Don't Blink......

It's over, I mean really over!

Last Friday was my last day as a student teacher. Two practicums and six months went by in a flash. I am left thinking about what else I could have done. All the directions left untraveled. I still have so many ideas inside of my head I would  loved to have explored. It all feels a little bittersweet. It was sad to say goodbye to the kids but also a huge relief knowing I had passed another big milestone in this process to becoming a teacher. To be honest it is all becoming quite exhausting.

When I reflect on the experience as a whole I am proud of my efforts. I stayed true to my teaching philosophy. This meant I had to take risks within my school environment and teach my own style which was not always the style of the surrounding classrooms. Overall the reaction was positive, it helped that the principal was familiar with my home school and it philosophies.

As a good bye the kids wrote some very sweet cards. Interestingly enough most of the cards wished me good luck actually finding a job that pays well. I was sort of reminded of my parents. I guess it's good to know someone is looking out for me. 

I won't lie, it was hard. I spent long hours prepping lessons after school. I missed my family, especially my son, Kiya. I can 't thank him enough for all his understanding and hugs when I came home too late to cook dinner. He ate a lot of my husbands specialty of eggs, yams, and salad without much complaining. I also thank Richard my husband who took on all those home roles that we normally share. Getting Kiya to school, walking the dog, cooking, cleaning. I couldn't have done it alone. Thanks guys 

I am also grateful for my wonderful fellow srudent teachers at Strathcona. They provided support, an ear to hear my stresses and were always there to share a beer to celebrate our common successes. Jenny, Natasha, Sharon, you made this a fun experience I will never forget. I have made friends I will keep long after this program ends.

Fnally a very big thank you to my faculty associate John, his insights and thoughtful questions have helped me to become a better teacher and have set me on a path that I will continue to travel down. He is a master teacher. I thank him for sharing his knowledge. I also thank Jenny my teaching associate who gave up her students and her classroom at a very busy time in her life. I wish you best of luck in finishing your masters.

Lost in Space: Constellations and Moon Phases

I have finally come to a point with the children in our space unit that I can release control and let the kids participate in some guided inquiry independently. This week we began to study the phases of the moon and constellations.  Half of the class learned about the moon phases by doing some short readings and creating a flip book, wile the other half read about the constellations by also doing some readings and then creating constellations of their own.



You can never get any better than through instructions.
They are the foundation of any good activity!



I began by creating very explicit instructions for both activities, which I reviewed with the children in a class. I then sent each group to their area of the class. I am very lucky to have a support worker in the class for Science, Her help in supporting the students to carry out their tasks has been invaluable in assuring the success of the unit. Being a support worker myself I know how valuable her time is. Thank you Vesna!

Simon demos his flip book.

The kids studying the moon phases worked on a lesson I adapted from the Discoverycube website. You can do this activity with your own class by printing out the flip book pages template and following the instructions. You can download the template here.

I have really been focused on providing fun, unique, and highly visual learning experiences for the kids durning this space unit. I think it really helps them to develop a concrete understanding of something they would never actually be able to to see in real life. We finished up our learning about the moon phases with a moon phases quiz.

This sheet is the perfect opportunity to discuss why
some stars appear bigger than others in constellations.
I asked the kids to think about it before poking them out.

The constellations group also did an art activity to facilitate learning. This group also did a short reading on constellations and then made constellations of their own. For this activity I copied constellations from cards I found online at www.scienceteacher.com. The cards themselves were too small for me to use but they are fantastic for finding constellations from every season with names and meanings in English. You can find them

here. The kids used sharpened pencils to poke out the stars. I had the kids use plasticene to avoid any pencil related injuries.



Be careful!



All done, looking great!



Once they got their constellations made, the kids used flashlights to create replications of constellations that appear in the night sky inside of a box painted black inside. Talk about excited. The kids went NUTS over this activity.  Some of the kids even worked at moving them as though they were following the rotation of the Earth. I am loving the connections they are making.  I'll definitely keep it in the tool kit for next time I do a space unit!

Looking at Cassiopeia in te constellation box.

As with the moon phases group, the constellation kids also finished off the activity with a constellations quiz just to cement the connection between the information and the activity.

If you are interested in doing this activity you can find my lesson handouts on Share My Lesson here constellations and Moon Phases

TOC day

Today we had to switch out of our regular classes and into a new class in the role of teacher on call. Normally we student teachers substitute for each other. However, our coordinator Doug felt we needed the "authentic TOC experience". I am grateful to Doug for all his guidance and help but sometimes he makes me want to cry.

Me and my wonderful fellow student teacher Jenny were given a job share for the day. I taught grade 6/7 in the morning while she filled in for the resource teacher. We then switched in the afternoon. To be honest I think I got the crappy end of the stick. I had to teach math and current events and she got to hang out with the little buddy class and supervise the kids while they did their socials projects. Note to self: afternoon calls on a TOC day are probably easier than morning calls.  IF YOU HAVE TO TAKE A HALF DAY CALL, TAKE AFTERNOON CALLS AND SLEEP IN!

It was interesting to walk into someones day plan and just teach what you are told. You don't get to plan it out in your head the day before. Case in point....Math. I have gotten so used to teaching grade three math that I had a small coronary when I looked at the activity I was supposed to teach with a note on it saying "teach the lesson however you want:)". It was actually the only part of the day I really would liked to have had a detailed lesson plan for. I do think I managed to teach it to the kids could understand it. I guess I should also admit that it wasn't hard math at all but when you've had a math phobia all your life it feels like a big deal in the moment.

My only big mistake of the day was believing the kids when the rowdy boys told me that they got to go down to the lunch room at noon before the bell. I'm not sure what I was thinking. Oh well it was a good lesson not to trust the kids who have been giving you a hard time all morning. Benefit of the doubt my butt!

Resource was great. It was little like working in a support worker role. I really enjoyed the 1 to 1 time with students. It has been awhile. I also had an opportunity to sit in on a resource department meeting. It was interesting to see how the team organizes all the assessment that needs to happen for the entire school for the end of the school year.

Hopefully being a teacher on call is as great as it was today. I have a feeling there will be great days and some not so great days but it's all on the path to having that classroom of my own one day.

Kandinsky Tree

This week in the art room (...well actually it's the same room as the other subjects), the kids and I studied the art of Wassily Kandinsky. Our focus was on Kandinsky's use of color to represent emotion.

While doing some personal research into Kandinsky's art I found that he is considered to have painted the first piece of purely abstract art. What I found most interesting was that Kandinsky began his career by painting realistic images. As he progressed and grew as an artist he began to paint progressively abstract images. This was a shock to the kids as they thought an artist would develop in the opposite direction.

We studied Kandinsky's painting  Farbstudie Quadrate to look at his use of color and shape. I asked the kids to study the painting and then assign emotions to the individual circles in the painting. The kids came up with emotions such as happy, sad, joyful, excited, scared and angry.

Once again I looked to the website What's Happening in the Art Room? Mrs. VandenBush has some incredible ideas for art projects. I highly recommend her blog if you are looking for  fun things to do with your class.

We decided to create Kandinsky circles by using the technique of collage. I offered the kids many colors of construction paper and asked the to be mindful of their color choices in order to represent an emotion. The kids then tore or cut the paper into various sized circles which they then pasted together. They also wrote the emotion their circle represented.

brave

calm

happy

sad

The class displayed their circles in a group collage by putting them on a large tree in the hallway. It took forever to make the tree but I think it was worth the effort.

Next week is a ski trip but who knows what we'll get up to next week.

Field Trip to Mount Seymour

I know, I know, I am always saying how I love teaching things.... But of all the stuff you get to do when working with kids, I LOVE to go on field trips! Especially when they involve going outside all day. Extra especially when it involves being in the mountains all day

Ahh the great outdoors!

Today we went on the most incredible field trip. Skiing and snowboard at Mount Seymour. We actually won the field trip through a schools ski program my SA applied for back in the fall. Thirty nine kids most who had never been on skis or snowboards before (and some who hadn't even ever played in snow) got bus transportation, free lessons, lunch, and lift tickets!

I cannot say enough about the wonderful ski and snowboard instructors at Mount Seymour. They are incredible! These people have nerves of steel. The patience and knowledge they had on the hill was very impressive. I know I could not have done what they did today with my kids. Many of the kids were cold, uncomfortable and tired. Somehow these folks were able to keep smiling and stay  positive. They also kept the kids out on the hill for the entire time.




I often forget that many kids don't get the opportunity to get out into the mountains here in Vancouver. They are one of our most amazing resources here in the city. I really think getting any kid outside and into a fun activity is one of the most important gifts you can give them. Chances are they will go back to it if they enjoy it enough. Teaching kids to be fit and enjoy exercise is one of the best things we can do as teachers. Actually I think it is more important than even the core subjects we often put so much value on. Studies show that kids who exercise can focus longer and think more efficiently. It doesn't have to be skiing or snowboarding but something, anything that gets them moving.








Once again, thanks instructors!
I am hoping these people are enjoying a cold beer after a hard day's work. They deserve it!
Thanks Instructors!
Thanks Mount Seymour!










Next field trip on Wednesday! We are off to the symphony. It's going to be a good week......

Things have been so hectic the last couple of weeks. I haven't been able to find time to post anything! I can't believe it is only two more weeks left until the end of my teaching practicum. All of this has flown by so fast.

I am actually beginning to wonder what I am going to do with all the extra time I am going to have. I think the first thing on the list is to reintroduce myself to my family. I think they have forgotten what I look like!

I have just created a flurry of blog posts from all the handwritten notes I have been keeping. So if you are interested in reading forward get a nice cup of tea and find a comfy place to sit:)

Also, if you are would like to access some of the course materials I have created for the following post's activities you can find them posted here at www.sharemylesson.com

Spaced out: Combining Science and Language Arts

As much as I love to teach other subjects, science is one of my favorite things to teach. No other subject seems to ignite children's sense of inquiry quite like science. This term, the focus has been on Stars and planets. Originally I had a great unit designed around space stations for the kids to rotate through. Unfortunately, once I began my practicum, I realized that the kids just weren't ready to work quite as independently as I had hoped. It's OK though, I have been working through the unit station by station with the entire class. We've been having a blast and I have been getting opportunities to try new things and take risks in my teaching.

In an attempt to do a truly cross-curricular unit,I have also been focusing on familiarizing the kids with  non-fiction literature and writing. I think learning to read non-fiction text properly is essential.I wonder if the reason some people don't truly appreciate this kind of literature is because they don't really know how to read it.  I've been working on reading non-fiction information through note taking excercises. Initially I introduced the elements of non-fiction by creating an information page about the sun which contained examples of all the basic elements I wanted to introduce to the kids. I also had the kids practice note taking skills using visual organizers.

We have also explored asteroids and comets using the non-fiction approach. This time I approached the
material as a comparison activity for the children to read. The kids read information pages about asteroids and comets both structured using the same format then compared them using a chart similar to a venn diagram. It was great!

If you are interested in finding the learning materials I have described above you can find them posted here at sharemy lesson.com