Category: Internship Blog (Page 1 of 2)

On Monday we had our Volleyball windup. We had a fun game with the girls vs. coaches/teachers. I have been coaching since September but I realized pretty quickly that playing in a game situation is a whole different ball game! It was a fun game with lots of laughs. Afterward, we celebrated with pizza!

In Science, I have assigned my students a home-based project to build a strong and stable structure. They are due next week but I have had a few start to trickle in. The students are excited to show off their creations and I am looking forward to seeing all the hard work they have put in. I can’t wait to have the class present their creations and show off all they have learned throughout our Science Unit. 

In Social Studies, we have begun to learn about Treaties in Saskatchewan. It was interesting to have my students brainstorm on the first day as a pre-assessment about all they know about Treaties. The list was pretty short. I am looking forward to using this anchor chart to help summarize our learning as we go. In this unit, we have read the book a Promise is a Promise by Robert Munsch and practiced making promises to each other. We have also created a classroom Treaty, sealed with a signature and handshake. Next, I created a large map of Saskatchewan marked with the Treaty boundaries for an interactive lesson. It helped my students to understand what ‘We Are All Treaty People’ really means. There is so much more to learn about this topic. I was a little nervous to teach about this but it gets easier as we go and I am really looking forward to it. 

In Art this week, we created beautiful artwork inspired by Aurora: A Tale of the Northern Lights. This was a fun and easy way to incorporate Indigenous art and literature as well as science structures into another subject. The activity was straight forward which allowed all of the students to be very successful, regardless of their creative abilities. I will definitely do it again!

Until next week,

Miss Philip

We had another short week at CEC with Remembrance Day falling on Monday. There was an assembly last week to encourage our students to remember those that fought for our freedom. I was very proud of our students who did a great job of listening and taking the event seriously.

This week in the classroom we have begun writing our own versions of the Three Little Pigs. We have been working to learn about the components of a narrative and elements of a story. The Three Little Pigs lends itself well as a mentor text for writing as well as a great integration into our Structures and Materials unit in Science. 

In Science, we have been testing different elements of a strong and stable structure. They had a lot of fun testing out the strength of our spaghetti bridges and predicting the load that each bridge would be able to hold. Working in small groups for this activity was perfect to allow each student to get hands-on with a guided inquiry as well as give them the opportunity to explore and build a structure out of different blocks and materials in the classroom. The third group was independently looking for and sorting human-made and natural structures from what they learned in previous science lessons.

Another busy week at CEC has come to an end.

Until next week, 

Miss Philip

The beginning of November brings the beginning of the much anticipated 3 Week Block of full-time teaching. I thought I would be feeling much more nervous but the program is designed so that I have been picking up classes gradually each week and it doesn’t seem to be such a huge undertaking compared to last week. 

This week we also had our two evenings of Student Led Conferences. It was great to meet many of my student’s parents for the first time and really nice to see each student have the opportunity to share their successes and what they have learned so far in the school year. 

My students have been working hard to finish their Giving Tree artwork to put up on the bulletin board outside the classroom. I was so impressed with the amount of work they put in to replicate the illustrations of the classic story.  

This week I kicked off my unit in Science on Structures and Materials. I created a Wonder Wall for students to ask any questions or post their ah-ha moments on. Through this bulletin board, they have gotten a preview of what is to come and I think they are getting excited to do some exploring. 

 In Social Studies, we have been learning about Indigenous cultures. This week I had my class working in small groups to learn about Indigenous homes and structures to integrate the two subjects. It was fun to see my students make connections between each class. I created an activity on SEESAW so that students could move through each station with an option to read an article, flip through a book, or listen to a recording to learn about each structure. They had a great time being able to work together and get up and moving around the classroom. I also found it really easy in this setting to work with individual students and check in on those that needed extra help. 

This week was extra busy with report card prep and Student Led Conferences. I’m looking forward to next week where I might make it home before 8:00 p.m. on a few occasions, but I won’t hold my breath. There is always more that can be done in the classroom, so one can never tell! This was a great week, but I am exhausted! 

Looking forward to next week!

Miss Philip

Halloween Week has come and gone! We have been busy doing lots of fun Halloween and pumpkin-themed activities leading up to Halloween on Thursday, including Halloween writing prompts in ELA, spooky addition color by the sum in math, and painting pumpkins in art. 

I had an ‘aha moment’ in ELA during our writing on Friday, reviewing our marking system and expectations and working through an exemplar with my students. The classic ‘I do’, ‘we do’, ‘you do’ worked well to set up my students for success and really motivated them to stretch their writing to really show me what they were capable of. 

Call me crazy, but during Halloween week I started integrated social studies and art project that involves multiple days of painting. My students are so excited to have the opportunity to be creative and I love that it is aligned with our discussions of Indigenous culture. I’m noticing a wide range of artistic abilities throughout this project. I really love seeing some students take risks when it comes to expressing their ideas this way, even though I can tell it is outside of their comfort zone. I’ll be excited when I can see their final product and display it on the bulletin board in the hallway.

Halloween was a whirlwind of fun. It was a typical day in the morning, rotating through our centers in both ELA and Math, followed by endless Spooktacular festivities. Many parents littered the halls, helping their children get changed and made up into their costumes. After lunch, we went on a costume parade throughout the school. As elementary teachers at CEC, we are very fortunate because the upper elementary students take on the task of creating a Halloween Fun Fair for the younger students. Our students were occupied throughout the afternoon playing games and winning candy. Everyone had so much fun!

I will be starting my 3-week block of full time teaching next week and to kick it off we have report cards and Student-Led Conferences at the beginning of next week. Report Card prep is no joke. It has been a busy couple of weeks making sure that projects are getting finished up and marks are in. I’m excited about Student-Led Conferences next week. I can’t wait to see my students showing off all they’ve learned to their parents. 

On another note, how can it really be November already? Internship is flying by!

Happy to have survived Halloween week,

Miss Philip

Last week we created glitter jars for help in our mindfulness unit in health. We have been learning strategies to help us feel our best and to nourish our inner selves. My students have been waiting patiently to see the final product and be able to take them home. They were given the choice to leave it in their lockers for use at school or take it home. I have had reports that some are using their Glitter Jars to calm down before bed. What a great idea!

This week we learned about and compared 2 traditional Indigenous dances. First, we learned about the Jingle Dance. We looked at the intricate details of the jingle dress, listened to the drums at a powwow and practiced a few steps. Afterward we read the book The Rabbit Dance and worked as a group to learn the steps and choreography of this traditional Metis Dance. My students found many significant comparisons between the dances, including the choreography, the speed of the steps, the music and instruments that went along and the story and symbolism that each dance represented. I was so pleased with their comparisons! 

After trying out the dance we revisited it another day to see what everyone remembered. I recorded their dancing so that they could view their performance. We completed a self-assessment of their actions, looking for areas of improvement on their performance and behaviour.  We had a fun few days and learned a lot about Indigenous culture in the meantime. 

In math, we began our addition unit with a review of different strategies for mental math. Most of my students have a great foundation in math, so we will be working on fluency to help improve going forward.  I have set a goal for myself to be more prepared and purposeful in supporting my diverse learners in math class. I am learning that the right tool can mean the difference between a child’s success or frustration in learning new skills, so I want to do everything I can to support each one. 

This week we also had a Spirit week at CEC and we celebrated each day of Education Week with a new theme. Wednesday was my favorite day, PJ’s and Pancakes. Everyone dressed in their coziest pajamas and came to school a little earlier so their favorite teachers could serve them a hot, pancake breakfast before class. What a great tradition to show our students how incredibly important they are. 

I’m feeling extra appreciative this week to be part of this organization and grateful to be a member of this occupation because I know that we are making a difference in so many lives. 

Beyond blessed, 

Miss Philip

This week flew by after having Monday off for Thanksgiving! We all came back after a nice long weekend, with our buckets full from spending time with family and bellies full of turkey. 
The kids were busy preparing all week for their math test on Friday. We have been working hard to learn all about Numbers to 1000. Learning number sense is a big job. It seems that we take for granted how much goes into understanding number sense and grasping the concept but there are many components to understanding numbers. The students need to be able to understand the larger numbers, how they relate to others, be able to compare them, find them on a number line, say them, write them and represent them in multiple ways. I am often surprised by how much they learn in such a short time. Throughout the week we practiced in many ways, but their favorite way to practice math has been the Kahoot I created. They love the challenge and the opportunity to compete in a fun way with their peers. I am hoping to incorporate this again at a later date to motivate my students to love math. 

We had a special opportunity this week to participate in a Student Vote held by the Grade 10 class. We tried a mock vote in our ELA groups to get ready for the big day and talked about how important it is and how fortunate we are to be able to cast our vote for the leader of our country. It was an exciting time heading down to the gym to cast a vote and take part.

In social studies we began our unit on Cultural Diversity. We began by learning about what culture is. We brainstormed some ideas of what it means to be Canadian and talked about different cultures compared to our own. Next we learned about what a tradition is and how it is passed along from generation to generation. We took time to think about special traditions that each of our families take part in and shared with the group. The kids liked hearing about different celebrations and traditions that our classmates take part in. Coming up we will continue to learn about our own culture as well as Indigenous cultures throughout Canada.   

Until next time, 

Miss Philip

As our students were enjoying a long weekend, CEC teachers were gathered on Monday for some professional development and team building. It’s always fun to get to know the other teachers a little better and see the staff in a more relaxed setting. I’m so grateful for the staff I have the opportunity to work alongside at CEC. I am pushed to be better and inspired by them every day. 

This week I picked up teaching math in the Grade 3 classroom. We are finishing off the unit on numbers to 1000 and will be getting ready for our first test next week. Following that, I will be reviewing addition strategies. My first lesson teaching rounding was my first total flop. After all was said and done, only about 2 students knew what I was talking about! That was a big learning experience for me. I thought about my lesson all day and what I should have done differently or better. At the end of the day when we had a few minutes before hometime, we reviewed the concept again and I turned it into a game that the students were excited to play. They took turns placing numbers on the giant number line and making up numbers to try to stump their friends. As an exit ticket at hometime, I gave each student a number and they had to round it before they left for the day. This was a great assessment tool! I knew exactly who understood and who needed an extra lesson the following day. I know that every student learns differently and at their own pace so even though this was a hard lesson, it was truly eye-opening and helpful! The next day in small groups, we reviewed the concept again and played a game of Scoot using even and odd numbers. The kids loved this game, even though it was basically a worksheet, turning it into a game of hide and seek added another level of motivation. 

This week in health we were learning about strategies for mindfulness and things we can do to embrace our inner selves. We read a book called Good Morning, Sunshine! and practiced breathing strategies. Then we brainstormed things that we were thankful for in order to play a Gratitude Game. This activity lined up perfectly with Thanksgiving! We all went home afterward feeling calm, thankful and grateful for our many blessings! 

With gratitude, 

Miss Philip

CEC commemorated Truth and Reconciliation Day on Monday, September 30th by holding an Orange Shirt Day at school, We began the day with an assembly to remind everyone of the reason behind this important day. We need to raise awareness and show support for survivors of Residential Schools. The message to our younger students is that Every Child Matters. We want to make sure that everyone is feeling safe and respected at school and that we don’t forget the mistakes of the past to ensure that they don’t happen again. 

Orange Shirt Day also kicked off my newly acquired class in Grade 3. I was excited to begin teaching Social Studies and yet anxious to start with this sensitive subject matter. I wasn’t sure what to expect when opening the doors to Canada’s negative past with this young audience. I was pleasantly surprised and proud of how understanding and open-minded my students were when talking about the treatment of Indigenous children and Residential Schools for the first time. I am looking forward to next week as we continue the learning process through an exploration of Indigenous culture. 

This week we finished off our Nutrition Unit in Health by creating individual meal plans and reflecting on our choices. It was great to see all of the knowledge that my students have gained over the past couple of weeks as they identified areas to improve upon and put it into a plan of action. I love teaching about healthy choices to children at this age, as these are life skills that will stay with them well into the future. 

Friday was a fun challenge as my cooperating teacher was away, leaving me with a substitute. This allowed me a ton of freedom to be in charge of the class for the entire day. I loved the ability to change my mind on the fly and the challenge of timing and unexpected events throughout the day. Teachers really do make so many decisions in a day, so it was a nice test run for me. I now have about 10 different timers on my phone to keep track of the little things; attendance, student music lessons, library time, etc. I am determined to remember them all!

This weekend I will be volunteering at the Senior Girls Volleyball tournament and preparing for another busy week ahead as I take over math in the classroom. Go Tigers!

Miss Philip

It has been a busy week at CEC! Our students have been working hard on different Terry Fox activities, learning all about a true Canadian hero. I have been working with a small group in ELA to practice good speaking and listening skills. The students loved watching a film on Kid President and looking for clues as to why he makes a good speaker. These are always funny to watch and I really like his overall message to incorporate into any lesson. We could all take advice from Kid President and “be more awesome”!

Our school wide Terry Fox run was scheduled for Wednesday. It was awesome to see everyone excited to take part with a police escort around town. Luckily, the rain stayed away so we could enjoy the day. 

This week I felt busier with extra curricular events taking place. We were busy counting donations after school, participated in a Terry Fox run on Wednesday, had our first volleyball game for my JR girls out of town Wednesday night, had assembly on Thursday along with a visit from my advisor.    

My faculty advisor came for our initial visit and observation on Thursday morning. I was nervous to have a new face in my classroom and taking notes. We have a great bunch of kids in our class so we never have too many problems, but they were especially well behaved today, thankfully! My advisor timed how long it took for them to get started after I introduced our health assignment and all 18 were working within 1 minute! Amazing! We have been learning about the new Canadian Food Guide. Today we played a game to practice our food groups and planned a healthy meal to show our families. 

I have been working on getting more involved with SeeSaw and calling on the help of my teaching neighbors to help me figure it out. I was happy to have the opportunity to have the students post a photo of their work with a quick voice message to show off what we have been up to in health class. I am hoping to continue involving this technology in the classroom. My next goal is to assign an activity for my students to work on independently. This program is so user-friendly,  I don’t doubt it will take them less time to manage than it took me!

Looking forward to another busy week.

Miss Philip

It’s Spirit Week at CEC! There’s hockey players, farmers, swimmers and dancers roaming around the halls. The students and teachers are doing a great job of participating in this fun week. 

Tuesday I volunteered to help out as CEC hosted a Cross Country fun run for the neighboring schools. Our students have been busy practicing at lunch and after school for a couple of weeks so it was nice to see their hard work pay off. 

We had one more Terry Fox Reader’s Theater performance this week to finish off our groups. I also had the opportunity to teach a PE class and help my Grade 3 class burn off some energy. During snack-time and lunch this week I have been checking in with my Grade 3 class to see what healthy snacks they are bringing and to emphasize the importance of bringing a variety of food groups to maximize their energy. This week has been busy rushing around trying to plan for a substitute to teach my next health lesson. With many late nights at the school I have been struggling to find time to get to the grocery store to collect food flyers for our food group sorting activity. I’m thankful for the helpfulness of these small towns I live in, as everyone is willing to save and offer help collecting what I need, but I do miss the convenience of grocery stores that are open late!

Wednesday I had volleyball practice with the junior girls, followed by a road-trip to Regina for our Internship conference Thursday and Friday. I’ve been looking forward to the conference to get organized and finally feel settled into the semester ahead. It was great practice to prepare for a substitute. I’m hopeful that I haven’t forgotten anything. 

Looking forward to next week, 

Miss Philip