I taught my first language arts lesson plan this morning in my first grade class. It did not go as well as I had planned, yet I did not feel that it went badly. I taught a lesson on phoneme manipulations- adding and subtracting letters/sounds from words to make new ones. My students seemed to really enjoy the lesson. I provided letter cubes for them to experiment and form words with at their tables and they had a lot of fun with that. In fact, once I asked them to clean up their stations, they asked, "We're done already?" I left the letter cubes in the classroom for them to experiment with.
My biggest problem when I present lesson plans to my class is that I forget to say all that I want to say. There were so many more ideas I could have connected to in my lesson plan that would have benefited my students that I forgot about at the time. I do not know why, but I still feel a bit nervous when delivering my lesson plans to my students. I am always afraid that they will not get the most out of the learning experience as they can.
Next time, I will take the lesson a bit more slowly and will try and cover everything that I can to benefit my students.
I am very excited to improve on my language arts lesson plans in the future!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Teaching Reading
I really enjoyed reading the Tompkins chapter 2 for this week's class. It was interesting reading about teaching reading. I really like the concepts about the alphabet that is talked about in the chapter. Tompkins states, "Young children also develop concepts about the alphabet and how letters are used to represent phonemes. Pinnell and Fountas have identified these components of letter knowledge: the letter's name, the formation of the letter in upper- and lowercase, the features of the letter that distinguish it from others, the direction the letter must be turned to distinguish it from other letters, the use of the letter in known words, the sound the letter represents in isolation, the sound the letter represents in combination with others, and the sound the letter represents in the context of a word" (88).
These concepts of children learning the basics of the alphabet are very interesting. Students must have these understandings of the alphabet in order to build on their skills in reading. As a future teacher, I know the importance that the alphabet plays in students learning how to read, and will therefore work very hard to make sure my students are comfortable with these alphabet concepts.
In teaching my reading lesson to a first grade class, the Tompkins chapter 2 helped me grasp concepts that will help me in designing my lesson plan. Because my first graders are just beginning to read and are still struggling with reading, I will concentrate my lesson around alphabet concepts. I believe a lesson based around these alphabet concepts will greatly benefit my first graders and will make my lesson plan an effective one.
These concepts of children learning the basics of the alphabet are very interesting. Students must have these understandings of the alphabet in order to build on their skills in reading. As a future teacher, I know the importance that the alphabet plays in students learning how to read, and will therefore work very hard to make sure my students are comfortable with these alphabet concepts.
In teaching my reading lesson to a first grade class, the Tompkins chapter 2 helped me grasp concepts that will help me in designing my lesson plan. Because my first graders are just beginning to read and are still struggling with reading, I will concentrate my lesson around alphabet concepts. I believe a lesson based around these alphabet concepts will greatly benefit my first graders and will make my lesson plan an effective one.
Dialect
In considering dialect, I would have to say that there are many factors that affect the way I talk. Codeswitching is a huge part of my life because I speak differently in different contexts. For example, when I'm with my friends, I might talk a bit more carelessly and inappropriately, while with my parents and at school, I speak in a completely different way.
I would also say that the cultural environment and the digital/media environment have impacts on the way I speak in different situations. For example, when speaking to my friends online or through text messages, I use a different sort of language that includes abbreviations or phrases that we only used over the Internet or texting. Examples of these include "lol (laugh out loud), idk (I don't know), and ttyl (talk to you later)." Because of the digital/media environments, when codeswitching to talking to my friends, all of them know the abbreviations and phrases as well.
I find it very interesting in thinking about how we unconsciously codeswitch in different situations. For example, in writing a paper for school, I would not use the phrases "lol" or "idk." I also would not use these phrases in talking to my parents or boss either.
I am looking forward to exploring more about dialect and codeswitching!
I would also say that the cultural environment and the digital/media environment have impacts on the way I speak in different situations. For example, when speaking to my friends online or through text messages, I use a different sort of language that includes abbreviations or phrases that we only used over the Internet or texting. Examples of these include "lol (laugh out loud), idk (I don't know), and ttyl (talk to you later)." Because of the digital/media environments, when codeswitching to talking to my friends, all of them know the abbreviations and phrases as well.
I find it very interesting in thinking about how we unconsciously codeswitch in different situations. For example, in writing a paper for school, I would not use the phrases "lol" or "idk." I also would not use these phrases in talking to my parents or boss either.
I am looking forward to exploring more about dialect and codeswitching!
Goals for TE 402
This semester in TE 402, I would like to accomplish two main goals. The first is to learn how to better integrate language arts into other subject areas and the second is to effectively design and deliver language arts lesson plans.
I hope to gain several things from TE 402, including how to motivate my students to want to participate in language arts lessons, how to accommodate all levels of learners in my classroom, and how to get students to creatively express themselves through writing, just to name a couple.
I chose these goals because I feel they are important aspects of teaching language arts in a classroom. Not only do I need to be able to design effective language arts lesson plans to present to my students but I also need to know how to deliver them. Also, motivation to learn a subject area is extremely important as well, and I think it is very important to know how to motivate your students.
I am greatly looking forward to this semester in TE 402!
I hope to gain several things from TE 402, including how to motivate my students to want to participate in language arts lessons, how to accommodate all levels of learners in my classroom, and how to get students to creatively express themselves through writing, just to name a couple.
I chose these goals because I feel they are important aspects of teaching language arts in a classroom. Not only do I need to be able to design effective language arts lesson plans to present to my students but I also need to know how to deliver them. Also, motivation to learn a subject area is extremely important as well, and I think it is very important to know how to motivate your students.
I am greatly looking forward to this semester in TE 402!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Before, During, and After- VanDeWalle
In the Before section, I believe it is important that students understand the problem. This is interesting to me because it is often expected that students automatically understand the problem but there may be many of them in the class who might not. Making sure that students understand the problem would be very beneficial in the classroom. It is more effective to have your students on the same level rather than on different ones. A simple action that teachers can take to make sure their students are understanding the problem is to spend some extra time going over the instructions and the problem at hand. If possible, one-on-one time with students who may be struggling will be beneficial as well.
In the During section, I like the idea of observing and assessing students' thinking without necessarily teaching. I find this very interesting because at times it is difficult to sit back and watch your students making progress on their own. Sometimes you just want to jump in and give them the correct answers! This process would be very beneficial to your classroom because it is very important for students to form their own concepts and ways of doing things and then going from there rather than making them do everything your way. An action that teachers can take is to simply sit back and observe how the students are processing their thinking. You might ask them guiding questions rather than giving them the correct answers. This provides for more lightbulb moments!
Finally, in the After section, I like the idea of summarizing main ideas and identifying problems for future exploration. This is interesting to me because connecting ideas from previous to future lessons is extremely effective and beneficial to your classroom. Continuous connection of these ideas allow your students to make connections as well and better remember the material they learned in previous lessons. Teachers can effectively achieve this connection by simply making connections in their previous lessons to the next lesson. Be sure to look ahead and make effective connections!
In the During section, I like the idea of observing and assessing students' thinking without necessarily teaching. I find this very interesting because at times it is difficult to sit back and watch your students making progress on their own. Sometimes you just want to jump in and give them the correct answers! This process would be very beneficial to your classroom because it is very important for students to form their own concepts and ways of doing things and then going from there rather than making them do everything your way. An action that teachers can take is to simply sit back and observe how the students are processing their thinking. You might ask them guiding questions rather than giving them the correct answers. This provides for more lightbulb moments!
Finally, in the After section, I like the idea of summarizing main ideas and identifying problems for future exploration. This is interesting to me because connecting ideas from previous to future lessons is extremely effective and beneficial to your classroom. Continuous connection of these ideas allow your students to make connections as well and better remember the material they learned in previous lessons. Teachers can effectively achieve this connection by simply making connections in their previous lessons to the next lesson. Be sure to look ahead and make effective connections!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Base Ten Interview
In considering which questions to ask and who to ask them to for my base ten interview, several things came to mind. At the present, my first graders are learning about place value and the "tens" and "ones" spots/places. They have recently been learning about trading 1o ones or singles for 1 ten stick and then counting the tens and the ones separately to get the final number. My CT has told me several times that place value is one of the hardest concepts that these students will be faced with throughout the entire school year. For that reason, she must spend several weeks building the concept of place value and base ten.
I plan on doing my base ten interview next Wednesday, February 20 and will interview two of my first grade students. I plan on interviewing one student who seems to be catching onto the concept of place value and base ten rather quickly and one who is not catching on so quickly. In interviewing two students with different levels of abilities, I will be able to more effectively compare the data I collect.
I do not have my specific questions planned out just yet, but I know I am going to design my interview questions around the idea of trading ones for tens. Even though the students are currently working on this in the classroom, it is a very difficult concept for them to grasp. For this reason, the more reinforcement of the idea they receive, the better they will understand. Not only am I using this interview to find out what they know about base ten and place value, but I will use it as a sort of assessment as well.
I am greatly looking forward to interviewing my first graders on base ten and place value!
I plan on doing my base ten interview next Wednesday, February 20 and will interview two of my first grade students. I plan on interviewing one student who seems to be catching onto the concept of place value and base ten rather quickly and one who is not catching on so quickly. In interviewing two students with different levels of abilities, I will be able to more effectively compare the data I collect.
I do not have my specific questions planned out just yet, but I know I am going to design my interview questions around the idea of trading ones for tens. Even though the students are currently working on this in the classroom, it is a very difficult concept for them to grasp. For this reason, the more reinforcement of the idea they receive, the better they will understand. Not only am I using this interview to find out what they know about base ten and place value, but I will use it as a sort of assessment as well.
I am greatly looking forward to interviewing my first graders on base ten and place value!
Concept Mapping with First Graders
Last week in my field placement, my first graders were asked to make a concept map about "telling the truth" and to then construct sentences from the phrases written in the concept map. My CT drew a concept map on the board as a template for the students to follow and even helped them make the map, filling in ideas with their help. She then told the first graders that they could add more legs to the concept map or they could use the one on the board to create their sentences, whichever works best for them.
My CT is very good about involving me in her classroom instruction and activities, which I love because it provides me with excellent experience in various types of situations and lessons. However, this activity turned out to be very frustrating for me, even though I know her intentions were good.
After introducing the assignment to the students, my CT simply sat down at a table and asked me to go around the room to help the students create their sentences. Once I felt the students were ready, I was to send them over to my CT's table for feedback. This task was very difficult for me because my first graders are at extremely low levels in writing. Even my CT has admitted that she has never had a class that has gotten this far behind in their reading and writing levels before. My first graders have trouble reading simple words that they should definitely know by now, let alone writing them on paper.
About 75% of my class struggled with this assignment. Even though they all know what sentences are and they all know what constitutes a sentence, the majority of the class was simply just copying phrases down straight from the concept map onto their paper. When I tried to explain to them that they needed to construct sentences and even gave them models to follow, the students made no progress.
My frustration by the end of the assignment was not triggered by the students themselves, but by myself because I was unable to help all of them in completing their sentences. I did not know how to even begin helping an entire class like that to write sentences from a concept map and this frustrated me. I'd say that 10 students out of about 28 completed the assignment correctly.
To me, using concept mapping at a first grade level is a very difficult task to grasp. I am curious to see what you guys think about this!
My CT is very good about involving me in her classroom instruction and activities, which I love because it provides me with excellent experience in various types of situations and lessons. However, this activity turned out to be very frustrating for me, even though I know her intentions were good.
After introducing the assignment to the students, my CT simply sat down at a table and asked me to go around the room to help the students create their sentences. Once I felt the students were ready, I was to send them over to my CT's table for feedback. This task was very difficult for me because my first graders are at extremely low levels in writing. Even my CT has admitted that she has never had a class that has gotten this far behind in their reading and writing levels before. My first graders have trouble reading simple words that they should definitely know by now, let alone writing them on paper.
About 75% of my class struggled with this assignment. Even though they all know what sentences are and they all know what constitutes a sentence, the majority of the class was simply just copying phrases down straight from the concept map onto their paper. When I tried to explain to them that they needed to construct sentences and even gave them models to follow, the students made no progress.
My frustration by the end of the assignment was not triggered by the students themselves, but by myself because I was unable to help all of them in completing their sentences. I did not know how to even begin helping an entire class like that to write sentences from a concept map and this frustrated me. I'd say that 10 students out of about 28 completed the assignment correctly.
To me, using concept mapping at a first grade level is a very difficult task to grasp. I am curious to see what you guys think about this!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Math- Base Ten!
In considering the thought processes of students learning about base ten and place value, I have been paying special attention to this in my field placement. Recently, my first graders have been learning about base ten and place value, and will continue to hit this concept hard for the next few weeks. My CT told me that this is one of the hardest concepts for students at this age to grasp, which is why she must spend so much time on it.
At first, the students were introduced to the idea that if you have ten "singles," you must trade for one "ten stick." This was very difficult for the students to grasp at first- Why do we have to do this? My CT would break a number up into a t-chart. For example, the number 28- In the t-chart, the number 2 would be on the left side column and the number 8 would be on the right. Then, she would ask the first graders how many ten sticks go in the left column... 2. And how many singles in the right... 8. Once the students practiced the t-chart method over and over, they began to get the hang of it. I really liked this method used by my CT because it lays out the concept of bundling and regrouping in a very visual way. This is exactly what my first graders need!
One of the students in the class, a more advanced first grader who is hindered by his ADD and is often seen as a "problem child" because of it, had a "light bulb" moment. He said, "GASP! The two ten sticks means the same thing as two tens... ten, twenty!" Once the student stated this, which seems like a very simple concept to us, several students in the class replied with, "OH! Now I get it!" sort of reactions. Since this moment in my placement, the first graders have been doing much better with the grasping of the base ten concept. I thought this was great and very uplifting, and so did my CT.
I am looking forward to working more with my first graders on base ten these next few weeks!
At first, the students were introduced to the idea that if you have ten "singles," you must trade for one "ten stick." This was very difficult for the students to grasp at first- Why do we have to do this? My CT would break a number up into a t-chart. For example, the number 28- In the t-chart, the number 2 would be on the left side column and the number 8 would be on the right. Then, she would ask the first graders how many ten sticks go in the left column... 2. And how many singles in the right... 8. Once the students practiced the t-chart method over and over, they began to get the hang of it. I really liked this method used by my CT because it lays out the concept of bundling and regrouping in a very visual way. This is exactly what my first graders need!
One of the students in the class, a more advanced first grader who is hindered by his ADD and is often seen as a "problem child" because of it, had a "light bulb" moment. He said, "GASP! The two ten sticks means the same thing as two tens... ten, twenty!" Once the student stated this, which seems like a very simple concept to us, several students in the class replied with, "OH! Now I get it!" sort of reactions. Since this moment in my placement, the first graders have been doing much better with the grasping of the base ten concept. I thought this was great and very uplifting, and so did my CT.
I am looking forward to working more with my first graders on base ten these next few weeks!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
A Classroom Dilemma
This week in my blog entry, I've decided to talk about something other than the topic suggested by Gina. I realize that confidentiality is a major factor to consider in talking about issues in our placements with the rest of the TE class, but I would like to bring this issue to the table anyway and see what my classmates have to say about it.
On Monday, I found out that one of the girls in my first grade class was molested and was put through a rape unit at the hospital once her mother found out. My CT waited until it was time for me to leave my placement to tell me, and it was a good thing because I broke down crying. This is one of the saddest things that I have ever heard happen to a child that I have known personally, and was not sure quite how to react to the situation. Knowing that there is nothing I can do to help that does not take time, my CT instructed me that I should research the effects that a situation such as this can have on a young child. My CT told me that she had done her own research and that children that are victims of molestation or rape can either withdraw from people completely, can become very clingy, or can try to do something to his or her classmates at school that has been done to them.
I was just curious if anyone has had an experience similar to this one in their field placements and if so, what they felt they could do to help. I would have brought this up at Round-Table this week, but I was unable to make it to class. What do you guys think?
On Monday, I found out that one of the girls in my first grade class was molested and was put through a rape unit at the hospital once her mother found out. My CT waited until it was time for me to leave my placement to tell me, and it was a good thing because I broke down crying. This is one of the saddest things that I have ever heard happen to a child that I have known personally, and was not sure quite how to react to the situation. Knowing that there is nothing I can do to help that does not take time, my CT instructed me that I should research the effects that a situation such as this can have on a young child. My CT told me that she had done her own research and that children that are victims of molestation or rape can either withdraw from people completely, can become very clingy, or can try to do something to his or her classmates at school that has been done to them.
I was just curious if anyone has had an experience similar to this one in their field placements and if so, what they felt they could do to help. I would have brought this up at Round-Table this week, but I was unable to make it to class. What do you guys think?
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