Pro and Con List for Lesson Plans

Quadrilaterals

Pros
1. The lesson was organized
2. I was prepared for the first lesson plan of that semester
3. I made sure to call on nonvolunteers
4. The notes were a connect the dots worksheet

Cons
1. There was too much information about the shapes and it made the lesson more confusing
2. The students did not fully complete the objective by the end of the lesson
3. I did not find the tangrams to be effective
4. My voice was not strong because I was sick

Potential and Kinetic Energy

Pros
1. The lesson incorporated technology
2. The students really understood the material
3. The students had fun with this lesson
4. I felt very prepared, confident, and organized

Cons
1. I had forgotten to keep track of time, luckily it was not a problem
2. I still struggle with explaining some ideas in the text, however I was prepared and it helped to read the material prior
3.I had made a  typo on the power point but it was corrected

Coordinate Planes

Pros
1. I incorporated some movement which my mentor teacher enjoyed
2. The students understood the material
3. I was really familiar with this topic which made it that much easier to teach
4. I felt very ready, organized, and prepared

Cons
1. It took a considerable amount of time to make the worksheets
2. The independent pracice was too much work
3. The anticipitory set of the map seemed to not be necessary. A review of positive and negative numbers would have suited much better for this lesson
4. I was a little nervous about teaching another math lesson since math is a subject in which many struggle with

Combining Adjectives

Pros
1. The students clearly met the objective
2. I was prepared and organized
3. I was able to pull in the students attention
4. I incorporated technology through a powerpoint which the kids liked
5. The anticipitory set really seemed to help jog the memory of a previous lesson

Cons
1. I was losing track of time, but it did not create a problem
2. The students were slightly more talkative in this lesson so I kept reminding them to please keep there voices off
3. At one point in time I explained the question wrong but I was able to correct my mistake

Interview Questions and Answers

1. Describe some teaching techniques that you have fouond effective.

I have found that calling on non-volunteers is effective to keep students on their toes and to address participation on the lesson. Another effective technique is to keep certain parts of the lesson flowing faster than others so that you do not lose the attention of the students.

2. Describe certain learning styles and how you would adjust your lessons to benefit those learning styles.

The three learning styles are auditory, visual, and kinestic. Each lesson you can incorporate these learning styles. Auditory learners could learn well with lectures, for example when taking notes be sure to explain the lesson thoroughly for the auditory learners. For visual learners one could incorporate graphs, visuals, pictures, worksheets, and allow students to look at words when teaching the lesson. Kinestetic learners are slightly harder to address depending on the age group but one could allow students to make models of what is being learned or do experiments.

3. How would you create a safe atmosphere within a classroom?

One could create a safe atmosphere in a classroom by posting inviting posters, following through with the classroom rules, and arranging the desks in a safe way in case of a fire drill. Additionally, make sure that you, yourself are inviting by adding a positive attitude for the students.

4. What kind of rules did you encounter in your mentor classroom? What techniques did they use?

My mentor classroom this year was very interesting because it did not have a classroom rules set. Instead they followed the rules provided by the school. I didn't really notice any discipline problems among the students. If they did disbehave there was a warning and the second offense the student would recieve a (BIP) Behavior Improvement Paper. Typically, the rules you may encounter is be respectful, hands to yourself, and other rules that fall near to those categories.

5. What is the best ways to assess students? How was it assessed in the mentor classroom?

Again, I believe it depends on the grade. The younger grades (K through 2) should probably not be assessed to often with paper but with the teacher checking there work and reviewing activities. When the student advances farther into their schooling it is best to assess with the guided practice, independent practice, as well as tests so that the teacher knows what the students' strengths and weaknesses are.In my mentor classroom this year they assessed student knowledge with tests, guided practice, and independent practice.

6. Describe a lesson you taught this year. Explain why it was good.

The best lesson that I taught this year was teaching the students to graph positive and negative numbers on coordinate planes. This lesson stood out to me because the guided practice included the students standing up and moving according to the movement of the point of the graph. The students were having so much fun with it and I could really identify that the students where grasping the concept.

7. Describe an outstanding teacher. What makes a teacher outstanding?

An outstanding teacher is one who listens to their students and is patient with their learning. They are flexible and willing to help the students however they can. They show respect to their students as it should be shown back in return. An outstanding teacher creates a safe environment for their students and is hopeful in aspiring to being an inspiration to their students.

8. How could you develop self-esteem in your students?

Self-esteem can be aquired when a teacher recognizes and praises the good works of her students. One can do this through praising good behavior and correct answers on an assignment or test. This can also boost a students confidence as long as one promotes a "you can do it!" atmosphere.

9. What kind of people do you find difficult to work with? Why?

I find that it is difficult to work with negative people because they contrast my positve attitude. I also find it hard to work with people who are unorganized because I am a very organized person and work best with order and structure.

10. What are your strengths?

I am a very dedicated person and give my best effort whenever possible, even when the going gets tough. I am very organized and I enjoy working with students. I am great at staying focused and being flexible according to the circumstances.

11. What are your weaknesses?

I don't always work well with others but I am able to sympathize for their situations. I also like fixing problems myself without the help of others. Sometimes I am not good with thinking of things off the top of my head but I am improving. Additionally, I am not the loudest speaker but I am able to always convey my point and I do it as clearly as I possibly can.

All Day Shadowing: May 3

When I first walked into my mentor teacher's classroom that day I could tell that something was amiss. She told me that her daughter was sick and so she would not be there for the remainder of the day. There was a substitute, but she wanted me to take care of the lessons and the lesson planning. I was very honored that she trusted me enough for this task. The only part I did not do was the spelling test which was reading the words outloud. The first lesson I did was my assigned lesson. This was the language arts lesson about adjectives. The objective was to combine adjectives in sentences. My anticipitory set included the students come up to the board and identify adjectives in a sentence as a review. Next we moved onto the input when we read in the text book and I wrote down specific examples and helped guide them in the lesson. The guided practice was a power point and the students used white boards to answer the questions. For the independent practice the students worked on a worksheet and I went around to help. I am sad to admit that I did forget to do the closure which was to have the students find objects in the room and use multiple ajectives to describe them. However, a similiar concept was presented to them on the last question of the power point so a closure was not evaded completely. The next lesson was math. It was a longer lesson on volume and cube roots but the students really seemed to understand the lesson when we were done. Next, there was a group from Mexico that came to speak with the class. It was a short presentaion but very educational. Afterward, the students worked on a science test. At the end of the day, I began a science lesson. There was not enough time to finish it though. The entire day was very eventful and I am very proud of myself for stepping it up and being 'teacher' for the whole day. It was such an incredible experience and I was so confident!

Week 25 The Final Week

This week was very interesting in all of it's forms. My all day shadowing experience was on Thursday of this week. The only other day I was there was on Friday. Unfortunately, there was a substitute on those days because my mentor teacher's daughter was sick. I do wish I got to see her at the end though. On Friday, I graded spelling papers and worked with one of the students on the math. He seems to need a little more assistence than the other kids, which is ok because we will all learn at our own pace. This year has been an awesome experience and I hope to broaden my knowledge in the following years.

'Freedom Writers' Questions

1. Why do Ms. Gruwell's students hate and resent her at first?

The students hate and resent Ms. Gruwell for multiple reasons. The students don't like the fact that she is white and they feel that she has not earned their respect. Over time, she sympathizes with her students and works to find ways to earn their respect. She relates to their lives and historical issues which helps the students view life in a different way.

2. How does Ms. Gruwell's upbrining, appearance and attitude contrast with those of her students?

From the beginning, the viewer can initially tell that Ms. Gruwell had a normal, happy upbrining while the students are continuously faced with the risk of violence, death, drugs, and weapons. She most likely did not have those same risks in school. Ms. Gruwell is also dressed typically in a neat skirt and blouse in which makes her look very professional. Her students on the other hand are dressed in much more raggedy clothing. Additionally, Ms. Gruwell has a very sunny outlook on life for she is constantly smiling and believes in the hope of education. Her students, in contrast, believe that they will drop out of high school eventually and have a negative outlook on life due to events that have happened personally to them.

3. Most of the teachers at Wilson High do not dress in formal attire. Why do you think Ms. Gruwell chooses to wear business suits and pearls to class? What impression does this make? How do clothes, accessories, and make-up affect how others percieve you?

Ms. Gruwell probably dresses in professional, fancy attire because she wants to make a statement of her self for professionalism and because she is setting an example for her students. The impression that it leaves is that she is very neat and most likely lives a very sheltered, peaceful lifestyle. Items that we choose to wear affects how people percieve you in way that states how much you care about yourself. Also, it defines much of your personality.

4. What obstacles does Ms. Gruwell face in ensuring that her students recieve adequate supplies and an innovative education?

Ms. Gruwell constantly faces conflicts with the faculty and school board helping her pay for things. For example, when she wants to get books for her students books, those who are above her in status decline because of fear of getting the books ruined. Additionally, they feel that the students are not smart enough for books. She even starts other jobs so that she can pay for the books.

5. Why aren't Ms. Gruwell's students provided with new books from the school?

As mentioned before, the school will not pay for books because they feel the student's are not smart enough and that the student's will destroy the books. I feel that this is wrong because it is denying the student's education that could help them in the future. It is a way of setting the student's up to fail which makes a statement on where they are headed in life, just like the self fullfilling prophecy.

6. What are some of the inequalities among students and classrooms in Wilson High School?

Wilson High School diplays examples of education inequalities. For example, when the black student was put into an honors program, one can tell that it is rare for an African American to recieve that kind of opportunity. It is an assumption that I made that those students also recieve better supplies and recieve a better education which is unfair for other students who need an equal opportunity in education.

7. Describe how the honors English students are treated differently from the "at risk" students. Why?

Honors English students recieve more opportunities than "at risk" students as mentioned above. For example, they would be given better books, they are taken much more seriously, given more respect, and recieve better supplies in general. This is most likely the case because of their upbringings and the fact that they are in an honors program makes the statement that those students care about their education, therefore they will recieve more opportunities. These students are not set up to fail.

8. Why do you think Ms. Gruwell faces such hard criticism from her peers and administrators at Wilson High? Describe some of the challenges Ms. Gruwell faces in dealing with the authority of the school.

Ms. Gruwell faces such hard criticism because her way of doing things was different and promoted equal education which was not widely accepted at this point in time. They feel that she is messing up the program of the school when in reality, she is only trying to help her students achieve. Some of the challenges she faces is with the field trip to the Holocaust Museum, the Holocaust guest speaker, recieveing books for her students, and continuing on with her freshman English class.

Week 24

 On Monday my mentor teacher had the students due a lot of practice workseets online about probability. She went over all of them with the students. This served as an AIMS review. I was never entirely aware at how important AIMS was until this year. The elementary schools make a huge deal out of it as well as the high school. my mentor teacher had the students take a practice AIMS test and from their scores she can decide what the students need improvement on. A big part of math is pracicing. That is a great way to get good at it is too practice and gain confidence with the material. Thursday and Friday I helped grade papers. I am getiing really good at that! For the first time I graded the students timed math facts worksheet. Typically there were students who did very well or others who struggled with it, but not usually somewhere in between. Again, practice is key. I was surprised at how long it took to grade even a few of them. I'm not sure how often she does those worksheets. I would probably guess once every two weeks or so. There is also a student in class that needs help on a lot of problems. It seems as though he needs someone to walk him through everything. I wonder, how as a teacher you could help raise his confidence. I may want to try some more one on one and trying to help him be more active in class. It is a struggle however, if the student does not want to learn. Perhaps it would help to have special reinforcement for that student but I'll keep watching my mentor teacher and see if she can offer more advice in that area.

Week 23

Last week was a paper grading week! Monday I graded their independent practice math worksheets. It surprisingly took the whole time. I never really realized it, but with grading it is necessary to make judgement calls on whether the question is right or wrong. Thursday I graded their math assessments which was front and back. As a general, the class did pretty well. I've noticed a few problems with simplifying and doing larger math equations. That should come with practice. My mentor teacher is really cracking down on the AIMS testing that they are doing next week. She is redoing topics that a lot of the students missed on their practice AIMS test. I can tell that this is a really important test, just as it is in high school. I even watched the students recite memorized poems. As I expected, a lot of the students had not memorized it, while others had it memorized it completely, and some only had it memorized partially. Memorization, I have found, can be very difficult no matter what age. It takes motivation and concentration which canbe achieved with time and practice. My mentor teacher stated that she had never had so many students not memorize the poem. Unfortunately, it is the choice of the student on whether to do it or not like with most assignments.

Third Lesson Plan March 29

I am going to be completely honest, I was incredibly nervous for this lesson plan. I was really doubting myself, hoping I would remember the "left and right" parts in my input and worrying about the time. It was amazing though. When I started the lesson, all of those worries seemed to just go away as I gained confidence in myself, the lesson, and the students. I began with having one of the students say the objective. I found it interesting because my mentor teacher told me after my lesson that when teachers are being observed and graded, that they need to say their lesson objective a certain number of times throughout the lesson. She said that that was something new that the district was required to do. Then I started with my anticipitory set. I reviewed positive and negative numbers with them and showed them a map with coordinate planes as an example of the objective. Going on to the input was perhaps the best part of the lesson because the students had a blast moving up and down, left and right as I plotted the points. My mentor teacher even wanted to steal the idea which was really incredible. I had a lot of fun as well. When we went to the guided practice, I did the worksheet with them on the overhead and moved around the room to help them with plotting. Then we did it together on the overhead. With the independent practice there was some confusion about how to connect the points. Either student's knew how to do it or they were missing something somewhere but for the most part it looked like everyone knew what they were doing concerning how to plot the points. That made me feel very rewarded because they were rocking in the concern of plotting the points. I was very excited. The closure was somewhat missing due to time constraints. Some students were finishing while others were much farther behind. As a challenge, I allowed the students to plot their own point and label it, but only if they were done. This appeared to add confusion as well to some students, but my mentor teacher said to scrap the idea. The lesson was successfully taught and I felt very good about it in the end. I feel as though the students met the objective and I am very happy to have taught that particular lesson.

Week 22

This week was very exciting because I taught my third lesson plan of this year! That can be found in my reflection blog. In general, last week I helped one of the students with learning about obtuse, acute, straight, and right angles. He really seemed to know what he was doing with this lesson and listening to my mentor teacher I could tell that she too was excited about him understanding it. He even answered the question in a different way, but having it still be a correct answer. He said that the measure was 46 degrees. The answer she was looking for was 45 degrees but they are such close measurements that the answer could be correct when measuring. This could have helped other students who may have had a question about it. I've also been watching a lot of math lessons in her class. I am realizing that not every lesson is going to be a great hit but it is important to practice and enforce everything that you are trying to teach. If a bunch of the students aren't understanding, then you can trace back and reteach or continue doing practice problems depending on what the situation is.

Week 21

Thursday was the only day I observed this week. I graded papers. However the interesting part of it was that the answer key had two incorrect answers. It was just overlooked, and nobody is perfect. I am also getting prepared for my next lesson plan. I am a little worried because last time I taught math the students did not seem to understand what to do. I think that the coordinate plane topic will be easier for them though because they have done it before and there is a lot less memorization involved. I also need to try to remember to move around the room and keep the pace going. I am ready to present this lesson and I feel very prepared. 

Debate Topic: Sex Education

In 20 states and District of Comlubia, sex education classes are required. New York just recently made it mandatory in January 2012. Arizona, however does not require such courses. There is a large debate over whether this is acceptable or not. Some parents feel it is unnecessary because of fear of increasing activity. This is not true because studies show that it has actually reduced such behavior. Does it not make sense to give our students as much information as possible? Teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases may even go down because of these courses. It is better to teach our students of the right way then to have them learn wrong ways due to lack of information. I personally feel that schools have some responsibilty in giving students the information that will keep them healthy and safe. Parents also may feel that they want to shelter their children from this type of behavior. This is not a good attitude to have because that is not reality and if we do not teach the actual world then students and children alike are bound to discover and experiment with things themselves. We simply cannot shelter in this sort of fasion. It is wrong to withold information that may alter ones perception of life, ultimately resulting in tragic consequences, and only because the student was uneducated! Sex Ed. courses also give the students a sense of responsibility. Allowing students to take these courses allows the participant to feel like they are being taken seriously and it shows them that they are mature enough to handle such responsibility. Should sex education courses be offered to not only high school students but elementary students as well? Studies are pointing to yes because behavior of sexual activity no longer ranges to the high school age. Even students under the age of thirteen are participants. If those students do not know what they are doing then how are we supposed to prevent pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases of young ages? I feel as though fifth graders, who will soon be in middle schoolers, could be mature enough for even just the basics of it. Any younger is unnecessary because they are much more unlikely to participate in such behaviors for they may not be able to understand it. In conclusion, sex education courses should become a mandatory course. It can reduce this risky behavior, as well as provide students with information ultimately leading to preventive measures of life changing consequences.

Debate Topic: Eligibility For Sports/Extra-curricular

Most schools that have mandatory requirements allowing students to participate in sports and extra-curricular activities. The requirements for eligibility usually is a GPA of 2.0 or higher which is a C average. Additionally, a student is allowed to have an F in one class but no more than that. Upon research, it has come to my attention that this is a general trend among districts and most high schools. My personal experience at my school is that any failing grade is unacceptable and must be brought up by the quarter grading period. In my opinion, these are perfectly acceptable terms for participating in school activities. These rules help students stay on top of their grades and may elliviate some slacking in their classes. The terms for eligibility give the student's an incentive to do well, if they don't already have it. This may also get rid of any ideas the students may have to only come to school for the social aspect and raise awareness on how important grades can be in high school. I do believe that their can be a little leniency, because no one is perfect in every class, but student's should not be failing most of their classes and focusing solely on a sport or activity. This provides no learning and if anything, it will provide more stress for the student in the end. Schools who take the time to give student's the priviledge of sports and extra-curricular activities should not be taken advantage of due to a students poor academic performance either. The school does not have to allow these activities to take place, but it is a great opportunity for students to grow and learn in other ways and if they are doing poorly in their classes then they are obviously not grasping the purpose of the sport or activity. Eligibility rules should be implemented in all schools in order to ensure learing and focus in the class.

Week 20

I was only at my mentor class one day this week due to fall break. On that day, thursday, I read the books that the students wrote to show persuasion. The whole basis was about trying to get someone to adopt a pet at shelter. Some of the books were really creative, yet they all sort of had a sad theme of animals being put down. I really tried to focus on how the fourth graders wrote the book, so I could identify what the teacher should expect out of them. I don't think all of the books captured the idea of persuasion but for the most part the goal was met in their stories. I also noticed the length of their writing. There were a few books, but not many that were very lengthy and made a lot of sense, but for the most part the students used short, brief sentences to describe what was going on. I am wondering on how much leaniency she gives the kids when grading their work because obviously they are still learning some of the basics. I also think it depends on the school on how lenient one is on their work. It was very interesting and fun to read their stories and look at their illustrations. I was also reminded that day on how each student needs a different amount of time for work. Some may take a really long time on an assignment while another may breeze right through it. I am very sure that that is a similar experience during long testing days like AIMS. I am so excited for the last quarter! There is still so much left to do!

Week 19

Last Monday, I recieved my objective for my third lesson plan. I will be teaching coordinate planes. This should mostly be review for the students with the exception of using negatives on the coordinate plane. I'm a little worried about this lesson simply because it is math and the students tend to really struggle with the math concepts. I will make it as straight forward as I can as well as entertaining. I need to go online and find exmaples of some worksheets. I am plannning on doing a picture worksheet. On thursday I graded papers and observed a math lesson. The lesson was over how to find greatest common factors. She had the students use white boards and modeled the lesson on a poster. I wonder if it is better to teach that lesson before or after simplifying fractions.  While I was there, my mentor teacher also had to attend to the parent's needs. Although I have been aware that being a part of the job, I had never really noticed it in my observations. That was the first time I ever really had to become aware of the parents needs. I have also noticed that my mentor teacher has her students do all the problems on the worksheet that they can do, and when they get those done they can ask for help. I think that this is a good idea for this age level because it allows them to rely on themselves a little more than the teacher and allows them to go through the other problems and may be able to find their own answers to the problem. Next week I am only at my mentor sight for one day, but I am getting ready for my third lesson plan!

Second Lesson Plan February 23

Today I was at my mentor site all day forshadowing my mentor teacher. I got to teach science about kinetic and potential energy and the different sources of energy. The lesson started off with a student reading the objectives off of the board. Then I moved to the anticipitory set when the students viewed a video on kinetic and potential energy. I introduced it and turned on the projector which was the teechnology source inside of my lesson plan. The input was reading the science lesson together. I called on students to read one by one. I made sure to walk around the room and follow along with the students as well. I did stumble a little bit when explaining some of the material, but I tried my very best to get the point across as clearly as possible. I made sure to ask if the  students had any questions. During the reading I asked questions at the end of each section. For the model, I told the students what I wanted the students to do with their whiteboard. There was a little confusion at first but it hardly distracted attention from the lesson and it allowed me to answer questions about what I wanted to see. We then moved to the guided practice of the trivia presentation and the students shared their answers with their partners. I made sure to explain the answer once it was shown. I remembered to read each question allowed as well. On the very last question, I had made a typo error so when the answer popped up it caused a ruccus. I got the students to settle down and I explained that it was the wrong answer and I was very happy that they picked up on it. Then I walked through their worksheet which was the independent practice and handed it out. I went around the room and helped those that needed assistance. In the conclusion, I asked the students what things that they encounter everyday that pertains too kinetic and potential energy. I was surprised at how enjoyable this was because the students were so excited to give me examples. I felt as though I had more confidence this time and I am very excited to report that the students really understood the concepts. My downfall I would have to say is attempting to expain things. I think to far ahead and then when I try to come back to my original thought it creates a block in my thinking. I need to slow down and think about what I am going to say before I say it. I have not heard what my mentor teacher thinks but I am very ready to find out and listen to what I should work on for next time.

Week 18

This week I did my all day lesson plan on Thursday. I was there all day and learned a lot. I graded a lot of papers, and got to know the kids a lot better. They were so excited! I learned that in the fourth grade, they are very inquisitive and want to learn about the world and why it is the way it is. I also discovered that the lights in the school are automatic. When someone moves into the room, the lights turn on. I had never seen this before so I thought that it was neat. Another thing that I learned was how much grading is involved as a teacher. I found it oddly relaxing though. I got to watch the kids in their english portion of the day too as well as a full math lesson. The English involved a video about sheltered animals and their job was to write a persuasive book to an audience so that they would adopt an animal. The math lesson was review about adding and subtracting fractions. I also taught science which is decribed in my 2nd lesson plan. On Friday, I read another science lesson with the kids. I tend to stumble a lot when I'm trying to describe the material. I'm hoping with time, that will get easier. The kids are very understanding and willing to listen if you mess up which takes a lot of pressure off of the shoulders. Afterward, they viewed a video walkthrough about the ecosystem and how to conserve energy. They really seem to enjoy the videos.

Week 17

Last week in my mentor class on Monday I was able to help some students with simplifying fractions. This was very cool because I was able to show the students some pretty neat tricks. I noticed that some kids needed more help with it than others. Math seems to be a very difficult subject for the students to get through. I wonder if they have as many problems with other subjects but in my experience math is typically the difficult subject. The worst thing that happened to me was when a student called out my name, the student got in a lot of trouble. Friday I did not go to my mentor sight due to the students not being there. Instead I went to a high school algebra class. The objective was written on the board and the main goal was to go over corrections on a test. The students also did bellwork for their anticipitory set. I am very excited for my lesson tomorrow. I am a little concerned about any problems I may have with the technology. However, I feel as though I am ready.

Week 16

This week in my mentor class I recieved my lesson objective. I am teaching potetial and kinetic energy and different sources for enery such as hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, and solar energy. My mentor teacher allowed me to see part of her science lesson one day and let me teach part of the lesson another day. I made sure to walk around the room and call on students to read to make sure they were on task. They also got to watch a study jams video to preview the material. This is a way I plan to incorporate technology. I also intend to incorporate technology through a power point trivia game that the whole class will do to help learn the material. I plan to have the students use their whiteboards to answer the questions so I can check for their work. When I was previewing a science lesson, I learned how to incorporate technology in a lesson, walk around the room while reading, and ask occasional questions and restate what the main points of the paragraphs are. I feel better about this lesson than I did with my previous lesson because I feel that there is not quite as much to remember. I am very excited to present this next week and I need to go over my lesson with my mentor teacher when I see her next. The only problem I think I may have is talking to fast when explaining things. I need to slow down and think a little more when I speak.

3rd and 4th grade observations (LTS)

Wow! The third and fourth grade classes are so different and yet they are only one grade level apart! The third grade class was fun. The students appeared to be a little more active and needed a little more attention. I noticed that the teacher seemed to stay up at the projector most the time when teaching, but moved around a lot when they were doing independent work. What I really liked about the classroom was that there was a board at the corner of the room that gave a list of class objectives for each subject. The set up was pretty similar though in regards to academic posters, desk setup, and student stations that have tissues and Germ X. The students were also really excited to see us. The fourth grade class seemed to be a little more mature and the environment seemed a little stricter. I felt as though it was a lot more structured. The teacher walked a lot around the room and kept everyone on task. There also appears to be a lot of repition in both classes. Additionally, they both use the Saxon math guided practice. It seems as though that is curricular at LTS. Overall, this was an amazing opportunity and I was very interested in observing the differences between the third and fourth grade.

Lesson Plan Reflection (January 26)

On January 26, I presented my first lesson plan of Education Professions 2. I presented quadrilaterals. I felt that it went really well despite the fact I was sick and it was difficult to speak loudly and clearly. I made sure I thanked the students when they were being quiet for me and explained what each shape was in the best possible way. I felt as though there was a little too much to take on though. All of the terms such as obtuse, acute, parallel, the shape names, and other terms seemed to be slightly overwhelming. I also needed to leave at 10:30 which made it hard since I had to leave right before the end of the independent practice. Another thing that my mentor teacher pointed out was that I needed to move around more so I could keep eyes on the students and make sure they were on task. I did feel as though the students met the objective and were able to identify the shapes. My mentor teacher really enjoyed the connect the dots idea and I thought that the tangram activity was fun and the kids enjoyed it as well. I made sure to go around and offer some help. Overall, I think it went really well and I am aware of the things I need to work on for future lesson plans. What an exciting day!

Week 15

Last week in my mentor class I did a lot of observing. My mentor teacher was really caught up on her work so I didn't need to do any grading or help in any way. The only thing I needed to do Monday was write the correct scores on the spelling tests. The class also got a new student. He seems to need a lot of help on what the class is doing and seems to be causing a lot of trouble. I noticed that she moved him up closer to the front for he was once in the very back. The school he used to go to didn't seem to be on the same curriculum as the fourth grade class at Liberty Traditional School. It really makes me wonder how different curriculums are at the different schools. I also learned that my mentor teacher had a student teacher last year and it didn't go well. She is still finding things that are disorganized. I remember last year my mentor teacher had a student teacher too. I wonder if all teacher's need to take on a student teacher at some point in time. The best thing that happened to me this week was watching the math lessons. The students are so involved! There was not really a bad part except she wasn't able to give me my lesson plan objective until Monday which is fine because I still have time.

Week 14

What an exciting week! I presented my first lesson plan this week! On monday I helped a student when the kids were all writing on their whiteboards. I love helping students so much! He even seemed to understand a little better when I helped him which was awesome! Unfortunately he has a lot of problems with division and multiplication tables which will make math that much harder. I have also come to realize that math is one of the harder subjects when it comes to teaching. On Thursday, I presented my lesson plan which is reflected upon in a different entry. On Friday, there was a substitute. On that day I helped a different student with math which was long division. He was doing ok but there seems to be confusion on where to put the numbers. It's something that is just going to take practice like all math. I had to correct myself twice when helping him though because I was not thinking straight in mathematical terms but I did catch them. It was a good teacher moment. We all make mistakes! The worst thing that happened this week was that I got sick. And on the day of my lesson plan! I got through it though. The best thing was helping out the students. It's so rewarding!

Week 13

Last week I journaled on directions, lesson planning, and classroom management. When observing my mentor teacher giving directions, I noticed that she repeats herself a lot to get a point across and avoid confusion. She gave warnings on when things might change or transition. I realized that the students needed consistent direction when working with multiplication and reminders on how to complete the problem. She also reminded them to not talk and used the count down method for silence. On thursday I journaled on lesson planning. This was tough because I'm only there for 30mins so I missed the beginning and end of the lesson. The objective was written on the board as the students will be able to write improper fractions and mixed numbers. It was difficult to see however because it was on the other side of the board. I did get to see the model and guided practice. The model was about the teacher doing a practice problem with mixed numbers and improper fractions on the board. The guided practice included the class doing problems together on white boards and then moving on with an in class worksheet. I can assume that the independent practice included the back of the guided practice worksheet following with homework as a conclusion. On Friday I journaled on classroom managment but unfortunately it was a testing hour so there was little too report. She did however remind some of the students to not talk with others around them. I noticed how her tones varied depending upon the different situations. She also expects students to be able to get up and do what they need to (ex: turn in work, sharpen pencil) quietly without difficulty. I also realized how missing work was a big issue and she inforces it with zeros and coming in for reccess to make it up. I really enjoyed observing and did not really have any negative experiences.

Week 12

Last week I was only at my mentor site for one of the days. I recieved the topic I would be teaching the class which is drawing and identifying quadrilaterals. This lesson should be easy for the most part but I need to make sure that I do not mix up the definitions. I'll prbably meet with her one day outside of class to get more details. The best thing that happened was just being back in that classroom and seeing everyone again after 2 weeks. The worst thing was that when I entered the room the students got very distracted from their lesson and tried to get my attention. The teacher got them back on track but I do not like feeling as though I am interupting and I'm not always sure what to do. I learned about my lesson, what may be expected, and some ideas of what I can do with my lesson. I plan on using tangrams for my model but I am still debating on what to do for the other parts of my lesson plan. I'll probably figure it out in class next week.

The Hurried Child

The Hurried Child

Essential Questions

1. What are factors that contribute to stress for kids?

            Fast paced schooling, inability to understand, lack of self-confidence, unpleasant home life, conflicts with family and friends, bullying, physiological or psychological needs not being met, lack of sleep, and poor nutrition.

2. What are some results of kids being stressed?

            The child may feel the need to give up or quit, may be irritable or moody, and unwilling to cooperate with others.

Questions about the Hurried Child

1. Elkind believes that if children are dressed like adults then they will tend to feel and act like adults. However they lack judgment and level of thinking of adults. Some products make-up, perfume, clothing such as nylon stockings are marketed for the elementary age. This promotes the “child-adult” attitude in society.

2. For elementary school students, they are faced with the physical and social problems associated with competitive sports. Doing this type of sporting at a young age can make children more susceptible to injury and as parents push their children, it can create feelings of failure and unwillingness which can link back to feelings of stress.

3. Young girls often are encouraged to cheerlead, wear make-up, and enter beauty pageants. This can cause high levels of stress because expectations for the child have now reached an adult level. I agree with Elkind’s feelings on this issue because these promotions for young girls transforms them into a symbol. Now they must live up to that image.

4. When young girls wear make-up and young boys play football, it contributes to sexual-stereotyping because you are creating a symbol for what they are to be like when they are older.

5. Spontaneous play in a child’s life is valuable, because it allows stress free play, socialization, and self-discovery. However, camps that promote achievement and professionalism make it difficult to attain the same positive results of spontaneous play because the child is being pushed to a higher goal and expectation that creates stress, lack of self-discovery, and limited and restricted socialization.

6. The media such as literature, television, films, and advertisement promote falsities in violence, sex, and various other adult situations. This can hurry children because they are now exposed to many adult scenarios which may cause the child stress or even worse, make the child believe it is normal and acceptable behavior in the adult world.

7. Children’s literature and television programs have changed dramatically and today, there are less of them. These programs are more susceptible to promoting negative taboos such as sex, drugs, and violent behavior. Characteristics of these stories such as violence can create a high stress situation for the child.

8. Some nursery schools are offering academics. Elkind feels that these children should be working on social and motor skills for it puts pressure on the parents as well as the child.

9. Children often feel hurried in family situations of divorce. This is because the single parent confides in their youngster, making them feel as though they must provide adult sympathy when they do not have the intellectual, social, or emotional ability to help. This can occur whenever a parent feels stress from problems such as work or finances and they do not realize that the effects of it pressure the child. The reasoning for doing this is that the parent may not have anyone else to conveniently turn too.

10. some parents believe that since we live in a harsh world, then our children should be exposed to it. Elkind feels that this is the parent’s need, not the child’s, to project their own feelings onto their children as by putting unnecessary stress upon them.

11. Some of the child’s signs of stress are stomachaches, headaches, listlessness, lack of motivation, discipline problems, learning problems, increased crime, suicide, and obesity rates, and cult memberships.

12. In order to provide an ‘oasis of quiet’ for children, we can provide the child with a place and a time for quiet and sharing time.

13. Elkind says we should never say ‘no’ to the child unless it is in the interest of the child. I believe that saying ‘no’ is acceptable provided you give the child a reason for why you are telling them ‘no’. ‘No’ is too common of a word to not expose your child too and should be used as a word that initiates learning.

14. Parents can reduce stress by investing more energy to the child, recognize the child’s need for time to grow, provide limitations, and allow quiet time. The school can help by smoothing transitions between and within classes, school, and home schedule. Schools can also prevent fast paced academic learning, and understand the child’s need for play as it provides the child with experience and stress relief.

15. I agree with Elkind’s view that children are hurried and stressed and that contributing factors to that include family situations, rushed schooling, and revolutionized media. Children, more than ever before, are exposed to adult-like situations and constantly feel the weight of it all upon their shoulders. I disagree that it should be prevented completely. Some experience at early ages can get the child exposed to the future and they will be less likely to panic from the arising situation if they have some experience beforehand with it. I also believe that some competitive sporting is okay as long as it does not dominate the child’s life and they are free to socialize with other members and enjoy the sport that they do. The child should, however, have a say in what they do. It should not be forced upon them by the parent because then it may result in a burnout of the sport and resentment towards the parents.