All of my postings each week have been about my action research. Every station that I taught this semester was for my action research. (To see each weeks AR notes-please read my postings).
My question: Does children's math books help students improve on their math skills and concepts?
I learned that it does. The students were given a preassessment before each unit. After the assessment, the students participated in many different lessons based on numbers, shapes, number identification, etc. Each lesson was based off of a math book. The activities we used were hands on manipulatives.
The students really seemed to enjoy them!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Week 1 reflection
Home VisitsFor the last two days my host teacher, our classroom aide and I have gone on kindergarten home visits. Kindergarten home visits? What are those? Last semester, when I had first heard that I would be going on them, I started asking myself these questions. My host teacher was very willing to explain the process to me. She was able to help me understand the purpose, but I still wondered if they were truly beneficial for the students.
During our first few visits my questions were immediately answered. As I watched our first student interact with my host teacher I noticed that the student was eager to get to know her as well as the rest of us. I watached as one of the students eyes "lit up" as she talked about what we would be doing at Woodburn.
Many of the home visits opened my eyes to the experiences that our students go through. While some of the experiences were very pleasant and comforting others were more depressing and left me feeling sad for the children. One visit in particular stands out in my mind. We waited on the porch waiting for the mother and daughter to come to the door. When they did come to answer the door, the mother told us that she had just woken up, like her daughter, at 2:30 in the afternoon. All three of us were shocked and surprised. We even ended up having our meeting on the front porch because the mother did not want us inside of her house. Even after everything that happened, I felt even sadder for the little girl because she was in desperate need of something to do or even something to play with. She stood outside and threw rocks at a tree because she did not own any toys that were suitable for her to engage with.
Overall, it has been a very rewarding experience. The teacher, aide and I were able to introduce ourselves to each student, explain some of the activities that we will be working on this year, and even make them less nervous about attending Woodburn next week. The parents were very welcoming and inviting. I was a bit aprehensive about going on these visits- but was overly surprised on how beneficial they are. I expect this school year to be a wonderful experience. I now believe that these visits help the students feel more comfortable about school starting and leave them with the impression that the experience will not be as scary as they think it might be.
Even though we will have twenty three students in this class, I am confident that we will have a productive, educational, and entertaining year. I hope that our home visits tomorrow and Monday turn out as rewarding as these past ones have.
Week 2 reflection
First Week of Kindergarten
If you saw me at Woodburn Elementary School on Monday, you would have heard me saying how excited I was for Tuesday to arrive. However, at the end of the day on Tuesday you would have heard me asking if summer was going to be here soon. Don't get me wrong, I love being placed in kindergarten. The students are active, smart, funny and entertaining. But on Tuesday, the first day of school, I learned how exhausting it is to be a kindergarten teacher.
The expectations are put in place and explained to the students the moment they arrive in kindergarten. Students learn how to raise their hands, wait their turn, share, use scissors, and learn to ask to use the bathroom among many other important concepts. Without these guidelines it would be impossible to get through the morning let alone the entire day. My host teacher is a wonderful example of how important it is to take time to explain classroom and school rules. On the first day of kindergarten, the students were learning what was expected of them.I have noticed that the students are getting better at following directions, respecting one another, and are becoming better listeners.
My host teacher has allowed me to teach one of the stations during our daily station time each day. I look forward to this time block every day. It is a wonderful opportunity for me because I am able to interact with the students and really listen to them.
One student has been giving me a rough time this week. He is having trouble understanding that he has to listen to all three adults in the classroom. I watched Mrs. R use stickers to keep the class focused and on task, so I decided to give it a try during my station. IT REALLY WORKS! As soon as he saw that other students were given a sticker, he decided to act like a kindergartener and complete his work. He acted much better for me on Tuesday and Wednesday. I realized that he just needed a little encouragement.
Mrs. R is allowing me to teach a unit on the senses in two weeks. I have been eagerly working on lesson plans. I am very excited to try out my plans in the classroom. All of my activities with include some kind of manipulative and a book (either on sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell).
I am eagerly looking forward to next week.
If you saw me at Woodburn Elementary School on Monday, you would have heard me saying how excited I was for Tuesday to arrive. However, at the end of the day on Tuesday you would have heard me asking if summer was going to be here soon. Don't get me wrong, I love being placed in kindergarten. The students are active, smart, funny and entertaining. But on Tuesday, the first day of school, I learned how exhausting it is to be a kindergarten teacher.
The expectations are put in place and explained to the students the moment they arrive in kindergarten. Students learn how to raise their hands, wait their turn, share, use scissors, and learn to ask to use the bathroom among many other important concepts. Without these guidelines it would be impossible to get through the morning let alone the entire day. My host teacher is a wonderful example of how important it is to take time to explain classroom and school rules. On the first day of kindergarten, the students were learning what was expected of them.I have noticed that the students are getting better at following directions, respecting one another, and are becoming better listeners.
My host teacher has allowed me to teach one of the stations during our daily station time each day. I look forward to this time block every day. It is a wonderful opportunity for me because I am able to interact with the students and really listen to them.
One student has been giving me a rough time this week. He is having trouble understanding that he has to listen to all three adults in the classroom. I watched Mrs. R use stickers to keep the class focused and on task, so I decided to give it a try during my station. IT REALLY WORKS! As soon as he saw that other students were given a sticker, he decided to act like a kindergartener and complete his work. He acted much better for me on Tuesday and Wednesday. I realized that he just needed a little encouragement.
Mrs. R is allowing me to teach a unit on the senses in two weeks. I have been eagerly working on lesson plans. I am very excited to try out my plans in the classroom. All of my activities with include some kind of manipulative and a book (either on sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell).
I am eagerly looking forward to next week.
Week 3 reflection
Second Week of Kindergarten
The second week of kindergarten has been very busy. We have a full schedule and the students are still having some trouble remembering some things. They forget to raise their hands, follow directions, and to be respectful to each other and their teachers. The first couple weeks are hard on everyone. It is a big adjustment for these five year olds. However, they seem to be doing pretty well so far.
This week I taught my host teacher's, lessons plans. I taught each day (Tuesday-Thursday) during our literacy station block. On Tuesday, I worked on classifying and sorting objects by one color. For some students this was an easy concept but for others it was rather hard. I noticed that some students were having trouble understanding how to sort the objects into the sorting trays (that we provided for them to use). They would watch other students in order to figure out where each color should go. About half way through my first group, I noticed that they were only putting one color in the tray because they did not see any other colors in it. They had trouble with the realization that they needed to put "one bead" of each color in each slot. This was a hard concept for them. Overall, they did a good job figuring out where the objects (beads, blocks or bears) go.
On Wednesday, I taught the meanings of the words: top, middle and bottom. I first started by showing the students the toy shelf. I pointed to the top, middle and bottom shelves. Next, we used blocks to manipulate the positions. Some of the students were confused on the order (they were flipping top and bottom). I also noticed that some students would take the same color blocks as their peers so that they could listen to their friends answer when I asked, "What color is on top? The bottom? The middle?" I decided to then tell each student that they needed their own colors. Most of the students did very well with this concept. I was impressed!
On Thursday we discussed how old they are. The students drew a picture of themself and told me how old they are in a sentence. They said, "I am _ years old." This was a pretty easy concept for them. They did extremely well.
This week was a very productive and successful. I learned alot more about my students. I was able to complete a pre-assessment on being able to identify and name "the names of shapes". I completed this pre-assessment for my action research project. The students did an okay job, but I can now see which shapes that I am going to need to stress and work on with them. The assessment was very beneficial.
I also had a short meeting with Mrs. R concerning how to help one of the students in our classroom. He is having behavioral issues and I felt that I needed some guidance on how to help him. She is a great mentor and gave me some great tips on how to successful motivate him (allow him to be a helper, assisst me with projects, be my line leader, etc.). I felt that I learned alot of information from discussing this with her. She is truly a wonderful teacher.
Overall, this week was a success. I learned much more about my students in this first two weeks then I ever thought I would. Each one of them is unique and special. I am excited about going back to Woodburn tomorrow.
The second week of kindergarten has been very busy. We have a full schedule and the students are still having some trouble remembering some things. They forget to raise their hands, follow directions, and to be respectful to each other and their teachers. The first couple weeks are hard on everyone. It is a big adjustment for these five year olds. However, they seem to be doing pretty well so far.
This week I taught my host teacher's, lessons plans. I taught each day (Tuesday-Thursday) during our literacy station block. On Tuesday, I worked on classifying and sorting objects by one color. For some students this was an easy concept but for others it was rather hard. I noticed that some students were having trouble understanding how to sort the objects into the sorting trays (that we provided for them to use). They would watch other students in order to figure out where each color should go. About half way through my first group, I noticed that they were only putting one color in the tray because they did not see any other colors in it. They had trouble with the realization that they needed to put "one bead" of each color in each slot. This was a hard concept for them. Overall, they did a good job figuring out where the objects (beads, blocks or bears) go.
On Wednesday, I taught the meanings of the words: top, middle and bottom. I first started by showing the students the toy shelf. I pointed to the top, middle and bottom shelves. Next, we used blocks to manipulate the positions. Some of the students were confused on the order (they were flipping top and bottom). I also noticed that some students would take the same color blocks as their peers so that they could listen to their friends answer when I asked, "What color is on top? The bottom? The middle?" I decided to then tell each student that they needed their own colors. Most of the students did very well with this concept. I was impressed!
On Thursday we discussed how old they are. The students drew a picture of themself and told me how old they are in a sentence. They said, "I am _ years old." This was a pretty easy concept for them. They did extremely well.
This week was a very productive and successful. I learned alot more about my students. I was able to complete a pre-assessment on being able to identify and name "the names of shapes". I completed this pre-assessment for my action research project. The students did an okay job, but I can now see which shapes that I am going to need to stress and work on with them. The assessment was very beneficial.
I also had a short meeting with Mrs. R concerning how to help one of the students in our classroom. He is having behavioral issues and I felt that I needed some guidance on how to help him. She is a great mentor and gave me some great tips on how to successful motivate him (allow him to be a helper, assisst me with projects, be my line leader, etc.). I felt that I learned alot of information from discussing this with her. She is truly a wonderful teacher.
Overall, this week was a success. I learned much more about my students in this first two weeks then I ever thought I would. Each one of them is unique and special. I am excited about going back to Woodburn tomorrow.
Week 5 reflection
Senses Unit/Action Research
This week I finished up my senses unit with my students. On Monday, we learned about the importance of tasting. I brought in lemons, skittles, pretzels/crackers, and unsweetened ice tea for the students to try. We talked about the terms bitter, salty, sweet, and sour. I learned that bitter and sour are hard for the students to understand the difference.
The students made a senses book for open house. They had to write about something that they could see, smell, hear, taste, and feel. They did a wonderful job coming up with an object to draw. A couple of my students drew the same objects as the person sitting next to them. I during my told my students to write their name on the line and then realized that they could not read the world "Name". Each and every day I learn something new. Meadow came to observe me on Tuesday and it was great having her in our class. She was able to point out some things that I did not even realize that I do (spelling out words for the students, behavior managment strategies, etc.). It was a beneficial experience. :)
I started briefly talking about shapes for my action research project. I introduced the square and rectangle today. The students seemed to really enjoy the book and activity (we used model magic to construct our own squares and rectangles). It was a perfect lesson. The students, even one that gives me some trouble, all paid attention so that they could participate. I was thrilled!
I look forward to teaching more about shapes next week!
This week I finished up my senses unit with my students. On Monday, we learned about the importance of tasting. I brought in lemons, skittles, pretzels/crackers, and unsweetened ice tea for the students to try. We talked about the terms bitter, salty, sweet, and sour. I learned that bitter and sour are hard for the students to understand the difference.
The students made a senses book for open house. They had to write about something that they could see, smell, hear, taste, and feel. They did a wonderful job coming up with an object to draw. A couple of my students drew the same objects as the person sitting next to them. I during my told my students to write their name on the line and then realized that they could not read the world "Name". Each and every day I learn something new. Meadow came to observe me on Tuesday and it was great having her in our class. She was able to point out some things that I did not even realize that I do (spelling out words for the students, behavior managment strategies, etc.). It was a beneficial experience. :)
I started briefly talking about shapes for my action research project. I introduced the square and rectangle today. The students seemed to really enjoy the book and activity (we used model magic to construct our own squares and rectangles). It was a perfect lesson. The students, even one that gives me some trouble, all paid attention so that they could participate. I was thrilled!
I look forward to teaching more about shapes next week!
Week 4 reflection
Week four was an exciting week.
This was the first week that I taught from my own lesson plans. I taught one of our three literacy stations. My lessons were based on a Senses Unit that I am teaching my class. We are talking about one sense each day.
The students two favorite lessons so far have been Hearing and Touching. For the hearing lesson, I had them make their own phones. They loved it! One parent told me today that her daughter ran in the door to show her and instantly wanted to play with it.
The other sense that they really enjoyed was touching. I had many soft, hard, prickly, and rough objects for them to touch. I first had them pass around the objects and then once everyone was able to feel all of them, I had them select an object and tell me what it felt like. The students seemed to enjoy this because they were allowed to select their own object to work with.
I did have to make a few changed in my lesson. I added some examples that went along with the story we were reading to help the students understand. I also had to make a student my helper who was having trouble paying attention. (He passed out the objects for me.)
Overall the senses unit has been a success. I am looking forward to the two senses we have left to discuss and learn about.
I feel that I am growing as a teacher. I have noticed that I am using better positive strategies when dealing with my students because it tends to work better then the negative ones. My host teacher has been a wonderful mentor with this.
I am looking forward to tomorrow! :)
This was the first week that I taught from my own lesson plans. I taught one of our three literacy stations. My lessons were based on a Senses Unit that I am teaching my class. We are talking about one sense each day.
The students two favorite lessons so far have been Hearing and Touching. For the hearing lesson, I had them make their own phones. They loved it! One parent told me today that her daughter ran in the door to show her and instantly wanted to play with it.
The other sense that they really enjoyed was touching. I had many soft, hard, prickly, and rough objects for them to touch. I first had them pass around the objects and then once everyone was able to feel all of them, I had them select an object and tell me what it felt like. The students seemed to enjoy this because they were allowed to select their own object to work with.
I did have to make a few changed in my lesson. I added some examples that went along with the story we were reading to help the students understand. I also had to make a student my helper who was having trouble paying attention. (He passed out the objects for me.)
Overall the senses unit has been a success. I am looking forward to the two senses we have left to discuss and learn about.
I feel that I am growing as a teacher. I have noticed that I am using better positive strategies when dealing with my students because it tends to work better then the negative ones. My host teacher has been a wonderful mentor with this.
I am looking forward to tomorrow! :)
Week 8 reflection
This week I introduced the students to patterns for my action research.
I started each lesson by reading/introducing a children's math book to the students. We read Patterns on Tuesday. The entire book was full of different patterns that you can find all around you without even knowing it. Mrs. B observed me on that day, which was the students first day of learning patterns. I thought they did a wonderful job of searching and finding the patterns in the story. They were engaged tremendously and were excited to find new patterns.
The rest of the week we continued to expand our minds and observations while looking at the Patterns book and we also read another book called: Pattern. The students completed many different activities- using musical instruments to create patterns, using plastic bears to design their own patterns, and even using our classroom SmartBoard to make dot patterns.
The student absolutely love using the SmartBoard which is a great educational tool in our classroom. They also enjoyed the musical instruments. One student had some trouble following diretions during our instrument lesson- "D" threw and instrument intrument into the box, so he had to pull a card. But other than that, I received great participation from the rest of the students. I constantly had to remind, "Student A" to raise his hand and wait his turn, but he had an overall pleasant day.
I started each lesson by reading/introducing a children's math book to the students. We read Patterns on Tuesday. The entire book was full of different patterns that you can find all around you without even knowing it. Mrs. B observed me on that day, which was the students first day of learning patterns. I thought they did a wonderful job of searching and finding the patterns in the story. They were engaged tremendously and were excited to find new patterns.
The rest of the week we continued to expand our minds and observations while looking at the Patterns book and we also read another book called: Pattern. The students completed many different activities- using musical instruments to create patterns, using plastic bears to design their own patterns, and even using our classroom SmartBoard to make dot patterns.
The student absolutely love using the SmartBoard which is a great educational tool in our classroom. They also enjoyed the musical instruments. One student had some trouble following diretions during our instrument lesson- "D" threw and instrument intrument into the box, so he had to pull a card. But other than that, I received great participation from the rest of the students. I constantly had to remind, "Student A" to raise his hand and wait his turn, but he had an overall pleasant day.
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