This week proved to be a very hectic week as I found myself being the “head officer” in the classroom because my teacher mentor was out sick. It was great to really get the sense of being the full-time teacher, it definitely required me to pull up my socks as an authority figure. This week was a bit of a boring week because we were busy doing some tests to wrap up units before the reading week. As I near the halfway point of my practicum I recognize my need to start formatively assessing my everyday classes more often. I also recognize that I will need to start pushing through my curriculum a bit faster as I am not nearly as far as I thought I would be by now! I am having a blast in my teaching placement, but I also look forward to the upcoming reading week because I know I can focus my attention towards reflecting on my progress so far, as well as planning my upcoming units in more depth. My highlights from this week include going skating in gym, creating my props for the upcoming Olympics, playing an awesome math game, and reading a great social book! Check it out below!
Gym
We got the chance to do gym “in an alternate environment” this week because we got to go to the skating rink with the grades 3-6 classes. The kids had a blast getting to skate around for a whole hour! I also got the chance to experience the chaos of a ‘mini field trip’ and I got lots of practice tying skates, double checking for equipment left behind, and mastering crowd control! It was quite an exciting experience but I really enjoyed getting to see the kids explore something new!
Social
The kids were having problems visualizing how the Native Americans used to harvest buffalo in a buffalo jump. To give them a solid visual (and to have a little LA integration) I found an AWESOME book called “The buffalo Jump” by Peter Roop. The story was very exciting and engaging, and the visuals REALLY helped to teach the kids about the lifestyles of the Aboriginals. They LOVED being able to point out “artifacts” from the illustrations that we had already learned about. For example, one page showed teepees with designs on them, and the kids were excited to be able to point out what the symbols meant. Another page showed the inside of a teepee and the kids were able to point out the buffalo blankets, the bow and arrow, the heating rocks, the corner of a cooking pot, etc. I considered this book to be a HUGE success because the main comment that I heard at the end of the reading was “MISS MILLER THAT WAS AN AWESOME BOOK!!”
(Below) In this picture, the kids were able to point out the bow and arrow, the dream catcher, the heating rocks, the corner of a cooking pot, the buffalo blanket, etc. They thought that it was neat to realize what it would feel like to be in a real tipi. (Rock piles below) this scene in the book was great to show how the rest of the tribe helped out by waiting behind piles of rocks while the buffalo begin to advance | (Below) Kids picked out tipi symbols (for mountains and stars) and they loved being able to see the Native clothing. They even noticed that all of the doors are facing the same way (which they knew must be East), and they pointed out the dog carrying the travois! This scene in the book was great to make the kids think about what it would really be like to be the buffalo runner in this scenario... they would have to land on that tiny ledge or join the bones at the bottom of the jump! |
Math
The kiddos were having some issues understanding 2 digit arrays represented in grid form so I was very excited to find this awesome grid multiplication game! I got the computers booked and introduced the kids to how to play the game. The game would give kids one BIG rectangle (for example 98 x 67) and then the kids would only have 6 “mini blocks” that would be able to break up the big rectangle into before they would have to solve the equation. They were so excited to be able to multiply such huge numbers! I think that this game was very effective in helping them to learn how to break up a big product into smaller partial products, and I plan on using this game as an example of success for my PD project on math games
Upcoming Olympics...
The Olympics started this week which has been a very exciting event for our kids! They have been busy building Olympic dioramas and creating an Olympic play, but I wanted them to get the chance to experience what it would be like to actually play sports in the Olympics! I have been busy planning some Olympic-based games, but I especially can’t wait to do our own official “Torch Relay”. I have been busy making 2 big torches that are inspired by the Sochi “feather-shaped” torch. I have been using cardboard, lots of tape, and plaster strips to create my torches. I plan on giving the kids a brief history of the torches, and then letting them “relay” around the gym pretending to light the torches as they go!