Day 31: Math and Orientation

We handed out a worksheet of multiplication problems to the 4th grade today. They were mostly double by double problems and quite a few multiplying by 10's. I was surprised at how many students didn't understand why or how it worked. Every single student got 14 x 15 wrong. They didn't even know how to get started on how to solve it. For me, it was very frustrating. Especially since this is a skill normally learned in 3rd grade in the United States.

I have also realized that in my classroom I want it to be as student oriented as possible. I want the students to be able to help themselves as much as possible. If that means getting their own counters to help with a problem or finding a pencil. My students need to know where everything is and know when they can use things. 

I realized today when a student sat with her hand raised for 5 minutes just to get some dice, that I needed my students to be independent. The teacher said she could have got the dice herself, but the girl didn't know that. Every time previously she had had dice given to her. I want my students to learn independence. 

Day 23: An Awesome Math Idea

I got to see the end of a really cool math lesson. The teacher had the students write 6x1 = 6 and then do all of the 6 times tables up until 12. Then the students wrote over that in marker before cutting the answers off of the paper, but leaving a small piece at the top attached. She showed the students that they could then roll up the answers to test themselves on the times tables. She did tell them that they had to say the entire problem, not just the answer. "six times one is six." I thought it was genius. I may use that for my students in the future.

I also got to teach 6th grade English for the first time today. It was really fun. We learned the noun song and the verb rap. We also talked a little bit about adjectives. The students loved learning the songs and I enjoyed helping them refresh their memories.

I haven't ever really put my schedule up here. That could be something interesting to know.
Monday: Plan, Assessment, 6th grade English, 3rd grade English, 7th grade English.
Tuesday: 4th Math, 5th English, 5th Study Hour, 4th P.E.
Wednesday: Plan, 4th English, 4th Arts and Crafts
Thursday: 4th Math, 4th English, 4th Social Studies, 5th Arts and Crafts
Friday: Plan, 5th English, 7th Arts and Crafts/5th Music/2nd P.E., 6th Music/5th P.E.

I love going into the 3rd grade classroom. The students there want to talk to me and they try so hard. And we both get frustrated at the lack of communication, but neither of us give up. It is a wonderful feeling. Both the students and I enjoy each other's company even though we can't talk to each other very well.

Day 12: Feelin the Length of the Year

Warning: This post will be choppy because of all of the things I want to say and the need to get them out!

The rest of the student teachers came today and had a meeting with the principal. I didn't go because I already knew everything she was going to tell them. But I went up to ask her if I needed to attend, just in case. She told me no, but then she said something interesting. We were talking about 5th graders and getting them to pay attention.
"Be glad you aren't here in the spring semester when the hormones are going crazy." How would I deal with that? I mean, these kids will be starting to go through an emotionally tumultuous time that will last until their late twenties! How do I even get them started down that road! Sometimes I worry about teaching because I don't know the curriculum, but teaching is so much more than that. I have to teach them math, science, how to mature well, and sometimes basic social skills. It is much more like being a mother than a 3rd interested party.

Cheating... how do I want to deal with it in my class? I have been in classes where it was only addressed in a one on one basis and in classes where the teacher talks to the whole class about it. It would probably depend on the grade level as well as how many career cheaters I have. Besides. "Cheetah's never prosper!"

Mental math is SO important! I am realizing just how important it is as I am struggling to put problems together in my mind when students are already bringing their completed papers up to me! But Mental Math is MOST effective when the student still knows why and how it works. Not just that it works. (Here is a few online sites to practice math facts. Play Kids Games  Flex Math)

I went to a faculty meeting today, and it was nothing like I thought it would be. I thought it would be teachers discussing their students, patting themselves on the back for getting through another month, or maybe even a mini UEA type convention. Nope. It was more of the same. How can we help these students? How can we reach those?
They split up the teachers into different committees and each was in charge of something different. They each had to make goals and determine how those goals would be reached by the end of the year, and how those goals would help the students in the school. Not just the students in one teachers class. The students in the entire school.
Our group was the data group, in charge of collecting and reporting the data we get from each grade to the rest of the school. One thing we focused on was ESL students. My teacher noticed that ESL students in 5th grade were stuck on a 2nd-3rd grade reading level. So we discussed why that might be, how we could solver it and how we can use the data to earlier discover the children who might need help.
We also discussed the date from math groups throughout the school. Most grades (except 5th who has a pre-test in addition) has a checkpoint then an end of unit test. At the checkpoint to do a re-teach for those students who need it. I like the idea of the pre-test, this way the students who already know the material, or just need a slight refresher, don't have to go through the entire first section with everyone else.

Also, I love being called "Teacher." It is a wonderful term that I feel is honorary.