Help! I'm addicted!

I am addicted to manipulatives---alphabet manipulatives, that is.  I have magnet ones and felt ones, alphabet beads, alphabet stickers; the list goes on and on.  But my newest favorite thing is the Glitter Gel Alphabet Clings that I found at Target for $2.50!  They are so cool. These things will stick to windows, plastic, tables, walls and pretty much any other hard, flat surface.  I think they are made from the same material that those creepy-crawly spiders are made from that you throw at the wall and watch them climb down.    I love them and I think my 2nd/3rd graders will like them too.  Although in the past I have wondered if my alphabet manipulatives would be better suited for K-1 grade, I have found that the 2nd/3rd grade split that I am student teaching in love them just as much.  I can't wait for them to see these gel ones. :)

We are starting a new routine tomorrow.  We are using a literacy center concept but we are integrated some math concepts as well.  I love literacy centers too (it just might become another addiction!).  I could search the Internet all day long for great literacy center ideas and never grow tired.  I have found some great ideas from some seasoned teachers.  I am interested in seeing how well we can pull ours off because we have so many students being pulled out for special services during our reading time.  But that's another story.  For now, I'll just leave you with  a picture of my new toys.  These are definitely going to be a part of our literacy center.  We will use them to learn our spelling words.

The Rock Cycle

We have been studying rocks in Science.  I found a really cool demonstration that shows how sedimentary rocks turn into metamorphic rocks and how metamorphic rocks turn into igneous rocks.  Here are the results:

We start with crayon shavings.  These demonstrate how wind and water can wear away pieces of earth and rock.  They are washed away and settle on the bottoms of oceans, rivers, and lakes.  The layers are deposited on top of each other and pressed down over time.  They eventually turn into sedimentary rock. 

Next, tons of pressure causes heat to build up, which in turn causes the rocks (crayon shavings) to "morph" into a new type of rock:  metamorphic rock.  This is demonstrated by pressing the crayon shavings together until they are flattened and take on a new form.

The final stage demonstrates how metamorphic rock is turned into igneous rock.  The crayon shavings are heated and cooled.  The students were able to get a good idea of how rocks can take on a different look and feel once heat is applied.

If I would have thought about it soon enough, I would have taken the igneous rock and grated it with a cheese grater or something to demonstrate how igneous rock can turn into sedimentary rock again. 

You can find the complete instructions for this rock demonstration at http://www.ehow.com/info_7893274_elementary-rock-cycle-experiments.html#ixzz1oddX8AEw.

Honoring Our Presidents

Wow!  February just flew by and here we are at the beginning of March already!  I can’t believe it has been a month since I posted.  I have been so busy with trying to get the hang of this lesson planning thing, along with trying to keep up on my curriculum class that I am taking alongside Student Teaching that I didn’t have time for much of anything else.

I did want to post some pics of the presidential unit we did in Social Studies.  It coincided perfectly with the month of February and Presidents Day.  I was really pleased with the results and wanted to share all the hard work the students have been doing.  Here are some examples.

The 50 states that rhyme

Yesterday I completed my second week of student teaching.  This was actually my first full week.  It definitely had its challenges, but I think it went fairly well.  The students did a Social Studies activity at the beginning of the week which involved maps and following basic directions of north, south, east and west.   For example they were asked, “What state is south of Tennessee, east of Mississippi and west of Georgia?"  Using the map they had to figure out that it is Alabama.  The assignment didn’t seem too hard, except for the fact that the map the students were given to use for the assignment only labeled the states with their abbreviations.  As I assisted the students after the teacher taught the lesson, I noticed that most of the students were having difficulty with the assignment.  I mentioned to my cooperating teaching that I thought the assignment might be a little confusing since the students were not familiar with the abbreviations for the states.  This prompted us to create a quick lesson for the next day to introduce the 50 states and their abbreviations.  I mentioned to my cooperating teacher that I knew a song that taught the 50 states and she was so excited.  She asked me to teach the kids the song.  She couldn’t believe that I knew all the state in alphabetical order.  I had to laugh because I learned this song in 7^th grade and never forgot it!  (Thank you, Groveport Christian Academy!!) I was actually able to find the song on YouTube too, so we played it for the kids to hear.  They loved it!  Throughout the week we would work on the states and our song whenever we had a few spare minutes.  The kids are having a blast with it and I do believe that a few of the kids will know all 50 states in the next week or so.  Here is the song, if you want to hear it:

               

              We continue to have behavior problems with several students in the classroom.  Yesterday I began looking through some of my material that I have from a Behavioral Management class I took.  I also started searching the web for templates and more information on behavioral contracts.  I’m going to find out on Monday if my cooperating teacher has ever considered using a behavioral contract for some of our worst offenders.  If not, this might be something we can try to see if we can get some of the behavioral issues under control. 

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             Next week...U.S. History---one of my favorite subjects!  This will be the first lesson that I  had full responsibility for creating and teaching.  We will be discussing some prominent leaders in American history (Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln) and familiarizing the students with some famous monuments dedicated to these men. 

First Impressions

I completed my first (half) week of student teaching.  Everyone keeps asking me how it’s going and how I like it.  In two words: LOVE IT!

I am working in an inner city school.  It is an ESL (English as a second language) school, so needless to say there is a lot of diversity. We have Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, African and Asian children.   The classroom I am in is a 2^nd/3^rd grade split class, meaning the grades have been combined and the teacher is trying to teach two sets of curriculum.  This in itself is a difficult task, but when you add second language learners and many of them from lower socio-economic backgrounds, it makes for a challenging classroom experience.

 There are several students in this class that really do want to learn.  Unfortunately, there are several others who either don’t care, or don’t have the support system at home to help.   We have one student who lives with foster parents, one who has a social worker that works as a liaison between the teacher and their parents, and several others who live with grandparents or other relatives for various reasons.   Quite a few students have eyesight issues, yet they do not have eyeglasses to help them see the blackboard or their work.    Also, there are several students with behavior issues, and a couple of children who have a hard time working independently enough to get their assignments completed on time.  We’ve got kids who haven’t completed more than one homework assignment the whole year.  There’s a kid whose mother made it clear at the beginning of the school year that she would not be attending any parent/teacher conferences.  This is the same kid who was late for school one day this week because his mother had to cut his hair!  Yes, folks, it had to be done THAT MORNING! Hahaha.  I could go on and on, but you probably get the picture. 

Right now I am just supporting the cooperating teaching, assisting students with questions and helping grade assignments.  In another week or so I will begin teaching a little and eventually the teacher will turn over all teaching responsibility to me for several weeks.  I’m looking forward to implementing some of my ideas into this classroom.  This is going to be a challenging experience that I hope to learn a great deal from.