"The Snowy Day(s)"
"The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats was one of my favorite books as a child. I loved the unique illustrations and the book brought me hope for a perfect snowy day. Snow has to be my favorite type of weather, not because of the expected cancellation of school, but because snow is peaceful and beautiful. It causes me to be thankful for this world around me and the blessings I have. Hopefully, you were able to enjoy your days off and cherish the snow while it lasts.
Because I only saw students for one day this week, it was fairly easy. So I would rank the week with a '4'. The reason the week doesn't have a perfect '5' rating is because Tuesday was quite stressful. I was disappointed with how my lessons went and I felt rushed most of the day. The kids were acting wild (probably due to the hopeful snow arrival) and one student felt the need to run out the main door 3 times, causing me to chase him down. So, needless to say, having a break the next day was appreciated. I have realize I need to be more firm and stick to routines of classroom management. I cannot let students slip by without acknowledging their misbehavior. This reflection (NCPTS V.c) will hopefully improve the flow and success of my lessons here further.
My goal for this weekend is to have the 'Context for Learning' and 3 of 5 edTPA lessons complete. Since we will have a seminar on Saturday, I'm hoping to learn more about the edTPA process and utilize this information to work on Task 1. My next goal is to start full-time on January 29th. Originally, I wanted to begin 10 weeks this coming Monday, but due to snow days, I'm pushing it back.
Sadly, I'm ashamed to say I did not complete much 'Student Teaching' work over the snow days this week. I had every intention of knocking out several tasks, but got caught up in the weather and lost track of time. I definitely could have been more productive, and I need to get on the ball so it doesn't come back to bite me. However, I was able to get in some more professional development on Tuesday and today. Tuesday, the literacy specialist of Gaston County came to our PLC time and gave us pointers of incorporating read-alouds in a Kindergarten classroom. This impacted me by learning about specific questions to ask students when reading fiction or non-fiction stories. Today, everyone in the school went to a professional development session on the accreditation of Gaston County Schools. In a month, accreditors could come to any school and assess their performance. I learned about this process, and strategies to implement in the classroom involving technology and small-group time.
When teaching Math Investigations this week (Tuesday), I began implementing a new app: SeeSaw. I led small groups of students and provided explicit, step-by-step instructions of using this app. If they had questions or displayed confusion, I addressed the issue and helped, as needed (NCPTS.1.a). By utilizing this app, students are gaining a new skill of using an iPAD and following steps to upload work. The app is an online classroom where students can log on and complete assignments. Additionally, they can upload pictures, recordings, drawings, etc. and describe what they created and why. Using the app is in the beginning stages, and I am still learning about what all the app entails, but I'm proud of how quickly students picked up on understanding SeeSaw (NCPTS.IV.d). (Link to App)
The lesson taught for Reader's Workshop involved having students act as 'detectives' and use magnifying glasses to 'zoom into the pages of a book.' The students searched for challenging words they did not recognize immediately. Once they found a difficult word, they had to activate their 'sound power' and sound out the entire word. This was such a fun lesson to teach and students were engaged with the magnifying glasses. Teaching this lesson fulfilled NCPTS. III.d by making instruction relevant to the students.
Anytime I interact with a student or with whole groups, I try to provide a nurturing environment and truly listen to what they are saying to me. Sometimes, this results in hearing a very detailed story about the disney movie the child watched two months ago. Regardless, they are always welcome to ask questions or ask for help when needed. During morning routines, I strive to ask students what they did over the weekend, or ask a specific question where I learn more about their interests (NCPTS.II.a).
On Saturday, I will be able to touch base with my university supervisor and ask a few, minor questions. However, my CE hasn't stated any support she needs thus far. I cannot believe the number to things I've learned in the past 3 weeks (despite barely being at school due to weather). Even when I fail or do not perform how I expected, I'm still learning about being a better educator, and for that, I'm incredibly thankful.
See you all on Saturday!!
Gabrielle :)
Because I only saw students for one day this week, it was fairly easy. So I would rank the week with a '4'. The reason the week doesn't have a perfect '5' rating is because Tuesday was quite stressful. I was disappointed with how my lessons went and I felt rushed most of the day. The kids were acting wild (probably due to the hopeful snow arrival) and one student felt the need to run out the main door 3 times, causing me to chase him down. So, needless to say, having a break the next day was appreciated. I have realize I need to be more firm and stick to routines of classroom management. I cannot let students slip by without acknowledging their misbehavior. This reflection (NCPTS V.c) will hopefully improve the flow and success of my lessons here further.
My goal for this weekend is to have the 'Context for Learning' and 3 of 5 edTPA lessons complete. Since we will have a seminar on Saturday, I'm hoping to learn more about the edTPA process and utilize this information to work on Task 1. My next goal is to start full-time on January 29th. Originally, I wanted to begin 10 weeks this coming Monday, but due to snow days, I'm pushing it back.
Sadly, I'm ashamed to say I did not complete much 'Student Teaching' work over the snow days this week. I had every intention of knocking out several tasks, but got caught up in the weather and lost track of time. I definitely could have been more productive, and I need to get on the ball so it doesn't come back to bite me. However, I was able to get in some more professional development on Tuesday and today. Tuesday, the literacy specialist of Gaston County came to our PLC time and gave us pointers of incorporating read-alouds in a Kindergarten classroom. This impacted me by learning about specific questions to ask students when reading fiction or non-fiction stories. Today, everyone in the school went to a professional development session on the accreditation of Gaston County Schools. In a month, accreditors could come to any school and assess their performance. I learned about this process, and strategies to implement in the classroom involving technology and small-group time.
When teaching Math Investigations this week (Tuesday), I began implementing a new app: SeeSaw. I led small groups of students and provided explicit, step-by-step instructions of using this app. If they had questions or displayed confusion, I addressed the issue and helped, as needed (NCPTS.1.a). By utilizing this app, students are gaining a new skill of using an iPAD and following steps to upload work. The app is an online classroom where students can log on and complete assignments. Additionally, they can upload pictures, recordings, drawings, etc. and describe what they created and why. Using the app is in the beginning stages, and I am still learning about what all the app entails, but I'm proud of how quickly students picked up on understanding SeeSaw (NCPTS.IV.d). (Link to App)
The lesson taught for Reader's Workshop involved having students act as 'detectives' and use magnifying glasses to 'zoom into the pages of a book.' The students searched for challenging words they did not recognize immediately. Once they found a difficult word, they had to activate their 'sound power' and sound out the entire word. This was such a fun lesson to teach and students were engaged with the magnifying glasses. Teaching this lesson fulfilled NCPTS. III.d by making instruction relevant to the students.
Anytime I interact with a student or with whole groups, I try to provide a nurturing environment and truly listen to what they are saying to me. Sometimes, this results in hearing a very detailed story about the disney movie the child watched two months ago. Regardless, they are always welcome to ask questions or ask for help when needed. During morning routines, I strive to ask students what they did over the weekend, or ask a specific question where I learn more about their interests (NCPTS.II.a).
On Saturday, I will be able to touch base with my university supervisor and ask a few, minor questions. However, my CE hasn't stated any support she needs thus far. I cannot believe the number to things I've learned in the past 3 weeks (despite barely being at school due to weather). Even when I fail or do not perform how I expected, I'm still learning about being a better educator, and for that, I'm incredibly thankful.
See you all on Saturday!!
Gabrielle :)
Gabby,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your blog post because I can just see the passion and energy you have for growing as an educator and being the best teacher you can be for your students. I too enjoyed the snow and was not as productive as I wanted to be, but hopefully this coming week can be a lot more productive for both of us! That is awesome that you started using the new SeeSaw app. I thought about using this app but I chose Bloomz instead. It amazes me that your students are able to navigate the app like that and are so comfortable with technology. They truly were born into the age of technology and it is great that you are meeting them where they are at with using Ipads and apps like that! I hope you have a great week next week; you're going to do so great this semester!
Gabrielle,
ReplyDeleteIt looks like your class wasn't the only excited bunch this week. I had a difficult time keeping my students focused as well. They were very excited about the possibility of having a day off. I'm glad to hear your being proactive and already tackling the context for learning for your edTPA. I love your Readers Workshop having students be little detectives. I've done this in my glass when we were getting ready for benchmarks. I ask them to like detectives and find as much evidence they can in the story. After I have then write done what they've found. This must be fun with kindergarteners since they can't write it down and have to tell you about it. It sounds like you had a full day.