This week started out with going over fractions again. This was very challenging for most of the students the prior week and having a weekend break from it did not help that. I understand how important it is to reinforce that they should always be practicing math facts, even when at home. I had to do a reteach lesson and give many worksheets for practice before moving forward with making equivalent fractions. This made me think and realize that not everything always goes to plan and to not get upset about that. A lesson may take extra days of practice and reteach before the students all understand it. There is no sense in moving on to the next lesson if they aren't understanding the basics. Once we were ready to move on, my lesson on making those fractions went well for the most part. There seemed to be much less confusion on this lesson. The students got mostly confused on when there was more than one fraction in a problem to make equivalent, but we found a solution of covering the fraction that isn't the original so they aren't multiplying from the wrong one.
Reading has been going well because we have just transitioned from fiction to non fiction for cause and effect. The students on Thursday just began writing the cause and effects with their partners, as we have just been doing it as a class. The students are doing much better with finding the main idea first and then writing their cause and effect based off of that. We will continue doing group work until next week Wednesday, and then they will be doing it on their own. Looking at Standard 1 Teaching Diverse Students, I have still been doing small groups for reading, and that has also been going good. I enjoy doing this because it gives me a chance to see who is struggling and to actually read with students and hear them read one on one.
Writing for biographies has also been going good. The students have just decided who their main focus for their biography is going to be yesterday. This whole week we have gone step by step to find focuses, headings, character traits, and finally the main person. We will begin writing questions that are open ended, and then their homework next week will be to actually interview the person of their choice. Writing all in all is going well, even with students who have been absent have easily been able to get to where everyone else is. This shows Standard 4 A Positive Learning Environment.
Science has been the focus for the end of the day. We have done dog videos and the students loved it! They worked in their groups for discussions very well and as partners when needed. They learned a lot and I think they enjoy the video learning mixed with discussions and experiments.
Looking at Standard 8 Collaborative Relationships, me and my cooperating teaching work together to write lesson plans. Since we don't have a curriculum for writing, she is showing me what she did last year, giving me material and examples, and letting me choose what I want to use. This is helpful because if I do end up working in a school without a curriculum I will know what to do and where to get material. Also since math is the last subject I took over, she is helping me go through the book and giving me ideas of how it went for her last year, what worked what didn't, and giving me tips on what to teach and when. She is very helpful and I appreciate how well we work together.
Reading has been going well because we have just transitioned from fiction to non fiction for cause and effect. The students on Thursday just began writing the cause and effects with their partners, as we have just been doing it as a class. The students are doing much better with finding the main idea first and then writing their cause and effect based off of that. We will continue doing group work until next week Wednesday, and then they will be doing it on their own. Looking at Standard 1 Teaching Diverse Students, I have still been doing small groups for reading, and that has also been going good. I enjoy doing this because it gives me a chance to see who is struggling and to actually read with students and hear them read one on one.
Writing for biographies has also been going good. The students have just decided who their main focus for their biography is going to be yesterday. This whole week we have gone step by step to find focuses, headings, character traits, and finally the main person. We will begin writing questions that are open ended, and then their homework next week will be to actually interview the person of their choice. Writing all in all is going well, even with students who have been absent have easily been able to get to where everyone else is. This shows Standard 4 A Positive Learning Environment.
Science has been the focus for the end of the day. We have done dog videos and the students loved it! They worked in their groups for discussions very well and as partners when needed. They learned a lot and I think they enjoy the video learning mixed with discussions and experiments.
Looking at Standard 8 Collaborative Relationships, me and my cooperating teaching work together to write lesson plans. Since we don't have a curriculum for writing, she is showing me what she did last year, giving me material and examples, and letting me choose what I want to use. This is helpful because if I do end up working in a school without a curriculum I will know what to do and where to get material. Also since math is the last subject I took over, she is helping me go through the book and giving me ideas of how it went for her last year, what worked what didn't, and giving me tips on what to teach and when. She is very helpful and I appreciate how well we work together.
Ms. Harris,
ReplyDeleteYou continue to have some great reflections based on the great work taking place in your class.
Best,
Dr. Austin