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Week 2
This week was particularly challenging because it was shortened by inclement weather.
Monday and Tuesday, school was cancelled due to ice and snow. I have now experienced what
it feels like to scramble to reorganize thoughts, plans, and schedules, not only for myself, but for
my students, while keeping in step with the whole grade level team. Unfortunately, this mini
week forced the students to take two end of unit assessments on Friday, back to back. This
weather also meant that the Dr. Seuss Day celebration was mostly overlooked. However, there
were some major advantages that this week brought, such as: being observed for the first time
by my university supervisor, sitting in on an important parent conference, and addressing some
conflicts in our classroom community.
Morning Meetings
This week we continued our morning meeting practice by keeping our echo greeting in
place, but we added a gesture to the echo. The students enjoyed this part, and they seem to be
flowering a bit more than last week, of course, there were some students remained reserved. For
two days we played telephone, a game in which whispers are passed around a circle and the
original sentence gets altered due to all the people who change it slightly or hear it differently.
The students adored this game, and asked about it the next day. I did preface the game with a
purpose: telephone demonstrates how rumors can get started and how you should not always
trust what other people say. I am not quite sure that all the students understood my purpose, but
some of the more psychologically developed students did.
Friday, I had the students sit down in a circle and I had a discussion about the state of our
classroom community. I got down on the carpet and spoke to them about some negative
behaviors I have observed in our community. I specifically mentioned hearing mean names,
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people trying to exclude students from fun activities, and avoiding other classmates. I asked if
they agreed, and they all responded with an affirmative. I related those behaviors to how the
star-belly Sneetches acted in Dr. Seuss’s The Sneetches. I sat and read the story to them while
still sitting on the floor with them, which they loved. We talked about how excluding people and
making fun of them really hurts and that it makes it hard to be friends. To end on a positive note,
we played Sneetch ball, which involved passing a beach ball and giving compliments to each
other. Half of the students were star bellies, and half were plain bellies. The ball started with a
starred student and they had to pass the ball to another child with no star. However, when they
passed the ball, they had to pay the recipient a compliment. As students passed the ball, I wrote
compliments on the SMART board for everyone to see. Finally, we had a huge bubble of
positive comments and we added how it felt to hear good things about each person coming from
their classmates. I am not sure that the ball activity added much to their understanding, and they
had a hard time passing the ball nicely and lightly. Therefore, I am not sure I will even introduce
a ball the next time, or if I do, I will make sure they only roll it.
Social Studies
Because the week was shortened by two days, we did not start the unit on Ancient China
that we started planning last week. We went back and spent two days reviewing basic map
skills, directions, and the location, names, and characteristics of the continents and oceans.
Friday, the students spent their content time taking the end of unit test, which are all created and
distributed by the NNPS district. I assisted with student understanding during the two lessons,
but I mostly helped control behavioral issues, such as making sure students were paying
attention, not talking, and not cheating during the test. This particular class is not taught by my
cooperating teacher, and it has a much more traditional structure than some others on our grade
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level. It is important to keep in mind, however, that there are thirty ̵ six students (two blended
classrooms) in this class for approximately forty minutes each day. So, managing the students'
behavior is not always easily done, and hands ̵ on activities are discouraged due to time
constraints and the large teacher to student ratio. The day before the test, I did ask permission to
work one on one with a student who was clearly very confused by the continents (as evidenced
by her performance on the map quiz). I spent about ten to fifteen minutes of the class helping
her understand the material by slowing her down, making her focus, and giving her some
support. I also urged her to take some time to study that night to prepare for the test. I want to
take advantage of the times I can spend with students directly.
As we enter into a new, more exciting unit, I hope we can take some time to do more
engaging activities that involve hands ̵ on experiences and multimedia approaches which engage
a variety of learners. Also, I am concerned that we are assigning homework too often for this
course. When students come to class without their homework, they are punished by having to
walk laps during their recess time. I understand the importance of responsibility and personal
accountability, but many of these students are repeat offenders, and do not necessarily have
support at home. My cooperating teacher has vouched for a few students, saying that they are
having a hard time at home (new baby, mom’s partner just left, etc.), so they are allowed to make
up their work at school. Hopefully, this unit will require less homework since the two teachers I
plan with seem to think they have more room in the pacing guide for this unit than they need.
Before we began planning the Ancient China unit, I forwarded both teachers a link to my
unit I planned on this topic during the fall semester. I think either they ignored it or some of the
activities and plans overwhelmed them, which is understandable. I planned my unit based on
The Parallel Curriculum Model by Carol Tomlinson, which is intended to stimulate gifted
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learners. As I plan with these teachers, I will continue to interject plausible, engaging activities,
even if they are as small as letting the students turn and talk.
Writing
The second week of writing instruction felt much more comfortable for me than the first.
During the first week, I was simply implementing another teacher’s plans, so I felt like I did not
fully comprehend them. However, this week, I had the opportunity to meet with the head teacher
for this subject and talk through how writing plans work. She explained that for her, teaching
writing is hard to explain and it is very individualized; therefore, she writes general plans based
on the curriculum, but each teacher has to mold them to their own purpose and style. After
having that conversation with her, I felt much more comfortable with making the plans my own,
and adjusting them to best fit my students.
Sadly, I was only able to teach two lessons in writing this week. Friday, I was visiting
Human Resources for approximately an hour and a half to fill out paperwork to be a substitute
for Mrs. Jordan. The first day went well; I read a mentor text about a character who writes a
story, we discussed his successes, his failures, and the point of the book. Then, I modeled filling
out a graphic organizer for students to organize their experiences and memories they can use to
write personal narratives. The students enjoyed having time to write about their memories, since
they had guidance and categories to organize their thoughts. The second day also went well; I
was observed by my university supervisor, so I got a great deal of immediate feedback, which I
can apply as I continue teaching writing. I have a separate sheet of notes which breaks down the
strengths and weaknesses of the lesson, as well as classroom management insights I can use to
improve writing instruction.
I have always felt very comfortable conferring with student individually; it is actually my
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favorite way to interact with the students. I feel like I can focus on the specific needs of the
students and I can meet them where they are in their writing. However, this week I feel like I
had a better understanding of what is expected of the students and what I should see in their
writing because I taught the lessons the previous week. I also have a shared vocabulary with the
students to ask them questions and to give them suggestions and guidance in a way they
understand and have practiced.
Two by Ten
I am continuing my time spent with my one-on-one student. My cooperating teacher and
I are in direct consultation with the school guidance counselor and the school psychologist to
help guide our interactions with her. She recently got new glasses, which she needed, but she is
embarrassed by them and even pretended to lose them so she would not have to wear them. She
recently reported to me that people on her bus are mean and her "friend" slaps her.
Unfortunately, I had to explain that friends do not do those things to one another. The incident
was reported to the guidance counselor.
She continues to show confusion in academic areas. She is often mixed up with her
information for subjects because she only remembers certain parts of each unit. This problem
has its roots in her long term memory retrieval issue. Socially, she is struggling because as the
students in our class are developing psychologically, they are more aware that she does not act
the same way they do. My cooperating teacher, the guidance counselor, the school psychologist,
the administration, and I are working to make sure she has the support she needs to enter third
grade. However, I am concerned because her mother has missed two child study meetings this
year and she did not show up for the conference this week. I am hopeful, because her mother did
ask to reschedule the conference, this time.