ECS 303 – Angelica Gattinger's Education ePortfolio

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My Experience Pre-Interning In a High School – Stories From the Field, Lesson Plans, & PDP Goals

I was very excited to be able to help out my co-op teacher, who teaches Grade 9, 11, and 12 English. As English is my major, of course I was over the moon when I got to help teach English all day.

My first day was awesome – my co-op teacher was so prepared for my partner and I to help her. We were her first pre-interns ever, so she was very excited! She handed us a folder with information about her classroom, school rules, and a school map. I was also so excited to see that her classroom was amazingly inclusive.
Day One – October 6, 2021

I was so excited to see the High School teaching experience. I really enjoyed my placement in an Elementary School in ECS 100, and it was so nice to broaden my horizons even more.

A really cool lesson my placement partner and I did with the kids was for Take Me Outside Day. We were able to take one of the Grade 9 English classes outside and hold a sharing circle about content they’d learned. Our co-op teacher suggested we make it into a ‘hot-potato’ kind of game, where we had students in groups, and if the music stopped while the students were holding the ball, they were to share the answer of a question written on the ball that related to course content. Such a fun way to get students moving and having fun while learning!

Note: The following photo was taken with permission of my placement partner and I by our co-op teacher during Take Me Outside Day.

One of the most exciting things that our co-op teacher did with her students was have them listen to an Elder speak. I will always remember the methods used to greet an Elder and ask them to share their knowledge with you, as this was something she had also taught the students. It was so nice to see that the school had access to an Indigenous Advocate and a Cultural Room. I was also very excited to take part in a Smudging ceremony. My placement partner, co-op teacher and I sat with the Indigenous Advocate and the Elder, in which they taught us the correct way to smudge with Sage (I had never done a Smudging ceremony before!).

Our co-op teacher also gave us the opportunity to visit some other classrooms to observe their teaching styles. We were lucky enough to be able to work with the Junior FIAP students, and see what a class with them was like. It made me so happy to see the smiles on their faces when we got to meet them, and get to know them. I was very thankful for this opportunity, as it has helped me so much with my journey of minoring in Inclusive Education, and helping students with accessibility needs.

Lesson Plans and PDP Goals

My placement partner and I taught one lesson each week. We helped each other plan out lessons and offered tips, but usually alternated in who was focusing on specific lessons. Here are two of my favourites.

We started off every placement day with a Book Talk on a book, as this was what our co-op teacher usually did with her students. My placement partner and I alternated on who would book talk for a placement. I really enjoyed this lesson plan, as I got to see the students really engage with the content. I remember I was so excited when we asked students who was familiar with the show, “What Would You Do?” and a vast majority of them raised their hands. They were very interested in the video, and provided well thought out answers in their writers’ notebooks.

This was a really fun one! I got to lead a full lesson with this one. Although researching and resources might not seem like a fun topic to teach, it really was for me! My co-op teacher and I agreed to alter this one slightly, and had the students follow along on school laptops. I was really glad to see so many students could pick out what made a source reputable or not, and they got the hang of MLA citations so fast! It was so exciting to see how well they did, and the different celebrities they chose to research for an example.

It was really helpful to make PDP goals every week. It gave me something to work on and improve on every week, as well as to make observations on things I can learn about. I remain very inspired by my co-op teacher, as her uses of a defronted classroom, student activities, and teaching through the lens of social justice are awesome. I was very happy to hear that she thought I have confidence in the classroom teacher role, as I believe this can be one of the toughest things to achieve in the beginning.

This was a PDP Goal I was really proud of! I learned so much from my co-op teacher in order to achieve a PDP Goal like this. I’ve learned so many methods from her, such as connecting course content to herself. I always admire how she is very connected with her students and is always so personable with them. It has really helped me to see how she teaches to achieve my own goals.

A bittersweet last day. I was excited to be completed another semester, but knew I was going to miss my co-op teacher & the amazing students I got to work with during these last 8 Wednesdays.
Dec. 1, 2021

Our last placement consisted of teaching the students how to create a Plot Diagram for a story. They picked it up really well. It was so fun to be able to teach lessons. We also got to watch the Grade 11 students do a socratic seminar, which was something I never experienced before. Such a great teaching method to ensure student discussion!

We finished our last day off by giving the students Candy Canes for the holidays (we received permission from our co-op teacher that wrapped, store bought treats were acceptable!). I will miss the students, the school and my co-op teacher, but I remain thankful for this amazing opportunity and everything I’ve learned and achieved throughout.