Yet another delay for the Yorktown Central School District. This time there was a two hour delay which means that we had 20 minute periods except for lunch, that was 40 minutes. Since today is Wednesday we got a new word of the week. We actually got two words this week, literal language and figurative language. After the announcements we took the students to physical education for a lesson about researching the Olympics. During this time, Ms. Barber and I went to a meeting about organizing a school trip to the UN. Mrs. Fazio and Ms. Barber showed me an example of a proposal and the permission slip that must be handed in to the principal. The three of us sat down to talk about an alternate assignment the students can do if they do not go on the trip. Thinking about my past experiences with school trips I couldn't help but hunk about a virtual tour. I have the teachers this suggestion and they loved it. Based on the virtual tour, the three of us were also able to create an assessment the two different groups could complete. In my opinion it was a very successful meeting!
During second period I observed Mrs. Stern's social studies class. Since they have a unit test on Friday, the class went over the necessary flow charts the students have to memorize. When class was over they were all asked to put their binders in their backpacks to study for their unit test. I stayed in Mrs. Stern's class for a few minutes after social studies to peek at what they (general education) were doing in math class. I saw that they were proficient in adding and subtracting fractions. During our math class we were learning about percents and slowly getting into fractions.
Next period was science class with Mrs. Alessi. The students worked independently on a classification graphic organizer that they will see on their test. When the class finished, Mrs. Alessi pulled sticks to partner up all of the student so that they could check their work with a peer. If a student did not finish in time, Ms. barber and Mrs. Alessi would assist them. They also went over the very famous acronym Dear King Philip Came Over For Good Spagetti. There will be a science quiz next Thursday February 6th. The students also have a D.A.R.E essay due on February 4th.
The next period was lunch. After lunch, it was time for ELA. The students were asked to write two reasons why they are important. This will prepare the students for their google docs pen pal. They will be sending their pen pal a poem about why they are important. After sharing a few thoughts and comments, we went on to teach a lesson about the prefixes: in, pro, and im. After a successful lesson, it was time for the students to take their social studies vocabulary test. The students were given two types of tests that counted as one. One half of the test was multiple choice, and the other half was fill in the blank. All of the students must have their test read to them because it is stated in their IEP, except for two students.
Since each student cooperated and performed well on their test, we decided to reward their good behavior with Kid Chat questions. The question of the day was: if you could have 8 more ears, eyes or mouth, which one would you choose and why? One of the students replied, " I would like 8 ears to hear my brother sneaking up on me." Another student said, " I would like 8 mouths so I can eat more."
Next period was science class with Mrs. Alessi. The students worked independently on a classification graphic organizer that they will see on their test. When the class finished, Mrs. Alessi pulled sticks to partner up all of the student so that they could check their work with a peer. If a student did not finish in time, Ms. barber and Mrs. Alessi would assist them. They also went over the very famous acronym Dear King Philip Came Over For Good Spagetti. There will be a science quiz next Thursday February 6th. The students also have a D.A.R.E essay due on February 4th.The next period was lunch. After lunch, it was time for ELA. The students were asked to write two reasons why they are important. This will prepare the students for their google docs pen pal. They will be sending their pen pal a poem about why they are important. After sharing a few thoughts and comments, we went on to teach a lesson about the prefixes: in, pro, and im. After a successful lesson, it was time for the students to take their social studies vocabulary test. The students were given two types of tests that counted as one. One half of the test was multiple choice, and the other half was fill in the blank. All of the students must have their test read to them because it is stated in their IEP, except for two students.
Since each student cooperated and performed well on their test, we decided to reward their good behavior with Kid Chat questions. The question of the day was: if you could have 8 more ears, eyes or mouth, which one would you choose and why? One of the students replied, " I would like 8 ears to hear my brother sneaking up on me." Another student said, " I would like 8 mouths so I can eat more."
The next question was: what two things would you mix together to see what it would make? The most interesting mixture was orange juice and grape soda. Before we knew it was time to walk the students to the buses.
After school we had a full staff curriculum meeting. I had the opportunity to sit in with everyone and I really felt like I was part of the team because a lot of the staff knows me now. In the meeting the principal spoke about the abominable student bus behavior.
Next week the students will each go to bus assemblies based on the bus they ride daily. In the assembly the students will learn about bus behavior and the new incentives they will get if they act respectfully. A heart ticket will be awarded to the entire bus if there is no foul language or horse play. If the bus collects a certain number of tickets they will become the bus of the week and the bus will receive a giant stuffed bus. The stuffed bus will stay with the bus for the entire week. Also starting February 3, 2014 the physical education teachers will start announcing special facts about the Olympics during morning announcements. They will also be calling special days where they will ask the students to wear a color of the Olympic Rings and they will learn about the significance of the ring that day. The physical education teachers are extremely creative!
Teacher tips:
1) Experiences are the building blocks for your future.
2) Study tool: Use pot it notes and cover up the answers on your flow charts
3) Change up your dive steps of writing: brain storming, sloppy copy, don't forget about revising, editing, and publishing. Makes it easier for students to remember.
4) Use a large index card to break up instructions and problems on worksheets and tests.
5) If possible have different furniture in your classroom such as a bean bag or a rocking chair,
6) Word banks are okay to use in 5th grade.
Tomorrow
January 28, 2014
I will witness my first "Heart" lesson. Keep in mind a Heart lesson is not about the human heart.
Quote of the day:
"Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve." ~Mary Kay Ash
Quote of the day:
"Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve." ~Mary Kay Ash
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