John and I have a great teacher!

Well so far I have not seen a social studies lesson yet. I did a math assessment today, and that was a little crazy. I was surprised my kids were getting assessed on some of the things they were. None of the kids I had in my group knew a lot of the answers. It was almost as if they have never seen that stuff before. I could see it on their faces that they had no idea what they were doing, and the ones who thought they had an idea, were wrong. I kind of felt bad for them. I just wanted to help them out and knew I couldnt. We then did a science lesson today about the differences between salt and sugar and how you could find these differences. They got to taste the salt and sugar, and their faces were priceless when they licked the salt. I died laughing. Then they ate the sugar like wild animals. It was so cute. I have a great class and a wonderful teacher. She is so laid back and easy to talk to. I am glad John and I got her as our CT. I hope we get to see some social studies lessons next Wed. I have a feeling she does soc. stud. on the days we are not there. I need to talk to her about that.

Learn Something from everyone! :)

My first week in my classroom was really fun. I was glad to be in an Elementary again. The class gets so excited when Erica and I walk in, and yeah, you guys being teachers, you know that feeling. ~its cool :) Oh, tips for good attention grabbers- put into your teacher tool-bok (use a wind-chime to get the classes attention)- maybe not every time, but in intervals throughout the day. I thought that this was a really good idea, so i'm sure that someone else will. I am also teaching Fractions (4th graders) with Erica starting next week so if n/e one has n/e ideas~ let me know. Our teacher is being pretty lenient on the lessons we choose so that helps out!

Changed Appearance

You are at the right place - I just wanted a different look for this blog. I hope you enjoy.

Thank Goodness!!

Well the first two days of practicum have come and gone and thank goodness my partner and I have the teacher we do. She is so great with the students and really understands where we are coming from because she had to do similar projects when she went to Northern. She does not teach Social Studies everyday, they have what is called theme and they switch between science and soical studies. We do have our topic (economics) if anyone has any good ideas let us know :) The other great thing about our placement is our teacher has a special ed. backround and as a special education major this should be a great learning experience for the both of us. I am really looking forward to teaching our units because she is very open and seems to believe in the same classroom management strategies as we do and really values group work and student input.

2nd is the best

I’m at Campbell Ridge Elementary School in a 2nd grade placement. Our first couple days together have been great. I’m with a great teacher, and I think I’ll learn a great deal from her and the teaching style that she uses. In the class we observed the students studying math and science but I have yet to see them actually study social studies. Out teacher moved some things around so we could have the best lesson to teach for S.S. which is economics (she says that’s the best unit to teach anyway).

Unit Plan for Social Studies

I am really excited because I have my topic for my unit already. I am working with Maggie this semester and we are at Grants Lick Elementary in a kindergarten class. Our topic is Presidents of the United States and have already found some great websites and books to help us out. If anyone has wonderful ideas please let us know. One can never have enough information.

A New Experience

Well, my first two days in the classroom have been great so far! I am at Stephens Elementary in a second grade classroom. When I first walked into the classroom I was a little surprised because there are no student desks. Instead, there is a big rug in the middle of the room that the students can sit on. My practicum teacher explained that her second grade class and one other second grade class are being taught Montessori style as opposed to the other second grade classrooms. Basically what this means is that the students are encouraged to learn new things by doing individual, hands-on activities for the majority of the day instead of being taught by the teacher all day long. For example, the first day I was in the classroom the teacher gave a "presentation" to the class for about ten minutes introducing one math concept, and then for the next hour and a half the students were on their own doing individual work. Each student has a weekly work plan that they carry with them. The work plan contains several subjects and different activities for the students to complete each day. The students are allowed to work on which ever activities they wish to at a given time, but they are required to finish all the work on their work plan by the end of the day. When I first saw this implemented I was a little worried about how I would be able to create a whole unit for math, science, and social studies, but I am sure it will be okay once I adjust to the new situation.
One thing that I really loved was the way each of the students were responsible for doing a certain job at the end of the day, and how well they all did at their jobs. Some of the jobs include: disinfecting the tables and chairs, folding the individual rugs available for students and putting them away, and straightening up the different centers around the room. Since the classroom contains many materials and manipulative's that promote individual learning, the students really have to take great care of their classroom, and this was evident at the end of the day when they were cleaning up. Plus, being responsible for certain jobs and knowing how to clean up after yourself are great skills that will help them later in life!!

Think it Through... For a Better You!

Last week my CT told my partner and I that Social Studies was not really apart of her curriculum & she wasnt sure what we should teach for our unit. So of course we were worried and disappointed. I hoped that maybe she was teaching SS & just wasnt realizing it!

Today we went to the library with our 1st graders and I was sooooo happy when the Librarian began to review what they had learned the previous week. They were learning the 6 Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Fairness, & Citizenship. (I've included the link if any of you want to read more about each pillar) So whether my CT realized it or not my 1st graders were being taught Social Studies. The students were engaged in the video that gave examples of: the pillars, do & don'ts, What Should I Do?, & a fun song that the students loved!!!!
The video not only stressed the Pillars but repeated important phrases like Make Good Choices & Think it Through for a Better You!! So needless to say today eased my concerns that Social Studies & the skills taught during that time weren't getting to my 1st graders.

http://www.charactercounts.org/defsix.htm

This stinks!

So I went to my school, Riley Elementary, last Wednesday, for my first day and the tour. Everything went great. I am with Mrs. Rice and I have 1/2 split. I am with John and we love our class and grade. Our teacher kind of reminds us of Ms. Lippie from Billy Madison. hahah! But anyways! Then I was supposed to attend today, Monday, for my first official day. I could not go because I went to the doctor yesterday and found out I have pink eye. What a wonderful thing to have for my first day. So needless to say, I have not had my official "1st day" yet. I will post later on this week when I get to know my students a little better. See you all in class tomorrow!

First Day

I drove 35-40 minutes to Grant's Lick Elementary. I was 30 minutes early because I didn't check my email. When I got there I found out that my teacher was out that day for a meeting. So then I had to wait 30 more minutes for my tour. I did however get to see my teachers classroom. She has a very interesting classroom, it is all done in a lighthouse theme. I didnt get to meet the children though. I am excited to get to meet my teacher and the students.

?

hey~ just figured this thing out, (i think). How did everyones placement go. I have heard more bad than good...... ~ if this is you, try to make the best of it and learn what not to do. Have a good weekend everyone! :)

Dr. Besnoy's 1st day

My class appears to be great. They are all excited to learn about social studies.

Just wanted to say hello to everyone to see if it works

Anticipation

Wednesday is the first day at your placement - I'm sure some are nervous. What do you anticipate the classroom to look like? How do you think the students will react to you being in the classroom? Take a moment to create a new post - make these predictions. On Wednesday, take a moment and share with us your 1st impressions.

Welcome to this Blogging Group

Welcome to this blogging group. The purpose of this blog is for you to reflect and share the social studies eduction experiences that you have in your elementary practicum placement. I look forward to reading all your reflections.