It's (almost) April?!...

Not sure how March has already come and gone (almost)! This past week I taught two lessons in my clinical placement classroom. This was the first time I taught a full lesson to actual elementary schoolers, so to say I was nervous is an understatement. But, it went so well! The kids were so interested to learn about Amelia Earhart. As their final activity they had to write a newspaper article for the "Earhart Times" that was about Amelia Earhart. It could be a letter to her, about her childhood, or whatever they wanted, as long as it fit the criteria. The kids absolutely loved it! I had to force them to stop working on it because we were out of time. Reading over there articles has been so much fun! This is definitely an activity I will want to use in my future classroom.

This week in my outside research I found another formative assessment method. The method is called misconception check. First you present students with a common misconception about a topic. Ask students to agree or disagree and then explain their decision. This can help you understand if this misconception is true in your own classroom and help correct it if it does. This connects to standard 4A, teachers know the ways in which learning takes place, and they know the appropriate levels of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of their students. This is because teachers can see the student's thought process concerning that particular misconception and helps them plan accordingly.

Back to Reality...

This week was our first week back from spring break and it's already been a busy week! This week at Washington we had the opportunity to watch the students during their lunch and give the teachers a duty free lunch. This was an awesome chance to give back to the teachers that have provided us with such a great experience! 

This week for my outside research I found another form of formative assessment. This assessment is called One Minute Essay. Students simply respond in one minute to a question or prompt. The question should however require a short answer that will not frustrate the students. This method allows the teacher to see the students first thoughts when given a topic as they have only one minute to respond. I would use this method in my classroom as either review or as a pre-assement to find out what students already know about a topic. This relates to standard 4B, teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students because the teachers must either know the students prior knowledge or assess their level of understanding during a lesson.

Almost Spring Break...

This break is going to be much appreciated! Just to be able to relax, catch up on sleep and a few assignments. This week has been short but very busy! In Social Studies Methods this week I have enjoyed diving into the discovery of Zealandia, possibly the hidden 8th continent. This is the current event that Megan and I chose to talk about in our Global Citizenship project. I really liked linking a learning experience to a current event because of the value that I believe students will see in the activities. I think students will love getting engaged in real world events and having it connected to their learning. This connects to NCPTS standard 3C teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines because teachers should promote global awareness by connecting learning to current events.

This week in my outside learning I found another formative assessment method, the technique is called ABC Summaries. Each student is assigned a different letter of the alphabet and they must come up with a word that starts with that letter. The word must also be related to something they learned in that lesson. Students could also write a short explanation of why the word connects to the topic. I will definitely use this method in my future classroom because students are required to think out of the box and search their vocabulary to come up with a word to connect to the topic. They also must explain their reasoning which shows critical thinking skills.

Halfway Done!

Cannot believe it's already March and we have spring break in almost a week!! This week at Washington my group was given the opportunity to lead a Dr. Seuss activity as part of Read Across America Week. We made a cute fish craft that looked like the cover of the book we read, "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish". We also did an activity where they had to sort rhyming words used in Dr. Seuss books and graphing activity with goldfish. This was a very exciting experience and the kids loved it!

In class this week, we discussed TPACK and SAMR. TPACK is the proper integration of technology, pedagogy, and content. In other words the technology used to teach, how to teach, and what to teach. These are all very important aspects to pay attention to as a teacher. Good teaching uses two of those areas, but GREAT teaching uses all three. SAMR then is how to use technology in your lessons. It begins with substitution, simply replacing a tool with technology but the task does not change. Next is Augmentation, still substituting a tool with technology but the task is improved. Then Modification, this is when the task is changed and redesigned because of technology. Finally Redefinition, this is when technology changes the task into something not possible without technology. This is great knowledge to apply to my future classroom because it pushes you to use technology as a tool to drive learning not just include as a checkoff. Today's learners are surrounded by technology and we should teach them how to utilize it to it fullest potential. This also relates to NCPTS Standard 5C, teachers function effectively in a complex, dynamic environment, because technology is constantly improving and we should be utilizing this tool to it's fullest potential to stretch our student's mind.

This week I researched a formative assessment tool called, Quizalize (https://www.quizalize.com). It is a quick and easy formative assessment tool. Also allows students to respond to questions as individuals or work as teams. The teacher then receives data of correct and incorrect answers recorded for each student. Data can also be easily downloaded in order to analyze and make further plans.