A New Objective

Given the proper skills, the student will become a creative and inspiring teacher following the criteria of Dr. Smirnova. As I reflect back on these last few weeks of class, I am filled with many emotions. I am pleased with what I have produced and can't believe it is such a large document. Each section of the Unit Plan was broken down into manageable parts which made the whole process seem a teeny bit less intimidating. When I look at what I have created I almost can't believe it.

I really enjoyed Dr. Smirnova's PowerPoint on Making Connections. I think this PowerPoint really tied everything together for me. Nothing is random in education. Every model, method and strategy is intertwined and has been carefully designed. I can recognize my growth in learning because when I reread my notes, I wonder why I thought something was so hard. I guess I had a few "Aha" moments!

I am enthusiastic about exploring the technology world and glad that I have had the exposure to so many education programs.

For my fieldwork, I observed in a first grade general education classroom. The classroom was arranged with four groups of six desks each to form a table. The ratio of boys to girls is double. There were 16 boys to 7 girls. Out of the 16 boys, 6 are pulled out for help in the morning session which relieves the teacher quite a bit. She states how hectic it can be, especially when she only has an aide for an hour and a half a day in the afternoon.

Mrs. H keeps a well-organized classroom. Her room is full of light, equipped with plenty of storage, a sink, water fountain and bathroom (which she says is sometimes a big distraction in the class.) She makes her plans for the week on the weekend and uses a template that she recently found online. She said it is a real time saver. She introduces the main concept of the week and they spend the rest of the week reinforcing the concept. On Friday, the students have a spelling test and a vocabulary and comprehensive test to assess their learning.

The assessment books used are from the Harcourt series. The teacher follows the Standards and modifies her Unit Plans from year to year, if need be. Nearly all of her instruction is direct. When reading with the children, Mrs. H will ask many creative questions to make sure that they are comprehending the reading.

The structure of the lessons begin with getting the class ready by reading a story on the rug. She goes over the letters, words and sounds that will be used that day. By this point in the year, the students are well tuned to her attention getting signal, which is merely walking to the front of the room. In the beginning of the year, she states it was more difficult and she would flicker the lights or ring a bell. At this grade level, I notice a lot of repetition. Mrs. H has the children write their work in journals and if students finish early, they can write a story in their journal.

She performs echo reading lessons, word cheers and partner reading with the students which reinforces their skills, and has them developing their knowledge and comprehension on a couple different levels of learning. A few early mastery learners are able to apply the learned material in new situations, like in their journal stories.

Overall, this fieldwork experience has been a learning experience. Throughout the time I was there, I observed Mrs. H using different strategies to get the students to recall the information and assess their understanding. Two of the students are having learning difficulties and Mrs. H is there to give them one to one help. That seems to be just what they need to get them enthusiastic about learning.

Plugging Away

For the past few weeks, I have been really plugging away at my Unit Plan. Only a few more pages to add. What an experience this has been. Every time I look back at a page that I created early on, like the Rationale or an Anticipatory Set, it feels like so long ago. I am happy to report though, that when I look at those pages, I can really see how I've grown. The first anticipatory set was so hard and then they gradually got easier. The enabling activities were a lot of work, but they too got a bit easier by the 5th or 6th one ; )

Next week we present our Unit Plans at Dr. Smirnova's house. It should be a great time!

Get Ready...Get Set.....Start Your Activities!

I have begun creating Anticipatory Sets for my Unit Plan. Trying to keep it simple is harder than I thought. The micro teaching topic, which stressed not overwhelming students by bringing in an elephant to teach the color gray, has stuck with me. I have memorized KIS, an acronym for Keep it Simple. I have planned five activities which I hope meet the requirements of an Anticipatory Set and I am now on to plan the enabling activities. It is important in this step to remember to plan a variety of activities for different learners. When I went to school, this was never done and it made me feel very inadequate if I didn't "get it." I want to make sure that my students never feel like that, so I have to be very creative when I start planning. Wish me luck!

Which Way Does the Triangle Point?

Tonight we discussed making connections between learning, planning and teaching. I was absolutely amazed watching Dr. Smirnova's Power Point Presentation. It contained so much information but it gave me the Aha moment. It showed how every triangle of knowledge, objectives and models builds up to and overlap different levels. I realized that each layer of the triangle teaches information based on different approaches, and they are all related. I think I will always remember the quote Dr. S said tonight about methods of teaching and how it is the most sophisticated way of touching a child's soul. I know I will use that again.

Up until now, our triangles have been building up in height, but when looking at the Unit Plan design, it makes sense for it to have the funneling effect to the right. In the beginning of the UP, it is overwhelming because you have so much information and you are trying to sort through it. It is a collection process where you do a great deal of research to come up with a project that the student can show they have learned and accomplished the objectives. We are half way through and I can't wait to have a complete Unit. What an accomplishment for me!

Unit Planning - What it's made of!

Unit Planning is hard work! Some of the things to include are NYS & National standards, performance indicators, evaluation, and activities. It has been a bit difficult for me to grasp the whole idea of what to include, but I think that this past class helped a lot. The Bloom's Taxonomy exercises in class showed me that I need to get more familiar with each level. It is a little confusing though because some are interchangeable. Like Dr. Smirnova says, Practice, Practice, Practice. I know I'll get it.

Success is failure turned inside out.
~unknown author

How do you analyize content?

This week we discussed content analysis and our Unit Plan design. I would have never thought that there was so much to the structure of knowledge. Beginning at the bottom of the pyramid with the basic facts, the mind begins to conceptualize and then generalize about the learning that takes place. The top of the pyramid holds the highest level of metacognition where the student is able to reflect about what they have learned. Content analysis is directly related to this because content includes key facts,ideas and values. The way a student receives this information is processed through the structure of knowledge. There are different ways to break down a concept i.e. a graphic organizer or concept map. Content analysis helps classify information and align them with learning outcomes. This is extremely important when teaching because you want to make sure your students are getting the information that is in line with the standards, and hopefully a bit extra to make it challenging. I really enjoyed the Think Pair Share exercise. When it was time to share, my partner and I really uncovered the root of what Dr. S was looking for. We were able to clarify it and help each other uncover concept words. I am excited to be able to "visualize" my teaching and can't wait for that moment when it all comes together.

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.

~John Dewey

It is important for teachers to realize how very powerful they really are in the lives and development of children. With one word a teacher can crush the aspirations and creativity of a child, or make her hate a subject forever. Conversely a teacher can elevate the hopes and dreams of a child, empower her, and make her love a subject for a lifetime. Many teachers don't realize that their actions and words make deep, lasting impressions, and can in essence, reach far into the future and beyond.


~Leslie Owen Wilson

Activities are hands on fun!

I have been compiling tons of information on my topic of Native Americans. My next task is to organize this information so that I can match the standards, both NY and National, so that the Plan that I prepare is fully functional and well-rounded. I think the best part of this Unit Plan will be choosing activities that coincide with this topic. When I was younger, my dad, who was a town historian for many years, would take us to fields and we would look for arrowheads. We found a number of them and it was so exciting to have a material object that could connect to the past. I hope to be able to instill the same excitement in my students. Activities and hands on projects make learning much more memorable. These are the things that make kids remember. It worked for me.