Where did the week go?

Reflecting back on the week it seems like I was just writing my blog for week 6. It's crazy to think that there is only 3 more weeks of full time student teaching. Overall I would rate this week as a 5. This week went by very smoothly and very comfortably. Where I once needed to constantly check my lesson plans to reassure myself I now glance at them in the morning and I'm prepared for the day. Oddly enough I feel more comfortable and prepared than any week before.

One of my favorite moments from this week was during my guided reading lesson. We had read about different cultures and festivals associated with different cultures. So on our last day with the article we were reading I introduced the kids to the festivals through VR. They LOVED it! It was so great to see them excited and making connections from our reading, you could see their learning come to life. Hopefully I will be able to incorporate this more in the classroom with the overwhelming positive response I had.

This week in math we began our new unit on measurement. The pressure has been on as we are a tad behind due to snow and the students have a math benchmark this coming week. So getting students invested and interested was key. So day 1 we did a hands on measure things around the room that are about 1 inch, 1 foot, and 1 yard. Students were very engaged and then were ready to discuss and learn more.

My goal for this week is to continue being prepared for all of my lessons. I also want to continue working on my portfolio so I am prepared for the end of the semester.

Since we started a new math unit this week I pretested my students on measurement. This helps me know what students already know and then put them in groups accordingly. I've learned how crucial this is because my teaching must change so much from group to group to make sure I'm meeting the needs of each group.

This week I exhibited 1A, teachers demonstrate leadership in their classroom. I did this by reviewing students pretests and work to see what areas I would need to focus extra on and to group them accordingly.

I exhibited 2D, teachers adapt their teaching for the benefit of students with special needs. I did this by making groups for math rotations based on their pretest data.

I exhibited 3A, teachers align their instruction to NCSCOS. As I planned for the coming week I aligned my plans to the NCSCOS.

I exhibited 4D, teachers integrate and utilize technology in their instruction. I did this by incorporating a VR activity into my guided reading lessons.

I exhibited 5A, teachers analyze student learning. I did this by adjusting my plans daily and during the lesson, based on the progress of the students.