Yesterday we had another 2 hour long class that I thought went pretty well. Normally I would not be giving notes for as long as I did in that class, but I did not really see students looking around or losing interest because a lot of it was actually broken up. I know its true that the more excited I am the better they will listen so my interest in this might have helped that a little. The OPEC game went okay, I'm not sure it would easily be able to translate to a larger classroom, but if we study this in World History I might be able to find out. Since we had 10-15 mins at the end of that class I quickly went over the basic tenants of the Israel Palestine conflict so they would ready for the debate the next day. I'm actually really glad it worked out this way, because I did not have to spend any time with note taking or instruction today and we could focus on group dynamics.
Mike's main criticism the day before was the I do not have consistent bell ringers and I need to get better about that. Today I had a bell ringer up when they came in, and this did actually seem to work very well. I may toy with the idea of simply giving the students these questions instead of making them write them out along with the answers because it actually take up a lot more time than I thought it would.
The debates actually went really well. I had to constantly remind the students that everyone needed to have input and that they needed to speak. They did accomplish this task, but my biggest mistake was not telling them how I was going to grade it. I will probably give everyone 25 points for participation, because everyone did do the things that I had asked them to do. Putting on the board the schedule of how the debate will be run would have been better, but I did not think they would need that. Having the timer helped them which tells me that the constant reminders are good for them. Therefore, putting the instructions and the schedule of discussing/speaking would be great for them.
Next time I do this I will put Madison and Danielle in separate groups, because they are the most vocal people in the classroom. While Dylan is a little bit more intellectual at times, he does not like working with others as much as he likes working alone.
Mike asking the kids "how did it feel to do honors AP type things" seemed to really boost their confidence for the activity. I like pushing the kids to work on higher level, I just have to make sure every minute of the day is planned out in order for that to work. In the future I will also add a space where they can take notes on the other side's arguments because this was the most difficult part for them: refuting the arguments of the other side.
TODs were really awesome today. Turns out 2 or 3 of the kids got really fired up about this issue, and almost all of the answers to "Tell me a solution to this problem" were some semblance of the two state solution, which I will probably address at the beginning of class on Monday because I think its a really good thing that they are coming to this conclusion after being presented with both sides of the story and having to defend their arguments. I'm really proud of my students today and I will do this again with better instructions and possibly more difficult topics.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Middle East Day 1-3 Dec 7th
The first day of the Middle East lesson I was feeling a little under the weather, but this was actually not a huge problem since the students always spend the first day of a lesson filling out a map of the countries that we are going to be studying. I showed them a video from bizarre foods where the star was eating camel sausage and a few other things from the area. The connection I made was that they eat different things because they have different resources than we do. (farm-cows-burgers vs. desert-camels- camel sausage.) I played them some Arabic hip hop while they filled out their maps and gave them naan to eat while doing it. They loved the food and were semi interested in the music. Overall the day went well and the kids actually all finished their maps and most of them got full credit which is not something that has happened before. I will always give at least 40 mins to complete the maps because when they do them as homework they simply look like garbage.
Day 2 was fine as well, I began with a dice game that the kids asked for. I was actually really excited about this because it was the first time a student actually asked me to make something from a previous unit that they really liked and found helpful. Awesome moment for the day. The map quiz went overwhelmingly well, so for their actual test I will probably make the map portion fill in the blank. We had a short class today of only 55 mins so we only had time to finish the note guide after the map quiz and review were done. The class did drag a little bit, but I got some good practice lecturing and making connections to things that they already knew about like Neyland Stadium, etc.
Day 3- whew! this class was 2 hours long and we were in a conference room that did not have technology. However, I did the two activities from the day before (Crossing the Sahara, and the postcards) which both went very very well. I need to get better about making connections to the standards and objectives while doing activities/giving directions but other than that these went well.
-I gave the kids a stretch then we switched over to religions. I asked the kids to tell me a little bit about what they knew and gave them passages from each Holy Book. They only had to read one of the sheets and analyze them, and I really wish I had longer to do this because it helped identify words that they did not know, concepts that they did not understand, etc but since it was a type of jigsaw the kids were completely uninterested when I was not talking about their part. Note- this class cannot handle that on a bigger scale than the 15 min activity we did today..
- I gave them the creative artifact activity and assigned 3/4 people to each one that way all of them would not choose the ten commandments. I think that 5 of these will turn out really well and 3 of them will probably be worthless. I have trouble connecting to Coty and Jeromy since they typically take a long time to respond to things and I want to keep the class moving. However, this is rally not fair to them. I need to question them more and get them speaking out loud in class more often. When I have lower level questions I will try to remember to do this more in order to build their confidence.
*I did not get to do the puzzle activity, but this will have to wait for some other class, I know I'll be able to use it somewhere.
*Interesting note- When Zach drew someone that he "accidentally" made look like Hitler today he mentioned it and laughed a little then Dylan responded with "Oh it is because you're doing the Jewish one" I said "Dylan thats very inappropriate" and then about 5 minutes later talked to him about the work that he was doing so that we would still be on the same page. I still don't know if this was the exact right response, and since these kids VERY rarely give me anything to get upset at I do not have much practice handling these situations.
Tomorrow are notes on religion and OPEC. Pumped!
Day 2 was fine as well, I began with a dice game that the kids asked for. I was actually really excited about this because it was the first time a student actually asked me to make something from a previous unit that they really liked and found helpful. Awesome moment for the day. The map quiz went overwhelmingly well, so for their actual test I will probably make the map portion fill in the blank. We had a short class today of only 55 mins so we only had time to finish the note guide after the map quiz and review were done. The class did drag a little bit, but I got some good practice lecturing and making connections to things that they already knew about like Neyland Stadium, etc.
Day 3- whew! this class was 2 hours long and we were in a conference room that did not have technology. However, I did the two activities from the day before (Crossing the Sahara, and the postcards) which both went very very well. I need to get better about making connections to the standards and objectives while doing activities/giving directions but other than that these went well.
-I gave the kids a stretch then we switched over to religions. I asked the kids to tell me a little bit about what they knew and gave them passages from each Holy Book. They only had to read one of the sheets and analyze them, and I really wish I had longer to do this because it helped identify words that they did not know, concepts that they did not understand, etc but since it was a type of jigsaw the kids were completely uninterested when I was not talking about their part. Note- this class cannot handle that on a bigger scale than the 15 min activity we did today..
- I gave them the creative artifact activity and assigned 3/4 people to each one that way all of them would not choose the ten commandments. I think that 5 of these will turn out really well and 3 of them will probably be worthless. I have trouble connecting to Coty and Jeromy since they typically take a long time to respond to things and I want to keep the class moving. However, this is rally not fair to them. I need to question them more and get them speaking out loud in class more often. When I have lower level questions I will try to remember to do this more in order to build their confidence.
*I did not get to do the puzzle activity, but this will have to wait for some other class, I know I'll be able to use it somewhere.
*Interesting note- When Zach drew someone that he "accidentally" made look like Hitler today he mentioned it and laughed a little then Dylan responded with "Oh it is because you're doing the Jewish one" I said "Dylan thats very inappropriate" and then about 5 minutes later talked to him about the work that he was doing so that we would still be on the same page. I still don't know if this was the exact right response, and since these kids VERY rarely give me anything to get upset at I do not have much practice handling these situations.
Tomorrow are notes on religion and OPEC. Pumped!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Russia Unit Reflections
The Russia Unit has been completed!
At this point I'm really seeing that there is a difference between Geoglish and a normal Geography or history class. There were a lot of things that I would have liked to do involving communism or czarist Russia, but since the kids don't normally latch onto information that is high level, I cannot spend longer than 20 minutes on something that is not incredibly interesting to them. That's a bit tough to swallow because everything that I get blank stares from is typically stuff that I really like. For instance, I think that Stalin's paranoia is pretty fascinating. I tried to explain it the way I thought it sounded interesting, but the kids didn't get very excited until I actually discussed Stalin killing all of his friends. That being said, I did some reading type lessons during this unit and they actually did very well. I think they're growing onto my style a bit more and developing some great skills.
Heres a step by step of what happened and how I felt about it:
Day 1/2-
-Map coloring: went fine, but again 2 of the kids simply did not do their homework. I'm thinking harsher penalties need to be applied to the students that just blatantly refuse to follow through with their assignments.
-Climbing Mt. Elbrus: The kids loved this. Stolen straight from Dr. Hendricks, this really encouraged them to prioritize and get the main point of the day: Russia is cold and the main concern is always staying warm.
- Notes: The note guide I gave them worked just fine. They loved the video about Bear Grylls, but I did not know that it was 25 mins long. I really like the video itself and I think it helps them remember Siberia, but if I use this same video in the future then I'll probably edit it down to 15 mins (maybe cut out the dear carcass scene)
- Dice game: Went okay, but I need to find a way to make everyone participate all the time with these types of things.
Day 3-
- I got evaluated on this particular day, but I'll discuss that in the next post.
- The kids liked translating the alphabet, but the activity itself takes way too long for a hook, so when I redo it I will probably only give them 2 sentences in each language
- The presentation on the culture and leaders went just fine, their note taking is actually coming a long way with the exception of Logan, who continues to try and make the least amount of effort possible with anything he has to write down. He is a good kid, but I don't think school is really his top priority.
Day 4-
- The kids created their own communist society today, which actually went very well. Zach and Dylan were particularly creative, but some others were not. In the future I really need to emphasize in my directions that they need to show me that they understand the difference between a communist society and a democratic society, which I guess I did not do well enough given some of the responses I got.
- We ended the day taking a few notes and talking about the Cold War for the next day
Day 5-
- Butter Battle Book: Fabulous, they loved this. Definitely going to use it every time I open up a discussion about the Cold War
- Notes on the Cold War: These got a little bit boring, maybe I need to talk about the threat of atomic bombs a little bit more. I think the nature of the material makes it a little harder for kids to connect to. Perhaps including some more examples of hysteria in both the US and USSR would be more beneficial.
- Cubes: This process actually went well, but the kids were not incredibly creative with the pictures that they drew. Picture drawing is not turning out to be the magical awesome teacher tool that I thought it would be. So kids just genuinely don't like to draw, and those kids make up about half my class, so I don't want to become dependent upon it.
Letter to Bess: The kids read a primary source along with me one paragraph at a time. I had the students move to the back of the room and we analyzed it together bit by bit. I think next time I should pick either an easier piece or one that is not so long, because they were on board for about the first 15 minutes but then after that I really started to lose them.
*The ending test results were actually good, except for the map of Russia which I had to do some reteaching with. The average score was a 42/48 which is very high. I'm happy about this, but I think I need to make the tests more challenging next time. Making the matching section a little harder by having most of the words be related to one another instead of 20 terms that have nothing to do with each other seems like it would be a better way to measure if they actually learned the material. The map was a little bit different than the one they had before and that totally threw them off so I think I need to start saying things in 2 or 3 different ways per class period in order for the concept, not just the recall to stick.
*A few things need to be altered for the upcoming unit on the Middle East, but I think it will still be pretty boss.
At this point I'm really seeing that there is a difference between Geoglish and a normal Geography or history class. There were a lot of things that I would have liked to do involving communism or czarist Russia, but since the kids don't normally latch onto information that is high level, I cannot spend longer than 20 minutes on something that is not incredibly interesting to them. That's a bit tough to swallow because everything that I get blank stares from is typically stuff that I really like. For instance, I think that Stalin's paranoia is pretty fascinating. I tried to explain it the way I thought it sounded interesting, but the kids didn't get very excited until I actually discussed Stalin killing all of his friends. That being said, I did some reading type lessons during this unit and they actually did very well. I think they're growing onto my style a bit more and developing some great skills.
Heres a step by step of what happened and how I felt about it:
Day 1/2-
-Map coloring: went fine, but again 2 of the kids simply did not do their homework. I'm thinking harsher penalties need to be applied to the students that just blatantly refuse to follow through with their assignments.
-Climbing Mt. Elbrus: The kids loved this. Stolen straight from Dr. Hendricks, this really encouraged them to prioritize and get the main point of the day: Russia is cold and the main concern is always staying warm.
- Notes: The note guide I gave them worked just fine. They loved the video about Bear Grylls, but I did not know that it was 25 mins long. I really like the video itself and I think it helps them remember Siberia, but if I use this same video in the future then I'll probably edit it down to 15 mins (maybe cut out the dear carcass scene)
- Dice game: Went okay, but I need to find a way to make everyone participate all the time with these types of things.
Day 3-
- I got evaluated on this particular day, but I'll discuss that in the next post.
- The kids liked translating the alphabet, but the activity itself takes way too long for a hook, so when I redo it I will probably only give them 2 sentences in each language
- The presentation on the culture and leaders went just fine, their note taking is actually coming a long way with the exception of Logan, who continues to try and make the least amount of effort possible with anything he has to write down. He is a good kid, but I don't think school is really his top priority.
Day 4-
- The kids created their own communist society today, which actually went very well. Zach and Dylan were particularly creative, but some others were not. In the future I really need to emphasize in my directions that they need to show me that they understand the difference between a communist society and a democratic society, which I guess I did not do well enough given some of the responses I got.
- We ended the day taking a few notes and talking about the Cold War for the next day
Day 5-
- Butter Battle Book: Fabulous, they loved this. Definitely going to use it every time I open up a discussion about the Cold War
- Notes on the Cold War: These got a little bit boring, maybe I need to talk about the threat of atomic bombs a little bit more. I think the nature of the material makes it a little harder for kids to connect to. Perhaps including some more examples of hysteria in both the US and USSR would be more beneficial.
- Cubes: This process actually went well, but the kids were not incredibly creative with the pictures that they drew. Picture drawing is not turning out to be the magical awesome teacher tool that I thought it would be. So kids just genuinely don't like to draw, and those kids make up about half my class, so I don't want to become dependent upon it.
Letter to Bess: The kids read a primary source along with me one paragraph at a time. I had the students move to the back of the room and we analyzed it together bit by bit. I think next time I should pick either an easier piece or one that is not so long, because they were on board for about the first 15 minutes but then after that I really started to lose them.
*The ending test results were actually good, except for the map of Russia which I had to do some reteaching with. The average score was a 42/48 which is very high. I'm happy about this, but I think I need to make the tests more challenging next time. Making the matching section a little harder by having most of the words be related to one another instead of 20 terms that have nothing to do with each other seems like it would be a better way to measure if they actually learned the material. The map was a little bit different than the one they had before and that totally threw them off so I think I need to start saying things in 2 or 3 different ways per class period in order for the concept, not just the recall to stick.
*A few things need to be altered for the upcoming unit on the Middle East, but I think it will still be pretty boss.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Prezis 10/19
Last Wednesday I checked out the laptops from the library and made a project for the students. They were meant to work in pairs and each pair was given a country to research.
I went through the directions initially very quickly. I assumed that we could work out the details while we were working together, but I really need to get better at being clear at the very beginning about what we are supposed to be doing. The first day (Wednesday) that the students had laptops we did a tutorial about how to use the software. This seemed to go pretty well and I had an alright pace with the information.
When the students were told to start researching their countries, it became clear that they did not really knwo how to look for information. They had a very clear list of a few things that they needed to have in the presentation, however about half the groups were missing very simple key things that were on the rubric. Next time I do this I will go over the rubric very thoroughly so that the students understand exactly what we are doing.
The effort to work on the project outside of school was almost non existent. Students would only work during class, and the most successful group told me that they finished their in a class where they already had access to computers and some free time. I thought that for the first time doing a major project, this went pretty well. Very few of these students are good at presenting material in any form or fashion, and so the presentations themselves were not very good. However, they did do a good job for the most part of following the specific directions that I had given them.
Key note- everything that I discussed at great length got done. I was under the impression that they would read the directions on the guide that they were given, but I need to get better about being more specific.
Mike has encouraged me to try something once and accept that it is going to be below average. However, the second time that a class tries something it will probably work out a lot better. When we get to China or the Middle East I think that I might try something like this again.
I went through the directions initially very quickly. I assumed that we could work out the details while we were working together, but I really need to get better at being clear at the very beginning about what we are supposed to be doing. The first day (Wednesday) that the students had laptops we did a tutorial about how to use the software. This seemed to go pretty well and I had an alright pace with the information.
When the students were told to start researching their countries, it became clear that they did not really knwo how to look for information. They had a very clear list of a few things that they needed to have in the presentation, however about half the groups were missing very simple key things that were on the rubric. Next time I do this I will go over the rubric very thoroughly so that the students understand exactly what we are doing.
The effort to work on the project outside of school was almost non existent. Students would only work during class, and the most successful group told me that they finished their in a class where they already had access to computers and some free time. I thought that for the first time doing a major project, this went pretty well. Very few of these students are good at presenting material in any form or fashion, and so the presentations themselves were not very good. However, they did do a good job for the most part of following the specific directions that I had given them.
Key note- everything that I discussed at great length got done. I was under the impression that they would read the directions on the guide that they were given, but I need to get better about being more specific.
Mike has encouraged me to try something once and accept that it is going to be below average. However, the second time that a class tries something it will probably work out a lot better. When we get to China or the Middle East I think that I might try something like this again.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Make your own maps
Next year I would really like to use some type of make your own map activity at the beginning of the year.
Pictures such as "The Earth according to Americans"
and "The World as Seen from Ninth Street" are really funny and a good introduction to satire.
Not only could I gain insight into what kids already know about, but it was also be a fun artistic activity that many of them would probably enjoy.
Pictures such as "The Earth according to Americans"
and "The World as Seen from Ninth Street" are really funny and a good introduction to satire.
Not only could I gain insight into what kids already know about, but it was also be a fun artistic activity that many of them would probably enjoy.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Industrial Revolution- Sept 22
Today we finished up the Protestant Reformation lesson using a Bell Ringer and a few mins to finish the rest of their materials from the day before. I took up the papers and despite telling them yesterday that I was going to take up these papers today, it seemed that not one of them had done extra work last night. Therefore I gave them some time to finish up today, and it helped a few of them.
We began with a journal entry about "what they were best at" and then went over some vocabulary words. As we were doing this, I got the students talking a little, but not as much as I would have liked. I'm going to have to think of a different way to do an anticipation guide type of activity when were dealing with vocabulary that is on a high level.
The notes went pretty well, and they did not have a note guide this time. Although they did have a list of key words and key people. Still interacting well with the students as far as questions go, but when it comes to a narrative style of lecture I'm not so good at that. I don't know if that is better or not. I suppose that depends on the type of lecture/activities that I am doing.
At the end of the notes I had them talk about partnerships and then get into groups to work on the build a business plan. This is where I made my biggest mistake of the day. I allowed them to work with their seat partners, and Dominic, Zach, and Coty ended up together. While the other pairs were talking about their ideas and being vocal, the three of them just sat there unphased by the fact that they may be on a time crunch. I had to prod them a few times and they eventually did start working, but I will have to make sure to strategically group every time from now on, because I don't feel like it was fair for me to do that to them. They will present with everyone else, but I feel like it won't be up to par. I could be wrong, and they might think about it over the weekend, but we'll have to see on Monday.
Things that need work:
- The SN presentation was okay, but it could use some more fun fonts- note- make better fonts for the Russia presentations
- The journal about what they are best at could have been discussed a little further and connected more at the beginning so it would make more sense at the end.
- Depending on the class, having an actual note guide might be a good thing. This way of introducing vocabulary only went so so
- I made a typo on the Business Model rubric and put no points for the presentation. I will have to make new rubrics for Monday.
- Music was playing during their business plan time, but I need more time for them to work and a bigger variety of music. Coldplay is going to get old fast.
- Still need to find a balance between telling them the history that interests me and covering just the basics for geography- not awesome at this and it hurts my time management.
We began with a journal entry about "what they were best at" and then went over some vocabulary words. As we were doing this, I got the students talking a little, but not as much as I would have liked. I'm going to have to think of a different way to do an anticipation guide type of activity when were dealing with vocabulary that is on a high level.
The notes went pretty well, and they did not have a note guide this time. Although they did have a list of key words and key people. Still interacting well with the students as far as questions go, but when it comes to a narrative style of lecture I'm not so good at that. I don't know if that is better or not. I suppose that depends on the type of lecture/activities that I am doing.
At the end of the notes I had them talk about partnerships and then get into groups to work on the build a business plan. This is where I made my biggest mistake of the day. I allowed them to work with their seat partners, and Dominic, Zach, and Coty ended up together. While the other pairs were talking about their ideas and being vocal, the three of them just sat there unphased by the fact that they may be on a time crunch. I had to prod them a few times and they eventually did start working, but I will have to make sure to strategically group every time from now on, because I don't feel like it was fair for me to do that to them. They will present with everyone else, but I feel like it won't be up to par. I could be wrong, and they might think about it over the weekend, but we'll have to see on Monday.
Things that need work:
- The SN presentation was okay, but it could use some more fun fonts- note- make better fonts for the Russia presentations
- The journal about what they are best at could have been discussed a little further and connected more at the beginning so it would make more sense at the end.
- Depending on the class, having an actual note guide might be a good thing. This way of introducing vocabulary only went so so
- I made a typo on the Business Model rubric and put no points for the presentation. I will have to make new rubrics for Monday.
- Music was playing during their business plan time, but I need more time for them to work and a bigger variety of music. Coldplay is going to get old fast.
- Still need to find a balance between telling them the history that interests me and covering just the basics for geography- not awesome at this and it hurts my time management.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Protestant Reformation- Sept 20
This morning at 730 we had our first Breakfast Bonanza where three different teachers gave us a few different tips on what to use in the classroom. I would really like to incorporate sound into my presentations, so that will probably be the one that I will use the most. I will also use the website we were given to look up a few templates on the Smartboard that I can use for games.
Since I was planning on beginning the Protestant Reformation and the giving the Europe Map quiz today, I got here a little early this morning to set up the carousel activity, but then Mike told me that the class was only going to last about 40 minutes today, so I had to adjust. I decided I would give the Map quiz, do the opener, and get through as much of the notes as we could.
As the students came in I gave them back their maps or told them that they needed to get their maps out from the day before and study them because we would be having a quiz. We reviewed together and I had several people come up to the board and label things that I knew would be on the test. They then had about 2 minutes to look over a little more. They took the test and everyone completed in about 12 minutes and no one seemed to have much trouble. I had to clarify a few things, but I don't think that I will alter the test the next time I use it.
I took up the tests as the students finished, and once everyone was done I passed out the Purchase Points activity. I told the students this was a letter from the administration and asked for reactions. Some of them jumped up and said that this was awesome and fair because it would mean less work. I was not quite expecting that level of immaturity but I guess with Freshman that is something that I will have to factor in next time I do an activity like that. I did get them back to the point that this can be connected to indulgences eventually by relying heavily on Madison, who has no problem at all answering questions when I need it.
I passed out the note guide and we got through about 5 or 6 slides before the bell rang. I felt like I did a good job of checking for understanding and making them repeat key phrases when there was an important vocab word, but we did run out of time and they had to leave.
Things to change:
- The map might need to be fixed a little
- I should use a timer when giving a quiz
- The Purchase Points activity could be an okay closer as well as an opener
- I am apparently getting too into the history and need more geography in my lessons
- I still have not found a way to reach Cody- he did fine on the quiz, but is still unorganized and not steller at homework or class discussions.
- Time management probably needs to improve as well, I can't keep letting my one day lesson plans get pushed into two because that will add up very quickly
Since I was planning on beginning the Protestant Reformation and the giving the Europe Map quiz today, I got here a little early this morning to set up the carousel activity, but then Mike told me that the class was only going to last about 40 minutes today, so I had to adjust. I decided I would give the Map quiz, do the opener, and get through as much of the notes as we could.
As the students came in I gave them back their maps or told them that they needed to get their maps out from the day before and study them because we would be having a quiz. We reviewed together and I had several people come up to the board and label things that I knew would be on the test. They then had about 2 minutes to look over a little more. They took the test and everyone completed in about 12 minutes and no one seemed to have much trouble. I had to clarify a few things, but I don't think that I will alter the test the next time I use it.
I took up the tests as the students finished, and once everyone was done I passed out the Purchase Points activity. I told the students this was a letter from the administration and asked for reactions. Some of them jumped up and said that this was awesome and fair because it would mean less work. I was not quite expecting that level of immaturity but I guess with Freshman that is something that I will have to factor in next time I do an activity like that. I did get them back to the point that this can be connected to indulgences eventually by relying heavily on Madison, who has no problem at all answering questions when I need it.
I passed out the note guide and we got through about 5 or 6 slides before the bell rang. I felt like I did a good job of checking for understanding and making them repeat key phrases when there was an important vocab word, but we did run out of time and they had to leave.
Things to change:
- The map might need to be fixed a little
- I should use a timer when giving a quiz
- The Purchase Points activity could be an okay closer as well as an opener
- I am apparently getting too into the history and need more geography in my lessons
- I still have not found a way to reach Cody- he did fine on the quiz, but is still unorganized and not steller at homework or class discussions.
- Time management probably needs to improve as well, I can't keep letting my one day lesson plans get pushed into two because that will add up very quickly
Monday, September 19, 2011
Europe Cont. Sept 19
Since my Europe lesson day went a little longer than I wanted on Friday, we had a few things to finish up today including half of the notes and the quiz. I thought that this might end up taking either the entire day or half of the day, depending on which one Mike wanted. He said I should try and get through all of this and not try to push forward into the Protestant Reformation since rushing that would probably ruin the set.
So while figuring out exactly how that would go down, Mike said we had a fire drill and Constitution Day today so we had to go outside and then go to the flagpole to sing the Preamble.
In addition, we had to be flexible today since it was Monday and do check in with the kids. Since we had to watch the videos of the Preamble and hen do check in, I tried to make the stories and the talk in the morning go a little longer so we could push all the way to nine when the fire drill was about to happen, and this seemed to work out pretty well.
After we returned we only had about 20-25 more minutes of class time for learning. Logan and Jeromy had been talking constantly throughout the day, so I finally separated them about 3 minutes into my lecture. I didn't make it into an argument or discussion, just told Logan to move since he seemed to be the one initiated the talking most of the time even though both of of them were at fault. This seemed to fix the problem. I hope that changing the seating chart will help this problem solve itself.
The notes went rather well as we only had about ten things to go over in their notes. I have succumbed to the fact that they will only write down things that are very specific. Phrases such as this will on on the EOC or you need to have this in your notes are being more and more common place in my lectures, and I hope I can find a way to do this with more variety. Putting exactly the words that they need on the screen helps, and I like working with Prezi because that can be done with several subtopics.
Only about half the students turned in their maps, which was very disappointing. I don't want to fail the students that I know will not be doing their homework, but I want to have rigor as well without having to have some casualties in order to make an example.
Academic vocabulary was Mike's main criticism of my lesson today, I used the term theater when referring to war and that didn't translate. Another thing I'm noticing is that Dylan wants to answer every single question, and I'm getting a little bit better about checking if the students are understanding throughout the lecture, which actually takes up time as well which is good for the slow note takers.
- I need to address everyone in the classroom everyday at least twice. There are only 11 of them and sometimes less there is no excuse to not make this happen.
Tomorrow they will quiz over this material and I will probably give them about 5-10 mins to go over their notes after we review some things together as well.
So while figuring out exactly how that would go down, Mike said we had a fire drill and Constitution Day today so we had to go outside and then go to the flagpole to sing the Preamble.
In addition, we had to be flexible today since it was Monday and do check in with the kids. Since we had to watch the videos of the Preamble and hen do check in, I tried to make the stories and the talk in the morning go a little longer so we could push all the way to nine when the fire drill was about to happen, and this seemed to work out pretty well.
After we returned we only had about 20-25 more minutes of class time for learning. Logan and Jeromy had been talking constantly throughout the day, so I finally separated them about 3 minutes into my lecture. I didn't make it into an argument or discussion, just told Logan to move since he seemed to be the one initiated the talking most of the time even though both of of them were at fault. This seemed to fix the problem. I hope that changing the seating chart will help this problem solve itself.
The notes went rather well as we only had about ten things to go over in their notes. I have succumbed to the fact that they will only write down things that are very specific. Phrases such as this will on on the EOC or you need to have this in your notes are being more and more common place in my lectures, and I hope I can find a way to do this with more variety. Putting exactly the words that they need on the screen helps, and I like working with Prezi because that can be done with several subtopics.
Only about half the students turned in their maps, which was very disappointing. I don't want to fail the students that I know will not be doing their homework, but I want to have rigor as well without having to have some casualties in order to make an example.
Academic vocabulary was Mike's main criticism of my lesson today, I used the term theater when referring to war and that didn't translate. Another thing I'm noticing is that Dylan wants to answer every single question, and I'm getting a little bit better about checking if the students are understanding throughout the lecture, which actually takes up time as well which is good for the slow note takers.
- I need to address everyone in the classroom everyday at least twice. There are only 11 of them and sometimes less there is no excuse to not make this happen.
Tomorrow they will quiz over this material and I will probably give them about 5-10 mins to go over their notes after we review some things together as well.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Intro to Europe= Sept 16
Today I began the unit on Europe. I began with an introduction about what we knew. I wanted to start with a story about how Europe got its name, but that turned out to be a very bad idea since the story is inappropriate in Greek mythology. The what do we know about Europe actually went pretty well. I thought it was a little bit dry and not much of a hook, so I want to be more creative than that.
I passed out the maps so that the students could color them
- I did not tell them where to find the information in their books, so that could have been done differently, but it is an easy fix.
- I did make a model of the map, but I should have scanned it and shown it from above for a better feeling for this
- I told the students that they could finish it as homework and that probably made them relax a little bit more which was not necessarily a good thing. It took about 45 mins for only 2 girls to finish so I need to put a bit more pressure on the kids to finish. The russia map will have to be a little bit different.
- I thought that the environment was a little bit dry for what we were doing, and I'm personally uncomfortable with silence so Mike suggested that I play classical music during that time and perhaps give them the time for listen to their own music as well if they like
- I do not like to flip over my own papers back and forth when making these things so I probably could have made a few more since the extras that I gave out ran out rather quickly even in such a small class.
The students asked for the air guitar competition when we were done, and I did not want to take that away from them so I killed about 6-7 minutes watching that, but the kids do seem to enjoy it. I think we might need something else though soon, it seems to have lost its novelty with everyone except for Dillon
As the competition was finishing up I passed out their note guides and we began to talk about Europe. I tried to make the information concise and emphasize what they needed to know. They have a type of brochure that they're using to take the notes and I hope it went well. It was a lot easier for me to talk about the countries and capitals than it was for me to talk about physical feature. I am not nearly as comfortable with actual geography so I guess that is to be expected.
We ran out of time about half way through the noteguide which I knew was going to happen when I started. We will finish the information on Monday, but I don't know if it will actually stick through the weekend for their quiz. After this lesson I am supposed to start the Protestant Reformation, and I will really need to time myself with that lesson, and I would really not like to push it into the second half of the next class, so we will try to fit all of the rest of Europe and maybe the quiz in on Monday.
Report with the students is still going well, they are starting to talk more and more everyday, and I'm getting better about taking whatever comment they happen to make and turning it into a connection to the lesson, so I hope I can continue that when we get into the more history oriented things in the lesson.
I passed out the maps so that the students could color them
- I did not tell them where to find the information in their books, so that could have been done differently, but it is an easy fix.
- I did make a model of the map, but I should have scanned it and shown it from above for a better feeling for this
- I told the students that they could finish it as homework and that probably made them relax a little bit more which was not necessarily a good thing. It took about 45 mins for only 2 girls to finish so I need to put a bit more pressure on the kids to finish. The russia map will have to be a little bit different.
- I thought that the environment was a little bit dry for what we were doing, and I'm personally uncomfortable with silence so Mike suggested that I play classical music during that time and perhaps give them the time for listen to their own music as well if they like
- I do not like to flip over my own papers back and forth when making these things so I probably could have made a few more since the extras that I gave out ran out rather quickly even in such a small class.
The students asked for the air guitar competition when we were done, and I did not want to take that away from them so I killed about 6-7 minutes watching that, but the kids do seem to enjoy it. I think we might need something else though soon, it seems to have lost its novelty with everyone except for Dillon
As the competition was finishing up I passed out their note guides and we began to talk about Europe. I tried to make the information concise and emphasize what they needed to know. They have a type of brochure that they're using to take the notes and I hope it went well. It was a lot easier for me to talk about the countries and capitals than it was for me to talk about physical feature. I am not nearly as comfortable with actual geography so I guess that is to be expected.
We ran out of time about half way through the noteguide which I knew was going to happen when I started. We will finish the information on Monday, but I don't know if it will actually stick through the weekend for their quiz. After this lesson I am supposed to start the Protestant Reformation, and I will really need to time myself with that lesson, and I would really not like to push it into the second half of the next class, so we will try to fit all of the rest of Europe and maybe the quiz in on Monday.
Report with the students is still going well, they are starting to talk more and more everyday, and I'm getting better about taking whatever comment they happen to make and turning it into a connection to the lesson, so I hope I can continue that when we get into the more history oriented things in the lesson.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Congress- Sept 13
Today I taught in Mrs. Steffey's class. I put together a prezi about the basic facts in Congress like the terms and qualifications, which is pretty dry material, but I was excited to make it work.
The Prezi went well and I also made a note guide that had the basic things in the presentation on it.
I noticed a lot of students not using the extra space and only writing down one or two words. I assumed that because they were seniors this would be a little bit better, but I'm finding more and more that if I don't tell them what to write down they will not write down anything and then they won't have the information.
The EOC that I made the review and this lesson based off of was surprisingly nice to use as a resource.
The questions are often high level, so I thought giving the students the background and story would be a great idea. However, when I would tell anecdotes or other specific things, they would often stop me and ask immediately what I should be writing down.
The presentation was only about 20 mins, but with a little more depth and inclusion of reapportionment and gerrymandering (the concepts that Michelle wanted to include in her next days lesson) this could easily be 25-30 minutes.
As per usual, I talked too fast. It was actually Michelle's only criticism. That coupled with the fact that I didn't have the background knowledge on black representatives made me feel a little bad.
High point! - Michelle asked me if she could use my note guide and prezi during her fourth period class as well, and I was able to show her how to use prezi so that made me feel good.
When we were working in groups online I noticed that the five or six black students in the back did not work with the research on the internet very well. I asked Mrs. Steffey if this was because they did not have much experience researching or if they did not have internet access at home very often. She said it was both. I focused my energy on helping these students with their research attempts. I feel like I'm getting better at leading students with questions instead of simply giving them answers to things.
I'm using the same review game I used in Geography in this class at the end of the week, but the questions are much harder and there are more of them. Hoping it goes well!
The Prezi went well and I also made a note guide that had the basic things in the presentation on it.
I noticed a lot of students not using the extra space and only writing down one or two words. I assumed that because they were seniors this would be a little bit better, but I'm finding more and more that if I don't tell them what to write down they will not write down anything and then they won't have the information.
The EOC that I made the review and this lesson based off of was surprisingly nice to use as a resource.
The questions are often high level, so I thought giving the students the background and story would be a great idea. However, when I would tell anecdotes or other specific things, they would often stop me and ask immediately what I should be writing down.
The presentation was only about 20 mins, but with a little more depth and inclusion of reapportionment and gerrymandering (the concepts that Michelle wanted to include in her next days lesson) this could easily be 25-30 minutes.
As per usual, I talked too fast. It was actually Michelle's only criticism. That coupled with the fact that I didn't have the background knowledge on black representatives made me feel a little bad.
High point! - Michelle asked me if she could use my note guide and prezi during her fourth period class as well, and I was able to show her how to use prezi so that made me feel good.
When we were working in groups online I noticed that the five or six black students in the back did not work with the research on the internet very well. I asked Mrs. Steffey if this was because they did not have much experience researching or if they did not have internet access at home very often. She said it was both. I focused my energy on helping these students with their research attempts. I feel like I'm getting better at leading students with questions instead of simply giving them answers to things.
I'm using the same review game I used in Geography in this class at the end of the week, but the questions are much harder and there are more of them. Hoping it goes well!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Observing West- Aug 26
Today I was sent to West High school in order to get another perspective on classroom management and behavioral issues. I was sent to a teacher who knows Mike very well, Lou Gallo. I had heard a lot of things about how good of a teacher he was, and most of the time those commenting on his status were making fun of him. I tried to go into the observation with an open mind, but all the talk made that a little bit tough.
The class I observed was during second period, and it was a Euro History class. It was mostly lecture based, and the students were 11th and 12th grade so it was pretty high level stuff. There was nothing spectacular about the teaching style, but the lecture worked so well because Gallo seemed to be more of a master of his content than many of the other teachers that I observed. I can see why he teaches mostly AP classes, because his lecture style and series of anecdotes reminded me of my college lectures from Sacco and Glover, teachers who used minimal powerpoints and mostly just told us a story.
I can see why many of the other teachers talked the way they did about Gallo's status, because its true that he wasn't doing anything overly spectacular. On the other hand, I don't feel comfortable even with US History, my major area of certification, the way that he seemed to with all of his subjects which is a little bit scary for me.
I also observed Mrs. Stanish in her US History class. This class was largely made up of students who were from the lower SES rung, which is about half of the school. The students seemed very lively and asked many questions which was very refreshing to see. I liked to see the way that she interacted with the kids was slightly less formal than the other lecture that I was watching. I look forward to when the students I'm currently working with get out of their shells enough in order for me to have similar types of conversations with them.
- I was able to use both of these classes as a way of marking off the Low SES and Urban School Setting in my documentation handbook which was nice. It was also the original reason that Mike sent me to West.
- I know I was being exposed to a culture that was different from HVA, but honestly I expected more. The hallways at my own high school, Richwoods, were far more rowdy than what I saw today.
-What I realized while observing there was that I was far more comfortable in that environment than I expected to be. I have said for a while that I want to teach at HVA or somewhere very similar, but I loved the atmosphere at West.
- I really underestimated how much my own experience in a lower SES high school (RHS) would have on my preferences and comfort level. As challenging as I'm sure it is to plan several AP classes and meet the high standards out here, I think my heart might actually lie in working with kids that generally do not have a lot of advantages. Coaching at Richwoods after I graduated was probably the most rewarding experience that I've had thus far, because most of the girls that my mom and I worked with had little else to be proud of at the time. Though I love being challenged here, I would be perfectly content if I got a job somewhere closer to my own roots.
The class I observed was during second period, and it was a Euro History class. It was mostly lecture based, and the students were 11th and 12th grade so it was pretty high level stuff. There was nothing spectacular about the teaching style, but the lecture worked so well because Gallo seemed to be more of a master of his content than many of the other teachers that I observed. I can see why he teaches mostly AP classes, because his lecture style and series of anecdotes reminded me of my college lectures from Sacco and Glover, teachers who used minimal powerpoints and mostly just told us a story.
I can see why many of the other teachers talked the way they did about Gallo's status, because its true that he wasn't doing anything overly spectacular. On the other hand, I don't feel comfortable even with US History, my major area of certification, the way that he seemed to with all of his subjects which is a little bit scary for me.
I also observed Mrs. Stanish in her US History class. This class was largely made up of students who were from the lower SES rung, which is about half of the school. The students seemed very lively and asked many questions which was very refreshing to see. I liked to see the way that she interacted with the kids was slightly less formal than the other lecture that I was watching. I look forward to when the students I'm currently working with get out of their shells enough in order for me to have similar types of conversations with them.
- I was able to use both of these classes as a way of marking off the Low SES and Urban School Setting in my documentation handbook which was nice. It was also the original reason that Mike sent me to West.
- I know I was being exposed to a culture that was different from HVA, but honestly I expected more. The hallways at my own high school, Richwoods, were far more rowdy than what I saw today.
-What I realized while observing there was that I was far more comfortable in that environment than I expected to be. I have said for a while that I want to teach at HVA or somewhere very similar, but I loved the atmosphere at West.
- I really underestimated how much my own experience in a lower SES high school (RHS) would have on my preferences and comfort level. As challenging as I'm sure it is to plan several AP classes and meet the high standards out here, I think my heart might actually lie in working with kids that generally do not have a lot of advantages. Coaching at Richwoods after I graduated was probably the most rewarding experience that I've had thus far, because most of the girls that my mom and I worked with had little else to be proud of at the time. Though I love being challenged here, I would be perfectly content if I got a job somewhere closer to my own roots.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Climate- Full Day 8/25
Today was the first day where I was in charge of planning and creating the entire lesson.
The plan went as follows:
- Bell Ringer from yesterday
- Opener about what their favorite season is
- SN about the 8 different climates while taking notes on an organizer I gave them
- Activity where they are assigned a postcard representing a climate
- Closer saying where they would most like to live and where they would least like to live
Positives:
- I think the transition from the opener to into the SN went really well. I got three different answers for favorite seasons and then said that it would be difficult to get varying answers in other climates because we are lucky enough to live in a place that has all four seasons. We then talked about the fact that our first climate, tropical, only had one season, etc.
- I answered questions and walked around the room a lot. I still feel good about the fact that I feel very comfortable talking to the kids and building off of the things they say.
- Connecting who had gone on vacation/ past knowledge/ how could we adapt to live there all went really well so that the material was not just isolated.
- The post card activity seemed to go pretty well, they liked getting places that they had heard of. Minor hiccup when some of them wanted to switch cards, but it showed that they wanted something they could be interested in.
- I loved when Dylan said "Isn't Pakistan the terrorist nation" and I got to have a little discussion about how that isn't true. That mini discussion was probably the highlight of the class for me.
-The students listened to me when I said incorporate the characteristics of the climate type in the answers to the closer questions which was nice. Even though the used their notes, repetitive talk about weather and living conditions seemed to make the ideas about the types sink in.
Negatives:
- I did not give enough wait time for the kids to talk about their favorite season and why. I really just wanted to make a small connection and move on, but I suppose waiting a while and telling the high up kids to continue writing as much as they could about the reasons would have helped get everyone on that same page.
- The Bell Ringer stuff was a little uncomfortable because I did not know that Mike wanted me to take over that part as well as the set
- As a result, I did not have the objectives or SPIs on the board which I should have done. I need to think of a creative way of doing this and to remind myself because I usually think that this is self evident when it really isn't.
- My SN was not well designed (color/font needs to be bigger)
- Drawing the examples on the map was a form of modeling but I probably should have found a way to continue that throughout the lecture so that they would continue to have that in their notes as a reference point.
- I was worried that they would mix up degrees latitude and the degrees in terms of temperature when I was actually the one who did that. Mike caught it soon enough, and the kids hardly even noticed, but I was really embarrassed. I feel like I covered it well but there really isn't an excuse for those types of mistakes.
- I don't know how to put information up one thing at a time on the SN yet.
- I wanted the students to move before sharing their cards because they looked so passive and asleep, but I need a better game plan for that as well. Maybe the other side of the room?
***I ended 20 minutes early and had nothing else to give them. I hate that I let that happen also. Another really embarrassing point when I had to ask what to do next.
Overall:
- I got a C, and I felt horrible about how the lesson went at the time, but I'm better with it now. I wish I had not ended early, but I won't really know how long activities are going to take until I get through them. For future reference, I would like to have some game like a crossword puzzle or wordfind just so there is a back up plan. If they never use them they never use them.
- I still talk too fast
*Sidenote: three students did not bring their maps this morning which makes me upset, I don't quite know how to handle this yet. I want to hold them to a high standard, but a policy that isn't mine has already been established.
The plan went as follows:
- Bell Ringer from yesterday
- Opener about what their favorite season is
- SN about the 8 different climates while taking notes on an organizer I gave them
- Activity where they are assigned a postcard representing a climate
- Closer saying where they would most like to live and where they would least like to live
Positives:
- I think the transition from the opener to into the SN went really well. I got three different answers for favorite seasons and then said that it would be difficult to get varying answers in other climates because we are lucky enough to live in a place that has all four seasons. We then talked about the fact that our first climate, tropical, only had one season, etc.
- I answered questions and walked around the room a lot. I still feel good about the fact that I feel very comfortable talking to the kids and building off of the things they say.
- Connecting who had gone on vacation/ past knowledge/ how could we adapt to live there all went really well so that the material was not just isolated.
- The post card activity seemed to go pretty well, they liked getting places that they had heard of. Minor hiccup when some of them wanted to switch cards, but it showed that they wanted something they could be interested in.
- I loved when Dylan said "Isn't Pakistan the terrorist nation" and I got to have a little discussion about how that isn't true. That mini discussion was probably the highlight of the class for me.
-The students listened to me when I said incorporate the characteristics of the climate type in the answers to the closer questions which was nice. Even though the used their notes, repetitive talk about weather and living conditions seemed to make the ideas about the types sink in.
Negatives:
- I did not give enough wait time for the kids to talk about their favorite season and why. I really just wanted to make a small connection and move on, but I suppose waiting a while and telling the high up kids to continue writing as much as they could about the reasons would have helped get everyone on that same page.
- The Bell Ringer stuff was a little uncomfortable because I did not know that Mike wanted me to take over that part as well as the set
- As a result, I did not have the objectives or SPIs on the board which I should have done. I need to think of a creative way of doing this and to remind myself because I usually think that this is self evident when it really isn't.
- My SN was not well designed (color/font needs to be bigger)
- Drawing the examples on the map was a form of modeling but I probably should have found a way to continue that throughout the lecture so that they would continue to have that in their notes as a reference point.
- I was worried that they would mix up degrees latitude and the degrees in terms of temperature when I was actually the one who did that. Mike caught it soon enough, and the kids hardly even noticed, but I was really embarrassed. I feel like I covered it well but there really isn't an excuse for those types of mistakes.
- I don't know how to put information up one thing at a time on the SN yet.
- I wanted the students to move before sharing their cards because they looked so passive and asleep, but I need a better game plan for that as well. Maybe the other side of the room?
***I ended 20 minutes early and had nothing else to give them. I hate that I let that happen also. Another really embarrassing point when I had to ask what to do next.
Overall:
- I got a C, and I felt horrible about how the lesson went at the time, but I'm better with it now. I wish I had not ended early, but I won't really know how long activities are going to take until I get through them. For future reference, I would like to have some game like a crossword puzzle or wordfind just so there is a back up plan. If they never use them they never use them.
- I still talk too fast
*Sidenote: three students did not bring their maps this morning which makes me upset, I don't quite know how to handle this yet. I want to hold them to a high standard, but a policy that isn't mine has already been established.
Reading a Map- 8/24
Today we learned the major components of a map. They included a scale, a compass, a key, and the title. I made a short slide show that had some interactions followed by a short activity. Mike was going to tell the BLAH story that helped the students remember the spheres of influence of the Earth.
I thought that I would have about 20-25 minutes to complete my activity. After the slides the students were each given a copy of the school map and told to make me a map headed towards their next classroom. The map had to include the four components that we had talked about.
A few things went wrong here:
- First, I only had 12 minutes to do everything. Go through the slides, grasp their level of understanding, hand out the maps, model my own map, and help the students get started. I got really flustered at this point.
- Afterwards Mike said that I did not stress enough that they needed to put the four main things on their map and would probably get some maps tomorrow that did not have those things on them. I'll see what they look like tomorrow.
- I don't know if this activity would have gone better if I had had more time, but I think we could have at least made it more fun by using the classroom set of colored pencils and drawing on the presentation board a little longer so that key words would be latched onto in a better way- then maybe they would have remembered the point of the drawing activity.
I thought that I would have about 20-25 minutes to complete my activity. After the slides the students were each given a copy of the school map and told to make me a map headed towards their next classroom. The map had to include the four components that we had talked about.
A few things went wrong here:
- First, I only had 12 minutes to do everything. Go through the slides, grasp their level of understanding, hand out the maps, model my own map, and help the students get started. I got really flustered at this point.
- Afterwards Mike said that I did not stress enough that they needed to put the four main things on their map and would probably get some maps tomorrow that did not have those things on them. I'll see what they look like tomorrow.
- I don't know if this activity would have gone better if I had had more time, but I think we could have at least made it more fun by using the classroom set of colored pencils and drawing on the presentation board a little longer so that key words would be latched onto in a better way- then maybe they would have remembered the point of the drawing activity.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
5 themes game Aug 23
I really enjoyed doing this activity. I started it yesterday towards the end of class when there was only about 10 mins left and got a little bit flustered. The students had just finished learning an entire lesson and I don't think that they were too apt to do a review game.
I was glad that we got a second chance at the game today, because the students responded to it a lot better. After the bell ringer, we spent about twenty minutes on the game and the kids really woke up. Nothing bad to report today except the fact that I called Juan Jose which I think makes me a racist.
I've been working quite a bit on the upcoming full solo day and I really underestimated the amount of planning TIME that would go into this and the 45 minutes I have for the "How to read a map" class the day before Climate day. I made 5 different parts and a quiz and it took forever. I need to get better at adapting things that already exist instead of creating everything. However, I really really like creating things because then they fit perfectly for what I want. I'll spend as much time as I can now creating things then when I turn into a zombie I'll probably start stealing more things from Mike and other teachers.
Time management has been good thus far. After going to class last night it was good to hear that the other interns are more focused on the classroom than they are on their UT work. Seems like its all jumping through hoops- some of which are located at the Sarah Simpson Center that we have to visit tomorrow.
Teaching Map reading tomorrow then a full day of Climate that I created on Thursday. On Friday I'm going to West for second period so I can see how different the culture is there. I suspect it will be just like Richwoods where I went, but we'll see.
I was glad that we got a second chance at the game today, because the students responded to it a lot better. After the bell ringer, we spent about twenty minutes on the game and the kids really woke up. Nothing bad to report today except the fact that I called Juan Jose which I think makes me a racist.
I've been working quite a bit on the upcoming full solo day and I really underestimated the amount of planning TIME that would go into this and the 45 minutes I have for the "How to read a map" class the day before Climate day. I made 5 different parts and a quiz and it took forever. I need to get better at adapting things that already exist instead of creating everything. However, I really really like creating things because then they fit perfectly for what I want. I'll spend as much time as I can now creating things then when I turn into a zombie I'll probably start stealing more things from Mike and other teachers.
Time management has been good thus far. After going to class last night it was good to hear that the other interns are more focused on the classroom than they are on their UT work. Seems like its all jumping through hoops- some of which are located at the Sarah Simpson Center that we have to visit tomorrow.
Teaching Map reading tomorrow then a full day of Climate that I created on Thursday. On Friday I'm going to West for second period so I can see how different the culture is there. I suspect it will be just like Richwoods where I went, but we'll see.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Latitude and Longitude- Wed Aug 17
-Today I did a SmartNotebook presentation abut latitude and longitude. At first I thought I was just doing the activity to go along with the lesson, but Mike asked me to explain a little bit about lat and long as well. Thinking about what to say for those first few slides was actually pretty difficult. I thought I would get confused pretty easily about the East West North South nonsense. Luckily I only had one moment where that stopped.
- Apparently I still need to slow down. I really liked having the kids draw what the plain was supposed to look like and I think they liked it too. However, the class is still not talking a whole lot unless they are up and moving.
- I had six students come up to the board and draw a point where the coordinate was and Mike and the kids did actually really like that
- I think I talked a little bit too quickly about the beginning.
- I also thought I repeated the concept of the Equator and the Prime Meridian a little too much
- Again with relating it to them, I could have made the points that they found something that they already knew like the mountains, etc.
- For future hands on things I will probably give even more specific directions and probably try to model.
- A balance has to be found in between modeling and providing it on the smartboard.
- I'm starting to get the feeling that there are students who talk and students who do not talk. I wish that I knew their names better so that I could help out with the calling on non volunteers but this is something that will definitely come with time.
I need to work on talking too fast and going over concepts too quickly. I need to find a better chemistry with the kids so that they want to talk more and not simply give me the answers. Dylan (who I don't believe belongs in this class) and Kayla (who is in band) always raise their hands. I want to give them praise and bring the others up but I do not actually know how.
During the Reteach I felt like they already knew what I was talking about. Although I felt like we were being redundant, I think that this is a good habit to get into thought for the kids. I would like to do something that is very picture and discussion based at the beginning of class. I don't know if this is something that fits into the standards for a bell ringer though- does it need to be a little quiz? Ask Mike
- Apparently I still need to slow down. I really liked having the kids draw what the plain was supposed to look like and I think they liked it too. However, the class is still not talking a whole lot unless they are up and moving.
- I had six students come up to the board and draw a point where the coordinate was and Mike and the kids did actually really like that
- I think I talked a little bit too quickly about the beginning.
- I also thought I repeated the concept of the Equator and the Prime Meridian a little too much
- Again with relating it to them, I could have made the points that they found something that they already knew like the mountains, etc.
- For future hands on things I will probably give even more specific directions and probably try to model.
- A balance has to be found in between modeling and providing it on the smartboard.
- I'm starting to get the feeling that there are students who talk and students who do not talk. I wish that I knew their names better so that I could help out with the calling on non volunteers but this is something that will definitely come with time.
I need to work on talking too fast and going over concepts too quickly. I need to find a better chemistry with the kids so that they want to talk more and not simply give me the answers. Dylan (who I don't believe belongs in this class) and Kayla (who is in band) always raise their hands. I want to give them praise and bring the others up but I do not actually know how.
During the Reteach I felt like they already knew what I was talking about. Although I felt like we were being redundant, I think that this is a good habit to get into thought for the kids. I would like to do something that is very picture and discussion based at the beginning of class. I don't know if this is something that fits into the standards for a bell ringer though- does it need to be a little quiz? Ask Mike
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Def of Geography
I spent a long time planning this activity of the definition of Geography. I made a prezi with different people on it and asked the students to identify what they all had in common. They answered correctly and I tried to talk about how they have influence on people or regions. I did the same thing with pictures of places including land forms and monuments. I rushed the ending and did not really bring it together.
I handed out an activity in which they had to work with a partner and say why their activity should fit into the study of geography. Most of them initially wrote "because its a person" or "because its a place"
I had to use a lot of questions which is what I wanted to do. Ex:
Who is this? Winston Churchill
Why is he important? Because hes a leader
What do leaders do? Lead
I was looking for the fact that he has more influence than the average person, but I really didn't get that. Higher order thinking was my goal, but I guess it was too soon for that.
I could have reviewed the definition and put it in other words that simply "the study of the earth" and provided a visual representation of that.
Mike suggested that this activity would probably be better suited for a review activity
I think the structure of the room discourages the students from talking. There were only 11 of them today and most of them are used to not talking, the square structure does not help that. I would really prefer things in a circle so that the self esteem issues could be done a little better.
"Come together as a class" for a definition seems to have a different meaning. I am thinking back to the cultural studies class when we had a democratic classroom and poking and prodding until we got what the teacher wanted was something that was okay but this environment is completely different.
*Check that they know the definition
*Go over the main point that we come to over and over
*Speak slower during the directions
*Give specific time frames: "you have 5 mins"
*Make it something that are familiar with-
**To change this for another class I could make it the sunsphere, pat summit, the smoky mountains, a roller coaster at dollywood, etc. Background knowledge may be better- perhaps take a poll or questioning the day before as to what is in their own personal idea about what geography is.
I handed out an activity in which they had to work with a partner and say why their activity should fit into the study of geography. Most of them initially wrote "because its a person" or "because its a place"
I had to use a lot of questions which is what I wanted to do. Ex:
Who is this? Winston Churchill
Why is he important? Because hes a leader
What do leaders do? Lead
I was looking for the fact that he has more influence than the average person, but I really didn't get that. Higher order thinking was my goal, but I guess it was too soon for that.
I could have reviewed the definition and put it in other words that simply "the study of the earth" and provided a visual representation of that.
Mike suggested that this activity would probably be better suited for a review activity
I think the structure of the room discourages the students from talking. There were only 11 of them today and most of them are used to not talking, the square structure does not help that. I would really prefer things in a circle so that the self esteem issues could be done a little better.
"Come together as a class" for a definition seems to have a different meaning. I am thinking back to the cultural studies class when we had a democratic classroom and poking and prodding until we got what the teacher wanted was something that was okay but this environment is completely different.
*Check that they know the definition
*Go over the main point that we come to over and over
*Speak slower during the directions
*Give specific time frames: "you have 5 mins"
*Make it something that are familiar with-
**To change this for another class I could make it the sunsphere, pat summit, the smoky mountains, a roller coaster at dollywood, etc. Background knowledge may be better- perhaps take a poll or questioning the day before as to what is in their own personal idea about what geography is.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Snowball Fight- Monday Aug 15
Today was a 30 minute class. We had 13 students in the class, and since we had advisory before first period, the kids seemed awake. Mike wanted me to begin the class with the opener activity. We did a snowball fight. I tried to be enthusiastic after Mike's introduction, and I asked the students to take out a sheet of paper. Some of them didn't have paper or pens and we sorted that out. i told them to write their names in the middle of the piece of paper which I had to repeat three times. I then told the students that they had to answer one of two questions:
1. Where did your name come from?
- I followed this with a story about how my name came from my mom's favorite soap opera character and Mrs. Wash and Mrs. Ruppe said their's did as well- point of interest
2. If you don't want to answer that question or don't know the answer then tell me what your favorite movie is and why you think its better than other movies.
- I said "My favorite movie is Superman Returns, because I love Superman more than any other super hero
- The students took about 3 minutes to answer, and one or two students took longer than anticipated. I told the students to crumble up their papers and we had a small snowball fight. I think my enthusiasm for the game and Mike asking to get hit with a snowball really helped this along.
- The students each went around the room and told the story of the person whose snowball they had acquired.
- The whole activity did take about 15 mins and I thought it would take ten
Problems:
- I should have made questions that were more comparable in thought process. One was very personal and one was not- most students chose the movie question
- More specific directions about how we will go around the room and answer. Ideally the student who we are learning about will be next in line to read their snowball, but I did not stick to that like I should have.
- Give the students the right to pass and not participate int he actual snowball fight. Over stimulation for students who may be in special ed could be a very bad thing that I did not anticipate.
- I modeled a little bit how to answer the questions but I did not model how to read aloud the information on the snowball
1. Where did your name come from?
- I followed this with a story about how my name came from my mom's favorite soap opera character and Mrs. Wash and Mrs. Ruppe said their's did as well- point of interest
2. If you don't want to answer that question or don't know the answer then tell me what your favorite movie is and why you think its better than other movies.
- I said "My favorite movie is Superman Returns, because I love Superman more than any other super hero
- The students took about 3 minutes to answer, and one or two students took longer than anticipated. I told the students to crumble up their papers and we had a small snowball fight. I think my enthusiasm for the game and Mike asking to get hit with a snowball really helped this along.
- The students each went around the room and told the story of the person whose snowball they had acquired.
- The whole activity did take about 15 mins and I thought it would take ten
Problems:
- I should have made questions that were more comparable in thought process. One was very personal and one was not- most students chose the movie question
- More specific directions about how we will go around the room and answer. Ideally the student who we are learning about will be next in line to read their snowball, but I did not stick to that like I should have.
- Give the students the right to pass and not participate int he actual snowball fight. Over stimulation for students who may be in special ed could be a very bad thing that I did not anticipate.
- I modeled a little bit how to answer the questions but I did not model how to read aloud the information on the snowball
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