Conquering the Thesis Statement

Yesterday I taught a lesson all about the thesis statement. The day began by going over a slideshow with the students. They had to record notes in their notebooks while I was talking all about the parts of a thesis statement. Once they had a clear stance on the basics I then tested them on their ability to analyze a good thesis statement verse a not so good one. On the screen were examples of thesis statements and the students then had to write on their whiteboards whether it was good or bad. If it was bad they had to tell me what was wrong with it. They loved using the whiteboards. Once we finished with that they were then left to write thesis statements of their own. They were given the main points of the essy and from that, had to formulate the thesis.

Planning for this lesson I was quite nervous as to whether or not I was competent enough to teach this. So when the students really grasped this idea and easily formulated their own, I was beyond excited. The students were engaged and actually having fun while learning. When I finished and the children left, my teacher pulled me aside and told me I did a wonderful job and that I should invite the principal to come and observe me. I went down to the office and left a note with the secretary inviting her or the assistant principal to come and watch me. I was terrified and nervous. I spent the rest of the day worrying about my lesson. When I got to the class they didn't end up coming because there was an incident they needed to handle. Phew!!!

At the end of the day I was really pleased with myself. I taught a great lesson that reached my students, I invited the principal to watch me despite my fears and I left the day on a high note!

Judgment Day!

Today is judgement day! The students have finished their novel, The Man Who Was Poe and they have had planty of time to study.

Yesterday, for example, I prepared a Jeopardy review game to help the students with their studying. I had done this previously with my first placement and it went over well. What I wasn't prepared for was how into the game my 6th graders got. When it came down to the end and both teams were tied it was a battle, I say a battle, over the last question and how much to wager. Besides that, the students were very aware of the information necessary to pass the test.

I realize that on testing days it is not only a test of how well the students understand the material but it is also a test fot the teacher. It is a test as to how well did you prepare them for this examine. Needless to say, it is quite nerve-racking to watch them take the test and hoping they are all doing well.

From what I have seen so far in grading their exams, the students seemed to haev done well and really been prepared. As a teacher it makes me quite proud!

Peeking through the window of 8th grade

Everything is going as normal with the 6th graders. They are still reading the novel and taking their notes. So, I have decided to blog a little about my writers workshop class. It is a class my collaborating teacher has every other day. This classed is for 8th graders who did not score well on their tests and need more time working on their writing skills. The class sizes are not more then ten students. In this class they have recently read a short excerpt on the life of Selena. They practiced pre-reading strategies and making predictions. But, the primary focus was spent on being able to identify the main idea. The students used something called a post-it note strategy. In this activity they record 2-3 bits of information they learned from the particular section. They then find the common theme between them and form the main idea. They did exceptionally well with this.

Once they finished with the story of Selena we then ventured into the world of biographies. They were each allowed to choose a famous person to research. While they were researching they had to complete a planning sheet. This told them the particular bits of information they needed to have. Once they had all the information they were then sent to ReadWriteThink to complete the Bio-Cube activity. The students created these bio-cubes for their particular person.

The majority of the students have completed their cubes and were placed on a bulletin board for all to see.

Just another day in the neighborhood

Well today in the world of sixth grade was the same as any other. The students are still working through the novel, The Man Who Was Poe. At this point in the novel there are so many clues and plenty of characters that they are starting to get confused. On the bright side their note taking skills have improved which helps when trying to explain all that is going on. It is a blessing to see how into the novel my students are getting. As the plot thickens the students get more and more drawn in to the novel. They are constantly making predictions and have almost turned it into a game of sorts. Coming back to a typical day has been great. I have been sick for a few days and not able to attend school. It was comforting to get back into the routine of a typical day and actually see how the kids were doing. Other than that, nothing real crazy going on.

Rough day in the teaching world

Today was just not a good day. I have been over tired and getting very little sleep. I had to teach a lesson today and needless to say it was by far the worst one yet. I was told what I was suppose to be teaching on and not given much room for freedom to deviate from her plans. I was suppose to review part of the novel with them and have the students complete a worksheet to follow. The students were not having any better of a day than I was because they did not want to cooperate. I trudged through the review with them and left them to finish their worksheet. Low and behold the worksheet took them a little over 20 minutes to complete in a 40 minute class period. Trying to think quickly on my feet I assigned them a note taking activity for the chapter coming up. Though I did manage to maintain control over the students it was not how I normally conduct my lessons. At the end of the day I was shown the need to be flexible and quick on my feet.

Trying out the second placement in middle school.

I have started my second placement which is at the middle school. I have been nervous and a bit uncomfortable with the idea of teaching here. It's a new field of students with a whole new set of issues that all need a new style of interaction and discipline... none of which I have experienced before. Despite the nervousness, it has been going well.

The first couple days have been crazy withthe power outages and the ending of the semester. My teacher and I get along great so that was a plus. The schedule for my day went rfom having the elementary kids all (from the moment I got to school until they drove away on the bus) to really only teaching a few periods. I am in an English classroom with 6th grade mostly but I do have a couple writer's workshop classes where I teach 8th graders. My day begins with first period as a team meeting time. The teachers from that team all meet and discuss the students and meet with parents or guidance counselors. With the English depeartment they do back to back periods with the same group of kids. So for 2nd & 3rd period I have my first group of students. 4th period B days I have a writers workshop time while 5th period A days I have a different workshop time. Then 6th is lunch. 7th and 8th are the second group of students and 9th period is a prep period. Needless to say I was not prepared for all the free time.

The class right now is reading the book called The Man Who Was Poe, by Avi. They listen to the story on a recording while taking notes. Once the chapter is done, we as a class go over the notes from the chapter and fill out a characterization chart when necessary. They have been doing this and will do this until the book is finished. For me it's frustrating because it doesn't allow for any deviation. As of right now I am just kind of bored and really don't know what to do with myself. I am doing well and having a good time... I just feel like I need more to do.

Hook Mountain Field Trip

It has been forever since I have blogged. I apologize for that becuase I am just not in the habit of blogging. I am now at my second placement but I want to share my experince taking my class on their field trip to Hook Mountain.
We took the kids to Hook Mountain for part of their geography unit. We had to walk as a class up through the park to the base of the mountain. There the students got a lecture on the type of terrain we would be hiking through and how they need to stay with the group. Naturally the teachers broke into sections to keep an eye on a different part of the group. I was somewhere in the middle. I hadn't realized how steep some parts were going to be, let alone helping the kids work their way to the top.
Once at the top the students were split into two different groups because there wasn't enough room for all of us to fit. This was not the original plan. For my lesson, I had planned to instruct them as a group, so quick thinking was necessary. I started with my group first. I asked them to tell me which direction was south. Being at the top of the mounatin the students were confused as to what direction was what. Finally, one student said I can see the Empire State building. Instantly I jumped on the fact that if they could see a landmark such as that then they would know what direction it was in. (south) I then instructed them to record in their social studies notebooks what they saw in the southern direction. Then, I went to the second group and did the same with them. While the second group was working I went back to the first group and did the same activity for north. This bouncing between the two groups went on until each group had recorded their findings for each direction.
I was disappointed because I had a worksheet for the students to do after the directions were done. Because the groups were separated, I wasted a lot of time having to walk back and forth. The day overall was a lot of fun and I really got to bond with my students, learning things about them I hadn't known before.

What are my strengths?

Over the weekend I decided to take my Strength Finder test. I have not taken this test before, so it was rather interesting to see how it all played out. My five strengths are achiever, woo, communication, discipline and relator. Some of the strengths that came up I was not surprised by but others definitely shocked me. For those who have not taken this test, or know what these things are, I am going to explain each one of mine in further detail.
For anyone who knows me, I am definitely an achiever. An achiever has a constant need for achievement and works their butt off everyday to no avail. After each accomplishment is reached the fire dwindles and then its on to the next item of business. For me as a teacher, this is the driving force to take on the next challenge through constantly improving lesson plans, learning new strategies and trying new ideas (anything to meet the goal). Because I do not take the time to enjoy what I have accomplished, I worry that I will not do so for my students either. I will need to be conscious of being still and be proud of their work.
My second strength was WOO. This stands for winning others over. Those who have the strength of WOO are what most people would see as outgoing. They naturally strike up conversations with strangers and befriend people without concern. They form connections and build a rapport but quickly move on to mingle with the next group. This will be great for dealing with students parents and other staff. Because I am not scared of striking up conversation, I will have the ability to build rapport with the parents and create a comfortableness for them to come to me with any concerns. With this, I will need to be conscious of parents who do not so easily engage in conversation so as not to scare them.
I may be a bit dramatic, but hey, it's my strength of communication. Those with this strength have the ability to take a dull, dry idea and turn it into something exciting and energizing. As a teacher, this strength will allow me to capture the attention of my students and engage them in, what otherwise would be, dull information. As a matter of fact, I have already experienced this in the classroom. The other day I was teaching a lesson about longitude and latitude (boring for sure) but because my communication of the material was so engaging the students were connected and having fun. Some even stopped to tell me I needed to calm down a little because I was getting too excited.
Discipline is my fourth strength. People with the strength of discipline desire a world that is predictable. They live for routines, plans, and order which give them the sense of having control. This rings true to who I am as a person. I have a plan for everything and desire, even need, to feel like I am in control. This will benefit my teaching because I will be conscious in my planning, organized in my work and form routines for the students to adjust into. Though this strength has its benefits it is also something that I will need to work on. This is probably the hardest strength I deal with. Life is not always predictable and God is the only one who is truly in control. I need to learn to be flexible with my students, other teachers and parents because not everyone is as organized as I will be.
My last strength is that of relator. As a relator, you are a person who values deep relationships. You may not have many friends that you are close to but for the ones that are, you are constantly trying to deepen the relationship. You understand their is a sense of risk in opening up to someone but the closeness your relationship will bring is worth it. This confused me at first because I do not feel like I open up to people easily, if at all. I tend to feel like I am a very surface kind of person but as I read on i realized that this may be me. I am extremely close to my family, my boyfriend and a couple friends. In those relationships, I work to deepen the bond between us despite the risk of getting hurt. As a teacher, I am not sure how this would help me. Feel free to comment and try to open my eyes as to how this has a benefit in the education field.
With knowing your strengths it is important to understand how they can help you as well as the problems they can cause. The key is to having balance between them all. As an achiever I need to be conscious to enjoy life and not work it away. With WOO, I need to be conscious that I may intimidate others who are not as open. I will need to learn to listen just as much, if not more than I speak with a strength of Communication. Flexibility is the key to dealing with the strength of Discipline. And lastly, I will need to be open to forming new friendships and take the risk of allowing the relationship to go to a deeper level. Be conscious to find the balance in it all.

Welcomed into the classroom.

The first few days at school were pretty uneventful. I observed the room, met the teachers, met the kids and started to get into the swing of the class routine. I am working with what is known as a ¾ MAC class, which means that my classroom and the room next to mine have third and fourth grade combined in one class. The two teachers work collaboratively and have the students switching back and forth between the rooms throughout the day. Through the switching of the classes there are different groupings of students. The classes start out in what is known as their homeroom classes which is the room and teacher they are officially assigned to by the school. From the homeroom groups they move to what is known as t-shirt groups. These groups take half the kids from one class and half the kids from the other and switch them. The next grouping of students is for math when they are split by grade level, third graders in one room and fourth graders in the other. The last group is actually just having them all together. As crazy as it sounds it does actually work and makes sense once you are into the routine.

My involvement in the class was quick to begin. My first day started with choosing a book for story time after lunch. Mr. Popper’s Penguins was what I chose and the kids loved the book. By the end of the first little week I was put in charge of teaching math to the third graders. The first few days of teaching I was a little nervous but soon felt at ease. From there the end of the week consisted of me picking up social studies. With the switching of the classes my room has two social studies periods because we teach one t-shirt group then switch and teach the other t-shirt group.

The teacher in the room next door covers two periods of science in return. Already I have covered math lessons and formulated a four week social studies unit as well as created two classroom bulletin boards and created a calendar /math classroom board. So yes, I have been quite the busy little bee.

Before it all begins...

I am student teaching at a school in the Rockland County Area and one of my assignments is to record some of the things I am experiencing, enjoying and disliking. I should start by telling you where it all began and why I want to be a teacher.

For as long as I can remember teaching is all I have ever wanted to so. Some may say this passion was instilled in me by the great Creator, others would say it started when I experienced the power of having a life changing teacher myself, and others would say it is just the career I chose to follow. As for me... I agree with them all.

I was blessed beyond belief to have a teacher that I can say truly changed my life. Her name is Lynn Kostrzebski and she is a huge reason why I pursued becoming a teacher. So accordingly, I am going to tell you a little about her because it will clue you all in to what kind of teacher I want to be. Lynn was my fifth grade teacher. She was an added teacher and her first year teaching fifth grade (we were a larger class than they had the previous year so they needed to add an extra teacher). She chose to be the new, fresh voice of learning in a grade level filled with tired, ready to retire teachers that were stuck in their old ways. She pushed and fought to better the program and make sure every student was being taught to their strengths. I am sure looking back now that it must not have been easy. She spoke on the behalf of her students and always made sure we were the utmost priority. She took the time to truly get to know her kids and invest the time to pinpoint their weaknesses, strengths, insecurities, the ins-and-outs of what made each student tick. She never settled with average but pushed her students to meet their personal best.

Needless to say, for me she became a lifelong friend. I spent the next years going through grade school making sure to keep in touch. My senior year of high school I had the honor of being in a program that allowed me to spend a few periods a day in high school and the afternoon working in the classroom with Lynn. It was truly a dream come true. Yes, she was still my teacher but our relationship had changed. She was teaching me how to change the lives of my future students and be a light in their life. Now I know most of you are sitting here thinking you all have heard this story before and everyone has their favorite teacher... but Lynn not only changed my life but the lives of all the students that had her that year. To prove it... each year the honor society graduates all meet to chose one person to speak at their ceremony. This is always the principal or the school super superintendent, but for my class it was clear that nobody had affected our lives as much as Mrs. K (as she is best known) had. So, when the class had to decide on a speaker they couldn't think of anyone better than Mrs. K! And without saying, all I ever wanted to do was to be like her and have that kind of positive effect on the lives of so many young children.

On top of having the best mentor and role model to learn from, teaching and children have been such a natural bent for me. This comes from the fact that it is what I have been called to do. Teaching is not just a career I picked from a hat but a passion found deep within my soul. This passion was knit into me by my Creator, Jesus Christ, when he formed me and I know he has instilled in me all that is needed to be a teacher for his kingdom. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive and inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24

Now with all that being said and this great desire to be a teacher you won't believe me when I say that heading into this year of student teaching was quite different than I had ever expected. Every decision, every choice, every life changing path I chose to go down was all to get me to the point of being a teacher. So to find myself entering my last semester in school, where I would actually be able to start teaching, I was shocked to find I was NOT looking forward to it...