Many Successes!

I had my post-evaluation yesterday morning.  I actually wasn't really nervous until we got in there and we kept talking the whole time about the lesson and I still hadn't received my scores.  I was mainly worried about the assessment aspect because although it wasn't 'bad' I struggled with this area the most and it could have been stronger.  After 30 minutes of talking my professor revealed my scores compared to hers.  I gave myself a combination of 3's and 2's (on a scale of 1-5...5 being the highest...however, interns can't receive a 5 even if it would be considered a '5' in the 'real teaching world').  At first I saw on the paper a combination of 2's and 3's from Anne before she talked about it.  I was kinda bummed but understanding.  After continuing to look at it for a few more seconds I realized those were MY self-scores and next to it was her scores - all 3's :)  I was SO happy when I had this realization.  We talked about my areas of refinement (which she believed to be assessment too...but that's a good sign because it means I was right on target!) and my areas of reinforcement.  She said that I had a really strong first lesson and she was really impressed.  You can only imagine how good it felt to start my week off with this meeting :)

My professor also mentioned that Jen had emailed her.  At first I was really confused because I didn't know anything about this, but apparently it was 'a pleasant surprise' as she said.  Come to find out Jen sent a very complimentary email about me and the growth she's seen in me throughout the year already.  Anne said she's never really received emails like this from mentor teachers and I should be really proud of it.  Needless to say, I definitely was!  The first thing I did when I saw Jen after our meeting was give her a really big hug and let her know that I was told about the email and I really appreciated it.  Jen let me read the email later and it really meant a lot to me.  Not only was it reaffirming of how far I've come, but it was great to hear such kind words from an awesome teacher!  I'm definitely going to miss working with her (good news is, I still get to finish out the year ;) )

And some more good news...FALL BREAK IS THIS WEEK! Oh my gosh we need it...the teachers more so than the kids ;)  I've decided that teachers get more excited about breaks than students do!  In honor of fall break I decided to make some 'spooky' ghost oreo balls for my fellow 3rd grade teachers.  They were very appreciative and it was a great treat!  Also...I get to go to California and visit my sister for fall break!  And better yet, go to Disneyland for the first time - I can't wait!  This week has actually gone by very fast :)

My spooky oreo balls!! :)

Although I won't be at the school tomorrow (due to grad class), my 3rd grade class is having a celebration to recognize the fact that we've already filled our "Berry Good Bears' jar.  We may have rigged it a little bit to get the timing of fall break just right, but we got a late start on the jar this year, so we decided it was ok ;)  Oh!  And what's the celebration you ask?  The kids voted on pajama/bring a stuffed animal/movie day!  Needless to say I'd much rather be there than in my grad class.  I normally wear my 'pajamas' to class anyways though...sweatpants! :)

Next week I'll be starting my research in the classroom.  I'm required to do this as a grad student and have decided to look at what strategies will help improve the children's constructed response answers to questions about reading passages - a mouthful, I know.  But I'll go into more [simplistic] detail about it in future blogs.  I'm very excited to see some potential positive results though!

A letter I sent to parents about the upcoming research I'll be doing in the classroom.  I received 14 out of 15 consent forms!

And lastly....I PASSED MY FIRST PRAXIS EXAM!!!   I got a 170 out of 200 on my 'Content Knowledge' Praxis, which is pretty respectable!  I'll receive scores for my next one in a few days and will be taking my last 2 in a few weeks (assuming I pass them ;) ).  So wish me luck and send me prayers!  Btw, did I mention I'm broke and these tests are around $150 each?  And I have to have them to earn my licensure? So again, much luck and prayers needed ;)  I won't be posting for a few days so hopefully this long post will make up for it.  And finally....HAPPY FALL BREAK!! :)

Pumpkin Activity Part 2

Today we finished our pumpkin activity and it went great!!

We had 5 parents show up (and had 5 groups of kids) and it was so helpful and fun to have them there! I think the kids really enjoyed having their parents there to see what they do in school.  Plus, it's always fun not to hear the same 2 adults talk every day (referring to Jen and I).

We began by reviewing what we did yesterday and then we split back up into our groups.  Jen went ahead and cut open our pumpkins before the lesson so once the kids were in their groups, we let them look inside the pumpkin and see if they wanted to change their prediction of how many spoonfuls of seeds their pumpkin had.  And then it was time to gut them!  A very hands-on activity to say the least.  Of course we heard a lot of "Eww!" and "This feels so weird!", but they seemed to really be enjoying it :)

After all of the pumpkin guts were out, the kids separated the seeds into a pile and took turns taking spoonfuls and counting them.  The parents did an awesome job of helping them stay organized.  Some of them were even asking the kids higher-level thinking questions - so props to them :)

Once each group finished with their pumpkin and recorded the results, we gave them an extra pumpkin to gut (because we had so many donated!).  Then we came back together and talked about our results as a class, finished our reflection questions individually, and shared some of our thoughts.

Separating their seeds :)

Group #2 attempting to gut their pumpkin.

One of our parents working with the kids to count how many spoonfuls of seeds was in their pumpkin!

This pumpkin weighed around 26lbs!  This group of girls had a lot of seeds to scoop :)

Separating the seeds from the pumpkin 'guts'

I loved this lesson because not only was it fun, but it was engaging AND meaningful.  I'd like to think this is something they'll remember even when they get to be my age - I know I still remember great lessons from when I was in grade school.  I also think it's a great way to get the parents to see my role in the classroom.  They were able to see that I actually teach and I'm not simply an 'assistant'. :)

After the lesson, one of my boys told Jen something along the lines of, "I love when Ms. Schletzer teaches!  She's going to be a great teacher someday!"...of course when Jen told me that I couldn't help but feel good (and love that kid just a little bit extra ;) )  It's always great to hear such positive feedback from the kids because they're brutally honest, but also it lets me know I'm doing my job well :)  Of course, Jen has taught me very well so far and I can't wait to see what else I learn from her!

Btw, I also had the kids do Halloween Madlibs for morning work - they loved it and wanted to do it every day!  A great way to incorporate grammar :)  They loved sharing their stories with the class too!

And lastly, I made it out alive during my lead week.  I think I've become a much stronger teacher within this one week and I think the kids are really starting to respect me as a teacher too.  It's a great feeling!  Next stop...fall break :) (well, starting next week ;) )

My First Formal Evaluation!

So today I had my first formal evaluation...with many to come in my lifetime :)  Because I had class yesterday at UT, I got to the school super early to prepare my complicated lesson.  When I arrived at my classroom at 6:30am I found that my door was locked :(((((  One of the huge disadvantages of being an intern - I don't have a classroom key.  Long story short, I finally got in!  Needless to say I was a bit frantic that I only had about 25 min to get everything ready.  My nerves were shot, but then the lovely Jen greeted me with a Starbucks white mocha and helped me get ready!  (have I mentioned how much I love this woman? Because I do! :) )  I finally calmed down and then it was evaluation time :)

For the first part of our lesson I brought the kids to our carpet area and introduced a line of various sized pumpkins.  Each pumpkin was labeled with a number (5 in total).  Where did we get all of these pumpkins, you ask?  From our wonderful parents!  We actually had 10 donated!  How awesome is that?!  Very lucky to have supportive parents in our classroom.

So I had the kids guess how these pumpkins can help us in our lesson today.  After a few guesses (many very accurate!) and a short discussion, we read the book "The Bear Detectives: The Case of the Missing Pumpkin" (a Dr. Suess/Berenstein Bears book).  This book tied in great because it talked about predictions and dealt with pumpkins (exactly what our lesson is about...and you'll soon find out as I type more :) )

Only half of the pumpkins that were donated!  We'll be using these plus the other 5 in part 2 of our lesson tomorrow when we gut the pumpkins and count how many spoonfuls of seeds each one has.  The parents have been asked to join us in the activity, so it's a great way to combine home and school :)

After reading the book (the kids were VERY engaged and AWESOME), I introduced our objective 'I can use estimation to make predictions in math'.  Next step was to tell the kids what we were going to be doing and model it for them.

As the kids returned to their seat I explained that we'd be finding the 'circumference' of our pumpkins.  I asked if anyone knew what it was (and I wasn't expecting them to!). Some of the kids said 'it's how many seeds are in the pumpkins' another said 'it's the weight of a pumpkin!' After a few guesses, I explained that it's the length of a curve around a circle.  I wrote my prediction in my chart using marker (so I couldn't change my prediction after finding the actual answer).  Then I used a straight ruler and asked them how I could measure the pumpkin.  Some of them said to bend the ruler, others said to turn the pumpkin sideways, and then finally one said to use a string.  It was then I introduced to them that we could wrap yarn around our pumpkin, cut it, and then measure the yarn using a ruler.

Okay...I'm getting tired of typing so I'm going to start going into less detail :)

I then modeled how to predict and find the weight of the pumpkin, # of lines, sink/float properties, and # of spoonfuls of seeds.  Then I divided them into 5 groups of 3 and each group got a different sized pumpkin.  And they were set free to predict and then experiment! :)

First of all, the groups I made were PERFECT and everyone worked very well together.  They did a great job testing their predictions and then answered some reflection questions about it.  After this, we each group shared their findings and we compared all of the pumpkins as a class and put them in order from smallest to largest circumference and then weight.

Our whole class findings...if I could go back I'd definitely have a pre-made chart...but at least I learned from it.  Also, I think it's pretty obvious I'm still trying to work on my 'teacher handwriting' ;)

Overall, I think the lesson went really well for my first formal observation!  Of course it wasn't perfect and looking back I could've changed a few things, but as a whole I was happy with it.  I think it was fun, engaging, and academic as well - the perfect combination.  And of course, it was fall related and anyone who knows me knows my obsession with fall :)  I'll find out the score and some advice from my evaluator sometime either next week or the following week - so wish me luck! :)

Heaven & Hell All in One Day

Yup!  You read it right - today was both a little piece of Heaven and Hell all at the same time.  How's this possible?  Just continue to read to find out :)

Today started off great!  As I posted yesterday, I feel really uncomfortable teaching math, but today it came with such ease and it was just my second lesson (exciting, I know!).  We practiced standard subtraction with 3-digit numbers that required regrouping.  The lesson I did on Monday with the cereal COMPLETELY paid off because these kids were not only getting the answers right, but were understanding it!  I felt like such a 'proud mama' and couldn't be happier.  They were actually challenging themselves even more and attempting to make up their own problems using 4-digit numbers (that's not even required in 3rd grade!...at least from what I can remember ;)...I'll be sure to correct myself if that changes).

Spur of the moment word problem I came up with today - I couldn't resist ;)  The kids seemed to think it was funny though!

A note from Jen left on my desk after the lesson :)

 We also did a short activity before the math lesson to practice estimation.  We attempted to estimate how many marbles we had left to fill "Our Berry Good Bears" jar.  I had the kids get together with their tables to come up with an estimate.  I passed the bag of marbles around and let them how heavy it was too.  I explained to them that the guesses needed to be reasonable and if we got within 10 of the actual number, I would add 10 marbles to our jar.  After they came up with answers (before sharing them), I threw them for a whirlwind when I said, "If your group guesses the exact number, I'll put in 15 marbles.  I'll give you 30 seconds to revise your answer if you'd like."  I set the timer.  They were SO excited!  Many of the groups changed their answers and couldn't wait to share.  And finally, they were able to share their estimates.  Many of them guessed in the 40s-60s while one group guessed 122.  Everyone (including myself) thought they were out of their mind.  While we checked our morning work, Mrs. Arnold counted the marbles.  Turns out there were 128 marbles left!  So the group that guessed 122 was actually right :)  We got within 10 of the number and I threw in an extra 3 marbles because they got so close.  This spur of the moment activity was great because not only did the kids love it, but it was a great review of skills we've learned previously this year and it also required team work.

Alright, 'Heaven' is over.  Ready for Hell?  Because I sure wasn't.

During reading I had to be video taped by a fellow intern.  It's an assignment for our grad course and we use this information to evaluate each other.  Well, naive me decided to try a different technique to teach reading - a powerpoint.  We normally sit on the carpet, but I feel like their behavior has been getting too lax lately and I thought them staying at their desks might help.  Well between this change, Haley video taping me, and Jen leaving the room to do an observation (not bashing her!  it needed to be done and was the perfect opportunity for me to be with the kids alone to teach :) ), the kids were NUTS.  I love them, but my God that was not good.  They were so intrigued by the camera and could not concentrate at all on the task at hand.  I had people throwing tantrums about silly things, getting mad at each other, playing with things in their desks...and the list goes on.  I ended up having to take points from many of them, but probably should've taken even more.  I tried everything I could think of to keep them engaged, but today was just not my day.  It was just frustrating for many reasons, but probably the most frustrating because they were SO great with me earlier in the day and really respected me while I was teaching.  It very well may have been the time of day, but needless to say it was crazy.  On a positive note, it's great it's on video because I can watch and learn from it AND it'll make a great video...in about 10 years.  I'm sure I'll be laughing by that point.  I was so relieved when Jen came back in because I literally just needed a break.  Next week is my lead week (where I plan and lead all the lessons), so it's a great opportunity for me learn from my mistakes today (and I'm sure some next week!).  And on that note, I'm going to end now to continue working and preparing things.  I hope everyone has a good night and thanks for reading! Feel free to leave comments :)

Fun Activity Filled Day!

My first math lesson went well!  The kids really enjoyed using the chex (as 100s), pretzel sticks (as 10s), and cheerios (as 1s) in order to understand regrouping in subtraction.  Honestly, it helped me understand it better too! ;) With that being said, because I HATE math, I know this will be the topic I have to work especially hard on when planning and teaching it.  But on the positive side, I completely understand the children who hate math and become extremely frustrated, so I feel like I'm really able to relate to them.

As far as our marble jar is concerned, we actually earned a few marbles today!  I gave the kids a goal to earn 3 marbles when coming back from lunch and they helped keep each other accountable in the hallways to earn those marbles - and that they did!  During our actual lunch break, 2 of our boys earned the privilege to eat with the teachers.  However, they decided to sit by themselves in the classroom.  I guess we weren't 'cool' enough for them ;)  But I guess 20-30 yr. old women will never be cool enough to 8 yr old boys.  I still liked the fact they were excited to be in there with us though :)

In science today we reviewed the different types of clouds.  We used shaving cream to create our own clouds on our desks!  I missed the majority of the activity because I was helping a child find a change of pants after sliding down a sopping wet slide unknowingly (ohh, the things we learn in life!), but it seemed like such cute and helpful activity!  After we made the clouds, we filled in a chart that described the clouds and the characteristics each one has. We then checked our answers by watching a video about the clouds.  The kids also have homework throughout the week to look at the clouds each day and report about them - I love this!  They actually really seem to be into it too :)

Our 'cumulous' clouds!  The shaving cream was old so it deflated pretty quickly, but it still helped demonstrate the point :)

'Stratus' cloud turned into a design...this was as we were getting ready to clean up though, so we were forgiving of the extra designs ;)

And lastly, today was a SUPER WILD day when it came to behavior.  I think some of our kids are getting a little bit too comfortable, so hopefully tomorrow will be better.  God bless Jen because tomorrow is a full on learning expedition (AKA field trip day).  Hopefully it will go safely and smoothly :)  Unfortunately, I have class all day.  I also hope that goes safely and smoothly...wish me luck and pray for me! ;)

Just a quick update! :)  This past Friday was a great day for me, and I was able to take the lead for most of the day.  This week I'm leading math and I'm pretty nervous, but excited for it.  Today we had to do testing, but tomorrow I'll be teaching subtraction using regrouping.  I'm stealing the idea of using chex, pretzels, and cheerios to represent 100's, 10's, and 1's from a fellow teacher :)  If you look at my most recent post (other than this one :P) it gives explanations about how they can be used.  Although I'll be using them in a different way, it explains the gist of the idea.  Today I also introduced our marble jar to the kids.  Whenever they get compliments from us or other teachers, a marble goes into the jar.  Once the jar is filled we will vote as a class what we'd like our reward to be.  Some ideas so far are pajama day, extra recess, movie and popcorn, etc.  I'm excited to see what they'll choose and hopefully it'll help their behavior improve!  They're a great class, don't get me wrong, but I think it's extra motivation for them to be even better :)

Our marble jar!  Our mascot is a bear, so hence the cheesy title on the jar ;)  Today we earned 3 marbles and the marbles (blue & yellow) are our school colors.

On another note, I hate Monday evenings because my Math grad class is killing me!  Very sweet professor though :)

And on another 'nother note, I found out about some 'inaccurate' information from my last blog post.  Turns out Jen was super sweet and gave me the sign the day of my observation saying I'll do great, but Kelly (another teacher on our team) gave me the quote about making a difference in children's lives.  We actually found this out BECAUSE of my blog.  This miscommunication turned out to be very comical between the three of us :)  But regardless, I have such supportive teachers and mentors around me!