Today I got to teach almost all day! I was very excited about it and nervous. I can teach all day, no problem... in English. But I was teaching 4th grade and they need a translator. So I didn't quite know how it was going to go.
Overall, I think it went well.
English was first. Last week when they had questions they would ask the teacher in Norwegian and she would translate for me and then I would answer. The kids got no experience talking in English. So this week I upped the stakes.
"If you ask Hilde for help and then ask me a question, I will give you a sticker." I promised the children as I showed them the awesome stickers I had brought.
"But, if you ask me without getting help I will give you a candy!" A chorus of amazement met this declaration.
Every single child got at least one candy today, most two or three. I think my plan worked out rather well. Since I don't want the kids to never ask questions I am going to switch it up next time. I will tell them that if they get help, or if they don't, either way they still get a prize. The requirement is asking me in English. This way each of the students will be able to get any help they need without fear of losing some reward.
Then the part of the day I was looking forward to the most. Arts and Crafts! I have always loved art time, and here they have designated two hours for art! It is like a dream come true! Last week we started working on our patterns and designs. This week we drew the head and started adding the designs to the paper. The kids were really engaged and I had to herd them out of the door for recess assuring them that they could keep working on it when they came back in.
As I taught this lesson I recognized some things I could do better. So I added them to my lesson plan and when I get to teach this same lesson to 5th grade tomorrow I get to try and make it better! The lesson directly relates to the Utah core standards, especially 4th grade standard 1 objective one.
There are three main things I learned that weren't directly tied to my lesson today.
1. When Hilde has students grade themselves she has three boxes they can check: I'm good at this, This is difficult, and I want to practice this more. I love the last one. It does not mean bad, it just means the student wants more practice!
2. I need a signal for when I am done with instruction so they children know when they can move. Today I used "let's go." as my signal but I thought maybe a specific clap would be better. And it would be more fun as well.
3. I need to be better at noticing students who haven't been commenting or who need a bit more attention. When I am teaching I get so involved in answering questions and teaching that I forget to look for understanding.
Showing posts with label Management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Management. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Day 15: Real Teaching Stuff
I taught two lessons today. I tried to prepare them well, but I have never seen how this program worked and was pretty nervous. Overall I did a good job, but I always have things I can improve on.
Writing:
the lesson was supposed to teach transitional phrases and the order of a story. I was supposed to use a flow map and use it to teach these things.
One problem. When I got up there... I didn't bring my notes with me. If I had a smart board program all set up with phrases that the students could put onto a flow map, that would probably work really well. I also think I should do more of a mini lesson for writing (Though I only had 15 minutes today so I guess that is a mini lesson).
Guided Reading:
I had two main groups of people, those who needed support and those who needed an extension. During Guided Reading time the students have 4 stations that they go to and mine is one of them. So I got ready to talk about the book we are reading, Night of the Spadefoot Toads, and to compare the different settings. In the book it had two totally different activities for the support and extension groups. I didn't like that, so I decided to do them all the same. Overall the students were engaged and understood that Mrs. Tibbits acted differently at school than she did in the forest.
At the end of the day I looked at my notes... I wish I had brought them over with me. I had unconsciously created two very good lessons, one for the support and one for the extension, that were about the same thing just varied levels. And both of the lessons taught the lesson the book wanted to teach. Tomorrow I will actually look at my notes.
Good news! Mrs. Burton said that I did a very good job pacing the groups spending only about 10 minutes with each one. I thought I did well with that too so I was happy to hear it from someone else.
Management:
Mrs. Burton's main concern was my management of the class. During writing she noticed quite a few people were off task and she suggested that I wander the room (Teacher Proximity). I am so thankful that she is willing to give me constructive criticism! She also suggested that I set my expectations at the beginning of the lesson. I.e. Have your notebooks at the top of your desk and your pencils put away until the lesson is done.
For guided reading she explained her expectations a little more. She wanted me to make sure that every group is on task, since there are four groups and I am only dealing with one at a time, that makes it difficult. But if I was in my own classroom that is what I would be doing anyway, may as well get used to it now!
I am nervous about Norway. I don't know what I am going to teach there or how the system works or what I am going to bring for my students. I don't even know what I will be able to buy at the store or if I even want to buy anything! I keep trying to plan ahead but I am not sure where to start.
Writing:
the lesson was supposed to teach transitional phrases and the order of a story. I was supposed to use a flow map and use it to teach these things.
One problem. When I got up there... I didn't bring my notes with me. If I had a smart board program all set up with phrases that the students could put onto a flow map, that would probably work really well. I also think I should do more of a mini lesson for writing (Though I only had 15 minutes today so I guess that is a mini lesson).
Guided Reading:
I had two main groups of people, those who needed support and those who needed an extension. During Guided Reading time the students have 4 stations that they go to and mine is one of them. So I got ready to talk about the book we are reading, Night of the Spadefoot Toads, and to compare the different settings. In the book it had two totally different activities for the support and extension groups. I didn't like that, so I decided to do them all the same. Overall the students were engaged and understood that Mrs. Tibbits acted differently at school than she did in the forest.
At the end of the day I looked at my notes... I wish I had brought them over with me. I had unconsciously created two very good lessons, one for the support and one for the extension, that were about the same thing just varied levels. And both of the lessons taught the lesson the book wanted to teach. Tomorrow I will actually look at my notes.
Good news! Mrs. Burton said that I did a very good job pacing the groups spending only about 10 minutes with each one. I thought I did well with that too so I was happy to hear it from someone else.
Management:
Mrs. Burton's main concern was my management of the class. During writing she noticed quite a few people were off task and she suggested that I wander the room (Teacher Proximity). I am so thankful that she is willing to give me constructive criticism! She also suggested that I set my expectations at the beginning of the lesson. I.e. Have your notebooks at the top of your desk and your pencils put away until the lesson is done.
For guided reading she explained her expectations a little more. She wanted me to make sure that every group is on task, since there are four groups and I am only dealing with one at a time, that makes it difficult. But if I was in my own classroom that is what I would be doing anyway, may as well get used to it now!
I am nervous about Norway. I don't know what I am going to teach there or how the system works or what I am going to bring for my students. I don't even know what I will be able to buy at the store or if I even want to buy anything! I keep trying to plan ahead but I am not sure where to start.
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