My fall pre-internship was with a grade 7/8 class. The staff and students were very welcoming and it was hard to leave on the last day.

The first day my pre-internship partner and I just started building connections with students and seeing how the days went at the school. The following 3 Wednesdays were co-teaching and the final 3 were a mini unit. My partner and I taught a health lesson on wellness, a literacy lesson on poetry, and a Remembrance Day lesson. My mini-unit was an art unit using the outcome CH8.2 analyze the influence of social issues on the work of contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists, and share results.

During the mini-unit, we discussed different Indigenous art forms and artists. We talked about their messages and how different perspectives and voices are heard through the various art forms.

On day one of the mini unit the students made bracelets after discussing beading. I showed them two bracelets I made as examples. I explained after making the first bracelet I realized I did not put much thought into the design and meaning. The second bracelet had 4 letters for the 4 generations of women (from my grandma to my daughter) and each person’s favorite color. The students really enjoyed making the bracelets and when they explained their design a family meaning incorporation seemed common.

After the final lesson, students began writing their own messages/learning from the mini-unit. The paintings/drawings were of art forms discussed with quoted messages from the artists.

I do… we do… you do

During my internship my field teacher repeated I do… we do… you do to make sure students understand activities and content. There was also a large emphasis on building connections.

I built connections with the students by talking with them on breaks, helping them during lessons, and attending the boy’s final volleyball game after school. On the final day, my partner and I brought cookies and hot chocolate for the end of the day. We asked for allergies/restrictions beforehand and I baked a couple of recipes.

The students spent the rest of the final time on the last day decorating for Christmas. The picture above was the classroom door for Halloween. Each class decorated their door for holidays and there would be voting for the favourite door. The students enjoyed being able to engage in the activities.

I had a great pre-internship experience and I look forward to the next.