Spelling Practice Activity

So this week, I've taken over spelling and I'm trying to stray away from the norm and get my students interested in their spelling words.  Below is a screen shot of a SmartBoard activity.  It's pretty self explanatory.  Students click on the die, it rolls a number, and students do the corresponding die with the given spelling word on their white board.

Finished my first week!

So I completed my first week of student teaching...phew!  What a journey.  I have learned a lot!  I'm eager to begin the next week but am very happy that it is the weekend!  I'm looking forward to sleeping in!!!  Next week I will begin taking over spelling with the students!  I have already started looking up some ideas that I can do with the students!

1/10/2014

DAR Journal
1-10-2014

Describe

        Today was Friday.  Starting the day off I arrived at the same time as my mentor teacher.  Shortly after me arriving the students had arrived.  The day started off with the announcements.  Again, students from my class helped participate in the announcements.  Shortly after the announcements,  students reviewed their spelling words before their spelling test. As the students worked on their spelling  tests, I walked around and observed.  Students seemed to know their words.
        After the spelling test, the students reviewed their vocabulary words from "A Bushy Mustache".  Then following this review, the students did a vocabulary test where they had to fill in the blanks.  Similar to the spelling test, the students seemed to respond well to this test.

            After the vocabulary test, students moved on to their Daily 5s.  Today, students worked on getting their Daily 5s all complete.  I had to continually remind students to get back on track with this activity.  Because it was Friday, students were extra loud and out of control. 

            Math followed after the Daily 5.  Math consisted of a recap on counting money.  Students worked on pennies, dimes, and nickel.  The class worked with quarters day; how many quarters equals $1.00.

            Today's schedule was an easy one.  The majority of classroom subjects occurred in the morning.  The entire afternoon was filled with lunch, recess, and specials.  My mentor teacher had to leave today at 11:30.  He is a wrestling coach for a local high school and had a tournament today.  So with the assistance of a substitute teacher, we watched over the class in his absence. 

            When students returned from specials, there was about 15 minutes in the schedule that was open.  My mentor teacher had left students to read through a National Geographic magazine of insects.  This was the portion of science.  It was interesting teaching a science lesson, for it was the first science that had been taught all week.

            Today was another great day students teaching.

Analyze

            Today was a great day because I got to witness occurring classroom management from my mentor teacher.  Students knew what needed to be done and didn't ask a lot of question.  There was a few students I had to speak to about their behavior.  I was given the opportunity to manage the students without my mentor teacher being present and with a substitute teacher.  I enjoyed being in control of the classroom.  It brought me back to my substitute teacher days. 

            The lessons that occurred today seemed short and I felt as though the lessons could have been planned better.  I think that because the day was Friday, students become excited for the upcoming weekend, and their focus abilities are worse than previous days.

            I got to experience the spelling and vocabulary tests today, and it was nice to see a model for when I take over spelling.

Reflect

            My fifth days was the best day of the week.  I entered the school excited and energized to end the week!  Wrapping up my first full week of student teaching makes me happy that I'm that much closer to being completed and on the track to having my own classroom someday.  I'm eager to take over the spelling lessons next week.  I'm ready for more responsibility in the upcoming week!  Looking back on this week, I felt as though I was simply an object observing, but I know with time I will be assigned more responsibility and make the days go by faster and with less boredom.

1/9/204 Journal

DAR Journal
1/9/2014

Describe

            When I arrived today, I had arrived before my mentor teacher.  Soon enough, my mentor teacher showed up.  Shortly after him, the students started piling into the classroom.  Once again, the day started off with the morning announcements.  The announcement again included students and was in the format of a news report.  After the announcements, students reviewed spelling words.  This time, I took over the spelling practice.  I made a basketball game word scramble on the SmartBoard.  Students seemed to enjoy this activity. 

            After spelling, my mentor teacher and my students reviewed their reading of “A Bushy Mustache”.  This time students read quietly to themselves.  After student reviewed the story, the created a problem and solutions flip sheet.  At the top, the students wrote the problem in the story, and at the bottom, students wrote the three solutions the character tried to resolve his issue.  This was challenging because students were confused as to what they were exactly supposed to be doing.  After a while, students eventually got the hang of.

            Shortly after Language Arts, the librarian and guidance counselor came into the classroom and worked on an Arts Integration lesson.  This lesson consisted of students being assigned 8 various famous people that were born on the Eastern Shore.  I was given the opportunity to assign the students in a group.  This activity took about an hour, and students worked really well.  With the use of laptops, students researched their famous people. 

            Math was a brief review of money.  Due to the fact that the Art Integrated lesson took up a large portion of the day, students only had time for a review.  There was also no time for Daily 5s today.

            Students went to lunch, then indoor recess, and then art.  At the end of the day, students again reviewed money and counting the basic coins.  At the end of the day students packed up and made their way to the buses.

Analyze

            Once again, throughout the day I witnessed excellent classroom management.  Students knew what needed to be done for the most part, and questions about assignments were limited.  With the exception of the problem and solution activity, students grasped on to assignments.  Students who were typically behavior problems were better behaved today.  The resource teacher was present today. 

            I enjoyed taking over spelling today.  Students responded well to my basketball work scramble game on the SmartBoard.  It was fun playing around with the SmartBoard templates.  I’m excited to do it again!

Reflect

            Each day is getting better and better.  Waking up early is still a struggle for me, but I do make it to school one time each day.  Students are more and more responding well to me being present in the classroom.  I’m meshing well with my mentor teacher and as each day goes on, I’m enjoying myself.  I’m eager to begin taking on more roles and the day’s progress.  Classroom management will definitely be a struggle of mine, but I will get a lot of practice with this class.

Spelling homework

Common Area

1/8/2014 Journal

DAR Journal
1/8/2014

Describe

            When I arrived today, my mentor teacher had already arrived before me.  As usual, students were in the classroom unpacking their bag preparing for a new day.  My mentor teacher had followed the routine of writing the days homework assignment on the SmartBoard.  Students copied this down in their agenda's and I went around and initials if students had copied down the assignment.  The morning announcements came on, and again, students assisted with the morning announcements. 

            Following the announcements, my mentor teacher started the spelling lesson.  Students reviewed spelling words of "ow" and "ou".  Students played a matching game with their spelling words using the SmartBoard.  Next, my mentor teacher and the class continued on to Language Arts.  Here, they continued reading "The Bushy Mustache".  They discussed the book as they read through.  Students asked questions and had a mini class discussion about the problem in the book and the solution.  Students finished the story today.  Next, students moved on to their Daily 5.  Again, this daily 5 consisted of complete three accelerated readers, work on Education City, read with a partner, work on the days assigned journal activity, and read silently.  Students would have a tendency to not complete all their Daily 5s and move on to educational games.  It was told by the mentor teacher and reinforced by me to go back and complete each of their Daily 5s. 

            Students then packed up and moved out of the classroom to lunch.  Students once again wore their jackets in the cafeteria due to it being so cold in that room.  After lunch, students had indoor recess again because it was so cold outside.  After recess, it was time for the students to move on to music.  As students were at much, my advisor came to visit me.  She spoke things over with my mentor teacher and cleared up some confusion on my end about where exactly in the student teaching process I need to be. 

            The day ended with math.  Students reviewed time and took a test.  Students worked quietly completing their tests with the exception of a few behavior problem students.  After student completed their tests, my mentor teacher and the class moved on to money.  A brief intro to money informing students about the specific coins (penny, dime, nickel, quarter etc.).  Students worked in their math books adding coins with other coins.  A few kids grasped on to the math concept, while other were still figuring out how to add coins.  As the day came to a closure, students packed up their things and began lining up for the end of the day.  The students left.

            I did have the opportunity to talk with my mentor teacher about beginning to take over a lesson.  He suggested I start with spelling and said I should start tomorrow.  He gave me a few ideas and pointers to assist me with the lesson.  I am eager to get started with this portion of the class.

Analyze

            Once again, throughout the day I witness excellent classroom management.  Students knew what needed to be done and didn't ask a lot of questions throughout instruction.  The troublesome was back today, and immediately at the beginning of the day he caused trouble.  My mentor teacher called for a resource teacher to come down and take that student out.  After this student was gone, the class was able to get back on track.  The resource teacher came in a few more times throughout the day and assisted in the classroom.  Her being present in the classroom is very helpful to the teachers and the students.

            Again, I enjoyed how my mentor teacher went about teaching students their vocabulary words; he played a matching game on the SmartBoard where students had to match the word with an image the best defined that word.  I'm looking forward to taking over this role of spelling.

Reflect

            My third day was definitely better, and with each day, it's making the transition into student teaching easier.  Students are continually responding better to me being there, and a few kids have already starting latching on to me.  I'm excited to start working with students on their spelling and developing new ways to study their spelling words.  I think that with taking over a portion of the days lessons will help me enjoy student teaching more and fell more involved with the students.