I really enjoyed releasing Mrs. Morris because I am familiar with her classroom and the students. I believe that because the students know who I am, they are also more comfortable with me. During her release times, I covered math. One day, she was teaching integers and adding positive and negative numbers. This is something that I am fairly good at compared to my other math knowledge and background. I worked with students throughout the time on three different math pages in their math journals. Mrs. Morris didn't use any special teaching strategies with this lesson except for a number line, which is generally used to teach integers.
On the next day that I released Mrs. Morris, she was giving a test. But, this was a take home test that the students had been given to take home on Friday and they were finishing it in class on Monday. This test also had to do with integers as well as exponents. The only thing that I was instructed to was to review the directions for the test and remind students that in class, they were not going to be allowed to use a calculator. While the students were testing, I answered a few questions as to how to go about solving problems. I also graded several papers that had been turned in for makeup work.
During these two release days in Mrs. Morris's classroom, I found that I am more comfortable in teaching math than I initially thought. I am not sure if it was because I was teaching integers and I was comfortable with them or it it was because I was familiar with the classroom and the students. Either way, it was a great feeling!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Release Hours April 8th
On this day, I released Mrs. Stewart in the third grade. Since I have previously been placed with Mrs. Steward, I am familiar with her routine and behavioral management system. I did learn something new though. She is using a three finger system for having students to raise their hand. She asks the students raise their hand and one finger if they need to tell her something. Then, raise their hand and two fingers if they need to ask a question. Then, the third finger to ask to leave the room for some reason. For example, restroom or drink at the water fountain. I found that I really like this system. It allows for more instructional time and more time on task. Students know that they cannot (well should not) get out of their seat before raising their hand and using the finger system. I believe the only exception to this system is when the students are taking a test.
I also had to give students check marks for not following directions, talking our, or being disrespectful. In this classroom, there seems to be a great deal of special needs and differing learning levels. Some of the students were talking out and being disrespectful in questioning why when asked to do simple tasks like put their library book away, because it was time for social studies. I learned that you have to be firm because some of the students became very upset and one even started crying after I had given her checks, but it was a necessary because of her behavior.
The last thing about this classroom and something that I really liked was the system of helpers. Each morning, Mrs. Steward selects a helper by going alphabetically through the class roster. I feel that this is something that I would use in my classroom in the future. I think that it is a good system because if you have a student helper for the entire week, the student may by one that isn't enthusiastic or someone that goes to deliver the lunch count only to return 20 minutes later. I think that having one helper everyday is something that would be good to prevent this problem, at least for a week's period of time.
I also had to give students check marks for not following directions, talking our, or being disrespectful. In this classroom, there seems to be a great deal of special needs and differing learning levels. Some of the students were talking out and being disrespectful in questioning why when asked to do simple tasks like put their library book away, because it was time for social studies. I learned that you have to be firm because some of the students became very upset and one even started crying after I had given her checks, but it was a necessary because of her behavior.
The last thing about this classroom and something that I really liked was the system of helpers. Each morning, Mrs. Steward selects a helper by going alphabetically through the class roster. I feel that this is something that I would use in my classroom in the future. I think that it is a good system because if you have a student helper for the entire week, the student may by one that isn't enthusiastic or someone that goes to deliver the lunch count only to return 20 minutes later. I think that having one helper everyday is something that would be good to prevent this problem, at least for a week's period of time.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Release Time-Day Two
Today, I again released Ms. Tate, a third grade teacher. This time, I had even more fun with the class. The students are great and the environment makes anyone feel welcome. I had the opportunity to see how the routine is different at a different time. Although the morning seemed like it was going to be long and take forever, it flew by!
In this third grade classroom, I had the opportunity to teach Math, Science, and English. The activities that I did were relating to review in Math and Science. But I was able to share some of my own personal strategies with some of the students that were struggling, with Math and multiplication facts, as well as tricks to learning and remembering new vocabulary terms, which was really neat.
Then, before lunch, I had the students ready and lined up early so I decided to have each of the students tell me something that they learned or something fun that they did today. My favorite thing was that several of the students were really excited to say that they learned the little tricks or strategies from me. This makes me feel really excited! Also, I think that this is something that I like doing just to see if the students were paying attention and can recall information that they learned throughout the morning.
In this third grade classroom, I had the opportunity to teach Math, Science, and English. The activities that I did were relating to review in Math and Science. But I was able to share some of my own personal strategies with some of the students that were struggling, with Math and multiplication facts, as well as tricks to learning and remembering new vocabulary terms, which was really neat.
Then, before lunch, I had the students ready and lined up early so I decided to have each of the students tell me something that they learned or something fun that they did today. My favorite thing was that several of the students were really excited to say that they learned the little tricks or strategies from me. This makes me feel really excited! Also, I think that this is something that I like doing just to see if the students were paying attention and can recall information that they learned throughout the morning.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Release Time-Day One
As I approach my second day of release time, I am very excited, especially to be releasing the same teacher again! During my first day of release time, I was placed with Angie Tate at North Elementary. She is a third grade teacher. I really liked the way that she had her classroom set up. She has her students placed in groups of four to five students/desks. I believe that she does this to have a large open area and mat for oral reading time.
My favorite thing about her classroom and teaching strategies was that of her routine for stations. For each student, there is a folder that travels with them to each station. I find this to be very nice for tracking students' work without having to collect it everyday and have mounds of paperwork. Also, I believe that she uses this system to keep track of which stations various groups have been to during the week and which ones that they need to go to in the event that there would be any confusion.
Lastly, I really liked the system that Mrs. Tate used for the station rotation. She has note cards with all of the students' names on a card and then a magnet is glued to the back. She groups the students together and sticks the magnets on the board writing that group's rotation next to it. She does this for each group. Also, in the groups, she uses a post-it to symbolize who will be the group leader for the day's stations.
I really like this teaching strategy for reading and language arts instruction relating to ability levels. This is something that I would look into using and molding into my own system in my future classroom.
My favorite thing about her classroom and teaching strategies was that of her routine for stations. For each student, there is a folder that travels with them to each station. I find this to be very nice for tracking students' work without having to collect it everyday and have mounds of paperwork. Also, I believe that she uses this system to keep track of which stations various groups have been to during the week and which ones that they need to go to in the event that there would be any confusion.
Lastly, I really liked the system that Mrs. Tate used for the station rotation. She has note cards with all of the students' names on a card and then a magnet is glued to the back. She groups the students together and sticks the magnets on the board writing that group's rotation next to it. She does this for each group. Also, in the groups, she uses a post-it to symbolize who will be the group leader for the day's stations.
I really like this teaching strategy for reading and language arts instruction relating to ability levels. This is something that I would look into using and molding into my own system in my future classroom.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Action Research
This section of my blog focuses on my experiences during the implementation of my action research processes in my internship placement.
Week 1 Reflection
This section of my blog focuses on the first week in my internship classroom with my mentor teacher, Mrs. Mary Lous Morris, and first full day(s) experiences with these fifth grade students.
Week 2 Reflection
This section of my blog focuses on my second week experiences and reflection in my mentor teacher's, Mrs. Mary Lou Morris's, fifth grade classroom.
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