Week 1 Reflection:
Going into our co-op’s 7/8 class was nerve wracking. I didn’t know what to expect and how I would connect with the students, the teacher, and my partner. For our introduction activity, my pre-intern partner took the reins explaining the instructions, but when he was nearing the end of it, I jumped in and continued. The activity was a success and a failure. It didn’t go how I envisioned it, but from what I understand, that’s not always the case. But the kids enjoyed it. They were engaged and wrote about themselves so my partner and I could get to know them better. Over lunch we reviewed them and found commonalities between students. There were even some student interests that we didn’t know about, so we researched and discussed them.
I enjoyed how our co-op monitors his class. He uses lot’s of prompting questions to get students thinking and making connections, and how he incorporates movement to get the students out of their desks. For their literacy reading program, that they’re starting soon, he chose some interesting titles (with different protagonists) that will provide critical thinking and engaged readers.
Week 2 Reflection:
This week’s lesson went alright. If anything, it shows how different my partners teaching style is to mine. He is very prominent individual who is great at taking control of a room/group. I try to do that too, but I know that I tend to step down or aside when I’m unsure. While he explained, I wrote the math questions on the board because, I thought having a visual up would be beneficial. Our co-op agreed but, he thought we should have put one up at a time, otherwise students are expecting more. We also had trouble with our pace. We were going to fast for the students. Once we realized this we slowed down, and the students became less stressed and erratic. Later that day, we were asked to be in their class photo. Their argument was that we were apart of the class even if it was for eight Wednesdays and a three-block period in the new year. I hope that’s ok. I want a copy.
Week 3 Reflection:
This week’s lesson was great. I thought it went alright, even if I was nervous. But the confirmation and support from my partner and our co-op gave me, helped me. I told them what I was going to do and then started reading. It was nice to know that some students had some background knowledge of the story, but I later realized it was also a hinderance. While I read the chapter, I styed up front of the class. Our co-op suggested that I do laps while I read so the students in the back could be apart of it. I also noticed some students weren’t listening and I was unsure of what I should do. I was reading and needed to get through the chapter. My partner stepped in at those moments which was nice. After reading, we listened to the song. I passed out their worksheets while the song played. I had to prompt them a couple times, but they listed a few similarities and differences. To end the lesson, I asked the students which they preferred: the book or the song. The response was a mixed opinion. During the meeting with our co-op, he suggested that I could pause reading the chapter to pose questions to the students. It keeps them engaged with the story and on their toes for you.
The musical number The Day I Got Expelled from The Lightning Thief musical,
Week 4 Reflection:
This may be my favourite lesson so far. It was engaging, all the students participated, and they talked about it after class. Plus, it was something they could relate to. My partner and I did an hour joint lesson because, had a specific day planned for the class. He asked us to have a prepared hook for our lesson plan. We decided to use choose your own adventure books to practice oral reading and before, during, and after reading strategies. For some students, the choose your own adventure books were new, but some students were immediately intrigued because they could relate the content to other medias. I saw students who don’t normally engage or react to our lessons have a complete turn around. That was a win! We took our co-op’s advice from my literacy lesson and applied it during our reading of Alcatraz. We moved around the room to read from different areas of the room and stopped to ask questions about the book’s content. We now know that one of our students knows a lot about penitentiaries. I connected with another boy because of his love for a video game called Detroit Become Human, a choose your own adventure game. You can find connections to lots of things, you just must look for them. I also got the books from the library. I’d probably buy dome for my own class one day.
Alcatraz: A Chilling Interactive Adventure
Other interactive novels. link 1, link 2
Week 5 Reflection:
Today’s lesson was interesting. My hook was effective, but it didn’t keep them engaged when it came to the content. I don’t think I explained the instructions very well. The students were confused so I had to reexplain them, which ate up a chink of time for them to make their cell structure representations. our co-op seemed to think it was good lesson and gave me constructive feedback on the lesson. I liked my lesson, but disliked hoe executed it. I know every lesson can’t be perfect or amazing, but it does suck when you don’t succeed like you want. At least this was a learning experience. I can tweak it to do better next time. our co-op Thought it was informational the definitions will help the students with the rest of the unit. I should have also numbered the definitions, it would have made reading and finding the definitions easier.
Week 6 Reflection:
My lesson this week was crazy. After the altercation between two students, the rest of the class was buzzed, and I had trouble bringing them back to study. our co-op was gone to deal with the problem so my partner and I made the decision to keep teaching, otherwise I wouldn’t get to do my lesson. We talked about body image, conflict and relationship, and how it all relates to self. We may have stayed on the definition portion of my lesson for too long but the discussion we had was rich and engaging. I didn’t want to cut them off. Next, I showed them the video and explained to them that they needed to find examples of conflict, body image, and relationship. The video caught their attention. Once that was done, I asked the class questions using an organizer to put their findings from the video. I did plan on doing this a second time but was cut short due to previous events. I wish I could have finished this lesson. I was very proud of it. One student came up to me afterwards, asking if I was going to continue the lesson next time. The next song was her favourite from the musical. After talking with our co-op on the student’s eagerness and my own reflection, I think I may continue off this lesson for my unit plan in the winter semester.
Week 7 Reflection:
This week I took a chance and taught a Core French lesson. I was super nervous because, I knew it wouldn’t be like any French class that I’ve experienced in my schooling. I went through French immersion from K-12 and I took lots of French courses at the University. The French teacher explained that it was a Crore French class and would be much different than my upbringing. She suggested that I do an activity that centered on something specific but wasn’t boring or disengaging. After conversing with my classmates, who speak French, we found an activity that would be appropriate for my class. It’s a Selfie activity that requires students to create sentences that describe themselves. There were a couple bumps in creating the lesson plan and initiating it. First, I had trouble finding the outcomes for Core French. Second, I shouldn’t assume everyone has a phone. Third, students may write My hair/eyes… instead of I have/am in French. This was fine, it was a teachable moment for in applying the verbs avoir and etre in the third person plural. I could’ve given more examples, but it would take their creativity away. I don’t wan to do that.