as well.